We arrived. We have had Christmas. It was wonderful and exhausting and wonderful.
Highlights:
--Christmas Eve service (at 6:30pm)...Lily calling out during the candlelit Silent Night, "Put it out. I want to go home."
-- Waking up Grandma and Grandpa at 6:30am Christmas morning. Andrew was nicely and quietly wishing them a Merry Christmas. Lily went to her Grandma's side of the bed and said, "He ate the cookies. He drank the milk. He left us presents. Now GET UP!"
-- Lily opening her first present from Santa. Instant tears and break-down. "He didn't get me the princess castle. I don't want this!" Until I hugged her and gently suggested that we give it to a child that didn't get very many presents this year. Suddenly it was, "It's okay that I didn't get the castle. This will be fun."
-- Waking Michael up so he could have the joy of seeing all the presents under the tree. Andrew and Lily were dragging him here there and everywhere, shoving presents in his face and forcing his reaction. He was WAY overwhelmed. Whining and lying on top of boxes in tired defeat. But he rallied after breakfast.
--Andrew getting a live tree. Seriously. Santa is an amazing fellow. Andrew couldn't have been happier. Weirdo.
--Children fighting over the same toys. Children using the most annoying noisy toys ever made. Me kicking myself because I was the one who bought the stupid annoying toys. My MIL and FIL high-fiving each other that they were not to blame.
-- Food. Lots and lots of food. I think Lily at 2 things THE ENTIRE DAY that weren't candy. That's it. Only 2 things in the 13 hours she was awake.
And we're off tomorrow to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary and party-down with the other side of the family.
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
I'd get a lot more done...
...if I weren't so busy taking blackmail shots of Mike.
While I'm at it...here are some shots of Lily's holiday show. The video is priceless.
While I'm at it...here are some shots of Lily's holiday show. The video is priceless. Can you find her?
Go time
It's go time! Time to finally get stuff done for the trip back to Ohio and the gift-giving season ahead. The time that procrastinators round the world wait for. Crunch time. Go time.
So we had a wonderfully full and social weekend. Two group parties where the kids were invited. And they were so incredibly self-sufficient and self-entertaining and the only mishap was when Andrew ran full force into the corner of a glass coffee table. Table was fine and the child was almost fine. Jeff managed to talk to strangers and was also self-sufficient. Lovely days.
But it resulted in us not getting nearly as much done off my "to-do" list. 3 days until we leave...
Jeff still has stuff to do to. I left him in charge of his parents' gifts this year...I do all the rest of the shopping, and I thought the gifts would mean more coming from their own son. Needless to say, Jeff called on Saturday to ask his parents what they would like for Christmas. He has not made it out shopping due to all our social engagements. It looks like they might get a Pittsburgh mug from the turnpike rest area. ;)
Cookies have not been made, presents have not been wrapped, teacher gifts have not been completed. Fish food has not been bought, mail has not been stopped, laundry has not been done.
-sigh- I should really get off the stinkin' computer now.
Merry Christmas!
So we had a wonderfully full and social weekend. Two group parties where the kids were invited. And they were so incredibly self-sufficient and self-entertaining and the only mishap was when Andrew ran full force into the corner of a glass coffee table. Table was fine and the child was almost fine. Jeff managed to talk to strangers and was also self-sufficient. Lovely days.
But it resulted in us not getting nearly as much done off my "to-do" list. 3 days until we leave...
Jeff still has stuff to do to. I left him in charge of his parents' gifts this year...I do all the rest of the shopping, and I thought the gifts would mean more coming from their own son. Needless to say, Jeff called on Saturday to ask his parents what they would like for Christmas. He has not made it out shopping due to all our social engagements. It looks like they might get a Pittsburgh mug from the turnpike rest area. ;)
Cookies have not been made, presents have not been wrapped, teacher gifts have not been completed. Fish food has not been bought, mail has not been stopped, laundry has not been done.
-sigh- I should really get off the stinkin' computer now.
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Taking a turn for the positive
Yesterday afternoon, my kids proved to me that the holidays ARE wonderful and special and magical.
I picked up Andrew from school and we scooted over to the mall to visit Santa. I'm not a big pusher of Santa Claus...not because I don't love the tradition, but because I think it is kind of a weird one to force on kids. "I know I tell you not to talk to strangers, but sit on this oddly dressed, huge, strange, and loud man's lap and smile! You don't know him, but don't worry...he's going to break into our house in a few days while we're sleeping."
Anyway, my policy has always been to talk about the tradition and provide the opportunity to talk and visit with Santa. If they show up and don't want to talk to him, no worries. We wave from far away and send a safe little letter to let Santa know what we want for presents. Because of this, I have exactly one photo of my kids with Santa. And it is actually only Andrew, because he was 2 and there were no other urchins living in my house.
I was not expecting much, needless to say. Lily walked up already protesting. I did my standard, "Santa just wants to make kids happy. So if talking to him doesn't make you happy, then don't worry!"
Fast forward 2 minutes. Andrew is sitting comfortably on one knee (poor Santa) and Lily hopped right up on his other knee. Michael was less friendly, but agreed to sit on Santa's feet. A picture was taken and much money was exchanged. Then Andrew told Santa what he wanted (a live tree? WTH...his DS game was on the letter...) and then Lily went on and on about this Playmobile Princess castle that she saw in a catalog (which she is not getting, and I am really worried she's never going to forgive Santa...but seriously? That stuff is expensive and she already has 2 other doll houses!?!). Lily was telling Santa every detail, even putting her hands on her cheeks at one point and exclaiming dramatically, "It is so so so beautiful, you wouldn't believe it". Michael blurted out that he wanted Thomas (shit...I didn't get him any of that either. My kids are going to have such a crappy Christmas... ;) )
We all walked away contented and happy with our visit with Santa. We went to a kiosk and picked out our 2010 ornaments. While we waited for them to be personalized, we played in the empty play area. Michael kept pointing at all the decorations of gingerbread men and exclaiming, "Loo! KooKee Boy! KooKee Boy!" This is possibly my favorite word this holiday season. When I announced it was time to leave, Andrew asked, "Mom? Are we going to stop for refreshments?" which sent me into giggles, because, really? What 7 year old asks for mall snacks like that?
It was a delightful afternoon...at the mall...with 3 children and no stroller. If only Jeff could have been there to enjoy them. Instead he got home to 3 overtired kids. Maybe today we'll finally bake cookies so they will be also on a sugar high ;)
I picked up Andrew from school and we scooted over to the mall to visit Santa. I'm not a big pusher of Santa Claus...not because I don't love the tradition, but because I think it is kind of a weird one to force on kids. "I know I tell you not to talk to strangers, but sit on this oddly dressed, huge, strange, and loud man's lap and smile! You don't know him, but don't worry...he's going to break into our house in a few days while we're sleeping."
Anyway, my policy has always been to talk about the tradition and provide the opportunity to talk and visit with Santa. If they show up and don't want to talk to him, no worries. We wave from far away and send a safe little letter to let Santa know what we want for presents. Because of this, I have exactly one photo of my kids with Santa. And it is actually only Andrew, because he was 2 and there were no other urchins living in my house.
I was not expecting much, needless to say. Lily walked up already protesting. I did my standard, "Santa just wants to make kids happy. So if talking to him doesn't make you happy, then don't worry!"
Fast forward 2 minutes. Andrew is sitting comfortably on one knee (poor Santa) and Lily hopped right up on his other knee. Michael was less friendly, but agreed to sit on Santa's feet. A picture was taken and much money was exchanged. Then Andrew told Santa what he wanted (a live tree? WTH...his DS game was on the letter...) and then Lily went on and on about this Playmobile Princess castle that she saw in a catalog (which she is not getting, and I am really worried she's never going to forgive Santa...but seriously? That stuff is expensive and she already has 2 other doll houses!?!). Lily was telling Santa every detail, even putting her hands on her cheeks at one point and exclaiming dramatically, "It is so so so beautiful, you wouldn't believe it". Michael blurted out that he wanted Thomas (shit...I didn't get him any of that either. My kids are going to have such a crappy Christmas... ;) )
We all walked away contented and happy with our visit with Santa. We went to a kiosk and picked out our 2010 ornaments. While we waited for them to be personalized, we played in the empty play area. Michael kept pointing at all the decorations of gingerbread men and exclaiming, "Loo! KooKee Boy! KooKee Boy!" This is possibly my favorite word this holiday season. When I announced it was time to leave, Andrew asked, "Mom? Are we going to stop for refreshments?" which sent me into giggles, because, really? What 7 year old asks for mall snacks like that?
It was a delightful afternoon...at the mall...with 3 children and no stroller. If only Jeff could have been there to enjoy them. Instead he got home to 3 overtired kids. Maybe today we'll finally bake cookies so they will be also on a sugar high ;)
Monday, December 13, 2010
To whom it may concern:
Dear Grocery store cashier lady,
I did not want to come to your store in the first place. I am never happy with the customer service at this large grocery chain (that starts with a "G" and ends with an "unardi's") and your selection of products is usually piss poor. Today was no exception, since you were completely out of gallons of milk...of any % milk fat and bananas. Also? There were only two containers of vanilla icing left and only one box of dried milk. And no holiday creamers at all. WTF?
But I came anyway, because my eldest had a student council meeting early this morning, and you are the closest grocery store to his school. So shame on me.
After getting as many items on my list as possible, I was already in a bad mood, because I am going to have to go to another store to get milk. But then there was only one checkout lane open, and the lady was obviously a big coupon shopper. And you couldn't have moved slower. Every item scanned, you had to exclaim about the price she was getting and encouraged her to run back and get more...repeatedly feeding out the receipt to show her exactly what she was saving. My 2 and 4 year old were behaving marvelously, but I knew the clock was ticking. I asked you repeatedly if there was any way another lane could be opened. You smiled and said, "Don't worry, she's just running back to get one more thing."
15 minutes later, I was regretting my decision to stay instead of abandoning the whole shopping cart and trying a different store. My kids had begun fighting and pushing and gnashing their teeth, and you were finally finished with the customer ahead of me.
I anticipated your fighting with me to get a club card. I have a club card, which I don't carry with me because I hate your fucking store. And despite 3 times filling out the sheet, you never have my phone number on file. And you have a crazy-ass policy that you won't scan a store card. I understand this. I am fully aware that I will be missing out on your trumped up club card prices. No, I do not want to fill out a form for yet another card. Can you not hear my children pushing and screaming and tantruming? You've had me waiting in line for 15 full minutes. Just scan my GODDAMN GROCERIES.
I did not appreciate your comment at this moment, "You just can't appreciate how these are the best years. Someday you'll be sad that all this holiday magic is gone. Parents bring on the stress. You should just enjoy these wonderful years as they are."
Yes, I acknowledge that holidays with children are wonderful and fantastic. BUT THIS IS THE EFFING GROCERY STORE AND IT IS NOT FILLED WITH MAGIC AND FAIRY DUST AND UNICORN FARTS. QUIT LECTURING ME AND GET MOVING, ALREADY.
Sincerely,
Won't make this mistake again
Dear Lady in line behind me,
It did not help that you were nodding along and agreeing with the cashier's lecture. I felt ganged up on. Also, please don't ever again lean over and tell a 2 year old, "I guess you don't know that Santa only brings presents to good children and not naughty ones." Next time I WILL kick you in the teeth.
Sincerely,
Should have kicked you in the teeth.
I did not want to come to your store in the first place. I am never happy with the customer service at this large grocery chain (that starts with a "G" and ends with an "unardi's") and your selection of products is usually piss poor. Today was no exception, since you were completely out of gallons of milk...of any % milk fat and bananas. Also? There were only two containers of vanilla icing left and only one box of dried milk. And no holiday creamers at all. WTF?
But I came anyway, because my eldest had a student council meeting early this morning, and you are the closest grocery store to his school. So shame on me.
