Whistle While You Work

The temperature rose above 60 degrees farenheit today and I decided that the Christmas greenery (er, brownery) needed to come down and the porch needed to be cleaned. Lizzie made sure that I was properly entertained and even scrubbed down a rocking chair because she wanted to help her "mama".

We are thrilled to have sun, warm weather and the start of blooms after a long Winter. New discovery: tiny bunches of Snow Drops blooming beside the porch. They're beautiful! (And no, you can't see them in the videos. Other side of porch.)

March 1st, 2010: A Beautiful Day in Our Neighborhood

Mr. McFeeley came to town and we all got to spend time with him (and each other) on the morning of March 1st.

While Lizzie seemed immune to Mr. McFeeley's charm, she was thrilled to see her friend Mariah and run in circles in the humongous Witherspoon Room at Westminster College.

Jefe had the chance to lunch with Mr. McF and discovered that he quite liked the last Quentin Tarantino movie. Who would've guessed?

(Later in the day, an attorney and a financial planner stomped out of the room when I asked them for $50K. I was thankful that I had the warm, fuzzy memories of this sweet beginning of a day to buffer this crazy end.)

Two Squirrels on a Bench

Tonight my babies are pretending to be squirrels, foraging for nuts and making "nut pies" together. Adorable, creative games like this one make it impossible for me to throw out all those random, itty bitty toy pieces that drive me crazy. In the Harpers' eyes, those crazy-making toys are the perfect nuts to forage!

The photo above was taken at Washington University in St. Louis (my partner-in-crime's alma mater) during the summer of 2008. Nat, age 3, was doing his darnedest to keep Lizzie, 8 months, from sliding off of his lap.

No longer a new game. Warm weather please!

Buy Local

My friends and I have romanticized our local Amish roadside markets. We try our best to find whole foods - locally grown & organic when possible - to feed our children and ourselves. And we feel really good about it.

Tonight, on the way to our big label grocery store ("Giant Eagle"), Nat pointed to an Amish roadside market, now boarded up for the winter. Our exchange went something like this:

Nat: "Hey, Mom, you've been there before!"

Me: "Why yes, Nat, and when spring comes, we'll go there again for fresh fruits and vegetables and plants for our garden." (Ah, the smart and healthy eating habits that I'm bestowing upon our child.)

Nat: "And that's not all: we'll get whoopie pies and cakes too!"

Hmmmm...to make myself feel better after this exchange, I joined the "ban on high fructose corn syrup" group on Facebook and then I found these wonderful photos of Lizzie & Nat and the Amish whoopie pie adventure. I have a feeling there will be more of these come Spring.

I Don't Mind February...

But I do mind this nasty cold virus that feels like a case of mononucleosis and has been plaguing me since last Tuesday. I have missed three days of work, slept away the weekend, and cannot even think of exercising, let alone functioning like a normal human being. Tomorrow will be better.

Lizzie's Latest Theme Song

Aunt Katie told us about this cool song, "Lizzie's Do's and Don'ts" by Jessica Harper. Not only does Jessica get thumbs up for being a Harper, she gets major thumbs up for writing funky, sophisticated kids' music. I think our own Lizzielou has found her theme song. Take a look and listen:

http://www.jessicaharper.com/music/inside-out.php