McCathy's Tub

When I Grow Up...

2011-08-11T18:22:00.001-07:00

Liam has declared, on separate occasions, the following things about his life as an adult:

"When I'm big I'll drive a motorcycle and you can sit on the back and hang on tight. We'll go to Starbucks for coffee and drink it there because you can't drink and drive with a motorcycle. I'm going to drink coffee when I grow up."

"When I'm older I want a convertable. So I can drive it with the top down with other people and with the top on in the winter. I still want a motorcycle."

"When I grow up I don't want a job like Daddy. I want to stay home and play and go to your house and take you out to coffee."

"I don't want kids when I grow up. And if I can't marry you then I don't want to get married."

Quinn, on separate occasions, has declared the following:

"I hope I find someone to marry when I'm in college."

"I think I'm going to be an astronaut. Maybe. I'd like a job like Daddy has where I can come home, cook dinner, play with the babies."

"When I get a car of my own I want a van like yours, Mom. Only blue. Well, when I'm old enough can you just give me your van and then I don't have to use any of my money? I can drive lots of kids around in it."

"I don't know how many kids I'll have. That's up to whoever it is I find to marry me."

Night and day these two. Night and day.

Facebook Status Updates

2011-08-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a long weekend up in Door County, Wisconsin. With little to no internet access on my phone I was unable to post the following facebook updates:

Beautiful! Stopping at the first beach we can find so the boys can stick their feet in Lake Michigan water.

Found the farm. Setting up camp.

Cousins are here! Quinn and Henry are already riding their bikes together along the gravel driveway.

Mmmmm. S'mores

Heading to the beach before it rains.

Rain came - driving around aimlessly.

Found a great state park - Newport - had lunch in the shelter and found great secluded beach. Boys had fun jumping the waves.

Over $60 to take a ferry?! No thanks.

Found another state park - this time we found a shoreline with only seashells on the ground. No sand. Just shells. Very cool.

Heading to a fireboat cruise, then biking, then a fish boil!

Fireboat cruise not worth the money (or the drive).

Uh. Don't spin your kids too fast on the tire swing and then put them in car. Looks like we'll be skipping the fish boil.

Giving the boys baths and cleaning up the van. YUCK.

Boys are feeling much better. Quinn can't wait for Henry to get back to the farm so they can ride bikes some more.

Heading home. My van still smells like vomit.

Home! To do list: laundry and clean out the van some more.

What's that called?

2011-07-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

What's that called when you hear someone in your class has lice and all of a sudden any time your head itches you are convinced you have lice?

Or when someone in your class has strep (or someone in your child's class has strep) and now you swear that your throat is killing you?

What's that called?

I Get it!

2011-07-15T05:36:00.001-07:00

I've learned this past year to let go of my own inhibitions about team sports. I never liked them. I was never good at them. I didn't like trying out - not making the team, etc. I found my place with music - everyone wins - everyone participates - everyone (usually) has fun. Even if you're not the best player in the band - your part is still important. You are part of a group and you all need to work together to accomplish something great.

So between my past relationship with sports and Quinn's feet issues I was very leery about signing him up for any team sports. And then his Physical Education teacher suggested it. As she put it, "at this age - everyone plays and they really try to make it fun. Any experience he can get running with his friends will help him break into a true run eventually."

So - Quinn's played basketball, soccer, and tee ball this past year. And he's loved every single sport. If you ask him what his favorite is - it's whatever he's playing at the time. We're just finishing up a tee ball season - where I signed both Quinn and Liam up to play together.

I get it now. The boys love it. They cheer each other on. They pay attention to the game (most of the time). They know the rules. They've improved with catching and throwing. They respect their coaches. And they look adorable.

Quinn's also taking piano lessons and it got me thinking. Why are we doing this? I have no dreams/hopes of him becoming a professional musician/rock star. I believe most parents have their children participate in a musical activity to encourage a love and appreciation of music. By participating and not just observing you feel a deeper connection to the music.

And it hit me. Why not give my kids the same experience with sports? I don't believe either one of them will go on to play professionally - or even in college (well, maybe Liam, but that's another blog post in itself). I can expose them to a variety of sports and allow them to build a deeper connection with each through participation and not observation. It'll work for now - as the games aren't competitive and everyone makes the team. We'll see what happens when they're older. But I've put my own fear about not being good enough to play aside and I've allowed them to determine what they feel comfortable trying.

It's All My Fault

2011-07-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

Poor Quinn. He just doesn't know how to behave when he's tired/hasn't had enough sleep.

For most of his life he's been put to bed before it's too late, given the chance to nap when he's needed it. I've avoided sports, camps, classes, etc - if it interfered with a good bedtime and/or naptim for him. So really, the only chances he's ever had to get tired were while we are on vacation.

Then comes this summer. We've been much more flexible with the sleeping thing. Going to bed late seems to have become the norm and not the exception.

This would be fine - if he'd sleep in. Or if he'd fall asleep during "rest time".

Instead I find him in his room at 5:45 reading by the light of his window and trying to fool me into thinking he's sleeping until 6:30, like I asked of him. Or reading during a much needed naptime (like when he was up 'til midnight and up at 6am).

I know a lot of parents have this problem in reverse - their kids will stay up later reading with a flashlight under the covers. At night is the only time he'll fall asleep easily. But then when he wakes up to use the bathroom in the early morning - he refuses to let himself fall back asleep!

So it should come as no surprise to me that he's been tired, crabby, cranky, whatever. I'm tired of using that excuse for him - but that's what it is. The kid is not getting enough sleep. I'd hate to go back to our school-year bedtime for the summer - there's so much fun to be had after dinner. Of course, I'm also hating his new disposition.

If only he'd sleep in. Tonight I'm taking all the books out of his room.

I'm such a mean mom.

So it's happened....

2011-04-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

I figure since my last post was about my dying grandma, I should extend an update.

She passed away just a few days after I wrote that.

She had many of her family members there at the house with her and went peacefully.

The wake and funeral were beautiful and it was so good to see all of my family that has scattered across the country the past few years. Almost all of my cousins made it in and my aunts and uncles.

We all had such wonderful memories of growing up together and playing together at Grandma's house. In Grandma's basement. At Grandma's cottage.

I love those memories.

My Grandma

2011-03-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

My grandma is dying. She's not sick; she's just old.

My grandpa (her husband) was sick with cancer many years ago. I remember about a week before my 16th birthday I thought it was strange that the entire family came to visit him. I didn't know that it was arranged so that we could all say one last good-bye.

My grandma has spent the past few years in Arizona with my aunt. Maybe about six months or so ago she came back to Illinois and my mom (and her siblings) choose a nursing home for her. My mom took her out of the nursing home and brought her home with her and hired a 24 hour care-taker.

This past weekend my mom has begun calling family and letting them know they should come and visit. Grandma hasn't eaten anything since Saturday. Her kidneys aren't producing. And she's been sleeping a lot.

I took the boys to go and visit today and she seemed to be in good spirits. She called Liam "fat" (for lack of being able to think of the proper word for saying he's grown so much). She told Quinn to be a good boy. And she asked how I was feeling. We talked about medicine and how it's helping us all feel a bit better with this weather. She seemed at peace - not in any pain.

My mom has had a chaplan out and is arranging for a priest to come (Grandma is Catholic, my mom is not). My dad said the chaplan was singing to my grandma.

Death is such a strange event - yet such a normal part of life.

My grandma sat next to my grandpa as he passed away.

I'm glad my mom brought Grandma home with her.

I'm glad my boys weren't afraid to see her and talk to her. This is an important stage of life that I want them to understand as much as they can. (Of course, I still don't understand as much as I want to about the end of life.)

I'm glad I got to see and talk to her.

His Voice

2011-01-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

So, after talking this over with my husband, we decided we thought signing Quinn up for Choir wouldn't hurt. It might even be good for him. Singing is a good stress relief and being a part of a musical group has always been something I've enjoyed.

But, Mike and I decided we'd pose the question to Quinn to see how we felt about it.

The other morning I simply said to him, "So, you've got swimming right after school on Mondays and basketball on Saturday mornings. That's it for now. Would you like to sign up for choir on Wednesdays or just stay home on Wednesdays?"

His decision was quick and without hesitation.

"Stay home!"

I'm glad I left this decision up to him - it's nice to be able to give my child a voice in what's going on in his life.

Over-scheduled, Again?

2011-01-08T17:27:00.001-08:00

Ahhh - decisions. Decisions.

It wasn't too long ago when I was talking about how happy I was with our new schedule.

And here I go again - switching it all up.

During parent/teacher conferences in November we spoke with Quinn's P.E. teacher about his running skills (and other skills, too), but we were concerned with his running/speed after the surgery. She agreed that he was slower than most and didn't seem to "get it" yet. She thought it might not have only been from his surgery, but also a sort of developmental delay, since his feet/legs were never really how they were supposed to be. The important thing we took away from our conference was that she recommended we sign him up for group sports! She believes that the more practice he gets with other kids and encouragement from other adults - the better he'll get. It makes perfect sense. I've always been hesitant, if not "against", team sports for young kids - but after talking with some moms who have had their children in such activities I'm coming to learn that it's a very supportive environment. Plus - in the winter - where else is he going to get to run? So, we signed him up for basketball - on Saturday mornings.

Which means I had to switch his swim lessons to Mondays after school. And Liam joined swimming too - so he's taking lessons at the same time (which is good, because Mike doesn't have to rush home).

So now - Quinn has basketball on Saturday mornings and swimming on Mondays.

I've already learned that his new swim teacher is more challenging than his old one - I'm thrilled about this. He is not. He gets frustrated, "because she's always telling me how to do things."

I have a feeling that basketball may be frustrating for him as well.

And I'm excited and terrified about taking him somewhere that challenges him. On one hand - he needs a challenge - every academic area comes very easily to him. He just gets things. Easily. He rarely has to sound out a word to read it (but when he does he gets frustrated). His math skills are crazy. He needs to be involved in something that will teach him how to keep on trying! On the other hand - why should I challenge him? Shouldn't I just let him enjoy the things that are easy and fun for him?