After getting as many items on my list as possible, I was already in a bad mood, because I am going to have to go to another store to get milk. But then there was only one checkout lane open, and the lady was obviously a big coupon shopper. And you couldn't have moved slower. Every item scanned, you had to exclaim about the price she was getting and encouraged her to run back and get more...repeatedly feeding out the receipt to show her exactly what she was saving. My 2 and 4 year old were behaving marvelously, but I knew the clock was ticking. I asked you repeatedly if there was any way another lane could be opened. You smiled and said, "Don't worry, she's just running back to get one more thing."
15 minutes later, I was regretting my decision to stay instead of abandoning the whole shopping cart and trying a different store. My kids had begun fighting and pushing and gnashing their teeth, and you were finally finished with the customer ahead of me.
I anticipated your fighting with me to get a club card. I have a club card, which I don't carry with me because I hate your fucking store. And despite 3 times filling out the sheet, you never have my phone number on file. And you have a crazy-ass policy that you won't scan a store card. I understand this. I am fully aware that I will be missing out on your trumped up club card prices. No, I do not want to fill out a form for yet another card. Can you not hear my children pushing and screaming and tantruming? You've had me waiting in line for 15 full minutes. Just scan my GODDAMN GROCERIES.
I did not appreciate your comment at this moment, "You just can't appreciate how these are the best years. Someday you'll be sad that all this holiday magic is gone. Parents bring on the stress. You should just enjoy these wonderful years as they are."
Yes, I acknowledge that holidays with children are wonderful and fantastic. BUT THIS IS THE EFFING GROCERY STORE AND IT IS NOT FILLED WITH MAGIC AND FAIRY DUST AND UNICORN FARTS. QUIT LECTURING ME AND GET MOVING, ALREADY.
Sincerely,
Won't make this mistake again
Dear Lady in line behind me,
It did not help that you were nodding along and agreeing with the cashier's lecture. I felt ganged up on. Also, please don't ever again lean over and tell a 2 year old, "I guess you don't know that Santa only brings presents to good children and not naughty ones." Next time I WILL kick you in the teeth.
Sincerely,
Should have kicked you in the teeth.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
First day
Our speech therapist came today to play with Michael. I am not versed in protocol for these types of home visits. So I tried to stay out of the way, but may or may not have gotten too involved. I wish that they had a pamphlet on the first day that said things like:
Do (or do not?) suggest play items
Do (or do not?) help translate
Do (or do not?) encourage/force your child to participate
Do wait 2 (4,6,8?) weeks before deciding that your child needs a different therapist due to lack of rapport or chemistry.
We'll figure this all out. Michael was NOT into cooperating. He wouldn't look the therapist in the eyes for long enough to watch her say the sounds, and when he was pressed to pronounce something, he would retreat to my lap and curl up like a turtle. Typical shy Mikey behavior. He had no such issues during the eval, but they were just letting him play and talk, and not asking him to DO anything or fix anything.
Now my homework for the week is to write down any one syllable words he successfully adds the ending to. I can't think of a single one. But I know I'll find some, because I'm also supposed to write down any words ending in /p/, /b/, and /m/ that he tries to say, but leaves out the ending. When she told me, I couldn't think of any...and already I have a list going of about 8 (zip, sleep, soup, tub, top, cup, stop, help).
Tonight I have playgroup, and I'm going to grill the speech therapist of the group about what I'm supposed to be doing during these sessions. :) It's good to have friends with skills.
Do (or do not?) suggest play items
Do (or do not?) help translate
Do (or do not?) encourage/force your child to participate
Do wait 2 (4,6,8?) weeks before deciding that your child needs a different therapist due to lack of rapport or chemistry.
We'll figure this all out. Michael was NOT into cooperating. He wouldn't look the therapist in the eyes for long enough to watch her say the sounds, and when he was pressed to pronounce something, he would retreat to my lap and curl up like a turtle. Typical shy Mikey behavior. He had no such issues during the eval, but they were just letting him play and talk, and not asking him to DO anything or fix anything.
Now my homework for the week is to write down any one syllable words he successfully adds the ending to. I can't think of a single one. But I know I'll find some, because I'm also supposed to write down any words ending in /p/, /b/, and /m/ that he tries to say, but leaves out the ending. When she told me, I couldn't think of any...and already I have a list going of about 8 (zip, sleep, soup, tub, top, cup, stop, help).
Tonight I have playgroup, and I'm going to grill the speech therapist of the group about what I'm supposed to be doing during these sessions. :) It's good to have friends with skills.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Just a regular Tuesday night
Andrew was trying to make a poem about his favorite Pokemon named Aipom. You know the type where you think of a word for each letter of their name?
A- "Mom? How do you spell 'awesome'?"
M- "M-O-M-M-Y"
A- (starts to write...then pauses). "No, wait. That spells Mommy."
M- "What's the difference?"
A- (looks at me weird). "Mom. Really. Spell awesome. I know it starts with an o or an a or something."
M- "Awesome is spelled M-O-M-M-Y"
A- (sighs disgustingly). "Dad? How do you spell 'awesome'?"
Meanwhile...Lily and Michael are playing cat family and are getting in and out of Shadow's dog kennel. Michael thinks he has total reign over being the cat and is screaming with anger that Lily has taken his spot inside the disgusting dog domain.
I yell over his screams, "Michael! Stop fighting! You have to TAKE TURNS getting into the cage."
Which made Jeff break up laughing.
You know...just a typical Tuesday night.
A- "Mom? How do you spell 'awesome'?"
M- "M-O-M-M-Y"
A- (starts to write...then pauses). "No, wait. That spells Mommy."
M- "What's the difference?"
A- (looks at me weird). "Mom. Really. Spell awesome. I know it starts with an o or an a or something."
M- "Awesome is spelled M-O-M-M-Y"
A- (sighs disgustingly). "Dad? How do you spell 'awesome'?"
Meanwhile...Lily and Michael are playing cat family and are getting in and out of Shadow's dog kennel. Michael thinks he has total reign over being the cat and is screaming with anger that Lily has taken his spot inside the disgusting dog domain.
I yell over his screams, "Michael! Stop fighting! You have to TAKE TURNS getting into the cage."
Which made Jeff break up laughing.
You know...just a typical Tuesday night.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Beware the Christmas tree
Our tree is up! Hoorah! And I was so excited that I finally don't have a toddler/infant to worry about mouthing the ornaments.
But apparently 2 1/2 is still not old enough to quite quell the temptation to touch each ornament. Michael did fantastic decorating. He was so excited to put them on the tree, talking non-stop about each ornament in his garbly goop. Andrew decided to put all his ornaments on the same side of the tree, so, and I quote, "When people come, they can just stand in one place and learn all about me and what I like." Hmm. Lily raced through it and then went back to playing with the nativity set. That girl is into the story of baby Jesus, or "The Llllllllord." as she says it, drawing out that L like her life depends on it.
Anywho, the tree is up. So if you come to my house, enjoy all the random ornaments, the broken ornaments, the old, falling apart ornaments. Be sure to check the one side where you can apparently learn all you need to know about the 7 year old. But beware. As you approach, you may get a strong whiff of something bad. For our tree doesn't smell like pine or cedar or white spruce.
It smells like dirty diapers.
Because apparently, the small space behind the Christmas tree is the perfect place to hide and poop.
(and it's really funny, because he knocks off ornaments as he tries to wedge himself between the window and the tree, so he calls to me to fix them. And as soon as I put it on the tree, he points away and says, "No. Go. No Mommy. Go." So I give him privacy, he tries to wedge himself a little farther back, another ornament drops...repeat.)
But apparently 2 1/2 is still not old enough to quite quell the temptation to touch each ornament. Michael did fantastic decorating. He was so excited to put them on the tree, talking non-stop about each ornament in his garbly goop. Andrew decided to put all his ornaments on the same side of the tree, so, and I quote, "When people come, they can just stand in one place and learn all about me and what I like." Hmm. Lily raced through it and then went back to playing with the nativity set. That girl is into the story of baby Jesus, or "The Llllllllord." as she says it, drawing out that L like her life depends on it.
Anywho, the tree is up. So if you come to my house, enjoy all the random ornaments, the broken ornaments, the old, falling apart ornaments. Be sure to check the one side where you can apparently learn all you need to know about the 7 year old. But beware. As you approach, you may get a strong whiff of something bad. For our tree doesn't smell like pine or cedar or white spruce.
It smells like dirty diapers.
Because apparently, the small space behind the Christmas tree is the perfect place to hide and poop.
(and it's really funny, because he knocks off ornaments as he tries to wedge himself between the window and the tree, so he calls to me to fix them. And as soon as I put it on the tree, he points away and says, "No. Go. No Mommy. Go." So I give him privacy, he tries to wedge himself a little farther back, another ornament drops...repeat.)
Monday, December 06, 2010
A Perfect Saturday
I couldn't write yesterday, because I was still all aglow from having the most perfect Saturday.
Here's the run down...
We woke up and had a rather leisurely Saturday morning. Watched some taped Christmas shows, read books, drank coffee, etc. Andrew went to his very first basketball practice/game at 11. Michael had woken up long before sunrise, so I fed him lunch at 10:45 and put him down for a nap around 11:15. He fell asleep instantly. While he napped, I addressed half my Christmas cards and wrote little notes on the letters. Once I get my cute holiday stamps, those bad boys are in the mail. Lily sat next to me at the table and drew and begged me to play neighbor and colored and begged and chatted and begged to play neighbor with me. Very pleasant.
Jeff and Andrew got home and quickly scarfed down some lunch. I woke up Michael and we scooted out the door to my friend Alwyn's house. Alwyn has 3 kids very similar ages to ours and all our kids like each other very much. She graciously offered to take my kids for the afternoon so Jeff and I could go on our house date tour. Do you know how crazy good an offer that is. She took on 6 kids in her townhouse for 3-4 hours. At least Mikey had taken a bit of a nap.
Jeff and I left with no one really caring. Even Mikey was perfectly contented with being left behind (in a house full of new-to-him toys!). Our town was founded in 1685, but we didn't get to go through anything nearly that old. We toured 7 homes in our town, most dating from the late 1700s to mid 1800s. It was...fabulous. There are multiple tour guides from the town's historical society inside and outside the homes to tell you the history of the home, the renovations that had been done, the antiques and collectibles inside. It is so wonderful that people are willing to spend so much time and money keeping up these amazing old homes. And then to decorate them beautifully for Christmas and let us tromp through. To top off the wonderfulness, our local high school choir had stationed trios on the porches of many of the homes, so while you were waiting to go inside, you were treated to Christmas carols. And many homes had fresh baked cookies inside. Heavenly.
We finished all the houses we wanted to see and headed back to Alwyn's around 3:30. The kids were playing so nicely, that Alwyn invited us to have a cup of tea. Jeff and Justin chatted, and Alwyn and I chatted and the kids kept playing. Around 5, Alwyn offered to throw some frozen pizza and breaded chicken and broccoli things in the oven. Jeff and Justin ran out to get some wine, and we had an impromptu dinner. The kids were rounded up, they ate dinner, and then ran back to their games. The adults sat at the dining table...alone...and we sipped wine and talked peacefully and intelligently (mostly) the whole time. We had to get up and check on the kids a few times...but...it was nirvana. The four of us kept looking at each other in amazement. We will DEFINITELY be doing this again.
We left at 7:15, much to the dismay of the children. We came home and all 5 of us cuddled under one blanket on the couch and watched Shrek Christmas (our favorite tv special). The kids went to bed easily and the Jeff and I enjoyed peppermint ice cream and The Soup and then we discussed the day. We went to bed in our pre-warmed bed (electric mattress pad is the best invention ever), very tired and very happy.
A Perfect Saturday.
Here's the run down...
