November Update

First, some photos:








Toad decided to be Anakin Skywalker instead of Darth Vader this year, so we've set the Darth Vader costume aside for next year. Birdy was a very cute Yoda. She made it to several houses before they dropped her off at home and then Toad and Hammer Guy walked the loop around the neighborhood. Birdy loves candy and has very much enjoyed eating treats out of her pumpkin.

Toad's Thanksgiving program was last Thursday. The picture is a little blurry but you can see him front and center in the Mayflower. We had a potluck Thanksgiving feast afterward. It was very fun and Ms. K has a wonderful group of families.

Our last big purchase for the year arrived. It's called the Learning Tower. Both kids love to help in the kitchen, but because Birdy is still pretty young, I worried about her falling off the chair and landing on her head. After I'd placed the order for the Tower, she did just that! So I'm thrilled with this enormous addition to our kitchen. Toad also likes to play hide-n-seek with it and cover it with a large blanket and read in his "fort." It can also be used as a desk. Love it love it love it.

The big news of November is that I am leaving the retail world. My last day of dealing with the increasingly crabby general public is Saturday. I've taken a position in Human Resources with a small company that places in-home childcare. I start there on Monday. I am looking forward to many, many things:

**No more crabby customers (did I mention that already?)
**Weekends off
**Helping put the kids to bed every night
**Weekends off
**More time to write and submit my work
**Weekends off
**Not having to wear a uniform (it's been twelve years!)
**Weekends off
**A clean house
**Weekends off

Well, you get the picture. And I don't have to work on Black Friday! Hurray!

November -- it's a sad month for our family. Toad and I spent some time this weekend talking about Grandpa B. It's been two years since he left us and it's still so hard. I wish that Birdy had gotten to meet him, but at least he knew she was on her way. My dad supported me in everything I wanted to do, especially my writing, and I feel like I've let him down by not continuing with it. I'm going to be a writer, I swear I am. My whole life, it's what I've wanted. It's time to make it happen.

I'm inspired and motivated by the tagline for Jake's Life is Good brand: "Do what you like. Like what you do." There were many things that I liked about my job in retail management, but there were so, so many things that I did not. I'm hopeful that I will love my new job, that it won't be as stressful, that I will find balance, that I will have more time for my family and be a better mom and a better wife. And maybe when I find that balance, the doors to my writing career will open wide again as well.

Post-Election Exhaustion

Yesterday was a historic day for this country. In record numbers the citizens of this country voiced their opinions and exercised their right to vote. Even our sleepy little town on the Crow River had record turnout, and I am proud to say that I was a part of it. From 6 am until 9:30 pm I served as an election judge. The bulk of my duties was to register new voters -- we had approximately 300 new registrants and I personally registered almost 250 of them. The day flew by (unlike the primary election). It was exciting and challenging and I will definitely serve as an election judge in the future.

The only drawback was being unable to watch the returns come in. Ever since I was a little kid, I've been glued to the tv on election night waiting for results. I got home last night and turned on the tv just in time to see McCain's concession speech and Obama's acceptance.

The day after an election brings with it many emotions. Usually there is some elation and some disappointment. I am feeling both today, certainly. I will refrain from sharing too many of my political views, but I will say this: I am appalled that the majority of consituents of my congressional district chose to send Michele Bachmann back to Washington. It would seem that her main objective these last two years was to manage photo opps with President Bush. I had hoped that her comments on Hardball would have been enough to put El Tinklenberg ahead. Alas, it was not enough.

Oh, our sleepy little city has a new mayor by a majority of 14 votes!

Rainy Day Music

Toad enjoying an apple spice donut at Apple Jack's Orchard, September

It's Wednesday, October 22nd and where has the time gone? These weeks have been a blur of Hammer Guy studying for his exam, Birdy at a different daycare for four weeks, field trips with Toad and CdB, and me in a desperate search for a new job. It's day to day at the Minnesota branch. It's all I can do to get the laundry and dishes done. HG's exam is this Friday, however, and I somehow obtained the entire weekend off, so there will be much relaxing and celebrating -- and hopefully he will pass.

Next week is Halloween and before we know it, we'll be Home for the Holidays. We're planning a short Thanksgiving trip to Wisconsin -- but I of course have to work the dreaded Day After Thanksgiving (Black Friday). I beg you, out of respect for Retail Workers Everywhere, please do not go shopping that day.

