A few years ago Tim bought me a mountain bike with a baby seat so that Abby and I could tool around the neighborhood. My bike hasn't seen much action for the last two years because the summer of 2005 I had a little bun in the oven, and last summer there wasn't room enough for two in the bike seat. So basically my cool ride has been taking up space in the garage (much to Tony's dismay). I had every intention of buying a bike trailer, but never seemed to get around to it.
Fast forward to this Mother's Day weekend. Some friends of Tim's parents were kind enough to pass down their awesome bike trailer to us. Abby is so proud of her "new trailer" and we have loved the new freedom it has brought us. The ladies and I have had a great time exploring new parks around town and I am now used to towing over 60 pounds of love behind me.
So Tim wanted a piece of this action and we have been shopping around for a bike for him. Now here is how shopping for just about anything goes...Tim has an idea about what he wants, he finds a salesperson, tells him/her what he is looking for, listens to the pitch from the sales person, then leaves saying that said sales person didn't know what he/she was talking about. We then load up the kids and go to the next place and repeat, usually with me trying to tame the kids while Tim does his thing with the sales staff. We then go home where Tim will obsess over the purchase, do "online research" and hem and haw until he makes a decision.
Our current crisis has been buying Tim a bike, and seriously if I have to walk through another bike shop (really, lets take 2 kids to a place where the potential of knocking over several bikes is extremely high) I just might be that woman you read about who kills her husband by running him down with her bike. The great debate has been whether or not Tim should buy a high end bike because he "might" start to ride seriously, or if he should just get one from Target since really all he will be doing is tooling around with the family.
So yesterday I took mattes in my own hands and bought Tim this bike. An while I don't think he is really happy that we didn't end up with this bike we have enjoyed the family bike rides we have taken the last 2 evenings.
So let me ask you this, how long before the novelty of bike riding wears off for Tim? And will he ever admit that buying the Target bike was a way better idea because, seriously, he is never going to do more than cruise the neighborhood while I tow the kids.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Twice Removed
Now that I am a little further from our Memorial Day extravaganza, I am able to talk about it without getting really angry at my husband.
Our day started out benign enough...we went to the parade in town (which made me cry) and then came home so that Nora could nap and I could hit the Memorial Day sale at JoAnn fabric. Well Tim decided that Nora "wanted" to nap later and that he wanted to go to the sports store to look at bikes (I don't think I have told you about the quest for the bike, don't worry I'll fill you in). So we divide and conquer, I take Nora to the fabric store and start my thing. Alas the sports store didn't have want Tim wanted, and Abby had to pee so they came to find me and proceeded to stand behind me and ask me "how much longer" until I finally gave up and we went home to get ready for our barbecue.
Monday was a magical day for Tim. Food miraculously appeared near the grill that had turned itself on and cleaned itself off, and all he had to do was cook it and walk it about 10 steps to the table that was set up with food that seemed to appear out of nowhere. There was an endless supply of beer that appeared in the fridge with no effort on his part, however he took full advantage of it and was hammered before everyone got there.
There is a reason that I am the one who gets to drink when Tim and I go out, and that is because I am fun. I am not confrontational, cocky, irritatingly loud or ridiculous the way that he is. Even Tony wanted to punch him in the neck. What was worse was that any time he saw any of our neighbors he would invite them over, so all of a sudden our barbecue for about 10 became one for about 15, then 18, and did he mention that the kid he works with is coming over? Oh, and there is Mike, from next door, he is coming over too, can you please turn the grill back on? No, no I can't right now because not only am I in charge of food, I do have 2 kids running around here that need some supervision, and since their father couldn't be bothered to even entertain the people in the backyard (Tim spent most of the day in the garage, smoking), let alone acknowledge the kids, I kind of had my hands full.
Anyway, at about dusk everyone was gone except Mike from next door, and the kid Tim works with. While they retired to the patio to smoke and drink, I cleaned up all the stuff and got the garbage together. The boys proceeded to sit and "visit" until 11:30. My sister talks about her white trash neighbors, and while she may have me beat on quantity, I have her topped on quality (a professional and sponsored remote control car driver? the guy who takes the train to the loop every day to be a cashier at CVS?).
In all it was fun to see our friends and what not, even if Tim did make me crazy. The parade was nice, and the girls had fun. It was really not that big of a deal, but it was just kind of amazing how useless Tim became all of a sudden. My annoyance has subsided, and now that the bike issue is solved we are going to be on an upswing...
(I'll tell you about the bike thing when he is at hockey tonight if Tony doesn't come over for dinner and to watch Match Point)
Our day started out benign enough...we went to the parade in town (which made me cry) and then came home so that Nora could nap and I could hit the Memorial Day sale at JoAnn fabric. Well Tim decided that Nora "wanted" to nap later and that he wanted to go to the sports store to look at bikes (I don't think I have told you about the quest for the bike, don't worry I'll fill you in). So we divide and conquer, I take Nora to the fabric store and start my thing. Alas the sports store didn't have want Tim wanted, and Abby had to pee so they came to find me and proceeded to stand behind me and ask me "how much longer" until I finally gave up and we went home to get ready for our barbecue.
