A Room with a View(Finder)

We gave Allison & Julia a wooden dollhouse this past Christmas. We purchased an extra set of dolls so that there would be a family for each to play with.


One day recently I found Julia had lined the families up for a nap, each on his own ViewFinder slide bed.

Julia agreed to pose with the family for a nap picture. Nighty Night Family!

The Beach in February and A Party in the Penthouse

Wacky Countdown...days 6 & 7. (Don't know what am I counting down toward? Click here.)

I've actually taken one of your Birthday idea comments and taken action! (thanks, Wendy) I have to admit I thought her idea of building a sandcastle in February sounded too cold to bear, but when the temperature reached 80 degrees today, I couldn't keep away from the beach. We didn't really build a castle, but we searched for shells, played with sand and did it all smack in the dead of winter. The water was COLD, but of course we had to at least dip our toes in just to say we did.



















The weekend we also celebrated at "Tenure Party" with one of Eric's office neighbors in the Sociology department. The professor lives in a condo on the Penthouse level overlooking the James River. The weather was pleasant, and the party was timed so that we could enjoy the balcony and the sunset. We toasted her success, and I secretly hoped that when Eric gets tenure that we'll have a party just as snazzy. My favorite gift she received was a clock with an engraving "your tenure clock is no longer ticking, but your lectures are timeless".

Wacky Countdown Day #3

Ok friends, you may remember my plan to celebrate the 35 days leading up to my 35th Birthday by doing something celebratory, wacky, or plain fun each day. I've been soliciting ideas from my friends on how I might celebrate. Read more about this here.

So how's the plan going?

Day 1 (Groundhog's Day): Seriously considered going to Punxsutawney Pennsylvania to see the official Groundhog "Punxsutawney Phil" prognosticate. Consulted the Official Punxsutawney Phil website the day before where it states "the viewing area gates open at 3:00am. Young children not recommended." Ruled that out. Spent the afternoon without kids, (mostly doing errands). Better luck tomorrow.

Day 2: Woke up at 5:00am (not by choice) but got to catch up with an old camp friend via Facebook chat for almost 2 hours before anyone woke up. Not planned fun, but so good for my soul. (Click on the 1993 camp staff picture below: I'm in the middle row, far left. Yes, that's me. I WAS that fabulous back then. People called me Chief.)
Considered donating 10 inches of my hair to "Locks of Love" (I did it once before) but got the girls haircuts instead. Perhaps I'm not up for anything daring after all.



















Day 3: (today) Tried to tap into my inner superhero while visiting the Virginia Living Museum (see pic). Somehow my version of "BatGirl" doesn't seem very heroic. What am I doing wrong?














Here's my wackiest thing for the day... I pet a Sea star.

35 Days 'til 35

On Groundhog Day (FEB 2) there will be 35 days until I turn 35.


I want to celebrate with so many of you, but, dear friends, you are scattered all over the place! Will you celebrate with me from afar?

I want to try to do something new, quirky, wacky, or celebratory for the 35 days leading up to my birthday. That's where you come in....

Send me your ideas on how I might celebrate for a day, keeping in mind that I want it to be attainable (not skydiving) in an everyday schedule. I will post pics or stories as I partake in each of your brilliant schemes.

If you don't already know this about our family, I'll tell you this:

"We're the Silvermans. We celebrate everything more than once." Hence the 35 days of planned birthday merriment.


Help me celebrate by adding to my list!


How do I feel about turning 35?

I didn't think this age thing would phase me, but I think because so much transition has happenened in my life in the last year I find myself.....phased. I'm struggling even to describe how it's affecting me. I don't want to make it sound all negative. I just find myself noticing the number, and not sure what it means. Am I too old to start something new? Am I too young to have made something of myself? Will I EVER be a responsible grownup?

It's 3 am....again

I find myself awake at 3:00am pretty often. It's been like that on and off since my 2nd pregnancy. Probably once every week or so, I'm not sleeping when I should be. Either I had too much caffeine, or woke up from one of the kids' crying (woke up, not GOT UP, Eric does that) and can't get back to sleep. I get my red blanky, with the fuzzy side towards me, and sit on my red couch and power up the computer.