We woke up and had a rather leisurely Saturday morning. Watched some taped Christmas shows, read books, drank coffee, etc. Andrew went to his very first basketball practice/game at 11. Michael had woken up long before sunrise, so I fed him lunch at 10:45 and put him down for a nap around 11:15. He fell asleep instantly. While he napped, I addressed half my Christmas cards and wrote little notes on the letters. Once I get my cute holiday stamps, those bad boys are in the mail. Lily sat next to me at the table and drew and begged me to play neighbor and colored and begged and chatted and begged to play neighbor with me. Very pleasant.
Jeff and Andrew got home and quickly scarfed down some lunch. I woke up Michael and we scooted out the door to my friend Alwyn's house. Alwyn has 3 kids very similar ages to ours and all our kids like each other very much. She graciously offered to take my kids for the afternoon so Jeff and I could go on our house date tour. Do you know how crazy good an offer that is. She took on 6 kids in her townhouse for 3-4 hours. At least Mikey had taken a bit of a nap.
Jeff and I left with no one really caring. Even Mikey was perfectly contented with being left behind (in a house full of new-to-him toys!). Our town was founded in 1685, but we didn't get to go through anything nearly that old. We toured 7 homes in our town, most dating from the late 1700s to mid 1800s. It was...fabulous. There are multiple tour guides from the town's historical society inside and outside the homes to tell you the history of the home, the renovations that had been done, the antiques and collectibles inside. It is so wonderful that people are willing to spend so much time and money keeping up these amazing old homes. And then to decorate them beautifully for Christmas and let us tromp through. To top off the wonderfulness, our local high school choir had stationed trios on the porches of many of the homes, so while you were waiting to go inside, you were treated to Christmas carols. And many homes had fresh baked cookies inside. Heavenly.
We finished all the houses we wanted to see and headed back to Alwyn's around 3:30. The kids were playing so nicely, that Alwyn invited us to have a cup of tea. Jeff and Justin chatted, and Alwyn and I chatted and the kids kept playing. Around 5, Alwyn offered to throw some frozen pizza and breaded chicken and broccoli things in the oven. Jeff and Justin ran out to get some wine, and we had an impromptu dinner. The kids were rounded up, they ate dinner, and then ran back to their games. The adults sat at the dining table...alone...and we sipped wine and talked peacefully and intelligently (mostly) the whole time. We had to get up and check on the kids a few times...but...it was nirvana. The four of us kept looking at each other in amazement. We will DEFINITELY be doing this again.
We left at 7:15, much to the dismay of the children. We came home and all 5 of us cuddled under one blanket on the couch and watched Shrek Christmas (our favorite tv special). The kids went to bed easily and the Jeff and I enjoyed peppermint ice cream and The Soup and then we discussed the day. We went to bed in our pre-warmed bed (electric mattress pad is the best invention ever), very tired and very happy.
A Perfect Saturday.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Advent calendar
a.k.a. "Chocolate for breakfast"
We finally found some lcalendars last night. So when we got home, the kids got 3 pieces of chocolate.
This morning, Mikey didn't know to ask for it.
Then Lily woke up. First thing she said was, "Can I open number 4?"
Then Andrew woke up. First thing he said was, "Did Lily have her chocolate yet?"
Then Mikey finally became aware of what was going on. He excitedly opened number 4, and squealed with delight that there was another chocolate inside. He wandered off, gnawing on his treat and marveling that Mommy just gave him candy at 6:15 in the morning.
3 minutes later (give or take), he walks back over to me.
"Now figh?" (now five?)
"No, Mike, you just get to open number 4 today."
"Eigh? Nigh?" (eight? nine?)
"Sorry Mike. Just 4."
"Two? Ten?"
At which point I just started tickling him. Nice try, Mikey. At least you didn't melt into a screaming fit like your sister did when she was this age and wanted to eat them all at once. ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In related news, Michael was evaluated for early intervention yesterday. His case manager, a speech therapist, and a teacher came to play with him and listen to him. Turns out he is a very bright boy (which we knew), who is ahead on many of the tests they gave him, but significantly behind in speech (which we also knew). They estimate he's about the level of an average 20 month old (he is 31 months old), due to the fact he has very few 2 syllable words, he drops the ending off of most of his words, and we really need context clues to figure out most of what he says. He should start in about 2 weeks with a speech therapist, who will come to our house for the sessions.
And I can't wait to see him progress. Because just this week, he started calling me "Mommy" instead of "Ma". And it sounds so good to be Mommy. He's too smart to be held back by his lack of articulation.
We finally found some lcalendars last night. So when we got home, the kids got 3 pieces of chocolate.
This morning, Mikey didn't know to ask for it.
Then Lily woke up. First thing she said was, "Can I open number 4?"
Then Andrew woke up. First thing he said was, "Did Lily have her chocolate yet?"
Then Mikey finally became aware of what was going on. He excitedly opened number 4, and squealed with delight that there was another chocolate inside. He wandered off, gnawing on his treat and marveling that Mommy just gave him candy at 6:15 in the morning.
3 minutes later (give or take), he walks back over to me.
"Now figh?" (now five?)
"No, Mike, you just get to open number 4 today."
"Eigh? Nigh?" (eight? nine?)
"Sorry Mike. Just 4."
"Two? Ten?"
At which point I just started tickling him. Nice try, Mikey. At least you didn't melt into a screaming fit like your sister did when she was this age and wanted to eat them all at once. ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In related news, Michael was evaluated for early intervention yesterday. His case manager, a speech therapist, and a teacher came to play with him and listen to him. Turns out he is a very bright boy (which we knew), who is ahead on many of the tests they gave him, but significantly behind in speech (which we also knew). They estimate he's about the level of an average 20 month old (he is 31 months old), due to the fact he has very few 2 syllable words, he drops the ending off of most of his words, and we really need context clues to figure out most of what he says. He should start in about 2 weeks with a speech therapist, who will come to our house for the sessions.
And I can't wait to see him progress. Because just this week, he started calling me "Mommy" instead of "Ma". And it sounds so good to be Mommy. He's too smart to be held back by his lack of articulation.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
A Lily Laugh
Lily has been trying to get sent to a boarding school. Or it could be say, she is trying to convince me to go back to work full time. In another state. With no vacation time.
But yesterday she made me laugh so hard and so unexpectedly.
This will only make sense to those of you who have heard the Christmas CD, John Denver and the Muppets.
We listened to the CD in the morning.
In the afternoon, we were reading books out of my Christmas book crate. One of my kids' favorites is this huge board book The Twelve Days of Christmas. I always sing it instead of read it.
When I got to the "8 maids a milking", Lily sang, "Me me me me me me" instead of the words.
Just like Beaker. And totally out of the blue.
I could not finish the book I was laughing so hard.
And of course, Michael wanted to get in on the "making Mommy laugh" thing...so he was "me me me"-ing right along.
But yesterday she made me laugh so hard and so unexpectedly.
This will only make sense to those of you who have heard the Christmas CD, John Denver and the Muppets.
We listened to the CD in the morning.
In the afternoon, we were reading books out of my Christmas book crate. One of my kids' favorites is this huge board book The Twelve Days of Christmas. I always sing it instead of read it.
When I got to the "8 maids a milking", Lily sang, "Me me me me me me" instead of the words.
Just like Beaker. And totally out of the blue.
I could not finish the book I was laughing so hard.
And of course, Michael wanted to get in on the "making Mommy laugh" thing...so he was "me me me"-ing right along.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Bah humbug
Ugh. I always drop off the November blogging thing the last week. Because of Thanksgiving, live-in guests, and Andrew's birthday...I just don't get to the computer as much. Or too much happens and I just don't want to sort through it and make a coherent post.
This year, I am also battling a case of the Bah-humbugs. It started when Jeff brought down the Christmas stuff from the attic. We never do it until after Andrew's birthday, so Sunday it was. Except we were all exhausted from our New York trip the day before. And Andrew said, "Why bother? We aren't even going to be here for Christmas."
Why bother indeed. He has caught his mother's dreaded "must be home for Christmas" gene. I have ALWAYS wanted to be in my own house for Christmas...even as a child. Interestingly, my older sister always enjoyed the Christmases away. So it is officially a personal problem. ;)
For the record...I know this blog will make my kind mother and mother-in-law feel bad. This is not my intention. It is good for me to write it out so I can see how childish and un-Christmasy I am being.
I have to get over myself. The kids are only into the magic of Christmas for such a short time, I have to embrace this year. I have to let go of the selfish notion that I must be the bearer of Christmas greed, er, joy. Both of our parents are ridiculously generous to our kids at Christmas, which is a wonderful thing. My mother in law literally has a stocking for each of the kids that she fills each year. These things are actually a relief for us financially this year, since things are a little tight. So I am grateful. I am glad. The kids will have a wonderful, magical Christmas. I will enjoy it tremendously once it is here. But it does make me a bit bah-humbug-ish about the prep of Christmas. Since the only thing left for me to do for Christmas are the things I hate...decorating and baking. Blergh.
But onward! Today Andrew is home sick, even though he is not really sick. He came home early yesterday afternoon with a moderately high fever. His fever broke by the evening, and it hasn't come back. But this morning he is complaining of a sore throat and he isn't allowed to go back to school until he's fever free for 24 hours. So we are going to decorate today. I'm determined. It will be FUN, Goddamnit!
I wanted to get a permanent Advent thingy so I can supply the kids with a little treat each day of December. Target's are pieces of junk...junk for $30. When I realized that I couldn't find any in time, I scrambled to find the paper version. None left. We were going to go to a crafty specialty shopping area yesterday after school to look...but then Andrew got sick. No advent calendar. Blergh.
And then we got an e-mail from Andrew's elusive basketball coach. We signed him up months ago and knew the games would start in December. We had heard nothing. I sent e-mails everywhere and was told we would hear soon. We heard this morning...his first game is this Saturday. Right smack in the middle of the house tour Jeff and I were supposed to go on together. Our first date since August. I was so looking forward to it. Now I will scramble to see if our friend can watch them in the afternoon...you know, when Michael is supposed to be napping. Blergh.
Time to crank the Christmas music. Time to crack out the construction paper and make our OWN advent calendars. Time to pull out our Christmas books. Time to watch some Christmas movies. As hard as I fight it, the magic of Christmas will seep into me. I will NOT be Scrooge this year! (and after a certain little cyclical event happens this week, I'll be much more capable of cheer...)
This year, I am also battling a case of the Bah-humbugs. It started when Jeff brought down the Christmas stuff from the attic. We never do it until after Andrew's birthday, so Sunday it was. Except we were all exhausted from our New York trip the day before. And Andrew said, "Why bother? We aren't even going to be here for Christmas."
Why bother indeed. He has caught his mother's dreaded "must be home for Christmas" gene. I have ALWAYS wanted to be in my own house for Christmas...even as a child. Interestingly, my older sister always enjoyed the Christmases away. So it is officially a personal problem. ;)
For the record...I know this blog will make my kind mother and mother-in-law feel bad. This is not my intention. It is good for me to write it out so I can see how childish and un-Christmasy I am being.
I have to get over myself. The kids are only into the magic of Christmas for such a short time, I have to embrace this year. I have to let go of the selfish notion that I must be the bearer of Christmas greed, er, joy. Both of our parents are ridiculously generous to our kids at Christmas, which is a wonderful thing. My mother in law literally has a stocking for each of the kids that she fills each year. These things are actually a relief for us financially this year, since things are a little tight. So I am grateful. I am glad. The kids will have a wonderful, magical Christmas. I will enjoy it tremendously once it is here. But it does make me a bit bah-humbug-ish about the prep of Christmas. Since the only thing left for me to do for Christmas are the things I hate...decorating and baking. Blergh.