Monday was a magical day for Tim. Food miraculously appeared near the grill that had turned itself on and cleaned itself off, and all he had to do was cook it and walk it about 10 steps to the table that was set up with food that seemed to appear out of nowhere. There was an endless supply of beer that appeared in the fridge with no effort on his part, however he took full advantage of it and was hammered before everyone got there.
There is a reason that I am the one who gets to drink when Tim and I go out, and that is because I am fun. I am not confrontational, cocky, irritatingly loud or ridiculous the way that he is. Even Tony wanted to punch him in the neck. What was worse was that any time he saw any of our neighbors he would invite them over, so all of a sudden our barbecue for about 10 became one for about 15, then 18, and did he mention that the kid he works with is coming over? Oh, and there is Mike, from next door, he is coming over too, can you please turn the grill back on? No, no I can't right now because not only am I in charge of food, I do have 2 kids running around here that need some supervision, and since their father couldn't be bothered to even entertain the people in the backyard (Tim spent most of the day in the garage, smoking), let alone acknowledge the kids, I kind of had my hands full.
Anyway, at about dusk everyone was gone except Mike from next door, and the kid Tim works with. While they retired to the patio to smoke and drink, I cleaned up all the stuff and got the garbage together. The boys proceeded to sit and "visit" until 11:30. My sister talks about her white trash neighbors, and while she may have me beat on quantity, I have her topped on quality (a professional and sponsored remote control car driver? the guy who takes the train to the loop every day to be a cashier at CVS?).
In all it was fun to see our friends and what not, even if Tim did make me crazy. The parade was nice, and the girls had fun. It was really not that big of a deal, but it was just kind of amazing how useless Tim became all of a sudden. My annoyance has subsided, and now that the bike issue is solved we are going to be on an upswing...
(I'll tell you about the bike thing when he is at hockey tonight if Tony doesn't come over for dinner and to watch Match Point)
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Where a Kid Can Be a Kid
It rained Saturday, so we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese.
Yikes is really all I have to say about it.
Here are the highlights:
Nora was really into Dance Dance Revolution, but got kicked off by some acne ridden kid who DDRed like ma maniac. I can't lie, I posed my kids in front of him so that I could take pictures, but none of them turned out.
Abby had a lot of fun playing games with Tim. They have about the same attention span, so it worked out well.
Abby also made a picture for Chuck E., so we hunted him down and gave it to him. It was cute, but made me kind of sad, like Chuck E. Cheese tends to do.
There were about a million and one kids there and about 4 parents, it was kind of surreal. There was this one kid who kept following Abby around and asking for her to give him tokens. Tim and I stayed on top of it because he got a little pushy and she got a little territorial. There was not a minute that she did not have one of us hovering over her, and yet the kid still went and got his mom and claimed that Abby was being mean to him, and that she "wasn't sharing". The mom failed to see why Abby wouldn't share her tokens with him because he was all out of his, and according to this woman Abby had "plenty to go around". What does a parent do in this situation?
At any rate, it was a decent family outing...
Yikes is really all I have to say about it.
Here are the highlights:
Nora was really into Dance Dance Revolution, but got kicked off by some acne ridden kid who DDRed like ma maniac. I can't lie, I posed my kids in front of him so that I could take pictures, but none of them turned out.
Abby had a lot of fun playing games with Tim. They have about the same attention span, so it worked out well.
Abby also made a picture for Chuck E., so we hunted him down and gave it to him. It was cute, but made me kind of sad, like Chuck E. Cheese tends to do.
There were about a million and one kids there and about 4 parents, it was kind of surreal. There was this one kid who kept following Abby around and asking for her to give him tokens. Tim and I stayed on top of it because he got a little pushy and she got a little territorial. There was not a minute that she did not have one of us hovering over her, and yet the kid still went and got his mom and claimed that Abby was being mean to him, and that she "wasn't sharing". The mom failed to see why Abby wouldn't share her tokens with him because he was all out of his, and according to this woman Abby had "plenty to go around". What does a parent do in this situation?
At any rate, it was a decent family outing...
Thursday, May 24, 2007
8
I am not going to lie, I lurk on some blogs. I have now been called out, not once, but twice to reveal 8 things about me....
#1. I cheat at books. I can never sit and read a book start to finish without flipping through the last few chapters and trying to piece together the ending while I am reading. I also tend to do this with the Real World/Road Rules Challenges (or any other show where someone gets voted off) on my Tivo- I fast forward to the end just to see who won/lost then I watch the whole thing later.
#2. I want to go back to school to become a nurse.
#3. The interior of my car is a disaster area. There are probably things living in the floor mats, but you would never know because it is buried under any number of toys, water bottles, or various other types of crap.
#4. I am probably the last person on Earth who watches ER. I am not sure why I can't pull the plug on this show, I think it is just a habit at this point.
