What's In My Teapot?

Today wasn't the first time I rewarmed my tea from breakfast after the children went down for naps & quiet time, and it certainly won't be my last. I usually drag the cup along in to the school table with me in the morning, but somewhere between reading a chapter out of Caddie Woodlawn to get our day started, and doing math flashcards with Elasa, the tea goes cold and unappealing. Cold iced tea is one thing, cold tea that is suppose to be hot is quite another. The cup sits neglected until I either rewarm it for another go or toss it down the drain so the children can wash the mug along with the lunchtime dishes. I am not very good with allegories, but in many ways, my cups of neglected tea are a pretty good picture of what my life looks like these days... I make little bursts of effort here and there to accomplish something and be the organized housewife that I want to be, only to realize time and again, that I am coming up agonizingly short of my goals. On Sat

Am I glad to live in a spot in this great, big world that has the four seasons? I vacillate on the answer to this question... Some days I think to myself, " who needs winter? " and long for the tropical isle where you don't even need to own a winter coat, and where you could teach your children about snow the same way I teach mine about African Hippos- through the pages of a book! Other days, however, I think how nice this seasonal variety really is! Experiencing tulips in the spring, fireflies in the summer, pumpkin pie in the fall, and fires on the hearth in winter lend that predictable rhythm to life that I would be lost without! I have, therefore, decided that I have a love-hate relationship with winter! I love drinking tea by the fire and watching the snow fall from the warm side of the glass ( am I beginning to sound old? ), but unloading groceries while a bitter wind bites my back? Taking care of sick children in a cooped up house? Snowy puddles on my kitch