Just some notes on days of perfect synergy...

I have about MINUTES before I need to head out the door with my daughter for bookgroup/dinner at my favorite high carb chain bistro (Panera anyone? Hello - LOVE IT - and they deserve kudos - starting up a BAKERY restaurant at the height of Atkins - look who's still around...) and shoe shopping, the perfect ending to a perfect day, but those few minutes deserve some reverent reflection.

Last week, even though it was February break, I felt a bit trapped and penned in, not only due to immense amounts of snow, but also due to a sick family. February break is usually such a wonderful treat - FREE DAYS OFF - NO HOLIDAY INVOLVED - and then it all went to Hell. In my pessimists mind, also, I knew that we had tickets to a John Mayer concert for the Tuesday after break and I could just see it playing out with break ending, all of us healthy and heading back to work Monday, and me coming down with the disease on Tuesday.

Well, guess what - THE WORST DID NOT HAPPEN!

The opposite, in fact happened, a day, or perhaps even a day and a half, of perfect synergy.

- PERFECT weather to travel down to the concert - and Dave driving - Thanks Dave!
- Great dinner at Red Lobster - COCONUT SHRIMP - yummy!- AND a good waitress!
- Getting to the concert on time, actually with time to spare
- Buying tee shirts and Sue finding that they were made by American Apparel!
- A wonderful show - Johnny M. in a scarf...need I say more?
- Me making a new friend!
- A safe drive home
- A good night's sleep, with no little urchins waking up, and Tim not snoring:)
- Sending the kiddies off to school
- Seeing on school email that our union approved our contract - only the board to go:)
- Online shopping with mom and getting a great deal on new dishes
- A personal day today as I was BEAT, complete with napping:)
- Sun on snow

...and to top it off, well, at least before "girl's night," doesn't my Lia Sophia order come - new jewelry! I can DEFINITELY make it though the rest of the week, and face my 36th (yikes!) birthday on Friday:)
Here's to good friends, good food, good music, a good LIFE!
-Cheryl

Treating Ourselves

Today's random thought is about treating ourselves. It is such a wonderful thing. Such a necessary part of my life. I think back to some article I read about people who were challenged to go one entire year without buying anything new. I believe food was not included in that. Anyway, at first I thought, hmm, one year, I could PROBABLY do it. But really, I don't think that I could.

I have always gotten enjoyment out of the little things. As a young teenager, when many of my friends were "out" on a Friday night (their parents thought with a group of friends at a movie, but it would be at a party or out with an older boy their parents didn't approve of or know about), I found peace with a trip to the store with my mother. I would get a new nail polish, or a magazine, or that LUXURY SHAMPOO (refer back 5 blogs). At 14 or 15, this was all I needed to make me happy. That and a telephone hooked to my head. I had a friend who actually teased me about my lack of a social life at that age. The biggest excitement of Susan's Friday night is going to Fay's with her mother! Oh yes, it was the big laugh. Several years later, when this same friend came home pregnant at age 15, she admitted how jealous she was. Had she only gone to Fay's with her mother on Friday nights, she might not have been a Mom when I was going to the Prom and beginning my own social life. Even more years later, when her own daughter was 14, she told me that she wanted the biggest excitment in her daughter's life to be going to WalMart (Fay's had long since closed) with her.

I often think of the trouble I have kept myself out of by treating myself to the little things. Instead of turning to heavy drugs or alcohol in times of sadness, I would take a bubble bath, or get a new haircut. Instead of doing something I might later regret, I buy a new skirt. Of course this can also be seen as a problem. And sometimes I have my issues. But in the end I think I am still further ahead.

Something else that is interesting to ponder, is that I am not into the big things. Like, I do not have fancy new cars every other year, nor do I have a snowmobile for the winter months. I do not own a boat or a summer getaway cottage. All these things would certainly be attainable if I did not splurge on the little things. If I was a saver. I wonder how my life would be if I didn't spend money on the little things, but instead saved it. But I don't wonder for long, before whipping a bouquet of roses into my cart at the Chopper. They will make me happy all week.