And something I haven't talked about yet here, is that his classroom, at most times, is a frustrating/stressful place for him. (That, my friends, is an entire blog post - if not worthy of an entire blog.) Anyway, he's doing great academically (he was when he started), it's just there's about three kids in that class that are not getting the support they need and that causes an environment that can be a bit stressful. (Like I said, an entire blog post may be coming up soon about this when I can figure out how to put my words together about it all.)

So.... basketball Saturdays and swimming Mondays - perfect, right? Just two activities.

BUT, there's choir starting up - and he LOVED choir in the fall. It was easy for him. It was fun. He'd sing the songs all week long. And I know how much I enjoyed being involved in music and how much I think it helps with stress.

I just can't decide if it's worth signing him up for - one more night of either an early/rushed dinner or a late/rushed dinner.

Looking Ahead

2010-12-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to:

March 10 - Our 10 Year Anniversary. We'll be leaving the kids behind at Grandma's house and heading to Disney World by ourselves! I cannot wait. I have all sorts of "Grown Up" dinners planned and a tour that we couldn't do with the kids. We might even try parasailing.
June 4 - We're leaving Mike behind and I'm taking the kids, my mom, and my sister to Disney World!
Summer vacation - since the kids are getting older we can do more and more fun stuff! Maybe another camping trip?
Our annual Dell's vacation with Mike's family - Quinn is truly swimming now and I have a feeling Liam might be close by that time!

I resolve to:

Stop using Drive Thrus. Think about - nothing good ever came out of a drive thru window. This shouldn't be too difficult, the only drive thru I've been relying on has been Starbucks. So, now if I want a Vanilla Soy latte, I'm going to have to get out of my car and go in there and get it. Or, send Mike. =)
Use my reusable bags more often.
Continue checking food labels and only buy/eat food that has simple ingredients.
Try rock climbing at the gym.
Plan a vacation for 2012 that is not to Disney World. I know there's more to see than Mickey and Minnie - it's just there's a magnet there that pulls me towards it all the time!

Looking Back

2010-12-30T18:55:00.001-08:00

Favorite memories:

February trip to Disney World with our good friends! Not sure when we'll be going back with them, but that was our second trip together and everything went so smoothly. It's amazing that our entire family and their entire family get along so well!
Christmas with my family - this year was definitely one of the best and I have so many happy memories from that day!

Best finds:

I started drinking tea at home instead of coffee. I used to have to add a ton of sugar and milk to my coffee. I can drink my tea "black". I really love Stash's Spicy Chai tea in the morning. And then Stash's green tea during the day. Right now, I'm enjoying an herbal bedtime story mix by Lipton. I can drink my tea iced or hot.
Yoga. My goodness. It took me years to figure this out. First, "yoga isn't about being good at it," is what a good friend of mine told me once while I was complaining about not being "good at it or flexible enough." But that's not all, I found a teacher that holds that same philosophy. As she says, "Let go of your ego and honor your body for where it's at in the pose." She has so many great phrases, one of my favorites being, "smile!" Since I've let go of my ego I've come to really enjoy my yoga time and I've been able to go deeper into most of the poses. Now I feel as if I'm a yoga pusher - anyone that shows any slight interest in yoga I can't help but encourage them and encourage them and then ask if they've tried it out yet! I've learned what yoga classes to avoid at the gym (fitness yoga or warrier sculpt) and which ones I enjoy (vinyasa or hatha).

Things I wouldn't mind not doing again:

Quinn's surgery and recovery.
Dealing with the budget cuts at work. (This, I'm afraid will be rearing it's ugly head early in 2011.)

I said I would (and what I actually did):

read more news magazines and books - I've read quite a few books this past year. I tried a few news magazines, but didn't really enjoy reading them at all!
read less blogs - I feel sort of guilty, I rarely check my google reader. If a friend posts a link to a blog post via facebook, I'll check it out.
eat less McDonald's - Did it! Not only that, we very rarely get any fast food now. I can cound on one hand the number of times I either ate McDonald's or got it for my kids. I'm planning on zero trips for 2011.
try cooking more often - Ugh. Still can't get into the cooking thing. I think I tried one meal in January. If I do cook, it's the old stand by of spaghetti.
buy less stuff - Hmmm... after the shopping spree I was on today I'm not too sure. I will say, our Christmas was scaled way down. The kids don't need so much and when I'm shopping I find myself putting back a lot of the things I pick up. I've still go to work on this, but I have gotten better.
donate more - yup! I'm constantly going thru our toys and clothes and packing bags up to donate.

One Winter Day

2010-12-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

Talking About Santa With a Thinker

2010-12-09T18:04:00.000-08:00

Ahhh - the questions about Santa have begun this year. After Quinn's birthday party at the end of November we decided Quinn would choose half of his presents to donate to the various toy drives so that some children who don't have as much as we do could have a happier Christmas. He was good with this. But then he thought about it... "Well, we shouldn't worry too much about them, because Santa will bring them presents." Turns out other people only have one or two gifts come from Santa, the rest from Mom and Dad. We never did that. I may try to make that switch this year - I wonder if he'll remember.

We went and saw Santa at one mall - the same mall we go to every year. Then, I had some shopping to do at a different mall - and Santa was there! Quinn's first question was, "How many Santas are there?" And I just asked what he meant by that. And then he switched his thinking to, "Santa must have some really special magic to be able to go to our mall in the morning, this mall at night, AND be in that parade that was on TV the other day!"

And then there's the talk of "naughty or nice". Quinn truly believes that there are two boys in his class that are getting nothing for Christmas because they are so "naughty". And so I try to explain that somehow, Santa knows just how good each boy or girl can be and expects them to be their own best and that it's very hard for those two boys to control themselves and Santa might be a bit understanding with them. Quinn didn't like that answer.

And then tonight I had to do it. After weeks of fighting with his brother, arguing with his parents, and even lying - I've had enough - so I put the fear of Santa into Quinn. "You do know, that Santa's watching to make sure you're nice, right?" We had a nice long discussion that involved just a few tears, until I assured Quinn that he still has many days until Christmas, and that for the most part, he is a very very very good boy - just that I was a little worried that Santa wouldn't like all the fighting that's been going on. (I mean really, people, the boys have been fighting over moving ornaments, setting up the nativity scene, pushing the buttons on those things from hallmark that sing Christmas Songs, everything and anything they've been fighting over it and it's driving me BATTY.) So we discussed how many more days he has to add more to the nice side of his list and then he said, "Well, actually, since I'm at school more than I'm at home, I think I'm okay. I'm always nice at school."

Turkeys!

2010-11-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Flowers on my Grave

2010-11-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

The other day in the car Quinn says, "Mom, when you and Dad die I'll come and put flowers by your grave."

He's been a bit curious about death lately/for quite awhile now. Wondering how many more years until his Great-Grandmas pass away. Making "smart guesses" as to which one will die first. Wondering if it will hurt when he dies. Trying to understand how souls can go to Heaven, but the broken bodies stay in the ground.

Although I've given tips and tricks for talking to your kids about death - this topic is never easy. It has turned into many different discussions - my favorite being the one where we tried to explain that when your body is badly hurt (like in a car accident) it produces endorphines that stop the pain messages from getting to your brain - so no, it probably wouldn't hurt to die like that.

We don't like to not answer his questions - and we don't try to get out of the conversation, but I never knew that having a child who liked to think could be so difficult!

What?

2010-11-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

Wait? It's already November? Mid-November? Seriously? What happened.

Quinn's going to be six in just 10 days. Crazy.

Anyway - Happy Halloween. One of my favorite holidays just came and went super quick.

I'm an All or Nothing Sort of Girl...

2010-11-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

When I decide to do something I sort of go all out. For me - it's all or nothing.

So, when I challenged myself to not eat any Halloween candy starting Nov. 1st I knew it had to be all or nothing. No letting myself have a bite of one of the boy's pieces, no choosing just certain ones I can eat. I will eat none of it.

But then today I realized someting. Even after having Mike take an entire bag of chocolate candies to work - If I don't eat any of this candy it will take FOREVER to get it out of the house.

So...

I decided: Each time I "crave" a piece of candy or each time I think about eating one - I will go choose a piece and put it in another bag - to either donate or send to Mike's work. (Any ideas of where I could donate this candy would be awesome. As of tonight there are 6 pieces in there. I'm sure the bag will be ready by the end of the month.)

Over-scheduled no more!

2010-10-26T17:27:00.001-07:00

There was one thing I knew I wanted to avoid before having kids.

And I did so well the first five years of being a parent. I avoided team-sports, because I truly believe before the age of 7 it's best to learn those sport-skills at home in your backyard with your family and friends. I would only sign the boys up for one activity at a time, if any. We would always have dinner together at a reasonable hour.

Then kindergarten started. Not only did kindergarten start, but full-day kindergarten started.

I had to keep Quinn in his swim lessons - he's made such great progress and if there's any competitive sport this child has a chance at it will be swimming. (All the other sports I'm afraid will put too much pressure on his feet.)

The local children's choir, which is a world class youth choral organization and is internationally renowned, begins with students at the kindergarten level. Quinn loves to sing. He loves to make up songs. And most importantly, he can carry a tune. So of course, we signed up for this.

This was in addition to the two nights or days a week of Quinn seeing his physical therapist to build his leg strength back up after his surgery.

The start of Quinn's school year wasn't quite the start I was hoping for. He'd have school Monday-Friday, of course. Tuesdays - choir, Wednesday - swim lessons, Thursday - therapy, and Saturday - therapy. That meant, dinner on Tuesdays was early, Wednesday and Thursday a late dinner, and no sleeping in or relaxing on Saturday mornings. It also meant Mike was rushing home from work on Wednesdays and Thursdays so we could get to where we needed to go without Liam! Quinn was tired. I was tired. We all were tired.

Oh! And we got a piano and so I've been teaching Quinn how to play. Over the summer we had no trouble finding time for our piano lessons (usually once a week while Liam was napping). Lately, we struggle to find the time and Quinn is always asking for a lesson.

Thankfully, we just got the okay from the doctor to end our physical therapy sessions.

And, I'm switching Quinn's swim lesson time from Wednesday evening to Saturday morning - less traffic to deal with and less rushing around after school.

