The longest winter

Tips for making it through 6 months of gray skies:


Embrace silly.


Go camping...indoors.


Meet up with a good friend for some retail therapy.


Celebrate the ones you love.




Greet everyone who enters or exits your home with a kiss.


When you're surrounded, learn to fit in with the opposite sex.


Keep a silly hat collection and a good friend collection; blend often.

Thank you, Saint Valentine

...for upholding love, no matter the cost.

Despite what many people think, Valentine's Day is NOT a Hallmark Holiday. That would be Sweetest Day, which is a ruse which only aggravates those of us who try to counter the eye-rolls of our cynics.

Saint Valentine was a Roman bishop in 270 AD who held secret wedding ceremonies for young couples. Claudius II ruled the Roman empire during a time when Rome faced crisis from all sides; from the Gauls, Slavs, Turks and Mongolians of Northern Europe and Asia. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover.

Claudius felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, would not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to ensure quality soldiers. Hearts broke across the land, as courtships were destined to remain that and nothing more.

St. Valentine helped young couples in love take their vows, and go on to have families. He was eventually jailed and killed for these acts. He died without apology for upholding the most sacred of emotions: love.

And boy, do we celebrate it.
It's a big time at the Sands house every year—complete with decorations, glittery crafts, and hand-trimmed & glued valentine cards.


That weekend, I did my annual indoor scavenger hunt that treats Ella, Carson, and Derek to something fun tucked in a nook of every room. While I am normally think of myself as a down-to-earth minimalist, something about the month of February turns me into a glitter-laden fairy who passes out kisses like candy.



This year, Pam and I co-lead a writing & yoga workshop..."The Art Of Writing A Loveletter."

The final fun?
Being a room mother for Ella's Kindergarten Valentine party.



I sat down on the 14th to rock Carson to sleep, and Ella came in the room with a box of conversation hearts. She giggled, "Mom, look - this one is about you!"

YOU'RE
THE
BEST!

it said. I grinned and hugged her, glanced across the hall into my bedroom at a huge bouquet of roses from Derek. I held Carson tight, and he held me back.

Love. What else matters?

Farewell, Cinderella

We've hit a landmark. Carson's infant seats have been stashed in the garage since he grew out of them last spring, and we've needed to sell them.

Today I said to Ella, "is there anything you feel like you might be too old for, honey?" thinking we could load all the images up on Craigslist at once.

She went to that area of her closet where all her princess dresses have hung, slowly getting less and less use as the novelty has worn away. Could it be true?

She's over it. There were no tears. No hesitation. I quickly recognized my propensity for dramatizing this sort of activity, so I stood up, took a deep breath, and went to fetch a bag to put them all in.

Off they'll go to a good friend with a lovely little daughter who I know will appreciate them. As I loaded all the gear into the bag I thought, "good riddance."

Then I remembered those mornings where she'd show up at the door of our room in full Cinderella getup, giggling from her high heels to that plastic tiara.


Then I reached down into the bag and took the tiara back.
Just in case.

Festivus

Each year, my design team gets together right after the holidays for Festivus: a night of sharing good food, drinks and laughter. Instead of Christmas gifts we have a tradition that goes like this:

Take the $10-$20 that you would have pitched in to get your boss (me) something, and add a little personal creativity to make something for everyone. There are 10 of us, so that's no short order. Each year, this group makes things that are unbelievably inventive and original. We all walk in with 10 of something, and walk out with 10 completely new and different things. It's the cookie exchange model; only more creative, earth-friendly and recession-proof. Think hand-poured candles, recycled newspaper wallets, and bottlecap pendants.

Here's what I made from bottlecaps, epoxy, and some hardware. Each person got 2-3 filled with symbols, designs or images that were significant to them.


some other treasures:

Bergamot-Coriander scented stress relief, made of worn jeans, rice, and essential oils

Wood and paper scraps blended into collage, with a unique hand-stamped word chosen for each of us by Jannelle

Homemade soup with a great packaging and directions

Pressboard painted with chalkboard paint, complete with magnets and chalk, a little eraser, and corks recycled from The Wine Loft.

Is fifty the new forty?

Despite the fact that she still gets carded, and her long, toned legs can stop traffic, it's true: my seestor is actually fifty. Ella helped me decorate the house, and we threw a little bash to celebrate.

On the Home Front

Derek was in class only 2 mornings per week, due to some evening classes...which meant he had most of his afternoons to spend with the two of you.

That time was filled with visits to Great Grandma Erma,

discussion of kindergarten shenanigans,
snuggling on the sofa during Carson's nap,
warm blankets hand-crocheted by Grandma,

bubblebaths at home,

and a Daddy who was secure enough in his masculinity to have his toenails painted blue.

The Blender

Ella and Carson, this blog is for you. However, this entry may serve to educate you on three simple truths about being a grownup:

A. Even when we appear that we know what we're doing, we are usually just winging it.
B. Sometimes it's not all about you, because SO much is going on, that it seems God has changed the blender speed of our family antics from "blend" to "beat."
C. When you have kids, and this kind of thing happens, it's ok. Just keep loving them, nodding and smiling, and doing the best you can. Don't let them smell your fear!

Here's what happened:
1. At work, our Management team re-organized the roles and reporting structure of 54 people at two sites. My job, and all my direct reports but one, would change dramatically.
2. Five days later, my boss - the Creative Director - resigned.

3. The same day, Derek's unemployment benefits ended.
[insert Christmas]
4. That week, our whole family—over a dozen people—got a rather violent strain of the stomach flu.
5. Two weeks after that, I dropped and broke my iPhone (read=lifeline) while out of town on business.
6. The same day, Carson had a small accident at home, and Derek rushed him to the ER for 22 stitches in his face.
7. The same day, my Corporate American Express was suspended for no apparent reason while I was on that business trip, leaving me with no way to pay for my hotel or airport parking.

8. That night, I arrived back at Dayton Airport to a car that had been buried by 2 feet of snow and ice. With no scraper. Wearing only jeans, a fleece and ballet flats. And a heart that was breaking over my crying son at home.
9. One week later, in the midst of a jumping-on-the-bed hilarity, Ella landed the wrong way and broke my nose.

It should be noted that I am a fairly positive person who usually errs on the side of laughing instead of crying, but this comedy of errors has resulted in a few tears. I got a new phone, we have savings to tap into, the flu moved through, the ice melted, and Carson is fine. My nose is not, but we'll deal with that next.

If bad luck runs in threes, I think we're done for the year.