Jensconsin

Exploring Winchester

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-06:00

It was cold and rainy, but I finished my class early for the day and decided I couldn't just go sit in my hotel room. Instead, I went walking around the historic downtown of Winchester, Virginia. There is tons of old stuff from the Civil War to see, as every house or business has some plaque on it commemorating something important. The story is the town switched hands 70 times during the war, so it's got some incredibly interesting history. My mom would have been in historical hog heaven. It was a lot better than my hotel room, at least.

70 is the new 21

2012-01-26T05:00:00.003-06:00

Today, Harry the best dog ever turns 70.

The secret to his youthful success? Regular baths in the spring.

Followed by repeated snow angels with his face.

Happy birthday, sweet friend. I get happier just looking at you. Enjoy your liver cake.

Road tripping

2012-01-25T16:31:00.000-06:00

I'm on the proverbial road again. Virginia, this week. I was going to stop and have a chat with Obama about some of the finer points of his last night's speech, but then decided I was too busy. Maybe next time I'm in town.

Piles of laundry

2012-01-24T08:37:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine is a fellow autoimmune problem child; a different autoimmune issue, but autoimmune, nonetheless. And she made the comment the other day that she's come to terms with having the disease, but not with the total lack kof energy that it causes.
And that hit home for me.

I have arthritis. I have days that are painful. There are things that hurt a lot to even think about doing. Waking up in the morning is tough. And lately, I've been having feet pain again, which makes even walking difficult. All that I can grasp. All that I can come to terms with.

But the inability to keep going when everyone around me seems to be able to; the total lack of ability to exert myself, that's where I just can't wrap my brain around. Each morning, before I open my eyes, I think about what my day is going to look like. I assess how many things I need to get done, how much energy each is going to take, and prioritize how many of them I can get done and in which order. Which sometimes means the laundry will sit for 3 days until I can get to it. I tend to have more energy in the morning, before it's been wasted on stupid stuff, so if I need something done, have to get it done immediately. Sometimes I get irate when my family doesn't get on my schedule. Of course, because I'm impatient, but also oftentimes, if I'm honest with myself, it's because what I really want to scream is, "I won't have the energy to keep going later, so move your asses now!"

I've always known my energy level is low, but until my friend made that comment, it hadn't occurred to me what that meant for me emotionally and mentally. It was a good aha moment, and something I need to ponder for a bit to figure out how to deal with it better than I have been.

A day off

2012-01-23T16:49:00.000-06:00

We had the day off today. In between C-man art directoring my shots, we spent the day at a water park with some friends. Now he's off to math tutoring, and I'm off to see Being Human while working out because I'm too cheap to buy ScyFy. I can't decide if I should bathe before going to workout to get rid of this waterpark yuk or just wait it out until after. Big decisions of my day. Good stuff.

Routine Sunday

2012-01-22T14:26:00.000-06:00

Another routine Sunday around here.The good news is Cman and I have tomorrow off to play.

And Happy 46th Anniversary to my parents.

Sirius Black and other stuff

2012-01-21T10:50:00.001-06:00

Behold, the (hopefully) fastest pinewood derby car the North Shore has ever seen, Sirius Black. Weigh-in and inspection are at noon. The suspense is thick. After all the work that's gone into this car, I sure hope it doesn't come in last.

I made my own hand soap last night. I also made overnight crock pot oatmeal. The two aren't related in any way other than I am doing some pretty uncharacteristically domestic things lately.

I got a new pair of snow pants delivered yesterday. Holy moly, are they awesome. Why have I been dealing with the cheapo version this long? I took Harry to the dog park this morning, and was actually hot in this balmy 7 degree heatwave we're having.

I was forced to watch Yugioh this morning. Why do all the Japanese characters talk in a growly whisper?

MU is "versing" (as C-man would say) Providence tonight at 6 pm CST. Time to Febreeze the flag and get it up!

A moment in time

2012-01-20T15:18:00.000-06:00

5 inches coming down and a half day of school = ice cream, of course.

Slump

2012-01-19T09:35:00.000-06:00

I am in kind of a January slump. The kind that makes me want to crawl under a blanket and watch movies until the groundhog and I both agree that it is Spring. Alas...

It was a cold and snowy night

2012-01-18T10:46:00.000-06:00

It's snowy, cold and wintry. Go figure, it being January and all. At least Marquette is winning and the Brewers signed Aoki, so Hart can play 1st. (Beerman and I were discussing the merits of taking umbrellas to the game like the Swallows, but then thought maybe we'd look a little crazy.) Beerman has been working hard on ~~his~~ C-man's pinewood derby car. (Seriously - how is a 6 year old supposed to cut, shape, sand and paint a car on his own?) The big race is Saturday night, after mass and a delicious hot dog dinner. Wow. Life sure is exciting around these parts.

A mother's love

2012-01-17T09:29:00.001-06:00

I know a mother's love for her child is not abnormal. But the love I have for this kid, the one who gets that sly little grin just before he's going to do something like throw a snowball at his dad when he thinks he isn't looking, is so big, it doesn't feel like I can keep it inside me.

It's kindness and justice week at school in honor of MLK Jr. Day. So he decided to give up this week's allowance to a homeless shelter. That's 3 whole dollars that he's been counting on to get the next Lego set he wants so very bad. It about killed him to know he'd be a week further from getting the Burrow, but he did it because he said it was cold outside and everyone needed to be inside.

I really, really love this child.

Back at it

2012-01-16T10:40:00.000-06:00

We got C-man through yesterday's loss (he cried throughout the 4th quarter) and are now back at our typical routine, counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report (34). At least MU beat Pitt, so not all was a loss.

Being Human starts its new season tonight. Not having cable, it's been killing me to know I won't see it. (I burned through Season 1 via Netflix) And then this weekend, while at the gym, a perfect solution to my problem arose - the gym has ScyFy. So it's a double win - I get to see Being Human, and I have a commitment to work out.

And other than that, we're just back at it. Hope your Monday is smooth.

Macaroni and Cheese

2012-01-15T11:02:00.000-06:00

House party

2012-01-14T10:31:00.000-06:00

Luzern, Switzerland

C-man is still feeling iffy, Beerman is getting something ugly (probably airplane cooties), and I slept 12 hours last night and am debating going in for more drugs today. It's a regular party at the house today. I think it's going to be movies and pinewood derby car making day. (The big race is next week.)

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T10:04:00.000-06:00

I don't care if it's Friday the 13th. It's Friday on the first 5-day work week in quite a while. What a relief. It was a struggle for everyone to get up this morning, so I'm thinking we could all use a nice, quiet weekend. After tonight's wine club, of course. Anyhow, enjoy the weekend.

Slogging through it.

2012-01-12T09:05:00.000-06:00

January is always such a long slog. It's the time when the weather is the news and there are no days off work. (Whatever happened to celebrating MLK Jr Day?) I've half-looked at Easter vacations, but since we need a new car and new windows for the whole house, think it might not be such a smart decision. I really need to get out and test drive some vehicles, but the thought of a car dealership turns my stomach so violently, I've been putting it off. Gas is supposed to skyrocket again this year, so a tiny car is looking more and more appealing.

But in good news, Beerman is on his way home, back from the rodeo. (Welcome home, honey. Go snow blow the driveway!) I've got an overdue lunch with an old friend. And I'm working from home today. All good things.

Wordless Wednesday: Feeling crabby

2012-01-11T08:26:00.000-06:00

I'm so boring

2012-01-10T11:22:00.001-06:00

I have so little to add these days. It's January, when not a lot happens outside of the regular routine. There isn't much to photograph. But in my cube redecoration of poster-sized photos I've taken, I did come across some fun ones I'd forgotten existed. So join me and watch the surfers for a bit...

It's Monday. Whoopee.

2012-01-09T09:10:00.000-06:00

My back and shoulder got mysteriously better yesterday during the day. I haven't been able to move my shoulder without pain and haven't been able to sit without excruciating shooting pain since the first week in October, and suddenly yesterday, it was all better. I had troubles again while sleeping last night, and it's achy today, but is NOTHING like it's been. I thought I was going into a flare when I woke up Saturday, my hands were puffy and my joints all stiff, so went to the pool with two little boys for two hours in the afternoon. So was that it? Or was it that I started going back to my chiropractor last week? (But would that affect the shoulder improvement, too?) Or was it that the acupuncture regime changed a week and a half ago (and I actually feel something moving around while I'm there now instead of being annoyed and cold)? I'm due for my injection later this week, so that's all worn out of my body by now. Was it just a coincidence of time? Combination of it all? I don't know, but Beerman said, "Just keep doing it!" Here's hoping it isn't a fluke.
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C-man starts his math tutoring tonight. (He's going because he likes math and we want to encourage it, not because he is having trouble.) Which is a good thing, because last night he was doing the math homework he got assigned while being off sick on Thursday (seriously?), and I had to look up what "mode" meant before I could check his work.
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I've been reading about different bad things that we use in our everyday products. Most I knew about, but one I hadn't thought about was laundry detergent. Apparently Tide, which is what I use, is one of the worst. While it cleans delightfully, it's not really helping us health-wise. In what I realize is only a half step away from beating it against a rock in the river, I am going to attempt to make my own detergent. If this experiment fails, or is just too much work, I'll go back to conventional stuff, just something with a little less yuk in it.
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I'm going to redecorate my cube today. It's kind of all I have in me right now.