That just leaves us with Tuesday evening choir - which I'm not giving up. Quinn loves it too much.

And Saturday morning swim lessons.

This will be much better. Much much better.

The other night we were eating dinner at our normal time, everyone finished up, and then Mike was performing his infamous magic trick of making something dissappear and then reappear in one of the kids' ear or something. Anyway, it was exactly how our family dinners should be. Relaxed. Not rushed to get the kids to bed. Not rushed to get the kids out the door.

I realize that our old schedule is nothing compared to what some families manage to accomplish in a week - and that's okay with me. I just know that for us, it wasn't working. I've also learned that I need to be careful with our scheduling.

Mornings Before School

2010-09-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

After a month of getting everyone ready to go in the mornings I'm finding myself enjoy this time. I pack the lunches the night before, Mike feeds the kids their breakfast while I shower and then says goodbye, Quinn gets himself dressed and "brushed" (his way to say he brushed his hair and teeth), but most importantly - this is the time of day when my two boys play the best together. Most mornings they have a good hour to play together before we need to leave - they can either be found playing chess (Quinn's trying to teach Liam), Wipe-Out (jumping on the couch cushions), or just dancing around on Liam's bed. This playtime gives me plenty of time to empty the dishwasher and straighten up the kitchen before we go. It's been working wonderfully and I'm sure now that I've typed this up tomorrow will tell a different story all together.

Tall Ships

2010-09-18T18:05:00.001-07:00

Skinny is Not My Goal

2010-09-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Jillian Michaels was asking her facebook followers for ideas for work-out t-shirt slogans. I, of course, couldn't think of one on the spot. But now, a few days later - I've got it.

I'd love to work out in a shirt that said:

My goal is not skinny.

My goal is strength.

I didn't always weigh what I weigh now. Maybe that's why I keep hearing people tell me, "You're so skinny." When really - I'm not. Yes - I weigh less. Yes - I'm wearing a smaller size than when most of these people met me. Yes - I'm working out. yes - I eat healthy foods. But skinny hasn't been my goal since high school (at which point I could never achieve the elusive "skinny"). My goal now, if you can call it that, is to put food into my body that will give me fuel to be stronger. To do more. I eat when I'm hungry - which some days feels like all the time. I rejoice in being able to do a few push-ups on my toes instead of my knees or to hold a plank for over a minute. More importantly, I rejoice in being able to run next to Quinn or Liam as the ride their bikes down the sidewalk. Or to be able to play an all-out game of soccer with them without huffing and puffing too much. My goal is not to be skinny. My goal is to be strong.

First Kindergarten Homework Assignment

2010-08-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

We met Quinn's teacher this morning and picked up his first homework assignment of the year. The assignment was to draw a picture of himself on a bag and put two items in the bag that help describe him.

He choose his goggles and a truck that he hasn't played with in forever.

He choose the goggles because he learned how to swim underwater this summer and can jump in the deep-end and swim to the side by himself.

He choose the truck because, "Really it's like two things in one, so I'll get to bring three things, but it's really just two things, but if you count them there's three things. But really. Just two things. The goggles and the truck. Mom, do you think it's okay if I bring the truck that's two things in one?"

I do think it's okay and I'm wondering what his teacher will learn about his choices tomorrow as he describes them to the class...

*I feel the need to add that he almost put his goggles and a bottle of bug spray in his bag. Because he has a lot of mosquito bites. I kind of sort of wish he put the bug spray in there. THAT would have been funny.

Summer's Ending...

2010-08-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

So I've traded in my pool bag for my work bag.

Of course - working only 9 hours a week - my pool bag is still going to see some action for the next few weeks...

How's your end-of-the-summer going?

Ready.

2010-08-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight I asked Quinn if he was ready to do his therapy exercises. His response?

"Yup. I'm ready for just about anything."

***sorry if this is a repeat for my facebook friends - I tend to look back at my blog archive as a sort of scrapbook - then I can remember to add some of this stuff to our actual scrapbooks as I complete them. Anyway, this post is really just for me - but it's a good thing to share too.***

The Library

2010-08-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to the library today. Which is really nothing out of the ordinary.

They each finished their summer reading logs - logging in over 15 hours of reading. I'm pretty sure we've read way more than that, but I always forget to give them the stickers to add to the charts and they usually forget to remind me.

Anyway, I took the boys to the library today. Which is really nothing out of the ordinary.

Except. I was looking for a few books for myself - not just browsing - I had a list (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and something by Philipa McGregory).

Anyway, I was looking for a few books for myself and the boys were actually being pretty well behaved. In each aisle I spent time looking the boys would each find one of the little step stools provided and stand up on the top step and just sort of hang out. Perfect. They weren't bothering anybody, they weren't yelling at or pushing each other - they were just sort of hanging out.

Except my younger one - he doesn't just hang out. Quinn says to me, "hey, mom - watch this," so I look over at him to see him start to climb. "No way, put your foot down." I look past Quinn over at Liam. And Liam's step stool is empty - because he's up on the shelf.

I am not even kidding. He climbed up two shelves. From the step stool.

Thank goodness nobody else saw that - I wouldn't want to be banned from the library.

Oh right, and thank goodness the kid didn't get hurt.

We Went Camping. I Took Pictures.

2010-07-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Part One of Two of our vacation. A weekend camping... Pictures of part two to come at a later date. Enjoy!

Back

2010-07-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

We're back from vacation. A vacation that should have included two nights of camping in a tent and four nights in a condo with family, but instead included one night in a hotel, one night in a tent, and four nights in a condo. Upon arriving at our campsite, the skies looked clear and beautiful, but the weather forecast posted at the office stated severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. Right, no thank you... so I called multiple hotels/motels and booked us for one night.

Anyway... we're back now. Our first night home included severe thunderstorms - lost power, loud thunder, and bright lightening. It also included a Liam who couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep. So today, I've been walking around in a daze doing laundry and basically sleep walking.

Vacation was awesome and I can't wait to share some pictures.

But not right now. I'm tired.

The doctor didn't like it either.

2010-07-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

So, we had Quinn's check up with the foot doctor/surgeon. He didn't like what he saw in the left foot either. When Quinn has no shoes on his left foot rolls inward, similar to what was happening before the surgery. The doctor had some xrays taken and was glad to see that everything on the inside actually looks a lot better than before surgery. So, the doctor believes that Quinn is a little sore on his left foot and rolls it to a comfortable position when standing. This was even demonstrated once Quinn had his shoes on and began walking for the doctor, he was clearly favoring his left foot. The solution for now is to give Quinn Motrin to help with any inflammation (though the therapist hasn't noticed any swelling) and to help reduce any pain or discomfort he might be feeling.

I suppose the good news is that the xrays of the left foot looked really good - even I could tell the difference with where some of the bones were at. Also, when he's wearing his shoes with inserts he's very well supported and his foot is where it's supposed to be. Of course, we're hoping to get to a point where Quinn will be able to stand barefoot and not have his bones rolling wherever it is they want to go.

We've got a vacation coming up - at a water park... the doctor advised us to allow Quinn to take it easy, offer him horseback rides while standing in lines for the bigger water rides, and to try and keep him in his sandals/stroller/shoes with support as much as possible. Basically, watch out for the amount of walking around barefoot we let him do.

Before and After...

2010-07-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Since Quinn's been able to hold his weight and stand - I've managed to get a few shots of the after-effect of the surgery. So... here's the before:

And here's the after:

The doctor did tell us pre-surgery that his left foot may need an additional surgery in a few years because it was so messed up. Well, he didn't exactly use those words, but you know...

Anyway, it's hard to tell just how successful this surgery has been, because even in these after pictures he's not putting all his weight on his feet and he's still sort of walking funny. I suppose we just have to wait and see. Another doctor's appointment Wednesday.... we'll see how he feels about the results.

Awesome.

2010-07-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

And yes, we're going out tonight to celebrate. =)

What He's Taught Me

2010-07-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Things I've learned from Liam that I never learned from Quinn:

How to unlock all the bedroom doors from the outside.
Leave a coin outside the bathroom door so you can easily unlock it
When going outside for any amount of time and leaving the kids inside - always bring your house keys.
Make sure you also have a key for the screen door.
When going into the basement for any amount of time bring this guy with you so that he doesn't lock the latch on the basement door while you are down there.
How to set up the child-lock feature on my car.

I don't know what it is with this guy, but boy oh boy, does he get into everything. Today he decided he wanted to pee standing up - so he took the middle part of his little toilet seat, put it into the middle of the bathroom, and went for it. And in the process made a total mess of the bathroom and himself. I thought I knew what to expect with this end of the toddler/beginning of the preschool stage, but I can promise that this guy is the total opposite of his big brother. This guy keeps me on my toes... and I'm loving every minute of it.

Summer Reading Program

2010-07-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the library's summer reading program I am able to tell my boys to go look at books for 15 minutes. AND - they are able to actually look at books nicely for 15 minutes. Liam has quite a few that he's memorized and can "read" during those 15 minutes. Quinn is able to read quite a few words and has many books that he can actually read. Of course - sometimes, they just look at the pictures and make up stories.

Either way - I'm able to get the laundry folded, the dishes put away, or just straighten up a bit for 15 minutes without my boys just vegging in front of the television.

It's a total win-win.

(Each 15 minutes we read or look at books the boys add a sticker to their own charts. For each 3 hours we read or look at books we get to go to the library and pick out prizes.)

*Oh - and just so you know, we always spend time reading books in this house, it's just that the summer reading program has really helped my boys understand just how long 15 minutes is... And it also encourages me to encourage them more often.

Fireworks!

2010-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I asked my facebook friends for help taking pictures of fireworks and Jennifer came through with this link! So - our first night of celebrating the Fourth of July (also known as Mike's birthday weekend)! Of course, there are pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The only down side to taking photos of fireworks - is that it takes some set up and then you sort of need to leave your camera there and ready - so I wasn't able to capture pictures of the pre-fireworks activity (mostly the kids playing around). Luckily, my friend takes just as many pictures as I do - so she took care of that part of the night for us! (Also - I have to give credit - Mike took all of the fireworks pictures. I just did the research.)

