Eight Players Begins

Wednesday was a big day for me. Absolutely exhausting in the end, but a lot of it was quite fun. After the kids had their breakfast, we braved the icy neighborhood roads to try to make it to the gym. The car got stuck going one direction up a street, and I had to back down, even using the floormats under the tires for traction. We got turned around and slid our way down to the main roads.

Eventually we got out to where it wasn't too bad and made it to the gym. Oh, I was SO thankful to get that workout in! It relieved a lot of stress for me and just plain felt great to be moving. Also, I'm almost finished with The People of Sparks, which I really need to get back to the library posthaste.

The parking lots near the gym had giant piles of plowed snow in them, and it was all I could do to keep the kids from jumping in them. At least they stayed out of the ones that were actually in the street. When we got home, there was no question at all about what was happening. They ran out into the yard to play in the snow.




That afternoon, I took off for Panera to begin the first of three sessions of a Christmas break young writers event I'm calling Eight Players. (Even though we have ten participants!) A bunch of the kids who have been in my groups before were there, along with a handful of new people. It was chaotic, yes the status quo, but still pretty fun. Hopefully things will be a little more settled next week.




After two hours with ten teenagers, I was pretty much exhausted! On the way home, the car got stuck (again!) on the way up the hill. I spent 15 minutes trying to travel 30 feet, using the floormats for traction once more.

Finally back at home, I said goodbye to Heath for he had to take off right away to teach class. The kids and I chilled out for the rest of the evening. I ordered pizza for dinner because I really had no energy to do anything at all. After they went down for bed, I took care of some prep work for Eight Players, then called it a night.

Snow Stuck

Tuesday morning, a fresh, powdery blanket of snow covered the yard...and the roads. My car is in serious need of snow tires, so the morning trip to the gym (or anywhere else for that matter) became non-existent. This did, however, afford Heath some time to play games with the kids while I finalized some handouts for my writers event that starts Wednesday.

Around 1:00, we bundled up and walked to Marla's house for an afternoon playdate. The kids really enjoyed walking through the unshoveled, snowy sidewalks. It was one of those snowy days that was filled with delicious sunshine that sparkled across the lawns. Lovely!




I very much enjoyed sitting and chatting with Marla for a couple hours, while the kids played, wrestled, built forts, colored, and did all the stuff one does on a playdate. Julie and S. are like peas in a pod--such sweet friends. Everest spent a bit of time playing in the snow in the backyard.




We walked back home around 4:30 or so. The sun was already past the mountains, and the temperature was dropping, but the kids still crawled and rolled through the snow fields all the way home. Needless to say, they were pretty frozen and caked in snow by time we arrived at our doorstep.



They both took hot showers, then came downstairs to dinner and hot cocoa. It was a nice dinner together--just the three of us because Heath was teaching. We ended the night by watching Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas, a show that Heath grew up watching as a child. They love it!




The kids were pretty tired but fought bedtime a little. Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to give in. Puella came by later to write, and I got all my stuff printed and ready for Wednesday. I kind of want to play around with my garage finds to make a robot tonight, but I'm not sure how awake I'm going to be for that. Still, I need to stay awake for at least another 45 minutes. Heath needs me to wake him at 1:00 a.m. so he can get some work done before tomorrow. Ack. I really hope the workload starts to slow down for him. This is getting rather ridiculous.

Tomorrow, I'm determined to make it to the gym if the roads will let me. Then I've got the writers event. Can't wait to meet all those new young writers who will be coming!

Cozy Hours at Home

Wednesday, in the wee hours of the morning, we got lots of snow and sleet, which equals icy roads in the morning. Thus, we had a blessed 2-hour delay from school. Though we didn't get to sleep in a whole lot, we didn't have to rush around, which is almost just as good.

The kids were able to have a big breakfast of waffles, eggs, and juice, THEN had time to play for 15 minutes before we walked up to the bus stop. Yes, even in the icy, snowy cold, we walked to the bus stop. Why? Because honestly, by the time we managed to get our car brushed and scraped off and up that icy hill, we could have walked. So we bundled up and walked.



Everest and I did some preschool stuff at home when we got home. With a 2-hour delay, they cancel morning preschool, so he and I had the morning together. It was fun, but I have the magazine to do this week, and I was hoping for that two hours of uninterrupted time to work. Ah well. There's still tonight, and I am mostly done anyway.



