Bright Sun, Cool Air

No snow, but you get the idea

These are the two things that make me happiest in all the world.

I think I’ve known that for some time, but it was just driven home today how deeply my mood and general outlook on life is affected by the weather.

Last night the Ogre and I got into a fight on the phone. Again. These last two weeks, fighting has been our main (and really only) form of communication. His qualifying exams start tomorrow and he’s buried under stress and spending between eighteen and twenty hours a day in the library. Last week Charlotte was inexplicably stricken with a 105 degree fever that was followed up by days of collecting urine samples, getting blood work, and driving back and forth and back and forth and back and forth from Dallas to Colleyville, a 45 minute drive under ideal circumstances. We were mostly driving during rush hour, of course, so it was more like an hour and a half. This week, I’ve had a terrible sinus infection that has made me extremely dizzy and headache-ey for several days. And both last week and this week, the kids have been sleeping horribly.

Yesterday I finally went to the doctor and got a penicillin shot (in my derriere, from a male nurse younger than my little brother, thankyouverymuch) which made me feel all kinds of worse. Then I made the rockin’ decision to drink wine last night (because my bum hurt, that’s why) and then the Ogre and I got into a ridiculous fight. So I didn’t get in bed until midnight, and Sienna woke me up at 3 am relating to me her nightmare about a toilet on fire (you can’t make this stuff up). Then the girls wanted me to lay with them, which led to lots of snoring from them but zero from me. At 4:30 I finally crept away and back into my own bed, where Liam promptly woke up and decided that jumping up and down in his crib was absolutely the most appropriate thing to do…for the next two hours. He finally fell back asleep at 6:30, and just as I was drifting into merciful oblivion I heard the telltale squeak, squeak, squeak of two pairs of naughty little girl feet on the hardwood floors. Liam heard it too, and woke up with an excited squeal to greet his sisters.

Needless to say, trying to sleep was futile after that.

I was very grumpy this morning. And angry. And generally ready to have a terrible day.

But then…oh, but then…but then it was so sunny. So bright and lovely and cheery. And the air was cold, the floor under my feet was cold, the windows were cold, and my coffee was steamy and delicious.

So I drank coffee, looked out the window, put my hands against the cold glass, and decided that being grumpy on such a delicious day was pretty much a sin.

Instead I did school with my eldest, giving her plenty of breaks to dart outside and gulp up lungfuls of crisp autumn air, and then put a chuck roast in the slow cooker. The kids and I ate scrambled egg sandwiches for lunch, and while Charlotte and Liam took naps Sienna and I pulled on sweaters and went rollerblading.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. And now I’m trying to convince myself, Self, not to drink wine tonight just because it was a lovely day and you feel that wine would make it a perfect day.

I’m afraid I won’t have the willpower to pull myself out of a funk two days in a row.

So there’s today’s pointless reflection.

Here’s today’s totally pointy link (first one to get the reference gets a cookie!*): Deltaflute wrote a fascinating response to my post on spankings. Also, go back to the post and read the last comment left, by gillineau. I’ve been mulling that one over too. She makes some interesting points, particularly about consistency.

Next. My dearly beloved Anchoress has ruined my life, and just in time for Halloween. I usually ignore things like this. Why? Because I feel that if I try to be conscientious about every purchase I make ever, I shall go insane. I pick and choose things most dear to my heart and most in keeping with my understanding of morality. But this…well, children are dear to my heart. Chocolate is possibly even more dear to my heart. But I think you know which one I’m giving up in the wake of this post.

(Does anyone want my children?)

(Haha. Just kidding. A little.)

For those of you who were praying, our prayers were answered, but not in the way we hoped. Jon Scharfenberger has gone to his rest. Please pray for his family, friends, and the community at Ave Maria who are surely mourning the loss of one of their own. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

Last link of the day. My dear blogging friend Dwija wrote an exceptionally lovely and moving post to her babies in heaven.

Oh yeah, and here. The best demotivational poster I’ve ever seen.