Hello. How was your day?

And…there is my adult conversation for the evening. In a blog post. Not all that conversational as I click away in a quiet house while a cat purrs beside me. This is what happens when my husband is on the other side of the world and I’ve parented alone four children including one four year old who seems to enjoy screaming more than speaking lately since he left last week. Yeah, I know, it’s only been a week…Has it really only been a week? I think the high-pitched screaming had affected my sense of time.

I have learned this past week, however, that taking three 6th grade boys to school every morning at 7:15 (fine, 7:20, I have been late every single morning…) is better than a cup of coffee—they are ridiculously funny when they mean to be and when they don’t mean to be. I’ve also learned that I still need my coffee regardless…and my really good concealer.

Snow? Really pretty. Shoveling it? Not so pretty or even remotely fun, especially when I’m inside still trying to recover and realize that it’s getting warmer out and if I had just waited a few hours I probably could have gotten away with my preferred method of snow removal after all (i.e., drive over it a few times and call it a day).

I’m really hoping that this cat leaves my side and magically learns how to wrap gifts over night. Maybe he could go track down the gifts I ordered that haven’t arrived yet. Maybe that’s asking too much. I’ll settle for him finding the gifts I bought a while ago and put away in our storage room and either can’t find now or have forgotten they even exist.

Come Sunday night, I will be singing Come Thou Long Expected Husband robustly. Mark better be singing I’ll Be Home for Christmas. 

So good talking to you.

The tick tock of our old clock in the living room. The deep breathing of the 7 year old who insisted on having a sleepover with me. And, the sound of plow trucks scraping the road. That’s the only noise right now besides the musical clicking as I hit the keys to make these words.

I’m hoping that my theory of just-drive-over-it-and-it-will-eventually-go-away works for me tomorrow morning. But, if it doesn’t, I keep telling myself that shoveling is a no-brainer and is way easier than figuring out how to start a lawn mower (and keep it running) and change a car battery—both of which I did in May when Mark was last in China. Shoveling a driveway? Geesh, that’s nothing…right? Who cares that I’m the type of girl who stays inside with my hoodie hood up sipping a cup of hot tea when my kids go outside to play in the snow. I can totally do this shoveling thing. Yup, I’m all over it…after I try to drive over it first.

And after the neighbor asks me to do his driveway too because I seem to be so good at it, I promise I’ll feed my children something a bit squarer. I took all four kids to Target last night (I know…brave? crazy? yeah) for them to do their shopping for Daddy and each other. And, it took twice as long as it could have/should have because I had the genius idea go around the store and very discreetly take pictures on my phone when someone saw something they wanted to buy for a sibling. Then, when everyone had spied their perfect items, I set them up in the Target cafe with popcorn and slurpees while I went back around the store and enjoyed a scavenger hunt solo to find the items they wanted to buy and then buy them while they crunched and slurped. I’m actually a little sore today from the workout (which likely won’t do me good tomorrow if my minivan plowing doesn’t work). So, all that to say that dinner last night was popcorn and slurpees. Then, today, since I insisted that we stay until 1pm at a Toys for Tots Star Wars meet and greet because I was determined we’d win the drawing for the iPad mini (…and…we didn’t), lunch was a bit late…so we ordered pizza for dunch/linner at 3. Popcorn and slurpees one night, and pizza and root beer floats the next.

I feel like I’m in college again—except for the fact that there is a 7 year old asleep next to me and that there is no need for an alarm clock because I’m certain someone will be asking me commanding me to serve breakfast before 7am tomorrow.

One vendor with a table at the event today was having a giveaway for a wine basket. I filled out an entry even though I don’t even drink wine…not exactly sure why. Seeing the kids all with me and the 3 bags I was carrying around along with 5 winter coats awkwardly stuffed under my arm, he told me he hoped I’d win and that two wine bottles might be just what I need.

Only if they help me shovel better.

Though they’d always make a nice gift to give someone who has the gift of shoveling, I’m sure.

Chewy, come shovel my driveway.