Home for the Holidays

The Long Winter

2010-03-15T09:52:00.003-05:00

The long winter is nearing its end. So I haven't blogged in a while -- big deal.

My broken foot healed, we celebrated a fun Halloween with friends in St. Michael, a nice Thanksgiving, and four Christmas celebrations. Christmas Eve we had a big snowstorm but still made it to the Children's Mass. Grandma B. postponed (not canceled!) our family celebration on Christmas Day, but most of us got together the day after. We gathered in Wisconsin for New Year's and Toad stayed up to see the ball drop.

The rest of winter has been filled with snowpants and boots, soccer clinics (which Toad hates and has turned him against soccer completely!) and entertaining. Both kids have been doing very well in school. We hosted another successful Super Bowl party (on a much smaller scale this year), and last week I hosted Book Club with a Tudor-inspired feast for the month's selection, The Other Boleyn Girl. Toad was thrilled with the Olympics and we spent a lot of time watching together. He also set up speed-skating and skiing courses in the living room. Birdy and I have been doing lots of baking and crafts. She loves to draw and color.

Next up: Spring. The dirty snow is melting, leaving mushy, sopping mud puddles behind. Every year at this time I wish for a bigger mud room!

Birdy turns three on Sunday and we're having a fabulous Fancy Nancy extravaganza to celebrate!

My little rock stars

A Fabulous Fall

2009-10-29T21:45:00.004-05:00

The Broken Foot has put a slight damper on our fall festivities.

About 10 days after my fall, I returned to the doctor because of the extreme pain I was experiencing. Turns out, I sprained my foot in addition to breaking it in two places. It's the chicken vs. the egg -- not sure if I sprained it when I fell (more likely) or if I sprained it sometime after.

Life goes on and we're still adjusting to this new, slower pace. Except the pace hasn't slowed much. I am still a mom, and there are still two cute little padawans who need my help. We've had some rough days and we've had some terrific days. There will be no trip to the Pumpkin Patch this year, and the kids will be trick-or-treating with friends in a different neighborhood so I don't have to give out candy. The house is a mess, but somehow the laundry gets done and the groceries magically appear in the pantry.

We were lucky enough to still be able to enjoy our annual North Shore vacation, even with my bad foot. Grandma and Grandpa A. watched the kids last weekend while Hammer Guy and I visited Duluth, Two Harbors, and Grand Marais. The weather was so-so: rain and snow in Duluth on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day, so beautiful that we made an unplanned trip to Grand Marais. We went to Betsy Bowen's studio and purchased another chickadee woodcut print, the third in our collection. Grand Marais was definitely the highlight of the trip.

We're looking forward to the weekend and lots of Halloween fun!

Hammer Guy at Fitger's Brewhouse, with a growler of XXX ESB

At Fitger's Brewhouse, after enjoying a Pub Style Wild Rice Burger & onion rings

Sampler

One of my favorite bookstores, Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais

Betsy Bowen's Studio, Grand Marais

Our Chickadee Collection

The Speed of Life

2009-09-30T12:03:00.003-05:00

Has it really been eight months since I last posted? That is so indicative of how the chaos of life has increased. There are many things to report, of course: Birdy and Toad both celebrated birthdays, Toad started soccer, Birdy started Montessori three months before Toad left it for bigger and better things: first grade at the elementary school.

There are too many events to recall here, so I will move forward with a brief update on the family:

Hammer Guy was officially promoted in April and is officially stressed out. Work became less stressful for me with a change in leadership and I am fortunate to be able to work from home on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I love what I do and I love the company. Finding quality child care can be so nerve-wracking for parents and it's wonderful to be able to alleviate some of the worry and concern for our families.

Toad is a voracious reader and Lego-builder and of course is still obsessed with Star Wars. He's in that new generation of Star Wars fans -- on movie nights I constantly joke with him that I want to watch Episode V but his hero is Anakin Skywalker, so he would much rather watch Episode I or II (we have not let him watch Episode III yet) or the new animated Clone Wars movie or series. He enjoys soccer but I wouldn't call him an athlete. He has also recently joined Cub Scouts (Hammer Guy is the assistant den leader) and we're thinking about tae kwon do.

Birdy, little Birdy, is such a big girl now. She loves going to preschool at the Montessori and is thriving there just as Toad did. She, too, loves books. Some of her current favorites are Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, and the Sleepy Little Alphabet. She loves to build with "big Legos," play kitchen and stroll around the living room with her babies.

The kids have a new little cousin to love: Cousin Frog's sister was born on August 31 -- and needs a blog name! I will have to look through the Frog and Toad books to find the perfect name for the sweet little babe!

And the latest incident: somehow I managed to break my right foot. I'm sure I could find some posts from March of 2006 about a broken left foot! This time it's my driving foot, which presents some new challenges, but at least I am able to work from home.

Here is a smattering of (somewhat) recent photos:

Toad's first day of first grade

Memorial Day Weekend, Duluth

Toad checks out the Death Star pinata

A somewhat grumpy Birdy and the Abby Cadabby cake

Visitors from CA

2009-01-25T14:02:00.003-06:00

Yesterday the family got together at our house for lunch with Jason and Micah, who were visiting for a few days from sunny and much warmer California. Even though we'd had a January Thaw previously in the week, the temperatures took a nose dive just in time for their visit.

Toad loved seeing his godfather. Uncle Mike made some hot hot chili. A good time was had by all and the house survived. We've got another big party next weekend, so hopefully we can maintain this week and not have too much cleaning to do before the Super Bowl.

One more week... Hammer Guy is frantically finishing a few things up before the carpet install on Friday... and then the basement will be finished! Hurray!

MIA and MOA

2009-01-17T19:45:00.003-06:00

Toad and I spent last Sunday at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It was Target Family Day -- Sun and Moon. Toad and "Grandma Shirley" -- a very nice lady who inspired Toad with her depiction of the Sun -- got along well. He also made a very cool headdress.

The work week was long and stressful for both me and Hammer Guy, and we're very glad it's the weekend! Today I was able to meet the UMD Ladies at the Mall of America for our annual lunch and afternoon of shopping. It was absolutely wonderful to see them and catch up. Even Baby A came along and was very well behaved! Highlights of the day included visits to the American Girl store (sigh! I can't wait until Birdy is old enough to choose her American Girl!), Hanna Andersson's spring sale and clearance event, DSW, and the Lego store. We had ice cream at the tail end of the visit, as we always do.

Tomorrow we plan to enjoy some football and relaxing here at home. Update on the basement: it's almost finished! It should be ready for tours during our Super Bowl party!

Deep Freeze

2009-01-15T21:10:00.005-06:00

It's been a while -- changing jobs, the holidays, vacation -- it all passed by so quickly. Here it is 2009 already. Before I know it, Birdy will be celebrating her second birthday and Toad will be leaving Kindergarten (and CdB) behind.

We're in a deep freeze here in Minnesota -- this morning the temperature was negative 25 before the wind chill. So here are some recent photos to warm you up!

Stay tuned. There's more to come.

November Update

2008-11-18T10:33:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-05T12:35:00.003-06:00

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

2008-10-22T14:25:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-04T19:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-09-02T09:58:00.003-05:00

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

2008-08-12T13:27:00.001-05:00

More to come...

We Made the Jump to Lightspeed

2008-07-29T13:16:00.009-05:00

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

2008-07-20T20:00:00.003-05:00

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

2008-07-18T09:06:00.002-05:00

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

2008-07-02T20:11:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-30T21:47:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-26T21:48:00.003-05:00

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

2008-06-24T09:48:00.002-05:00

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

2008-06-18T20:54:00.005-05:00

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

2008-02-25T21:27:00.003-06:00

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

2008-02-22T21:54:00.003-06:00

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

2008-01-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-17T20:44:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-01T06:33:00.000-06:00

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.

Time marches on

2007-09-17T14:42:00.000-05:00

It's been another crazy couple of weeks and the rest of September doesn't look like it's going to settle down any. Little Birdy was finally baptized on Saturday, September 8th in a private ceremony. The godparents are our beloved Nanny, to the left, and brother-in-law Chuck, on the far right.

