Trying to Enjoy January

It's January. January seems to be the worst month. It's so long and dark and c-o-l-d. The boys are upstairs playing in my room. From the sounds of it all my pillows are on the floor and they are jumping from pillow to pillow pretending that the floor is lava. But, there is a whole lot of arguing going on which is a clear indication they need to go outside. Yesterday we did go for a walk and the boys spent some time in the yard. It took coaxing to get them to go out and I preached about the responsibility that comes with having a dog and how the dog needs walked. We are also reading the book Farmer Boy. According to the book, Almanzo played outside ALL afternoon when it was 40 below, plus they did chores no matter what the temperature. So, I think we are getting soft. ;) We all ventured outside and walked to the park and back, but it was the dog who started shivering first and made a mad dash for the door when the yard came in view. Thankfully, the boys were happy outside for awhile after that and then we had hot cocoa when they came in.

Since it's January I just try to focus on hibernating and enjoying the time at home. But, last night I was super excited to get an email saying seats opened up at the Minnesota Orchestra for the concert this morning. The Minnesota Orchestra does concerts for young people and they are currently performing Ferdinand the Bull and connecting storytelling through music. This was something I really wanted the boys to enjoy. I was on the waiting list for tickets so being able to attend the concert on this cold January morning lifted our spirits. We enjoyed overtures by Mozart and Mendelssohn (The Marriage of Figaro and an excerpt from A Mid Summers Night's Dream), a piece written to sound like a thunderstorm by Beethoven (Symphony No. 6, IV Movement), a French piece by Ravel about toys coming to life ("Five O'Clock Foxtrot" from L'Enfant et les Sortileges), and finally Ferdinand the Bull by Fish. The morning was lovely and the boys loved the music and the story. I can't wait to go again!

Perhaps the real success is that I navigated downtown Minneapolis by myself, and not only found parking across the street from Orchestra Hall, but was able to find our car again after it was over. :)

3rd Balcony seats weren't as bad as I thought they'd be. We still had a great view and I was just happy to be there! But, judging by all empty seats in the balcony below I think we could have squeezed in our tiny selves a little closer to the stage.