S'not fair! Or, Snot Fair. Take your pick.

Once again, the hardy band of Pixies weighs in on happenings big and small, lightening the burdens of all. Y'all are good people.

The Gym Rat Award goes to Sue, who spontaneously decided to defy the depression demon by stopping by for a little workout, producing some fine hand-crafted endorphins. Take that, you demon! Yay, Sue!

Esperanza wins the coveted Elevated Risk of Mullet Award for this: "Must find some of those endorphins around here somewhere. la la la gym I can't hear you. Are endorphins found in snot, perchance?" Should anyone be short of snot, you know who has extras.

The Tidings of Comfort and Joy Award goes to Liz, who helpfully offered: "Endorphins are found in dark chocolate. It's a fact. Dark chocolate raises your seratonin levels." Great happiness abounds in Pixieland. :)

Neighbor Lady wins the Kill Them With Kindness Award, for her family's receipt of a very generous all-expense-paid grandparental vacation invitation, to be fully arranged for grandparental convenience, which also coincidentally would remove any possibility that they could have their own vacation with just the kids. As she so wisely noted, "'free' is not exactly free if you know what I mean." Much sympathy.

Eternal Youth Awards to Esperanza, who was complimented even though she "[felt] like pook and am not particularly attractive today", and to Sue, who can't convince people she has a 30 year old.

Musical Chairs Award to Sarah, who is juggling how to handle custody arrangements in the best way for the kids. Many hugs and much sympathy! Thanks, too, to the Pixies who weighed in, especially Liz and Amy with observations from their own experiences.

Cluesticks to Sarah's therapist, who got off on the wrong foot by pressing hard for a particular approach to divorce instead of doing her job, which we would like to remind her is LISTENING. To what SARAH needs to talk about.

Best Wishes to Sue's Dad on the occasion of his retirement! And may he have a good transition to civilian life. We're pretty sure he'll find ways to stay busy.

Chocolate, house elves, and magic wands to all who are dealing with snot itself, invisible germ infestations, scheduling so as to avoid infecting honored relatives, avoiding disappointment in honored relatives, headaches, depression demons, the fireplacing cancer, strep, aches, low iron, the need for nebulizers, late-sleeping adult children, step-monsters and/or out-laws, stressful memories, hangnails, dry skin, and other of life's challenges.

Kudos to old friends, antibiotics, upcoming treatments, and the miracle of these intertubes, bringing friends right to our electronic devices of choice.

See you next week!

Onward!

Hope you enjoyed the long weekend!

Me, I have been pretty much chained to a big work project, but making progress, baby! Expect this whine/AW to continue for a few weeks....

Daughter has an interview for a job taking care of cute! little! kittens! -- which is about her favorite thing in the world, so cross fingers.

Whats the news on your end?

Awards on the Waning Moon

esperanza gets the Mixed Anti/Whine Award for “using Mini's second day of school to defrost freezer, disappear some outgrown toys, and scrub the bathroom grout.” We are glad you are enjoying the time, but hope you get to sit down with a book at some point too!

Liz gets the Good Neighbor Award for letting us know Yankee Transferred posted – thanks! We are glad you are part of our community.

A Shiny Red Apple to kathy a.’s son, who is enrolled in night classes, and Sue’s son who is headed back to school.

Neightbor Lady is awarded the Biologist in the Kitchen Award for her concern about raw chicken sitting on the counter (in the crock pot). We are glad the stew came out well and hope it is the first of many fabulous crock pot dinners. You might try baby carrots next time – Amy suggested they come out better than the chopped kind.

kathy a. gets the Infomercial Award for her glowing recommendation of the appliance in question.

Cute bandaids, “numbing stuff,” and ice cream sundaes to all the littles getting blood draws or shots (and maybe a shot of something a little stronger for their mamas).

Cluesticks to dead cars. tow trucks that don’t show up as promised, strep throat, freezer doors (in perpetuity), being sick, and showing up to work on days off.

We’ll go out on this“Word of Unsolicited Pixie Advice [from Sue]: Don't watch 'Contagion' … when you're getting over the flu.”

See you next week, when the lovely kathy a. will be hosting!

Full Moon Whining

It's a gorgeous nearly full moon here, glinting off the snow on the trees. The moon is pretty, but some people believe things go sideways this time of the month - what do you think?