Birdy's Baptism

September 8, 2007

We celebrated baptism and the September birthdays at our house that afternoon.

The September Birthday Cake

Birdy's Sunday Best

The rest of the weekend was spent watching football, of course. Below are pictures of the progress made in the basement bathroom and photos from last week -- I was able to join Toad's class for a field trip to a local farm. They picked their own ears of corn and gourds, fed animals, and picnicked in the gorgeous fall sunshine. The best part, according to Toad? "Everything."

I worked all weekend and am off today. I took Grandma B to the orthopedic clinic to have her broken wrist checked. She fell on Friday and will have to have surgery tomorrow. What next? Hammer Guy is in Seattle for the entire week. I didn't even see him off yesterday as I was still at work. He comes back on Friday afternoon and then Birdy and I leave Saturday morning for our Girls Weekend Getaway.

Our sassy bathroom

Field Trip to the Fall Harvest Apple Orchard

Birdy's First Cereal

So many Firsts

2007-09-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

August 13, 2007 -- Birdy's first day of preschool

Birdy in her Sassy jumper -- jump around! jump! jump! jump!

It's been so long since I've blogged, I'm not sure I remember how.

The final weekend of the summer started last Thursday when the whole family had a day off. Toad and Lemon got haircuts and we went to the nursery to buy trees for the front yard in memory of my dad. We bought two river birch and the boys installed them on Friday night. I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Birdy started to get sick on Friday and HG soon followed. It was a rough weekend but luckily Grandma and Grandpa A were here to take care of the sickies. I'll spare you the details.

August was a month of Firsts for Miss Bird. Sadly, her time with Nanny ended as Nanny prepared to go back to school. Birdy started in the Infant Room at Toad's school on Monday, August 13th. On Tuesday, August 14th, Birdy woke with her first major cold, which has now become her first ear infection (we visited the doctor this afternoon). Friday, August 31st her first tooth broke through (bottom left) and her second (bottom right) is very close behind. To say that she's crabby would be the understatement of the year. She also had her first "professional" photos taken on a very rainy Saturday -- she had no smiles that afternoon!

Birdy seems to get along fine in the Infant Room; I'm the one having trouble with it. Things are quite overwhelming for me these days. There have been some major changes at work that have not been at all welcomed and I'm seriously considering ending my career there. Please, if anyone wins the lottery, if you could just send half a million my way, I'd appreciate it.

Toad's beloved teacher started her own preschool and we're working toward getting him there. We visited the school last week and it feels like it's the right thing to do. The timing just isn't right.... yet. The basement project drags on. It's been so hard for Hammer Guy to work on it with my work schedule the way it is. The bathroom is nearly complete and the walls are close to being finished.

We missed the State Fair again.

Birdy will be baptized this Saturday and we're having our families over to celebrate that and September birthdays. Later in the month Birdy and I are taking a trip to Duluth to reunite with my wonderful college friends -- a much-needed get-together!

Just Photos

2007-07-30T13:57:00.000-05:00

Birdy's Big Girl Cousins

Birdy's First Dip in the Pool, July 4th

Birdy and Cousin Frog

"One meeellion dollars!"

Exhaustion Sets In

2007-07-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

It's 11:07 p.m. as I sit down to write this with a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water. I got home from work about a half hour ago and did dishes, made bottles, and made lunches for tomorrow. The loonies were out again tonight and they all shopped at the store. Every time I've closed since coming back to work, something totally cooky has happened. Tonight a child left a trail of spit-up from customer service to the exit door and the parent didn't bother to clean it up or mention it to an employee for that matter. I noticed it when I almost wiped out in it. There were lots of guest issues. I'm so ready to move out of the Selling Manager position -- which was supposed to happen August 1st -- and now the company has decided to postpone the "Rotation." I'm going to rotate right out of there if something doesn't change soon.

It's been an emotionally exhausting week for me, too. After having three beautiful days off and getting to spend lots of time with my family, it's been very hard to leave my kids every day. Birdy smiles and laughs and talks so much now, and she's such a good snuggly-buggly-boo. Toad still amazes me every day with his cuteness and powers of observation. He's into the Critter books these days, thanks to Auntie Mary. Just Me and My Kids....

I'll post a photo from the Fourth later....

Sling-A-Ding-Ding

2007-07-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

Birdy has really taken to her sling in the last week or so. She just woke up from an hour-long nap in it, during which time I washed dishes and got caught up on some emails. I wish I'd had it when she was a newborn. www.hotslings.com

Work has been busy and it's hard to be away for so long every day. After my co-workers wanted to switch some shifts, I now have the next three weekends off. It's going to be hard to work weekends after that.

Today I made reservations for our anniversary trip to the North Shore. G & G A will be taking care of Bird and Toad and the Puppy. I'm so excited to go -- Hammer Guy and I have been staying at the same resort for the last eight years -- but it's still months away. Good thing there's a Duluth reunion planned with the UMD Ladies before that. www.superiorshores.com

Oh, and more exciting news -- the Connecticut Cousins arrived in their RV late last week and will be camping out for three weeks. Hopefully there is a sleepover in Toad's future. There's a pool party planned for the 4th -- should be fun with lots of great food!

A Little Piece of Quiet

2007-06-26T15:29:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday afternoon, my second day off in a row after working several, including a long, long weekend. Birdy is asleep in her crib although I'd love to be holding her right now. Hammer Guy did a stellar job with the kids while I worked this weekend, but now that I've been home with Birdy for two days, tomorrow will be like coming back from maternity leave all over again. I've enjoyed these two days enormously. Yesterday Bird and I spent a lovely hour and a half at Target and then spent the rest of the day cuddling and playing -- she's so interactive now and has the most adorable smile. Today we shopped for groceries on the computer (http://www.shop.lundandbyerlys.com/) and had two visitors.

My new friend Amy came over today with her five-week-old son. She is on maternity leave from the grocery store where I buy most of my natural food items, which is where we met. She then started shopping at the Baby Store and we've since become friends. We have a lot of the same ideas on baby raising and food and we both love to cook, so yay for new friends! Then my friend Kimberly who happens to also be my chiropractor brought me Caribou Coffee --now there's a good friend. I love coffee.

Going back to work hasn't been too horrible but I would prefer to be at home with my kids, writing my books and keeping up with the laundry.

Here are some recent photos:

Frog and Birdy are Friends

Birdy in the Bouncer

Bird and Toad

Right now...

2007-06-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

...Birdy and Puppy are sleeping. Toad is at school and his laundry spins in the washing machine. Hammer Guy had a major mud accident yesterday at work and I got the stain out. The dishes are done. I'm just finishing my first cup of coffee (so late!). I'm trying to be positive about yesterday's return to work -- it was nice to see my friends again and be surrounded by adults all day, I was glad to listen to NPR on the way in and the way home, Birdy and the Nanny had a terrific day and Bird even slept for an hour and a half in her crib! Those are all wonderful things, but let's just say nothing has changed at work in the last three months.

But here's the great news: My short story that was published in November is now available on the internet! Oh, it's great to be a published author and it reminds me of how hard I've worked in the past and how hard I need to work to make this dream come true. Here's a link:

http://www.upstreet-mag.org/upstreet_2.html

UPS just delivered a new book yesterday: This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley and maybe it is.

Tonight HG is on his own with both kiddies while I close. Wish us both luck.

Sadness, Pt. 2

2007-06-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

I'm overcome with sadness that my maternity leave is coming to an end. Nanny started on Monday and I've been putzing around the house while she plays with Birdy and changes diapers (I'm still doing most of the feeding). I pumped the other day so that I could leave for a few hours on Wednesday -- I went to the library and did a little shopping. It was the first time I've gone to Target without Birdy since she's been here and it felt like I was missing a limb. I'm not worried at all about leaving her with Nanny (although I fired her twice today :), I just can't bear to leave Birdy -- especially to return to a job that -- let's face it -- I despise.

