Wordless Wednesday (and Happy New Year!)

Sunday my mom and I traveled down to Chicago to surprise my sister for her birthday. 

Since my sister, mother of seven, wife of one and a preschool teacher, is by far the hardest working woman I know, we try to make a big deal out of any occasion we can for her. 

Her daughters came up with this great idea after our previous trip to Chicago was cancelled.  Needless to say my mom and I jumped at the chance and then proceeded to pray to the Weather and Health Gods that all would go smoothly so we could make it down there.

Our prayers paid off because the sun was shining and the roads were bone dry.  And amazingly enough, there wasn’t even a runny nose found on any of those cute seven faces.

The ride down to Chicago was filled with many phone calls between our car and my nieces and brother-in-law as we tried to organize the perfect time for the onslaught of surprise.  To say we were all excited was quite the understatement.

All the hard work and careful planning paid off as Debby was so happy and so surprised it made us all laugh with happiness.  At one point she even exclaimed while looking at mom and I, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ARE STANDING HERE!  IN MY LIVING ROOM!”

It was a short visit but a VERY fun one.   

One filled with many cute faces:

a big birthday party for both Debby and my nephew Aryeh (who’s birthday is Wednesday):

The lighting of the last night of Hanukkah:

A very special Von Trapp like family sing-along:

although I don’t think the Von Trapp’s sang Hanukkah songs.  But maybe that was in the Sound of Music 2.

And of course some of Aunt Becky’s famous self portraits and goofy pictures with my cute eldest niece.

I think, I hope, this was just what my sister needed to give her that extra umph in order to get through the rest of the winter in a house full of nine. 

Happy Birthday Dear Sister.  I love you so.

Despite all my bitching and moaning, Christmas turned out very well this year.  Better than I expected.

Christmas Eve I had my folks over to my place for dinner and then we all went back to their place to spend the night.  Santa only comes to my parents house because at my house we have a gas fireplace so… duh! 

Ben got to open a couple presents on Christmas Eve and one was for the whole family.  It was a puzzle.  YAY!  A puzzle!  What a great idea for everyone to take part in.

It was 500 pieces, but no big deal.  My mom, dad and I are so quick and smart.  This puzzle would be finished by morning.

Before sugar plums danced in his head, Ben left Santa and the Reindeer some snacks.  I’m sure Santa appreciated the extra instructions on what was what.  I mean you try getting ALL over the world in one night and see how your vision and reading is. 

In addition to these great treats, Ben also left Santa a letter.

My favorite was the option on cookies for next year.  This kid is nothing if not thoughtful.   I think I see politics in his future.

Christmas morning came fast… a little TOO fast for some of us, but Ben’s joy made up for the lack of sleep.

And good lord, that kid raked it in.  Which pleased me to no end because I was worried it was going to be a lean Christmas.  But as my VERY generous mother said, “Christmas comes but once a year.”

My uncle Bob was also incredibly generous to Ben this year.  One of the gifts he got him was a digital camera.  The boy took to it like a PMSing woman takes to chocolate covered salt. 

As soon as it was out of the box, he was taking pictures of his toys, his grandparents and a few too many of his mother. 

At one point I asked to look at his pictures and said, “Oh wow! I didn’t know you got a Jaba the Hut doll.  Wow, he’s huge!  Look at all those chins on him!”  To which Ben replied, “That’s not Jaba.  That’s YOU Mom!” 

The diet starts today.

Oh and as for the puzzle.  After hours of back breaking work, days of mind numbing concentration and many a grumble made, this is how far we got on the damn thing.

We are smart people.  We can do puzzles.  But this puzzle is without a doubt The Hardest Puzzle Ever.  Someone evil made this.  Someone without a soul or a human heart created this.  I haven’t looked closely at the box but I’m pretty sure I could find Dick Cheney’s name on there somewhere…

Minus the Devil Spawn puzzle and the fact that I’m not going to eat until mid 2009, it was a very nice cozy Christmas.  What more could a good Jewish girl ask for?

Wordless Wednesday

I might not make it.  This year might very well be the year the holidays take me to the light.  Christmas might actually do me in.  For good.

Between the crowds in the malls for last minute shoppers like myself, the traffic on Madison’s already congested little streets or the weather, ugh the weather… it’s not looking good. 

You know when people say, “Wow, another storm is coming.  Are we going to make it?”  From now on, I’m going to look at them square in the eye, with a stone hard glare and say in my most serious voice,  “No.  I’m not going to make it.  But thank you for asking.”

Seriously!   On top of all the snow we already have, we are supposed to get another 10-12″ over the next couple days. 

That’s another FOOT OF SNOW PEOPLE! 

Where is all this snow going to go?  How can we possibly have more?  

Will the Mayor start asking the good citizens of Madison to store the snow in our freezers? 

Will we all be responsible for taking in and making room for snow?  

Will small animals and children ever be found again?

It’s all too much to bare. 

So dear readers, if you don’t hear from me for a few days, look under a snowbank.  I might be there with the small animals and children.  