And They're Off!

2010-06-30T17:34:00.001-07:00

Look - no casts!

Quinn's casts came off this morning. Actually, his first set of casts came off two weeks ago and this morning they took off the second and final set of casts.

I'm pretty much getting sick of saying, "He did awesome," but well, that's pretty much how Quinn has handled this entire situation.

The surgery? He did awesome.
The hospital? He did awesome.
Four weeks in casts with his feet elevated? He did awesome.
Two more (unexpected) weeks in casts? He did awesome.
Going to summer camp with his casts on? He did awesome.
Moving himself around? Awesome.
Seeing his icky feet for the first time today? He did awesome.

(And yes, they really are icky looking. In addition to the typical post-cast-dead-skin, he's also got four pretty large scars that are still healing. Icky.)

Anyway, I soaked his legs/feet in some warm water, washed them off a bit, and then put him into the tub - his first real bath in over 6 weeks! He did awesome, of course.

I couldn't resist taking this picture of the bottom of his feet. It's like brand new baby skin down there.

The doctor wants us to work on de-sensitizing the bottoms of his feet before he starts therapy next week, so I'll be preparing some bins filled rice, beans, and maybe sand for Quinn to stick his feet into. Although, honestly I'm a bit nervous about that because, like I said, you can still see where the incisions were made.

So, yay! The casts came off. He needs to take it easy this weekend, but is allowed to ride his bike (yikes!) and swim. No walking far distances, but I promise he is not bummed about that.

Pajamas

2010-06-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

A year or so ago I was complaining to my mom about the lack of pajama selections for Quinn. After he moved out of the toddler sizes and into the regular boy sizes our choices for pjs went down hill. My beloved puppies, teddy bears, dinosaurs, and other fun childish prints were replaced with Spongebob, Spiderman, Scooby Doo, and other obnoxious prints. It made me sad, but not that much, because I knew I'd have a few more years of adorable pajamas with Liam.

Sadly, Liam prefers to pair up his pajama shorts or pants with a plain white under shirt. This evening I was able to distract him from his usual choice of pajamas (he was too busy focusing on his latest owie) and managed to get him into one of my favorite pair of pajamas - complete with the adorable shirt!

A New Bed.

2010-06-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

We finally got around to getting Liam into a Big Boy Bed. Actually, it's not as though we wanted to do this any sooner and I'm pretty sure he would have loved to have stayed in his crib a bit longer. But, you know, he did turn three last week (oh wait - Bad Mommy Blogger did not do the birthday post. yet. I'll get to it, I promise). So anyway, he did turn three and well, there's a lot of pressure to get your three year old into a Big Boy Bed. Well, that and he was getting heavy. So we did.

We actually had the frame for about 4 years - when we put Quinn into his Big Boy Bed we purchased a bunk bed that could be used separately - so the pieces to Liam's frame has been hiding throughout the house.

Yesterday I took the boys to the mattress store and ordered a mattress. Not surprisingly, the decision on which one to get was one hundred times easier than when Mike and I went shopping for Quinn's mattress. I mean, with Quinn being the first one we really wanted to make sure we got the right one. This time, I walked in the store, told the nice salesmen I needed a twin size mattress. Not the most expensive and not the cheapest. He showed me a few. I refused to sit on the one covered with pictures of Spongebob - and the decision came down to two - one that felt a bit like the type of mattress you might have to sleep on at some hotel. So clearly, we went with the other one.

Anyway... today Mike assembled the frame (without instructions!), Liam hung out in the living room on his new mattress, and I put together Liam's new Big Boy Room.

His crib was taken apart and placed in the garage. And I didn't even cry. I kind of, sort of, wanted to, but not really. It's just another milestone in his life, right? I mean, these kids, they just keep on growing up.

He's pretty much happy with his new room. He keeps saying I gave him "too much", but that he likes "too much." I'm not quite sure what he's talking about - maybe the sticker things on the wall??

And tonight when I tucked him in he said to me, "Don't make it too scarey." I really think kids lose some sense of security when they move out of their crib. But, he fell asleep and, so far, so good...

The Zoo!

2010-06-08T18:07:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo with my sister. It was awesome. And of course, there are pictures.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

You should have seen me flip Quinn over onto his belly on the edge of the sting ray pool - with his legs resting on his wheel chair behind him. The first spot we picked the sting rays avoided at all costs. I scoped out a much better spot and had to do the flipping maneuver all again.

It really was a great day - our first venture out for a day-long activity with Quinn's casts. It was hot - he did awesome.

Two Days

2010-05-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

At one o'clock in the morning before his surgery Quinn cried out, "Mommy, I'm scared." I wasn't sure what it was he was afraid of, but I crawled into his pull-out bed at the Ronald McDonald House and assured him everything would be okay. I also told him I was a little scared too, but knew that everything would be okay.

Exactly 24 hours later I was sitting by his bedside as he cried out in pain, "Mommy, it hurts. It hurts. It hurts." I stroked his hair and assured him that it wouldn't always hurt this bad as I waited for the tylenol with codeine to kick in and do it's job. This was the first round of trying the tylenol instead of the morphine.

An hour later he was still in pain and restless so the nurse gave him morphine. He slept soundly for three hours until the doctors and nurses started checking him out.

There were a lot of moments during those two days that were so hard. So many moments where I stopped to remember how thankful I am that my children are, in general, healthy children and this little adventure was just a very short-term affair.

As we were in the pre-op room waiting for things to get going a "child specialist" came and talked with Quinn about what was going to happen. She talked about the special sleepy medicine that he'd breath in, she showed him the special mask where the medicine would come out, and she let him "paint" a good smelling smell inside the mask to hide the real smell of the medicine. He choose bubble gum.

She also gave him a "shadow doll" to demonstrate the different things that would be happening to him with the doll. He told me I could hold the doll while he was in the operating room, because, "It's my shadow. Since you can't come with you can hold the doll."

While waking up in the recovery room Quinn was nervous that he'd be too heavy for Mike and I to carry around. I told him that's exactly why I go to the gym and that's exactly why his daddy works out in the garage - so we'd be strong enough to carry him.

He ate a total of three popsicle during his recovery period. Each time he remembered to say please and thank you - even in his drunken state.

The doctors and nurses kept warning us that children are a bit "grumpy" when they wake up after surgery. I kept doubting that would be Quinn, but figured I was wrong. Nope. The nurse in the recovery room was amazed at how calmly he woke up. She said the first thing he asked for was a popsicle. And then he wanted the tv on. Each time he said please.

Friday morning was spent with Quinn crying to go home. "I just want to go home and leave these stupid casts at the hospital."

Now that we're home, Quinn only recounts the good parts of his little adventure to family and friends...

"I got to play in the water that the face spit out." (Millennium Park - the day before)

"I only took like 5 or 10 breathes of the medicine and then I fall asleep. It smelled like bubble gum."

"The doctor didn't let me eat after midnight because he didn't want me to throw up on him. That would be gross."

"I got room service."

"I ate hot dogs and milkshakes. And so many popsicles."

"The nurses thought I'd be grumpy, but I wasn't."

"The doctor gave me more bone to help my feet."

"I get to use a wheel chair!"

"I can pee in a bottle."

May 20th - The Big Day

2010-05-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Quinn's surgery has been scheduled for May 20th.

We have decided to go with Dr. B and after asking him why he didn't want to do both procedures we feel that we have made the right decision.

Doing both a sliding heel osteotomy and a lateral column lengthening with medial imbrication is actually pretty risky. Both require making a slit in the bone and inserting donor bone. And the slits are just a centimeter apart. Which, from my understanding, totally increases the risk of that little bit of bone between the two cuts to fracture/shatter. Also, Dr. B said that he feels that just the lateral column lengthening will show great improvement in Quinn's feet. We might want to consider a sliding heel osteotomy in a few years - on just Quinn's left foot.

So the date is May 20th and here's my to-do list in relation to the surgery. (This does not include things I need to do for work.)

buy Quinn with new puzzles and legos (check)
buy a bean bag chair to help with keeping his legs elevated (check)
get some "Going to the Hospital" books from the library
inform Quinn's babysitter of the surgery and last day (check)
inform Quinn's teacher of the surgery and ask about graduation day
tell Quinn (check)
arrange for care for Liam (check)
arrange for a short stay at the Ronald McDonald house
find some non-tainted tylenol/motrin (check - generic brand)
arrange for post-surgery "play dates"
figure out if the metra (train into the city) is wheel-chair friendly
ask the child center at the gym if Quinn can come in a wheel-chair and play on their computers/watch TV

I've spoken with the nurse quite a few times since scheduling and after each phone call I feel so much better about our decision. The latest and greatest news is that the pre-operating room is a "stick free" area - so they will not start his IV until after he's been put under. Also - Mike and I will be able to wait for him to wake up in the recovery room - so Quinn will see us right away.

Also - the nurse said that Dr. Bielski will carry Quinn in the operating room! Quinn is so familiar with this doctor and has always enjoyed the visits with him in the office so I know Quinn will be in good hands (literally) as the doctor takes him...

A Mother's Day to Remember...

2010-05-09T18:42:00.001-07:00

First - go check out these adorable interviews with my boys from Disney World. I love it!

I was sure this was going to be the third Mother's Day in a row in which Mike would be sick.

He was sick Thursday night. Stayed home from work Friday. Still felt sick on Saturday. Thankfully, for me, he was feeling better today.

I was able to do exactly what I wanted today.

I slept in and woke up to see Quinn helping Liam with a puzzle on the floor.

We ate pancakes for breakfast and Mike took the boys outside while I cranked out the laundry and cleaned out our bedroom. (yes - I wanted to do laundry today!) While outside Mike and the boys planted flowers and blueberry bushes.

For breaks every once in awhile I'd go outside and watch the two boys riding their bikes. Liam just learned how to pedal and Quinn is now riding without training wheels!

After lunch I ran out and did some shopping - since this is one of my last free weekends for a long time...

Came home later and we all went out to dinner!

Perfect.

Much better than the last two years.

Also - I think Quinn's teacher really drilled into them the fact that it was, in fact, "Mother's Day". He kept wanting to help me and was SO good all day long. What a sweetie.