On a happier note, the Special Visit/Outlet Adventure with Cousin Frog and Auntie was delightful. It was so nice having them here! (I have one picture that still needs to be uploaded.) Frog was a bit of a No-Nap Nelson, but the first night she did marvelously well sleeping in Bird's crib. The second night presented a few challenges but it all worked out in the end and I believe that Frog has settled back into her routine without too much trauma. I hope they will consider visiting us again someday. As for outlet shopping -- while brief, it was a much needed diversion for me. Hopefully I will be able to drag myself away from the house and Birdy tomorrow to get back up there to buy some work pants. None of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit of course.

Toad has been back into the swing of things at school for a couple of weeks now and he told me yesterday that he was so happy to be there. I guess staying home with Mama and Baby was a bit of a drag for him, but at school he gets plenty of opportunities to get his stinkies out (meaning, run around and play outside with his buddies).

Hammer Guy spent the first part of the week in Idaho, of all places, on a business trip. We survived but let me tell you, we are so glad he's back. He's even taken a bit of a break from the basement since he found out our "deadline" for the permit is slightly on the flexible side.

So it's our last weekend of freedom and next week will present new challenges -- getting up earlier to make it to work on time, being away from the kids for 10+ hours a day, etc, etc, oh the horrors. Wish us luck.

The countdown has begun

2007-06-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

Saturday's hail storm

My return to work looms on the horizon like a thundercloud. It's less than two weeks now and I haven't even found the "to-do" list that I made for my maternity leave, let alone gotten around to doing those things. I've been much too busy cuddling and nurturing and bonding with Birdy, not to mention the fun (and stress) that came from having Toad at home. Next week Birdy's darling Nanny starts -- we'll try to break her in gently -- and so hopefully I can get some work done while Nanny is here.

This week we're having a special visit from Troy's sister and Cousin Frog. We can't wait! Not only will the girls get some Baby Playtime, but it will be so great to have Auntie here for some adult conversation -- and oh, yeah, shopping at the Outlets. It's supposed to be stormy on Thursday but hopefully it won't ruin our Outlet Adventure.

Toad's New Favorite Number

2007-05-25T09:45:00.000-05:00

is FOUR!

Toad celebrated his fourth birthday a couple of weeks ago -- May has been a completely crazy month. It's hard to believe it's almost June and I will have to go back to work soon. Toad starts back at preschool full-time on June 1st.

Other family news: Hammer Guy continues to work on the basement with help from Grandpa A (thanks!), which means we've had lots of visitors lately with the birthday parties and weekend help.

Here are some photos from recent events:

Stacy gets out of Tornado Alley -- at least for a day

Toad's new kitchen

Party at the Park

Toad loves Thomas

Toad and Miss Birdy

It's Still Rock-n-Roll to Me

2007-05-10T09:02:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night, after a lot of planning and preparation, I left Hammer Guy with both kids for the first time and went to the Billy Joel concert with Linda. For some time now, as the evening approached, I thought I was crazy for thinking I could make it work, but as soon as the lights went down and the music started, I remembered why I'd ordered the tickets in the first place. Read the review from the Star Trib:

http://www.startribune.com/457/story/1174360.html

Linda and I had a wonderful time and Hammer Guy did a great job with the kids!

The week ahead promises to be very busy as we prepare for Toad's fourth birthday. Stay tuned!

Highlights

2007-05-02T09:21:00.000-05:00

Sleepytime

Wild Boys

So the last three weeks have been incredibly busy. Here are some highlights:

Little Birdy is now six weeks old and almost as long as her Moses Basket. She graduated to #1 diapers last week and is beginning to outgrow some of her clothes. She met her cousin Frog this past weekend as we took our first post-baby trip to Wisconsin. Frog and her parents have moved from the Detroit area back to Dairyland and we're so excited!

Toad had a great time visiting his WI family and playing with HG's old toys. For the first time ever he stayed in his bed all night, both nights! Hurray! On April 21st the kids and I were fortunate to be able to visit with my UMD girlfriends at Heather's house in St. Paul. Toad loved playing with her two-year-old son Will, even for the short amount of time he was awake! He talks about Will frequently and we are looking forward to another playdate soon. It was great seeing the "UMD gang" and finally meeting Heather's new son Charlie. This is a great group of strong women and I am blessed to have them in my life.

My short-term disability leave is officially over as of today, which means the paychecks stop for the remainder of my leave. I plan to go back to work June 18th. I've been pretty good about not spending so much money with this baby. Keeping busy during the day with both kids and trying to keep up with the housework, etc, has kept me from going out shopping too much (except for my weekly trip to Target, my Mecca). Lucky us, this weekend we came home with a whole tub full of wonderful hand-me downs from Frog that will keep Little Birdy well dressed without spending a ton of money! Thanks, Auntie Sara!

And of course, the Basement Saga continues. We hired a contractor for the bathroom work based on the recommendation of our chiropractor and a "two day job" turned into a five-week blunder. The rough-in is finally complete! There is still so much more to be done.

Going home to WI was a nice break and Monday we began our routine all over again. Yesterday Toad and I went to the dentist. Bad news for me -- #19 needs a crown. Great news for Toad -- our appointments were sort of at the same time, so on only his third visit to the dentist at the age of not-quite-four, he went with Linda his wonderful hygeniest to a chair on the opposite side of the office without me! We're so proud of him!

Three Weeks Old

2007-04-11T13:53:00.000-05:00

Little Birdy is three weeks old today. Time is passing so quickly and I am already dreading returning to work. She had another weight check this morning and she's finally gaining at a good rate -- she gained 8 ounces in a week and is now almost up to her birth weight. She's got two chins and we're thrilled. She's also seen the chiropractor twice and is in very good shape.

Here are some cute photos from the last week or so.

Bird in the Moses Basket

Toad loves to bake brownies!

My boys reading

A special visit from Linda

Introducing Our Little Birdy

2007-03-30T13:32:00.000-05:00

A big yawn

She has finally arrived -- our Little Birdy made her appearance last Wednesday, March 21st, at 1:25 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long. The delivery didn't go exactly as I had planned, but it was worlds better than Toad's, and I feel like a million bucks! Bird is a laid-back, calm baby who sleeps a lot and doesn't cry much.

We came home from the hospital a week ago today. The week has been one of adjusting. We had a family birthday party here on Saturday night as well as a visit from G & G A. for the weekend. Monday was Bird's first doctor appointment. She had lost a lot of weight, so she and I have been working hard on that. By our return visit on Wednesday she'd gained 4 ounces back. She can sometimes be very ravenous and sometimes very, very lazy, just like Toad was! No wonder he's such a putzy eater!

And speaking of Toad -- there's never been a prouder big brother. He loves his baby so much and is incredibly loving and gentle with her. For the most part, he's able to "wait his turn" (and can be quick to remind Bird that she needs to wait her turn as well!) and we've only had a couple of difficult, acting-out bedtimes. Today is his last full day of preschool. Next week he starts a more limited schedule -- only going three mornings a week -- and will spend the rest of the time at home with Bird and me.

Hammer Guy went back to work already on Wednesday and we definitely miss having him around. We're looking forward to the weekends when we can be together as a family. Hopefully the basement project will be done soon!

And so we are settling into a routine of sorts as we welcome our new little one into our family. We couldn't be happier.

For more pictures, click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14698655@N00/sets/

For Ms. Komal's Birthday

2007-03-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

Toad and I worked on a very special gift for his teacher's birthday Monday. He chose to paint the box pink and then I found some sparkly stickers for him to place on the lid. With the exception of the two big flowers, he put all of them on himself with very little guidance. He's very proud of his work and Ms. Komal was thrilled with the handmade gift.

One of the other moms asked me, "When do you have time for that?" and I laughed. I've got plenty of time -- just waiting for this baby to make its appearance. Sigh.

Baby Update

2007-03-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

Oh, wait! There is no update!

It is now Monday, I am two days past my due date, and for the most part the house is clean. I've already made a trip to Target and the gas station today. Plans for the rest of the day: a load of laundry, make the bed, rest with Lemon, watch some TLC.

Toad, HG, and I had a fun weekend of family time even though I was terribly crabby and tired. We played lots of games and worked on a birthday present for Toad's teacher. We also watched Toad's current favorite movie each day, Home on the Range. Although I can't stand Roseanne Barr (the voice of Maggie), it's a cute movie.