I managed to get Everest to lay down and take a short nap, but again, it was really close to when we had to go get Julie from the bus stop by then, so his nap was insufficient, making him grumpy on the walk up to the bus stop. At least he does cheer up quickly and by time we got home, he was hopping through the snow with the other kids.




Julie got her homework done while Everest rested a little more. When she finished, they went outside to play in the snow. Might as well! It had warmed up enough that the only cold thing out there was the snow and the slight breeze. They had a blast.



I love that picture (above). Yes, Everest is wearing shorts and sledding. He's a true Colorado native. And yes, Julie is seconds away from a face plant. XD Later, I got this shot (below). Those are ALL my kids' footprints. The snow was practically a pristine blanket until they got out there.



While they played, I got dinner going. We decided on another breakfast for dinner because the kids had waffles for breakfast and Julie had pancakes for hot lunch. Makes sense? She LOVES breakfast. I made blueberry pancakes, sausage, homemade biscuits with sausage gravy, and scrambled eggs with cheese. Total success.



After dinner, Heath got Everest showered and ready for bed, and I helped Julie do some of her online homework. She worked really hard, and I didn't want to make her stop, but she needed to get down for bed.



Heath and I are going to hang out for a bit, then both of us have work to do tonight. Thankfully it's still a bit early, so we should be good. Sleep would definitely be a wise idea tonight. Got a busy day tomorrow with printing the magazine and the collating meeting in the evening.

Parting Shots:
For my snow-loving friends, I took these for you. Aspen leaves in the ice.

A Perfect Zoo Excursion

Friday, I finished up the last few things I needed to do for work, then the kids and I took off for the zoo. Our membership expires on Monday, meaning that we wanted to squeeze at least one more trip in. We probably won't renew again until the zoo Christmas lights go up.

Since there was school for every other district (as far as I know), and it was still later morning and slushy-snowy, the zoo was practically deserted. We took our time everywhere we went. I let them set the pace through all the exhibits. We rode the Skyride, and I let the kids play for a long, long time at the top--longer than we usually let them.

We did the zoo in reverse of how we usually do it--just for kicks. It was such a great outing! Everyone was very well behaved up until about the last 20 minutes when it was clear that the kids were completely worn out. And so was I!





(Click this if you can't see the slideshow above.)

I went ahead and made my "famous" mac and cheese for the kids before Heath got home. Had a tutoring appointment at 5:00, which went fabulously. Heath took off to go rock climbing while I work on some edits to finalize that last novella from my writers group.

That evening, the Muse girls came over for some candy poker but Heath joined us this time. It was fun, and we got a pizza in there somewhere before everyone started going into a sugar coma and needing to go their separate ways.




Parting Shot
By Friday afternoon, practically all the snow had melted except for the places where Julie and Everest had piled up it up. How often do you get to see two snowmen standing on green grass?

Yet Another Snow Day

Thursday and Friday, there was no school due to parent-teacher conferences. We had ours at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. Nope. No sleeping in for us. Oh well. Julie's teacher had a lot of good things to say about her schooling. We are really proud of her!



Thankfully, even though we had the snow the night before, the roads were completely fine. In fact, by the end of the day, most of the significant snow was gone. We had no troubles going about regular business.

Julie came with me to the church to print bulletins. She worked on some school stuff on the computer under my desk. (I did not put her there; that was her choice!)



When we returned, I picked up Everest, and the three of us went to my mom's store for lunch while Heath headed out to work. The kids were pretty good and ate their food. On the way back, they really wanted to go play at a park. Despite the appearance of snow, it was actually pretty warm outside. They ended up playing out in the yard and making snowmen. Yes, they are wearing capris and shorts. They are truly Colorado natives!





Fatigue absolutely overtook me while I was laying on the couch, listening to them play outside. I didn't even want to move. So what did I do? I called them inside, and we went to the gym.

Even though I didn't feel like being there AT ALL, I'm sure it's no surprise that it ended up being really good for me anyway. I enjoyed the physical activity, the reading time, and the time alone. In fact, I finished up a chapter in my book in the hot tub. SO nice.

Back at home, I got the kids to bed relatively on time, and pretty much crashed. I think I was in bed by 10:30.

Parting Shot
This was taken around 9:00 a.m. By the time we drove back by at almost noon, it was reduced by about half. By the end of the day? Barely there at all.