So back to the people challenged to not buy anything for a year. This could possibly work for me if I was only allowed to shop at a grocery store. I could possibly get by without any new clothes (although I did see the Chopper carrying jeans last week!) or shoes for a year. But I could survive with an occasional new makeup or magazine from the Chopper, or perhaps a new basket or set of spa towels. They sell books, too!

As I head back to the working world tomorrow, after 12 days off, I will think of my roses, at home waiting for my return. My children each picked out a plant for their rooms today, too. I am teaching them the way!

Swimming, anyone?

Just a few photos from our house after the storm of February 2007.

Just the photos du jour in the continuation of "The February That We Didn't Work."
Call the first one "5:15 am SnowBLOW"...the second "Snow Up to My __________" ...the third "Drifts Up to My ________" You can fill in your own body part depending on age and gender:)
TO SNOW - L'CHAIM!!!
Cheryl

Mother Nature gives day 6

Well, the Lord giveth, the district tries to taketh away. That is pretty much the story of today. Let's back up and review the month of February, shall we? We'll even leave out the whole kick off on Monday, January 29, when a blizzard was predicted well in advance but our Super was playing God and chose not to dismiss before it hit. We learned, via channel 9's website, that one of our district's buses rolled over. 7 were sent to the hospital and all were forever changed. Our first snow day was a peace offering, Tuesday, January 30. But like I said, we will leave all that out.

So we worked February 1 and 2. Winter was scheduled to arrive in full force on Sunday the 4th. Sure enough, I couldn't make it out of my driveway and had to cancel my church school class. The snow came as predicted and we got our first legitamate snow day on Monday. How exciting it was! A day to stay home and watch tv, read, cook, eat. Tuesday came and other districts remained closed. We went with a 2 hour delay. A very nice bonus. Wednesday also warranted a 2 hour delay. We certainly were getting used to these bankers hours!

Thursday arrived and the weather was still center stage. Oswego was closed yet again, while the county remained in a state of Emergency. Celebrities were flocking to Mexico and Parish to report live and give the weather report. Red Creek managed to go to school on time that day, although I was unable to see the bottom of my driveway and had to call in at 8am. Having planned to be out for the afternoon anyway, I couldn't see the point of killing myself to get there for the morning, only to possibly be trapped for the afternoon. It cleared temporarily later, long enough for us to make a scheduled Dr. appointment. Red Creek decided to play it safe and dismiss an hour early. That bus incident still replaying like a bad dream.

Friday came and we closed after a 2 hour delay and several plans in place for what I was doing. The weather was roaring and kept me from driving to Syracuse for the workshop I was scheduled to attend. Cutting all the details of this story, which could be a separate blog in itself, we were IN for the day.

The weekend gave little reprieve. I left here for my grocery shopping on Saturday with the sun shining and the roads clear only to run into the yellow radar of white out conditions. I made it home, filled our fridge and our pantry, happy to be home. In the meantime, our church school coordinator decided to cancel for the next day.

Sunday was the one bright spot. It was clear and sunny. Dave, Jillian and I went to Syracuse for a brief shopping trip and out to lunch. Ethan went with a friend to the Hannibal Winterfest and won first place in the snow sculpture contest.

School returned and life was back to normal on Monday and Tuesday. In the midst of this little calm arrived my first nephew, Owen William! Born at 5:18am on Tuesday, weighing in at a lucky 7 even!! I was dying to get up to that hospital to see him while the weather was holding off. NOT SO FAST, laughed mother nature. A huge noreaster was in the works. It was all the buzz at school on Tuesday and bets were placed on when we'd see each other again. As we left school, see ya in March was the joke. February 26, to be more accurate, but at the same time, that is the first week of March. I did make it up there to see Owen, and back home in time before Mother nature struck again.

Sure enough, all schools in a radius of 100 miles were closed. Valentine's day was spent at home with kids. It was kind of nice and we were happy to get it. On Thursday my children returned to school on time, but Red Creek felt the need to delay. I was happy with this and looked forward to a 2nd cup of coffee, putting my kids on the bus here, a late shower and a shortened work day. NOT SO FAST! We closed for day #5 at 7am. Quite the shock. It didn't even seem that bad! But mother nature had plans for more horror later in the day.