May Day! May Day!

2010-04-29T12:33:00.001-07:00

I am looking forward to the end of April.

It's been another rough month.

Of course... that first week in May we've got two very important appointments.

May 3rd - I'm seeing a specialist - did I tell you I spent a Sunday in the ER this past month with severe abdominal cramping. I thought for sure it was my appendix. So, it's probably IBS. blah.

May 5th - We're meeting with Quinn's original foot doctor, Dr. Bielski, to talk about the S-word. blah.

I wonder what May will be like...

Sheep Shearing!

2010-04-24T17:57:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to the local historical farm and saw some good ol' fashioned sheep shearing! Of course there are pictures.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

That night at dinner Quinn told Mike, "Well, I know what I don't want to be when I grow up. A farmer. I will never shear a sheep. I'm afraid I would hurt it!"

Second Opinions

2010-04-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

So - here's the break down:

In April of 2009 Quinn's original foot doctor, Dr. Bielski, recommended a sliding heel osteotomy.

In September of 2009 Dr. Bielski recommended a lateral column lengthening with medial imbrication.

In February of 2010 Dr. Bielski recommended a lateral column lengthening. Both feet at the same time.

In April of 2010 I found a parent whose son has had various surgeries with Dr. Bielski and she LOVES him.

Today I took Quinn to get a second opinion. Dr. Ibrahim took one look at Quinn and basically said, "As soon as you are comfortable with surgery he's ready for surgery. And we cannot correct his feet with orthotics." Dr. Ibrahim recommends a lateral column lengthening AND a sliding heel osteotomy. Dr. Ibrahim prefers to do one foot at a time.

Dr. Bielski prefers doing both at once, because, as he said, "Once Quinn experiences his first surgery he will be much more anxious about the second."

Dr. Ibrahim prefers one at a time so that Quinn will be able to be more independent during the process. He said we could do one foot in early May and the other in October so that the entire summer is not ruined.

Dr. Bielski works out of the University of Chicago and, I'm assuming, only performs surgery out of the Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago.

Dr. Ibrahim performs his surgeries out of Elmhurst Hospital or Good Sam's.

I was really hoping I'd go for a second opinion and the doctor would say, "Why are you here? Dr. Bielski is the best. Trust him and go with him." And well, I'm happy that they both agree, sort of... there's these little differences. And who is the better surgeon? What is the better hospital?

Spring Break 2010 - AKA - Toddler's Gone Wild

2010-04-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

So, the plans I had for our spring break didn't really work out. Sure, the weather was fabulous. The best spring break weather I remember in a long time. But with a sinus infection, ear infection, some bronchitis, and allergies coming to visit - we didn't have the energy to go anywhere or do anything. (Those illnesses were shared between three of us.)

Instead, we layed around the house - watching movies... not really doing much of anything. Sure, I'll get an urge to clean up a little - and I focus on one room and then I'm exhausted. Out of the three of us, Liam's been the luckiest. Just an ear infection that we caught early. So, as I've been laying around, almost asleep, he's been, um, having a run of the house, I suppose. Locked doors, lost membership cards that I vaguely remember watching him pretend with, dumped puzzle pieces, kitchen spices taken out of the cabinets, pots, pans, spoons, etc... Oh... and this...

I also vaguely remember the boys thinking it was the funniest thing to run around the house in nothing but their undies. Maybe it was funny...

Drowning in an Ocean

2010-04-02T05:15:00.000-07:00

***

I suppose that title could describe how I feel... looking around my house... knowing all the stuff I have to do... but it's not.

Nope.

It's the sensation I feel while using this.

That's right. I'm a user.

But you know what? It works.

****

High Fructose Corn Syrup...

2010-03-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Are any of you watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? Wow. That's all I can say.

Over here at "the Tub" we are label readers. Mike is a pro - he does most of the shopping - and has a long list of things to avoid when buying food for our family.

The other day I took the boys to the grocery store mid-week to replenish our fruit supply. Anyway, we decided to try and find some fruit snacks for the boys. Every single box Quinn brought to me had high fructose corn syrup in it. So much so, that he started to find that ingredient himself on the packaging. After awhile, he stopped checking fruit snacks with cartoons on them saying, "I know this will have corn syrup in it, because the Curious George ones and the Nemo ones and all the other ones for kids had it in it." And so he started looking at the more "healthy" looking boxes - all of which had the HFCS in it. We settled on freeze-dried fruit. Not as fun looking... but all that's in a package of freeze-dried bananas and strawberries are, believe it or not, freeze-dried bananas and strawberries (about one banana and 4 strawberries). And it's not as though we manage to keep the HFCS out of everything - our ketchup and relish has it.

I will admit, we are not the best example of the "Best Foods" to eat or feed your family, but I'm proud of the awareness we've taught the kids. We try our best, but at the same time our kids are allowed to eat snacks and desserts - especially when we're out visiting other people.

Quinn's been sick. Honestly, we've all been sick, but today was Quinn's day to feel the worst. After dinner I offered him one of the sugar cookies we made the other day and he turned it down... he said, "No. That's just like candy. That's not going to help me get better. I should have some fruit... maybe an apple with the skin on?" Uh. Okay.

What a weirdo.

Good Day

2010-03-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

My day started with a message from Quinn. Written all by himself. Then, we went on a field trip to an Historical Farm with Quinn's school. How neat! We tapped a maple tree, tasted sap, watched the farmer boil the sap over an open fire, tasted real maple syrup (from this farm), and saw some lambs. How much better could it get, really? Of course... there are pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

My Husband

2010-03-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

On Monday night, my husband fixed the drain in the bathtub.

On Tuesday night, my husband fixed the fridge.

On Wednesday night, my husband fixed dinner, but really, he does that most nights.

Words to Live By

2010-03-08T17:47:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago I read this quote on one of my favorite blogs and absolutely fell in love with it:

“Let everything happen to you – the beauty, the terror. Just keep going, no feeling is final.” ~Rilke

Jennifer, over at Playgroups are No Place for Children, mentioned that she might even tattoo those words onto herself. I love it.

This morning I think I heard a quote I'd be willing to have tattooed on me, if I didn't remember how much it hurts to get a tattoo.

I was talking with a friend at work, just about things... and she told me the story of how on the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer she was on her way home and passed by a water treatment facitility that always has sayings and quotes on a sign in front of the building. The day she was diagnosed with breast cancer that sign read,

"Worry is a misuse of your imagination."

How awesome is that? Oh - and she's been cancer free for years! I don't know how many... I sort of lost count after the first one... but she's doing absolutely great and continues to be an inspiration to me both for my work life and home life.

And so it ends....

2010-03-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

I walked into work this morning and right into a hallway filled with parents waiting to register their children for my preschool program.

It was beyond flattering to see so many familiar faces, especially after all the BS they've been through to get their children into this preschool program.

Registration started at 8am. People were lined up outside the school as early as 4am. Seriously.

I love it.

Some people didn't want this program anymore. But guess what - the parents do and the parents worked their butts off to make this happen.

And it happened.

Awesome.

Almost Over

2010-03-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

So this week, this week I have no control over, is almost over.

My mom did stellar in her surgery. She's home now with a sore throat. The tumor appears to be benign, but we'll know for sure in a few weeks.

I totally had a panic attack on my way to my kickboxing class - only because I didn't hear from my sister after my sister actually saw my mom after surgery. Sure, my sister talked to me after the surgery and told me that Mom was in the recovery room and the doctor was pleased with how it went... but still, I guess I needed to hear that my sister had actually seen Mom and talked to her. Anyway, this little panic attack, and the fact that I couldn't get a hold of my sister, caused me to be one of those people that carries their cell phones out of the locker room and upstairs at the gym. I hate those people. At least, I hate that they can't be away from their phone for an hour. But yeah, I was one of them, and at our first break for water during class I checked my phone and had to call my sister back. But let me tell you, I was able to focus so much better in class after talking to my sister.

I called her after class was finished and she was quick to point out that we all have our own addictions. Mine just happens to be working out. Which, if I had to pick an addiction to have, well, this one's not that bad. I remember when I was waiting for our flight to take off for Florida during a Winter Storm Watch, I kept telling Mike, "I just want to go running." I actually did do some yoga poses in the airport while waiting.

In the meantime, I've been watching my friend's 3 month old baby girl. I started this week and will be watching "Baby Rayna" until the end of the school year on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The biggest difference from having your own baby and watching someone else's is this: With my own babies after trying to get them to sleep and learning that really, they just wanted to sleep in my arms, I'd get frustrated. I'd wonder when I could ever lay them down. With this baby I realized I find it flattering that she prefers my arms. And I know, I won't be holding her all night long, all day long, for the rest of my life. Just until 4 o'clock or so. I sort of wish I would have been more flattered that my own babies wanted me to hold them all the time and less frustrated. If my memory serves me, I did enjoy that more with Liam, but with Quinn, my first, I really thought that would never end. I couldn't imagine ever sleeping through the night again. And now I know. This Baby Rayna goes home, we have dinner, play, and I put the boys in their beds and know, that most likely, it'll be quiet in our house until morning. Gosh, I love my sleep. Oh? And also? There's quite a few things I miss about the baby stage, but so far, this babysitting gig has not caused me to want a third child. Not. at. all.

And tomorrow is registration for my preschool program. I call it mine, even though I don't actually own it. Well, I "own" it, but not legally or anything. So, I'm planning on wearing my "K-Prep Rocks" shirt a parent gave me a few years ago. Cheezy, I know, but funny at the same time, right?

This Week

2010-02-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

This week on Tuesday my mom will be having a surgery on her thyroid. There's a lump, or something on there. The doctors are planning on taking it off, sending it down to the pathology department to have it tested for cancer, and if it is cancer - taking out the entire thyroid. Seems to be a pretty common thing - having your thyroid removed. As a matter of fact - a friend of mine's mom just had her's removed. And everything went well. I'm worried though. The last surgery my mom had a few months ago (totally unrelated) went a little longer because her blood pressure dropped while they were operating. So, I'm really hoping for a smooth surgery this time. That's Tuesday.