Lovely, Lovely Snow Day

They said it would happen, and Tuesday night, it started snowing. Yes, after Everest wearing shorts all week, and a high of 80 on Monday. We got snow. Not a ton over Tuesday night, but on Wednesday, we had steady snowfall all day. Thankfully the roads were fine during the day, but tonight, it's probably starting to ice up.

I ended up only leaving the house twice--once to get Everest from school, once to get Julie from the bus stop. But that was fine by me really. I got lots of work done and stayed warm while watching the snow falling through the window in front of my desk. Such a pretty day.



Everest had a fun time playing in the snow periodically. He shoveled a lot, using Flynn's little shovel that he bought for his car while he was here last winter (and left with us by accident). He sure loves the snow, and the cold doesn't seem to phase him much.

We had lunch and played a game of Uno, then I tried to get him to take a nap. He would have nothing to do with sleep this afternoon, so I gave up, letting him watch a couple shows while I finished up some work stuff.

Heath took Julie to go rock climbing for a few hours after school, leaving me and Everest to hang out in the evening. We had dinner together, just the two of us, and actually had an interesting conversation about drugs. It's Red Ribbon Week at school, and the teachers are having the kids say, "I choose be drug free!" and he wanted to know what it was all about.

It was quite a good conversation actually, and he got some bonus information about what jail is like. He decided that doing drugs didn't make much sense and that jail sounded like a place to be avoided. He decided that he would not do drugs and that he would obey the law. Who knew an almost 5-year old could have such a clear discussion about such matters?

Tonight, I've got some writing to do, and Heath and I will be watching a show later on before bed. Such a relaxing yet productive day. It has been quite enjoyable. Maybe all that lovely snow has a calming effect on us.

Parting Shot

Ventures & Misadventures

Tuesday, I didn't have my usual meetings because the pastors are all away this week. Turned out to be a good thing though because Everest slept in until just after 9:00 a.m.! He never sleeps in--unless he's going through a growth spurt or he's feeling sick.

Thankfully it was just that he must be growing because he was in good spirits when he awoke. He's also been eating like crazy this week. I was able to stay on task all day with my magazine stuff. Wahoo!

We went out to run errands in the early afternoon because Julie had Student Council and didn't need to be picked up until later. When we were at the print shop, I was gathering my purse and stuff as Everest climbed out of the car. He closed the door, and I heard a cry. Looking in the sideview mirror, I saw his face scrunched up in pain.

I rushed around the car just as he yanked his thumb out from the crack of the car door. Yikes! We sat down on the curb, and he cried it out, then I checked his thumb. It looked okay though the nail was a bit bent. Buzz Lightyear band-aids were on hand to help save the day. He complained of it hurting a bit more throughout the day, but it doesn't appear that anything was permanently damaged.

When we went to the church, Everest laid down on the couch and played with my iPod the entire time. He was (thankfully) very calm and patient while I printed the bulletins.



My parents were nice enough to fill our gas tank that afternoon, so we got to see them briefly before heading home. Everest is always up for seeing Nana and Papa. :o)



After we got Julie, we came home to get homework done and make dinner. Heath was home for the evening after being in meetings all day. The kids went down all right, and I went to Village Inn with Legolas to work on the magazine as well as do some prep for my next young writers group that would start the next day.



We left there a little after midnight, and the snow was coming down something fierce. Legolas had to get out the ice scraper to brush off all the accumulated snow before we could go anywhere. And even then, by time she finished one side, it had covered the other again. Thank goodness the roads were still warm enough that it didn't get icy.




Once I got home, I did some more work on the magazine into the night. But at least almost all the articles got laid out, putting me ahead of where I usually am by Tuesday night.

Parting Shot
Simon takes full advantage of sitting in any unusual spots he can find. He doesn't seem to care if he'll only get to sit there for three minutes; he just plops down wherever he wants to.

Snowy Start

Early in the morning on Tuesday, snow began to fall. It came down fairly hard, followed by extremely cold temperatures. Specifically, it was an arctic cold front--yes, ARCTIC air just blew through here.

School was on a 2-hour delay, which pushed everything back a little. At least the kids had extra time to get ready for the day. Heath had an orientation to attend at 10:00, and I had meetings, so after we dropped Julie off at school, Everest and I went to the church.