#5. I am currently addicted to coloring my hair various shades of blond. It has been too dark, too orange, fine, too brassy, in need of high lights, and now too straw like. I have to stop before I start to look like my mother (her hair has been every shade of blond in existence and she now looks like she has white straw on top of her head). I also need a haircut DESPERATELY.
#6. I can't fall asleep without the TV or some noise on. Sometimes I find "quiet" irritating.
#7. I never feel like my house is clean.
#8. I have a completely irrational fear of bridges and stairs. Anytime either of my kids are on stairs something kind of drops inside of me and I freak out a little. I am always afraid they are going to fall and knock their melons open, even though I know that they will probably be ok.
I have had a hard time coming up with 8 things about me that don't make me sound like I am nuts. I am kind of a freakshow, but I guess you all ready know that.
#1. I cheat at books. I can never sit and read a book start to finish without flipping through the last few chapters and trying to piece together the ending while I am reading. I also tend to do this with the Real World/Road Rules Challenges (or any other show where someone gets voted off) on my Tivo- I fast forward to the end just to see who won/lost then I watch the whole thing later.
#2. I want to go back to school to become a nurse.
#3. The interior of my car is a disaster area. There are probably things living in the floor mats, but you would never know because it is buried under any number of toys, water bottles, or various other types of crap.
#4. I am probably the last person on Earth who watches ER. I am not sure why I can't pull the plug on this show, I think it is just a habit at this point.
#5. I am currently addicted to coloring my hair various shades of blond. It has been too dark, too orange, fine, too brassy, in need of high lights, and now too straw like. I have to stop before I start to look like my mother (her hair has been every shade of blond in existence and she now looks like she has white straw on top of her head). I also need a haircut DESPERATELY.
#6. I can't fall asleep without the TV or some noise on. Sometimes I find "quiet" irritating.
#7. I never feel like my house is clean.
#8. I have a completely irrational fear of bridges and stairs. Anytime either of my kids are on stairs something kind of drops inside of me and I freak out a little. I am always afraid they are going to fall and knock their melons open, even though I know that they will probably be ok.
I have had a hard time coming up with 8 things about me that don't make me sound like I am nuts. I am kind of a freakshow, but I guess you all ready know that.
When Caller ID Bites You in the Tush
Sometimes, ok more often than not, when Tim and I go out and I have had a few drinks I tend to pick up the most random person in the room. At Tony and Carin's wedding it was Donna Lavalli, a stay at home mom of 2 little girls who was way more interested in the Wiggles Christmas Special than she should have been. Last year at he carnival it was Jodi in the beer garden of the American Legion. She was with her boyfriend and told me all about how she was a crystal meth addict when she found out she was pregnant, but was able to kick the habit by the time she gave birth. There have been others, but I choose to forget.
One who I have not forgotten was the lovely Cassandra. We met her at the Mafia Hang out one night when we were out for Tim's birthday a few years ago. Tim really liked her husband because the had car dealerships in common and were both Nancies when it came to their fathers. They had a kid a little younger than Abby, and we tried to be friends with them. As we have all learned from watching Sex in the City, and from our own experience, you can't have a relationship with someone you meet in a bar.
I tried really hard to be friends with this woman, but eventually I had to give up. She is pretty much an alcoholic who would section her days into smoke breaks and cocktail hours, which just isn't my style. So one day when I was first pregnant with Nora I just stopped taking her calls. I have caller id for a reason and she was it for a while. So I successfully avoided her (and kind of felt guilty about it) until she sent me a letter all about how she thought we were such good friends and that her little Lucy needed a best friend and she wanted Abby to be it and blah blah blah. I was slightly horrified by this, and almost called her, but I stood strong. I didn't want to be friends with this woman, and I wasn't going to try to be so that people didn't think I was a total bitch, so I just ignored the letter.
So this was all about 2 years ago and I have not looked back. Until last night...
So Tim and I are watching the Real World Reunion, its about 11:15 pm and the phone rings. Odd, no one calls our house that late unless it is one of his parents calling to tell us about a fight they are having. So we don't recognize the number on caller id, but I tell Tim to answer it anyway in case someone we know is in trouble (if you are calling that late then it must be important, right?). So Tim answers and starts freaking out, but won't write down who it is then hands me the phone (the jerk never covers for me!), and lo and behold it is Cassandra, calling (let's be honest, she was drunk dialing) me after 2 years at 11:15 at night.
She wants to hang out.
She had another baby girl.
They moved.
What do I do? I really can't convey to you how much I do not want to be friends with this woman, but I feel like my Karma will be totally fucked if I blow her of again. Am I obligated to call her back because I said I would? And if I do do I have to hang out with her?
Help!
One who I have not forgotten was the lovely Cassandra. We met her at the Mafia Hang out one night when we were out for Tim's birthday a few years ago. Tim really liked her husband because the had car dealerships in common and were both Nancies when it came to their fathers. They had a kid a little younger than Abby, and we tried to be friends with them. As we have all learned from watching Sex in the City, and from our own experience, you can't have a relationship with someone you meet in a bar.
