Dance. It. Out.

When I woke up this morning, the thermometer hanging on my back porch read -26. I stood and stretched. I hummed and tried to ignore the cold seeping in through the glass door beside me. My body, however, was loud enough. There was the snap. And the crackle. And the pop-- all of which reminded me that the chill outside had found its way to the insides of me—in the way of bones, muscles, and joints.

March is here, and that means my annual wanderlust has hit full stride, my patience for winter is waning, and my undying optimism (okay, I never actually have that, but still) has been sucked into the vitamin D-less pit. Foul. That’s what I’m feeling.

At some point today, Max and I were getting into it about God-knows-what—maybe he took my turn in Sorry, or I said no to extra peanut butter on his apples—what I do know is that I was all sorts of irritated. And he looked at me, his wispy blond hair falling over his eyes.

“You are so beautiful mama," he said. His voice seemed so small, as he added with a giggle, "But that doesn’t really have anything to do with what we’re talking about does it?”

Ouch, in the most magnificent sense of the word.

I’m trying these days to be more aware of the moments I have with my children. Noah turns 10 (10!) in a month,

and as you can see, he has mastered the sullen tween self portrait already, which has me gulping for air and wishing I had, well, more time with him. Yet there are days like today, when I get cold and cranky and simply forget that there is sheer and utter joy in simply breathing the same space as these amazing little beings I get to watch grow.

Until, that is, we dance. it. out.


Cranking up our little silver radio and dancing (flailing) around the kitchen was a tradition Noah and I started when he was just old enough to shake it. And as you can see, Max and Lizzie have, as Max says, “got the music in the toes, now look out cause here it goes…”




My new motto might just be to live in the present moment, especially if that moment includes the phrase “Rock on mama!”