Okay, then.

Here's a picture of a newborn Toad, since I don't have one of Baby #2 to post.

Exciting News

2007-03-15T12:31:00.000-05:00

No, we haven't had the baby, but we did receive some great news this week. Hammer Guy's sister, her husband, and their baby found a house to buy in Wisconsin! They will be moving from Detroit at the end of the month. It's very exciting -- they will be close to HG's parents and other sister, and we will get to see them much more often. It will be great for Toad (and #2) to be able to spend time with little cousin Frog.

The week is dragging on. I've been working every day. Today I worked just over two hours and called it quits. Even though there are plenty of chores to do around the house, I think I will just relax and watch a movie since Toad is at school.

Please send positive baby vibes my way!

Snowed In

2007-03-05T13:20:00.000-06:00

What a week! The previous weekends' storm was just a preview of things to come. On Thursday and Friday we had a huge snowstorm, enough to keep me off the roads for three days! Toad and I had so much fun at home together. Two of the major highlights: breaking out a new Candyland game and watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Toad is a natural at Candyland. He said he'd played it at school and did seem to catch on to the rules very quickly. He lives for drawing "a guy" -- even if it means going all the way back to Plumpy. On Friday he and I played six games -- he won the first five! The graphics on the game have changed since I was a kid, but the fun has not. When I was at work on Sunday, Toad taught Hammer Guy how to play -- HG does not remember playing Candyland as a kid. Next up -- Chutes and Ladders.

I had warned Toad that there was a scary part in Willy Wonka (the psychedelic boat ride) to which he shivered in joyful anticipation -- but he wasn't bothered by it at all. He loved the movie so much we watched it twice.

We had such a great four-day weekend, but I know that Toad was thrilled to be back at school today. I have a couple of days off now and there are still a few cleaning projects that need to be done. I'm at 38 weeks and 2 days and there's not a whole lot of room for this baby. Now that the time is getting very close, I'm a bit nervous about how it's all going to work out -- hopefully my labor will start at home.

The Baby Room and a Big, Big Storm

2007-02-27T14:35:00.000-06:00

Hammer Guy (and Toad) finished up the last few projects in the Baby Room -- the second coat, building a bookcase that matches the dresser (not pictured -- it's just outside of the shot on the wall to the right), and building the crib. All the bedding is ready to go, there are a few clothing items in the dresser, and the last thing to do is get the changing table set up. We still need a pad and a few other things for it.

We finally experienced a bit of winter over the weekend with a storm that brought down about a foot of snow. They are predicting another "snow event" for tomorrow and Thursday. HG and Toad had a great time shoveling and sledding last night after school.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of February -- meaning there are just 18 more days until the Due Date (will I make it that far?!). And I've developed yet another nasty cold -- let's hope this misery doesn't last long (and no one else in the house catches it)!

The First Coat

2007-02-21T09:14:00.000-06:00

The first coat of Olive Sprig is on -- much thanks to Lena for all her help and expertise! Hammer Guy is planning to finish the room Thursday and hopefully we'll be able to build the crib and move everything else back in on Friday night. Toad and his new buddy Ryley had a great time playing and we're looking forward to spending more play dates with them after I go on maternity leave.

The weekend was a busy one -- Grandma and Grandpa A were in town briefly and HG and his dad did a big Menards run. The progress in the basement is slow but should pick up when I'm not working weekends. This weekend at work was tough for me and even after having Monday and Tuesday off, I'm still in pretty rough shape with lots of back and hip pain.

Tuesday I kept Toad home from school and I took him to get his hair cut and to Target in the morning. We spent the rest of the day visiting at Grandma B's house with Grandma and two of Toad's aunties. Aunt M gave Toad lots of fun stuff.

Today is my 36-week appt. The bag is packed.

A Book Picnic, Babe, and Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

Highlights of the week:

Friday night while HG built the baby's dresser, Toad and I sat in the hallway outside the baby's room and read books. Lots and lots of books. We called it our "Book Picnic" (complete with a pretend lunchbox with chocolate chip cookies) and read for about an hour and a half. It was so fun and Toad is looking forward to more Picnics of this nature.

Sunday I was off and Toad finally agreed to watch Babe! I've been trying to get him to watch it for months and Sunday was the day! And of course he loved it! Who doesn't love Babe! He now wants to watch it every day.

Today is Toad's Valentine's party at school. Thank goodness we started working on his Valentine's box in January (HG thought I was crazy) but I've had so much going on in the last three weeks or so -- I didn't want to be up late last night putting the finishing touches on the box, and it all worked out as planned. The classroom was total chaos when I dropped him off this morning and I'm so glad I didn't volunteer to help. There's no way I'd have the energy for 25 little munchkins with sugar highs.

I have an appointment with my midwife today before work. I'm almost to 36 weeks, so the time has come to get serious. Monday my friend Lena is coming over with her son for a play date -- for the boys and for us as we paint the Baby room (Lena loves to paint). After Grandma and Grandpa A visit this weekend we're going to take down the bed and clear out the room -- then the baby furniture will go in after we paint. Tomorrow I'm packing my bag.... a big step toward facing reality.

Pure Joy

2007-02-07T13:31:00.000-06:00

We hosted our 8th Annual Super Bowl party on Sunday and after a few heart-stopping moments (such as the touchdown scored by the Bears on the opening kick-off), the Colts' victory brought me -- and many anti-Bears and/or Peyton Manning fans -- such joy. For the first time in years I was actually able to sit down and watch quite a bit of the game. The weather was horrible but several of our die-hard friends made it over and the party was great. The kids ran around and got wild and scattered toys all over the house, the adults enjoyed tasty treats and beverages, Prince played Purple Rain (my favorite Prince song), and the Colts won. What more could I ask for?

It's already been a long week. I've been trying to take it easy at work and that's helping. Last night, though, I wiped out on the stairs and landed on my tail bone.

Just a few more weeks till Baby -- Toad helped me with the baby's laundry last night and tonight we'll do bedding. He's getting very excited. He talks to the baby, kisses and hugs my belly, and wants to help out as much as possible. Today we had an amazing drop-off at preschool. We were about 15 minutes late and all the other kids were already in the circle. He took off all his winter gear, gave me a quick hug and a kiss, and then walked into the main classroom area, very carefully holding onto the tambourine he'd brought for the sound of the week basket so that it wouldn't make a lot of noise while his teacher was talking. He set it in the basket gently, then walked all the way around the circle until he found a spot, sat down and crossed his legs, and finally looked up at me and waved goodbye. I almost started crying. What a little man.

We're trying to figure out childcare and other financial bits once Baby arrives and we've toyed with the idea of reducing Toad's time at preschool. He loves it so much, though, that that thought of that just about breaks my heart.

It will all work out somehow, I guess.

A Day of Rest

2007-02-01T16:20:00.000-06:00

With just over six weeks to go until the baby's due date, I've started to swell. I mean swell. It's been a good week since I've seen my ankles bones. Yesterday I had a bit of a blood pressure issue, so after working until 10 o'clock last night (which did not help with the swelling), I took a sick day today.

And I slept. I crawled back into bed at 9:30 and slept for hours. It's been years since I've been able to do that. And when I woke up and had a second breakfast, some of the swelling had gone down -- hurray.

Sunday is our 8th annual Super Bowl party -- the crowd is going to be smaller this year. The weather is supposed to be brutal, as in, don't go out if you absolutely don't have to! To all our friends who can't make it this year -- you will definitely be missed!

Just read: America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money. Good suggestions for getting rid of debt and living within your means, but I have to say that this family of seven is pretty geeky. I've got a pile of financial and organizing-type books from the library to get through.

One more day of work to get through and then it's party prep for the weekend!

A long month

2007-01-22T15:43:00.000-06:00

A random photo of Toad, summer '03

Where has January gone? After the craziness of the holidays, my focus shifted to two major projects at work, physical inventory on the 14th and a sales training last night. Now that those are behind me, I can concentrate on a few other projects before the baby comes.

Toad and I are working on a Valentine's box for school. We had a visit from G & G A this weekend and he and Grandma worked on a few Valentines. He loves paper punches and stamps.