There is no crying in baseball

2012-01-08T16:43:00.000-06:00

It's January 8th and 40 degrees with no snow. So it must be baseball season. (I'd like to point out that we sat through 2 games last May that were 32 - 34 degrees and sleeting, so it really isn't so far off.) Actually, it's baseball camp time. And I screwed up. I signed him up for this camp that is supposed to be really spectacular. He was all excited for it. But what I thought it was (a different baseball camp than he'd been to before that came highly recommended) was not what he thought it was (the camp he'd been to last year that was sponsored by HIS Little League and knew people from his own team participated in.)

The result was that we got to the camp in a suburb north of us sponsored by a different city's Little League with a couple of hundred kids and their dads (no lie - I was the only XX in the whole gym), and there was not a soul he knew. And he started to get upset. And then he broke the cardinal rule of baseball - the tears came. And then I got annoyed, because seriously, it's baseball which he loves and has been begging to do, and he's crying?!? And then they called his group to get together, and he was fighting back the tears. And I alternated between being incredibly annoyed I'd spent all this money on something he loved and was being a jerk about it and feeling totally awful that I put him in this situation because not being with friends is about the worst thing in his 6 year old life. And then he missed a grounder and started to cry, and 2 coaches came over. Clearly, they thought he was hurt. He wasn't. (I later learned the coaches asked him if he wanted to go over by his mom, and he said he would stick it out. I'm guessing he figured that would have been way worse punishment.)

About half-way through the hour, they had to get into groups of 4, and 2 boys immediately grabbed him to be in their group. And then all was well. He fielded every ball and was talking to other kids.

So now, he happily went back at the hitting portion of the day with his brand new bat and his dad - 2 things which are infinitely better for him in these types of situations.

Ring out a hoya...

2012-01-07T10:21:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to learn I'm starting an arthritic flare. Oh goody. We'll be heading to the pool for some float time, for sure. It doesn't fix it, but it always feels better while I'm in. Plus, the child loves to swim laps now, which I want to encourage. But now that we switched to the Jewish Community Center (There is a ton for C-man to do there throughout the winter), we have to follow Jewish rules, which means we have to wait until noon for it to open.

So the plan is to swim, oversee him finish the homework he missed while being sick (wh and ch words), and cheer on MU in what is probably a futile quest against Syracuse.

Enjoy your day.

Go! Marquette! Go! Go! Go! Go!

Friday wrap-up

2012-01-06T10:20:00.000-06:00

I had this long boring post written about daily crap. And I decided that I wouldn't bore you with it, as it could be reduced to this: C-man is now on antibiotics for sinus infection and probable strep. He also got a flu shot because the pediatrician made me paranoid and can't get the nasal mist because it's live virus and I'm immunocompromised. I'm on antibiotics for sinus infection. We were both home yesterday and watched 3 movies. He has Cub Scouts tonight and can't wait. Apparently the drugs are working for him. Baseball practice starts Sunday. The end.

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday Thirteen things I think about

2012-01-05T11:50:00.000-06:00

In movies where the non-English speaking characters are speaking to one another in their own country, but are speaking in English so we understand them for the purposes of the movie - Why do they have accents? I mean, we all know if 2 Russians are speaking together in Russia, they are speaking Russian to each other, not English. So why the pretense of all the "Vot do zou need?" nonsense?
Who was the person all those years ago who said, you are hurting; I know what would make you feel better- if we stuck a gazillion needles in you and made you lie there and endure it for a while!
Who was the idiot who decided skinny jeans were a good thing? Or really pointy shoes? And how long before they wise up and decide they aren't really all that great?
When you get an email telling you the vial of ants you ordered for the child's Christmas gift ant farm is preparing to ship, does that mean Cletus is out in his backyard digging them up?
Why is it when you say you are done volunteering for something, people don't believe you?
How is it my kid has more on-hand cash than I do at any given time?
Why is it every time there is something cool like a meteor shower, it is at 2 a.m. when I'd rather be sleeping? Don't these things happen at 10 p.m. when I'm more awake?
How can my kid's school uniforms (which are incidentally only about 6 weeks old since the latest round of purchases to replace torn knees and chewed off sleeve ends) fit just fine on December 22nd but not January 2nd? This growth spurt thing is expensive.
Why is it that when I go online to purchase new shirts and pants at a larger size, they don't have anything for winter, but it's all short-sleeved? Hey department stores, it's only the first week in January!
How does the kid get so sick on the one day I have waited for to get my overdue hair cut?
Why is Harry Potter the only one out of all those Hogwarts kids who wears glasses? And why can't he just do a spell to fix his sight? Heck, even muggles have Lasik, after all.
When someone says, "That doesn't make a lick of sense," What exactly are they licking? And does this mean they know the answer to how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
Why do Legos have to be so darned tiny?

Wordless Wednesday: Don't leave your Legos out for your parents to play with

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

I've got answers

2012-01-03T05:00:00.004-06:00

Several have emailed me with questions, or left questions in the comments. Because I'm apparently too lazy, I'm going to answer the, all at once today.

Yes, I think I have an inner ear thing attached to whatever bug I've taken in from my six year old living petri dish. My hearing keeps fading and the dizziness is annoying.

I was diagnosed with bronchitis right before Christmas. He prescribed a z-pack I didn't fill, because he said it was viral. I just filled it yesterday. I'm going to give it everything I can just in case.

I use a neti pot daily. It helps, but obviously isn't a cure-all, since I currently can't hear out of my right ear.

Acupuncture continues to do nothing for me. I committed to 3 months of it, though, so we'll see.

We need a new car. Beerman is driving the very first new car I ever bought, a 1999 Dodge Avenger. It will take about $2000 to fix, and I'm quite sure that is about a grand more than it is worth. Plus, our minivan is 6 years old and approaching 100,000 miles. Unfortunately, it is time.

We aren't sure what we want to buy. Despite loving the BMW 3 series, I won't buy a "foreign" car. I worked too many years in the American auto industry to turn my back on it. And yes, you can give me all the gobbedly gook you want about "all cars are foreign" or "foreign cars are really domestic", but I don't want to hear it. At the end of the day, the vast majority of the profit made stays in the country of the company's headquarters. And this day in age, when middle class jobs are scarce, I will not contribute to the hollowing out of the American manufacturing industry.

I'm leaning toward a Ford Escape or Ford Flex, but the Chevy Traverse reviews have been good. I need to test drive them first before I make any solid decisions. I do know it needs to be comfortable to get in and out of, quiet, not be ridiculously priced, and get reasonable gas mileage. Something that is not all that easy to find.

I'm dreading the whole slimy experience. I've never not known what I wanted going into a dealership before and the experience has never been good. Ick.

Harry gets a bath almost every Sunday. He does not enjoy it, but like all things in his life, he tolerates it. The fact that he gets hugged and kissed the whole time and then given an inordinate amount of treats doesn't hurt either. But if he's going to get filthy like he loves, he's going to get bathed like I love.

I'm starting with the classic Catch-22 as the first of my classic reads. I've read 100 Years of Solitude, To Kill a Mockingburd, Lord of the Rings and Charlottes Web. (Incidentally, 100 Years of Solitude is a favorite.) The full list of Kansas City Library books are listed HERE.

And that concludes answer time for now.

Ending on a downer

2012-01-02T13:53:00.000-06:00

I sort of feel like Harry looks in this shot. Well, except for the extraordinarily happy part.. It figures that on the last day of my vacation when I had real grown-up plans while C-man was back at school - to take down Christmas (except the nativities), test drive a couple of cars, clean up the house, and do the laundry - I've been so dizzy that I can't stand, and even barfed once when I tried.

The good news is it was a really spectacular winter break up until this point. It's just too bad I have to end it like this. At least we have lots of movies to watch and the Rose Bowl to cheer about. And it's only a 4-day work week. See - lots of bright spots.

