Morning at our house.

Thankful Thursday, whoops! On Friday.

This week, I am thankful for so many things, including:

* Improved communication, in general.

*Mother wisdom, better late than never, in knowing to cut out evening activities for my over-tired child.

* Parental generosity. Thank you to my Dad, for the gift of our CSA subscription.

* Loving friends. At church, in the neighborhood. And a bit further away.

* Employment.

* Coffee.

* Pinkberry.

* The happy surprise of leaning into a goal with enthusiasm and good spirits, with the result of fourteen pounds whittled away.

* The East Y.

* A fine school for my boy.

* The best most companionable dog.

In my room.

Eleven pounds down. Plenty more to go.

Snow. Cat. Window. Number 2.

Cats fit on the windowsill, children fit in the snow....

All I'm sayin' is....

Six pounds down.

This is about being really awake and alive and healthy.

That is all.

2010 in random photographs.

In the Middle.

The boy's school has a talent show coming up at the end of the month. "It's a secret," he tells me. "What I'm going to do for the show, I mean."

I tell him that there's a form to fill out, so I might need to know, at which point he tells me, "I'm going to run around in a circle. With my hands on the ground. Jerrod can do it, too."

Whether this entertaining feat of daring do will be done to music or not remains to be seen.

++++

I've done it. Hired a babysitter for the first time ever. She's coming to keep the boy (notice he's not so much being called Ziggy anymore? He's really The Boy now) this weekend, the morning of the my and the Mister's first day back at school this semester. She was recommended to me by the sitter of a good friend, and she'll be taking the boy to a friend's house that afternoon where the mama of that household will take her son and mine and another pal from their kindergarten class to the Build a Bear Workshop in celebration of her son's sixth birthday. There will be pizza and maybe ice cream after. My boy is thrilled. A babysitter of his very own, and a party at Build a Bear with two of his best friends all in one day!!

++++


The boy and I returned fr0m Diggy and Papa's two afternoons ago. We'd spent Christmas there with the Mister, come home a few days, then returned without the Mister for New Year's in order to visit with my brother and his wife, and their beautiful baby girl. All was well. Then home. And I got the tummy bug. Knocking me out of starting my job yesterday (as science lab teacher at the boy's school.)

The good news? I am down three pounds as of the beginning of the year. With many more to go; a subject I'm sure to address more publicly (here) at some point. Suffice to say that I am keeping up with it all privately, and am deriving inspiration from far and yon.

++++


Seriously. I have the best friends ever. At church, in my neighborhood, from jobs, at school, from previous lives.

To wit: the gift card that arrived here in the nick of time, from "St. Nick" -- did I mention that previous? Some dear lovely friend (I have guesses as to who!) has done this on a few occasions when things have been particularly tight. Actually, this type of kindness has been offered up to our family on a handful of occasions. Amazing!

Having stated my health goals to a small clatch of folks in a very naked way, I've received a remarkable rush of encouragement, 'atta girl's and offers to meet up at the Y and for dinners and elsewhere. I've received emails and photographs and recipes and tips and workout routines. And such love and support that I am bolstered and emboldened.

I also came home from Diggy and Papa's to find a box of wonderful hats and a scarf, all from my dear friend Annie, who I've not seen since we became friends in Seattle a decade ago. We're both married now, and older. She's done a very impressive job of keeping us in contact, and this latest delivery of hats in support of my hair loss is completely typical of her loving kindness and thoughtful behavior.

I do, in fact, find myself surrounded by such thoughtful folks. How fortunate is that?!

++++



Big Time Rush plays in the car often, and prompts the response from the backseat, "Don't look at me, Mama. I'm practicing my secret moves."

++++



Home sick for a couple days, I've not bathed today, as is ordinarily true. After bathing the boy earlier this evening, post school pick up and our walk around the neighborhood with the dog before daylight's end, I really yearned for my own bath.

Drying him off, he smelled so fresh like Buzz Lightyear shampoo and Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus. So I asked, "Do I stink?"

And the boy crawled up in my lap and got close to my neck and took in a big whiff, then announced quite seriously, "You smell kind of in the middle. That means sort of bad, but also sort of good."


Like life itself. Right smack dab in the middle.