Tonight I was at our local Super Wal-Mart, doing grocery (and other) shopping. Dan was home, and all the kids were in bed asleep. While I was shopping, I could hear the distant frantic cries of a baby... I tried to ignore it and keep moving. For some reason parents that let their babies scream in car seats while they are shopping REALLY annoy me. Anyway, when I was checking out, the family with the baby was in the next line over from me. (Keep in mind that it had been at least 30 mins. since I first heard the crying... though I guess it could have been a different baby...) Anyway, the parents were IGNORING the baby who was screaming in the cart. And this was not a bratty toddler screaming, this was a baby, less than a year old, who was probably tired and just wanted to be held and rocked to sleep. (It was well after 9 pm.) I could feel my blood pressure rising as I watched the dad callously push the baby's paci in again and again. The crying was almost making her hysterical, and she was nearly hoarse. My mommy-instincts were in over-drive I guess, because by the time I left, I was so mad. (I was giving both parents the evil glare, just hoping they would dare look my way.)

As I was leaving the store, I passed their cart, parked inside the lobby, baby still inside, while the mom was outside SMOKING. The baby's adorable chubby cheeks were streaked with tears, and her eyelashes were all wet and stuck together. She was finally asleep, though every few seconds she would start to cry again before falling back to sleep. At this point, I was LIVID. What kind of  mother stands out side Wal Mart and smokes while her  baby cries herself to sleep in a shopping cart??? I was SO angry. I nearly gave this lady a piece of my mind, before I thought better of making a public disturbance. As they left the parking lot (in a taxi, no less) I followed them in my car, yelling at them through the windshield. I was crying, and yelling, and SO angry. "You are so stupid! You don't deserve to be parents!" I yelled. "You are so freaking ignorant! How can you treat your baby like that? What the heck is your problem!" By the time I got on the interstate a few minutes later, I was calming down. But I am still mad about it. What. In. The. World. People can be so retarded.

went out for dinner on Valentine's Day. To a very nice restaurant, that had really superb food... and trust me, I enjoyed every bite.   However, by the time we were done eating (3 courses + dessert & cappuccinos ), we were both (uncomfortably) full. We were headed to meet some friends for drinks afterward, but had about 45 min. to kill. Our original plan had been to go to Barnes & Noble and browse around for a bit, but on the way, we passed a bowling alley, where I had the brilliant idea to go bowling! (I love to bowl, but it's been... 2 years maybe?? since I've been.) Anyway, it looked crowded so I ran in to ask... and they had ONE lane available. Needless to say, we are both very competitive, and the two games we played were fraught with muttered words, celebrations, and frustration... but we had a BLAST!! (We each won a game, which made it nice.) (Though I only lost the 2nd game by ONE point... go figure...) Anyway, it was just so much fun.

Valentine's Day should be as much fun for every couple!

Well, after having been flat on my back in bed for approximately 30 hours due to having been run over by a Mac truck (actually, it was just another killer case of mastitis. UGH.) Anyway, a day and a half later, I'm feeling better. Not better as in up-and-feeling-normal better, just better as in get-downstairs-to-the-couch-without-puking better. And so I am sitting here on the couch, trying to decide if I feel motivated enough to make it to the kitchen to get a grapefruit. (Not really.) I really want some good, yummy, homemade corn chowder for some reason. Does anyone know a good recipe?  Not like I am up for making it today, but maybe tomorrow.

It's been snowing steadily all morning. We are supposed to get 3-6 in. but they are already closing schools down, so... it might be worse. But who knows. It might not.

Last Friday I took the kids to a friend's house for my kids' first official playdate since our move here. In STL I had a bunch of friends, and we met at least once a month to let our kids play while we all sat around and talked. (And ate. It was great.) And even though it's taken me 5 months to do it here, I'm glad I did! The kids had fun, and I did too. Hopefully it will happen again soon.

So... I guess that's it for now. The kids are all in the kitchen, helping themselves to the snack cupboard. I really should go monitor them, but... leaving the couch is just way too much to ask right now. And pretzels n' cheese are at least a little healthy, right??