But onward! Today Andrew is home sick, even though he is not really sick. He came home early yesterday afternoon with a moderately high fever. His fever broke by the evening, and it hasn't come back. But this morning he is complaining of a sore throat and he isn't allowed to go back to school until he's fever free for 24 hours. So we are going to decorate today. I'm determined. It will be FUN, Goddamnit!
I wanted to get a permanent Advent thingy so I can supply the kids with a little treat each day of December. Target's are pieces of junk...junk for $30. When I realized that I couldn't find any in time, I scrambled to find the paper version. None left. We were going to go to a crafty specialty shopping area yesterday after school to look...but then Andrew got sick. No advent calendar. Blergh.
And then we got an e-mail from Andrew's elusive basketball coach. We signed him up months ago and knew the games would start in December. We had heard nothing. I sent e-mails everywhere and was told we would hear soon. We heard this morning...his first game is this Saturday. Right smack in the middle of the house tour Jeff and I were supposed to go on together. Our first date since August. I was so looking forward to it. Now I will scramble to see if our friend can watch them in the afternoon...you know, when Michael is supposed to be napping. Blergh.
Time to crank the Christmas music. Time to crack out the construction paper and make our OWN advent calendars. Time to pull out our Christmas books. Time to watch some Christmas movies. As hard as I fight it, the magic of Christmas will seep into me. I will NOT be Scrooge this year! (and after a certain little cyclical event happens this week, I'll be much more capable of cheer...)
Saturday, November 27, 2010
7...in New York City
Andrew turned 7 years old today.
I asked him months ago if he would like to have a birthday party. He had one when he turned 5, but not when he turned 6. I kind of thought every other year would be do-able for me.
He declined. He said he would rather have a day alone with Jeff and I like last year. Which is alternately sweet and kind of sad that he craves alone time that much.
Anyway, we decided to go to New York City with him. Something I've been wanting to experience with him, but am too chicken to take all 3 kids into the big, bad city. ;)
My parents were supposed to come for the weekend, but with all the grandma troubles, the last thing they needed was to tack on a 10 hour trip...one way. My in-laws ended up selling their Michigan/OSU tickets to come. Let me say that again...sold their Michigan/OSU tickets. That they had. That they planned to use. If my kids ever say they aren't loved...
So we left this morning, just Jeff, Andrew, and me. Andrew talked non-stop on the way to the train station. He was asking in depth questions about the Civil War and the involvement of New York in wars and if our family members had been in the early wars of this country. Wow. Conversations we could never have with the other rugrats around.
We got on the train and into the city no problem. Jeff is a pro with the trains/subways/etc. I wander like a chicken with its head cut off. I'm too distracted by all the people and cars and noises and smells and lights and tall buildings and street performers and etc etc. Chicken with head cut off. I sat with Andrew on the 90 minute train ride. He and I discussed why people would buy houses right next to a train track, and why people need heart transplants (ad for a hospital in one of the train stops), and a million different things dealing with trains (why does he punch a hole out of your ticket/what does the hole punch mean/why does he wear that hat/why don't I have a ticket/ etc etc etc.). The Riddler.
Once we got into the city, I thought Andrew was going to have a terrible time. He looked very intimidated and scared. He pressed up really close to me. I quickly explained that he should stick with Dad...because if push came to shove, Dad would be able to get him back home. I would be wandering the underbelly of New York for weeks trying to find the way back. But after an hour or so, he was charging through the crowds and reading signs and confident as all heck.
We came upon Macy's straight away. It is beautiful. We showed Andrew right where the Macy's Day Parade was filmed. We recognized the half naked Victoria Secret billboard that was in the background of all the performances on tv Thanksgiving morning. Anyhoo, we went inside to see the first escalator (it's wooden) and perhaps catch a glimpse of Santa. Whooo-buddy. No way. The Saturday after Turkey day is still a shopping hay day. It was a sea of people. An ocean. They had bouncers at the top and bottom of each escalator to help manage the crowd. So we quickly got out of there...not what we came to see. But it was beautifully decorated.
Outside Macy's we enjoyed the window displays. Each window has a different chapter of a story. When you are standing under the awning, you can only hear that particular chapter. And the characters move and spin and it is magical. Andrew was entranced. Our pictures are terrible...
Then we meandered up 5th avenue. They have a store named Saks...among others :) Andrew and I gawked at the Empire State Building while Jeff squirmed in embarrassment. We marveled at the store decorations for Christmas. In front of Trump Towers is a huge snowflake suspended over the street. Many many buildings are coated in lights. It must be quite beautiful at night. We got no pictures of these things. 
We wandered some more. We ended up walking about 2 miles total. It was cold, but a beautiful day.
We got lost in the underbelly of Rockefeller Plaza. We took a random picture in front of Andrew's Ties. We saw the ice skating rink (tiny) and the line for the ice skating rink (enormous) and the Christmas tree (impressive, but Crystal Cathedral's was better). We shopped in FAO Schwartz (meh...but I had very high expectations).
Andrew wanted a shot of this store. He thought it was HI-Larious. -sigh- He's seven.
We got to Central Park and then got on a subway back to Times Square. We ate lunch and wandered around...gazing dizzily up at all the tv screens and neon lights. By this point we'd already missed the train we thought we would catch home. But Andrew really wanted to see the ferris wheel inside Toys R Us at Times Square. So we did...
Then we took the subway back to Penn Station and headed home. Andrew amazingly did not fall asleep on the ride back.
I asked him months ago if he would like to have a birthday party. He had one when he turned 5, but not when he turned 6. I kind of thought every other year would be do-able for me.
He declined. He said he would rather have a day alone with Jeff and I like last year. Which is alternately sweet and kind of sad that he craves alone time that much.
Anyway, we decided to go to New York City with him. Something I've been wanting to experience with him, but am too chicken to take all 3 kids into the big, bad city. ;)
My parents were supposed to come for the weekend, but with all the grandma troubles, the last thing they needed was to tack on a 10 hour trip...one way. My in-laws ended up selling their Michigan/OSU tickets to come. Let me say that again...sold their Michigan/OSU tickets. That they had. That they planned to use. If my kids ever say they aren't loved...
So we left this morning, just Jeff, Andrew, and me. Andrew talked non-stop on the way to the train station. He was asking in depth questions about the Civil War and the involvement of New York in wars and if our family members had been in the early wars of this country. Wow. Conversations we could never have with the other rugrats around.
We got on the train and into the city no problem. Jeff is a pro with the trains/subways/etc. I wander like a chicken with its head cut off. I'm too distracted by all the people and cars and noises and smells and lights and tall buildings and street performers and etc etc. Chicken with head cut off. I sat with Andrew on the 90 minute train ride. He and I discussed why people would buy houses right next to a train track, and why people need heart transplants (ad for a hospital in one of the train stops), and a million different things dealing with trains (why does he punch a hole out of your ticket/what does the hole punch mean/why does he wear that hat/why don't I have a ticket/ etc etc etc.). The Riddler.
Once we got into the city, I thought Andrew was going to have a terrible time. He looked very intimidated and scared. He pressed up really close to me. I quickly explained that he should stick with Dad...because if push came to shove, Dad would be able to get him back home. I would be wandering the underbelly of New York for weeks trying to find the way back. But after an hour or so, he was charging through the crowds and reading signs and confident as all heck.We came upon Macy's straight away. It is beautiful. We showed Andrew right where the Macy's Day Parade was filmed. We recognized the half naked Victoria Secret billboard that was in the background of all the performances on tv Thanksgiving morning. Anyhoo, we went inside to see the first escalator (it's wooden) and perhaps catch a glimpse of Santa. Whooo-buddy. No way. The Saturday after Turkey day is still a shopping hay day. It was a sea of people. An ocean. They had bouncers at the top and bottom of each escalator to help manage the crowd. So we quickly got out of there...not what we came to see. But it was beautifully decorated.
Outside Macy's we enjoyed the window displays. Each window has a different chapter of a story. When you are standing under the awning, you can only hear that particular chapter. And the characters move and spin and it is magical. Andrew was entranced. Our pictures are terrible...
Then we meandered up 5th avenue. They have a store named Saks...among others :) Andrew and I gawked at the Empire State Building while Jeff squirmed in embarrassment. We marveled at the store decorations for Christmas. In front of Trump Towers is a huge snowflake suspended over the street. Many many buildings are coated in lights. It must be quite beautiful at night. We got no pictures of these things. We did get a picture of the New York Public Library. Because...you know...that's how I am. And it took all my restraint not to go in. ;)
We wandered some more. We ended up walking about 2 miles total. It was cold, but a beautiful day.
We got lost in the underbelly of Rockefeller Plaza. We took a random picture in front of Andrew's Ties. We saw the ice skating rink (tiny) and the line for the ice skating rink (enormous) and the Christmas tree (impressive, but Crystal Cathedral's was better). We shopped in FAO Schwartz (meh...but I had very high expectations).
Andrew wanted a shot of this store. He thought it was HI-Larious. -sigh- He's seven.
We got to Central Park and then got on a subway back to Times Square. We ate lunch and wandered around...gazing dizzily up at all the tv screens and neon lights. By this point we'd already missed the train we thought we would catch home. But Andrew really wanted to see the ferris wheel inside Toys R Us at Times Square. So we did...(this is a ferris wheel. inside. a 3 story toy store. it was crazy busy. and crazy.)
Then we took the subway back to Penn Station and headed home. Andrew amazingly did not fall asleep on the ride back.
We picked up a pie (I've been in NYC all day...what can I say) at Andrew's favorite pizza joint, and then went home to a very excited Lily and Michael.
We had cake (which Mikey kept saying...Eat Big Cake? Eat Big Cake?)
And it was a great day. Just appreciating our first baby. He's so much fun ;)
Friday, November 26, 2010
The day after Thanksgiving...
(I'm back dating this post...because I'm a baaaaaaad blogger.)
Today we took the kids to Sesame Place. And it was cold. A bit damp. But there was NOBODY there, and we rode every ride that was open, and we went to both shows that were there. Success!
Andrew got to be IN the Elmo show! He was a dreidel. Very PC of Sesame Place...since the whole show was about Christmas.
Today we took the kids to Sesame Place. And it was cold. A bit damp. But there was NOBODY there, and we rode every ride that was open, and we went to both shows that were there. Success!
Mike and Grandpa waiting for Elmo's World to start.
Andrew got to be IN the Elmo show! He was a dreidel. Very PC of Sesame Place...since the whole show was about Christmas. Throw a dreidel in...that will make all the Jewish families happy.
Waiting for the other show...I already can't remember what it was called. Sesame Sings Christmas Carols or something.
Nothing for the other holidays. Why pretend?
Because it was so empty, the kids got to go up and meet every single star of the show. Mike's face when he high-fived Cookie was priceless. Lily went up to Zoe twice and Abby got a big hug. Worth the cold, just for this!
Then we opened Andrew's gifts, because tomorrow we're going to New York City and he gets to pick out a toy from one of the giant toy stores. He needed to know what he was already getting.
Waiting for the other show...I already can't remember what it was called. Sesame Sings Christmas Carols or something.
Nothing for the other holidays. Why pretend?
Because it was so empty, the kids got to go up and meet every single star of the show. Mike's face when he high-fived Cookie was priceless. Lily went up to Zoe twice and Abby got a big hug. Worth the cold, just for this!
Then we opened Andrew's gifts, because tomorrow we're going to New York City and he gets to pick out a toy from one of the giant toy stores. He needed to know what he was already getting.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
We've never had the same Thanksgiving gathering twice. And it may just be my favorite tradition.
This year we are traveling to Jeff's cousin's house and spending the day with family.
(You can read about our Thanksgivings past here.)
I'm sorry I won't get to see my family as originally planned, but if there is one thing I've learned from all our Thanksgivings apart? It's that a holiday is special and fun, but it really doesn't matter WHEN you get together with family. That is special and fun any time of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This year we are traveling to Jeff's cousin's house and spending the day with family.