I resolve

2012-01-01T12:51:00.000-06:00

Well, after ringing in the new year with an awesome snack dinner and the Indiana Jones trilogy, it's that time again. That time to make some resolutions. So here are my 4 resolutions for 2012:

To read all 22 of the books in front of the Kansas City Library. (For the record, I've read 4 of them, so won't be re-reading those. Technically, that means I have 18 classics to get through.) I'd also like to actually see the front of this building. Next work trip to KC, I'll find it. That second part isn't really a resolution, but just something I want to do.
Call it cliche, but I need to drop 10 pounds. (Well, 20 if we're being honest, but let's not get picky.) That's not my resolution, though. My actual resolution is to keep to a twice-weekly gym visit. I'm hoping one will lead to the other, but feel the strength building one is necessary to my overall health.
Start to learn German. I know I won't get near to fluency in only a year of self study, but it's time to learn the language of my future homeland, after all.
Finish knitting the sweater I started on the trip to Japan. The pattern is translated from French, and written so poorly, I've had to undo and redo it several times. (It's not just me being stupid. The super knitter ladies at the yarn store were perplexed by it, too.) I have the extreme urge to throw it in the trash, but know I'll love it if I stick with it.

2011: A Good Year for the Roses

2011-12-31T00:01:00.009-06:00

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone, and yet, there it went. So here is my year in review.

January is always a slow month. It was cold and snowy. So we sledded some. And we did our usual work and school thing. And C-man got his very first passport that we unfortunately didn't use. Maybe 2012.

February brought us a Packers Superbowl win. Beerman was fortunate enough to go to the game and have a seat to see it all live.

I went to Orlando on a work trip and saw Hogwarts.

March brought us a 6 year old. How time does fly. We had a party at a bowling alley and as a result, I ended up with PhD in Lego assembly.

March also took us to the lake one cold night to see the super moon that was more average than super. But we did meet our friends on the way down, and then met some people by a bonfire, which made it all a worthwile adventure.

In April, we flew to New Mexico for Easter break. We hiked through the Rio Grande Gorge with our very own llamas, Zeus and Apollo, and camped out overnight. I was blessed with an early birthday gift to go up in a hot air balloon over Taos, thereby checking off another bucket list item.

May was eventful as always. I turned 35 and celebrated Mothers Day with my favorite kid. And Beerman and I happily celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary together. Unfortunately, I was in the midst of shingles, so May wasn't as good as it usually is.

But then C-man started his first year in Little League as a Yankee, setting us up for a fun season of bench sitting and friend making.

As K5 finished up, June brought us some summertime fun. C-man started a new summer camp he loved, played more baseball games, and his very first lost tooth.

It also took me to Las Vegas for a week for work.

July meant more summer fun. At C-man's insistence, this meant going to Summerfest.

It also meant learning to hula hoop.

And, of course, playing more baseball; playoffs this time.

August took Beerman and me east to Japan for 2 weeks while C-man spent the time at Grandma and Grandpa's. It was an amazing, insightful, incredibly hot and muggy, bullet train riding, unforgettable trip.

Once we were back, C-man and I celebrated the last week of summer before school by taking his first train ride to Chicago. He also checked off his first cab ride, water taxi ride, and visit to the Chicago Field Museum.

Later in the month, he headed back to school; as a first grader this time. (And missing a second tooth.)

September brought the family together to celebrate Grandma Lou's 80th.

October moved us into flag football season.

It also brought us a Cub Scout.

And a ninja for Halloween.

November meant we chaired the school rummage sale, (For the last time ever) making $14,000 for the school.

And we jingled around the zoo for the Jingle Bell Walk benefiting the Arthritis Foundation.

December brought more family time, as it tends to do. It started with hosting Christmas at our house.

and then celebrating Beerman's 40th on Sanibel Island,

and then celebrating Christmas for real,

and finally by celebrating Christmas with Beerman's family.

In addition to all that, I've started and stopped more medications than I care to think about. I've read books, watched movies, and burned through a couple of TV series. I've assembled Lego sets, taken photos, and gone for walks. I've rubbed my dog's belly more times than I can count, hugged my kid until he thought he'd burst and not kissed my husband enough. I've mowed the lawn and cheered for the Brewers. I've shoveled snow and cheered for the Packers. There were parts I'll remember forever and parts I have already forgotten. But every part of it included my family. And this year, it also included quite a few new friends. And to me, that's what makes it the most memorable of all.

Happy New Year to you and yours. And here's to a super 2012.

Serenity

2011-12-30T05:00:00.009-06:00

If there were anything cheesy enough to say it completes me, it would be salt water. It always has been my muse, my energy source, the moment when I breathe in and realize I've been holding my breath for the whole time. I live thousands of miles from salt water, which is maybe what makes it's reunion so much more special.

Ahhhhh...

Catapulting fun

2011-12-29T05:00:00.002-06:00

What feels like happened way back (September) Beerman built a catapult a la Angry Birds to play at our Fall Fest. The party was so busy, I never took any photos of the little kids lined up in an orderly way to get their shot. Recently, C-man had his friend over for a sleepover, and they wanted to play with it. A perfect chance for me to show it in action.

The deflated balls seemed to work better in the cold and the bungees pulled a little harder, but it was still a ton of fun.

Until that got too hard, and chucking balls at the obstacles just became more fun. But hey, whatever works, right?

Wordless Wednesday: Relax

2011-12-28T05:00:00.001-06:00

Lazy Day

2011-12-27T09:15:00.001-06:00

C-man asked if we could sleep in and then just cuddle and watch movies all day. I told him I saw no reason that wasn't possible. So as soon as he's done killing his Ninjago bad guys with all his new sets (which he is also reviewing on his very own YOUTUBE CHANNEL these days) and killing bad guys with his fire sword (Seeing a theme here anyone?), we'll get right on that.

The day after

2011-12-26T11:06:00.001-06:00

We had such a nice Christmas. It ended with teaching our good friends the beauty of fondue. I got Beerman a raclette set for Christmas, and that fit in really well with the all-Swiss theme. I feel we are so blessed to have such good friends in our life to share fun things like that.

But now, it's the day after. The day when the wrapping paper gets thrown into the recycling, the fondue remnants cleaned up, I drink too much coffee from my beautiful new maker, and I help put a ridiculous amount of Legos together. I'm confident there will be a movie or two thrown in there for good measure, too.

Enjoy your boxing day!

Our blessed Christmas

2011-12-25T10:27:00.000-06:00

We went to bed with a note wishing Santa the best. And then Santa was almost caught when the child got up an hour later complaining of a nightmare. Ooops!

But it all turned out splendidly.

Especially since he did get the only thing he'd been asking for...

And since his dad is part-owner of the team now, and he wants to be Clay Matthews, it was only fitting he have a new jersey.

It was all opened in record time.

But nothing says Christmas like Garmadon's Dark Fortress building, which is getting assembled at the most frenetic pace I've ever seen.

And as I was brewing a new cup of coffee in my brand new machine, a beautiful friend came to wish us all a Merry Christmas.(And eat my juniper berries, but we're not being picky.)

Merry Christmas to you.

My Christmas Wishes

2011-12-24T09:04:00.000-06:00

For the door of hate to be closed and the window to tolerance opened.

For those with heavy hearts of loss and depression to find at least a bit of peace.

And for your plates to be plentiful, and both hearts and homes warm.

Unexpectedly joyous

2011-12-23T05:00:00.002-06:00

Sometimes, when the sun is shining and the breeze blowing, you have so much happiness in you that you can't hold it any longer. And you realize you need to do something to release it back to the universe.

For some, that means doing flips. For others, it means taking pictures of it happening. Here's hoping you have an unexpectedly joyous moment today.

Thursday Thirteen: Miscellaneously me

2011-12-22T05:00:00.018-06:00

While on vacation, I started and finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I got it this summer as a recommended read from NPR, and it'd been sitting on my nightstand ever since. Why hadn't I read it sooner?! Oh my. It was so strange and so awesome. Screw vampires and werewolves- angels and demons is totally where it's at! I can't wait for the September 2012 sequel!
My reporting structure has changed at work, and it's been such a breath of fresh air. I sense more change coming, which makes me hopeful about further alleviating the boredom problem I've been having.
Somehow, each night after a Harry Potter chapter and before sleep, Cman has started asking what my favorite part of my day is. It's always tough to answer, because I can't tell him that it's when we talk about the favorite parts of our days.
I got some work done on our vehicle this week. There was finally a recall on the lights that have been on almost since we bought the stupid thing. Except now, there is something actually wrong with the thing. I don't know what they did, but it's stalling and grinding on me. Bugger!
While waiting at the dealership, I watched the Wendy Williams show. What a train wreck THAT show is!
Beerman got me an 85mm lens for Christmas. I got it early to take to Sanibel. It's so heavy to allow for its beautiful 1.4 f. Dear God, I get all squishy just thinking about it. Screw blood diamonds, baby. Give me some glass!
The Milwaukee Public Museum has a general store in its old fashioned streets portion that Cman never misses. They sell these bars of Indulge, a local chocolatier, and the Mayan Spice bar with cayenne and cinnamon is particularly to die for. Yum.
Every time I think I'm finished buying Christmas gifts, I remember about teachers' gifts. Argh! It never ends. Would the elves come to wrap now, please?
The trash talk about finding the pickle on Christmas Eve has begun. At what age will Cman realize his dad lets him win? Or that the present is always something he, specifically, wants? I love the pickle "competition"
This week we were supposed to wear our holiday attire to work on Tuesday. I'm no scrooge, but I have my limits. And walking into a meeting with a Santa hat on is definitely one of them.
C-man is having a friend sleep over tonight. You'd think he had just won the lottery, he's so excited. Totally adorable.
I bought nothing while in Sanibel and we hardly ate out. (The beauty of renting a kitchenette). And I've got to say, I'm not sad about that.
I really wish people would stop bringing food to work. I can't resist it, and I really don't want it, and all it does is make me feel like garbage. At least it's the last day here for 10 days. Whoot!