Today, Friday February 16 brought snow day #6. The weather band sat right over our district and several others, closing several once again. Could this really be real? A total of 7 working days between Feb 1-Feb 26? NOT SO FAST. The principal called with news of a plan to bring us in for a couple of days next week. In a way we were expecting it, but a little voice in the back was saying, not so fast! Someone very much on top of things gently reminded our Superintendent that we have 7 days in which we can use in case of an emergency and that he already has a plan in place in the event that ALL SEVEN of those days are used. After a brief scramble, we received this email:

Good Morning everyone, Today, Friday the 16th, is our 6th snow day of the year. We have one more built into the calendar. Considering the forecast for next week and the amount of snow we have received recently, we will not try to make up any days over the February break period. This means that if we have to close for more than one day after the break, we will have to make up the days as necessary. The school calendar calls for April 13, 12, and 11 as emergency make-up days respectively. There are other options that may be feasible i.e. student day on Good Friday and conference day after graduation, but it all depends on how many make-up days are required (some years March has been cruel month weather wise). Hopefully, we will not have to cut into the April break and the snow will avoid us in the future. If you're a faculty member enjoy the time off next week. If you're a 12 month employee, enjoy the holiday on Monday. Take care and be safe!

So, it looks as if we are in the home stetch. Perhaps if mother nature calms down we will make it to our April vacation without having to use day #7. But even if she has other plans, we still do have that day. What an unbelievable month this has been.

Shampoo is more than just washing your hair.

Shampoo. Definitely unchartered territory. Something I may have not thought about to blog on my own. But after reading Cheryl's thoughts on the subject, I couldn't just post a comment. I have my own thoughts.

Having lived a deprived childhood when it came to things like wardrobe and hairstyle, (I went to a school requiring a green plaid uniform and my mother hated complicated hair), I was, shockingly, not deprived of luxury shampoos! Which is very shocking, as my mother was the queen of generic items (a separate blog, about my phobia of geneiric products).

Growing up I can recall the tube of PRELL (or a glass bottle). The commercial showed a PEARL being dropped into the bottle. The shampoo was so thick that is took forever for the pearl to sink to the bottom. Looking back on PRELL, it would be the equivalent today of washing your hair in TIDE. Talk about DETERGENT! Those were the days you washed your hair on a Saturday night and couldn't go out because it was an all night event (detangling must have been a nightmare before conditioners!). Around that same time was BRECK. Funny, because I recently saw BRECK at Big Lots and bought a bottle just for the memories. It is in the TIDE category. I should actually finish up the bottle by pouring it in to wash towels or socks.

I remember the EARTH BORN NATURAL Ph BALANCED SHAMPOO and can even still sing the jingle. I definitely remember the Clairol Herbal Essence bottle. I can recall the shape of it, the cap and the girl with the long flowing hair of flowers. I remember the smell.

I definitely had GEE YOUR HAIR SMELLS TERRIFIC. I want to say around 5th grade which would have been the late 1970s.

Another product I remember at that time was BODY ON TAP. The shampoo with beer added for body. Had that.

Then there was the introduction of the BLOW DRYER! Our first one was only 800 watts (maybe?) and had loads of attatchments. It took an hour to dry your hair with, but wow, was it something! Then came the shampoos designed for use with a blow dryer. I can still sing the ULTRA MAX song. Start with Ultra Max shampoo and your hair's gonna do what you want it to do! It's gonna flip, the way you want it to, it's gonna curl the way you want it to! The shampoo was a thick golden color but didn't smell the best.

Probably my fondest shampoo memory is VIDAL SASSOON. This was definitely 7th grade. I can recall the shape and color of the bottles. The shampoo itself was clear and smelled of almonds. Conditioners were just becoming the IN thing and Vidal offered a 3 step system. Very high maintenence, but as a 7th grader, what else did you have to do with your time? I haven't thought about Vidal in years. I wonder if it is the same?

In high school, Mom got hooked on a shampoo from her hair dressers called APPLE PECTIN. Wow was that nice! Thick, creamy and apple scented. She would buy it by the pint and we all shared. I also just recently found this at Sally Beauty supply and bought us a bottle. It is everything I remember from the early 1980s!

In between there were the Salon Selectives, the HDR and PERT. Remember PERT??? I didn't (and still don't) like any of the 2 in 1s.