After a few days of rain (downpours and t-storms!)  we are now having a full day of snowfall. Which works out great b/c Dan's brother Jonny and 3 friends are visiting from DC (have I mentioned I love company??) and they are all out at the slopes right now. Dan, who was supposed to work all day today, ended up being able to go too b/c the graffiti-removal machine he was supervising broke mid-day, so he ended up getting home around noon (instead of 4) and got to spend some quality time w/ the kids (and I got to go for a 2-mi. run! Yay!)

So now I'm here watching Will crash his monster truck into various things, and Tristan trailing him (at a fast crawl) squawking for his truck back.

Oops, Hallie's up from her nap, gotta run. If you haven't stopped by Anna's site recently, she has some great pics up!!

So, I really wanted to watch the game last night. Most of my family (who are in NY, CA and GA) HATE the Pats with a hate only a true Eagles fan would understand (needless to say, I am not one.) But every year, I always end up at a Super Bowl party somewhere, partly for the food, partly for the commercials, and partly to root for that ubiquitious underdog. (One year, when I was visiting Dan's family in St. Louis, the Rams were playing the Titans. When I laughingly told Dan's bunch of firefighter friends that I always root for the underdog (and that being the Titans) I was met with looks of stunned disbelief... But I continue my tradition nonetheless. )

Anyway, so being out here in the middle of the woods with no tv, I was stuck with refreshing my internet window to see the score. (It was bad.) So I invited my mom to come over and watch a movie with me (she is less a football fan than I) and we had a really good time. The movie was The Last Sin Eater, adapted from a novel from one of my very favorite (if not favorite) authors, Francine Rivers. It was a really well done movie, which I appreciated. (So many times "Christian" movies are dorky, badly filmed, have cheesy script, bad acting, etc. etc.) But this one was really good. Plus it had one of my childhood hearthrobs, Dr. Neil MacNeill (remember the Christy series, anyone?) in a starring role. So the kids slept, we got my laundry folded, and I got to hang out with my mom and watch a good movie to boot. (Oh, yeah, and my underdogs ended up winning!)

In other news, I signed up for Netflix last week, and I already have 32 movies (some mine, some Dan's and a lot for the kids!) in my queue. Checking the mail has become Will's favorite new thing. That and doing "crafts". Anything to do with glue, foam, cardboard, chopped sponge pieces, beads, pompoms, etc. etc. has become a very favorite activity. We have a ton of very cool creations around here, in case any of you would like to stop by and see.

Today while Tristan napped and the older two built Duplo airplanes, I cleaned our three bathrooms. In case the whole phone number thing wasn't enough proof that my thought life often goes to incredibly strange places while doing ordinary tasks, I relate this.

I am cleaning. Cleaning, and thinking... about an Amy Tan book I am currently reading. I really like it so far. And about two days ago, I read a line, "My husband and I have no kids by choice, not by fate." And yes, I know that married people do choose not to have children, but it just struck me as sad. (Maybe because kids are what I do these days. And doesn't everyone, somewhere, sometime, want that kind of love?) (And Amy is such an amazing, creative author, and... just think of the gifting her kids might have had!) So... who chooses not to have kids, anyway? Won't you be lonely when you're old? Wouldn't you miss your girls at college coming home and cooking on the weekends? But beyond that, (my thoughts ran), what if we lived in a society where procreation was not optional? What would happen then? And what about those countries that give you huge cash and tax bonuses for every kid you have because their populations are in decline? What would happen if the US adopted that policy? (My first thought here was that a ton of losers would hook up and have kids solely for the monetary benefit. Which would mean a lot of unloved kids. Which would be way, way worse than the original "problem", if it is a problem at all. ) And then I started thinking about the "unloved kids" thing. I mean, seriously, isn't it selfish of all of us on some level to want to procreate our "own" children, when there are thousands of kids waiting for adoption who we deem "not for my family" for... any variety of reasons? What makes someone more valuable just because they are related to me? Obviously, my kids are just as valuable and worthy of love as every other child out there... So what would happen if thousands of couples got married, and instead of having kids, they decided to get permanently "fixed", and just adopt kids-- 1, 2 -- a whole houseful, even. Would the orphan wait-list dry up? Could the US stop running those public-service ads for adoption? I don't know. Which bought me back to the original question... while I understand on one level why someone wouldn't want to have kids (it's a lot of work! Long hours! Little thanks!  No pay!) I don't really get someone not wanting kids ever. I mean..... ever? I guess I don't anyone (personally) who has made this choice, and I'm curious as to what would make someone make that huge, huge choice. (Though I guess choosing to have kids is just as huge... if not more so.)

