The Birthday Trifecta

Happy Birthday Beerman! The first 2 gems are courtesy of his Aunt M. This one is when Beerman was about 6 months old. Look at those cheeks!

Beerman is on the left. His brother is on the right. A cousin is in the middle. All grown up:

Happy 39th to my youthful gorgeous sister!

Happy 14th Hunterman!

Post Pelot Christmas

*********************** Here's the link to the Frost Family pictures. I have no idea who these people are, but at least the photos are there. Maybe Mom can edit them so we know who/what they are?

Christmas Program Practice

C-man had his Christmas program practice this morning at preschool. I went, because he won't be able to be in the real one on Sunday. Now if only the kindergarten teacher would get out of the way with those flapping arms!

I'm off to pack to go to Winter for Fesitvus for the rest of us.

Thursday Thirteen things that make me really happy

Thirteen Things that make me really happy (in no particular order) 1. A warm chocolate croissant and fresh coffee with real cream 2. Complete silence with a brilliant snow falling on the ground 3. Hearing C-man say, "Mom, I love you more" 4. Listening to Beerman tell C-man bedtime stories about the bulls or squirrels 5. Watching Riley run outside 6. A brand new earring/necklace combo 7. Learning how to do something new (this week = snowblowing) 8. Fresh sheets on the bed 9. A night out at the Hollander with Beerman...mmmm...French fries w/mayo and Hitachino Nest White Ale 10. Watching James Bond 11. Traveling someplace special with Beerman 12. Listening to the Dixie Chicks (Don't ask why, singing along just always cheers me up) 13. Having my head massaged

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wordless "You're not getting my cookie" Wednesday

12 ways to get my kid to sleep

Inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas (which I'm kind of into this year) and C-man's ridiculously intricate nightly bedtime routine: 12: toys to arrange 11: pillows in his bed 10: minutes of storytime 9: "It's past your bedtime!" 8: sips of water 7: hugs and kisses 6: blankets 5: more minutes until bedtime, please Mom! 4: books read 3: times to heat up his hot pack 2: socks need to go on, no now off 1: sweet boy sleeping

Are my eyes always closed?

Why is it that I need 10 pictures taken of me to get one with my eyes open. Unfortunately, C-man has the same affliction. Here was our attempt last night to take a picture in front of a lit tree at my work event. Try #1, mine are half-open, his totally closed: Try #2: Now his are open, but mine totally closed:

Try #3: Guess third time isn't the charm

Finally! Maybe we need toothpicks to pry them open for photo ops.

How we all feel today

Participate in Camera Critters with your own blog!

Three Things I Learned Today

1. St. Nick does not come for me.
2. Spending too much money on Christmas presents does not magically put me in the Christmas spirit.
3. It does not matter if I am sick. The only way St. Nick's Day and Christmas are going to happen is if I do them.

Dry Toast

I've been not-good all week. As in, my personal trainer sent me home on Monday because I looked like crap and Beerman was holding my hair last night and I'm trying to stomach some dry toast this morning not-good. This always happens around the holidays. At least St. Nick comes tonight! Maybe he can bring me some ginger ale.

Thursday Thirteen things I want for Christmas

Thirteen Things I want for Christmas 1. Beautiful table linens 2. Cuisinart Food Processor 3. Warm, fuzzy socks 4. A weekend away somewhere quiet 5. Beautiful jewelry (no conflict diamonds) 6. Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume 7. Spa visit 8. A housecleaning service 9. Desk toys and gadgets 10. New winter coat 11. Blue cashmere sweater 12. Great books to read 13. Ipod touch

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

One-Word Wednesday: Peaceful

Vision of Sugar Plum Harry

Once upon a time, I was an exchange student. Having been gone almost a year, my mom sent me a few Christmas ornaments to hang on the tree. I've always loved getting the mail. And in those days pre-email, when I was 17, away from home, and ached in a way that wouldn't quite get me on a plane to leave that tropical bliss, but enough to make me a trifle sad at the holidays, it was fabulous to see that package arrive. The ornaments were bought at some craft fair type thing that my mother likes to go to. And they were made out of some clay, or dough, or claydough... Anyhow, I proudly hung them on the tree. And the next day... I came home after school to half-eaten ornaments. Apparently Ulla, the stinky house weimereiner enjoyed them as well. And I cried. A lot. So fast forward to today... I arrived home after taking Riley for his radiation treatment to find this: And while he's not talking, I'm pretty sure, it was an attack from this:

Advent

Last night we went to C-man's school to do some stuff to celebrate Advent. I'm pretty sure his favorite station was the cookie frosting one. He chose vanilla and chocolate. Maybe he is my kid after all...

How a 3 year old decorates the tree

This year, our look is "clumping" and for about 1/3 up the tree.

But at least he's been hell-bent on regularly "fixing" it with his stash of tools.