He was content to sit at the break table, watch his DVD, play with his toys, and have a snack while I sat through a couple of meetings, then printed bulletins. He does so well in the mornings! Definitely a morning person.



Around noon, I got a call from Julie, saying that after school activities were canceled, meaning that she would be taking the bus home instead of staying for Student Council. That cut short the time we were going to spend at the church. Back at home, we saw that the snowplows had been through the townhouses, plowing and sanding. Thank goodness!



We decided to make tacos for dinner, and when Heath came home and found out, he offered to cook. Nice! After dinner, I got the kids in bed while Heath cleaned up the kitchen. Then I took off to Panera to meet with Puella for an evening of studying chemistry (her) and trying to write (me).



It was so nice to be out of the house during the week! I will definitely enjoy getting used to this. Puella and I did get some stuff accomplished while we were together. Hopefully we can do it again sometime. Work is more fun with others around to keep you company.

Back at home, I discovered that Heath had scrubbed and disinfected the whole house. YES!! He knows that the way to my heart is through a bleach bottle. (So to speak!)

Heath passed out on the bed (understandably), while I finished watching a couple movies with the intent to get the laundry folded--though one of them sucked me in so much that I completely forgot about the laundry. XD

Out & About on Sunday

Sunday, we somehow slept in unreasonably late. The kids have gotten into the habit of playing on their own without waking us up, which is nice on most occasions. Not so much on days when it is important to GET UP.

We had a little family time together, then I went over to Donita's house for some soup and to chat with her for awhile. She had a scheduled write-in for her writer friends. I could only stay for a couple hours, but I did get my blogs updated.

When I tried to pull out to leave, I realized that my 2WD Jeep was stuck on the snowy ice, facing up the hill. After living in a mountain valley for many winters, I learned the trick of putting the floor mats under the front tires, then jamming it to get traction on them.

I had to do this twice, but eventually I got the Jeep turned around and headed back down the hill. Hee hee. There's a certain sense of satisfaction that comes from freeing a snow-crippled vehicle.

Joy and I met for a late lunch/early dinner at Qdoba. We were going to get together Saturday night, but the roads were too icy and the air was just too cold to go anywhere. It was lovely to hang out with her--as always! We went to get some bubble tea afterwards, and somehow we decided that we absolutely must see Tron: Legacy at the IMAX in 3D.




The movie was fantastic! And I can see why Flynn said that he downloaded the Tron: Legacy soundtrack almost immediately after seeing it. I may very well have to do the same as soon as iTunes funds become available.

Joy and I said goodbye after the movie, and I came home. Heath and I actually got to hang out a little bit since I was home earlier than usual. We tried to go to bed early--and failed.

Parting Shot
Here are some lions for you. Forgot to post this for Saturday.

Snowy Afternoon at the Zoo

Saturday, I left before the family was up and met with my girls at Panera for the Inkaholics writers group. We only have two more sessions after this and then we're done. So sad! But I mentioned to them that I was planning on having another one, and they were all very interested in participating if at all possible.



When I returned home, Heath had to leave for the school to get ready for his students' graduation ceremony that afternoon. The kids danced for me for awhile, then we left for the zoo. On the way, it started to snow.




The zoo is a magical, beautiful place when it's snowing. The animals are mostly inside, so you can see everything up close. Not to mention that it's pretty cool to see African lions lounging on a rock surrounded by snow. It isn't crowded, and the snow puts on this blanket of quiet throughout the grounds. Absolutely wonderful.









We had packed a picnic lunch and decided to eat in Wolf Woods, where there is a covered viewing area for the enclosure. In all the years that they have had Wolf Woods, I think I maybe have only actually seen the elusive wolves twice. This time, they were right in sight the whole time. And we just happened to be there when one of the zoo volunteers came to talk about and feed them. So we got to see them really close to the glass.



Unfortunately, my digital camera's battery died, and my phone's camera isn't the best for capturing a moving target. Boo! But I can tell you that it was incredible to see the wolves running with snow falling all around them. Gorgeous!

The snow really started to come down, so we hurried back to the car and slowly made our way back on the slushy roads. It was slippery, but not too bad--just bad visibility.



We made it home and crashed. Julie went to play by herself for awhile, and Everest and I watched a movie. We had a quick dinner, and I put them to bed. The rest of the evening was spent cleaning up the house and putting the church magazine online. The snow continued to come down slowly and beautifully, sparkling into the night.