I tried really hard to be friends with this woman, but eventually I had to give up. She is pretty much an alcoholic who would section her days into smoke breaks and cocktail hours, which just isn't my style. So one day when I was first pregnant with Nora I just stopped taking her calls. I have caller id for a reason and she was it for a while. So I successfully avoided her (and kind of felt guilty about it) until she sent me a letter all about how she thought we were such good friends and that her little Lucy needed a best friend and she wanted Abby to be it and blah blah blah. I was slightly horrified by this, and almost called her, but I stood strong. I didn't want to be friends with this woman, and I wasn't going to try to be so that people didn't think I was a total bitch, so I just ignored the letter.
So this was all about 2 years ago and I have not looked back. Until last night...
So Tim and I are watching the Real World Reunion, its about 11:15 pm and the phone rings. Odd, no one calls our house that late unless it is one of his parents calling to tell us about a fight they are having. So we don't recognize the number on caller id, but I tell Tim to answer it anyway in case someone we know is in trouble (if you are calling that late then it must be important, right?). So Tim answers and starts freaking out, but won't write down who it is then hands me the phone (the jerk never covers for me!), and lo and behold it is Cassandra, calling (let's be honest, she was drunk dialing) me after 2 years at 11:15 at night.
She wants to hang out.
She had another baby girl.
They moved.
What do I do? I really can't convey to you how much I do not want to be friends with this woman, but I feel like my Karma will be totally fucked if I blow her of again. Am I obligated to call her back because I said I would? And if I do do I have to hang out with her?
Help!
Monday, May 21, 2007
A Star is Born
Against Tony's wishes Abby takes a dance class. We all know that dance classes lead to recitals so last Saturday we went to see Abby's big debut (well it wasn't really her debut since she was in the recital last year, but you get my point).
I was not a fan of the costume, but the show was cute. I tried to get it up on You Tube, but Tim is a pain in the ass and claims that it can't be done and I haven't had time to mess with it when he is not over my shoulder telling me I am wrong.
I'll let you know when that happens.
I was not a fan of the costume, but the show was cute. I tried to get it up on You Tube, but Tim is a pain in the ass and claims that it can't be done and I haven't had time to mess with it when he is not over my shoulder telling me I am wrong.
I'll let you know when that happens.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
The Upside....
We all know that Tim and I tend to talk like sailors on leave, but in recent years (ie, since Abby started being able to understand) I have tried to be more careful. I correct Tim fairly often, and luckily Abby repeating swears has not been a problem. Until now.
A few weeks ago, when Tony and Tim2 were over, Abby dropped the F Bomb (did I tell you about this?). Tim freaked out, and I talked to her about words that mommy and daddy say vs. words that Abby can say. I though we were cool until we were leaving Jewel today.
Backstory: We went to see Tim at work today and he must have said the F word 11 times in the 10 minutes we were there. I corrected him once, but he got all testy because we were at the shop and that is his "domain".
So we go to Jewel to get Diet Coke (my addiction has totally resurfaced) and as Abby is getting in her seat she says, "Hey! The fucking seat belt won't pull!".
We then had a talk about words that we don't say. I let her give me a "silly" word that I can't say to even things out. Now she can't say "fuck" and I can't say something that sounds like skymiting.
So what is the upside? At least she used it in the right context.
A few weeks ago, when Tony and Tim2 were over, Abby dropped the F Bomb (did I tell you about this?). Tim freaked out, and I talked to her about words that mommy and daddy say vs. words that Abby can say. I though we were cool until we were leaving Jewel today.
Backstory: We went to see Tim at work today and he must have said the F word 11 times in the 10 minutes we were there. I corrected him once, but he got all testy because we were at the shop and that is his "domain".
So we go to Jewel to get Diet Coke (my addiction has totally resurfaced) and as Abby is getting in her seat she says, "Hey! The fucking seat belt won't pull!".
We then had a talk about words that we don't say. I let her give me a "silly" word that I can't say to even things out. Now she can't say "fuck" and I can't say something that sounds like skymiting.
So what is the upside? At least she used it in the right context.
Check it Out!
Check out the link to the right for my "Guest Map". It is this crazy geek thing that I am excited to have been able to put on here with no help from my IT department.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Spring is in the Air
I just rejected a comment accidentally, if it was yours, I am sorry.
Sunday as I was celebrating my favorite holiday, Garbage Eve, I noticed a sickly sweet smell in the air and got kind of annoyed at spring.
I know everyone just loooves the spring because things bloom and everything is nice a pretty and around here you can actually be outside for more than just the duration of the walk to your car without freezing your chabooty off. Yes, spring is lovely, but I think it smells. The flowers are pretty and all, but sometimes it is just too much (an unpopular opinion, I know). I also get mildly irritated by the spring temperatures. Why can't Mother Nature be the one who explains why Abby can wear her "shirt with no sleeves" one day but has to go back to the winter coat the next? Why do I have to be the one who is the ogre telling her that it is too cold out for somethings and too warm out for others?
