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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Fasting in February - A Month of Minimalism



Call it what you want, a Media Fast, Digital Diet, Consumer Cleanse, Distraction Detox, a Month of Minimalism, the February Fast ... sobriety, mindful living, simple living, intentional living, mental/physical/spirital best practice ... less as more.

Less ... Clutter. Distraction. Excess. Media. Over-stimulation. Stress. Technology. Busy-ness. Mindlessness. Overwhelm. Discontent. Consumption. Quantity. Wanting. Stuff.

More ... Intention. Mindfulness. Fulfillment. Passion. Time. Quality. Health. Purpose. Meaning. Connection. Freedom. Happiness.

Alex and I were recently inspired by The Minimalists - not inspired to model our lives after theirs, but inspired to discuss and explore what changes we might see in our own worlds if we stripped down, bared ourselves, and showed a little more skin. We are curious what it, we, might look like and feel like with a little less distraction and lot more intention. This isn't so much about paring down our belongings, moving into a tiny house, or subsisting on restaurant industry scraps, but more about refusing, reducing, or reflecting on the things in our lives we suspect get in the way.

This blog post is one way for me to say - "check ya lata, Insta;" "catch you on the flipside, Facebook," as both Alex and I will be logging off social media, among other things, for at least the next month. But this post also serves as the first of (hopefully) many to document our own personal experiences with less. Here I outline the rough, preliminary plan for the types of activities, pastimes, and behaviors that as individuals and a family we are avoiding, minimizing, permitting, or encouraging in the month of February.

In a nutshell ...
NO TV, movies, Netflix, Hulu
NO Instagram, Facebook, other social media, general Internet usage
NO shopping, consuming, buying
NO weed, alcohol overconsumption, mindless junk food pigouts
YES hobbies, art, creating
YES text, phone, email, work-related Internet use
YES social, community, activities, adventures
YES books, music, hobbies, crafts
YES games, sports, exercise, playing
YES writing, reading, reflecting, meditating, journaling
YES books, libraries
YES fresh air, nature, outdoors
YES chores, cleaning, house projects, cooking

We are following no prescription or even a static definition of "minimalism" in the next month, instead allowing ourselves to be guided by our own instincts and desires. That alone is a concept that often gets lost in the mix of "real" life, at least for me. My mind and my heart and my body are all on such different playing fields I have to deliberately remind them that they reside in the same house. I liken this "Month of Minimalism" to more of a "mindful eating" practice than a strict adherence to the Atkin's Diet, for example. We are fully open to this being a dynamic process, and will allow plenty of room for slipups and errors in judgment.

Although we aim to reduce our use of the Internet, media consumption, and our technology use in general, we have tentatively determined some parameters. For example, I won't be joining the fight on social media platforms or be up-to-speed on all things Internet, but I do still plan to espouse my thoughts and feelings and keep a cyber-record of my family going-ons right here on this Internet-based blog; I'm a hypocrite like that. Alex and I will continue to heavily rely on our iPhones, as we agree that the devices themselves are not a problem, but the issue lies in how we tend to use them. Checking. Scrolling. Liking. Checking again. Posting. Texting. Checking. Reading. Emailing. Checking. We are restricting use of "non essential" or "non joyful" apps, but will continue to text, FaceTime, and make the rare phone call - we want this time to focus on nurturing our human connections, not hurt them. There truly are so many positive components, technology improving our lives, and I would name the frequency and ease of contact with my close family and friends from afar as the number one benefit of tech today. We will also continue to use smartphones applications such as Maps, Notes, Mail, Pandora, Podcasts, Hoopla, Calendar, Clock, Contacts, etc. We will approach this aspect of computers and smartphones on a case by case basis. We're not aiming to be Amish, after all.

When we decided we would give simplicity a try, I made a list of specific distractor-type things to think about and plan for. There are sure to be plenty more where that came from, and we'll determine parameters as we go, whether in the form of time limits, environmental restrictions, or simple trial and error.

NO:
- TV, Netflix, Hulu, movies (with the pre-ordained exception of Superbowl Sunday and the Academy Awards)
- Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn or any other social media
- General Internet (essential work-related use is approved; there will likely be many exceptions made as we go along, presumably when the Internet usage is intentional and cannot otherwise be addressed via social support or a library book)
- Google (it will be a hard habit to break)
- Shopping, Target, Amazon, Powell's
- Weed
- iPhone "non essential" use, like reading the news, playing games, or otherwise unimportant apps
- Porn, masturbation (I just threw that in there for fun; we didn't explicitly discuss this, then again, maybe we should have?!?)