Wordless Wednesday: The good life

2011-12-21T05:00:00.001-06:00

Christmas concert time of year

2011-12-20T08:48:00.005-06:00

It was C-man's Christmas concert last night. Of course, the shoes that were fine for weddings in August no longer fit him, so I had to scramble to the store to find a new pair. But, I had a quick success at Target and even had time to grab the last few Christmas gifts.

It was a typical grade school concert, complete with the 4th graders busting out the ~~devil's instrument~~ recorders, a little brother escaping his seat to make his way to the stage repeatedly to the mother's mortification and crowd's great pleasure, and enough camera flashes to send you into a Japanese cartoon seizure. (Never mind they asked for no flashes - but that would bring me back to my usual rant about people not being able to figure out how to turn the flashes off on their cameras.) The 8th graders even played a song on their iPads. I thanked our friend who was on the technology committee for getting the school iPads this year. That song made the expense totally worthwhile. *sarcasm

And after an hour of indescribable cuteness, it was all over and time to go to Baskin Robbins. Clearly, the best part of the night for most of the kids.

Here are some snippets of C-man's parts:

Of course, by the 2nd song, the shirt was completely untucked. Not entirely surprising.

Yea for amazing weekends

2011-12-19T05:00:00.004-06:00

What a fantastic long weekend we had celebrating Beerman's 40th birthday. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we couldn't have asked for a more terrific time.

We found loads of starfish...

And C-man taught us that they re-grow their legs if lost. He learned that from the Hulk. (Don't ever let someone tell you that cartoons rot the brain. They teach important nature facts!)

We watched birds...

And we found loads of sand dollars and shells. (Although we didn't find a shell that sounded like the ocean.)

We went on a search for manatees...

And were lucky enough to find two.

And then we were incredibly blessed to see pods of dolphins...

...from the back of the gorgeous sailboat we sailed around North Captiva Island.

In our "down time", we swam,

Just enjoyed being together...

And played shuffleboard.

Thanks, Sanibel. Until next time.

Still birthdaying

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

We're still celebrating birthday, but this Christmas image is too precious not to share.

Merry Love

2011-12-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

It takes a long time to grow young...

2011-12-16T05:00:00.002-06:00

Happy 40th to the man I love the most.

And also to you...

And you, too.

Smell you later

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Milwaukee's in our rear-view mirror. We'll catch you on the other side.

Salt water countdown

2011-12-14T08:47:00.000-06:00

Most people right now are counting down until Christmas or Hanukkah. Either with worry because they aren't ready, or glee because they know Santa's coming. I, however, am throwing all that Christmas stuff to the wayside for a moment, because I'm counting down the hours until we get on that jet plane bound for Fort Myers. That's because tomorrow the three of us will be in beautiful, sunny, deliciously 80 degree, shell-covered Sanibel Island for the long weekend to celebrate Beerman's 40th. And I can.not.wait.

I injected myself with the rat poison this morning, so it should kick in tomorrow sometime, giving me a little extra pep. (Is it wrong that every other Wednesday I sing, "Injection day, injection day, time to get my injection today to the tune of Picture Pages and then make the computer noises the pen used to make when I inject it?)

24 hours, people. 24 hours until we're on our way. Whoot!

Fa la la la la-ing

2011-12-13T10:55:00.000-06:00

The befuddlement in my brain continues with some work changes and all that is going on personally. But I'm making some significant progress navigating through the obscurity. Last night I managed to pull out Florida clothes for both C-man and me, so that piece is improving. (And the fact that the forecast for Sanibel Island is in the upper 70s and low 80s this week doesn't hurt the mood either!) And I'm down to only 2 gifts that need to be gotten, which is a relief. (Now if the elves would just wrap them all for me!) I'm feeling much more "together" about it all than I have in past years.

However, this is the time of year to practice some gentle parenting techniques, as it is also baseball trade time. I still don't know how we're going to address the Ryan Braun scandal with C-man, as there were actual tears and "I hate the Diamondbacks!" shouts about the Saito trade.(Casey McGehee, not so much) But since the official ruling won't come out on Braun for a bit, maybe we can just avoid it for now. (And don't think I don't realize how ridiculous it is that these things are so important at our house.)

C-man is missing a day and a half of school this week with our little celebratory foray south. I notified his teachers out of courtesy. They responded with the assignments that he has due. Can I just say for the record that he's in 1st grade and has absolutely no academic troubles in school?

Anyhow, have I mentioned we'll be in the sun in 2 days? Whoot!

Befuddledly busy

2011-12-11T21:31:00.000-06:00

For a weekend with little on the schedule, it suddenly became so jam-packed I couldn't think straight. It doesn't help that we have a short one in the house with whom we are beginning to need an appointment just to see. But the weekend was all screwy. I got my dates mixed up on a birthday party that C-man was supposed to go to, and that about explains how the rest went - totally un-according to plan. We are leaving for a long weekend getaway on Thursday, and I haven't even made a single list yet. In other words, I'm TOTALLY behind. Then again, a few pairs of shorts in the suitcase and we should be good to go, right? Say right. I am just too befuddled to think of it any other way right now.

Friday's Fifteen Favorite Things

2011-12-09T10:58:00.000-06:00

I'm not so much with the raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but I thought it was an appropriate time of year to talk about a few of my own favorite things. You know, because Oprah's done and all.

So in no particular order, here are 15 of my favorite things:

Reading through the Harry Potter series at night with C-man and discussing the differences between the books and the movies
A fresh latte in the morning
Harry's fuzzy belly
Swiss chocolates direct from Sprungli
Sunrises
White twinkle lights
Hot chocolate with marshmallows bobbing in it
Long showers
Photo Christmas cards
Fuzzy slippers
Soft, chunky blue yarn
Days off work
French onion soup with a giant crouton on top
Going to see a movie matinee by myself
Dave Brubeck music. I can't help but smile when I hear it

Day in the Life of First Grade

2011-12-08T08:09:00.000-06:00

C-man got a cheapy camera from St. Nick. He wasn't all that excited about getting a non-Lego gift when he opened it. But then he realized he could use it as his spy tool, and now doesn't want to stop snapping pictures. He took it to school with him. And I've got to say, the pictures crack me up. I usually hate the time/date stamp, but on these, it just adds to the story.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T09:26:00.002-06:00

A bunch of stuff

2011-12-06T09:30:00.000-06:00

I had my one-month exam at the acupuncturist last night. Absolutely nothing has changed. So I left with 10 "tacks" (aka - needles on the end of band-aids) stuck in my back. I'm supposed to leave them there until my appointment on Thursday. Here goes nothing.
The problem with hosting a party at the house is that we bought food for the party, but forgot about the rest of the week. I broiled a half of a stale bagel this morning for breakfast and forgot about it. Not even I am hungry enough to eat burned bagel.
St. Nick brought me a recycled beer bottle glass necklace and earrings. Apparently St. Nick shops at the brewery over lunch.
Beerman had ladder envy of one of our friends' fancy 26' fold-up in all sorts of configurations ladders. So I bought it for him for his birthday. It arrived yesterday. The ONE day he got home before me. Happy birthday, honey.
At least I didn't have to haul that sucker into the back yard by myself to hide it.
I bought a Barry Manilow Christmas CD, because it was $5, and I couldn't stomach getting Mariah Carey. Surprisingly, I'm digging it.

About family

2011-12-05T08:48:00.000-06:00

It's hard to take a photo of yourself when your dog can't mind his own business. And so, this week, Harry gets a piece of the action, too. But it seems fitting as he's an important part of our family. And while I was spending my weekend, happily enjoying a great time with my sisters and parents and nephews and niece and too much food (What in the hell am I going to do with an entire pan of tiramisu you people left me with?!?), a colleague was losing her 7 year old child to leukemia. It shouldn't take a slap in the face like that to give you some perspective, but sometimes it does. I unfortunately can't change her situation, but I feel like I can take the time to appreciate mine a bit more. Appreciate the love and stability, the giggles, the time spent reading chapters of Harry Potter, the hours of Lego building, the beautiful meals we share, the hugs and snuggles, and even the oppressive licks. Because really, that's all that ever matters.

*****************
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Merry Thirdmas!

2011-12-04T12:52:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with my extended family this weekend. Good food. Good family. Good presents. Now it's time to have a quiet afternoon.