The baby room is still a guest room with a full-sized bed and white walls. It needs to be cleared out and painted before we can think about putting up the crib and changing table and building the new dresser. I'm at 32 weeks and 2 days and I think the child is playing hockey in there or something. There's a lot of high sticking and elbowing going on. It's crazy to think that in less than two months we'll have a newborn in the house again. I'm not sure that we're mentally prepared for that -- but at least we have a few diapers in the house.

Hammer Guy continues to chip away at the basement, although he's been sick so he hasn't been down there as much as he would like.

What I'm reading/What I've read:

The fourth and final Traveling Pants book came out a couple of weeks ago -- Forever in Blue. I read it in a day. Not my favorite of the four, but still good.

HG wanted me to read the DaVinci Code before we see the movie (Santa brought it for him). I did. The writing style and topic aren't really my bag, but it held my interest and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

I've dug out some of my parenting books -- right now I'm reading The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence and The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.

I received Alice Munro's latest book of short stories from my S-I-L Lisa for Christmas and can't wait to dive in.

Hopefully with all the projects around the house, I'll still find time for reading!

Toad's Wonderful Christmas

2006-12-29T09:02:00.000-06:00

Toad's Snowman

Toad with Grandpa & Grandma A

Video Games with Dad

The Cutest Santa Claus

A Gift for Grandma B

Teacher Gifts and Other Delights

2006-12-21T09:52:00.000-06:00

I've been feeling pretty crafty lately and have made several trips to Archiver's in the last few weeks. In addition to the cute sparkly button star ornaments I made for Toad's teachers, I made pastel button tree ornaments for the eight supervisors at work. Tomorrow night Toad and I will be working on his very own star, which he is going to paint red.

This past weekend Hammer Guy's parents visited. We took them to see a Christmas Carol at the new Guthrie for their anniversary. The building is sleek and modern and I found it to be a bit cold and uninviting compared to the old theater, and don't get me started about the parking fiasco. Once I got inside the thrust performance hall, though, it felt more familiar. I guess I'm a bit sentimental about it. The play was wonderful -- HG and I saw it last in 1999.

Toad and Grandma A made cookies on Saturday while I worked on the tree ornaments. Toad's were more like flour-y crumbs and he had a great time! Grandma and Grandpa A will be coming back this weekend for Christmas and there is cookie dough in the freezer for more fun!

Sick Day and Other Events

2006-12-11T09:40:00.000-06:00

Toad had a sick day on Monday. It was my scheduled day off, so I had a big list of chores, but Toad was up in the night with a very croupy cough and he's got a nasty runny nose. So we watched a lot of Christmas movies and even though I tried to get a few things done, mostly we just rested together, which was good for me, too, since I've been feeling a bit under the weather as well.

Going back to work was hard, both physically and mentally. I worked six days in a row without a day off and am looking forward to having next weekend off, with a visit from Hammer Guy's parents.

Last Thursday night was Toad's holiday program. It started off kind of wonky.... he was right in the front row of his class of almost 3 to 5 year olds and before they sang the first song, he picked his nose and... well, you get the rest. I shook my head no to him and it looked like he was about to cry, but he recovered as soon as they started singing. Thank goodness -- last year he wouldn't stay with the group and ended up on my lap the entire program. This year he got to wear the Santa hat for "He'll be coming down the chimney." He was wonderful and participated in the entire program and then got to chat with Santa a bit after.

Toad and I dipped pretzels the other day and sprinkled them for a bit of extra holiday flair. He was very interested in shaking the little jar of sprinkles and stated, "It makes a lovely sound." Oh, how I love that boy!

Back to Reality

2006-12-04T11:09:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, we take another step forward as I return to the store after a three-week absence. November was terribly unreal, but we have been working to get our family routine back on track these last few days. HG returned to work and Toad returned to school after Dad's funeral but then we had a planned week of vacation, during which time we visited Wisconsin and got to meet Toad's new cousin, Rachel. We then spent a few days working around the house and preparing for Christmas. And today, I have one more day to get life back to normal before I return to work -- which means more laundry, cleaning, decorating, grocery shopping, etc.

Yesterday was a very important day -- the annual Lions Pancake Breakfast with visit to Santa Claus. It was hard for HG and me because this was one of my Dad's favorite Lions activities -- I used to come home from college for Pancake Breakfast Weekend, and since HG joined the Lions, and especially since we've had Toad, we've never missed it. I wasn't sure that I wanted to go this year, but Dad's brother Bud and his wife De were there as well as our very good friends Dana and Geoff with their two boys. And Toad was completely obsessed with Santa, of course. So it turned out to be a happy event after all, even with the absence of our wonderful Dad and Grandpa.

Here are a few pictures of some of our recent activities:

Interior and exterior views of the Votive Chapel at the

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Frog and Toad

Hey Howdy Hey, I am Lookin' Good!

2006-11-02T20:20:00.000-06:00

Toad was literally a "stuffed" Woody as he and HG ventured out into the cold Halloween night. We had a near-perfect evening, with Toad agreeing to wearing multiple layers (although no mittens). Because of the cold, they did not go to as many houses as last year, but Toad was more than happy to turn around and return home to see what treats were in his pumpkin. At seven o'clock the candy ran out, I turned off the lights, and we went upstairs for a bath just like any other night.

Last week Toad and I were "hiding" from HG like we do almost every night -- while we run the bath, he and I "hide" behind the shower curtain. Toad climbed on my lap, gave me a big hug, and said, "You're the mom I always wanted." There's nothing sweeter in this world.

Monday I had an ultrasound -- all is well with Toad's new baby. It is very, very wiggly, although I didn't need an ultrasound to tell me that! All the important pieces are in place.

Frog and Toad Are Cousins

2006-10-19T13:30:00.000-05:00

Toad has a new baby cousin! On Monday, October 16, 2006, HG's sister Sara had a baby girl, Rachel. She was born at 9:18 a.m. (EST) and weighed in at 6 lbs, 11oz and is 19 3/4 inches long. We've talked to Sara and Chuck a couple of times and they're excited and anxious and exhausted, everything a new parent should be. HG and I remember those first few days with Toad.... and we survived. It's amazing how quickly the years have passed since we had a newborn in the house -- and amazing how soon we'll have another one. We're very excited that Rachel will have a cousin just five months younger. Toad is already thrilled with his role as a big brother.

More news on Miss Rachel to follow as we receive reports from Michigan.

The Great Pumpkin

2006-10-19T13:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a gorgeous day to pick the perfect pumpkin.

North Shore Anniversary

2006-10-19T12:48:00.000-05:00

Grand Marais

Palisade Head

Gooseberry Falls

We had such a beautiful weekend for our anniversary trip to Duluth, Two Harbors, and Grand Marais. Toad spent the weekend in Wisconsin. HG and I drove up early Friday morning. We spent an overcast and somewhat rainy day in Duluth, eating at our favorite restaurant, Fitgers Brewhouse. We had dinner with my sister Mary and spent some time browsing at the bookstore. We also visited some of our favorite places in Duluth -- The Blue Heron, Duluth Pack, and Canal Park.

Breakfast Saturday morning was at Betty's Pies in Two Harbors -- yum. Saturday was warm and sunny, a perfect autumn North Shore day. We drove up to Grand Marais to visit Betsy Bowen's studio and we purchased some of her work to celebrate our fifth anniversary. How appropriate that there are five chickadees. Betsy spent some time with Hammer Guy giving him tips and advice on the art of woodcut.

We had breakfast Sunday morning again at Betty's Pies (this time we saved room for their world famous pie, and it did not disappoint). The day turned out to be rainy and gray, but we stopped once again in Duluth for a few last minute items and a drive onto Park Point. This was our eight annual weekend getaway to the shore -- and I can't imagine not having this to look forward to each fall.

Happy Birthday, Dear Daddy

2006-10-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Hammer Guy's birthday quietly last week with a bucket of chicken and a delicious cake. The biggest excitement of the week was Toad's new pajamas, complete with cape. If only they were magic pj's that made bedtime easier.