**News Flash**
While we were in Disney World - many outraged parents showed up at the February Board Meeting and the School Board voted once again on the preschool program I teach. This time to keep the program - with some changes. (Basically, instead of working 3 whole days I'd work 5 half days - still, perfectly balanced with my home life and awesome.)
**News Flash Over**

So, this Friday is registration for that preschool program. Except in order to have a program next year at least 16 children need to register for MWF mornings and 10 for Tues/Thurs mornings. And - these parents - who have already gone through quite a bit regarding this program - are being asked to pay the entire year's tuition 30 days after registration. That's $1100 or $1600 the school wants to collect upfront. That's a lot of cash. I'm really hoping that enough parents can manage that. I really do love teaching preschool - I love the school I'm in - and of course, I love that balance.

2 Weeks

2010-02-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

I went two weeks without running or working out. The first week we were on vacation and, with almost no stress, I felt no urge to run. Even though I had been looking forward to running around the lake by the Boardwalk.

The second week - I was busy doing laundry, tending to a sick Liam, and just mourning the end of vacation.

For two weeks I ate crappy food. The first week was spent eating all of my meals out. Desserts after lunch and dinner. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

The second week I just continued eating crappy food. I craved ice cream, desserts, chocolate... I gave in and enjoyed a Shamrock shake and Big Mac from McDonalds.

This week I started again. I've been ignoring most of my cravings for desserts, I've gone to the gym, I've gone for runs in the cold, and I got my car out of the drive thru line last night - deciding I did't need another Shamrock shake.

This happens every time I take a break. I fall back into my "bad" habits.

But, I'm tired. I feel icky. My pants are too tight. These things alone help me get back into my good routine.

It takes me two weeks to get back to that routine. Two weeks of forcing myself to the gym. Two weeks of forcing myself to get out and run. I enjoy these activities once I start, but getting there and getting started is hard. For two weeks. After two weeks I'll begin craving my exercise again.

Weekly Winners - The Disney World Edition

2010-02-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure how some people could consider Disney World a glorified amusement park. Especially having never been there...

Anyway - here's my favorite eight from our eight day vacation!

Enjoy!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

For more Disney Pictures and stories visit Our Disney Daze.

Still Here..

2010-02-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

Just not really here, more over here for now. =)

I love Mondays...

2010-02-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

Ahhh - Mondays:

One of my two "break" days from working out and/or running.

Big Bang Theory is on.

I usually pack myself a pretty good lunch for work.

And today is especially wonderful, because tomorrow - LOST starts.

Always Thinking...

2010-01-29T18:15:00.001-08:00

So, of course... I'm still thinking about next year. I've sort of made up my mind of what I'd like to see happen, but really have no control. There are so many things up in the air right now - things I have no control over. It seems I may have to wait until March or possibly April or maybe even August to know what I'll be doing next school year.

There's so many other things I have to think about in my own life that this "mess at work" doesn't seem so bad. Quinn's revisit with his foot doctor is at the end of February. My mom is having a biopsy done on a mass found on her thyroid next week.

And then, there's so many things happening in other families that I know, that all of the above doesn't seem bad at all.

I truly am blessed with what I have. And I truly believe that whatever happens next year will work out just as it is supposed to work out. I just wish it would be settled sooner.

I must say that through all of this mess - the thing I look forward to the most is a good run. Outside. In the cold. Who am I?

Decisions

2010-01-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

Ah.

So, this could be a very long story. A long story involving budget cuts, the State not paying programs they've promised to pay, school board meetings, meetings with superintendents, revised plans, and oh so many other things. My school year has not been an easy one.

But I'll keep it short.

Sort of.

The 3 day/week preschool program I've taught for the past 8 years has been eliminated by the school board.

I need to decide if I want to work full-time or stay home and watch other people's babies for a few years.

If this was two years earlier - easy decision to stay home. If this was two years in the future - easy decision to work full-time.

But it's now. Liam will be three. Quinn will be starting kindergarten. I was really looking forward to being able to continue to be involved in his school.

Sounds like I should stay home...

Except, with things the way they are with Illinois schools, things are not going to be getting better any time soon, especially when it comes to early childhood programs (State not paying their bills). And, I have a little seniority at my district, which means if I stay full-time I won't be at the bottom of the chain, and trust me, at the bottom of the chain is a crappy place to be. If I am able to get a full time job I should take it now while I can.

And then... what if Mike loses his job? He swears this is impossible and his company continues to make profits year after year, but still. Where would we be if he did lose his job? Me watching babies... no insurance, no steady income...

Sounds like I should work...

Except today I was able to go into Quinn's classroom and watch his teacher lead twenty 5-year-olds in a make-shift band. It was awesome.

See. Totally not an easy decision - one that I know moms all over the world make all the time. And one that I know some moms don't have the luxury to even think about.

Also - I won't even go into how important I believe this program is. And how many parents are outraged by the decision the school board made. And how it literally makes me sick to my stomach to think about the things this school board may be willing to cut.

Happy New Year....

2010-01-20T17:58:00.001-08:00

Oh right. I'm still here. It's just that when there's a lot on my mind I find it very difficult to put together a decent blog post. so, yeah.

There's a lot on my mind. Some of which I'll be sharing with you... just not yet.

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures from New Year's Eve. We spent the evening with one of our most favorite families - and in just 19 days we'll be heading to Disney World with the same folks. And trust me when I say it's a vacation that we've all earned and will thoroughly enjoy...

No Wonder...

2010-01-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

It's no wonder I haven't been able to keep up with the sorting/printing/scrapping of all the photos I take. I have well over 2,000 photos to sort through, since July. And I get distracted. Besides checking into facebook, the photos themselves get me. Here's a great example. I was sorting pictures from our vacation to the Dells and came across these of Liam. I just couldn't wait - so I virtually threw them into Storybook Creator Plus and created a 12x12 scrapbook page. The pictures were just too adorable to NOT do something with right away!

Run more.

2010-01-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Run more and find less excuses. Another one of my resolutions for 2010.

I got pretty good at running. I got to the point where enjoyed running, sort of. I mean, it was still hard, but I enjoyed it. And then I got sick at the beginning of December - strep had me out for almost two weeks. And then I had a mole removed from my forehead and was told not to exercise until the stitches came out. And then the stitches came out and I ran again - and woah. It's almost as if I'm starting over again, but not really.

Anyway, I no longer prefer running on the treadmill. Especially since the people at the gym have the heat on so high - I swear I was dying last time I ran there - it was so hot in there! But I did start to like running outside.

And then it got cold. Very cold. Bitterly cold. And I didn't have any warm running gear.

I took care of that yesterday and also discovered just how un-sexy running leggings are. But that's okay - I got myself a pair of underarmour running pants, an ear band thingy, and gloves. I know I've got enough exercise-type jackets - so I'm pretty sure I'll be all set for my run on Wednesday.

My plan is to run Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If I miss a run, then I'll run Sunday morning.

At least now I have the gear to get out in this weather. Also - if I find it's too cold - then no excuses - I'll drive my butt to the gym and sweat it out on a treadmill.

Eat less McDonald's

2010-01-03T17:52:00.001-08:00

Mike and I recently watched Supersize Me. Haven't heard of it? Basically I guy goes from eating fairly healthy and exercising regularly - to eating a diet consisting of nothing except for McDonald's and no longer exercising. In fact, he starts taking more cabs, because he wants to keep the amount of steps he takes in a day at the national average.

Anyway, I was really hoping this movie would totally gross me out.

But it didn't. I was hoping it would make me think, "Man, I'm never going to want to eat at McDonald's again." Instead, I thought, "Hmmm, I could go for a Big Mac. I love my Big Macs."

Of course eating nothing but McDonald's for a month is not a good idea. Especially, if you insist on getting a meal every time - french fries twice a day and soda. Woah.

But what he did discover, which I totally believe is this - McDonald's food is addictive.

I could go weeks without a Big Mac or a Cheeseburger Happy Meal (with apples), but then once I treat myself and the kids - I want it again - right away.

So, I'm going to try to go to McDonald's less this year. I'd really like to say I'm not going to go at all, but that's just not realistic.

Also - I'm going to try to cook. Once a month I'm going to make something that seems difficult or fancy to me. I've always said, "I can't cook healthy foods." The only things I know how to make are loaded with carbs or come from a box or both. So, I'm going to try to cook from the meat and produce aisle. Once a month. Also, crock pot recipes do not count.

*Oh - and another surprising thing from the movie - he showed some school up in Wisconsin serving amazing school lunches - organic/fresh vegetables and the lunch ladies were actually putting together lasagna for the students. It looked amazingly delicious.

Read less blogs

2010-01-02T01:02:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas Mike and I gave his grandma a subscription to Time Magazine. I have to thank my aunt who told me, "Uncle Fred's mother still reads Time Magazine and she's 94, but likes to know what's going in." I knew Mike's grandma would enjoy the same thing - she is always aware of current events.

Me?

Not so much.

Sadly, I can tell you what's going on in people's lives I don't even know. I know who likes to complain about work and people they work with all the time. I know of three children who died this year, whom I never met. I know who is on a diet. Who got a new camera for Christmas. What kind of lens so and so likes to use. Who got a Snuggie for Christmas. What some people think about just about anything.

I know a lot of useless stuff.

That's not to say that reading blogs hasn't been a good thing for me. I've learned of other's compasion. I've learned of other's struggles. I've gotten strength from reading of other's strengths. I've been inspired by others.

So, my resolution to read less blogs?

There were some blogs in my google reader that I would skip over if I was in a hurry. The ones where the author rambled on and on (sort of like this), or the ones where the author complains almost every post, or the ones that, yes, they are funny, but I really didn't feel a connection to them.

So I deleted them.

I kept the blogs with good writing.

With the people I feel connected to.

With those that are more positive than negative.

Chances are - if you're reading this - I still read your blog.

And I'm not just saying that.

Oh, right. So anyway - I decided to try to stay current on current events. To read something other than blogs. I'm trying out different news magazines to see which style I like the best, before getting a subscription. So far, I've read Newsweek, Reason, and The Week.

Do you read a news magazine? Which one?