Day off

2011-12-02T16:35:00.000-06:00

We had the day off to get ready for tomorrow's Christmas shenanigans with the family. I can't wait to see everybody. I just hope I survive my stint as Den Leader tonight!

Random Thursday Thirteen

2011-12-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

I knitted an owl hat last night for a coworker's shower this morning. The nursery is all owls, so I thought it appropriate. I remembered to take a picture as I was wrapping it up. I think it turned out pretty well for a mostly made up pattern in my head.
It made me remember why I like knitting baby stuff so much. Instant gratification of starting and finishing a project in one night!
Tonight is the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker. I'm so excited. Yea for girl stuff!
The official Advent calendar was opened today. He has the Lego Star Wars one, which means he'll be building a Lego each morning. Or as Beerman put it, "Breakfast is going to be delayed for the next 25 days."
While Beerman is getting ready Friday night, I'll be taking on the Cub Scout den leader duties. Lord help me, but I'm going to do make your own instrument night.
I keep looking for a good volunteer activity to do with C-man. He's a pretty sensitive kid who I know would appreciate helping others. The problem is most places that need the help don't allow kids. And picking a name off a tree somewhere just doesn't cut it.
My Christmas cards are out, which means most people should be getting them today and tomorrow. I really love Christmas cards. It might be my favorite thing of the season.
I finally saw the Breaking Dawn movie. I thought the book was weak, but the movie did a good job of it. I still don't think it needs to be 2 movies, though.
I was so excited to see Bella's wedding dress. Maybe between Princess Kate's dress and Bella's, the strapless craze that has been around forever and shouldn't be worn by most will finally see a welcome end.
Harry has finally stopped exploding everywhere. Oh my, am I tired of cleaning the floors. I think the farm was just too much for him this year.
I've finally stopped coughing. I'm still a little snot-headed, but it's tolerable. Thank God.
I am drying some herbs from my garden above some other houseplants, because there's room there. Beerman noticed them hanging and said, "Is this some kind of lesson to the other plants in the house?" Makes me giggle every time I think about it.
I have tomorrow off to get ready for family Christmas on Saturday. Yippee!

Wordless Wednesday: Farming

2011-11-30T11:12:00.000-06:00

Weathered

2011-11-29T07:28:00.001-06:00

I'm feeling a bit haggard today. And not the Merle kind. So I could talk about how Harry's been sick. (I'll spare you the poo all over the dining room carpet and the accompanying stench story. It seems his fever is gone, at least.) I could talk about the fact that I don't know whether it's the acupuncture or the Humira, but I've been feeling peppier in spite of the shoulder that still hurts so much (2 full months now) I can barely dress myself and the back that doesn't let me sit longer than an hour at a time without tear-inducing pain. But all that is kind of lame.

What's not lame? Thursday night, I'm heading to the Moscow Ballet's version of the Nutcracker, and I.Can.Not.Wait. My child goes to plays with me and enjoys it. He will not go to a ballet. And since it's not something I like to do on my own, I've been ballet-less for quite some time. (It's not Beerman's thing either.) And to say I love the ballet doesn't even begin to describe it. The Nutcracker isn't my favorite, but I've been so ballet-deprived, that I think there wouldn't even need to be music and I'd be happy about it. But there is music. And there will be little girls to go with . And a dinner with little girl talk ahead of time. I really hope there's a gift shop so we can buy pink tutu-laden stuff.

Can.Not.Wait.

Adventaliscious

2011-11-28T08:41:00.001-06:00

The Christmas decorations are up. We went to see Junie B. in Jingle Bells Batman Smells at First Stage yesterday. I'm heading to the Moscow Ballet's version of the Nutcracker on Thursday with my semi-adopted daughters. The extended family is coming on Saturday for the Christmas festivities for which the fridge can barely close, it's so full of food. The Advent wreath is out. The countdown to the Advent calendar is made and being consumed daily. The Christmas cards are written, addressed, stamped and embossed. And I've turned all the calendars to their very last page. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas doesn't even begin to explain it. And it's not even December! How the heck has this happened?!?

I've always resisted the push for the holidays to move up. Heavily resisted the overall consumerism of it all. I don't do Black Friday. I don't do Cyber Monday. I don't typically even shop until December 1st. But I'm not feeling like that this year. Since everything we've been doing has been with family and friends, or getting ready to spend time with family and friends, (Well, except for the lengthy conversations with C-man about whether he wants the Ninjago Fire Temple or the Lightning Dragon since he knows he can't get both because they are ridiculously expensive) it doesn't feel very overwhelming. Then again, maybe it's because Beerman is taking on Saturday's dinner.

Regardless, I'm kind of liking this slide into December. Let's just hope I can keep this calm for the next month!

I love long weekends

2011-11-27T11:06:00.000-06:00

It's been a long-long weekend. And I mean that in an excellent way. I'm still exhaustingly sick - on to the up all night coughing stage now. But we've had such a nice 5 days off, sleeping in until 8 each morning and playing during the day. I've been crafting up a little Christmas cheer, while Beerman has been tirelessly testing out recipes in his newly built sous-vide machine for next weekend's Pelot family Christmas dinner and breakfast. (Well, in between searching through all the Lego pieces to recreate a dragon that he built and broke down ages ago.) C-man has been playing with friends and Harry is exhausted from all the running he's been doing. The tree is up and decorated, the stockings are hung, and the pickle is hung. We added 2 new ornaments this year from our travels to New Mexico and Japan, which are always so fun to put up. And, I've even managed to almost finish Explosive Eighteen. (Which I'm enjoying way more than the 17th book.) Overall, a pretty nice 5 days.

Recoup day

2011-11-25T09:32:00.001-06:00

And so the Christmas season begins. I drove home last night with Harry so I could sleep in my own bed. I'm not a good driver, so by the end of the 2.5 hours, I was fairly punchy. Beerman and C-man are at the farm playing today, which means that after I Lysol down this monkey house, I'm not going to do a whole lot (read Explosive Eighteen and visit the dog park). Harry is super tired. And despite both having slept in until 8:30, I am too. Time to warm up the espresso machine and get this day started.

I'm thankful

2011-11-24T21:49:00.001-06:00

Thankful for my dear husband, my sweet child, my dog with the soft ears. Thankful for money in the bank and food on our plates. Thankful for interesting things to take photos of. Thankful for having so much family to see on Thanksgiving and for only needing to bring cranberries. Thankful for safe roads to travel. Thankful for a day off on Friday to see Breaking Dawn and read Explosive Eighteen. And thankful I can sleep in my own bed tonight.

A day of few words

2011-11-22T12:08:00.000-06:00

Oh goody, it's Monday

2011-11-21T09:49:00.000-06:00

This was taken earlier this month when Bucky was hanging out in our neighborhood looking for the ladies. But I thought it was appropriate, it being deer season and all.

I hardly slept last night. Between my cold and just overall hurting, it wasn't a good one. I'm just mainlining the coffee today.
At least I wasn't in the basement fixing the check valve on the well like Beerman. Apparently those are important when you want water.
C-man and I went swimming at the club while Beerman worked on the well stuff. Remember the Christmas Story furnace scene? I was trying to avoid one of those.
I have an acupuncture appointment tonight. So far, it hasn't done a damned thing. But I'm hoping something will come of it soon.
Hopefully it'll make me tranquil for the parent-teacher conferences after. Not that I'm expecting anything to go bad at them. It'll just help me deal with sitting in kid-sized chairs and moving from room to room.
I've been looking at pinterest.com lately, and taking note of the craft board. God help me, I'm feeling crafty. I even bought a hot glue gun. Look out, ladies and gentlemen, you may be getting some ugly homemade gifts this year.
Since my family is coming for Christmas on the 3rd, I have to get all the presents and decor up by then. Sheesh, that's soon.
At least most of my Christmas cards are written, addressed and stamped. I have to finish a couple of the addresses I've since located. And I ran out of stamps, so will need to buy those. But the bulk of the work is done. I do love me some Christmas cards.
A 2-day workweek. One could really get used to this.

