New Year Antics

Hello and Happy New Year!

I think it's okay, actually, to say "Happy New Year" for the entire month of January.  It is the FIRST month of the year, right, and you still get excused for your habitual writing-of-the-date-wrong. (Not 2013, that's SO LAST YEAR!  It's "2014.")  I know this will take a weight off of your shoulders.  It's official.  You can say "Happy New Year" all month long.

We are back into the swing of things, and we are even getting a reprieve from our obscenely cold temperatures!  YESSS!  A week ago it was getting down to (gasp) below zero at night.  Yep, your nose hairs freeze when you breathe in, and inhaling through your mouth makes you cough.  Hate that.  Yesterday, drumroll please... I think it got up to 50.

NEW MANTRA.  My very friendly, very positive neighbor said it best: during the frigid temps...I ran into him at the grocery store.  With a contagious grin, he said, "It's one day closer to spring!"  So that's what I keep telling myself.  One day closer to spring.

flowers: my symbol of spring coming! :)

DAVID. A LITTLE LATE.  David has started 2nd semester classes.  He was supposed to return last Sunday, but his flight got cancelled because of the horrid weather in Detroit (his connection city).  In a series of unfortunate events, he tried to fly standby on Monday but no luck.  He took a plane Tuesday and arrived that evening back at school.  Bummer to miss the first 2 days of school, but he's back now.  We skyped him this afternoon and he's back into his routine.

TERESA's CLEAN ROOM.  Teresa, our 16-year-old daughter, gave me this coupon for Christmas: "Will keep room clean for a week!" So yesterday I cashed it in...we attacked her desk, recycled, threw out papers from classes she took 2 years ago. We eliminated piles in the corners, and created a bin in the garage of things she really wanted to keep. At the end she looked around and sighed dejectedly, "Mom, what I really meant by the coupon was that you'd be able to see my carpet."  (She may just never give me another Christmas coupon??!?)  It makes me so happy to see her room, sometimes I just walk in there and look around.  NICE! :)
 
Guess I should have had before/after photos, but it looks good, right?

KARA 14 MEALS.  Kara (8th grade) has now made our dinners for 4 days.  One of her goals is to plan and make nutritious meals for 2 weeks!  That's 14 meals.  I agree with Jamie Oliver, in his TED talk: Teach Every Child About Food.  He says that every American child, before they leave school, should know how to cook 10 healthy meals.  (He says a lot of other stuff, too.  Disturbing, the direction we as a country and world are headed in terms of food consumption.)

Anyway, Kara is on her way to her 14-meal goal.  This is an Internet photo, but one of her salads really did look like this.

TEETH.  So you can send good thoughts & prayers David's way this Friday...he gets his wisdom teeth out then.  Yep, it has to be done, for everyone except those lucky people who somehow don't HAVE any?!? But he does.  All 4.  We'll keep you posted. :)

Have a great week!  Kari