And after months of indulging my wanderlust, I sometimes worry that winter will make me feel boxed in. But then I think about the yin to my wanderlust yang, which is coziness. And winter? Winter is the season for coziness. A curtain goes down on the routines of warmer weather, and with that it's curtains up on popcorn popping, hot chocolate stirring, and general homey togetherness.
There are a lot of pleasures to anticipate in the coming months.
**But while the seasons are in transition, I'll savor the lovely days that still come our way. When we stumble upon 65 degree weather, we race off to the zoo for one more chance to admire lions and tigers and flamingoes. Oh my!
**Tiny was entranced.**
**Don't worry, little man, these days will come again. And in the meantime, don't count out trips to the zoo with snow on the ground. It wouldn't be the first time.**
Though our routines change in the winter, we make room for new ones.
Less zoo, more indoor playroom. Fewer outdoor concerts, more movie nights in. Less ice cream (!!!), more baked apples.
And the search for new routines unearths some pleasant surprises. My urge to get out of dodge (read: the kitchen) on Friday evenings is seasonless. So since we can't have outside BBQ's anymore? Well, we decided to head on over to a diner where the lights are always on.
**Chocolate Milkshake Joy.**
**Multiply said joy when it's a shared chocolate shake.**
**We got the windowseat, which was great for our very social Drummer.**
**He waved at nearly ever passerby, and was rewarded with lots of return waves and giggling smiles.**
And it was awesome.
Cold weather? Flu season? Dark evenings? I'm ready for you. Because your fabulous counterpoints include so many of my favorites: Chrismas carols, snowflakes and twinkle lights. And Diner frequenting. :)
Plus, change is always on its way. The winter solstice hits before Christmas, and the idea always surprises me that the light has begun its slow march towards luminous evenings again, when it seems like it just did the opposite.
I guess that's just the way of things.
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To close, I'll leave you with a few links. I work with the youth group at church right now, specifically the girls, and so I think a lot about how to empower them. In honor of them, here are some of my favorite girl power links:
*I'm trying to figure how how to incorporate one of these into Tiny's room.
*I read this article about standards nights months ago when it first made the rounds, but it's still the best article I've read on the topic. I want so much for these girls to understand how powerful they are, and to understand where that power comes from.
*Another article that made the rounds a few months ago, but that I still contemplate as the mom of a young girl.
**Keep on Rockin', my friends.**
Happy Friday. Warm, cold or in between--let's make it good.
LOVE those links. i teach the laurels and read the Patheos article a while ago too - it has really helped with some of my lessons. i'm looking forward to reading it again to refresh my memory.
ReplyDeletei also really liked the Bloom article. my daughter (like yours!) is a gorgeous toddler and there's no two ways about it. and i have a lot of fun with her clothes and curly hair. but i try to be conscious not to talk about her appearance too much and this article was a good reminder and some good practical advice.
I tell my daughters and sons how adorable and beautiful and handsome they are all the time. That huff article made me pause, but then I thought, wait, it's me. I've tried wearing makeup two days in a row, and it just doesn't work. I try looking nice on a weekday besides Sunday (meaning, add an accessory to my outfit) and even Sundays are a toss-up. Even wearing an "outfit" is a misnomer--do you call a 5 dollar Target shirt paired with pants that fit an outfit? There's something about not having money, living in the south, and having babies with my yo-yo weight gain/loss that makes me breathe a sigh of relief that, were we to go by example, my girls are going to be okay no matter how adorable I tell them they are every time I greet them!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I make myself sound like I look trashy, but really, I make sure my hair is styled and clothes are fine, I just don't think about my appearance outside of leaving the bathroom in the morning. Yeah, so I'm wondering if the importance teenage girls place on their looks/surgery acceptable etc. is reinforced in their own home, too, you know?
Oh, and I'll just say it, I'm still trying to figure out how breast implants and tummy tucks are acceptable knowing all that we know and why it's so prevalent in our religious culture.
Sorry my responses are so long! Thanks for your blog, it's fun stuff to think about!
I bet you are so AWESOME with those girls! Saw this the other day and have been dying to share it with someone who works with YW: http://www.71toes.com/2011/11/daughter-of-god-week.html
ReplyDeletesounds so powerful and amazing!
Happy Weekending!!