My Resolultions - More or Less

2010-01-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Read more news magazines and books.
Read less blogs.

Eat less McDonald's.
Try cooking more often.

Run more.
Find less excuses.

Buy less stuff.
Donate more of what we have, but no longer really need.

Potty Training in Just One Day

2009-12-30T12:41:00.000-08:00

Really? Is this it?

Liam went all day yesterday with dry pants. Not only that, he ran himself into the bathroom to go. He'll hold his pee if I tell him to go, but if it's his choice - he goes.

This morning he pooped in the toilet. With some tears/fears, but really, not that bad. He didn't want to poop in his diaper. Didn't want to poop in his pull-up. Really, he just didn't want to poop.

Could we be finished? He went all morning with dry pants and again, went into the bathroom when he needed to.

Last time I did this I swore the method of "one day" was a joke. It took six days to get us to this point. I think Liam is almost there.

Tomorrow we venture out of the house so we'll see how that goes. Of course, we going to a friend's house and we'll be bringing our own potty. Who would have thought 10 years ago that we'd be going to a New Year's Eve party that's BYOP?

Here We Go Again...

2009-12-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

So, this is the week I've decided to potty train Liam. To remind you, or let you new readers know, I used a "Potty Training in One Day" method - the same method I used with Quinn. You can read about my first experience with this right here.

I knew Liam would be different. He is different than Quinn. Here's a few things that surprised me this time around:

Liam has come to love Potty Scotty - a doll that pees. And has a penis. We used Scotty to demonstrate going pee on the toilet, and then Scotty peed in his underwear and had to practice. Liam will say "Scotty go potty" whenever Liam has to go potty himself. At one point he even said, "Scotty has to poop." So I quickly broke off a piece of leftover Christmas chocolate and plopped it into the toilet for Liam to see that Scotty did, in fact, poop. And it worked. Liam pooped right after that - but first he cheered for Scotty! Remember how much trouble I had getting Quinn to poop?

Also - you need to squeeze Scotty's leg to get him to pee - so the first few times Liam sat on the toilet today he wanted me to squeeze his leg. "Squeeze like Scotty."

Anyway - Liam insisted on sleeping with Scotty in his crib. He calls him, "My Scotty" except for when I think he's saying "Daddy" in which case he points to the doll and says, "him."

When I trained Quinn he would hardly ever tell me he had to go, but would go anytime I told him to sit on the toilet. Liam only goes when it's his decision to go. Any time I ask him, he sits and nothing happens. This is the best way to compare those two. Quinn is Mr. Agreeable - and Liam is Mr. IfIWantToandWhenIWantTo - and I love them both.

Anyway - Day One went much better than I thought. 2 poops and 3 pees in the toilet. 3 pees in underwear.

We'll see how the week goes - I'm planning on staying home with the boys until Thursday. That should give us time to get this all figured out.

Coooookies

2009-12-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

This morning I spent some time with the boys making cookies for Santa.

Of course, there are pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

When we were finished, Liam said, "Let's go!"

Where?

"To mall."

No, we're not going to the mall today.

"Give cookies to Santa."

Also, you can totally judge me for buying the pre-made sugar cookie dough. But seriously, between the rolling, the cutting, the baking, the decorating, and the washing of the dishes - who wants the mess of also making the dough? not me.

Slowing Down

2009-12-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

That title doesn't really fit our family, but anyway...

Saturday I was wishing Mike and I had a grown up party to go to. One where I could put on a dress. I mean, really, what's the use of working out if you never get to wear a dress. (Somebody, please, get married, so I can wear a dress.)

So, there we were with nothing to do. We have a lot of days like this. I usually love it, but for some reason, I was being a bit of a sourpuss about it Saturday.

That is until the boys started playing "Santa". Each had a pillow case and would approach Mike and I asking, "What would you like for Christmas?" And then, magically pulling that item out of their Santa Sack. Then they took turns playing Santa with each other. Then, they took turns being Rudolph and pulling the sleigh of the other, Santa. (This was funny and involved the use of a jump rope and "Santa" scooching on his buttom while "Rudolph" crawled in front.) Anyway, this pretend play with my two boys lasted a good 40 minutes and totally made me realize how lucky we were that we weren't out doing last minute shopping, or spending the day cleaning the house for a babysitter, or trying to keep them out of our hair while we got ready for a grown-up party, or stressing about how I looked, or...

Soup of the Day

2009-12-13T18:53:00.001-08:00

I like soup.

Potato

Tomato

Cheddar Broccoli

Chicken Rice

Chicken Noodle

Vegetable

Pumpkin Bisque

Lobster Bisque

I like soup.

With Ritz

With Saletines

With Goldfish

With bread

I like soup.

When I'm sick

When I'm cold

When I'm happy

When I'm sad

I like soup.

Happy Hannukah!

2009-12-11T17:41:00.001-08:00

Although, we don't celebrate Hannukah over here at the Tub - Quinn and Liam have put together a special dance to wish you all a Happy Hannukah.

Be sure to turn your volume up!

That song is from my favorite Christmas album, or I suppose I should say Holiday album, Barenaked for the Holidays.

He's Such a Trooper

2009-12-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

Today I took Quinn to the doctor to have his neck checked out.

He started complaining about it hurting yesterday around lunch time (to my friend who was watching him), but played and had fun all afternoon, but still complained... finally at bedtime he was in tears crying about it. But honestly, he was so overtired I figured he'd cry about just about anything - so I gave him some tylenol and put him to bed. This morning he was crying about it again and clearly favoring it. So we went to the doctor.

The doctor was very thorough in checking him out. She even consulted with her partner, which made me nervous. Then, she called up to radiology to discuss either doing an xray or a CTscan, which, yeah, made me nervous. They decided on an xray - so we all went upstairs to the radiology department. The lady told me Liam wouldn't be able to come into the room, so before I could even think of what to do Quinn said, "Okay. You guys wait here. I'll be right back." Uh, okay. So off he went for his neck xrays. Of course, he's had xrays before (on his feet) and he even joked on the way up, "Do you think I'll have to stand on my head like when they took xrays of my foot and I had to stand on one foot?" Then he laughed. Then he said, "OWE!"

Anyway - I texted Mike about that and he replied, "He's such a trooper."

And he is.

So long as he gets a sucker and a sticker when it's all said and done.

Also - turns out the diagnosis is: torticollis. Which is involuntary contractions of the neck muscles. Go ahead and google it if you want. But be careful, because even the packet of information the doctor sent me home with said it could be life threatening, especially in children 2-4 - which is why she was so thorough in her examination. Anyway, we're treating it with motrin and bendryl and expecting it to be gone by Saturday.

Of course, I couldn't help but think about his surgery (which hasn't been scheduled yet) - as he walked away with the radiologist and it made my stomach ache.

What Are the Chances?

2009-12-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

So, last night I showed Mike the above picture - that my sister sent to me via email. Sorry, I have no idea where it came from. But, that, is somebody's Christmas decorations. A fake man holding onto the roof with a fallen ladder.

Anyway... due to circumstances beyond our control we had to ask a friend for a favor and have Quinn go somewhere different today for child care. Mike was to go to work late and drop Quinn off. I had Quinn's school bag and "playing in the snow" bag all set and ready and I think I reminded Mike to leave the booster seat at least 5 times in the morning.

So, he forgot to leave the booster seat. My friend called me to let me know (good thing she wanted to put the seat into her car right away) and I called Mike, who was able to turn around and go back to deliver the booster seat. The street he turned down was closed, so he followed the detour. And saw a house just like the one in the picture! He was going down some street he's never, ever, been down before, and would never, ever, need to go down - and voila. There's that scene.

Wait. He then goes to work and decides to check his uncle's blog (which he will check maybe every few weeks) (oh - and also - that's what he gets to do at work? read blogs?)... anyway, he goes to check on his uncle's blog and sees this.

How crazy is that????

Interview With a Toddler

2009-12-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

You've seen the Interview With a Preschooler

Could it get any cuter than that?

McCathy's Tub Proudly Presents:
Interview With a Toddler

Oh - and that part? Where I couldn't figure out what he was saying. He was saying, "party." He likes to go to parties.

Also, I'm not saying Liam is any cuter than his older brother, just, well, Quinn's was so cute I'm sure you all were wondering how in the world anything could be as cute if not, possibly, cuter. That is up to you.

Interview with a preschooler

2009-12-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

coming soon:

An Interview with a toddler

Nobody Told Me

2009-12-04T04:31:00.000-08:00

There was a lot I knew about child birth before having Quinn. I knew about the blood, the stitches, the stitches falling out into the toilet, the possibility of pooping on the delivery table in front of a room full of nurses (and your husband), the possibility of an epidural not working, your baby looking like an alien, and oh so many other lovely things.

What nobody told me about is this:

After being in labor with Quinn for 23 hours and then pushing for 3 hours - I woke up in the middle of the night and felt like I had been hit by a truck. And then that truck went into reverse and ran me over again. Every muscle, every fiber, every inch of my body was sore. Sore beyond belief. I was not prepared for that at all.

Also? I woke up in a puddle of sweat. Shivering, hot, and soaking wet. Nobody told me about that either.

The first surprise - I blame myself for. Before I got pregnant with Quinn I was in pretty good shape. But, after finding out I was pregnant I was scared that my workouts might cause me to have a miscarraige (which, I know, I know, is so not true). Anyway, I stopped working out for those 9 months. I also took that whole "eating for two" to heart. I was pregnant - let me have it. I gained way more weight than I should have.

When I was pregnant with Liam - I continued working out, up until just weeks before delivering him. My workout was also my break from a busy busy toddler. Quinn would go into the child care center and me and my pregnant self would spend 45 minutes on the eliptical. (My doctor did advise I not take any classes for fear of me falling!) I gained just the right amount of weight and if I remember correctly - I didn't feel quite as sore after giving birth to Liam. Of course, labor with him lasted about 8 hours and I pushed for 30 minutes. So, I'm sure that made a difference too.

But that sweating thing? What is that? It happened with Liam too. I would sleep with a towel underneath me so I could easily get rid of it in the middle of the night.

What surprised you the most about labor/delivery?