See, spring is annoying.
But yesterday it rained and Abby and Nora got to engage in every one's favorite activity...puddle jumping.
Is it bad that I let my kids play in a parking lot?
Nora had so much fun, and while we were walking Abby to school this morning she kept pretending to splash, and has been wearing her rain boots everywhere despite the fact that they are too big.
It almost makes up for everything I don't like a bout spring.
Sunday as I was celebrating my favorite holiday, Garbage Eve, I noticed a sickly sweet smell in the air and got kind of annoyed at spring.
I know everyone just loooves the spring because things bloom and everything is nice a pretty and around here you can actually be outside for more than just the duration of the walk to your car without freezing your chabooty off. Yes, spring is lovely, but I think it smells. The flowers are pretty and all, but sometimes it is just too much (an unpopular opinion, I know). I also get mildly irritated by the spring temperatures. Why can't Mother Nature be the one who explains why Abby can wear her "shirt with no sleeves" one day but has to go back to the winter coat the next? Why do I have to be the one who is the ogre telling her that it is too cold out for somethings and too warm out for others?
See, spring is annoying.
But yesterday it rained and Abby and Nora got to engage in every one's favorite activity...puddle jumping.
Is it bad that I let my kids play in a parking lot?
Nora had so much fun, and while we were walking Abby to school this morning she kept pretending to splash, and has been wearing her rain boots everywhere despite the fact that they are too big.
It almost makes up for everything I don't like a bout spring.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Funny
So Mrs. Materialism's oldest has broken his foot. This is funny because of how he did it and how it was diagnosed.
When I told Tim about this he asked if he was kicking the New Dividend when he did it. No that was not what he was doing, he was at the park and a little girl pushed him off the steps. This is funny because the poor little Bulldozer is only 4 and a half and is already a chauvinist. When we were at the zoo last week he told Abby that she could not throw rocks because she was a girl. He continued to tell her about how his daddy is a doctor and he told him that there were a lot of things girls couldn't do and doctors know everything. Abby held her own (as she does with him) and told him that there were lots of things that girls could do that he couldn't. He now keeps begging his mom for dance lessons.
Anyway, Dr. Materialism diagnosed it as just a boo boo and they went about their weekend. Side note on this is that all I have heard about for the past 4 years has been how wonderful a doctor he is and how he is going to change radiology with his brilliance. I can recite this speech verbatim, along with the one about how in 2 more years they will be making $645,000 a year (side note to the side note this number changes all the time, but it is always some variation of those numbers, $465,000 or $546,000) and will be able to pay off the multiple mortgages, credit cards, student loans etc. A quick anecdote about his medical savvy is that when Mrs. Materialism was sperminated with #3 she had her brilliant radiologist husband give her a little ultra sound to see what sex the baby was. So he does the scan and surprise! its a girl. the next few weeks were filled with a mental redecoration of the nursery and the purchase of a few little pink things. Mrs. Materialism goes to her "real" ultrasound a few weeks later and tried to tell the tech that she wasn't that worried because she already knew that everything was fine and that she was having a girl (maybe named Elsa). The tech had to do her thing anyway, and surprise! its a boy. So Dr. Materialism is maybe not the best radiologist in all the land.
Mrs. Materialism's motherly instinct finally kicked in yesterday and she took the kid in for an x-ray. He now proudly wears a bright green cast on his left foot.
In other news, her middle child, the Whirling Dervish (my God son), tried to flush an entire bag of chips, a diaper, and mommy's Coach wristlet down the toilet. I am so proud.
When I told Tim about this he asked if he was kicking the New Dividend when he did it. No that was not what he was doing, he was at the park and a little girl pushed him off the steps. This is funny because the poor little Bulldozer is only 4 and a half and is already a chauvinist. When we were at the zoo last week he told Abby that she could not throw rocks because she was a girl. He continued to tell her about how his daddy is a doctor and he told him that there were a lot of things girls couldn't do and doctors know everything. Abby held her own (as she does with him) and told him that there were lots of things that girls could do that he couldn't. He now keeps begging his mom for dance lessons.
Anyway, Dr. Materialism diagnosed it as just a boo boo and they went about their weekend. Side note on this is that all I have heard about for the past 4 years has been how wonderful a doctor he is and how he is going to change radiology with his brilliance. I can recite this speech verbatim, along with the one about how in 2 more years they will be making $645,000 a year (side note to the side note this number changes all the time, but it is always some variation of those numbers, $465,000 or $546,000) and will be able to pay off the multiple mortgages, credit cards, student loans etc. A quick anecdote about his medical savvy is that when Mrs. Materialism was sperminated with #3 she had her brilliant radiologist husband give her a little ultra sound to see what sex the baby was. So he does the scan and surprise! its a girl. the next few weeks were filled with a mental redecoration of the nursery and the purchase of a few little pink things. Mrs. Materialism goes to her "real" ultrasound a few weeks later and tried to tell the tech that she wasn't that worried because she already knew that everything was fine and that she was having a girl (maybe named Elsa). The tech had to do her thing anyway, and surprise! its a boy. So Dr. Materialism is maybe not the best radiologist in all the land.
