Not Much to Report

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!

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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!

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.