It's Good to Be A Bills Fan

2006-10-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

The Bills beat the Vikings at home on Sunday and it's a great feeling. Even Bill Clinton got into the spirit of the game, hanging out with the revered Ralph Wilson. Next Sunday is the true test -- Dick Jauron returns to Soldier Field to take on the Bears.

I Am Spartacus

2006-09-27T09:17:00.000-05:00

It's been ten years since my favorite movie of the 9os came out. I saw That Thing You Do! with T on a rainy Friday night in fall and I wanted to get back in line and watch it again. Those days of Monday through Friday office jobs and Applebee's appetizer samplers are long gone, but the memories are sweet, aren't they? I love this movie. Plain and simple, it makes me happy. Table 19, your pizza is ready.

We had an amazing family gathering at our house over the weekend to celebrate four September birthdays, including my dad's and Hammer Guy's. The food and beer were delicious, the company was great. Of the entire family, only five were missing, although Sue was able to fly home from Connecticut for the event, which was marvelous. Two days later I hosted a smallish Pampered Chef Kitchen Show, which was also a lot of fun. I think I'm done entertaining for a while, though.

We're looking forward to Hammer Guy's birthday (tomorrow) and our fifth anniversary with our annual weekend get-away. We need the time to relax and recharge.

This could have been us

2006-09-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

Another late summer storm ripped through the area last night. An F2 tornado tore up my hometown of Rogers. This storm had passed over our house about ten minutes before it damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes. A ten-year-old girl died when the house collapsed.

The power went out at 9:47 p.m. and was out for 12 hours. We are very fortunate that we had absolutely no damage to our home, garage, or yard, and my brother's and parents' homes were spared as well. We spent a lot of time in our basement, and are feeling incredibly blessed today.

Happy Birthday to my dad

2006-09-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Today is my dad's 76th birthday. HG, Toad, and I are blessed to have him and my mom in our lives. We love you, Dad!

Long time, no blog!

2006-09-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

Tonight is a big night. Tonight the members of Supernova (who will have to change their name, I've heard, because of a copyright lawsuit) selected their new lead singer. And I don't know who it is. We recorded it, as we do every Wednesday night because we never have Toad in bed by the time it's on at 7 pm, but Hammer Guy's not home yet so I'm waiting for him. Pins and needles.

Other news to report: HG picked up our 1/4 Wild season tickets tonight.

Toad officially started school last Tuesday and is off to a fine start. The sound of the week is A, a and he informed me tonight when I picked him up that he likes the skin of an apple now. We shared an apple at dinner time and guess what? He doesn't. The skin was "so, so long" and he didn't care for it.

Over Labor Day weekend, a large project commenced. HG and his dad went to Menards for supplies to start "finishing" the basement. They worked hard and got two walls up in two days. From the looks of it, this is going to be a very long project.

Work has been stressful. We're in our busy season and are very short staffed, so that makes for long days and crabby co-workers, but I'll take this over Christmas at Best Buy any day.

That's it for now.... I'll report back on my Supernova thoughts later.

Rock Star: Supernova

2006-08-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

My history with "Reality TV" is varied. It began with The Real World (and DQ Breezes) in my college days, although I guess you could say I was a fan of Star Search a million years ago (remember when Limited Warranty won?). I never really got into American Idol. The first season of the Apprentice sucked me in but after that lost its luster. I've never cared for Survivor or shows like The Osbournes or The Newlyweds.

But Rock Star: Supernova? Now there's a show that commands attention. I missed the entire season of Rock Star: INXS, mainly because of work obligations, but also because there's a part of me that still grieves for Michael Hutchence. But I'm impressed with the "new" INXS, so I've added the Rock Star: INXS DVD to my amazon wishlist.

Not familiar with Supernova? Tommy Lee on drums, Gilby Clarke (of GNR) on guitar and geeky Jason Newsted (Metallica) on bass. Last night they rocked out with an original Supernova song fronted by Dilana, who is definitely a contender. There are only seven rockers left, including my favorite, pictured here, Magni from Iceland. He's got a great voice.

Supernova -- every Tuesday and Wednesday night on CBS.

We spent last weekend in Wisconsin, first visiting family and then made the annual trip to the Water Park with dear friends. Sadly, not many of us made it this year, and it rained a bit, but the reunion was still a sweet one.

It's a Big Wide World

2006-07-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

Toad has a new favorite show (and so do I). It's called Peep and the Big Wide World, a cartoon about a small chicken named Peep, a robin named Chirp, and a blue duck named Quack. Each day they learn about science in everyday life, with a lot of humor and lessons about friendship thrown in. Joan Cusack narrates. Toad absolutely loves Quack, who is quite self-absorbed. He watches while I get ready in the mornings, and sometimes we end up running late because I have to sit down to see how they solve their current problem.

It's on both TLC and Discovery Kids.

More Duluth Pics

2006-07-19T14:36:00.000-05:00

JT emailed these from our trip last week. What a great picture of Toad with the city behind him.

Monday meant back to reality.... back to work. Getting back into our normal routine has been challenging. Today I'm off and was fortunate to have the CT family over for lunch -- they're packing up the RV and heading home early Saturday morning and with my work schedule, I probably won't get to see them again. They hope to return for Christmas. I miss them already.

This afternoon Toad is going to be a very unwilling model for the new photo studio that just opened at the Baby Store. Toad enjoys visiting Mama's work, but this could be tricky. Keep your fingers crossed for that one.

Toad's First Trip to Duluth

2006-07-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

Toad and I had a lovely time in Duluth yesterday. Our fellow travelers included the CT Cousins, Aunts S & A and Cousin JT. We met Aunt M and msquared and spent the day visiting Canal Park, Floodwater Bay in Two Harbors, and M & M's new house in Duluth. The weather was perfect -- hot and sunny with a refreshing breeze off the lake. Toad and I napped in the van while the others burned and swam. We made a trip to the bookstore, of course, and then had dinner at one of our favorite places, Mexican Maya.

Ask Toad his favorite part of the trip and you'll receive a variety of answers: playing on the rocks, the monkey store, watching A Bug's Life in the van.

My favorite part? Being so close to the lake again. It's amazing how the sight of Lake Superior can calm and center me. I carry with me so many wonderful memories of Duluth -- from the times I visited as a kid, to the four years I spent at UMD, to all the times I've returned since to visit with family and friends and to share my love of the lake and its surroundings with Hammer Guy. And now Toad has seen it, too. I hope he will learn to love it as much as HG and I do.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo; you can come too, too, too....

2006-07-11T12:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to the MN Zoo with Aunt S and the CT Cousins, Big T and Double E. We had a beautiful day -- warm but not humid with a cool breeze. The highlights of the day included the Butterfly Garden, a picnic lunch, visiting the Family Farm, and of course the Dolphin Show. We were all exhausted by the time we hit the road for home.

I'm enjoying a week of vacation, relaxing and working at home and spending time with the visitors from the East. I'm reading one of my all-time favorites books, Gone With the Wind. I used to read it every July (until Toad was born). I hate heat and humidity, so a book of that magnitude is the perfect escape.

Long Time No Blog

2006-07-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

It's been several weeks since I've been able to post anything. June was a very busy month for us. We're enjoying our summer, with lots of birthday parties, swimming at Aunt J's, and family get-togethers, including a wedding at Lambeau Field for Hammer Guy and the HG side of the family. Toad's big thing these days is the movie Cars and all things related. Ask him who his favorite is and he'll say, "ALL of them!" Above is a picture of the track and cars he earned by earning stickers and following his sleep rules.

A New Tradition

2006-06-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

It seems that we've started a new tradition. Seven families came together at Lake Delta for a weekend of togetherness and all that it entails -- boats, beach, s'mores, swimming, delicious dinners, chasing children. It was wild and fun and stressful at times, but the point was that we were together again -- a group of terrific women, their patiently and wisely chosen husbands, and their delightful children. Even the infamous rubber chicken joined us for his second annual Memorial Day vacation.

Hopefully we'll be able to pull this off again next year -- and much thanks are due to the organizers in the group, as well as to our dear hostess.