Or perhaps you’ll find a flattened form of myself in the Toys R Us parking lot after being trampled by people who just got the last Lego Star Wars DeathStarShipTracker for 20% off.

Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll find me rocking in a fetal position, under the Christmas tree, sucking my thumb and muttering over and over again “Is it January 2nd yet?  Please let it be January 2nd.  Please.  I want January 2nd.”

Until then, may you each have a very peaceful and Happy Merry Joyous Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/Solstice/Christmas!

As predicted, Friday was indeed a Snow Day for Madison.  We got 9 inches of snow Thursday night into Friday, and then another 5 inches on Saturday night.  Sunday was just a little cold.  As in 25 degrees below zero windchill cold.  As in colder than Alaska.  As in why the hell do we volunteer to live here?  Last time I checked no one was making me stay here.  Oh. Wait.  Hi Mom. 

On Friday the idea of having an active, bored and bouncing 8 year old in my apartment terrified me more than Sarah Palin as VP.  So we bundled up and I let the boy out to run.

It was INSANE outside. 

Very pretty:

But INSANE!  

No, this wasn’t my car and no I didn’t know this guy.  And no, I didn’t help him shovel out his poor car.  Well, unless you call taking his picture and telling him to “Hang in there!” as helping.

Ben, being Ben, had to climb on every single snow pile we saw.  There were A LOT of snow piles. 
But the boy was in heaven.  Some of these suckers were as tall as small mountains:

However, there were a couple surly snowbanks that fought back. 

This one wasn’t going to let the kid out of it’s grasp so easily:

It seemed that this boy’s mother wasn’t helping him get out of this quicksand-like snowbank.  Well, unless you call taking his picture and telling him to “Hang in there!” as helping.

I love these die-hard Madison folk who are still saying “Yes We Can!” 
But really folks, Obama is cold.  Bring him inside now.  

With the difficulty of walking in 1,000 inches of snow, the fact that it was almost physically painful for Ben to not jump in every snowpile he saw (which were every 2 feet) and the fact that I’m an idiot who didn’t wear a hat so my ears were turning black, we didn’t get too far on our walk. 

But man, that kid had fun.

I can’t be totally sure but I think chances are pretty good that we’ll be having a white Christmas this year.

May your menorahs burn bright, may your latkas be crisp and may you beat all your little brothers, sisters and cousins at dreidel.

Twas the night before a snow storm, when all through the city
Many a plan was cancelled, which was such a pity.
The snow plows were waiting in the garages with care,
In hopes that Blizzard 2008 soon would be there.

The children were dusting and waxing their sleds,
While visions of a Snow Day danced in their heads.
With Ben in his jammies, and I on the ‘puter,
We sat and we waited, and couldn’t be cuter.

When on the TV there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my Facebook to see what was the matter.
Away to the living room I flew like a flash,
To watch the weather reporter with the really bad mustache. 

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a snow emergency in Madison.  Oh my!  Oh dear!
Eight inches! Nine inches!  When would it stop?
I sure hoped the news anchor’s head would not pop!

With a little old snowflake, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment this storm made me sick.
More rapid than eagles my curses they came,
I whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Goddamnit!  No More!  You Son of a Bitch!
I Can’t Stand This Winter You Evil Old Witch!
Snow on the top of the porch! On the top of wall!
Now melt away! Melt away! Melt away all!”

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The hail and the ice.  It was all of the proof.
As I looked out the window and saw the snow shine,
I went to the kitchen to pour some more wine.

The piles of snow came down in huge clumps,
With a realization of this storm, on the couch I did flump..
But my son was quite happy and had a big grin
As he exclaimed to his mother, “Don’t worry, we’ll stay in!”

He put on his Santa hat and looked like an elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

I gave into the storm and turned on the fire,
While Ben continued to bound.  Would this boy ever tire?
But soon he too was swayed by the notion and theory,
That there would be no school tomorrow, which made him so cheery.

So no homework was done and no lunch was prepared.
And for me, perhaps even work might be spared.
So Mother and Son exclaimed with all of their might,
“Happy Snow Day to all, and to all a good-night!”

Wordless Wednesday

The other day as I was leaving work, I got on the elevator with a man I hadn’t seen in the office before.

We were doing the classic idle chit chat as we were riding up.  But when we got close to my floor he paused, and said randomly, “You smell really good.”

I muttered an embarrassed chuckle of, “Thanks.”

And as the doors opened up on my floor he said, “It was a pleasure riding the elevator with you.”

I laughed out loud as I walked away because it was by far the oddest compliment I have gotten in a long time.   I have been told before that I smell nice (thank God!) but I don’t think I have never been the reason someones elevator experience was a pleasurable one.

I’m just glad I chose to wear my Bath and Body Works Midnight Pomegranate body spray that morning instead of my Old Guy Who Just Ate Five Hot Dogs Drank Four Beers and Walked Up Five Flights of Stadium Stairs cologne. 

I remember the internal struggle that morning of which scent to go with, but I think, in the end, I made the right choice.