The Hard Part

February is the hard part of the year in the midwest. Sure, it's cold in other places and at other times of the year but in the heart of the Heartland the wind blows right through you. The below zero temperatures are so cold that salt won't melt the ice on the road. The sky is pale grey and it's hard to tell where the snow ends.

There's something about this time of year that can really bring you down. Your joints ache. You feel sun "deficient". Unless you are tanning, your skin takes on a greenish hue and you feel like the Earth, in its death like slumber has chosen you as its energy source and with Matrix like translucency has drained you of all will to do anything but sleep.

Thankfully, this usually lasts only a few weeks.

Hannah completed her last short course swim meet this weekend. She did fantastic, finishing in the top 10 for her age group in each event. Swimmers must qualify for regionals with 10 and under times and Hannah is 8 so she was not ready this year. But we are very proud of her progress. They take a little break now (if you call practicing 5 days a week a break) from meets and then in April they will start long course meets.

Hannah is also gearing up for Destination Imagination which is a creativity competition in the area. Her team of six will do a "theatre in the round" production in March. I'll post pictures.

Madi is now in Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and swimming but is still bouncing off the walls to go outside. We started some seeds together recently and are enjoying watching them sprout: a preview of spring!

First Time in Print!

Had a Fun surprise today when I went to the mailbox- a check! An article that I had submited early in January was published. It's my first freelance article, a humorous piece titled "The Devil Wears Diapers: Living with the strong willed child". (I bet you can't guess who inspired it?) It appears in the February issue of Western New York Family Magazine https://www.wnyfamilymagazine.com/Articles/. My article is not available on-line but they sent me a copy of the issue with my check. I'm on Page 53- Woohoo!

Madi's Hard Head

Have you checked the weather in Bloomington lately? Its south of zero here which means we are spending the least amount of time as possible outdoors. But, Madi was playing at a neighbors today and Aaron walked down to pick her up. She was really tired, so he hoisted her into his arms to carry her home. On the way, he rolled his ankle and dad and daughter took a fall. Madi's head met concrete, and the concrete won.

Now, my mom always told me that if I did this or that I might fall and "crack my head open", but I had never known anyone who had ACTUALLY done it. But, once she was safely in the house screaming, the largest egg I had ever seen bloomed in the back of her head. We drove to the ER to make sure she hadn't "cracked her head open".

When the ER nurse checked us in, she said "Gosh, you win the prize, that is the biggest egg I have ever seen!" ...and she was an old nurse. She fast tracked us into the ER because she was afraid that Madi had "cracked her head open."

Then, we saw the doctor who said "Wow! That is the biggest egg I have ever seen!" He ordered a brain scan because he thought she might have fractured her skull which would mean she had "cracked her head open."

The CT Scan guy said "Wow, that's the biggest egg I have ever seen." and ran the test. The egg was now even bigger and a few shades of purple.

Well, after three hours and I don't want to know how many dollars, the scan came back and there is no damage. I am convinced that no one "cracks their head open" but beyond that it is proof enough that she inherited her father and grandpa's HARD HEAD.

I've never been more thankful for it.

The Write Stuff

If you have been thinking about picking up something to read, here's my top ten (in no particular order). Warning: these books will keep you up at night and apologize to your spouse in advance because you will not be able to shut up about what you have read when you are done.

1. The Cider House Rules, John Irving- True modern literature about a man raised in an orphanage and trained to be a doctor there, who leaves as an adult to see the world and learn "the rules" himself. Caution: fuel for the abortion debate fire!

2. The Giver, Lois Lowry- Tale of a self proclaimed utopian society and a boy citizen who wants more.

3. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen - Man joins the circus during prohibition and falls in love. In the style of Nicholas Sparks "Notebook", an easy but fulfilling read

4. Silas Marner, George Elliot - I will never tire of this tale of what's really important in life.

5. The Devil Wears Prada - For anyone who has ever hated their boss-a must read.

6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon - Feel what its like to be inside the mind of a boy with autism.

7. The Davinci Code, Dan Brown - What a ride! This is the literary equivalent of eating hard candy but its so entertaining.

8. Switch Bitch, Roald Dahl - Who knew the popular children's author was a master of short stories for adults? If you like reading books for young adults, also check out "the Witches" by the same author.

9. Life of PI, Yann Martel - Indian boy with three religions falls off a ship and drifts at sea. You won't put this one down until the last page is read and then you may flip back a few times.

10. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden - If you haven't read this one you are really missing out on a beautiful birds eye view of pre-WWII Japan and traditional Geisha culture.

Honorable mentions:

The Memory Keepers Daughter, Kim Edwards - A doctor who delivers his own fraternal twins decides in a moment to give away the one with down syndrome and tell his sedated wife she died at birth.

Saving Fish from Drowning, Amy Tan -A group of American tourists on an art expedition see first hand the impact of capitalism on Burma. Interesting and thought provoking.

The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri - Fascinating novel about Indian immigrants and their children adapting to American culture.

Oh - and of course any Harry Potter. Book seven is coming!!!