Snow

I'm not a cold weather girl.  Yes, I was born and raised in New York, which is not exactly known for having a tropical January.  But I was made for Florida, no doubt about it.  I like heat.  I like humidity.  I'd much rather be too hot than too cold.  Sure, everyone says you can just add layers to warm up in the heat, but that's never worked for me.  I could look like the Michelin Man wearing ten sweaters to stay warm, but it still doesn't warm my bones.  The cold bites and there aren't enough sweaters in the world to make that better.

But here I am in Connecticut.  I did live in Florida and, for the record, it is still the best place I ever lived.  I would have gone back in a heartbeat if my whole dang family didn't live in New York.  So after hopping around the country and having a baby, I finally decided - like the good Prodigal Daughter - to return home.  Back to the Frozen North, so my daughter could get to know her grandparents, aunt, and extended family.

This is our second winter in Connecticut.  Last year wasn't too bad.  Sure, there were delays and playgroups and other activities were canceled at times, but for the most part it wasn't a daily event.  And this year, again I looked forward to the magic of a snowstorm.  There is something almost romantic about freshly falling snow, especially when you are safe and warm in your own house, with a roaring fire, a giant glass of wine, er, cup of cocoa, and no place to go.  The Boxing Day Blizzard rocked.  We were snug and warm at home with plenty of presents to keep us occupied.  Sure, shoveling was a bit of a pain, but it was a team effort and we had a good time.  We played outside.  Built a snowman a few days later.  It was great.

The storm the next week was less exciting, but still had some magic.  We got ten inches or so, but it was light snow and not heavy like the blizzard snow.  We managed to have some fun.

I have now lost count.  I know we had one storm where we got twenty-two inches and then six - or was it ten? - a few days later.  We have a storm at least once a week.  I woke up this morning to snow and almost cried.  There is no magic.  My daughter points outside and says "Big snow."  Ha.  Big snow.  Big #!@% Snow, that's what it is! 

I am done.  D.O.N.E.  Done with canceled playgroups, canceled activities, canceled everything.  Done with getting out of the house in the morning being a family affair because we can't get down the driveway without everyone having a key role.  I'm done with boots, snowsuits, mud, salt, sand.  I do like kitty litter, as it seems to be what has enabled us to actually get up our freakishly steep and long driveway.  But otherwise, it can all go away, like, now.

I think I have snow PTSD.  Seriously.  I'm not sure I'll ever look at it the same way again.  And we're supposed to get another six to twelve inches tomorrow night.  Pass the wine, and make sure we have enough kitty litter.  Spring can't come fast enough.  And, heck yeah, we're going to retire to Florida some day!

You're a cat person if...

I was inspired to write this after yesterday's Herculean task of making the bed while keeping my cat happy. 

You're a cat person if...

1.  You and your significant other are huddled on a 6 inch swath of your queen-size bed while your cat is happily sprawled out on the rest. Bonus points if your cat's head is on your pillow.  Double bonus points if your cat is also under the covers.

2.  Your cat running out of her favorite treats is considered a crisis and warrants an immediate emergency run to the grocery store to purchase more.  Bonus points if you keep a stockpile of treats to avoid this catastrophe.  Double bonus points if you know which store carries your cat's favorite brand/flavor and which one doesn't.

3.  You pay enough attention to your cat to know her favorite brand of treats.  No bonus points for trying them.  That's just gross.

4.   When making the bed, you pray that you can get it done before your cat notices and decides to jump on the bed and roll around.  Bonus points if you continue to make the bed while your cat is rolling around wildly.  Double bonus points if you manage to get the entire bed made this way, regardless of how it looks.  Those double bonus points are earned because I know you shed some blood during the process.

5.  Instead of attempting to make the bed with your cat on it, you brave fate and lift the cat up and put her down on the floor.  You then crawl over the bed to finish making it so you can avoid being within swatting range. 

6.  Your cat has more beds to lounge around on throughout your house than you have places to lounge around on.  Bonus points if you have more than one cat bed in a room.  Double bonus points if your cat has a special bed for the winter holidays.

This just scratches the surface.  Add yours!

Putting it all out there

I've been thinking about blogging for quite a while now, but found the concept rather intimidating.  How would I find the time and what would I write about?  But then yesterday evening, while I was hanging out in the playroom with my family, I realized that I had plenty to write about and that this might be just the thing for me.  So I set it up - it was far easier than I expected - and voila, here we are.

Since I'm a stay-at-home mom to a two year old, I am blessed already with lots of blogging material.  My life is rich with stories of the ups and downs of raising a toddler.  Hence the name of the blog.  I can say with all honesty that a few years ago, I never thought I'd get excited when I could sleep in until six.  Now, my husband and I are practically giddy when our daughter wakes us up anytime after 5:59am. 

I am mildly obsessed with food, so you can expect to read about that, too.  Since I'm vegan, everything I write about will be vegan.  It really doesn't make sense any other way.  I'm not a preachy vegan - there are plenty of blogs that are, but this won't be one of them.  However, I love to veganize old favorites or new recipes that look interesting, so I will undoubtedly write about that here. 

And then there's just life as it happens.  I want to capture it...to think about it, laugh, learn, and probably analyze a bit, too.  I'm excited about starting this journey and hope that anyone who comes across this blog enjoys it along with me.