YES:
- Books, magazines, audiobooks, libraries
- Computers for writing/journaling
- Work-related tech use
- Sex
- Crafts
- Cooking
- Sewing
- Woodworking
- House projects
- Chores
- Music (streaming, CDs, radio, and playing guitar/uke)
- Exercise (including our elliptical machine), sports
- Board games, puzzles, pretend play
- Sports
- Nature, outdoors, adventures, structured/intentional activities (even if they cost money)
- Any other hobbies
- Therapy

OK:
- Email
- Newspapers
- iPhone:
   - Mail
   - Maps
   - Pandora
   - Voice Memos
   - Insight Timer (guided meditations)
   - Clock/Alarm
   - Calendar
   - Messages
   - FaceTime
   - Phone
   - Banking
   - Contacts
   - Camera/Video
   - Hoopla
   - Notes
   - Weather??
   - Google Docs
   - Blogger
   - Kindara (period tracker)
   - New York Times/Oregonian (within news reading guidelines)
- Computer
   - blogging
   - banking
   - Google Docs
   - email
   - work-related business
   - photo/file organization
- Shopping/buying gifts
- Parking
- Activity fees
- Gas
- Bills
- New York Times online (with time parameters, like 20ish minutes at breakfast, or while taking a dump)
- Alcohol (within reason, for GWAC, more guidelines TBD)
- Grocery shopping
- Junk food (TBD; making food rules might tease my long-dormant ED beast)

YES/NO/MAYBE SO:
- Shutterfly, Blurb for photo, blog, and family yearbooks?
- House project supplies?
- Coffee out?
- Eating out?
- Movies in the theater?
- Video editing?
- Emailed links to Internet articles?
- Face and nail picking?

So on that note, goodbye and good riddance! Just kidding. Kinda. But seriously, you can access either of us by email at johartmanclose@gmail.com or agclose@yahoo.com, or via telephone/text. And if you, too, might be interested in aspects of the minimalist movement (by no means a new idea or practice), or even if your curiosity is piqued in a voyeuristic way, consider watching the movie, Minimalism, which streams for free on Netflix. Then again, there's also a lot of criticism, so you can explore that side of the story, too, like in this NYT article from last year or this piece in the Atlantic last Spring (in response to the Marie Kondo life-changing magic of tidiness craze).

Marching or Not - What Can We DO?


Like everyone else, I've been thinking a lot about what I can actually do as we enter this next era, a turbulent one where Trump is U.S. President and he politics from Twitter in fewer than 140 poorly ordered characters, he boasts about 3 Doors Down, intends to appoint a rich moron to run the nation's education system, and threatens to wipe entire populations off the planet. And while I can't do a whole lot about his actual position of power, there are certainly things I CAN do to make a positive difference in much smaller ways. Starting with this simple act of reflection.

A surprise to some, I am not actually planning to participate in the Portland Women's March this afternoon. For one, I'm working at the hospital today. But saying "I'm working" implies that I would otherwise be walking/standing with the thousands of other women and allies in the march if it were not for my egregious work schedule (kidding). The truth is, I likely might not be joining the feminist forces today at Waterfront Park anyway, mostly because I'm not that kind of person - the kind that can tolerate crowds, that is. I feel pretty damned uneasy in all large, crowded events, although the open space of being outside is a plus. And add to it the whole organized, political aspect of things, and I basically need an entire bottle of Ativan to calm my nerves when just entertaining the idea. Seriously though, I wasn't going to let Alex take our Bean, my (irrational?) fear of crazy white rural Oregonian terrorists and all. But also, I'm not really one for all that face-to-face camaraderie and team spirit.

For example, I'm not a sports fan, and I never could understand how people can be so loyal to a group of people they don't even know. Growing up, I was most involved in more independent sports like gymnastics and running, although I did play soccer for a number of years. I've never strongly affiliated with a political party; its basic social values, yes, but not its title. I'm not religious (although I started attending a UU church last year). I have a small family. Basically, I have a hard time getting behind anything that a whole group of other people are. Not necessarily because I'm trying to be a contrarian, but just because it gets me all kinds of itchy and uncomfortable, like I have ants in my pants. I think I'm missing that "tribal" gene.