Also, don't forget -- Election Day is right around the corner. This is a critical election year. In Minnesota, you can register to vote at the polls on Election Day. I will be spending November 4th as an Election Judge for my Little City on the Crow River -- what an exciting time to be a part of the democratic process.

Today

Today was one of those days:

*Sometime between last night and this morning, Birdy got sick in her bed and down the side.
*Lemon, who is still recovering from the surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on her hind leg, decided to lick it up off the carpet.
*I've had a headache all day.... let the kids watch TV on a school night, which is against my own rule.
*Toad was not a good listener tonight. I yelled. A lot.
*Tired of hair hanging in Birdy's eyes, I made the big mistake of cutting her bangs. I should have left it to a professional, or someone with a steadier hand. Things were going quite well until she suddenly jerked and the shears (at least I wasn't using regular scissors) slipped and, well, let's just say she has uneven micro-bangs. I'm hoping they'll grow out soon. Like maybe before we need to have pictures taken for our holiday card. Sigh.
*It's 7:10 pm, Hammer Guy is at class, I have mountains of laundry left to do, and the kitchen is a mess. I can't wait for this day to be over!

First Day of Kindergarten

Today is Toad's first day of kindergarten! He has been very excited for this day to arrive. He spent the last two weeks at Grandma B's house while CdB was closed for summer break and now it's time to get back into our school routine. He is the only child in the actual kindergarten class, but there are eight other students in the school right now. He's looking forward to being the "leader."

Hammer Guy and I aren't feeling the traditional kindergarten emotions that parents go through, since he's in such a familiar setting. Maybe next year when he leaves CdB and goes off to 1st Grade!

Happy First Day of School to everyone!

Wedding Photos

More to come...

We Made the Jump to Lightspeed

Last week was pure insanity at work -- and this week is just a continuation of it. I've been thoroughly enjoying my days off, including today. Last Friday HG and I took the day off and we took Toad to the Science Museum to see the Star Wars exhibit. Very cool. I haven't downloaded the pictures yet but I'll include a few from the website. Toad's favorite parts were riding in the Millenium Falcon (I had hoped for battles and asteroid fields, but it was a tour of space narrated by C-3PO. I thought it was sort of lame but Toad thought it was "awesome!") and buying a costume at the store. No surprise that he has changed his mind about his Halloween costume this year. He will of course be Darth Vader -- and we picked up a Yoda costume for Birdy. So far she's only let me put the funny ears on her.



Saturday my nephew, who is Toad's godfather, got married. He and his lovely bride are living in California now and we miss them. The afternoon was a blur of chasing after children. I did not take one single picture but will get some from my sisters to post later. We didn't even get to stay for cake since Toad was misbehaving and it was way past bedtime!

Today Toad skipped school in the morning and after a quick trip to work, Toad and Birdy and I stopped into the KOA where the Connecticut cousins are staying in their RV for three weeks. This year they have Jake and Bob with them, the dog and cat. We had lunch at Grandma's and now Toad is at school for the Art Lady and Birdy is sleeping. Thank goodness for the quiet!

Hopefully I will post some real pictures soon!

Welcome to the family

Yesterday we became the owners of a pre-owned 2008 Nissan Pathfinder. Hammer Guy drove to Wausau, WI to get it and then drove back through a thunderstorm. Toad says it is "so awesome!" It is quite awesome.... stay tuned, though, for the rest of the story.

After a crazy close on Friday night (full moon -- lots of guest issues), I had Saturday and Sunday off. Saturday while HG drove to Wisconsin, the kids and I had lunch at McD's, spent some time at Barnes and Noble, and then stopped into the Hallmark store to start this year's ornament collection. The full moon has been affecting the kids, too. I was so ready for them to go to bed last night. And today was worse. We took Waldo (the new Pathfinder) on a spin to Dairy Queen for ice cream treats but that was all we could manage. I'm enjoying a few minutes of peace and quiet now that the dishes are done and the laundry is still in the washer.

Birdy had her 15 month appointment last week (tomorrow is her 16 month birthday!). She's a healthy girl -- 26 pounds, 1 oz, 30 3/4 inches, and her head size is off the charts. We love our little charlie-brown-headed girl!