Mrs. Materialism's motherly instinct finally kicked in yesterday and she took the kid in for an x-ray. He now proudly wears a bright green cast on his left foot.
In other news, her middle child, the Whirling Dervish (my God son), tried to flush an entire bag of chips, a diaper, and mommy's Coach wristlet down the toilet. I am so proud.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Extravaganza!
The only word I have for this weekend is EXTRAVAGANZA!
It was an extravaganza of family, fun, outside playtime, bodily fluids, odd babysitting techniques, and food. We were graced with the presence of my fantastic niece and her handelers (who we also like to see) and after a week of waiting Abby was so excited to greet them that she woke up at 6 am on Saturday morning. The poor thing had to wait "forever" for Clementine to wake up but was excited to have the early morning hours with her Auntie.
When we were little, my sister and I would go visit my dad's family in Pennsylvania every summer. We would fight constantly about everything, but the main conflict was who got to sit next to Aunt Liz wherever we went. We loved hanging out with our Aunt, and I am so happy to see that Abby has that same blind adoration for her Auntie.
We had a wonderful day frolicking with the girls outside on Saturday. My dad was in town for a wedding and was able to escape the grips of my step mother's family for a spell, so we all just kind of hung out and watched the darlings fight over our toys in the back yard. My neice is seriously the cutest thing ever (ok, the cutest thing born in 2005) and watching her hang with her cousins was awesome. God I wish they (lived closer.
Anyway, we had to go to this wedding too, so late in the afternoon our babysitters arrived. When you put it on paper our sitters were maybe not the best candidates, one was a student of mine back in my other life when I taught at the alternative school,and the other was my friend who was hit by a semi back in January. It was either them or two younger girls who we would have had to drive home. Apparently this weekend was huge for proms and opening nights for plays, and my mom was in charge of the church rummage sale so it was slim pickings on the sitters. While our sitters didn't really follow our directions (sure, Nora was put to bed in Clementine's jammies, and they were backwards, and no one was put to bed when they were supposed to) everyone survived and we were able to get to the world's worst wedding.
So Amanda and I are sometimes pawns in my step mothers family and our presence is used as currency among all of them. One of Mary's nieces got married Saturday night downtown (hence everyone being in town) and our presence was mandatory. This wedding was ridiculous. It was one of those 'Wedding Package A' deals where there was nothing special about it. It was definately one of the bottom 5 weddings I have been to, and I won't bore you with details.
We made it out of there not drunk enough to be hurting in the morning, so we were in tip top shape for the brunch with these same people the next morning. Again, I will not bore you with the details of that, but we got to see Amanda's friend Crystal while we were downtown. Our day was looking promising (naps, a trip to Target, some Mother's Day festivities) until we hit some icky traffic coming out of the city. And then the phone call came........Clementine puked. (You may remember the last time Clementine did this Mary's family was involved. Does anyone else see a corolation? I am just saying....)
Poor Amanda and Nate had to drive home in over an hours worth of traffic with a pukey kid (and Abby's commentary). We spent the afternoon cleaning out the PT Cruiser, and chasing the babes around. My mom graced us with her presence and got herself drunk in record time. We had a revolving door of people until we finally sat down to dinner followed by a lovely trip to the local ice cream parlor. Despite, the puke (oh,and did I mention that my stroller got peed in?) we had a really good day.
We were sad to see the Detroit crew leave us this morning, and are slowly putting my house back together. It is like elves have been here and hidden little things around the house (why was Nora's big bear in the baby wipes box?). We had so much fun, and it is so hard to pack so much in to such a little time. I wish we lived closer...then it woudln't have to be so rushed when we get together. Sure it is hectic, but we love when Auntie and her crew come to town, it is always an EXTRAVAGANZA!
It was an extravaganza of family, fun, outside playtime, bodily fluids, odd babysitting techniques, and food. We were graced with the presence of my fantastic niece and her handelers (who we also like to see) and after a week of waiting Abby was so excited to greet them that she woke up at 6 am on Saturday morning. The poor thing had to wait "forever" for Clementine to wake up but was excited to have the early morning hours with her Auntie.
When we were little, my sister and I would go visit my dad's family in Pennsylvania every summer. We would fight constantly about everything, but the main conflict was who got to sit next to Aunt Liz wherever we went. We loved hanging out with our Aunt, and I am so happy to see that Abby has that same blind adoration for her Auntie.
We had a wonderful day frolicking with the girls outside on Saturday. My dad was in town for a wedding and was able to escape the grips of my step mother's family for a spell, so we all just kind of hung out and watched the darlings fight over our toys in the back yard. My neice is seriously the cutest thing ever (ok, the cutest thing born in 2005) and watching her hang with her cousins was awesome. God I wish they (lived closer.