Holiday spirit is starting to creep in

I've been a total grinch this year. Some have called me Scrooge. (But that's totally wrong. If I were Scrooge, I'd actually have some money left. So Grinch it is.) I always have a hard time this time of year. Add in the constant low pressure on my body, Beerman's constant travel/stress, and the whole Riley sadness, and considering I don't start from the height of optimism anyway, I haven't been in the best of spirits. I told Beerman it was his job to start decorating the house while I worked. It wasn't until we started to examine what we had to put up that I realized all over again just how much we'd lost in the June floods. Even the angel for the top. So, off I went to Steins to stock up on ornaments and a new tree topper - a star, according to C-man's instructions. And in that hour of shopping and way too much spending and singing along with the bad Christmas music piped in overhead, I started to feel a little happier about the holidays.

Black Friday

For those of you who don't work in retail, happy day-off-after-Thanksgiving. For those of us who do, here's to those who are out shopping. Here's a recap from yesterday:

And because in my family, this one rings true:

Thankful

It's taken me a while to come up with a list of things I'm thankful for this year. Yeah, I know, that says a lot about this year. So this is my humble list:

• Happy, healthy, beautiful, sassy son, otherwise known around here as C-man
• A husband who has been by my side for almost 9 years now (7 1/2 of them married)
• 2 loveable, huggable, naughty dogs
• 2 solid jobs that compensate in above-average ways in an economic time that doesn't typically do that
• Riley's radiation treatments have given him some real pain relief
• While him having cancer is a bummer, knowing how precious our time is with the little furface makes every hug that much more special
• C-man goes to a school he really likes and is learning a lot while he's there
• Costco. God bless them for building a store by my house
• A freezer full of beef
• A new roof on the house
• That 2008 is almost done. Bring on 2009!

Half-day

Ah, the day before Thanksgiving, and it's a half-day. I'm, of course, working Black Friday. (retail close on Black Friday? Are you crazy?) Anyhow, I have a chiropractic appointment and need to make the cranberries for tomorrow. Beerman's on his way home. In other words, I'm free until 4 p.m. Mwah-ha-ha-ha! I'm feeling a Quantum of Solace coming on... ************** Speaking of movies, here is the Jen's rating system for this weekend's viewing on a 5-point scale:

• Bolt: 4 stars - please remember that I'm rating this from the perspective of a 3 1/2 year old
• Twilight: 4 stars - the only reason it doesn't get 5 is because I kept waiting for Cedric Diggory to win the tri-wizard cup. Totally wrong choice for Edward.
• Get Smart: 3 stars - entertaining, but drawn out
• Handy Manny: 5 stars - I mean, come on, talking tools!

To Santa or Not To Santa

This is our make or break it year. Do we play into the Santa game with C-man, or do we roll with our lives, continuing to be truthful to him? I remember vividly finding out about Santa Claus and being angry. It was never a fun game to me. A strange man climbing into my house, looking over me all the time, people constantly pestering me about what he was going to bring me, and then finding out I'd been lied to about it all. I remember knowing he wasn't real, but having to play along because it would somehow hurt the feelings of those around me. And it's happening already with C-man. We can't talk to someone without him/her saying, "What's Santa bringing you?" It's so frustrating! Why does everyone assume we're playing along with this charade? And if we don't play along, we have a whole host of other issues. Like, how do we teach a 3 1/2 year old what the rules are? Most parents lie to their kids about this strange fat man but we've chosen to not do that to you? I know I'm in the minority in the no-Santa thing, but it just doesn't sit right with me. And I know I'm going to have to decide soon. But until then, I wish people would just shut it about the whole Santa thing because I don't think it's their decision to make for us.

I win the "I have the naughtiest kid in the class" award

C-man had his Thanksgiving celebration at school today. He's been loving this song and singing it nonstop around the house:

And who doesn't love the fat turkey song:

And THIS is when he starts to get squirrley... Ironic, since they're singing about obedience.

Ramping up

At least he isn't the kid jumping up and down, but the teacher does have to physically put him where he needs to be:

Nothing says Thanksgiving like a song about pizza:

This is where he's mad at me because I'm leaving and not taking him with me. This is also the turkey he made on which his teacher commented, "I didn't have to look at the name on the back to know THOSE were C-man's."

I'm apalled, and it's not even 9 a.m.

This post will make use of the poignancy of my child, and one of his favorite phrases: Are you kidding me?! 1) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27877195/ A $20 billion bailout for Citigroup, and we're still talking about the auto execs and their private jets and waffling on whether it would be a good idea to float a $25 billion loan to the Big 3? Citigroup - the bank that just raised its banking fees AGAIN another 10% to consumers. Citigroup - the bank that is laying off 50,000 workers. Citigroup - a friggin' bank! If they can't make money, then maybe THEY should be eliminated by the free market. 2) And today, I woke up to this: Ugh... C-man has his Thanksgiving celebration at school today, so I'm hoping the day turns up from here.

Christmas Wishes

C-man: "I know what I want for Christmas, Mom!" Me: "Really? What?" C-man: "A kitty!" Yeah, um, no.

A typical Saturday morning in the land of the crazy people

Fridays with Riley

Go already, so I can get my breakfast!