In college I got hooked on PAUL MITCHELL. I still enjoy that line.

Perhaps because I was never deprived of these splurges as a child, I don't feel the need for them today. I really prefer to use the Suave versions of the salon shampoos, and an occassional real PANTENE purchase is sometimes all I need to feel spoiled! I think it is the same idea of not banning alcohol from your children. Growing up we were always allowed to have a sip of wine, and then a very small glass of our own around age 10 when adults got together. It was never a big deal and therefore I never felt that need to BINGE drink in high school or college. Nice correlation there, eh?

Now MAKE-UP? There is another story!

So, I thought to myself, as I was home on the 4th and 5th snowdays of the season, and merely 1 day away from a week off/February break, GOD it is GREAT to be a teacher! No, really, I was thinking we hadn't yet examined shampoo. I mean, I blogged about life through lipgloss, and Sue threw out the whole fragrance map of life thing, but shampoo, now there's uncharted territory.

Thing is, shampoo is a life necessity, you know, so I think you can tell a lot by people's choices. Some people are "down to business" types, and are going to choose the quick and dirty. Literally, what will quickly make me less dirty. Then you have the "pennypinchers" who say, I need it, so how can I do it as cheaply as possible. Me, well, surprise, I am one to try "the new thing," reminisce in the old, and treat myself well if I damn well feel like it. Yeah, yeah, you can read that last line as sometimes I will "pay the price" to get what I want. My marketer's wet dream trait, again, SURPRISE! There's my personality, in a nutshell, well, a shampoo bottle, well, whatever...

I guess it goes back to childhood, as all good psychosis does...and I am going to begin by attributing it to Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo. You know the one, green like the old Tube 'o Prell, but in the pretty bottle with the girl with the long flowing blonde hair that turned into flowers? Well, did I ever want that! But did I get it? No! According to mom, it was a "want," not a "need," and even when it was time to go to summer camp for a week, and I needed some shampoo of my own, mom had already taken care of it and I had a half sized bottle of Fabrege Organics that she had gotten somewhere on special. And that bottle lasted me for YEARS of camp, YEARS! Aargh, probably my "If I want it I am going to buy it, damn it..." attitude comes from that. And as much as I am usually pointing to Dad for my formative moments, a shout out goes to mom for that one, Thanks mom!

Then came the middle grades - 5th - 7th I would say - and "Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific" hit the shelves. Again, I believe I was told I didn't need it, but with my own solvency due to babysitting gigs, I bought it myself. And, gee, my hair DID smell terrific, but alas, I was young, and who was smelling it but ME?

Moving on to the High School years and along came Nexxus. I was IN LOVE with Nexxus Therappe, and it was expensive, but I did not care. The rich creamy lather and texture, and the smell, OH the smell. I think that was where my love of all smells tropical began, and it has not wavered in all these years. In fact, I just bought myself a bottle of Therappe the other day, needing something rich and thick to buffer my hair from the harsh upstate NY winter we are enduring. It is just as good today as it was all those years ago, and now, years older (and wiser?) the name gives me a little giggle as well...Therappe in a bottle? I'll take it!

High School years also brought swim team and Helene Curtis Salon Selectives. I will always be drawn to the smell of apples and chlorine...always...

College was full of years of frugality, all in the name of conserving more cash for drinking and fun, and so came the years of Suave. Not a bad product overall, and the Suave Mega Hold Styling Spritz DID plaster up those 90's bangs to hold strong against the Oswego State wind, but it was really the only time I was shopping completely based on price. I would occationally splurge on some Aussie product, but their grapey smell would draw me in, but then wear on me, and often the bottles of product would go unfinished...

And we end our journey, for now at least, in Adulthood. I have come full circle in that I have gone out and gotten that Clairol Herbal Essences of my youth with my OWN money. Now packaged to provide a "Truly Organic Experience," a la "When Harry Met Sally," it entices, but really, I still long for the flowing haired beauty of my childhood. I can buy what I want, I can clean as I please, but the pleasure brought to me along with my bathing necessity, that is what it is all about.

Off to shower, and to be transported, for a short time at least, away from the frozen tundra and off to my tropical isle. Therappe - take me away!