And now my cleaning is done. Tristan still sleeps, child number two is on her way to a nap, and Will-of the-new-buzz-haircut is busy, busy as usual. So see that? My mind somehow keeps itself incredibly busy while I am busy getting all my cleaning done for the day. (Well, not quite all. ) And while I didn't actually accomplish much (thought-wise), I thought it was an interesting little session.

I have got to have the most inefficient life I know!!! If it's not calling Hallie to pick up her orange slices she left lying in the middle of the kitchen floor, it's telling Will to pick up the shreds of cardboard he cut from his box house. Seriously, when my kids are grown and gone, I will appreciate my clean house!!!

In happier news, Dan's sister Kak and her husband and two boys are visiting for the week. We are going out to dinner tomorrow night (just couples! Hooray!) (well, plus 7-wk-old Matthew, but he barely counts. ) and I am already stoked. A few hours of adult conversation and good food sounds fabulous right about now.

As far as today goes, I'm making a family favorite for dinner: pepperoni pizza chili and corncake. So that's good-- at least I won't be scrambling when dinner rolls around. After the kids get up from their naps, we're going sledding. I put Tristan in the backpack, and he rides right along. It's super cute-- and fun for everyone. (Having 30 lbs. on my back is definitely the better option when my other choice is staying inside!)

My little sistah Anna is heading off (tomorrow!!) on a 5-week trip to China. She'll be working in Beijing at a place called HOPE, a post-operative care home for orphans. She'll be journaling her trip here, so check it out! I know a lot of you reading this know Anna, and commenting on xanga is available w/o making an account, so leave her a note and let her know you'll be thinking of her as she embarks on this big trip. Thanks!!

Well, we are home again! It was a whirlwind weekend spent in downtown Philly. Lots of family, food and fun!  I welcomed myself home today by tackling the laundry and bathrooms. After a few minutes of watching me, Will asked when I was going to help Grandad in his office. I told him not for two more days, thinking he would be happy... but, no. He promptly informed me, "I like it better when Sarah [my cousin] watches us, not you." When I asked why, I found out it is because "Sarah just reads and reads and reads to us. She doesn't say 'I have to clean the kitchen', she just reads with us and plays with us all the time." I tried to explain that Sarah is not the mommy and that I have a lot more to do every day than playing and reading, but I don't think he got it. He would definitely prefer a dirty house and a mom who does nothing but read and play Legos.

My consolation is that Dan and I are going snowboarding tonight with  my brother, sister and cousin, and Sarah will be here with the kids, so Will can get his fill of fun. (And the house will be clean. )

Tristan is alternately shoveling forkfuls of broccoli cheddar quiche into his mouth and guzzling his sippy cup of oj.

Hallie is sprinting between the living room and kitchen, "being silly". This involves some odd relay-race type action with Will's tool set.

Will is sitting at the dining room table tracing construction trucks onto printer paper.

I am eating peanut butter on my favorite crackers and brewing whole-leaf tea in the fabulous flavor of vanilla cinnamon (I have been on a huge tea kick lately), realizing that we are leaving the house in 1.5 hours and won't be home till mid-day Monday. And feeling very unmotivated. (I [of course] have not finished packing, which does not bode well either.) side note: I have caught three mice over the past 2 days, in the snack cabinet, which really bugs me. I mean..... *shudder* Mice just shouldn't be in houses, let alone in with the granola bars! Irksome.

Okay, so back to reality. In between staying out of Hallie's way, fetching Tristan's thrown forks, loading the dishwasher, helping Will trace, crossing another small item or two off my packing list (which is on my computer; it's a master list so at least I know I'm not forgetting anything!), "sharing" Tristan's sippy cup (he's at that stage where he thinks there is nothing funnier than me trying his juice), and answering the phone... I am also doing totally important things, like figuring out that the 14 digits of Dan's and my combined cell phone numbers can be written using the same 5 numbers. Yeah, I know. I'm a little wacky like that.