Sick Day

330/365

Have you ever met a "blankie bear"? It's a small, soft blanket with satiny binding, with the head of a bear attached in the center. He has been her comfort ever since she was a little baby, and she named him "Beeda" just as soon as she could put the sounds together. The idea of going to sleep without Beeda was a non-starter for many years. At times like this, he still soothes. Especially when you get his folds arranged perfectly, so the smoothest, softest part of his worn-in blankie touches your face just right...

Skating Lessons

329/365

Individual lessons are one of the free amenities (along with skate loan) included with admission to our backyard rink.

Frosty

328/365

Have I mentioned that it's cold?

Winter Garden

327/365

Today, I was bound & determined to find something in my backyard that was photo-worthy. It used to be so easy. Also, it used to be not so cold...

Last Chance Chili

326/365

Chili is supposed to be better the day after. Well, we're on the day after the day after the day after. You really don't want to push it much farther than that. Still tasty, though.

It's Bad. Real Bad.

325/365

Do not adjust your set...

In 325 days, I haven't had such a bad case of shooter's block as I had on this day. No ideas. No inspiration. I had plenty of excuses, though: I missed the sunny part of the day. My camera's not working right. Too busy. Whatever. It just wasn't happenin'.

So, I logged on to my favorite social networking website & told all of my friends about my problem. They had lots of great ideas, including one odd suggestion: Mix it up -- Instead of trying to take good pictures, why don't you try taking some bad pictures for a while?

I thought: Pfftt! I take bad pictures all the time! That's too easy!

And then, I spent some time trying to come up with something -- anything -- interesting to shoot. It was bad. I even took a picture of David Letterman on the tv. (Who I find very interesting, but that's another story...)

But when I looked at my photos from the day, I kept coming back to this one. I forgot to change the camera settings from yesterday, so it is overexposed & the white balance is waaayy off. The composition is questionable. The subject...? It was a bad photo to match my bad mood. In the end, I decided to go with it. It was the perfect statement for the day I was having, so why fight it?

The Latest

324/365

In case you missed the memo... these are the latest must-have accessory for the elementary school set. What you are looking at are rubber bands, in different colors and shapes. The kids wear them as bracelets, of course. A pack of 12 will set you back about three bucks. Which is probably a bit steep for a handful of rubber bands, but a relative bargain when compared with other must-have accessories...

The Pile

323/365

And this would be the downside to having a backyard rink.

Over the past several years, we have collected enough skates, in varying sizes, to open up our own rental shop. After a weekend of good ice, the pile-up by the back door includes a full complement of hockey skates, figure skates, boots, tote bags and single gloves.

Dance Recital

322/365

If you have ever attended a dance recital, chances are, much of this will look familiar. The costumes, the lights and stage, the student dancers, the heads of other parents blocking your view, and the teacher in front directing the dance... All captured in a not-so-hot photo.

Night Skate

321/365

One of the few benefits of being in the deep part of winter.

Breakfast for Dinner

320/365

Pancakes - it's what's for dinner. Syrup - it's what's in the cow.

Sending a Message

319/365

I've heard it's not good to label children. In fact, I have specific rules around not labeling with my label maker, but I found it hard to get too upset at this infraction.

I Voted

318/365

Maybe you've heard...? There's a special election going on today in Massachusetts. It appears to be a very close race to fill the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. I have never seen such campaign craziness in my life. If we got one robo-call just today, we got ten. No exaggeration.

So, in case you were going to call & remind me to vote, please don't bother. I did already. See?

Fixed

317/365

Put away the paper plates, we're back in the dishwashing business!

Mr. CM fixed it himself after doing some internet searching on the problem... resetting the control board by pushing a few buttons did the trick.

To think, Mr. Repairman was about to charge us $400 for his solution...!

And yes, it worked on Ann's dishwasher, too.

Quiet Time

316/365

After two hours of hockey earlier in the day, it was a low-key afternoon.

Dexterity

315/365

It just so happens that the fine motor skills used to manipulate teeny-tiny legos are the very same ones you need to get Barbie ready for a Saturday night.

Planned Obsolescence

314/365

Talk about a funny coincidence. My friend Ann & I both bought new KitchenAid dishwashers at Sears on December 14, 2004. (That's not the funny part.) This week, both appliances stopped working. For the same reason. Turns out, they both need new heaters and control boards. Both were just a month past the expiration of the 5 year warranty. Both of us are looking at repair bills in the $400 range.

Hilarious, right?

Are You Lurking?

313/365

Word on the blogosphere is that today is National De-Lurking Day. This means that if you have been hanging around here, but haven't yet said hello, today is the day. So don't be shy -- leave a comment! C'mon, I know there are at least a couple of you out there, lurking in your lerkims. I'd love to hear from you!

Anyone...? Anyone...?

After School

312/365

When darkness falls this early, I often insist kids go out to play first, then do homework. No matter how much they complain.

Savoir Faire is Everywhere

311/365

Social Dance classes continue, with enthusiastic and appropriately attired participants.

Aside from all of the other lost social graces she is learning there, today's class gave me the opportunity to share with my daughter another essential secret of sophistication and elegance:

To stop a run in your stockings, paint it with clear nail polish.

The Beat Goes On...

310/365

Beatles RockBand is still going strong over here. Should I be worried that she can get an almost perfect score singing "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"?

Striped Sky

309/365

Sunset over the ice rink...

The Hansons' Little Sister, part 2

308/365

Puttin' on the foil, coach...

(Part 1 here.)

He's Baaaack...

307/365

Rocky returned for seconds this morning. Here he is, scoping out the situation before getting too close...

Shooting Squirrel

306/365

Yesterday, the girls took the popcorn strings from the Christmas tree & recycled them as critter food, scattering the tasty bits all over the patio and doorstep. Then they waited, and watched... and no critters showed up for the feast. But this afternoon, Rocky bellied up to the buffet, and chowed down. Wally & I were amazed to see how bold he is!

Look Out Below!

305/365

Closing one's eyes and screaming always enhances the sledding experience...

Missing

304/365

Life is serving up some tough lessons around here this week. Not least among them is one for the parents. Namely: Try as we might to warn them, we can't protect kids from every heartbreak. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way, and maybe that's better in the long run.

However, it still stinks.

Fridge Clean-Out

303/365

New year, time for new condiments...

But, seriously. How is it that we ended up with no fewer than 4 open bottles of ketchup in the fridge?

Rolling Thunder

302/365

In my mind's eye, this image looks a little different. It should look like a photo of our gang at the beginning of our trip -- when three kids, all in a row, eagerly pulled their bags through the airport, looking forward to visiting grandma & grandpa. It's quite a sight to see, each of them seasoned travelers on this route by now, hauling their own rolling suitcase and carry-on bag.

Well, I missed that shot on the way out, but I figured I'd get a second chance on the return trip. So, I was ready. Got my camera out of my bag before we got to the terminal. I think everything started to go wrong with that plan when we stopped at Starbuck's for hot chocolate (a final vacay splurge), and kids started to hand their bags off to dad...

Poor guy. I'm sure he was wishing it had turned out differently, too.

Climbing the Walls

301/365

Feeling a little cooped up over vacation? You should try this!

A Toast for the New Year

300/365

Here's to Urgent Care far from home. And to the doctors who work there. On New Year's Eve. And New Year's Day. Last -- but not least -- here's to antibiotics that make everything all better before the new year is more than 24 hours old.

Llama, in Winter White

299/365

One of the neighbors, out enjoying the winter weather.