-Cheryl

As promised to my friend, some images of good 'ol Oswego, post recent "lake effect event."
You know it's winter when the icebergs pack in behind Rudy's! Frozen fish anyone?

Of course, these are being uploaaded on the eve of the up coming "Nor'easter event" that is already closing schools faster than the flu...stay tuned for tomorrow's weather update.

From the Snowy North,
Cheryl

The Lord will provide...

Okay, so I am not really religious, and Bible quoting is not my forte. But I often think of this one quote (in my own words). When I was little I remember my mother's verison was God knows what we need and will take care of us. I remember really thinking about that. What does that mean? How does God know what I really need? I really need those new clogs with the braided trim at Vona's shoe store. I really need to have Mom let me have Trish spend the night this weekend. When things didn't go my way, I would really wonder what the message was behind why I was being denied.

As an adult, I often try to put things in God's hands whenever possible. When I really have a tough decision to make, I try to go with my instinct and let God handle the rest. I have never been let down.

There are weeks when things are tough at work. There are days when things are tough at home. There are times when I promise myself a day off to go do something that I want to do, for me. I will admit that I feel guilty taking a day off like that on my own. What if I need that day later? What if my kids get sick or the weather is too bad for me to drive to work? So I try to push on. Go in and work even though I really want to give in and take a me day. Monday (1/29/07) was a perfect example.

I heard the weather report and saw the radar. The afternoon was not looking good. A big storm was headed our way late morning/early afternoon. I didn't want to get stuck in a white out situation driving home. I actually considered calling in for a sub at noon. But I put my trust in our administration, that if it truly was as bad as they said it was going to be, that they'd dismiss early. I knew deep down that that was stupid. It was like putting your trust in a pathological liar. In fact, who I was really trusting, was God.

Sure enough, right on time and just as predicted, the heavy band sat on our district and pounded, relentlessly all day. No early dismissal. We learned, by seeing a breaking news report online, that one of our busses rolled over. Another was in a ditch. Very poor decision making by our Superintendent. I left at 3:45, knowing how bad the drive would be, but again, trusting. An hour and a half later, I was safe at home. I was shaking and mad at myself for not trusting my own instincts to leave at noon.

The next day, God gave us what he knew we all needed. A recovery day at home. I put my children on the bus on a 2 hour delay and went to Oswego for me time. The sun was smiling at me as I followed dry roads all the way to pick up my new Norah Jones CD, some wine, a book for my son and a latte at Dunkin' Donuts. I came home to a phone call from Cheryl, we laughed and talked about in laws. I drove out to pick up my children from school and took my son to a Dr. appointment. It was a day when time stood still, not a day of rushing to beat the clock. It was the perfect day.

The day was truly what I needed. Little did I know, more was to come. A beautiful stretch of snow, causing us to delay, close early or close completely, every day the following week. I enjoyed being home with my kids, watching tv, shopping online, staying in pjs and cooking meals. A chance to stop time, have to be no where, and just be.

It has been a stressful year and a half without a contract at work. Many of us are feeling frustrated and burnt out. I feel that this was really what we needed. A break from school, but not our vacation. We still have that to look forward to!

The Lord really is good to us. If we look for his hidden messages and see his gifts, they are there every day!

So, a friend pointed out that I really needed to get some photos up about the "historic" events that are taking place all around me. "Historic," yes, that is how he put it. Well, you can tell he has sold out and moved South as this is wild, but I don't know about historic. We are hearty folk up north here, and where 8 feet of snow would paralyze most areas, we are really business as usual, just business as usual under States of Emergency and such. We are business as usual, with one snow day, two two hour delays and one two hour early dismissal. We get by, even when we have to tunnel to our cars and scale small mountains to fetch the mail. We have been in a Lake Effect event, as the (tired!)news weather guys call it, since last Friday...same band, oscillating back and forth, like a fan, blowing fluff all over the lake shore, endlessly. It is tiring, but it is life. You can see it in everyone's windblown faces, and the hobbled gait of people who have spent WAY too much time shoveling out enough to even USE the snowblower. It has been interesting, exciting even, historic maybe as Oswego State did cancel classes for THREE DAYS, but you know, I have had enough. It can stop now - before I lose track of my house. If it was one story, I think I'd be a little nervous. Time will tell.
-Cheryl