The week ahead promises to be one of complete insanity. I am on call for jury duty (I do not have to report tomorrow, but will call in each night for the next two weeks), two managers are on vacation which makes for a tricky schedule, and Jason & Micah's wedding is Saturday. We're having a family get-together at Julie's on Thursday. Pictures to follow!

I'm going to go switch the laundry now and sit on the couch with a pile of magazines.

July Update

Where has the month gone? Now that I'm back to work, the days fly by. Here's a quick update:

We had a great time visiting family in Wisconsin for the 4th of July weekend. Toad and Birdy enjoyed the driveway fireworks display -- and Grandma & Grandpa's neighbors put on quite a show as well. You gotta love it. We did a little shopping, a lot of eating, visiting family, etc. Hammer Guy installed wood flooring in Aunt Lisa's bathroom, an all-day event. It was a busy weekend and it was tough to get back into the swing of things last Monday.

Toad had a field trip last Friday with school. They went to a local farm to learn about riding and caring for horses.

This weekend promises to be fun -- hopefully Toad will be able to hit the pool at Aunt Julie's while Hammer Guy (and I?) shop for a new vehicle. Please vote: Honda Odyssey or Nissan Pathfinder?

Off to clean the house before work! Toad's school closes early today so he will be spending the afternoon with Grandma B. and Aunt Amy and he is thrilled!

I've Never Met a Flip-Flop I Didn't Like

Yesterday Lena and I treated ourselves to "Luxury Pedicures" -- my very first professional pedicure -- at a place called Hot Nails. It was a very nice change of pace, sipping our Caribous while the ladies made our toes look pretty. Well, as pretty as two pairs of well-worn retail feet could be.

Today Birdy and I had a "stay-home" day which included a lovely trip to Target in the morning and a three-hour nap for her in the afternoon! During that time, my sister came over and gave me a lesson on card making and the proper use of my new diecutting/embossing maching, the Cuttlebug. I asked a lot of dumb questions.

Tomorrow it's off to Wisconsin for the Fourth of July and a big picnic at Lisa's house. I'm looking forward to not cleaning in the last few days of my vacation... unfortunately, I did not get my list done!

Here's a photograph of my bee-yoo-tee-ful blue toes, and my cute lobster flip-flops from LL Bean, undoubtedly the most comfortable pair of flip-flops I've ever owned. And I've owned a lot of flip-flops.

Just Float

There comes a time in your life that you have to let go and just trust that you will float... or that your feet will touch the bottom. I think it must be scary sometimes to be a five-year-old and not know what's ahead of you, especially when your imagination runs wild. It's scary sometimes to be a thirty-five-year-old, for that matter. Sometimes you just have to float, and know that you'll make it somehow.

Toad on the ropes

Life and housework has a funny way of catching up with a person. So far my list of housecleaning related accomplishments for my vacation, now four days old, is great; however, the house still looks cluttered and trashed. I've got a lot on my mind these days, so it's been good having an endless to-do list to keep me busy. Tomorrow will be my first "kidless" day, so in between a quick trip to the grocery store after drop-off and a pedicure with Lena in the afternoon (I know, shocking! I'm going to let someone touch my feet!) I hope to blitz the remainder of my list: Toad's room is done except for dusting the blinds and cleaning out the window sill; Birdy's room and our room and the upstairs bathroom need attention; the living room is mostly done; the kitchen and my office need some major work! That will be my main focus tomorrow -- and then on Wednesday, after all my hard work, I'm going to treat myself to a day of scrappy happy with my sister.

Ooh, guess what.... we've progressed to the point of painting in the basement! Tonight HG and I painted our first coat of Yukon Gold in the hall and one of the main room walls. It's absolutely divine! I can't wait to get Braided Raffia on the remainder of the walls! Pictures will soon follow.

Thanks to JT for the great photo above of our little swimmer.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Yesterday I was able to join CdB Montessori on a field trip to the Strawberry Patch! It's at the same orchard that we've gone to get our Halloween pumpkins every year since Toad was a baby (run by my former co-worker Kit and her family). We learned how strawberries grow and got a lesson in picking the very best berries. It was wonderful to kneel at the plants and search for ripe berries. It brought back a lot of memories from my childhood, running out to the garden and eating right from the plants -- strawberries, raspberries, peas. Someday I'll have a little patch of heaven in my own backyard.