All of that said, I do truly believe in the message of the march - that women's rights are human rights, the importance of standing up for people from ALL marginalized groups, and that the rhetoric of the recent election cycle and especially from our new President of the United States, is nothing short of abhorrent.

Instead of marching, I volunteered to work at RIO today, in part because I wanted to feel useful. I certainly didn't feel good about skipping the rally to instead sit at home and watch TV. I happen to have a lot of pride in the fact that I work in a helping profession, that I get to serve people regardless of their gender identity, race or ethnic background, sexual orientation, or even country of origin/documentation status. Sure, the healthcare industry has its myriad glitches in terms of service provision (namely, the insurance middleman), but traumatic brain injury and stroke and cancer certainly don't discriminate. And neither do speech, language, swallowing and cognitive therapies. So here I am at work today, rocking my "Wild Feminist" sweatshirt, of course, and feeling great pride in knowing that my supportive husband, spirited 4 year old daughter, and 70-something father are braving the rain and the crowds - carrying signs I helped make last night ("I'm the boss of my body!") - representing me and the millions of others who care deeply about general humanity.

It would be fair for someone to criticize my lack of participation based on my "discomfort." I am well aware that being "comfortable" isn't necessarily part of the deal when committing yourself to social equity; discomfort is often a critical element of change. Standing up for your convictions can be uncomfortable. Being different can be uncomfortable. Challenging your own long-held beliefs can be uncomfortable. Rejection can be uncomfortable. Offering support, maybe even holding hands and giving hugs, at least for me, can be mighty uncomfortable. I have spent a good deal of time considering whether my "discomfort" excuses me from events such as the march. The conclusion that I've drawn is that it doesn't have to be so black and white, that my decision not to march is neither "right" nor "wrong." That I offered to work, so that another colleague can participate in the march, is a necessary part of the process, too. It takes a village, so to speak. But also, I can participate and be of service and contribute to progress in so many varied ways, whether or not I had planned to march. In fact, I would argue that it's even more important for myself and all the other Trump dissenters consider what ELSE we can and should be doing to actively participate in creating a future where people are people, individual variances are valued, and those who can afford to help do so for less fortunate. Period. And so this is what I've come up with ...

There are things that I'm already doing to make the world, and my little universe, a better place. There are things that I do sometimes, but could be doing more or better. And then there are things that I am not doing, or have never done, that I intend to begin. Action, actually doing something, will not only empower me with a sense of control and participation (and set a good example to my Bean), but maybe, just maybe, might make a difference, even just to one individual for one moment in time. And that is enough. The subtle, the small, and the quiet are equally as valuable as the overt and the large and the loud. When it comes to activism, for now I'm choosing to focus my energies on the former.


Things I already do ...

- Speak aloud my gratitude, compliments, and positive feedback. Greet and even chat up strangers. Acknowledge those who often do "invisible" work with a smile and a wave. Hold the door at the post office. Pass along the positive things I think in my head, like when Alex had his little pass-out event at the Crystal Ballroom, and I was feeling particularly grateful to the McMenamins staff who assisted us, instead of just thanking them in the moment and then telling others how nice they treated me, I also sent an email to the company to put the very same things in writing.

- Write thank-you notes (almost always). Encourage my daughter to acknowledge nice acts, and express her awareness and gratitude, too.

- Deliberately choose children's books and toys that incorporate a diversity of characters, including race/ethnicity, gender identity and family composition; ones that address environmental awareness, our "Mother Earth," even climate change; and themes surrounding taking another perspective, compassion and empathy, kindness, manners, giving back, mindfulness and paying attention to feelings

- Work in a "helping profession." Like I said earlier, I have a great sense of pride in my work as a speech-language pathologist, and am honored to work with a diversity of individuals across the age spectrum when they are often in a time of significant vulnerability or need. I have spent a large portion of my time as an SLP as a "public servant," working at the VA hospital serving veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now I work (training/supervising graduate students) in memory care facilities, serving a group of people that are not often discussed as "marginalized," but who certainly are in our society. Sure, I get paid for this type of "helping" work, but in the context of having studied/trained for 7+ years (think, significant school loans), and while the pay is "good," it's not like I run a thriving designer running shoe company with great stock options. I am proud that my profession is one that is directly related to helping others.

