Snowy Morning Recollections

Well, I'm glad this morning was snowy. My kids are glad too, for different reasons. Snow is white, and pure, and unscathed by nature. Let's try to pretend it's not acid snow for a second. Anyway...I needed this after a day of mayhem yesterday. I needed a pure, fresh start.
I had church in the morning...I sang. People liked it, or they said they did. I always wonder, if they didn't like it, would they tell me? If it was as good as they say, maybe I should pursue the whole singing thing. I had a scratchy throat, I think I have throat cancer, actually....and I wasn't altogether proud of my performance. That was step one.
Step two: I had to get my sister ready for her Madrigals performance, and then attend the performance/dinner with my five-year old. Note: there was to be china on the tables. (Shudder). Turns out the china wasn't my worst enemy...it was the large knife stuck in the loaf of medieval bread that my son found fascinating. He took it out and held it up as if to spear someone...for a second, before I carefully peeled his fingers from around it. Other highlight of madrigals: had to walk approximately 17 miles in heels to and from Gold Lame'. If you don't know Goldie, read previous posts.
Meanwhile, my husband is home with the two little ones, entering survival mode. You see, I did not prepare any lunch for them. Even with a full fridge and a full pantry, if a meal is not created out of the food item options, we will, theoretically, starve. And the earth may actually stop turning. According to my husband. So after my 17 mile hike, in heels, this is what I return home to. Did I mention I still had heels on?
Then step 3: Community Christmas service. Hundreds of people packed like sardines into a church, singing carols. It's pretty. It's also hot. And it's about 20 degrees hotter when you're stressing because your three very vocal children are also in the sanctuary. It's not that they were misbehaving...it is just that they only have one volume: loud. So I led my choir through their Jewish/Slovic/80's Dance Party number, while simply guessing and praying that our piano accompanist could see the white tip of my conductor's baton. I could only see her hair over the lid of the baby grand. It went well, I guess. I have trouble when the piano is on my left. I am deaf in my left ear. Everything sounded very distorted to me, but I'm told it sounded nice.
The stressful part here was just that I had to sit with my children through the rest of the service. They don't sit still for that long. Isaac kept saying (in his one volume) "Can we leave?!" and Gabe was chewing on prayer request forms in the pew. At least it wasn't a hymnal...or a Bible. Ella was a few rows back with my mother. My mother who did not remove the baby's coat, or her own coat for that matter, for the entire service. I imagine they were both roasting. I'm sure of it, actually.
So, this morning's snow is refreshing. A new day. A clean slate. I've thus far had a cup of lovely coffee, made French Breakfast Puffs (mmmm), and studied each of the puffy, beautiful just-woke-up faces of my children. I have not showered yet. Actually, I haven't even changed out of my pajamas. And I am absolutely, definitely, without-a-doubt not wearing heels today.