Toad had a terrific time filling his basket, as you can see by the picture. It was the hottest day of the year so far, but none of the kids complained. We toured the patch and the apple orchard on a wagon pulled by a tractor (always a hit with the kids), had duck races, and had lunch in the cafe. And Toad has actually been eating strawberries! Before yesterday he was scared of the seeds!

www.applejackorchards.com

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

We've got some major teething going on at our house. Birdy began teething at a very early age and even had her one year molars by about 8 months. However, for some reason, she skipped her cuspids, aka canine teeth. She looks like a Stanley Cup Champion with a mouth full of teeth -- and four missing! She's been working on these for a while and her grumpiness level is off the charts. Poor girl. Poor grumpy little bean. Thankfully, it hasn't really affected her sleep.

Three more days of work and then vacation!

Back to the Blogosphere

Well, it would appear that I've missed nearly four months in the blogosphere. Birdy's first birthday -- long gone. Toad's fifth birthday -- a month ago. The world keeps moving and so does this family. But I am making a commitment to gather my wits about me and use the space here to record the events of our lives -- the daily grind, the special moments, the mundane, the extraordinary -- and to get back in the habit of visiting the blogs of friends and family.

Rather than re-cap the last four months, I will include two photographs, one of Miss Bird and one of Toad as they celebrated their birthdays, and then I will move forward. I hope that you haven't completely given up on Home for the Holidays.

What's new with us? Hammer Guy has finally made it back down to the basement (he's working there right now, actually!). We hired someone to finish the mudding and taping and so we're very close to the painting stage. Thank goodness the bathroom is finished, at least, since we've had to seek shelter there a handful of times already this summer because of severe weather. The Deadline has been extended once again to Labor Day (of 2008). HG is also planning to brew this month for the first time since November of 2006. He has a whole day set aside for it at the end of the month (when I am on vacation). Another major undertaking for HG is the Professional Engineering Exam in October. He'll be hitting the books again soon.

I continue to make it through work day by day. In the face of product recalls and stop-sales and increasing prices (a value box of diapers is up to 37.99 -- ridiculous!), not to mention the price of gas, more and more customers are impatient and downright rude. At one of our other locations, an irate guest ripped a credit card pinpad off its cable and threw it at the head of the assistant manager. I told my boss that the day a customer throws something at me, I will hand over my keys. Am I looking for a new job? Of course, but daily I try to remind myself about what I like about retail and why I got into it in the first place, but it is no longer worth it to me to drive 50 miles round trip each day to a job that does not make me happy. I am, however, writing again -- ever so slowly allowing myself to dream again.

Toad, amazing and wonderful Toad, completed his preschool year at Montessori and will be in kindergarten there in the fall. Next March we will attempt to enroll him at the public Montessori elementary school about 10 miles from here. It's the luck of the draw as they take applicants based on a lottery. He absolutely loves being in the small classroom with his beloved teacher. Birdy will be able to join him for the last part of his kindergarten year as well. Toad's obsessions right now include Star Wars, Star Wars Legos, Indiana Jones Legos, any kind of Legos, and Lego Duplos (he and Birdy can play together). He also enjoys castles, maze puzzle books, PBS Sprout (favorite friend Caillou), soccer, his new Island Adventures water table, riding his bike... I could go on and on.

Birdy is full of words and spunk and energy. She's a good little girl who goes nigh-night all by herself and usually doesn't make a peep. She started walking about a month after her first birthday. She and I like to go for long walks on the mornings I don't work. She likes books (mostly to chew on), cuddling, singing (eensy weensy spider and wheels on the bus), Duplos, the water table, playing with her brother, and eating. That girl loves to eat. She loves black olives and pickles. That's my girl! I've got this crazy idea that I'll have her potty-trained by the end of the summer -- who knows, stranger things have happened!

Looking ahead -- Rockin' Rogers Days is right around the corner. Hammer Guy works all three days but we're hoping to catch the parade as a family and at least get a bag or two of mini-donuts. That weekend is the start of a ten-day vacation for me. I hope to get some work done around the house, do a little writing and submitting, and maybe even read a bit... at the end of the week, we're heading to Wisconsin to celebrate the Fourth of July. The last two weeks of July brings jury duty for me, and Toad's Godfather gets married on July 26th.