Riding in the car.

Looking out the window, wishing he was outside instead of in here.

Waiting not so (groan) patiently... And still waiting...

Sleeping it off at home.

Awake but irritated.

Blasts from the Past

Maybe it's that the holiday season nearing. Maybe it's the fact that I have a blog and a website and leave my real name on anything I sign online and therefore am incredibly easy to find if someone is at all curious. Or maybe I'm just that unforgettable. (I'm voting for that one, by the way.) But in the past week, four, yes FOUR blasts from the past have appeared out of nowhere from different points in my life. And I love it. I think it's great hearing where people are now... the marriages, babies, moves, jobs, vacations. I love thinking about where I was back then when they were in my life. And I love thinking about where I am now as a result of it all. Sure, it'd be fun to dive back in time for a day or twelve. Who doesn't want to be young and careless, even for the briefest of moments, again? But to go back and actually live in those days... Those anxious days of not knowing what was ahead... Will I finally fall in love? Will I ever have money? Will I find a job I like instead of dread? Will I ever find that happy, satisfied place in my life everyone looks for? Will I find a perfect pair of jeans that make my ass look cute? I'm thankful for the goods and the bads and wouldn't change any most of them. In the meantime, I'll embrace and hold on to those in my past who show up again to remind me of just where I'm still heading. And after all, it's a whole lot of fun reminiscing about crazy days of yore with those who were there alongside me.

Moo

Last night I took a trip to Kewaskum Frozen Meats:

To pick up Bessie. 156 pounds of Mmmmmmmm....

Top 10 reasons why I think we need to bail out the Big 3

1. 1 in 10 jobs in America is affected by the Big 3.
2. It’s serves to effectively punish American manufacturing workers for the horseshit healthcare system in this country. Why are they getting $70 an hour? Healthcare costs!
3. A huge reason our economy didn’t go into a flat-out depression after 9/11 was due to GM’s 0% financing deal. If something happens again, do you think Honda and Toyota are going to bolster our economy?
4. 2.5 million jobs would be lost in the first year. And these aren’t jobs that can just up and transfer to another industry. Let’s look at how much our government spends retraining and relocating these people!
5. We suspended campaigns and raced back to Washington to hand out $700 billion to the banks who gave predatory loans to low income households but not willing to give $25 billion to save what’s left of our manufacturing base? Really?!?
6. In 1980 we guaranteed $1.5 billion of private loans to Chrysler, which was much smaller than GM is today. The government made $400 million on the deal. Why would we think today would be any different?
7. No country in the world would let its manufacturing industry fail like we have ours.
8. National security. Where do you think things get built for our military?
9. Unlike others we’ve bailed out already, most of the Big 3 employees haven't seen raises for years. Yes, I know, some executives are getting bonuses and riding in their private jets. So fire them and put new people in place. Or demand they stop doing that, like we did with AIG. But don't fault the assembly worker for their assinine behavior.
10. Do you like buying things? Go against the bailout and watch the dollar drop so low you won’t be able to see it in the depths of the abyss into which it’ll fall.

Head in the Ass Syndrome

There have been a lot of bugs going around already this season, causing sniffles and sneezes and other disgusting effects. But I need to warn you about one that I've seen pop up a lot this week... I'm calling it "Head in the Ass Syndrome". If you encounter someone with this ailment, don't just walk, but run away. From what I can tell, it must be highly contagious, because I'm seeing its symptoms EVERYWHERE!!! ARRGH!

A little bit overwhelmed

I'm pretty good in the midst of a crisis or chaotic event. But after? Forget it, I'm a total mess. I think my natural reaction is to go in and then stay in a complete state of denial until I don't need it anymore, and then all hell breaks loose. And I think all hell is on the verge of breaking loose. The roof is on. Riley's radiation appointments are set and my vacation days are taken for them. The laundry and dishes are clean (well, mostly). The fridge is full. And here come the holidays... And the request for gift ideas. And the endless stream of bills to pay for the last couple of weeks and upcoming months. And work projects to get done in record time. And appointments to be made and somehow kept when my vacation is going toward doggie radiation. And white day and pajama day and crazy hair day and spirit day and snack day and chapel money day to remember. And... I could go on and on and on but it stresses me out even more. The last couple of nights I've woken up with such heartburn I couldn't sleep. And since I'm usually not a heartburn kind of girl, I think my body has been telling me what my mind has been refusing to figure out - I'm getting pretty wigged out. Deep breaths...

Stinky feet balls

This morning I made pão de queijo. It never fails that whenever I make them, Beerman sniffs the air and proclaims, "Ahhh, stinky feet balls again." (Really, they're Brazilian mini cheese breads made with yucca flour and some aged cheese. Totally edible and delicious if you've got a taste for them). Apparently it's a taste he hasn't quite acquired yet. ********************** And because Harry's been jealous of all the attention we've been giving to Riley, here's a glamour shot of him shortly after stealing a stinky feet ball pão de queijo.

Daily Dog