Tabbouleh and Plum Blossoms

Today did not start out so well. I woke up with a sinus headache, proceeded to spill half of Benjamin's liquid vitamins on the kitchen counter, and later, found Alexander pulling cleaning supplies out of an unlocked cabinet and taking the caps off of them (we'd been meaning to relocate them, but of course, hadn't gotten to it yet). Eric had to leave for an appointment in the late morning, and I was having one of those days when I just couldn't see how I could handle the two boys on my own. I know everyone has these kinds of days, but when you're in the midst of the craziness, it's hard to get perspective. Only now, in the evening, do I finally have it: I can look back over the whole day and see that it wasn't so bad, after all. The boys and I went out for a long walk down to Gan Sacher, and hit the playground on the way back. Before nap time, Alexander and Benjamin and I were reading Dr. Suess, and every time Benjamin looked at Alexander, he cracked up laughing. By the afternoon, my headache was gone, and I'd snuck in a 20-minute nap, so I found the energy to make up some tabbouleh, which I haven't had in a long time. It felt good to be chopping up food, zoning out for a bit, and the tabbouleh ended up being pretty tasty. We were surprised that Alexander liked it, too! I think this classic Middle Eastern dish is going to be a staple for us in the coming weeks.

I'm also posting a better shot of the blossoms on the plum tree out back. I try to look at it as often as I can, because I know those flowers are temporary. On a day like today, the blossoms helped cheer me up! So beautiful...