Winter wonders

After the big snowfall that hit Saturday and turned Sunday into a day for sledding and frolicking in the drifts, the city was back to business on Monday morning and the girls went to school. I breathed a sigh of relief. It really felt kind of magical to have my very own adult snow day with no kids to drag around. Nacho was finally home after his extended trip, and so we hopped on the train and headed to Central Park for a walk in the winter wonderland. I'd been dreaming of a day I could do just that since I moved here. I was either working or taking care of kids for most of the past 11 years. So having a morning to meander and check out the snowy sights was a real thrill. We happened to connect with our friends Jose and Irene for lunch since they were near the Guggenheim when we texted. It was a perfectly impromptu lunch date and taking them to Neil's Coffee Shop on the UES was absolutely the best idea. It was a real New York kind of moment and I think they enjoyed it as much as we did. 

The cold weather and all that time outdoors might have done us some good, but wouldn't you know it, Carolina came down with a fever by Monday night. So she got a few sick days that week, feeling better just in time to return on Friday. But of course, no sickness goes unspread around here, so Elisa came home on Wednesday with a fever and stayed home the next two days. Yes, I was beginning to feel the payback for enjoying myself so much on Monday. Isn't that always the way? We coasted through Saturday barely making it out of the house. So when Nacho left early on Sunday morning, I figured it was time to head to SGP for a bit of sun and fun in the remaining snow. The girls enjoyed a picnic lunch in the nearly 50F degree temps and it was really a nice change to be out for a few hours. Then on Monday we found ourselves having a spontaneous after school playdate with Maya and Kira after I struck up a conversation walking back with Julie. Sitter was out of town and she had a conference call at 4pm. Um, I can help. And that's really what it's like to live here. I grabbed Maya and Elisa off the bus a bit early and we all headed back to our place to chill. It's pretty fantastic that our neighborhood inspires such friendships. We all had a good time and Julie was more than appreciative of the offer. Another day down.  

By Wednesday, we were deluged with rain but it didn't dampen the birthday spirit for little Valentina. She turned 2 on February 3rd (the same birthday as my sister) so we brought a little something to her house that afternoon to celebrate. Irene was going solo after her mom's departure that same day and Jose is still in Nepal on his academic trip. So it was just us rocking out with the kids and finding another reason to be thankful for friends nearby. We ordered pizza and I brought over some chocolate glazed cupcakes. It was a fun evening though the kids were starting to unravel a bit by 7 p.m. So off we drove through the rainy night to get back in time for a little calmer wind down before bedtime. Yeah, I have been holding down the fort a lot this past few weeks, and sometimes it feels like I need to pop a valium. But if we didn't occasionally let off some steam, what good would that do any of us? So I'm ready for mid-winter break coming up this month. But for now, we're making the best of what we've got.