Anyway, we had to go to this wedding too, so late in the afternoon our babysitters arrived. When you put it on paper our sitters were maybe not the best candidates, one was a student of mine back in my other life when I taught at the alternative school,and the other was my friend who was hit by a semi back in January. It was either them or two younger girls who we would have had to drive home. Apparently this weekend was huge for proms and opening nights for plays, and my mom was in charge of the church rummage sale so it was slim pickings on the sitters. While our sitters didn't really follow our directions (sure, Nora was put to bed in Clementine's jammies, and they were backwards, and no one was put to bed when they were supposed to) everyone survived and we were able to get to the world's worst wedding.
So Amanda and I are sometimes pawns in my step mothers family and our presence is used as currency among all of them. One of Mary's nieces got married Saturday night downtown (hence everyone being in town) and our presence was mandatory. This wedding was ridiculous. It was one of those 'Wedding Package A' deals where there was nothing special about it. It was definately one of the bottom 5 weddings I have been to, and I won't bore you with details.
We made it out of there not drunk enough to be hurting in the morning, so we were in tip top shape for the brunch with these same people the next morning. Again, I will not bore you with the details of that, but we got to see Amanda's friend Crystal while we were downtown. Our day was looking promising (naps, a trip to Target, some Mother's Day festivities) until we hit some icky traffic coming out of the city. And then the phone call came........Clementine puked. (You may remember the last time Clementine did this Mary's family was involved. Does anyone else see a corolation? I am just saying....)
Poor Amanda and Nate had to drive home in over an hours worth of traffic with a pukey kid (and Abby's commentary). We spent the afternoon cleaning out the PT Cruiser, and chasing the babes around. My mom graced us with her presence and got herself drunk in record time. We had a revolving door of people until we finally sat down to dinner followed by a lovely trip to the local ice cream parlor. Despite, the puke (oh,and did I mention that my stroller got peed in?) we had a really good day.
We were sad to see the Detroit crew leave us this morning, and are slowly putting my house back together. It is like elves have been here and hidden little things around the house (why was Nora's big bear in the baby wipes box?). We had so much fun, and it is so hard to pack so much in to such a little time. I wish we lived closer...then it woudln't have to be so rushed when we get together. Sure it is hectic, but we love when Auntie and her crew come to town, it is always an EXTRAVAGANZA!
A Day Late
Happy Mother's Day to you!
I hope you didn't have to unload the dishwasher because that is what Mother's Day is all about.
I hope you didn't have to unload the dishwasher because that is what Mother's Day is all about.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
What a Difference A Day Makes
Today RULED!
I came home from a fantastic visit at the zoo to the most amazingly clean house ever. can it get better than that?
Oh, yes it can.....
Abby, Nora and I got to feed a giraffe named Twiga. How cool is that?
We went to the Racine Zoo with Mrs. Materialism and her brood, which had the potential to be awful, but it was really fun. We meet in Racine because it is "halfway" between here and her world (really it is about twice as long for me, but she just birthed her 3rd, so I am forgiving it today). I was secretly hoping that this would set me on a tangent so that I could regale you with stories about how ridiculous she is, but I just can't complain today.
I think the high of having a clean house totally cancelled out her comments like, "You have lost weight! You look like a real person now". What does that mean really? At least I can take comfort in the fact that her shoes won't be paid for until 2017 (maybe).
Anyway, we had an awesome time feeding Twiga, Abby loved it, and Nora just waved at the giraffe (she either is autistic and doing the hand flapping or she wanted her to say goodbye to the animal), I tried to make her hold one of the branches, but she could not have been less interested.
Right now she is interested in having a party in her room, so I can't really post all the pictures and the fun details of finally getting my bouquet of Costco flowers, how my house got so clean, Nora's ponytails, and our exciting weekend ahead, I have to go tuck a little honey bun back in....
I came home from a fantastic visit at the zoo to the most amazingly clean house ever. can it get better than that?
Oh, yes it can.....
Abby, Nora and I got to feed a giraffe named Twiga. How cool is that?
We went to the Racine Zoo with Mrs. Materialism and her brood, which had the potential to be awful, but it was really fun. We meet in Racine because it is "halfway" between here and her world (really it is about twice as long for me, but she just birthed her 3rd, so I am forgiving it today). I was secretly hoping that this would set me on a tangent so that I could regale you with stories about how ridiculous she is, but I just can't complain today.
I think the high of having a clean house totally cancelled out her comments like, "You have lost weight! You look like a real person now". What does that mean really? At least I can take comfort in the fact that her shoes won't be paid for until 2017 (maybe).
Anyway, we had an awesome time feeding Twiga, Abby loved it, and Nora just waved at the giraffe (she either is autistic and doing the hand flapping or she wanted her to say goodbye to the animal), I tried to make her hold one of the branches, but she could not have been less interested.