So it's back home now and back to normal, if you can call it that. We've got another couple of hectic weeks ahead of us and then hopefully we'll be able to reach a more peaceful, summery pace.

Which Classic Literary Female Character Are You?

2006-05-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

Of course.

(thanks to pdxkatie for the link)

Toad's Birthday

2006-05-21T19:29:00.000-05:00

Toad's Third Birthday Celebration began with sharing Tofutti Cuties with his class at school. Friday night we hosted a Toy Story party at home, complete with yummy take-out from "Pizza Planet" and a cake with the three Pizza Planet Aliens. Toad received lots of wonderful gifts, including a super cool big wheel and a little piano. Aunt J also gave him a tree of his own to plant in the back yard. Gma & Gpa A came to spend the weekend, too!

We invited some of Toad's buddies from school to a Batman picnic at the park Saturday. Despite a brief rain shower, the kids had a great time, and paused just long enough for this cute photo.

New Best Friend

2006-05-21T19:21:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, after a very fun birthday party for school chum and wild boy Daniel, we took Toad to the new Space Aliens restaurant -- much like Pizza Planet from Toy Story. We loaded up on tokens and played all sorts of fun games. Hammer Guy tried his luck at The Claw and actually scored the much-desired Batman after only four tries. Toad and Batman have been inseparable ever since.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, I received a very special gift from Toad, who bid a fond farewell to Pull-Ups! It's been a very successful week, at school, at home, and even out in public! Hooray!

Toad's Week

2006-05-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

Cookbook Recommendation -- great recipes and fun pictures!

It's been another busy week.

Saturday we took Toad to Menards. We picked out bird feeders for my Mother's Day gift and Sunday morning Toad and Hammer Guy saw yellow finches. I have yet to see a bird alight but judging by the diminishing feed and the items left behind, somebody's visiting!

Sunday after I got home from work, Hammer Guy and his friend Kyle brewed the Saucy Fellow ESB. Toad was thrilled to see Kyle and they had a lot to discuss. The brew session went well.

Monday Toad and I went to the SE side of the Cities to visit dear friend "London" (sometimes Toad mixes up her name), who had back surgery last Friday. Toad helped pick out soup, bread, dessert, and flowers at Byerly's and we brought lunch from Chipotle. We had a great time at her "teeny tiny house" and we wish her a speedy recovery! We also visited Grandma & Grandpa B and had a lot of fun exploring the backyard.

T & W were back to normal, but today we're having a sick day after a very rough night (although to put things in perspective, not nearly as rough as many nights in the past). I will go into work after HG gets home.

It's been a rainy, dreary week and today is very cool. Yesterday I wasted two hours at the doctor only to be told that I need to return to the podiatrist, as my foot is not healing as quickly as hoped.

We're looking forward to Mother's Day weekend, especially because I don't have to work. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in my life. Your advice, inspiration, and encouragement are much appreciated.

Sweet Corn Cake Miracle

2006-05-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

Toad ate a vegetable. He actually ate a vegetable. Granted, it was just creamed corn in a highly-disguised form, but it worked! This stuff is great -- it's super easy, (somewhat) low-cal, and tasty -- just like what you would get at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Even though Chi-Chi's restaurants have all but vanished, we still have our memories and our Sweet Corn Cake Mix.

Four Days of Rain

2006-05-01T17:40:00.000-05:00

It's been rainy and grey for so many days. It seems like the rain will never end. Sadly, it is quite fitting. Last Friday I learned that a dear friend from work had passed away, and I'm reminded of the Stevie Ray Vaughan song that mourns, "the sky is crying."

Jean was an amazing woman of great energy and compassion. She was nearly 75 years old and still worked full-time. She could run circles around all of us, worked so hard, and was unbelievably nice to our guests, even the rude ones. Our Gifts department will never be the same.

A few memories of our dear Jean: Her nails and make-up were always in place and impeccable. When she had something important to say, she would grab your arm and squeeze for emphasis. I'm always cold, so the warmth of her fingers was welcome. One of my favorite memories of Jean is the day she told a customer to just chill out when he pitched a fit about being asked for his phone number at the register. She could make a mean Snicker Bar Salad and was always so generous when we had any sort of pot lucks or events at the store.

Family was Jean's top priority, no question. She loved her three kids and all her grandchildren so much. She talked about them often and brought in pictures and articles. One of her daughters came to the store with her three kids from time to time; when I met the others today, I felt like I already knew them. They lost their mom so quickly -- I hope they are able to find peace soon.

One thing Jean taught me that I will never forget and I try to put into practice: never walk past someone you know (or maybe you don't know) without greeting them. It drove her nuts when employees would come to work in the morning and walk past her -- or any one of us -- without acknowledging her. She had a kind heart. Her sudden passing has stunned and saddened so many who knew and loved her.

The rain continues. I'm surrounded by the sounds of my very happy boys singing at the dinner table. I think back on my terrific day at the Loft and Minnesota Book Awards Saturday, and I know it's time to really get serious about my writing, my passion. I can't let another day slip away.

I Wanna Rock (Rock!)

2006-04-24T21:06:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend at Grandma & Grandpa A's in Wisconsin. We went to a wedding reception, did some shopping, and visited Toad's Great-Grandparents in La Crosse. Toad's favorite part of the trip was getting to spend time with G & G, Auntie L and the big dog Peanut. A highlight of any visit to WI is being able to play with the "guitar" -- here's Toad rocking out on the porch.

We're glad to be home and settling back into our routine. Hammer Guy is on Week Two of his new job. It's long days and hard work and the new schedule will take some getting used to, but he's even more certain that he made the right decision. Now, if I could just get someone to pay me for staying home to write the next Great American YA novel....

This weekend is the Festival of Children's Literature at the Loft Literary Center in Mpls and the Minnesota Book Awards. I'm really looking forward to both.

Happy Un-Birthday

2006-04-24T21:02:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, Auntie A hosted a Pizza Extravaganza for the two May boys. The CT Cousins were in town, so we took the opportunity to wish Toad and Cousin T a very Happy Un-Birthday! The baseball cupcakes were super cute!

First Field Trip

2006-04-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

Toad and I attended his very first Field Trip as a preschooler. SBS went to the Minnesota Zoo on Tuesday. Even though we did not get to ride the bus, Toad had a wonderful time. His favorites were the dolphins that splashed, tigers, the snake skeleton, and the fish. We even got to see a diver feed the fish. He was very loud and wore a blue scuba suit! It was a gorgeous day -- lots of sun, a refreshing breeze, and no bugs! We had a picnic lunch in the sunshine. Toad was thrilled to be a part of the field trip with the teachers and the big kids.

Bok Bok. Thanks, Easter Bunny!

2006-04-18T22:38:00.000-05:00

The Easter weekend was full of fun and family. Saturday Toad helped with the final version Bunny Cake and helped dye Easter Eggs, although he tired of it after five eggs. We hosted Easter for my side of the family -- roughly 25 people. The food, wine, beer, and radiant smiles were plentiful and a good time was had by all.

Bunny Cake

2006-04-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

Toad helped decorate the practice Bunny Cake on Sunday (we're hosting Easter this year). He loves to help out in the kitchen.

The weather was beautiful and Toad and Hammer Guy got lots of outdoor playtime.

I've been upgraded to 6-hour days and a post-op shoe that I've been wearing around the house. I'll keep wearing the big boot to work.

We're looking forward to having all the family home for Easter -- we'll be celebrating in Wisconsin next weekend.

Hacienda del Sol

2006-04-10T11:09:00.000-05:00

No visit to Duluth is complete without huevos rancheros and a visit with M & M at Hacienda.

Once in a Lifetime Thousand-Footer

2006-04-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it was only 730 feet.

The Halifax
Wednesday, April 5th
Duluth, Minnesota

Beautiful Day

2006-04-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Imagine this: a tranquil Wednesday morning, 10 a.m. The sun glistens on a vast, still Lake Superior -- there is not even a breeze on this morning. The air is crisp, clean, restorative. We wander alongside the rocky shore on the Lakewalk, greeting early-morning walkers. Everyone is friendly here. A woman wearing pearls wheels her pampered, elderly poodle along in a wheelchair. A woman in a kayak glides along without effort. We are fortunate for such a perfect morning.