One last thing... Congratulations to the Nanny, who graduated from high school this spring. She's off to UMD in the fall! Go Bulldogs!

Toad Gets a Lesson and Other Topics

Ms. K and Toad

Monday was the end of a rare three-day weekend. Birdy has been crabby with her teething and ear problems, and Monday, when it was just the two of us, was the worst of the three days. But I still loved my time home with my family -- and tonight I received a call from Birdy's daycare provider -- her daughter has pink eye so I won't be going in to work until 4 o'clock tomorrow. It's almost like getting another day off!

The Oscars -- I still love watching them even though I hardly see any movies anymore. The last movie I saw in the theater was Cars in 2006. Pathetic. I used to make a point to watch all five of the movies nominated for Best Picture. Huh. Then came graduate school and kids. I still love to read Entertainment Weekly, though (courtesy of Linda), and so I can read about the movies. Every once in a while we'll catch something on Pay Per View. I'm thrilled that the screenplay categories were swept by Minnesotans. Someday I'll be a writer again.

Spanish at CdB -- Tuesday mornings I teach Spanish to Toad's class for about twenty minutes. In February we learned the colors. In March we'll start learning numbers. It's so fun. It's a small group of kids and they are like little sponges. And it's so cute to hear them say words like anaranjado.

Days Pass

Toad at CdB

Another month has gone by and what do I have to show for it? Not too many entries here, that's for sure. I vow to change that!

We are still so happy with our preschool/child care changes. Birdy seems to love being at the Perfect Place and the two big girls love her, too and take good care of her when she's sad. Toad is thriving in his new setting. Ms. K takes pictures every day while she's observing and sends them to parents. I love this picture with the sunlight streaming in through the door. In the picture, he's working on his rainbow.

We had a special treat this week with a visit from Aunt Sue and the CT cousins, in town for a week of wintery vacation. On Sunday my sister Julie threw Sue a surprise 50th birthday party and on Monday Sue and the kids came over to our house for the afternoon and for dinner. It was great to spend some time with them and Toad especially had fun with the kids.

Birdy's getting over another double ear infection. She and I had many, many nights of sleeping downstairs in the chair during the last couple of weeks, but she seems to finally be on the mend after a switch in meds. She now has ten teeth, including three of her four molars.

After a couple of busy, busy weekends at work, I finally have the weekend off -- including Monday! I have a show tomorrow afternoon but other than that, we have no plans except to clean the house and for Hammer Guy to sneak some time working on the basement. That project has stalled, it seems. Part of the problem may be the new enormous HDTV that he bought in January. We seem to get sucked in every night by the crystal clear picture.

February is as good as over and we're looking forward to a busy March -- HG has Lions meat raffle each Wednesday and we've got a big First Birthday/Easter celebration to plan. Hopefully work will become a bit less stressful as our new assistant manager starts on March 3rd. I've been enjoying watching the Complete Jane Austen on PBS and am hoping to read Northanger Abbey this month, as well as catching up on the dozens of magazines still waiting for my attention. Gee, isn't my life exciting?

Lemon loves Cheerios -- and Birdy

Cute girl at the "pian-yo"

The kids are both doing well in their new settings. Birdy still screams for a couple of minutes when I leave her at her new daycare, but settles in and takes really good naps! I think the smaller groups of kids is beneficial in a number of ways -- we haven't had a runny nose or a cough since we switched. Toad still misses his friends, but this was the right decision and he's happy.

Biggest Loser Update: My Weight Loss partner Mags and I were the #1 team last week! I was in 6th place overall (we have 16 participants). Crazy! We'll see how well I do this week.... weigh in is Thursday.

