Monday, February 2, 2026 – Day 528

Monday, February 2, 2026

Super Bowl Squares Pool • Pool #1 is sold out
• Pool #2 is open — same deal: $25 per square ($10 goes to ALS United)

In the notes section of Venmo or Zelle, please write Super Bowl Squares and your name, and send to: 
• Venmo: @Nicole-Snarski
• Zelle: nesnarski@gmail.com
• Phone number to verify: 847-687-3312

Once the squares have numbers assigned, I’ll post a photo on the blog. I don’t have it… yet.
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Good morning, everyone!

It’s Groundhog Day. Shadow or no shadows, it’s definitely time for these bitter cold temperatures to end.

Last night we had family over for Sunday dinner—Barb and Mark, along with Donna and Joe. The best part? Donna cooked and brought the entire meal to our house. Chicken chili and cornbread—hot (not spicy hot), comforting, and delicious.

To finish the meal, Donna brought out Girl Scout cookies for dessert. She wasn’t able to get the peanut butter oatmeal cookies—the ones I ate by the boxful last year. Honestly, that was probably for the best. I didn’t need the temptation. So my polite request: please don’t buy me any. I can’t eat them. Although, everyone else can still enjoy them.

Still, it was a really nice evening—everyone catching up, talking about upcoming plans. It reminded me of the Sunday night dinners we had growing up at my parents’ house—1922.

Sunday dinner kicked off the week in our home—Sunday through Thursday were “formal” dinners. And by formal, I mean candlelight and sterling silver flatware. Everything else was paper napkins and everyday dishes, because cleanup was done by us kids—and we couldn’t be trusted with anything fragile.

Those Sunday dinners continued long after all eight of us kids grew up, got married, and had kids of our own. I’m not sure when the last one took place, but my parents would’ve been in their early 80s. If you drove past 1922 on a Sunday night, it always looked like a party was going on.

I’m glad my parents did that. It gave all the grandkids time together—time to play—and from that play, real bonds formed. Those cousins still keep in touch today through one giant text thread…or so I’m told.

One particular Sunday dinner stands out. It was just months after I met Cindy, and it was her first time at my parents’ house. Chaos would be a fair description—grandkids everywhere, a full table, lots of overlapping conversations. Cindy was probably a little overwhelmed, meeting so many people all at once.

We were seated, eating, talking, when my parents exchanged words across the table. I have no idea what was said, but suddenly my mom lifted her hand in frustration and flipped off my dad.

Now, my mom always paired sound effects with movement when making a point. With pursed lips, she made a dramatic pffttttttt sound while emphatically moving her hand up and down to drive her point home.

Around the table? Nothing changed.

Conversations continued. People kept eating. No one missed a beat. Whatever caused the exchange clearly required no follow-up.

Cindy, however, froze. She looked around the table, waiting for a reaction—some acknowledgment that what just happened was, at the very least, unusual. Seeing none, she turned to me and quietly asked if I had seen that exchange.

I told her I had—and that it was completely normal behavior. Whenever my mom decided a discussion with my dad was over, that hand gesture—with sound effects—was her preferred method of closure.

Cindy joined many family dinners after that one. I’m sure more theatrics followed. No one ever paid much attention. They happened quickly, and they were done. No explanations needed. In some cases it brought levity and helped the conversation flow.

My mom used sound effects throughout conversations—it was just her way of communicating. Honestly, it was one of the most endearing parts of talking with her. And the best part? Those sound effects were passed down to my sister Maria—who has taken them to a whole new level, without even needing the hand gestures.

You have to experience it first hand to understand it. I wish I could mimic

I have a pulmonologist appointment today. Long trip to Evanston Hospital. Hoping to identify what’s causing my shortness of breath.

Have a wonderful Monday. Love you guys! ❤️

Photos