It's one of the only times I keep up on the blogs I read, and find friends on Facebook. You know, important stuff.

I think I'm actually pretty witty and delightful at 3am. I write e-mails full of warm and fond memories to old highschool friends and camp buds. Most of my blog posts have been written in the 3am hour. Perhaps it's just the lack of sleep talking.

So, why am I such a mess between 4 and 6pm? (For those of you who don't know...this is a rhetorical question. Please don't tell me that if I hadn't been awake at 3am, I might be more sane in the afternoon. I don't want to hear your logic.)

I dread the afternoon because I'm not a likable person then. I don't even respect me as a mommy between 4 and 6pm.

Where's Supermom then?

Where are the spontaneous games I'm supposed to play to keep the kids off the TV?

How about all those songs with funny motions that I know and teach to other people's kids?

Where is that huge pile of new toys the kids got for Christmas?

Nowhere. Nowhere. Nowhere. It's just Meanmommy, exasperated for the millionth time wondering "What the HECK am I supposed to make for dinner?" I look in the cabinet. I see boxes of food, but I can't visualize dinner. I can't decide.

It's 3am but I'm still stuck at 5:00pm. Am I insane? I keep doing the same thing, expecting different results.

But change is hard. Change requires that, in a moment of intense weakness, I make a willful, strong, decisive, positive action.
Change requires me to go back to bed and try to fall asleep even though this is the most peace and quiet I've had in 2 weeks.

Change requires me to forgo the sweet tea (with caffeine) in the afternoon, or skip the chocolate ice cream (again with the caffeine) before bed.

Change requires me to think ahead, plan a week of meals and then (this is the hardest part) to execute the plan I made.

Stephen Covey describes it as "exercising integrity in the moment of decision" Wow do I fall short. Do I have Integrity? Can I make a Decision? Do I have to talk about Exercise? Ugh. Stephen, how do you make it look so easy?

Change requires that I admit I'm wrong. It requires me to step beyond the tantrum of "Idon'twanna" and be a grownup. It requires me to go back to bed.

A Recipe I Don't Recommend

Ingredients:
Enough chicken for 3 meals
short attention span


Step 1: get the idea whilst cooking dinner that you'll cook a completely different set of chicken to be used later in the week.

Step 2: get distracted, eat the "other" dinner for the evening, leave the house to go to Bible Study and return at 9:30pm

Step 3: Eat Crow. Swallow your pride.

Tip:
Many meals are enhanced by ambiance. One thing that helps is being able to hear your husband instruct your children during bedtime prayers to thank God that the house didn't burn down.

I thought about keeping this recipe a "family secret" but thought about all the people who would derive so much enjoyment from it and decided to share.

..then we held hands & sang "Kum Ba Yah"

I went to church today with my parents in rural PA.

The pastor of the church spoke of how secular versions of the Christmas Spirit are already packed away for next year. But the true work of Christmas begins after the hub-bub goes away and the reality of God's love takes hold in each of us. God's Spirit stirs us to serve and love one another all year long. Where, instead of just sending Christmas cards, we send notes to one another all year to communicate how much we care. Instead of giving Christmas gifts, we give to one another all year out of the abundance we have received through God's generosity. People don't stop needing us to reach out to them just because Christmas has passed. The year 2008 is essentially over. We stand at the threshold of next year...how will we spend it, how will we celebrate it, how will we join God in telling others that he loves them each dearly?

After the church service, we all went downstairs to the church basement to have a New Year's Party. We got to be the first in York County (or anywhere for that matter) to do a countdown, with hats, noisemakers and all.

















As a local-ish tradition (it's actually a Baltimorean tradition) we all ate pickled Herring. It's kinda like German sushi on a toothpick. It was salty and vinegar-y, as I expected, but it had an unexpected sweetness to it.










Just so no one could get out of taking a taste, Pastor Henry had everyone stand in a circle and pass the plate of herring around. Allison was worried she was going to have to taste it. I told her don't worry, even some of the grownups didn't want to try it.
(see pic of my dad, not wanting to try it)

When it was all over, we sang Kum ba yah. Yes, we were standing in a circle, holding hands and singing Kum Ba Yah. It's not just a cliche anymore, it's a New Year. Welcome 2009!