(You can read about our Thanksgivings past here.)
I'm sorry I won't get to see my family as originally planned, but if there is one thing I've learned from all our Thanksgivings apart? It's that a holiday is special and fun, but it really doesn't matter WHEN you get together with family. That is special and fun any time of the year.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
A party, a conference, and a day at home
Yesterday, Jeff used a vacation day, because I had to help at Lily's Thanksgiving party, and younger siblings are not allowed. Also, I had a conference with Andrew's teacher in the afternoon. So because Jeff was home, I also go to do some Christmas shopping alone (?!?) and run some pre-birthday/Thanksgiving errands alone. Awesome.
Lily's party:
Lily just happened to be V.I.P. (Very Important Preschooler) yesterday. A much coveted position that she has been moaning about lately. She got to point to the calendar as they talked about the day of the week, etc.
She also got to check the weather and then put the appropriate sticker on the weather chart.
She also got hold the flag during the pledge of allegiance and singing of God Bless America. 
Then they dressed in their pilgrim and Native American costumes they made last week.
Then they traded necklaces with their Native American/Pilgrim friends.
They ate a fabulous feast of pumpkin pancakes and applesauce. And then they sat down to wait for their Mommies to come and get them and sang turkey songs while they waited. Cutest thing ever. Lily has been trying to remember the words to this song for a week...so when they started to sing it, she turned to me and yelled, "This is it! This is the turkey song, Mom!"
Andrew's conference was later that day. I took no pictures...obviously. He is wonderful and smart and perfectly perfect. The only thing to work on is to encourage him to not be so hard on himself when he doesn't do something perfect. She had no tips as to how to accomplish this. Which I would have appreciated...since I never quite mastered that myself as a student. ;) Also, she mentioned that she is getting a new student next week and she'd just met with the parents. Apparently they are moving into the house that just sold in our neighborhood. So their son will be in Andrew's class. And they also just happen to have a daughter who turned 4 in September. Hello? Stalking shall begin as soon as I see the moving truck. ;) 
And we made place cards for the Thanksgiving table using paint and our thumbs and an old Cheerios box that I cut up to use as card stock. The kids had a blast because it was Paint! and Mom never lets us Paint! (it was miserable...FYI) (I chickened out and did it while Mikey napped...FYI)
Only the girls got googly eyes...per Lily's decree.
My in-laws get here tonight. My parents were supposed to come Friday, but with all the great-grandma/Memere issues, they are wisely skipping the long trip to Philly. Jeff's mom and dad quickly jumped on the wagon and are coming instead. And much to my dismay, they are missing the Ohio State/Michigan game that they had tickets for. If I had been aware, I wouldn't have made them choose. But as it is, they chose us (and I'm glad).
Lily's party:
Kids waiting for the action to start
Lily just happened to be V.I.P. (Very Important Preschooler) yesterday. A much coveted position that she has been moaning about lately. She got to point to the calendar as they talked about the day of the week, etc.
She also got to check the weather and then put the appropriate sticker on the weather chart.
She also got hold the flag during the pledge of allegiance and singing of God Bless America. Very cute.
Then they dressed in their pilgrim and Native American costumes they made last week.
Then they traded necklaces with their Native American/Pilgrim friends.
They ate a fabulous feast of pumpkin pancakes and applesauce. And then they sat down to wait for their Mommies to come and get them and sang turkey songs while they waited. Cutest thing ever. Lily has been trying to remember the words to this song for a week...so when they started to sing it, she turned to me and yelled, "This is it! This is the turkey song, Mom!"
Andrew's conference was later that day. I took no pictures...obviously. He is wonderful and smart and perfectly perfect. The only thing to work on is to encourage him to not be so hard on himself when he doesn't do something perfect. She had no tips as to how to accomplish this. Which I would have appreciated...since I never quite mastered that myself as a student. ;) Also, she mentioned that she is getting a new student next week and she'd just met with the parents. Apparently they are moving into the house that just sold in our neighborhood. So their son will be in Andrew's class. And they also just happen to have a daughter who turned 4 in September. Hello? Stalking shall begin as soon as I see the moving truck. ;)-
Today was destined to be a difficult day. Nobody had school. Jeff worked a normal day. I had already completed my errands, but still had almost all the cleaning and cooking left to do on my list. Blergh.
But the kids were fabulous. They played so nicely together, and it was so fun to see the playing switch. When one kid needed a break, the other two would pick up with their own game, etc etc. A nice perk to the 3 kid equation that I've never seen before in practice. I got a TON of my chores accomplished...although all the cooking will wait until tomorrow morning, and I managed to avoid the master bath. Overwhelming.
We also made a fort while I was washing the kitchen floor:
And we made place cards for the Thanksgiving table using paint and our thumbs and an old Cheerios box that I cut up to use as card stock. The kids had a blast because it was Paint! and Mom never lets us Paint! (it was miserable...FYI) (I chickened out and did it while Mikey napped...FYI)
Only the girls got googly eyes...per Lily's decree.
My in-laws get here tonight. My parents were supposed to come Friday, but with all the great-grandma/Memere issues, they are wisely skipping the long trip to Philly. Jeff's mom and dad quickly jumped on the wagon and are coming instead. And much to my dismay, they are missing the Ohio State/Michigan game that they had tickets for. If I had been aware, I wouldn't have made them choose. But as it is, they chose us (and I'm glad).
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Day to Day
Taking a post from Emily. We've all got to share during this daily blogging thing :) Inspiration and all that...
So what does our day look like? Each day is slightly different, of course, with the beginning of the week more crammed with errands and the end of the week being more social outings. Guess which end of the week I like more ;)
5:15-5:30am; Jeff's alarm goes off, I get up and go downstairs to drink my cup of coffee before everyone is up. Often I play on the computer or watch a DVR'd show.
6:00am; Lily comes downstairs...often Andrew is with her. Jeff comes down to eat breakfast, and I run upstairs to take a shower
6:15am; Jeff is out the door to catch the train. Andrew and Lily watch tv (I am not a mother before 7 am), play pretend games, fight, etc. I usually clean up the kitchen at this point (I am bad about doing it at night...). If Mike isn't up yet, I'll run and dry my hair.
6:45ish; Mikey usually wakes up around now. He gets changed and comes down to watch a show while drinking his milk.
7:00-7:30 Breakfast time! Nobody tends to eat the same thing, but nothing is really that difficult. Lily usually grazes all morning, so she has a bagel or dry cereal. Andrew eats several courses of breakfast, cereal/yogurt/fruit/drink...I feel like I'm making breakfast for him all morning ;) Michael just sits down and hogs. I also make Andrew's lunch, double check all the papers are where they need to be, make lists for errands, and somewhere in there make my own breakfast.
7:30; My daily call to my mom. The kids usually are just entertaining themselves at this point. Often they are watching a tv show, or playing Pokemon, or just generally destroying the house. While I talk to my mom, I usually finish up the kitchen, throw a load of laundry in, wipe off the table, etc etc etc.
8:00; Time to get dressed. Everyone goes upstairs and dresses...about twice a week I'll throw bath time in as well (those mornings are a bit more harried...). Teeth are brushed, beds are made, hair is styled. Usually we have extra time to read books.
8:40; Time to get Andrew to the bus stop. Almost every morning I end up screaming during the last 5 minutes..."Getyourshoesongetyourshoesonwhereareyourshoesgetyourshoeson." No matter how early we start this process...le-sigh.
9:00-12:00; On Lily's school days, we go and drop her off, run errands or go to class or playgroup, and then pick her back up and come home for lunch. On not-Lily school days (M,W), we do other things...playdates, errands, library, playdoh, parks, etc etc.
12-1:00; lunch time/wind down for nap time
1pm-ish; Michael goes down for his nap. Lily can usually be convinced to play by herself for about 45 minutes. I will play around on the computer or fold laundry and watch a DVR'd show. My down time. Even though Lily is nearly constantly requesting help with something.
2-ish; Lily time. We play a pretend game every day for 30 minutes. I literally set my timer. Lest I go insane. When the time goes off, I do some chores. Lily usually tags along and talks my ear off. If my chores are done (or if I don't want to do them...usually the case), we will read library books, practice writing, practice using scissors, etc.
3-4:00; Michael will wake up sometime during this hour. Sometimes earlier, but usually during this time. We usually have a little snack, read books, go outside to play, play playdoh, etc.
4:00-5:00; Andrew's bus comes back home. We often walk down to get him. He comes in the door and has a snack. I go through his backpack and clean out his lunch box. We talk about what happened that day and he usually plays with Lily during this time. Michael plays too...although not usually with them.
5:00-6:00; If he hasn't already, Andrew has to start his homework at 5pm. During this hour I make dinner, help Andrew with school work, and try and keep the littles from distracting him. After he's done (it only takes 10-15 minutes), we crank up the music and they all color or play while I make dinner.
6-ish; Jeff comes home. I am usually fried by this time. We fight the kids to sit down with us for dinner, since they always HATE what is for dinner. After we inhale our food, we try and not kill them until bed time
6:30; start a show for the kiddos. General winding down time for half-hour. If I'm good I'll clean up from dinner. If I'm not, I am finishing up my dinner or talking to Jeff or whatever.
7:00; Michael and Lily go upstairs and get ready for bed. Tooth brushing, pjs, stories, songs. Andrew has to come up and get all ready for bed, but he gets to come back downstairs with us.
7:00-7:45; If Andrew has already read to us, then we play a game...UNO, Skip-Bo, Battleship, etc. If not, we cuddle up and read.
7:45-?; Jeff and I occasionally watch tv together. I'll read a book or watch tv or play around on the computer. Jeff does the same. But not usually together. I'm usually in bed by 9:30, and Jeff by 10:30.
That's pretty much a day. Of course it goes without saying that any time we are at home, I am doing little odds and ends to keep the house running...loads of laundry, mopping up spills, making phone calls, picking up toys, folding laundry, feeding pets, etc etc etc. Just so you don't think that I'm lying down eating bon bons or something while the kids are coloring ;)
So what does our day look like? Each day is slightly different, of course, with the beginning of the week more crammed with errands and the end of the week being more social outings. Guess which end of the week I like more ;)
5:15-5:30am; Jeff's alarm goes off, I get up and go downstairs to drink my cup of coffee before everyone is up. Often I play on the computer or watch a DVR'd show.
6:00am; Lily comes downstairs...often Andrew is with her. Jeff comes down to eat breakfast, and I run upstairs to take a shower
6:15am; Jeff is out the door to catch the train. Andrew and Lily watch tv (I am not a mother before 7 am), play pretend games, fight, etc. I usually clean up the kitchen at this point (I am bad about doing it at night...). If Mike isn't up yet, I'll run and dry my hair.
6:45ish; Mikey usually wakes up around now. He gets changed and comes down to watch a show while drinking his milk.
7:00-7:30 Breakfast time! Nobody tends to eat the same thing, but nothing is really that difficult. Lily usually grazes all morning, so she has a bagel or dry cereal. Andrew eats several courses of breakfast, cereal/yogurt/fruit/drink...I feel like I'm making breakfast for him all morning ;) Michael just sits down and hogs. I also make Andrew's lunch, double check all the papers are where they need to be, make lists for errands, and somewhere in there make my own breakfast.
7:30; My daily call to my mom. The kids usually are just entertaining themselves at this point. Often they are watching a tv show, or playing Pokemon, or just generally destroying the house. While I talk to my mom, I usually finish up the kitchen, throw a load of laundry in, wipe off the table, etc etc etc.
8:00; Time to get dressed. Everyone goes upstairs and dresses...about twice a week I'll throw bath time in as well (those mornings are a bit more harried...). Teeth are brushed, beds are made, hair is styled. Usually we have extra time to read books.