Today Birdy and I had a lovely day off -- except for the extreme cold temperatures and wind! Yesterday we were in the 40s and were experiencing a lovely spring-like thaw.... we're frozen over again. After dropping Toad off we headed off to my work for an hour or so, then to our chiropractic adjustments, and then to our favorite place, Target. She got pretty antsy after an hour or so and then we headed over to Grandma B's. We had a nice visit complete with Cheerios, saltine crackers, and Grandma's homemade applesauce. Mmmmm mmmmm, as Birdy would say. We then looped back around for the Toad. All in all, a wonderful if bitterly cold day -- and now, at 9:48 pm, I must start the dishes, make bottles and lunches for tomorrow, fold laundry, etc. etc. Story of my life. Have I mentioned that I watch a lot of late night television?

We're looking forward to our 9th annual Super Bowl party -- it's a taco bar this year. I hate the Patriots.

Out with the Old, In with the New

Toad at the library

We're near the end of a memorable week in the Hammer Family. There's so much to tell, I'm not sure how far to go back. Somehow, I missed all of October, November, and December.

January 11th was Toad's and Birdy's last day at their Montessori. They both started at new places on Monday -- Toad with his former teacher, Ms. K, who started her own wonderful, peaceful true Montessori in her home in September, and Birdy at the "Perfect Place" (a home daycare) just down the block from Ms. K. Toad has transitioned beautifully; Bird has gone three days and is having separation issues -- not surprising considering she is almost 10 months old and is in new surroundings. There are only 3 children there besides her, however, and this is the first week in many months that she hasn't had a runny nose. And I didn't think I'd ever say this, but dropping off at two places is actually easier than dropping off in one. And I'm taking the freeway to work! What is the world coming to?

More firsts: Today Ms. K. sponsored a field trip to Sesame Street Live. We've avoided these live shows for 4.5 years, but I was actually kind of excited about this one -- Elmo Grows Up. Birdy was able to go with us. There were a total of 6 children including Birdy, one teenager (K's daughter -- I see some babysitting in her future as she easily became my helper), and four adults. It was one of the coldest days of the year and we had to park on the tippy top roof of the parking ramp at Target Center, and there were a few tense moments when Birdy lost a sock and spilled Cheerios, but overall it was a terrific experience. I had my camera but it was impossible to get pictures with that squirmy baby in such a tight space.

After the show, we drove back to the outer ring of the suburbs and had lunch at Subway with Ms. K and her daughter while we waited for the library to open. And then Toad applied for his very own library card! He checked out nine items, including Muppet Treasure Island, which we watched this afternoon.

Basement update: not much to report. It's been very hard for HG to get down there and get anything done.

Work update: I'm hanging on until at least April when I hit my four-year anniversary and get three weeks of vacation. I'm now the Merchandising Manager -- finally! We started a Biggest Loser Couples competition at work, too. Ugh. It's so much harder to lose the extra pounds after Baby #2. To all my friends who find time to workout -- how do you do it? What do you sacrifice? I'm already only getting five hours of sleep at night!

I'm still dabbling in Pampered Chef, but after a crazy November, I didn't do any shows in December and am just doing one in January. As much as I love it and have fun with it, it's so time consuming and takes away time from my family.... it's a double edged sword, because eventually I'd like it to help me have more time for my family. And writing? This is as good as it gets right now, and you can see I'm not too timely here either.

Things I should be doing right now: switching out the laundry, dishes, cleaning the kitchen, balancing the checkbook and paying bills, folding laundry, making lunches for tomorrow and packing backpacks, etc. etc. Time to go.

A New Year

Christmas Morning

It's a new year once again. 2007 slipped past us so quickly, much of which I neglected to record here, unfortunately. The last few months were filled with pre-school activities, Pampered Chef, and teething. The mornings I used to blog, I've now been making baby food, a very satisfying activity. Birdy's quite mobile now, crawling, creeping, and starting to pull herself up, and her favorite games are "uh-oh" and peek-a-boo. Toad is still loving his role as a big brother, even though Bird is more likely to get to his toys -- time to move all those choking hazards!

We're at home in Wisconsin for a long holiday weekend. It's been quite relaxing with lots of family time. It's been nice to get away from work.

January will be busy for us as we switch childcare on January 14th. Toad will be going to Ms. Komal's new Montessori and Birdy will start at a home daycare just down the street from Toad. It will be sad to leave our current Montessori, but we're happy for the change. There's just something wrong with having thirty wild 3, 4, and 5 year olds in one classroom.

With the new year, of course we have plenty of resolutions. Look for photos of a de-cluttered office sometime in the next month.