I am having a lot more near-moose encounters, but blaming the deep snow, not the lunar cycle. So far it has been merely scary, although I had a moose close enough to pet two days ago (hint for Pixies who live someplace without moose: that is about fifty yards too close).

How is your week going? Whines and antiwhines welcome!

Awards Show, with Extras

Bodily Fluids Award to Liz, for the completely unfair piling on of period, nosebleed, and runny nose. That lousy tissues whine deserves its own award. (if someone were to, say, whine about lousy toilet paper, I would give than an award too. Lousy Paper Products Award).

Bodily Fluids, Runner Up, to a certain person at Days's house who is undergoing PMS for the first time. No fun. For anyone.

Get Well Soon (and Stay That Way) Award to poor Sue, still suffering from the flu and now pinkeye.

Jobs, Please Award to kathy a's daughter, Sarah, JenR, and redzils. For those that need better/more fulfilling/higher paying jobs, send them on, universe!

Explosive Awards to Neighbor Lady (for all that new furniture! [I feel you; my brother and I are the only grandchildren on both sides--yikes]) and Jen R (for toys, dishes, laundry, etc). May your mountains become molehills.

Style Award for Liz's Cold-Induced tissues whine.

A late flurry of pixies seeking help for depression has mobilized Sue's Canadian Kindness brigade. They send all of you encouraging murmurs and nudges in the right direction.

Hugs to all those experiencing unreasonable in-laws, too much cold, too little snow, stress and anxiety. Whining relieves anxiety!

Stay tuned for next week's edition, when the shivering redzils will host.

It's a New Year! Let's Whine!

I'm assuming none of the whining pixies were so foolish as to make a "no whining" resolution. Right?

So let's have 'em.

My Old Skool Whine: the voicemail icon on my phone is insisting I have a new voicemail. I do not.

My more substantial whine: oh, I am weary of unstructured days. Yes, I am actually ready for the whirlwind that is our normal routine.

Even more substantial than that: I should probably be thinking about some structure for this summer, huh?

My Baby is Growing Up Whine (that isn't really a whine): Mini will be starting preschool on Wednesday. She doesn't turn two till the end of the month, but the director encouraged us to start her right after the break. And, given her incessant "I go school too?" every time Sweet leaves with her backpack, I think it will be ok. I do expect tears Wednesday morning. You can start a pool as to whose tears they are. I am also (I freely confess) *really* looking forward to a few hours to myself twice a week.

So how is 2012 treating you so far?

Awards: Finishing Up Old Year Business

Happy 2012, Pixies! I am in the second to last time zone, so y’all started the New Year ahead of me and I hope it is unfolding well for you. It’s zero degrees Farenheit at my house, so we are hibernating here.

To wrap up our unfinished business from the Old Year, Awards:

esperanza gets the Day Late Invitation Award, for receiving two invites to Christmas Dinner … on Christmas Morning (after “a special trip to the overcrowded grocery store with the baboos in the rain”). The sentiment is lovely, but the timing of this just sucked.

We are awarding KLee a special prize for the Christmas Miracle of No Swearing. May the lack of hostility continue forever.

A gentle cluesticking to kathy a’s cousins (two hours late for brunch, are you kidding me?) and a less gentle one to those family members who forget that when you “aren’t speaking to So&so” you should quit talking to them.

The Family Pressure Prize for kathy a’s son, whose family descended in force to remind him Why You Need To Wear A Helmet.

Sue we are jealous of your “Three-Toed-Sloth Day,” but not your ‘flu. Feel better soon!

The Old Skool Award goes to amy for her heavily seeded “Seedless” Clementines.

The Half A Glass Award to Sarah at ratatat who seems to be coping gracefully with a hard situation. We Pixies are glad your family is circling the wagons and fully support getting through this time in whatever way makes it (and you) most functional. Anybody who has a problem with you smiling deserves a good cluesticking, and the Posse is ready!

Best wishes to liz, Pixie Musical Genius, our lurking Pixies (hey, that is usually me!), and all the dads struggling with retirement.

I will end this post with the wise words of Sarah at ratatat: “Happy New Year Pixies! Wishing us all the best for 2012.” See you next week (or, you know, tomorrow)!