Right now she is interested in having a party in her room, so I can't really post all the pictures and the fun details of finally getting my bouquet of Costco flowers, how my house got so clean, Nora's ponytails, and our exciting weekend ahead, I have to go tuck a little honey bun back in....
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Hey, Mr. Kotter!
Welcome Back!
I'd love to say that I have been off doing fabulous things while not blogging, but alas I have not. I have been cleaning off the surfaces in my house and trying to get the extraneous crap put away or in the garage sale pile.
I have about a million and two blog posts in me about everything from paint to tweezers to babysitters, to air conditioners (broken, maybe fixable, maybe not), but all of those will come along when I have more than 3 seconds (seriously, I have not even watched the opening of Dr. Phil all week).
I just (kind of) picked a fight with Tim. Not really a fight, more of a scab, but whatever, so now I have to go and put a band aid on it.
Oy, will it ever end!?
I'd love to say that I have been off doing fabulous things while not blogging, but alas I have not. I have been cleaning off the surfaces in my house and trying to get the extraneous crap put away or in the garage sale pile.
I have about a million and two blog posts in me about everything from paint to tweezers to babysitters, to air conditioners (broken, maybe fixable, maybe not), but all of those will come along when I have more than 3 seconds (seriously, I have not even watched the opening of Dr. Phil all week).
I just (kind of) picked a fight with Tim. Not really a fight, more of a scab, but whatever, so now I have to go and put a band aid on it.
Oy, will it ever end!?
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Pictures Pages, Picture Pages
Do you remember that song?
I just uploaded a bunch of pictures to flickr.
There are many highlights, but no time to post them all. Go check them out, if you think you can handle the cuteness that is the First Ladies.
I just uploaded a bunch of pictures to flickr.
There are many highlights, but no time to post them all. Go check them out, if you think you can handle the cuteness that is the First Ladies.
I had some sketchy kabobs for dinner tonight, if I had food poisoning, I would know by now, right?
It was a wonderful weekend in our neck of the woods! The weather was fantastic and we got a lot done. Scratch that, I got a lot done that benefits the whole, Tim washed his car (which I guess fits his definition of getting something done).
I worked on Saturday afternoon, which is good and bad. Sure it is no fun to be away from my family on a beautiful day, but it is also good for Tim to hang with his kids without me there facilitate parenting. Before I left I got some gardening done outside while Tim tried to negotiate a nap with Nora. Apparently she has her own unique schedule when Tim is around and he was more than willing to give me all kinds of tips on how I could accommodate this schedule.
Here is what I have to say about that....shut up. I love him, really, but I think I may just have a little bit stronger a grasp on her sleep/wake schedule than he does seeing as I am her primary caregiver. But, really, what do I know?
Saturday night we went out with Tim's marginally skeevie friend Pete. Pete creeped me out a little less than usually merely because there were these swingers at this bar that were much scarier. Here is why I love my husband- he doesn't stop talking no matter how many warning signs go up. Tim seriously chatted with this couple longer than necessary, not once catching on that they were trying to pick him up. Funny, right?
Last night we had a good old fashioned family dinner. Tony came over, and I am not sure if it is his lovesickness or what, but there was some weird vibe. It was probably just Tim2.
I am watching this thing about spring break on E! right now, and I can honestly say that my children will not be allowed to take part in that. Ever.
And seriously, Dirty Dancing is 20 years old? Really?
I am all over the place right now.
I told you these kabobs are fucking me up.
It was a wonderful weekend in our neck of the woods! The weather was fantastic and we got a lot done. Scratch that, I got a lot done that benefits the whole, Tim washed his car (which I guess fits his definition of getting something done).
I worked on Saturday afternoon, which is good and bad. Sure it is no fun to be away from my family on a beautiful day, but it is also good for Tim to hang with his kids without me there facilitate parenting. Before I left I got some gardening done outside while Tim tried to negotiate a nap with Nora. Apparently she has her own unique schedule when Tim is around and he was more than willing to give me all kinds of tips on how I could accommodate this schedule.
Here is what I have to say about that....shut up. I love him, really, but I think I may just have a little bit stronger a grasp on her sleep/wake schedule than he does seeing as I am her primary caregiver. But, really, what do I know?
Saturday night we went out with Tim's marginally skeevie friend Pete. Pete creeped me out a little less than usually merely because there were these swingers at this bar that were much scarier. Here is why I love my husband- he doesn't stop talking no matter how many warning signs go up. Tim seriously chatted with this couple longer than necessary, not once catching on that they were trying to pick him up. Funny, right?
Last night we had a good old fashioned family dinner. Tony came over, and I am not sure if it is his lovesickness or what, but there was some weird vibe. It was probably just Tim2.
I am watching this thing about spring break on E! right now, and I can honestly say that my children will not be allowed to take part in that. Ever.
And seriously, Dirty Dancing is 20 years old? Really?
I am all over the place right now.
I told you these kabobs are fucking me up.
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