- Seek information. Read. With openness to a variety of experiences and perspectives. Observe my own responses. Reflect on my reflexive feelings about external factors. Correct them as I see fit, whether in a benign circumstance such as in traffic, or in more significant experiences (my own marital disputes aside, because let's be honest here, I practice so little of these things with myself or my husband, so that

- Write. Voice my opinion. Have an open mind. Reflect on my own reactions to external factors, whether as benign as traffic or more personal like trolling comments on news articles.

- Stand up against overt discrimination, although it's not like I have many opportunities for this.

- Ask questions. Whether it's what someone wants to be called, or how they identify.

- Seek other perspectives, experiences, outlooks.


Things I do some but could do more or do better ...

- Spread positivity. Turn "I wonders" in to actions. Help out every time it crosses my mind. I tend to be better about these kinds of things amongst strangers, like out and about, but I need to focus on some of these exact same aspects on the homefront. It really all starts at home, after all.

- Pay closer attention to more covert discrimination, to microaggressions, and embrace opportunities to address them head on.



- Not just capitalize on, but also purposefully seek out every opportunity to use my inherent privilege to promote kindness, compassion, equity, unity.

- Re-initiate regular volunteering. I have been involved in some kind of volunteer work since I was 13 or 14 and visited a crusty, subpar "nursing home" in Willamette on a weekly basis where I painted nails, read Chicken Soup for the Soul aloud, or played checkers with residents who otherwise didn't have family or friends around. In college I worked in the juvenile detention facility. In Tahoe I mentored a minority teen girl. Back in Portland I was involved with The Dougy Center, then Courageous Kids in Eugene, and then The Dougy Center again. That is, I had regularly volunteered my time with various organizations until I was pregnant with Francine in 2011 and completing my fellowship at the VA. Last week I phoned and emailed the


Things I'm going to start paying attention to, learning about, or doing, that I haven't done before ...

- Consuming media and information from a more diverse array of artists. Namely, I am going to broaden my limited reading repertoire to include a variety of authors or narrative voices and styles. I will purposefully seek out books written by women of color, both fiction and nonfiction. I will intentionally select books, podcasts, editorials, movies, and music that are different from what I am already familiar with.

- Treat my dollar like the vote I get to cast every damned day. Do more in-depth exploration of companies, manufacturing, HR and general socio-political practices. Spend less, and consume less overall - particularly because it is my personal belief that our nation's stuff, our affluenza, our capitalism - is also at the epicenter of our difficulties.

- Listen more, talk less. About race. Intersectional feminism. About the experiences of lower-income blue collar types who vocally supported Trump while denying racism/misogyny/xenophobia. At home, with my husband and daughter. With my students. And my friends. To my dad. Learn to hold my tongue, to hold back on the impassioned negative - the criticism, the complaining. And most of all, to myself - my heart and my body, to listen more than my mind chatters.

- Educate myself about who to write or call in local government to make my wants, needs, and priorities known to our representatives. And actually write those emails or those letters, actually make those phone calls.

- Put my money where my mouth is. Start giving, financially, to the organizations and the causes that I care about. Institute a plan for developing our family's "philanthropy," as a means for discussing and defining our family values, and "creating a giving plan and leaving a legacy," following the recommendation from the UU service to look at the Inspired Philanthropy book and website.

- And lastly, to remain open to the things I know not, as this is a dynamic process.







Sunday, January 29, 2017

(58 Months) - 4 Years + 10 Months



At 4 years; 10 months, she can now:
Snap her fingers with both hands, which she practices on a near constant basis, even when she's falling asleep at night.
Open the mailbox alone.
Consistently swing all by herself.
Kind of whistle through her teeth.
Buckle her carseat seatbelt.

This last month (and maybe a few days extra) included:
First official sleepover (without the parents) with Mila, Christmas, New Year's, many snow/ice days and school cancellations, a snowy backyard bonfire and then another huge one to burn the Xmas tree, and the Portland Women's March.

"Why do all the people in the world have noses? I think it's boring."

Francie, eating minestrone soup at dinner: "I'm full. I'm not very hungry."
Mama: "Teacher Wendy said you had a hard time pooping all day. Maybe you should drink a lot of water."
F: "I pooped in Teacher Liz's class."
Alex, giggling: "On the floor?"
F: "Noooo, silly."
Mama: "Did you wipe your own butt?"
F: "Mmmhmm."
Mama: "Did you get it all clean?"
F: "Well I don't really know," she shrugs. "Because I can't see my own butt anyway."