Slow day

2011-11-19T14:12:00.000-06:00

I've still got this cold, so I'm curling up on the couch with a Twilight marathon and some hot chocolate. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

More random crap

2011-11-18T09:25:00.002-06:00

Beerman referred to Tim Tebow as "Touchdown Jesus" this morning. I'm not on board with that nickname, because there will always be only one Touchdown Jesus. And it ain't got anything to do with Tebow.
C-man has a birthday party to attend tomorrow and I only realized this fact late last night. This one is a tennis birthday, which should be right up his alley after all the tennis lessons he had this summer at summer camp.
When I asked what present I should get this kid, C-man's reply was, "I don't really know. He's kind of crazy and only talks about kung-fu."
Art supplies it is.
It was cold this morning. Wintry cold, but not yet winter coat cold. So it's that in-between time. And so, I reached for Uncle Allen's older than dirt, green coat from Cabelas.
Friends on Facebook suggested it was the sentimentality that kept me wearing it. I didn't have the heart to tell them that Uncle Allen was not my great uncle, but Beerman's. And that Uncle Allen died before I ever met Beerman.
While I'm sure he was a lovely man, wearing the green coat is purely out of cheapness, not sentimentality.
Harry jumps in the air like crazy when I put it on, because he thinks of it as the dog park coat.
I went online first thing this morning and ordered a new puffy coat. It was time, after all.
We have a bunch of money sitting in our child care FSA plan that I haven't requested for reimbursement. Hello, Christmas. Or property taxes, depending on how you look at it. Thinking of Christmas is definitely more fun though.
I've been requesting information on PhD programs in the area. I think I need to go back to school for my mental health. Surprisingly, there just aren't that many reputable PhD programs in education out there that aren't either K-12 education based or require a full-time school commitment. And neither of those options interests me, which is making it difficult.
Maybe I should just pick a new career out of a hat. Become the world's worst engineer or something.
And of course, yea Friday!

Bright side

2011-11-17T09:07:00.000-06:00

I'm sick. My shoulder still hurts so bad that it's waking me up a couple times a night. I've been getting stuck with a ridiculous amount of acupuncture needles lately and it hasn't done a damned thing yet. Work has been a complete death march this week. In between my bouts of dizziness, I'm just ornery.

Which is why I love this photo. Is there anything better than a photo of a happy kid hanging out in the park on a fall day? The longer I look at it, the more I fall in love. I love his foot that is lazily half out of his shoe. Or the fact that he's wearing his FAVORITE plaid shirt. Or his too-long hair he won't let me cut because he's considering growing it long like Clay Matthews.

Ahhh... I needed that.

Wordless Wednesday: Everyday Life

2011-11-16T09:41:00.002-06:00

Typical days

2011-11-15T13:13:00.000-06:00

It's a typical, everyday, average sort of day for me.
Except for the fact that I'm feeling like garbage. C-man was feeling like this Sunday afternoon. So much so, that we got to the doors of the play and he said he couldn't make it through it and needed to go home.
I only half-believed him, because he had been his chipper self until that point. Until yesterday at 3 when my world crashed in on me. And then I believed him big time.
I had acupuncture last night and told the acupuncturist I was feeling like garbage. He put a few extra needles in me for it. Needles he then put a band aid over and told me to wear for 3 days. What?!?
I now have a band-aid covered needle in each arm and in my neck. Bizarre.
My nephew is a teenager today. Happy birthday, Andy!
The Walker recall effort starts today. As much as I dislike the idiot, (The guy is so dumb he couldn't even pass college French) the thought of all those non-stop recall ads on TV again make me nauseous. It's been one big never-ending polarizing campaign season in Wisconsin the past 2 years. And the presidential election isn't going to change that. Ugh.
A nap would be really welcome right now. I know it's only Tuesday, but I'm so looking forward to a slow weekend this weekend.
We have parent-teacher conferences next week. I'm so curious to hear what his teachers think of him this year.
The rummage sale is long done, but my co-chairs keep sending me emails. I'm trying to do my best to ignore them.
My Christmas cards are supposed to arrive this week. Yippee!

Hibernation

2011-11-14T13:00:00.001-06:00

As the weather cools down, I'm starting to slow down and want to snuggle in a bit more. Our weekend away was hectic, but we managed to have a slower evening and morning, which was kind of nice for the soul.

Chicago Weekend

2011-11-13T14:40:00.001-06:00

C-man and I took the train to Chicago Saturday morning.

We met up with Mary and headed to the Chicago Children's Museum. There were a lot of little kid things, but the building was definitely up his alley.

As was the inventor's lab.

Playing with the motion boards is always fun.

But eventually, we got hungry.

After lunch, we went to the Lego store, which was INSANE with people to get his long-awaited saved-up-for-Earth Dragon Defense.

And finally, we were tired. So we headed back to the hotel, met up with Beerman and said goodbye to Mary until another day. We found that the iPad-like tables with chess and checkers in the lobby were way fun.

Full from our dinner at Xoco, we swam, hung out in the room and watched a movie. (FYI, Cowboys vs Aliens is proof that good actors and directors simply aren't enough.)

The next morning, after a tasty and overpriced room service breakfast (one of my favorite things to do), it was time to hail a cab to get back to the train station.

And make the ride back to Milwaukee.

Playing with the new Legos the entire way, of course.

An excellent time. But it really feels good to be home.

At week's end

2011-11-11T10:18:00.001-06:00

Why did the turkey cross the road?

I thought I wasn't going to wine club because we were going to Chicago tonight, but that changed when Beerman's judging schedule changed. So now I can go to wine club. Whoot.
Tonight is South African wine theme. Which is good, because when I was actually on the wine route in South Africa, I was 7 months pregnant and not drinking alcohol. (Although I did get quite a few looks as I waddled my way into all those tasting rooms with others!)
We're going to be hang out in Chicago tomorrow, which should be a nice change of pace. Somehow those blue eyes convinced a couple sets of grandparents that he needed some extra cash to get his Earth Dragon Defense. After all, what would we do without another Lego set in the house?
It is so cute how excited he is about going to the Lego store, though. My plans were to go to the Children's Museum first and then the Lego store, but the more I think about it, I think our day will be much calmer if we just get the Lego store thing over with first.
C-man's report card came home yesterday. It was all really positive, but more to the middle of positive than the high end that we've gotten used to seeing in some areas. He had a pretty rough first month of school. So we'll see at parent-teacher conferences if they are just tough first quarter graders, or if he struggled that much in the beginning.
Then again, maybe I'm being hypercritical. He got top marks in Spanish, Religion, Math, Science and Social Studies. Reading was more toward the average, and there were quite a few comments about him needing to be neater and take more time with things. Both not surprising insights.
His school pictures also came home. After all the photos I have taken of him, one would think he would know enough to straighten his glasses and not do the creepy smile. And yet, one would be wrong in those assumptions.
My left foot is still killing me from when I fell down the basement stairs 2 weeks ago. I hope walking this weekend doesn't totally destroy it. I may just have to bite the bullet and wear tennis shoes around Chicago.
As a result of this painful foot, I can only wear flat shoes, or bear the wrath of the pain in the middle of the night. From wearing them so much, I just realized that shoes have gotten pretty stinky, so I just ordered a new pair to replace them. I love Zappos and next day free shipping.
Our Christmas cards are ordered and on their way. It wasn't the photo we really wanted, but when I said we'd have to retake them to get what we had said we wanted to do, Beerman quickly agreed it was good enough.
I really need to cut back my coffee consumption. A latte is the first thing I think of when I wake up lately.
I found a new recipe for cranberries I want to try. Since, after all, cranberries is my assigned dish on Thanksgiving each year. I'm not sure how that happened, but it sure does make it easy!
Nickelback is playing the half-time show at the Packers vs Lions Thanksgiving game. Seriously? As if Nickelback isn't bad enough on their own, but their Thanksgiving was like a month ago.
Happy 11s to you today!

Old Man Winter

2011-11-10T08:45:00.000-06:00

The first measurable snowfall is coming down, and things are looking quite wintry out there. I don't think Harry is very thrilled. I'm just thrilled it's haircut day. I love haircut day. It might even be a 2 latte day. You know, because I deserve it.

Wordless Wednesday: Up

2011-11-09T09:19:00.000-06:00

Easy street

2011-11-08T10:44:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe the monster craziness we'd been building up to is over, but it is. Football is done. The rummage is mostly over. (I'm still tracking down peoples' IOUs.) Fall Fest came and went. Now we just have stuff to do that we like, mostly. And that feels good. Something you might even say I'm thankful for.

Report cards come home this Thursday. C-man is actually getting some real grades this year based on his in-class work, homework and weekly tests. Parent-teacher conferences aren't until Thanksgiving week, though, which I think is a big split between the two. It'll be interesting to see what these teachers think of him.

This weekend we're heading to Chicago to tool around while Beerman judges at some beer thing. C-man wants desperately to go to Navy Pier. I'm not sure why he's so stuck on that, but that's fine with me. The kid's museum is there, so that should be entertaining. Plus, there's always hotel room service and a pool after the train ride. Then we have First Stage play tickets on Sunday. I moved our original tickets to this weekend because it was the only one we could make. It would be simpler to not go this weekend, but it's the last weekend of Don't Tell Me I Can't Fly, so it's Sunday or never.

Overall, it's looking like this week is going to be pretty fun.

Thankfulness

2011-11-07T09:37:00.000-06:00

It's November. The month that all that turkey and thankfulness gets the spotlight. (Well, the Packers and deer killing too, but those are different stories.) There are so many around me who seem to be hurting in different ways, that I've felt even more incredibly lucky just to be me. So the rest of this month, I am going to focus on what I am thankful for in my life.

