domino effect

I know there are many people that have been hit hard by the current economic slump. Jobs have been lost, homes foreclosed on, the cost of milk has gone up.... but the recession has now hit too close to home.

For Christmas, my brother and his wife gave me the above book that I had long wanted. To my delight, a subscription to the magazine came along with the book. I love magazines! Especially home decorating/organizing magazines full of beautiful, impossible-to-replicate pictures. So I sent off my complimentary subscription card ASAP.

Imagine my shock when I saw this article. I was dismayed! What gives, Conde Nast? Wasn't there some other, less essential publication that could have been cut, like Golf Digest or Teen Vogue or The New Yorker?

I guess some sacrifices have to made in our current economic crisis and I have now done my part. My disorganized closets and my tragically outdated color schemes will just have to wait.

worst mom ever

I just made this guy cry himself to sleep for his afternoon nap and I feel just awful about it. Look how sweet he is! I must be a bad person. How is it that while he is crying, I'm so desperate for him to sleep but, as soon as he falls asleep, all I want to do is go in and snuggle him?

I've never really had to let my kids cry to sleep before. Eve and Eleanor were naturally such angelic sleepers, but Sam is something else. We've been gradually working with his night sleeping and he is doing really well. But his naps are driving me to a nervous breakdown! Our pediatrician told me that some babies are just wired to be catnappers, but I can't deal with two 30 minute naps a day. And a reluctant napper, at that! I feel like I hardly spend any time with my girls anymore and it's making me so sad.

And that is why, little Samuel, you had to cry yourself to sleep this afternoon. I think I need some chocolate.

snowcapades

Eve's Daisy Girl Scout troop participated in a big regional event yesterday called Snowcapades. It's held annually at a Scout camp up in the mountains about an hour from us and is a full day event, consisting of exciting snowy activities: sledding, outdoor fire building, sledding, roasting marshmellows, sledding, an iditarod (the dads pull the girls!), sledding, snowshoeing, lunch in the mess hall, and more sledding.

Jared and Eve left before dawn, loaded down with snow gear, to meet her troop for the drive up. I confess I worried a bit during the day. She's not always the most intrepid girl when it comes to feats of physical courage and I pictured her complaining about being cold and wet and tired (there was a half-mile hike in and out.) But I couldn't have been more wrong! She burst through the door that evening, all smiles and sunkissed rosy cheeks, just gushing about how much fun she had.

Here is some evidence of the great fun she had -

Doesn't this picture say it all? What a super daddy and a great girl!