Talks in what I call a "baby voice," but really it's some weird articulation things that drive me bananas. As an SLP, I'm probably doing everything wrong my drawing attention to it and correcting her so frequently.

"Long long ago when everything was different, people just slept in boxes."

Sometimes she takes an eternity at bedtime, with me laying with her til past 9. On occasion, this makes me irate and then family ends the night with angry parents and a tearful child. Most of the time, I so much enjoy the side-by-side time with my Bean.

I've been organizing my office. On one of the "freezing rain" homebound days I was doing a lot of this work in the living room, including a plastic tub to store some things in the basement. The Bean was doing a great job playing pretend - wearing a swimsuit and pretending to be sailing; being a baby in a crib ...
"Long, long ago when everything was different people just slept in boxes."

She puts her initials on everything these days - tagging "FLC" like she's part of some kind of mysterious preK gang.

Naps only occasionally at school. Regularly does a 1-hour Quiet Time at home.

Has developed some stereotypical Only Child traits, such as CONSTANTLY interrupting if it's the three of us during dinner, as though she is competing for attention.

She had her first official sleepover with Mila.

She went to the Children's Nutcracker at PSU. She said she enjoyed it, but she was super antsy and restless through the whole thing, at one point even saying, "Can we take a break and go to Starbucks and get a snack?"
After the performance Alex asked her if watching the Nutcracker made her want to be a ballerina. To which she responded, scoffing, "No, I'm gonna be a construction worker!"

Christmas Eve dinner. The Bean is telling joke after preschool silly joke.
Beebee: Do you know any dirty jokes?
Francie: Yeah! (Giggle giggle).
Mama: Oh yeah? Like what?
Francie: About mud!!

She received a rosary from one of my aunts for Christmas, which has only amplified her "devotion" to Jesus and being a "Christian." For example, one day she was wearing her towel on her head around her face and said, "Look, I'm Mary."
Me, washing dishes: "Married? Or Mary?"
Francie: Mary. Like God's mom.

For Xmas she also received (from me) a long skirt, lipstick, and her first sports bra, to "hold her boobies in."

At Powell's, she spots one of the books by Mindy Kaling, with her photo on the cover.
F: Look! It's Mindy!
Me: Oh yeah, we really like her, don't we.
F: Yeah! She's our best friend that's on TV!

Together we were watchiing the Winnie the Pooh Christmas movie, where he vows to never eat honey again.
Me: I guess Pooh is my Spirit Animal.
Her: And Tigger is mine!

We enjoyed a wonderful holiday celebration at home with the three of us, Beebee, and Mimi and Papa.
"Mama, this is the best Christmas ever."

"I wish I was a dog so I didn't have to wear any clothes."

"I think I'm gonna use the small potty seat until I have big buns like you."

Watching Gilmore Girls (because we've finished The Mindy Project), Rory's secret BF comes on the screen, a lawyer-type, getting dressed for work. Francie says, "Haha, he's putting a belt on his shirt!" Actually, he's tying a tie, but I don't know that she even knows what that is nor has ever seen one!

On MLK Day I attempted to watch a few different education videos on YouTube (we hadn't been to the library for books in a few weeks, not to mention it had been closed related to the indefinite snow days and all). She was only mildly interested, but her curiosity piqued when I referenced something about how Dr. King was assassinated. Foolishly, I defined the word and explained how "bad guys"wanted to hurt him because of the color of his skin. Then we talked more about skin color, as we have done many times before. A day later she says to me, "I'm safe, no one will shoot me, because I have white skin with pink in it." Welllllllshit. THAT was not supposed to be the takeaway. On the one hand, she's right. She is statistically unlikely to be shot at, in part because of the color of her skin, but also because of many other privileges. Of course I want her to feel safe, so I tried to couch it in a way that she surely won't be shot by bad guys, because she's safe and because of where we live and what year it is. I feel like a bit of a liar telling her this, knowing damned well there are plenty of kids her very age who are so much less safe than she is.

Her latest art installment is entitled "The Hotel of the Open Mind" - a three-painting series by FLC: 1) "The Door Handle of the Open Exit," 2) "The TV of the Open Mind," and 3) "The Empty People." Like whoa, that's some deep, deep shit.