Today, I'm thankful for my little family. Even on my worst days, my husband and child ground me to who I am. Or at least to who I should be as my best me. Growing up, I'd had visions of gaggles of kids that never came. And for a while, that was tough to take. But now that I have who I have, I don't know how it could be any different. Or more importantly, any better.

What a weekend!

2011-11-06T12:27:00.000-06:00

The weekend started at 5 a.m. Saturday morning. We got up and got to the school rummage sale that I've helped chair. Beerman makes the volunteer food, so we get there early to set that up and get things ready for the volunteers to arrive. The picture below, incidentally, is only 1/4 of the actual sale. It was a crazy day, but after being worried about donations being down all week, we still ended up grossing over $16,000 for the school, which made it all incredibly gratifying. It doesn't mean I'll be back for a third year, but I'm happy to have done so well again. (C-man was at football with Grandma and Grandpa, and then playing with them and friends)

On Sunday morning, we walked around the Milwaukee County Zoo for the Jingle Bell Walk benefiting the Arthritis Foundation. It was a little cloudy, but at 51 degrees, still a pretty enjoyable day to do it. The weather also meant WAY more people showed up than anticipated, which is great.

After that, we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa. I went home to take Harry for a dog park walk and then rest while Beerman took C-man to Adventure Rock on his Cub Scout outing. This was the picture that was just sent to me. Heaven forbid the child not go to the very top of everything.

And now, I wait for the family to get home so we can head to a friend's house for the Packers game. I think one beer will knock me on my butt, so I'd better stick to water.

Whew. I may need a weekend from my weekend!

Somewhere out there, there is sanity

2011-11-04T11:17:00.000-05:00

On your mark, get set, go! Let the craziness begin.

Thursday Thirteen Things

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Only two more days until this rummage sale is held. And then it's blissfully OVER.
After 2.5 total hours of being on the phone with CVS Caremark to set up my new prescription with their specialty mail order pharmacy (The insurance company won't let me get my arthritis medicine any other way), and getting the rebate card that Humira gives me aligned with my account, I got my first shipment yesterday. I couldn't inject that stuff fast enough.
For 6 months, I was on Remicade to a tune of $5000 per visit every 6 weeks. Humira is $5 every 2 weeks, or $15 every 6 weeks. The cost difference makes me physically ill. Especially when you realize that the obscenely expensive stuff didn't even work.
I'm hot and heavy into the acupuncture thing again. I'm at a new place, since the woman I went last time was crazy, and the woman I went to the time before that has since moved out of town. So far, I feel like these guys know what they're doing. When I tell them something hurts, they press on a specific point in my body that sends me shooting in the air in pain in the spot they're touching, but the original spot that hurt doesn't while they hold it. I find it all so fascinating. Hopefully it doesn't take forever to see some changes.
The Wisconsin Republicans are introducing an abstinence-only bill today and are calling it the promotion of marriage bill. (Unless you're gay, of course.) It totally makes sense to me to tell a 15 year old boy, "Don't have sex, get married first!" Because after all, every 15 year old boy would prefer to think about the socioeconomic benefits of a long-term marriage over getting laid.
Now that Halloween is over, things are turning to Christmas. Commercials, people talking about holidays, red and green showing up.. Ick. I like Christmas, but in December, not the beginning of November.
With all the wind and rain, the colored leaves are almost all gone. I'm not ready for winter. Not that it matters, because it's coming anyway.
Every time I use the iPad to type something, autocorrect turns into i's. And there is no fix for it on the iPad. The restrictions on Apple products are really oppressive.
However, Rope'n'Fly is my latest iPad game addiction.
I finished streaming the show Breaking Bad on Netflix. There's a season 4 that isn't available on it. I may just break down and buy it, because I can't stand not knowing what happens to these people. Especially now that they are filming a season 5!
C-man has 2 teachers who team teach. One of them is moving because her husband's job is relocating. We are now being asked to donate money for a gift for her. For what? 8 weeks of school? It's probably callous, but you'll excuse me if I'm not torn up by someone who has only been around for half of the first 8 weeks of school.
Maybe I'm just bitter because I keep getting asked to donate money for people's birthdays, kids, weddings, cheer them up because they're sad they're pregnant (that one about sent me through the roof!).
We're heading to Chicago next weekend to have some fun while Beerman has a beer thing he has to do. C-man is saving his allowance money and working at the rummage sale with us to earn more money so he can visit the Lego store. Right now he's about $10 short of getting the Earth Dragon Defense that he HAS to have. I think I'll make him work a bit at the rummage tonight to get him closer.

Wordless Wednesday: Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel

2011-11-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

The things that make me smile

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

I feel like a truck has run me over. This rummage sale is draining me mentally. And physically, both Beerman and I hurt, too - he from moving ridiculous amounts of heavy furniture, me from just moving stuff. Then I fell down the basement stairs Sunday, resulting in a bloody big toe and turf toe (I had it once in high school and totally know that's what this is again) and a giant fist-sized bruise on my thigh. Not to mention my shoulder still hurts like a summ-itch, going on 4 weeks now. Yesterday, that was officially diagnosed as an acromioclavicular (AC) inflammation that I just have to wait out. (Mostly because they're not getting near me with those steroid shots) Hopefully acupuncture can speed it up. And, I can't stop sneezing. I'm blaming it on allergies, but it really feels more like a cold.

So in light of that, here are some things that make me smile lately:

Taking our family photo and realizing that Harry was the best behaved out of all of us.
Getting 114 for the word "Jink" in Scrabble.
Watching the school rummage sale taking shape each day and knowing I'm one day closer to the end of this commitment.
Seeing giant white tail bucks hanging out in our front yard.
Listening to C-man plow through a book that he has to read to us at night.
Going trick or treating and running into loads of people we know.
The Jingle Bell Run/Walk is this coming Sunday. (You still have time to come or donate!) So far, it's looking like 52 and sunny, so it should be a decent walk around the zoo.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm giving up my Monday Mug this week to wish you a Happy Halloween!

Family portraits

2011-10-30T16:13:00.000-05:00

We took a break from my rummage sale duties today to try to get a family picture together for this year's Christmas card. It shouldn't be that hard to get 3 people and a dog to all look decent at the same time. After almost a gazillion shots, I think we have something good enough for a card. And then, of course, we did trick-or-treat. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint, it's pouring. So I am suspecting the annual bonfire will get canceled. Kind of a bummer, except with the rain, I have absolutely no energy to do anything but lie on the couch. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Can't catch this

2011-10-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

We had a morning of flag football followed by all day at the rummage sale. It's rummage sale drop off day. Or as I think of it, the beginning of a week long endurance test. I'll be so glad when it's next week Sunday.

In case of an Antarctic car crash

2011-10-28T08:29:00.001-05:00

Being at a funeral affects your thinking toward your own mortality. Specifically, it makes me want to shout from the rooftops what I don't want done with me after I'm gone. Everyone has their choices and reasons for their end of life decisions. And this is no judgment on any of the choices of others; Only what I feel strongly about for me. And since this seems as reasonable of a rooftop as any:

No open casket. Please. I don't want anybody looking at my made-up self talking about how good I look.
Let's just say no casket, period. Cremate me.
Do what you want for the funeral. It's for who is left anyway. But if you could have decent music, and not boring old church music, that'd be nice.
No headstones. I need no marker of me on some valuable piece of land next to other headstones. Remember me somewhere I actually like to be. Go to the beach. Plant a tree. That's where I'd prefer to be while living anyway, so remember me there if you must have a place.
If you'd like a trip or two to nice places, take me with and scatter bits of me in my favorite places around the world - like Praia do Futuro in Fortaleza, Brazil, in the Swiss mountains, and Brier Island, Nova Scotia as you see a humpback whale... you get the picture. Other fabulous options include Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, off Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and off the beach wall in Havana.
If you're cheap and don't want to go to nice places, throw me in the water somewhere pretty.
Bottom line, keep it simple. And keep it cheap. For God's sake, don't spend a lot on a funeral. Unless it's to splurge on the good booze. Then, by all means, have at it.

Windshield time

2011-10-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

Taken from my Blackberry during one of the million stops in a construction zone on the way home today.

Bleh

2011-10-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night...
Once upon a time...
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

I don't know what to write. Not that I'm obligated to write anything, I guess. Well, sort of obligated. I like the routine of posting something each day. But I'm running low on photos. And I've been running kind of low on inspiration overall. I could complain a lot right now about a rummage sale co-chair over-committing herself and not doing half of it, so I'm picking up the pieces while trying to work, too. Or a funeral tomorrow that is bad enough to go to by myself without having to arrange for all of C-man's activities before and after simply because Beerman is choosing work instead. Or this shoulder that just hurts. I could complain about all of that. But that would be whiny. So I won't.

...So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Randomly speaking. Because it's all I know how to do.

