Tickled Pink and Gaga for Green

(a.k.a. Holidaze 2017)

Another set of holidays and a couple of birthdays have come and gone faster than I could document them. The following post includes photos from our not-so-recent Valentine's Day, mine and Forest's birthdays, and St. Patrick's Day.

Valentine's Day:

I sent Ramona to school with a heart-shaped sandwich in her lunchbox. Not sure if she was impressed, but I am sure she noticed!

Ramona and Mika ready to head to the bus stop in their heart-patterned coats:

Paula changed out of pajamas to go to her sisters' classroom Valentine parties:

Wylie hung out in his car seat at both parties, wearing lipstick smudge on his forehead (I can't keep my mouth off of his little face):

Ramona's classroom party:

Mika's classroom party:

Paula enjoying her sisters' Valentine loot:

Heart-shaped pizzas for dinner:

Our family's tissue box Valentine mailboxes:

A handful of valentines we managed to preserve (even though Wylie chewed on one):

Some Valentine keepsakes:

My 32nd birthday:

Chocolate ice cream cake and roses

 Cards and snuggles from all my precious loves

Another visit from Uncle Dan, necessitating a trip to Kilwin's chocolate shop:

A rare just-us dinner date:

Forest's 37th birthday:

Card and picture from Ramona:

(Forest is depicted as 137 years old, dancing under a disco ball)

 Card and picture from Mika:

St. Patrick's Day always seems to happen over the kids' Spring Break. I took them to a library program called "Gaga for Green" the Tuesday before St. Patrick's Day. The girls found some green in their closets to wear to the event in order to display their enthusiasm.

 There were plenty of messy green crafts for kids to get their hands on at the library.

corn syrup + blue food coloring + yellow food coloring = sticky green goo

On the actual holiday, Mika and I went to the dentist together, then she donated 12 inches of her hair and got an adorable, spunky haircut. As lovely as her hair was before, I was not sad to see it go--this past year I have spent a lot of time yanking a brush through those long, easily-tangled locks!

That afternoon the kids and I took advantage of the pleasant weather and went to the park. Ramona and Mika rode bikes and Paula and Wylie rode in the stroller.

 We found some friends there!

Despite how quickly the days and weeks fly by, each holiday and milestone practically colliding into the next, I feel truly *lucky* to have these people so close by my side along the way. Seeing their faces really tickles me pink and makes me go gaga over and over again--no matter which holiday we are celebrating!

Making Time for Making Music

I am sure my life is some kind of scary example of time mismanagement. I have four children under the age of 8, I teach a dozen or more music lessons each week, I play in a community orchestra that meets weekly for 2.5 hour rehearsals, we take our family to church for three hours every Sunday, and we don't hire a nanny or house cleaner. Oh yeah, and I occasionally contribute to this blog. Realistically, I probably don't have time for all of that--something should probably get cut. Perhaps some would advise me to make some cuts in the music department to try to ease my schedule.  But somehow, I am still holding on and trying to "make time" for the music in my life. Most days it translates to a messy house and dishes left undone, but some part of me is afraid that once I let go of the music, I won't ever get it back--and to me, that is scarier than the clutter that resides in my home.

Earlier this month I crammed even more music into my life by participating in our orchestra's annual fundraiser. I performed some pieces with my friend Yoshiko, who accompanied on the piano. 

We got a smaller crowd at the gala than anticipated, but I still had fun getting on stage and playing works by Rachmaninoff, Elgar, and Bloch. We finished our set with some arrangements by the Piano Guys: Titanium and Thousand Years.

Forest and Ramona came to the event as a Daddy/Daughter date. It was so sweet to feel Ramona's little arms around me as I came down from the stage.

Surveying the refreshment table, the three of us made sure to eat cupcakes with little heart rings on them, so each of the three sisters could have one as a souvenir.

I guess time management is really all about personal priorities. So, as long as I assert that keeping a pristine house is not my top priority (I don't think anyone would argue with that) maybe I can justify spending so much time playing and teaching music.

Or maybe I am a complete lunatic who should stop typing right now and sweep the kitchen floor.

Either way, I discovered a product that comes very close to "making time" in my somewhat overloaded schedule--dry shampoo! It says right on the can that I can use it INSTEAD OF WASHING MY HAIR! A few sprays, and voila! my hair is clean. In much less time than it takes to wash and dry my hair with water and normal shampoo.

I do still wash my hair like a normal person. Sometimes. By now I am sure it is painfully obvious that personal appearance is not high on my list of priorities, either. But my children are fed, I'm happily married (to a husband who does a LOT of dishes without complaining), and I still remember how to play the cello.

Now I really should stop typing and sweep the kitchen floor.

Room Re-Do

Back in December, the girls each got to pick out a new bedspread as a gift from Paca. It seemed like a fitting time to re-do their sleeping arrangements, so we set to work moving things around. 

Up until then, the purple room was set up to be shared by Ramona and Mika, but the reality was that neither of them got much rest when they slept so close to each other, so during the past year usually only one of them ever slept in the purple room while the other got moved to one of the beds in the basement. 

A few days after Christmas, we decided to officially take Ramona out of the purple room and give her the previous "guest room" in the basement to be her own. She has been asking for her own room for a while now, so this was thrilling news for Miss Ramona.

The walls are still a little bare, but I made some curtains to match her new bedspread, and she does an excellent job keeping her space neat and tidy.

Now Mika has her own room, too, as well as some extra space for crafting. She chose a "Frozen" comforter, which works well in the already-purple room.

Paula has had her own room for a while now (the yellow room), but she has just been sleeping on a twin mattress set directly on the floor and using a hand-me-down comforter, so she was excited to get upgraded to a big-girl bed with a brand-new bedspread.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

She loves how her "My Little Pony" comforter sparkles. Later, I found some art to put on the wall, courtesy of Ramona:

The upstairs bathroom finally got some attention, too. We put a little bit of paint on one wall and hung some towel hooks to display the girls' hoodie towels from Teresa (and keep them off the floor).

I even swapped out the almost-10- year-old bland shower curtain for one with a little more appeal.

In the meantime, Wylie's sleeping arrangements were also altered, but in a rather different way. Instead of giving him his own bedroom, we shoved his pack 'n play into our closet so he is no longer sleeping next to our bed. We call this arrangement his "little man cave." Although there is plenty of room to store his diapers, clothes, and a few of his other belongings, it is definitely still a closet.

It's a good thing our precious little man doesn't mind!