8:40; Time to get Andrew to the bus stop. Almost every morning I end up screaming during the last 5 minutes..."Getyourshoesongetyourshoesonwhereareyourshoesgetyourshoeson." No matter how early we start this process...le-sigh.
9:00-12:00; On Lily's school days, we go and drop her off, run errands or go to class or playgroup, and then pick her back up and come home for lunch. On not-Lily school days (M,W), we do other things...playdates, errands, library, playdoh, parks, etc etc.
12-1:00; lunch time/wind down for nap time
1pm-ish; Michael goes down for his nap. Lily can usually be convinced to play by herself for about 45 minutes. I will play around on the computer or fold laundry and watch a DVR'd show. My down time. Even though Lily is nearly constantly requesting help with something.
2-ish; Lily time. We play a pretend game every day for 30 minutes. I literally set my timer. Lest I go insane. When the time goes off, I do some chores. Lily usually tags along and talks my ear off. If my chores are done (or if I don't want to do them...usually the case), we will read library books, practice writing, practice using scissors, etc.
3-4:00; Michael will wake up sometime during this hour. Sometimes earlier, but usually during this time. We usually have a little snack, read books, go outside to play, play playdoh, etc.
4:00-5:00; Andrew's bus comes back home. We often walk down to get him. He comes in the door and has a snack. I go through his backpack and clean out his lunch box. We talk about what happened that day and he usually plays with Lily during this time. Michael plays too...although not usually with them.
5:00-6:00; If he hasn't already, Andrew has to start his homework at 5pm. During this hour I make dinner, help Andrew with school work, and try and keep the littles from distracting him. After he's done (it only takes 10-15 minutes), we crank up the music and they all color or play while I make dinner.
6-ish; Jeff comes home. I am usually fried by this time. We fight the kids to sit down with us for dinner, since they always HATE what is for dinner. After we inhale our food, we try and not kill them until bed time
6:30; start a show for the kiddos. General winding down time for half-hour. If I'm good I'll clean up from dinner. If I'm not, I am finishing up my dinner or talking to Jeff or whatever.
7:00; Michael and Lily go upstairs and get ready for bed. Tooth brushing, pjs, stories, songs. Andrew has to come up and get all ready for bed, but he gets to come back downstairs with us.
7:00-7:45; If Andrew has already read to us, then we play a game...UNO, Skip-Bo, Battleship, etc. If not, we cuddle up and read.
7:45-?; Jeff and I occasionally watch tv together. I'll read a book or watch tv or play around on the computer. Jeff does the same. But not usually together. I'm usually in bed by 9:30, and Jeff by 10:30.
That's pretty much a day. Of course it goes without saying that any time we are at home, I am doing little odds and ends to keep the house running...loads of laundry, mopping up spills, making phone calls, picking up toys, folding laundry, feeding pets, etc etc etc. Just so you don't think that I'm lying down eating bon bons or something while the kids are coloring ;)
Monday, November 22, 2010
To do list
Every week I try and make a list of the things I want to accomplish during that given week. I'm sure more will be added, since it is only Monday morning after all...but here's what I've got on my list this week:
Errands:
-- take Andrew to school and pick him up so that he can bring his birthday treat into class. I don't trust him to carry the cupcake tower thingy on the bus ;)
--go to grocery and claim my free turkey/lasagna. also buy milk, lunch and breakfast supplies for guests, fruit, etc.
--go get gas
-- go to Target to get Advent calendar, shoelaces for Jeff, Playdoh, other craft supplies for kids
--order Andrew's birthday cake
-- library to return movies, books and perhaps pick up new ones
--buy tickets for the historic home tour in town.
At home:
--wrap Andrew's birthday gifts
--make French stuffing
--make sauteed mushrooms
-- make 2 pies
-- clean out Lily's room and bathroom for guests
-- clean out Andrew's room to make space for inflatable mattress
-- scrub master bath till it shines, because our toilet doesn't work, so I know my FIL will be in there...yikes. I should allot more than one week for this job
-- sweep and wash kitchen floor. the only reason I hate fall
-- clean out mini-van so we can all travel together when in-laws are here
--laundry
-- send out family photos
-- order Christmas cards
Things to figure out:
-- figure out where the heck I can buy historic home tour tickets
--figure out what to do with all 3 children this week while Andrew has half days and no school. Crafts? Outings? Duct tape and rope?
-- figure out what to do with Andrew on his actual birthday...our original plans have been delayed...
--figure out what to feed everyone breakfast and lunch. and what they can drink. I am really good at planning dinners...not so much the other meals of the day...
--figure out what I want to talk to Andrew's teacher about during his conference tomorrow
Errands:
-- take Andrew to school and pick him up so that he can bring his birthday treat into class. I don't trust him to carry the cupcake tower thingy on the bus ;)
--go to grocery and claim my free turkey/lasagna. also buy milk, lunch and breakfast supplies for guests, fruit, etc.
--go get gas
-- go to Target to get Advent calendar, shoelaces for Jeff, Playdoh, other craft supplies for kids
--order Andrew's birthday cake
-- library to return movies, books and perhaps pick up new ones
--buy tickets for the historic home tour in town.
At home:
--wrap Andrew's birthday gifts
--make French stuffing
--make sauteed mushrooms
-- make 2 pies
-- clean out Lily's room and bathroom for guests
-- clean out Andrew's room to make space for inflatable mattress
-- scrub master bath till it shines, because our toilet doesn't work, so I know my FIL will be in there...yikes. I should allot more than one week for this job
-- sweep and wash kitchen floor. the only reason I hate fall
-- clean out mini-van so we can all travel together when in-laws are here
--laundry
-- send out family photos
-- order Christmas cards
Things to figure out:
-- figure out where the heck I can buy historic home tour tickets
--figure out what to do with all 3 children this week while Andrew has half days and no school. Crafts? Outings? Duct tape and rope?
-- figure out what to do with Andrew on his actual birthday...our original plans have been delayed...
--figure out what to feed everyone breakfast and lunch. and what they can drink. I am really good at planning dinners...not so much the other meals of the day...
--figure out what I want to talk to Andrew's teacher about during his conference tomorrow
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Graceful Family
We are not a graceful family. Friday night, Lily decided to take a tumble down our stairs.
The weird thing about this photo is? There is no black bruise on her eye. Yet? Does the camera show what is going to show up in a day? Is my camera a MAGIC camera? That sees the future?
This one was taken one minute before that other one. Weird, no? She's obviously no worse for the wear.
But it is a good thing we took the family Christmas photo last weekend, because I don't think we could get away with 2 black eye Christmas photos in a row. I don't think it would be funny again. And Social services would almost certainly be called on us.
The weird thing about this photo is? There is no black bruise on her eye. Yet? Does the camera show what is going to show up in a day? Is my camera a MAGIC camera? That sees the future?
This one was taken one minute before that other one. Weird, no? She's obviously no worse for the wear.
But it is a good thing we took the family Christmas photo last weekend, because I don't think we could get away with 2 black eye Christmas photos in a row. I don't think it would be funny again. And Social services would almost certainly be called on us.If you don't remember...THIS was our family Christmas card last year:
What IS it with my kids injuring their faces in November?
What IS it with my kids injuring their faces in November?
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Phil
I am not a music aficionado. I cannot even spell that word, that is how uncool I am with music.
I just like what I like. And I usually know after one listening. And it is almost never the "cool" stuff.
And I've never been good at it. In high school, I thought my Chicago cassette tape was a compilation of bands from the Chicago area. It took a while for me to realize they were the same band. I went to a Sting concert in college, and really like some of the "new" songs he sang. I went home and found out that he used to be in a band called The Police. Ever heard of them? I hadn't. I like Eminem. And Josh Grobin. And Taylor Swift. And Shaggy. And Tim McGraw. And Mozart. and JayZ.
You get the idea.
Well, there is one singer that I like despite myself. I had multiple cassette tapes of his solo career and his previous career with a trio. I like every song he's done for Disney movies.
I am ashamed to admit my love of this man's voice. I try to deny it. I don't listen to my tapes anymore, I never ever talk about liking his songs. (Although I may replay the credits to the Disney movie WallE over and over after we watch it. )
And then I found myself singing in the grocery store. Yes! SINGING. In. Public. Dancing down an aisle with Mikey.
And I stopped.
And realized they were playing a Phil Collins song.
DAMNIT! I am powerless to stop this! He speaks to my soul!
I just like what I like. And I usually know after one listening. And it is almost never the "cool" stuff.
And I've never been good at it. In high school, I thought my Chicago cassette tape was a compilation of bands from the Chicago area. It took a while for me to realize they were the same band. I went to a Sting concert in college, and really like some of the "new" songs he sang. I went home and found out that he used to be in a band called The Police. Ever heard of them? I hadn't. I like Eminem. And Josh Grobin. And Taylor Swift. And Shaggy. And Tim McGraw. And Mozart. and JayZ.
You get the idea.
Well, there is one singer that I like despite myself. I had multiple cassette tapes of his solo career and his previous career with a trio. I like every song he's done for Disney movies.
I am ashamed to admit my love of this man's voice. I try to deny it. I don't listen to my tapes anymore, I never ever talk about liking his songs. (Although I may replay the credits to the Disney movie WallE over and over after we watch it. )
And then I found myself singing in the grocery store. Yes! SINGING. In. Public. Dancing down an aisle with Mikey.
And I stopped.
And realized they were playing a Phil Collins song.
DAMNIT! I am powerless to stop this! He speaks to my soul!
Friday, November 19, 2010
ABC's of me
Taking this idea from a post I saw in the summer (thanks, Kara!)
A- My Air-conditioning is set at....well, nothing. I set it at 77 in the summer. Winter we are at 67...66 if I can stand it.
B- My Bedroom theme is...dusty? furniture way too big for the room around it? dumping ground? Do those count as themes?
C- The Car in the driveway is... a gold-ish Honda Odyssey. Jeff's car is in the garage...this weekend we'll clean out the other side so both cars can get in.
D- My Desk looks like... a catalog graveyard. Seriously? We are getting 4-5 catalogs a day around here. And I want to look through them just in case the perfect gift for someone is in them. Instead, they sit in dusty heaps all over the desk.
E- The Exact time I usually wake up... usually about 5:15 am. When Jeff's alarm goes off. I'm too light of a sleeper to go back to sleep, and I like to have a cup of coffee quietly before the kids start clamoring downstairs around 6.
F- The First thing I want to wash in the shower... is my hair. That way it has a chance to drip dry while I wash the rest of myself. Plus...I always start at the top and work down.
G- My Garage is filled with... who knows. I swear it is the catch all for stuff to be donated, bikes we never use, deflated swimming pools, lawn mower, dog food, fertilizer, pots and soil, etc etc etc. Jeff's tool bench is out there too...not that we can actually walk over to it. There's just too much stuff in the way. Again...weekend project.
H- My House...is a 1900 sq. ft., 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath colonial. With a sweet-ass kitchen :)
I- If you peeked Inside my bedroom, you'd see... wait? Didn't we already talk about this room? Probably my least favorite room in the house. We have a king sized bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, 2 side tables. Nothing on the walls. No pictures, no mirrors. No tv.
J- My favorite Juice is...I'm not really a fan of juice. If I had to pick one, I'd go with cranberry. Or grape.
K- The best part of my Kitchen is...the counters. I love them. They don't show any dirt, they shine up so pretty...I love them.
L- The Last person who visited my home was... Well, I had playgroup here on Wednesday morning. So those 3 ladies and their children were here. And a huge dog that scared the bejeezus out of Shadow when she charged out to greet them at the car. Who knew this lady brings her dog and leaves it in the car? Shadow found out. Tee hee hee.
M- The last piece of Mail for me was... I don't get much mail. So perhaps one of the 5,000 catalogs was addressed to me.