2011-10-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

I've spent entirely too much time in doctors' offices lately. I'm so tired of them all telling me they can fix me. So I'm sticking with the one who isn't promising anything. He's also the same one who assured me this morning I don't have some bizarre tumor making my spine and shoulder hurt, but that it's arthritis-related. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

I'm down 5 pounds from my last doctor's visit. Which is excellent and something I attribute to avoiding a lot of the candy and cakes and other crap at work. About 10 more pounds would be ideal, but I'll take every one that comes off. Now that the drugs are working a bit, I should be able to exercise some more. C-man and I have been swimming lately, which is good.

The annual school rummage sale is coming up. This weekend is ~~crap~~ item drop-off, and then all next week is sorting and pricing all the ~~disgusting~~ donated clothes, ~~squirrel-infested~~ couches, and other ~~castoff~~ amazing items. Then the big show is on the 5th. And then I'm done. Rummage sales are just not my thing. But the school earns a huge amount of cash from it, so I am trying to keep my eye on the prize.

C-man just had his flag football pictures taken, so we officially weighed and measured him. He is exactly 4' and 60 pounds. He was incredibly proud of the 4' bit.

It seriously feels like Friday already. This is shaping up to be a long week.

What I'll be when I grow up

2011-10-24T09:12:00.001-05:00

For a long time, I was pretty happy with my decisions around my career as an adult educator. I was energized by learning theories and learning transfer and interacting with others. I scoffed at people who still used (gasp) clip art and PowerPoint templates for their presentations. I rolled my eyes at boring training sessions when it could be done so much better and faster in another way. I loved facilitating a meeting and stopping it midstream to condense it into 3 bullets of content that would have taken others all day of hemming and hawing to get to.

I've been doing all that for about 10 years straight now. And that's a really long time for me to do something non-stop. So truth be told, I'm getting kind of bored with it. I don't feel energized by it anymore; I feel spent by it. But the fact of the matter is, where I work is a good place to do this, so going somewhere else wouldn't really help. I am just kind of tired of the field in general.

The reality is, however, that I've created a bit of a niche for myself in these 10 years. The hours are good, the pay is better, I'm well respected for what I do, and honestly, I'm quite good at it.

But at the same time, I feel like it's draining my soul a bit. It's like I'm not coming up with anything new anymore, even if it's new to the person I'm delivering it to. And that lack of newness is hard on me. I'm not a routine person. I love new things. I love new information. I love doing things differently.

And so, I'm torn between finding a new "What I want to be when I grow up" and figuring out how to turn my thoughts around on what I am currently doing. At what point is it better to jump ship into the unknown over drudging through my days uninspired?

Cutest Cub Scout ever

2011-10-23T11:28:00.000-05:00

I could just eat him up, there's so much cuteness in that dimple and gap between his teeth.

Simple Saturday

2011-10-22T11:21:00.001-05:00

A morning watching football followed by an afternoon playing with friends. Meanwhile, I'll be cleaning the house like a one-armed bandit (this shoulder is getting ridiculous) and getting outside to enjoy the sunny day. A pretty sweet Saturday.

Breaths

2011-10-21T08:56:00.001-05:00

Some days, I feel like I'm given a sign to stop and slow down for just a moment and to take a breath. Last night's sky was one of those moments for me. Usually, this time of year helps me do that. As things get colder, the calendar tends to get a little thinner and life a bit slower.

Except for this Fall.

For some reason, okay because of the resident 6 year old social butterfly, the calendar remains packed. Beerman has been on the move a lot lately, going here and there for different things, all while C-man's schedule continues to ramp up. Not to mention, the amount of time and effort this stupid school rummage sale I'm chairing for the last time is taking.

I recognize this isn't a different plight than anyone else. But because my health is crappier, I do feel like it's harder to bounce out of. Or maybe I'm just whining. Either way, I'm going to keep looking at last night's sky as my reminder to relax a bit. Well that, and continue going to see the matinees of cool movies alongside all the old people on my work from home days.

Thursday thirteen random things

2011-10-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

I'm getting acupuncture again starting today. I sure hope it helps.
The Humira I've been shooting directly into my stomach seems to, though, which is positive.
Although I have a giant red welt where I shot myself yesterday. Clearly, I did something wrong.
Why is Lindsay Lohan taking up so much of the world's communication waves? Do people really care what she wore to court?
I went and got new makeup yesterday. Mine just hasn't been working out well for me, and I needed some new stuff.
I was late to pick C-man up from chess club. Which may or may not have been a direct result of #5.
It was okay, though, because I had a rummage sale meeting at the school, and C-man got to race around the cafeteria for an hour, which he loved.
I do not love these rummage sale meetings. I'll be so glad when it's over. The mere thought of all those dirty clothes coming in again makes me shudder.
I'm going to start a school plant sale in the spring to get out of the rummage sale obligations. I'm very excited about that.
It's sweater weather again. Which reminds me, I really need to get cooking on that sweater I started in Japan and got annoyed with when I had to rip 1/3 of it out because of bad pattern instructions.
I could really use a facial. I don't know if it's age, stress, the new drugs, or something else, but I'm noticing a lot of un-funny laugh lines showing up on my face that my self-portrait project is only emphasizing.
I've been doing the gluten-free thing for a bit now. I don't think I have a gluten issue. I think I have a sugar issue, which is reduced when I eat gluten-free stuff.You know, with my Web MD and all.
The Jingle Bell Run/Walk is coming up in a couple of weeks. Feel free to sign up to walk with me. Or donate for me. Or whatever.

Wordless Wednesday: Remember to Love

2011-10-19T08:36:00.003-05:00

Flaming torches

2011-10-18T10:06:00.000-05:00

October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter. ~Nova Bair

A moment in time

2011-10-17T05:00:00.005-05:00

We sold our tickets to yesterday's game after they rudely moved it to 7 p.m. It was too much to ask someone to babysit until midnight on a school night. Which made me incredibly sad, not just because they lost, but because Beerman got us tickets in my favoritest spot - the front row of the first level in right field. But it wasn't all bad, because it meant that after him being gone for a few days and only getting back late the night before, we could just all hang out and enjoy the day together as a family. It also meant that while Beerman and C-man played football catch in the back yard, I got some time at the beach in my favoritest spot of all, to let the wind whip my hair, take some photos of the blue water and fluffy clouds, and to just breathe.

Single Shot Sunday

2011-10-16T15:02:00.001-05:00

My life is like a stroll on the beach...as near to the edge as I can go. ~Thoreau

The only time I've ever been happy about a Vikings win

2011-10-15T11:02:00.002-05:00

Another week bites the dust

2011-10-14T08:41:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, the Brewers are coming home to play, and I'm wearing sassy new boots. Boo.Ya.

Thursday thirteen good things

2011-10-13T05:00:00.000-05:00

I once was given the word "askew" in a grade school spelling bee. I had no idea what it meant at the time, but spelled it right somehow anyway. I looked it up that night. Now, whenever I see something that is askew, like this tree, I smile to myself a little. "A-S-K-E-W"
My left shoulder has been hurting like crazy and causing my hand to go numb. I must have injured it and not noticed while I was hurting so bad last week, because the pain is slowly subsiding. Which also means it wasn't a heart attack. You know, my other option for possible things causing left arm pain.
C-man has 2 days off school, and I am splitting the childcare days with friends. Which means he gets 2 whole non-stop days of play with friends.
Only 3 and a half weeks to go until the school rummage sale I'm co-chairing fore the very last time is over. Not that I'm counting down or anything.
Only 3 and a half weeks until the Jingle Bell Run/Walk at the Milwaukee County Zoo. You know, in case you want to walk with me.
After picking up and putting down the Postmistress for what felt like the thousandth time, I'm now getting through it. It was a really, really slow start. Like Elegance of the Hedgehog slow start with lots of different characters. But it's a WWII book, which I always enjoy, so I kept coming back to it. And now that I'm in it, I'm totally ~~terrorized~~ ~~haunted~~ gripped by the story and can't stop thinking about it.
At the beginning of the year, I was getting monthly treatments that cost $5000 per time. So I maxed out my health care flexible spending account. I stopped those treatments, and now have a ton of cash in my account I need to use. So I am starting acupuncture again. Good of a reason as any, I say.
I learned how to erase someone or something from a picture in PhotoShop. I love learning stuff like that.
I don't know if it's been the new medicine or coincidence, but I have been sleeping so much better the past week.
The 70 degree weather has been awesome. I think we're saying goodbye to it shortly, though. But so far, so good.
I've been reading Harry Potter to C-man before bed at night. We're about 1/3 of the way through the 4th book now. I adore how much he loves being read to. Listening to stories has always been such a big hit with him.
At the flag football game, Beerman actually yelled, "Go Vikings!" I should have recorded that, it was such a momentous occasion. Proof that you really will do anything for your kids.
It's almost the weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Resting Spot

2011-10-12T08:35:00.002-05:00