Winter Whining....

Oof. Is it 2014 yet? No, really. Is it? Because with the snow and the utter HALT on life that the STL area has been in, I swear time has been standing still since December 31. Noah was due back to school last Thursday, on the 2nd, and has have FIVE SNOW DAYS in a row. It's been a week of hunkering down, pajama-wearing, restless-boredom-snacking, cartoon-watching, mess-making/mess-tidying, online commiserating, to-do-list chipping away at, slowly-losing-our-minds-and-ALL-motivation BLAH-NESS.

It's been good. And bad. And fun. And boring. And I am SO OVER IT. I love the idea of snow days and family togetherness.... and perhaps we'll hit a time in our family's life where we can really rock this idea.... but currently, we're just not in a place where "lazy" can happen in that cozy, marvelous way we dream of when we dream of snow days. There's simply too much neediness going on 'round these parts. Because for now, our family consists of:

1.  a very conversational oldest child 6-year-old who needs a parent to facilitate all of his really clever ideas and be his playmate. This kid got WAY too much of our time and undivided attention for way too long before Lucy came around, and it shows. 

2. a very possessive and persistent 2-year-old who LOATHES that Quinn is mobile and getting all up in her stuff, and who insists on handing us everything she is done with, even if our hands are full and we are knee-deep in some mess or other. This one can be so good for such long stretches, then whip out some PRIME TERRIBLE TWO-NESS just to keep us guessing. 

3. a holy terror of a pre-toddler who has discovered EVERYTHING he shouldn't do, and beelines to each of them in turn all day long. I swear you cannot take your EYES off of this one for even 12 seconds, or you'll find him in the cat food/unrolling toilet paper/chasing the cat up the stairs/exploring the fire in the fireplace/emptying a trash can/etc.. This baby is a gale force storm. And to top it off, he's gotten sick the last two days and is draining so much snot I swear he has to have lost 3 pounds of mucus-weight. And his fever keeps us trapped in this house even longer, on days when we might have finally ventured out to escape the cabin fever. 

I think I've forgotten how to brush my hair. 

I KNOW I've forgotten how to wear real clothes. 

I don't think I have anything left to give to adult conversations. 

And I've reached that really awkward place where I've been trapped and stuck long enough, itching for CHANGE, that now that change is on the horizon and I can maybe start 2014 afresh tomorrow, I'm too worn down to make any moves. I don't even care anymore. Maybe I'll wear yoga pants and watch Disney cartoons until April. 

Yeah-- it's that bad 'round here. 

So. Here's to you fellow winter-trapped mamas and homebodies. Those of you who thought you wanted more time at home, more time with your kids, more comfy clothing, more routine to your days..... 

I thought I wanted all that too. 

Now though---- all I want is a good cry, a giant Hogwarts-style bathtub (you know which one I mean), a haircut, and a babysitter for 5 days so I can shake off the sludgy, grudgey, ucky, mucky winter blah feeling and get turbo-charged to re-start 2014 and get the gears moving again. 

Ya feel me?

But it's not looking promising.