N- My neighbors think I'm...abusive to my children. Well, I don't know...probably not. But yesterday I walked to get Andrew from the bus stop and Lily refused to put shoes on, so she was standing on our front porch barefooted screaming at me to , "COME PUT MY SHOES ON." Which would sound horribly abusive if you didn't know that I had spent 15 minutes cajoling her to put her shoes on and she decided to do it once there was no time left and I had to leave to get Andrew.
O- If you Opened my fridge you'd see...lots and lots of peppermint mocha creamer. -sigh- I love this time of year.
P- My last house Party was...House party? What does that even mean? I had book club here a few weeks ago...does that count?
Q- A Quick meal I like to make is...frozen pizza. Gourmet, I know. But everyone eats it, and I really really love pizza.
R- My favorite Room of the house is...the kitchen. Hands down.
S- The Shampoo brand I use is...I have no idea. I refill a small bottle with whatever big bottle I buy at BJ's with a coupon. My little bottle is Herbal Essenses...but I'm pretty sure that's not what it is refilled with right now.
T- My largest Television is... We only have 1 tv in the house. I know, how weird that is nowadays, right? Anyway, I can't remember how big it is...but it is BIG. And hanging on the wall. And Jeff's shining glory (his "I brought you back to the midwest" gift when we left CA).
U- Under my bed you will find...seriously? What is the obsession with the bedroom. There is nothing under out bed. Only because we have a sleigh bed, and the side boards come all the way to the ground.
V- The last time I Vacuumed was...yesterday. This time of year is vacuuming daily...with the dog and our shoes bringing in leaves, grass, etc.
W- Looking out my Window I see... deer. A buck and 3 does. They wander through our yard daily. Yesterday, I saw 3 bucks and 6 does throughout the course of the day.
X- I wish I had X-tra... time alone with Jeff. And an X-tra bedroom for guests.
Y- My Yard is...big and perfect for kids. And overgrown because we are terrible home owners.
Z- Zzzzzzz, my bedtime is...between 9:30 and 10:30. Unless I've woken up before 5:15 am...then it can go even earlier than that ;)
A- My Air-conditioning is set at....well, nothing. I set it at 77 in the summer. Winter we are at 67...66 if I can stand it.
B- My Bedroom theme is...dusty? furniture way too big for the room around it? dumping ground? Do those count as themes?
C- The Car in the driveway is... a gold-ish Honda Odyssey. Jeff's car is in the garage...this weekend we'll clean out the other side so both cars can get in.
D- My Desk looks like... a catalog graveyard. Seriously? We are getting 4-5 catalogs a day around here. And I want to look through them just in case the perfect gift for someone is in them. Instead, they sit in dusty heaps all over the desk.
E- The Exact time I usually wake up... usually about 5:15 am. When Jeff's alarm goes off. I'm too light of a sleeper to go back to sleep, and I like to have a cup of coffee quietly before the kids start clamoring downstairs around 6.
F- The First thing I want to wash in the shower... is my hair. That way it has a chance to drip dry while I wash the rest of myself. Plus...I always start at the top and work down.
G- My Garage is filled with... who knows. I swear it is the catch all for stuff to be donated, bikes we never use, deflated swimming pools, lawn mower, dog food, fertilizer, pots and soil, etc etc etc. Jeff's tool bench is out there too...not that we can actually walk over to it. There's just too much stuff in the way. Again...weekend project.
H- My House...is a 1900 sq. ft., 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath colonial. With a sweet-ass kitchen :)
I- If you peeked Inside my bedroom, you'd see... wait? Didn't we already talk about this room? Probably my least favorite room in the house. We have a king sized bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, 2 side tables. Nothing on the walls. No pictures, no mirrors. No tv.
J- My favorite Juice is...I'm not really a fan of juice. If I had to pick one, I'd go with cranberry. Or grape.
K- The best part of my Kitchen is...the counters. I love them. They don't show any dirt, they shine up so pretty...I love them.
L- The Last person who visited my home was... Well, I had playgroup here on Wednesday morning. So those 3 ladies and their children were here. And a huge dog that scared the bejeezus out of Shadow when she charged out to greet them at the car. Who knew this lady brings her dog and leaves it in the car? Shadow found out. Tee hee hee.
M- The last piece of Mail for me was... I don't get much mail. So perhaps one of the 5,000 catalogs was addressed to me.
N- My neighbors think I'm...abusive to my children. Well, I don't know...probably not. But yesterday I walked to get Andrew from the bus stop and Lily refused to put shoes on, so she was standing on our front porch barefooted screaming at me to , "COME PUT MY SHOES ON." Which would sound horribly abusive if you didn't know that I had spent 15 minutes cajoling her to put her shoes on and she decided to do it once there was no time left and I had to leave to get Andrew.
O- If you Opened my fridge you'd see...lots and lots of peppermint mocha creamer. -sigh- I love this time of year.
P- My last house Party was...House party? What does that even mean? I had book club here a few weeks ago...does that count?
Q- A Quick meal I like to make is...frozen pizza. Gourmet, I know. But everyone eats it, and I really really love pizza.
R- My favorite Room of the house is...the kitchen. Hands down.
S- The Shampoo brand I use is...I have no idea. I refill a small bottle with whatever big bottle I buy at BJ's with a coupon. My little bottle is Herbal Essenses...but I'm pretty sure that's not what it is refilled with right now.
T- My largest Television is... We only have 1 tv in the house. I know, how weird that is nowadays, right? Anyway, I can't remember how big it is...but it is BIG. And hanging on the wall. And Jeff's shining glory (his "I brought you back to the midwest" gift when we left CA).
U- Under my bed you will find...seriously? What is the obsession with the bedroom. There is nothing under out bed. Only because we have a sleigh bed, and the side boards come all the way to the ground.
V- The last time I Vacuumed was...yesterday. This time of year is vacuuming daily...with the dog and our shoes bringing in leaves, grass, etc.
W- Looking out my Window I see... deer. A buck and 3 does. They wander through our yard daily. Yesterday, I saw 3 bucks and 6 does throughout the course of the day.
X- I wish I had X-tra... time alone with Jeff. And an X-tra bedroom for guests.
Y- My Yard is...big and perfect for kids. And overgrown because we are terrible home owners.
Z- Zzzzzzz, my bedtime is...between 9:30 and 10:30. Unless I've woken up before 5:15 am...then it can go even earlier than that ;)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Some things don't change
Tonight was home movie night. We pulled out the first DVD of Andrew videos (Booooooring!) and then after much prompting, we watched Lily's first few days.
Baby Lily...um...cried a lot. She was angry at the world. At least when she was being bathed at the hospital and at home. That girl was born with a set of lungs on her. And the funny thing was...Lily hated watching this crying baby. So as we watched newborn Lily scream her lungs out, 4 year old Lily sat there and screamed her lungs out.
I have to say...4 year old Lily is more piercing.
Jeff and I just looked at each other and said, "Some things don't change."
Baby Lily...um...cried a lot. She was angry at the world. At least when she was being bathed at the hospital and at home. That girl was born with a set of lungs on her. And the funny thing was...Lily hated watching this crying baby. So as we watched newborn Lily scream her lungs out, 4 year old Lily sat there and screamed her lungs out.
I have to say...4 year old Lily is more piercing.
Jeff and I just looked at each other and said, "Some things don't change."
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
My family, by Andrew***
this is me. Andrew:I'm nice to be with.Me and my sister like to play with each other.(I'm relly nice).
Mommy:She make's me laugh evey day.(she is nice)
Daddy:he is very very very nice! He play's with us evry day!
Lily and Michael:Both very nice!They play with me.
Shadow:a very nice dog.She is very soft.
Pikachu,Matt,PingPong are fish:We feed are fish.I like them.
***I was moaning about what to write a blog about today, and Andrew offered to write one for me. I uploaded his pictures and then left him alone. No editing. I will not run spell check for this one ;) And evidently we are all nice people. ;)
Mommy:She make's me laugh evey day.(she is nice)
Daddy:he is very very very nice! He play's with us evry day!
Lily and Michael:Both very nice!They play with me.
Shadow:a very nice dog.She is very soft.
Pikachu,Matt,PingPong are fish:We feed are fish.I like them.
***I was moaning about what to write a blog about today, and Andrew offered to write one for me. I uploaded his pictures and then left him alone. No editing. I will not run spell check for this one ;) And evidently we are all nice people. ;)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Blog roll
Carrie asked me how I know all of the people who comment on here and whose blogs I read.
So I think I'll look back at my last few posts and tell you how I know the commenters.
So let's start with Carrie. She and I were friends in Louisville. In fact, we were co-presidents of the MOM's club for a very short time. I still feel bad about that. I agreed to be co-president even though I was in my 3rd trimester. So Carrie knew she was going to carry a heavier load. Then I up and move a few months into our tenure.
Kelsey and I went to UD together. We both lived on the scholar's floor freshman year, and we were the only education majors out of 36 girls. My only memories of Kelsey are good ones...she was always sweet and kind and fun and smart and creative...and everything you would guess her to be. Oh, and she slept through alarms like nobodies business. I still remember pounding on her dorm room door at 7am our sophomore year to go to a school visit. Oh! And she was from WI, and she would come back from breaks and talk all about this store she loved that she wished was in Ohio. That store has since taken over the world (Target).
Erin also went to UD with us, and also lived on the same floor freshman year. I remember Erin being athletic and so smart and playing guitar and being ridiculously silly...like the rest of us. It really was a magical freshman year...all the girls were so great. Anyway, I didn't get to know Erin as well, due to the fact I am NOT athletic and didn't go out on the runs she organized on weekend mornings. But she was always friendly and interesting...I remember learning that sometimes your toenails fall off if you run a lot. Not a good way to encourage a non-runner to start running, but whatev'.
Erin and Kelsey were part of a group of inseparable 6 girls. We called them the 101 girls, due to their address in the Ghetto our senior year. Sorry, the "Student Neighborhood". God, I love UD. Anyhoo, I don't think any of the other 101 girls has a blog...but I know they still have reunions and are a big part of each others' lives.
Cindy is one of the 101 girls, and she has a friend from high school named Emily. I started reading Emily when she, Kelsey, and I were all pregnant with little boys and due within a few months of each other.
Bluedaisy (Jane), is somehow connected to Emily. She explained it to me when she came to visit, and I have promptly forgotten. I thought they were college roommates, but it is more like Jane's roommate knew Emily's cousin or something like that.
Swistle doesn't read my blog anymore, but I don't know her IRL. I started reading her probably the way many of you did...I thought her comments on other people's blogs were hilarious and well done, so I clicked over to her blog and was hooked.
I found Devan and Nicole the same way.
Andrea, Michelle, LisaP, KaraP, Jayme, and Amanda are all people I "know" from this board I started posting on when I started to try to get pregnant with Andrew. So, like, 9 years ago. Way before everyone had a blog and Facebook and all the other social medias became the rage. I've met Amanda and Kara in person, and someday I'm sure I'll meet all the other ladies.
Pamela is my very best friend from California.
Kate is my sister...my older sister ;) Her friend Heather comments very occasionally.
I think that is it! I read a few other blogs, but I am not a very consistent commenter and they haven't discovered me yet. Stalker! Anyhoo...
So I think I'll look back at my last few posts and tell you how I know the commenters.
So let's start with Carrie. She and I were friends in Louisville. In fact, we were co-presidents of the MOM's club for a very short time. I still feel bad about that. I agreed to be co-president even though I was in my 3rd trimester. So Carrie knew she was going to carry a heavier load. Then I up and move a few months into our tenure.
Kelsey and I went to UD together. We both lived on the scholar's floor freshman year, and we were the only education majors out of 36 girls. My only memories of Kelsey are good ones...she was always sweet and kind and fun and smart and creative...and everything you would guess her to be. Oh, and she slept through alarms like nobodies business. I still remember pounding on her dorm room door at 7am our sophomore year to go to a school visit. Oh! And she was from WI, and she would come back from breaks and talk all about this store she loved that she wished was in Ohio. That store has since taken over the world (Target).