Pre-Children's Nutcracker, wearing her new blue satin dress, and Great Aunt Patty's petticoat!

Mama and Francie at the Nutcracker.

Closeman Family Holiday Card.

Lighting candles at the Christmas Eve service at the UU church.

The best "snowmies" eva.

Wonder Woman by day and by night (costume & nightie gifts)

Beebee returned from Costa Rica.

Wearing her new rosary, my obvious reaction with concern, and the awareness that she also has a race car tattoo on her forehead and pirate tattoo on her neck.

Snowy day play include plastic boxes.

Her art has really taken off, this drawing of Elsa, Anna, and Olaf actually looks like what it's supposed to!

Countdown to being 5 - someone is SO excited. Hashtag longest paper chain ever.

Mama and Wonder Woman.

I started a new cross-stitch design to make the Menne Fam, and this is what Francie made. Not too shabby, actually.

Daddy-daughter snowy day backyard bonfire.

Francie's love of snow rivals only Alex's.

Never too much snow to swing.

Flamily winter wonderland walk.

The Mennes were an art theme this month, I think, as Trevor, Rachel, Logan, Max, and Baby Finley are depicted above.

Sledding at Maplewood School.

Our neighbors built this awesome snow cave with Xmas lights.

Just another day working at her daycare.

The snowmies gain a third.

Besties Francie and Mila.

Bestie selfie.

First gymnastics class, at Garden Home Rec.

The only kid in an actual leotard. I swore I'd never let her do gymnastics, because of the nature of the sport and my own experience with it (for starters, the entire competition is based on starting with a perfect score, and then getting deducted for every human error you make). That said, I also swore I would led my kid/s be involved in whatever activities intrigued them. So she asked, and I responded. And it's fucking adorable to watch.

Wild Feminists at work, and home prepping for the march.

Three generations out in the PDX rain showing their support for women everywhere.

Daddy daughter marchers.

Although I assisted with the spelling, this sign was 100% her idea, including hanging it on the downstairs bathroom mirror to remind me not to pick my face.

At the children's museum with Beebee.

Sometimes the fun is just in the monthly photo outtakes ...

Friday, January 20, 2017

(Just Pics) - New Year, New Letterboard



Just a sheep in the herd, I followed in the footsteps of BFF Rachel and bought myself one of these letterboards. And I love it. For the month of January, it bears our Closeman Family goals/values/resolutions/reminders. Sure, most of them are mine, and more or less the same things I declare not only every New Year, but probably almost every day. I've been "doing the work," as they say, for the last 8 or so years, and I suppose if I reflect back, I can actually tell a difference. Is life, or am I, perfect? Of course not. That's just ridiculous. And supposedly that's not even the goal. But this year I'm feeling like I want to take it a little further or a little deeper on the personal/professional front, now that I have the time and space inside my own head for good-ole-regular-run-of-the-mill self-improvement. I want to consume less junk food - for the body, the mind, and the soul. I want to be a little more childlike - laughing more often and laughing more easily, staying in the moment, and re-experiencing having fun without having anything special. I want to get back to the physical activity that makes my body feel truly good, not just good enough (here's looking at you, yoga). I want to take that writing class, like I always say. I want to read more voraciously, and more diversely. I want to spend more time outdoors, even in the winter.



Making 2016 - the year a B-rate celebrity demagogue became US president-elect - a thing of the past, we rang in the New Year, East Coast timing, with some great friends, old and new. And all of their kids. To which the noise level would indicate there were no fewer than five dozen. We ate split pea and ham soup and Little Big Burger french fries, we drank cheap champagne, one kid hit up urgent care with a possible broken finger, we ate Beaverton Bakery Cake, and the kids made a lot of noise and had a lot of fun. And all left our house well before midnight!


 



Clearly the girls - and Max - have had some photos of them taken before.


Logan and the littlest babes not pictured (and Mila hiding in Francie's weiner dog pants)

There was, in fact, a quiet moment. Actually, about 30 of them. The parents caved and turned on a show, simply to allow our nervous system to regain function. And there's Geo, just one of the kids.


BFF kids and pajamas


Max, Finley, Loga, Hannah, and Francie

Meanwhile, the Closeman Family New Year's Day looked an awful lot like this, my view from the couch.

Puzzles.

Football and Moana Legos.

Family movie night while wearing a leotard - Pete's Dragon - dinner on the couch and all.

Cheers to 2017!

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