Comfort ...

So, my boys are now quickly approaching ages 4 and 5, and still, yes STILL, they sometimes wander down the hall into our bedroom in the middle of the night to be reassured there's no boogeyman under their bed -- or werewolf in their closet -- or bad guy in the attic -- or sometimes just to cuddle. Thankfully these late night/early morning sojourns are becoming few and far between so this momma can get some much needed uninterrupted sleep. However, last night, Riley comes stealthily into our room about 3:00 or so and tries to quietly sneak into our bed. As I try to put the kibosh on this and advise him he needs to head back to his own big boy bed, he ever so sweetly says, "But mom, I just want to snuggle you a little bit because I love you and you are so comfortable." Ahhhh, melted momma's heart! And yes, I did let him snuggle in for a little bit and I think we both found comfort in that = ) Love those kiddos and these sweet moments!

Things to do in Kansas when it's cold and snowy ...

Give an impromptu indoor marshmallow roasting seminar to your 3 and 4 year old children.

Demonstrate the correct technique and safety precautions.

Allow eldest son who cannot wait another moment the honor of going first.

Next, encourage little brother to do the same.

Enjoy the giggles and delight of two satisfied little boys!

OR

Get out checkers and work on teaching your children strategy.

Then laugh when they actually get ya good a few times!

OR

Get all bundled up in your snow gear and do some serious sledding!

(However, remember to check the batteries in your camera before you go outside. Because if they die, you will not want to go inside and get new ones because you don't want to miss a minute of the fun! So, sorry, no silly sledding pics.)

Beware - this blog's a bummer ...

Okay, I'll try not to sound too whiney. Have you ever had one of those weeks where it just seems like everything has just gone all whack-a-doodle? Well, lucky me, this is our week! It started out with the vacuum going kaput. A belt and the roller bar. Thankfully my hubby is handy, so that one can be fixed for a low $65 or so. Then we get tons of snow ... which is all fun and good for playing in, but when it's a large enough accumulation to close school, our pre-school is closed, too. So, there's the additional cost of a separate sitter and/or taking time off work if you can't find a sitter. Next, both of the kids get super sick running fevers which means maybe 2 hours of sleep per night for Dr. Mom, if I'm lucky. Not to mention doctor and medicine costs. The next fantastic item is the heating element going out in the dryer. Another hundred plus bucks. Great! Now, at this point I'm sleep deprived and more than broke. As I'm sitting in the kitchen telling myself that I am NOT going to whine about my little troubles on this blog, I start to smell a burning smell. At this point, I begin to laugh from delirium and the curse of Murphy's Law. Our dishwasher is now kaput. Are you kidding me? Well, I know better than to question what else could go wrong, because really, in the big scheme of things, these little blips are just tiny little bumps in our path, not major roadblocks or devastating events. So, I'm gonna suck it up now, plug along, and pray for the universe to right itself.

Addendum:

Just as I hit "Publish Post," Riley and Gage come to get me to point out that the snow blowing off the roof and flittering through the light looks like Tinkerbell's pixie dust. And, when Gage blinks his eyes, he can make magic. That makes me smile. Yep, life isn't too bad after all = )