Erin also went to UD with us, and also lived on the same floor freshman year. I remember Erin being athletic and so smart and playing guitar and being ridiculously silly...like the rest of us. It really was a magical freshman year...all the girls were so great. Anyway, I didn't get to know Erin as well, due to the fact I am NOT athletic and didn't go out on the runs she organized on weekend mornings. But she was always friendly and interesting...I remember learning that sometimes your toenails fall off if you run a lot. Not a good way to encourage a non-runner to start running, but whatev'.
Erin and Kelsey were part of a group of inseparable 6 girls. We called them the 101 girls, due to their address in the Ghetto our senior year. Sorry, the "Student Neighborhood". God, I love UD. Anyhoo, I don't think any of the other 101 girls has a blog...but I know they still have reunions and are a big part of each others' lives.
Cindy is one of the 101 girls, and she has a friend from high school named Emily. I started reading Emily when she, Kelsey, and I were all pregnant with little boys and due within a few months of each other.
Bluedaisy (Jane), is somehow connected to Emily. She explained it to me when she came to visit, and I have promptly forgotten. I thought they were college roommates, but it is more like Jane's roommate knew Emily's cousin or something like that.
Swistle doesn't read my blog anymore, but I don't know her IRL. I started reading her probably the way many of you did...I thought her comments on other people's blogs were hilarious and well done, so I clicked over to her blog and was hooked.
I found Devan and Nicole the same way.
Andrea, Michelle, LisaP, KaraP, Jayme, and Amanda are all people I "know" from this board I started posting on when I started to try to get pregnant with Andrew. So, like, 9 years ago. Way before everyone had a blog and Facebook and all the other social medias became the rage. I've met Amanda and Kara in person, and someday I'm sure I'll meet all the other ladies.
Pamela is my very best friend from California.
Kate is my sister...my older sister ;) Her friend Heather comments very occasionally.
I think that is it! I read a few other blogs, but I am not a very consistent commenter and they haven't discovered me yet. Stalker! Anyhoo...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Questions?
Okay, so we are halfway through November, and I've got nothing. I *could* write about how Lily screamed and had fits all day today...from waking at 6:30 until right now, (but I have passed the baton to Jeff).
So I decided to steal some questions from other people's blogs. I would ask my own readers...but usually you guys don't have any questions for me. I would guess it is because a) I am not a very exciting person, so you already know there aren't any deep dark secrets in my past to divulge or b) I've already told you everything...
So! Question on Kelsey's blog: How do you stay connected with your spouse in the midst of kid chaos?
Um. We try to talk to each other every day. We are very affectionate...the kids don't even react when we kiss or hug each other, they are so used to it. We try to be the others' partner in crime...the two remaining soldiers in the trenches we are living in. But mostly...we just try to make sure we talk to each other every day.
Wow. That was...fabulous blog reading. No WONDER you guys don't ask questions. With scintillating answers like that, you might as well just read a post about what is on my mind.
So? You wanna know?
Meals of the Week (and the crowd goes wild!)
Tonight was chicken Parmesan...because I am going to the grocery tomorrow, and there was nothing left. Grocery tomorrow is also why meal planning is on my mind.
Tuesday- Baked Potato Soup w/ salad
Wednesday- Ruebens w/ sweet potato fries
Thursday- Crock pot...sauerkraut pork chops w/ mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, and rye bread
Friday- Homemade pizza/leftover night
Saturday- Date night! Aegean chicken (recipe from a friend in Louisville...kalamata olives, artichoke heart, diced tomatoes...yumminess!), couscous, broccoli, wine...on date nights, kids eat early and then we will eat alone after they are in bed.
Sunday- Something new...Wild rice chicken dinner...a new casserole I'm trying with french cut green beans, water chestnuts...we'll see. I always try the new stuff on weekends, because it takes more concentration.
**Usually my weekly planning ends up lasting more than a week. Inevitably there is a night when I don't feel like cooking...then we go to fall back meals like tacos or smoked sausage w/ mac and cheese or frozen ravioli's, etc. There will also be an unknown quantity of leftovers which can be used one night...pushing back the rest. And, no, my kids don't eat all this stuff. I just try to have something they will eat with each meal. Which they will always refuse...and therefore go to bed hungry. I'm mean. On the nights when I don't just make them something I know they like. Which, in looking at the list for this week, Tuesday they will definitely not eat...so I'll have fruit and crackers out...Wednesday I'll make them grilled cheese as I'm grilling up our reubens...Thursday they will actually like, because the pork chops can be served separately...Friday is pizza night...Saturday I will make them chicken nuggets so as not to interfere with our date night...Sunday should work with the chicken being pulled out and plain.
-sigh- When will they eat normally?
So I decided to steal some questions from other people's blogs. I would ask my own readers...but usually you guys don't have any questions for me. I would guess it is because a) I am not a very exciting person, so you already know there aren't any deep dark secrets in my past to divulge or b) I've already told you everything...
So! Question on Kelsey's blog: How do you stay connected with your spouse in the midst of kid chaos?
Um. We try to talk to each other every day. We are very affectionate...the kids don't even react when we kiss or hug each other, they are so used to it. We try to be the others' partner in crime...the two remaining soldiers in the trenches we are living in. But mostly...we just try to make sure we talk to each other every day.
Wow. That was...fabulous blog reading. No WONDER you guys don't ask questions. With scintillating answers like that, you might as well just read a post about what is on my mind.
So? You wanna know?
Meals of the Week (and the crowd goes wild!)
Tonight was chicken Parmesan...because I am going to the grocery tomorrow, and there was nothing left. Grocery tomorrow is also why meal planning is on my mind.
Tuesday- Baked Potato Soup w/ salad
Wednesday- Ruebens w/ sweet potato fries
Thursday- Crock pot...sauerkraut pork chops w/ mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, and rye bread
Friday- Homemade pizza/leftover night
Saturday- Date night! Aegean chicken (recipe from a friend in Louisville...kalamata olives, artichoke heart, diced tomatoes...yumminess!), couscous, broccoli, wine...on date nights, kids eat early and then we will eat alone after they are in bed.
Sunday- Something new...Wild rice chicken dinner...a new casserole I'm trying with french cut green beans, water chestnuts...we'll see. I always try the new stuff on weekends, because it takes more concentration.
**Usually my weekly planning ends up lasting more than a week. Inevitably there is a night when I don't feel like cooking...then we go to fall back meals like tacos or smoked sausage w/ mac and cheese or frozen ravioli's, etc. There will also be an unknown quantity of leftovers which can be used one night...pushing back the rest. And, no, my kids don't eat all this stuff. I just try to have something they will eat with each meal. Which they will always refuse...and therefore go to bed hungry. I'm mean. On the nights when I don't just make them something I know they like. Which, in looking at the list for this week, Tuesday they will definitely not eat...so I'll have fruit and crackers out...Wednesday I'll make them grilled cheese as I'm grilling up our reubens...Thursday they will actually like, because the pork chops can be served separately...Friday is pizza night...Saturday I will make them chicken nuggets so as not to interfere with our date night...Sunday should work with the chicken being pulled out and plain.
-sigh- When will they eat normally?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Stuff on my mind Sunday
--I cannot stop thinking about The Passage. You know, the book that sucked me in and forced me to read it in 2 days. I even sent an e-mail to my brother in law, imploring him to read it just so I can have someone to talk to about it. Seriously...best book I've read in a long long time. Or at least, the most addictive. And I read a lot (35 books this year so far...yes, I keep track)
-- Andrew's birthday is in less than 2 weeks. He has requested a trip to NYC with Jeff and I as his birthday present/celebration. We have said yes, but not actually planned anything. I think I may need to start researching what we will actually do in said city once the train drops us off. What could possibly go wrong during the busiest shopping weekend of the year?
-- I have had several temper tantrums the last few weeks. Literally stomping my feet when I yell at the kids. -sigh- Time to recalibrate the discipline meter again. I feel like I do this a couple times a year...I get myself to a place where I discipline calmly and without getting my emotions involved...and then slowly slip back to a place where I get frantic and out of control with them. Ditto with tv watching, eating junk for dinner, etc. This will be a reset week. Maybe someday I'll just stick to my guns instead of slipping?
-- Today after church, they had some advent activities for the kids. We made an advent wreath out of fresh evergreens, the kids painted ornaments, and at another table they got to ice and decorate Christmas cookies. Despite myself, this made me get excited about the season. Today made me actually want to decorate cookies with the kids. Which is clearly evidence of a mental illness.
--Grandma B. is now in the hospital with pneumonia and other ailments. That makes both my grandmothers in bad shape. On one hand, they are almost 91 and almost 93 years old...so practically inevitable. On the other hand, it stinks that it is happening all at once. And my grandpa's birthday is tomorrow...he would have been 92. Another tough week for my dad. And mom.
-- One of my Christmas presents for Mike isn't going to work now that we're going to Ohio. Which is a bummer, because it was free ;) It's simply too big to transport. Luckily, he is simply delightful to shop for, so I won't have any problem finding something. My wallet will not agree that this is lucky ;)
-- Jeff and I need to go out. There is the annual tour of historic homes in our town next month that we'd both really like to do. But that would entail finding a babysitter for the whole day on a Saturday. Just the thought makes me want to crawl back in my house for another 10 years. And we simply don't have very many in the youth group at our church. I've inquired and gotten no responses. And Mikey is such a bear with strangers. Ugh. Those historic homes aren't going anywhere...we'll catch it another year.
-- Not much on my calendar for the week. I'll enjoy the quiet before the holiday crazies start. ;)
-- Andrew's birthday is in less than 2 weeks. He has requested a trip to NYC with Jeff and I as his birthday present/celebration. We have said yes, but not actually planned anything. I think I may need to start researching what we will actually do in said city once the train drops us off. What could possibly go wrong during the busiest shopping weekend of the year?
-- I have had several temper tantrums the last few weeks. Literally stomping my feet when I yell at the kids. -sigh- Time to recalibrate the discipline meter again. I feel like I do this a couple times a year...I get myself to a place where I discipline calmly and without getting my emotions involved...and then slowly slip back to a place where I get frantic and out of control with them. Ditto with tv watching, eating junk for dinner, etc. This will be a reset week. Maybe someday I'll just stick to my guns instead of slipping?
-- Today after church, they had some advent activities for the kids. We made an advent wreath out of fresh evergreens, the kids painted ornaments, and at another table they got to ice and decorate Christmas cookies. Despite myself, this made me get excited about the season. Today made me actually want to decorate cookies with the kids. Which is clearly evidence of a mental illness.
--Grandma B. is now in the hospital with pneumonia and other ailments. That makes both my grandmothers in bad shape. On one hand, they are almost 91 and almost 93 years old...so practically inevitable. On the other hand, it stinks that it is happening all at once. And my grandpa's birthday is tomorrow...he would have been 92. Another tough week for my dad. And mom.
-- One of my Christmas presents for Mike isn't going to work now that we're going to Ohio. Which is a bummer, because it was free ;) It's simply too big to transport. Luckily, he is simply delightful to shop for, so I won't have any problem finding something. My wallet will not agree that this is lucky ;)
-- Jeff and I need to go out. There is the annual tour of historic homes in our town next month that we'd both really like to do. But that would entail finding a babysitter for the whole day on a Saturday. Just the thought makes me want to crawl back in my house for another 10 years. And we simply don't have very many in the youth group at our church. I've inquired and gotten no responses. And Mikey is such a bear with strangers. Ugh. Those historic homes aren't going anywhere...we'll catch it another year.
-- Not much on my calendar for the week. I'll enjoy the quiet before the holiday crazies start. ;)
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