Me Gusta La Leche

2006-04-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

Last night I read in the Montessori newsletter that Senora Liliana is teaching the kids how to use "me gusta" (I like). Toad really digs his Spanish class, so I asked him, "Can you say "I like milk" in Spanish? He replied (quite loudly), "I LIKE MILK IN SPANISH." He is Funny Pants IV, that's for sure.

Great news: It's official, Hammer Guy has a new job! He gave his notice Monday morning. On the 17th of April, he will start as the Supervisor of Engineering Services at a local utility company. He's thrilled to be taking his career in a new direction. To celebrate, our good friends Mike & Beth took us out Sunday (thanks for babysitting, Aunt J) to Claddagh Irish Pub. The food, the drink, the atmosphere, the company -- all wonderful. Check it out: www.claddaghirishpubs.com

Fly High Duluth

2006-04-04T14:59:00.000-05:00

Toad sings. A lot. All the time. When he's not talking, he's singing. One of his current faves is "Fly High Duluth" from SNL. Here's one of many photos we took of him while he belted it out at the dinner table.

Not Much to Report

2006-03-28T16:26:00.000-06:00

There hasn't been too much excitement around the house since the bowling party. We celebrated my birthday quietly. Hammer Guy and I went out to lunch that day with my parents and then hit Caribou and Borders.

Update on my foot -- I saw a specialist last week and the good news is, no surgery. The bad news (which is also the good news, in a way!) is that I am down to four hour days at work. Today, for example, I go in at six p.m., which, to someone who has worked 45-55 hours a week for much of their career, seems like a colossal waste of time. Happily, I am reading book after book, submitting short stories to lit mags, and working on my YA novel. More bad news: my back was finally getting better after my car accident(s) and now I'm back up to three visits to the chiro a week!

Got any book recommendations? Send them my way!

Bowling Birthday Surprise!

2006-03-19T21:21:00.000-06:00

Sunday Aunt J threw a surprise 40th birthday party for Aunt A. Everyone except Toad (and me with my broken foot) exhibited stellar bowling performances. Here are some snaps of the festive event, which was followed by dinner and cake at J's house.

My Left Foot

2006-03-14T09:30:00.000-06:00

Saturday night at work I fell into a recess in the floor of a semi trailer and broke my left foot in two places (metatarsal fractures, in case you were wondering). I drove myself to the ER and back and am now the proud owner of a boot that looks like something out of Darth Vader's closet. The swelling is finally starting to go down, but my entire foot is one big purple bruise. Today I can actually put some weight on the foot, but getting around is still a challenge. I've never had a broken bone before and hopefully never will again!

The Academy Awards

2006-03-06T15:43:00.000-06:00

For the first time in decades, I did not watch the Academy Awards.

Instead, Hammer Guy and I went to see Hamlet, the final play at the Guthrie Theater before they move into their new performance space on the river. It was an amazing performance, and if you get a chance to go before it closes on May 7, you really should. HG and I have many wonderful memories of performances at the Guthrie, including Arthur Miller's All My Sons and an acoustic concert given by the Jayhawks for my thirtieth birthday (which an in utero Toad loved as well).

We will miss performances at Vineland Place but look forward to the opening of the new theater.

Apparently I've Been Tagged

2006-03-06T09:43:00.000-06:00

Some info per request of brother-in-law Chuck C.:

FOUR THINGS

Four jobs I've had:
1. Coordinating Resident Advisor
2. Travel Resources Administrator
3. Media Manager
4. Patient Care Coordinator

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Gone With the Wind
2. Home for the Holidays
3. Grease
4. Zoolander

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Law & Order SVU
2. Oprah
3. M*A*S*H
4. That 70's Show
(Do I have time to watch them? Rarely!)

Four places I've been on vacation (ah, vacation):
1. London
2. Cape Cod
3. Several Caribbean Islands
4. Door County, WI

Four favorite dishes:
1. Mom's Macaroni & Cheese
2. Lemon Chicken Skewers with New Potatoes & Grilled Asparagus
3. Applebee's Confetti Chicken (a current fave)
4. Nachos

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Hennepin County Library (www.hclib.org)
2. www.weightwatchers.com
3. The Loft Literary Center (www.loft.org)
4. State Bank of Rogers

Four places I'd rather be:
1. On vacation with my husband (in London, or Ireland, or Italy, or Duluth)
2. Duluth
3. The library
4. A bookstore

Four bloggers I'm tagging:
1. jbird (http://jbird4.blogspot.com)
2. pdxkatie (http://pdxpishposh.blogspot.com)
(sorry, I only have two!)

Thank You Hermey the Elf, D.D.S.

2006-03-01T09:16:00.000-06:00

For once, watching a lot of TV has paid off. Toad's first visit to the dentist Monday morning was a breeze, thanks to a high level of exposure to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his misfit friend, Hermey the Elf, D.D.S. Toad sat on my lap and let the hygienist count and polish, but not floss. A dentist visited Toad's school in February, and Toad had already met Dr. Greg which also helped. Thank goodness he doesn't have any cavities, and my apologies to those of you with recent disastrous dental visits.

Upside Down

2006-02-26T19:19:00.000-06:00

Hammer Guy and I took Toad to see Curious George this weekend. Toad's cousin JT was able to sneak away from work and join us. Toad was so good. He sat in the big seat by himself for a while but most of the time sat on my lap. He had a treat (M&M's of course) and then after the movie we went to Best Buy and picked up the soundtrack. I've never been a big Jack Johnson fan but I have to say that I really like this album.

We visited my mom and dad this afternoon. We've had a great weekend of family time together. Weekends like this are pretty rare and we're very grateful for this one.

Looking ahead to this week: The Olympics are over so that should free up some after-dinner time. Lady and the Tramp is being released from the Vault! Pride and Prejudice and Walk the Line are two other new releases that just may find their way into our DVD library. I'm off again next weekend and am looking forward to a fiction workshop at the Loft on Saturday afternoon. Next Sunday night Hammer Guy and I have a date to see Hamlet at the Guthrie -- the last performance at Vineland Place.

Here's a cell-phone photo of Mama, Toad, and JT at the movie theater!

Curious George Goes to the Library

2006-02-23T11:53:00.000-06:00

Toad did not have school on Monday so we visited with Grandma and Grandpa B. He always has such a great time there and we are thankful that they live so close by.

Toad and I took Grandma to the library after lunch. He had a great time picking out books and helping me on the computer. He picked out four books, one of which was Curious George (his favorite is Curious George Goes to the Hospital). He hasn't stopped talking about the library since.

Lately, we've started telling each other "Once Upon a Time" stories. Here's his latest:

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Mama. Mama went to the library, and Grandma went to the library, and me. And that's the end."

This weekend we are taking Toad to his very first Movie Theater Movie! We're going to see Curious George on Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed!

Common Dialogue

2006-02-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

A Wednesday morning, 7:30 a.m.
Toad: Mama, can I have some M&M's?
Mama: Daddy will pick you up from school today and if you can be a very good boy, you may have some M&M's after dinner.
Toad: Okay.
Mama: What would you like for breakfast?
Toad (doesn't miss a beat): Dinner.

At least he knows what he likes!

The Graduate

2006-02-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

Our little Toad graduated from Transitional Toddlers to Preschool at the end of January! He really is a big boy now! We made a cake to celebrate, one with lots of frosting!

One of his favorite books right now is Frog and Toad are Friends. He said to Hammer Guy, "You are Frog and I am Toad, because I like to sleep a lot!" Oh, how I wish it were true!

Toad is starting to get into hockey now. Last week while I was getting adjusted at the chiro, Dr. M let Toad play with her son's hockey sticks and little blue ball. Another of the doctors was playing with him, and Toad told him how to do it: "First you put the ball down and then you take the stick and you hock it." Seems logical to me!

This should be fun!

2006-02-09T20:24:00.000-06:00

I've had such a good time reading the blogs of my dear friends that I thought I could carve out some time to try it myself! We'll see how it goes.... stay tuned.