Flight delayed. Home late. Tired boy. Cranky girl. Exhausted parents.

Introspection can wait until next year.

Happy new year!

Reflections

I'd like to sit back and reflect on the year and ponder the next, but I am still visiting and do not want to take the time right now. Anyway it's hard for me to reflect in a crowd. But I sit here in front of the big window watching the sun rise and reflect and glint on the snow. It's pretty. But I cannot wait to be home.

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Winter wonderland

We are ensconced in Canada's prairies for a visit, where it's -15 and snowing. This is, for the record, colder than it ever got in my hometown growing up, so the very idea of it being this cold -- as the HIGH of the day -- is NUTS! I mean, it's down close to -30 at night. For those of you who don't know, this means several things, like cars don't start. Toilet seats -- indoors! -- are cold. Furnaces aren't quite enough heat. The air inside is cold. I have finally realized why people buy wipes warmers. My daughter is quite angry with her diaper changes of late.

But the worst for me is that I wake up each morning here feeling like I've been slowly dried over night. My nose and throat hurt from the lack of humidity and I have to drink all day to feel remotely ok.

The feeling of alienation is compounded by the fact that we're way out in a rural area -- the nearest neighbour is walkable, but cannot be seen. And all around as far as the eye can see? Trees. Snow. It's silent and dark at night. It's now been a dozen years that I've lived in cities of over a million people, and this remoteness is very foreign. They don't even have broadband, people! This post brought to you by the miracle of cell phones and Internet tethering.

It's good to see family. It's good to experience the true Canadian winter. Its good to get away. But I will not in the least be sad to get home to good old rainy Vancouver, where my nose can feel at home.

Sent from my iPad

Eve

The stockings are filled, the tree is lit and underneath is laden with packages. The children sleep. In the kitchen are all our favourite things to eat.

For me, a non-practicing Christian, this holiday is about family, friends, and taking the time to slow down and show them love. Which in a way I suppose rings true with what many Christians believe. All I mean to say is forgive me for saying so, but Merry Christmas. In the spirit in which I mean it, it's just about saying thanks for being a friend, and my best wishes to you and yours.

On the other hand ...

While snowfall warnings here can be laughable, I do heed the rainfall ones. We do know rain in Vancouver.

No this is not what it is like all the time.

The laundry, it never stops

Nor do the dishes. Nor the tidying. My heavens there's a lot of work in a home. I'm sitting down right now, I probably shouldn't. But my son is out with his dad and my daughter is content and I've scrubbed the kitchen, put away the laundry, thrown in some more, packed up the daycare laundry that I did yesterday, tidied the toys, booked my son's birthday party (yet again, Vancouver, you win for "you must plan ahead to get anything good". Yes his birthday is in March.), paid some bills, filled out his forms for school registration and so now I'm sitting.

I'll get up again in a second. The laundry will be done soon.

There's a lot of work.

But. There's always a but. My family gives me joy. And the entirety of the package is a good one.

Words that make a mother's hair stand on end especially right before Christmas and all those photos

"Mom, I just cut my hair a little before I washed my hands."