Dear Body

2009-12-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Body,

Thank you for waiting until the craziness that is known as Thanksgiving/Quinn's birthday was over to get sick.

I really appreciate it.

Really.

Of course, you could have waited just one more week, but that's okay. It'll all work out alright.

Also, I'm sorry you hurt so much. I don't remember ever hurting this much before. It sucks. The doctor said you'll feel better soon - like tomorrow.

Yours truly,
me

A Blanket! With Sleeves!

2009-11-27T17:26:00.001-08:00

Quinn opened his present from us on Wednesday.

"I've wanted this my whole life! It's a blanket with sleeves! And fun socks!"

I'm not even kidding you.

Oh - and as a side note - I followed all of my Black Friday rules (except I did visit Best Buy, but later in the day) and I managed to get all the things on my list. And then some.

Rules for Black Friday

2009-11-26T18:16:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I started doing all my Christmas shopping on the infamous Black Friday.

Here are a few of my own personal rules:

Do not go to: Walmart, KMart, or Best Buy. Those stores are all well and good on any other day of the year. But I refuse to wait in a line that stretches around and around or worse, I refuse to be a part of a stampede. Those three stores always seem to have some sort of crazy door buster, that will literally, cause people to bust the doors down to get at 'em. No thank you.
Do not stand outside waiting for the doors of a store to open. Sit in your car. Drink your coffee. Eat your power bar. Whatever. Listen to some Christmas tunes. Unless you live in a warmer part of this country - do not stand outside in the cold waiting.
Be nice: The past few years I've learned something - if you're nice to the people working - they'll be nice to you. If their computer system is not working quick enough, it is NOT the fault of the person at the register trying his/her best to get through the morning. Being grumpy will do you no good. Take some deep breathes, relax, and think about how crazy it is that you and all these other people are out in the madness - that should make you smile - and if it doesn't - go home and go back to bed.
Do not fight over the last whateveritis: I don't care how good the deal is - it is not worth fighting over. Try the "nice" approach - even if you have it in your hands first - if you see someone who wants it - offer it to them. Last year I had the last king size bedding set at Carsons - I heard two people talking and trying to find a king size of what I had. I offered mine up. Yes, it was a good deal, but really, we didn't need a need bedding set. It was hard for me to convince them to take mine, but eventually they took it and thanked me.
Smile at other shoppers. Offer them extra coupons that you won't be using. Tell them about good deals you saw at other stores. This is my favorite part about Black Friday.
Last, but not least, go with a list and a plan. Tomorrow I'll be going to Carsons, Target, the Mall, Costco, and breaking my first rule, I will try to go to Best Buy to see if they happen to have any receivers left - if they do - great, if not, oh well, and then Kohl's. (Note - if getting into Best Buy is crazy later in the morning I will just skip it. Nothing is worth that stress. Nothing.)

Six Years Ago

2009-11-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

I'll never forget six years ago.

We knew we were having a baby boy. We knew his name would be Quinn.

Since I had high blood pressure, I was induced the day before Thanksgiving. I thought for sure I'd have a baby in about 8 or so hours.

Boy, was I wrong.

After 23 hours of labor and 3, yes, THREE, hours of pushing - I finally got to meet my first baby.

Thanksgiving morning, 2004 - I met the boy who made me into a Mom.

Since then, he's had me laughing, crying, giggling, sighing, jumping, chasing, singing, and dancing.

As frustrating as it is at times, being his mom, I need to admit - he is such a good boy. He tries so hard to do everything. Sometimes I wonder if I push him too much. He wants everything to be "just right." Today I saw him taking turns with the bell on the train at the mall - no adult in there to prompt this - just him saying, "here, it's your turn this time" as the train rounded the corner.

I had the true pleasure of seeing him in his prekindergarten classroom last week. He was so excited to have me there. He had quite possibly the biggest smile on his face. He did so good that morning - showing me all around the classroom, remembering to tell his classmates "thank you" when they gave him a picture they colored or wished him happy birthday, and most importantly, he was so polite to his teachers. "yes please" "thank you" and "your welcome" were flowing out of his mouth so naturally. He was happy to be there, with me, at his school.

Sometimes I feel like I'm muddling through this parenting gig, especially with him, my oldest son. My first baby.

Stressed

2009-11-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning, after yet another funky dream, feeling nauseous, hot, cold, sore throat, headache, and just all around crappy.

I don't want to go into too much details, but I've found myself in the position to need to defend the preschool program I've taught for the past 8 years.

So, these feelings of mine all revolved around speaking in front of a school board, as well as a room full of community members. Some who clearly support what I would be saying and others who are just there to make sure their taxes don't go up any more than they need to (and trust me I don't blame them.).

I did my research and was armed with 2 full pages of notes. All proving that most districts are offering more in regards to providing preschool - not less.

Still, even with a very well written "speech" I was nervous. Speaking in front of parents? I love it! Speaking in front of a school board? And community of tax payers? Not so much.

But I did it. And it felt good to be over with.

And all those feelings I woke up with are gone.

Except now, my back and shoulders hurt. I totally blame the stress of it all.

I'm glad all the extra budget board meetings are over with. I've been away from my boys too many nights attending meetings, taking notes, and talking with community members. I've skipped too many nice running days because of this.

With all this stress, though, I am happy to report the things I am craving the most: running, yoga, and kickboxing. It used to be I would crave ice cream or bread - but something has happened to me in the past, oh I don't know how many, maybe five? years.

Now that I've done pretty much all I could, I'm really hoping these funky dreams, or rather, nightmares, are over with. They only started after the first budget meeting when I decided I would need to speak.

There are people who have much more stressful jobs than I do. Much more stressful lives. And I really do feel for them. Seriously, how do you all handle your stress?

Now excuse me, a very long child's pose is calling my name...

How to throw a baby shower for someone who hates pink.

2009-11-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

And is having a baby girl.

You throw her an all pink baby shower, of course.

Request the guests to wear pink. Wrap their gifts in pink. And offer pink cookies as favors (thanks to Taste of Stepford).

Of course, there are pictures...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Probably the best part of the day was the "Guess the poop" game - in which you prepare several diapers each with a different mini-melted-chocolate candy bar and the guests guess what kind of candy is in each diaper. As one guest said, "That game was seriously grotesque, but fun."

I love it...

2009-11-02T01:11:00.000-08:00

The nights that Liam actually rests his head on my chest and relaxes while I sing and rock him before laying him down for the night seem to have become the exception, not the norm. Lately, he's been kneeling on my lap, looking at me, and singing along. Usually to "Elmo's World." You'd crack up if you saw how much "gusto" he puts into the last line, "elmo's Woooorrrrllllldddd" and his arms go out to the side and his head shakes and his voice, oh his voice, so loud and excited. It's all I can do to not just burst out laughing.

Anyway, last night was one of the exceptions to the new norm. Liam actually laid his head on my chest and relaxed as I was singing "Baby on a treetop" (as he calls it). After a few verses he looks up at me, grabs my hand, and puts it on his back, "mama, pet me." That's right - he asked me to pet him. Once I started "petting" him, he looked up and smiled, "like that mama, like that."

Then, last night as I was tucking Quinn in I asked what song he'd like. And you know what he said?

The song about cars for kids.

You know it. "One, eight, seven, seven, cars for kids. K - A - R - S cars for kids. One, eight, seven, seven, cars for kids. Donate your car today."

Right. And so I sang it.

These guys crack me up sometimes.

Weekly Winners - Halloween Fun Edition

2009-10-31T17:41:00.001-07:00

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Growing Up...

2009-10-29T18:35:00.001-07:00

Our first Halloween as a family of four - I gave our costumes a lot of thought. Quinn wanted to be Buzz Lightyear - so I had that to work with. We figured it out. Since we had a family Halloween party to go to - we all needed something. I went as Little Bo Peep, Liam was a Sheep, Mike was Woody, and Quinn was Buzz. It was absolutely the most perfect family dress-up ever. I worked on finding our costumes in August!

And then there was last year. Quinn wanted to be a firefighter. And what firefighter is complete without his dalmation? So, Liam was a dalmation. It was great. I worked on finding their costumes in September. (I was just a witch, since "slutty firefighter" is really the only option for women.)

And here we are this year. I thought I'd have one more year to dress the family. I thought for sure Quinn would choose either a pirate or a superhero. Pirate - we'd all dress like pirates. Superheros - we'd all pick a superhero (of course, there's that "slutty" problem again. Anyone ever see a decent Wonderwoman costume?) But guess what? Liam can talk now. Really well. And he insisted on being batman and Quinn insisted on being a pirate. After looking for a batman costume, I couldn't settle on any of them. I brought home a Curious George costume and a pirate costume for Liam to choose from. And he picked Curious George.

And so we have - a pirate and a monkey. They go hand in hand - don't they? (And is that saying hand in hand or hand and hand?) Oh and me? I'm going to be a clown. I super cute clown, if you ask me! And Mike - has no plans of dressing up this year - party pooper - that's what he'll be!

Except - guess what? We pulled down the bin of old costumes. Quinn tried on his old Buzz costume and Liam tried on his doggy costume. Looks like we might have a Buzz (I can't believe it still fits him - barely.) and a doggy on Halloween this year! At least they got one morning of use out of their new costumes for Quinn's school party!

I must say. I'm pretty proud of myself for letting this go. What? You may be asking. You see part of me really wants them to coordinate - for us to coordinate as a family. But you know what, we really don't need to. And if these boys of mine decide to wear their old costumes Saturday - that's alright with me too.

Weekly Winners - I still take pictures edition.

2009-10-25T11:24:00.001-07:00

So... it's been awhile. Almost three months, I think. Anyway - I do still take pictures. Here's some from the past two weeks...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

34 Minutes and some seconds...

2009-10-24T17:13:00.001-07:00

Today wasn't how I imagined it. I imagined blue skies, beautiful leaves on the trees, my family there to see me start and finish, and then spending some time after the race doing some of the fun stuff they would have set up for the kiddos. It wasn't like that.

A cold, dreary, and rainy morning greeted me as I headed to my first 5K. I told Mike if he thought it was too cold and wet to take the boys, that's okay. Only crazy people go out in this weather by choice. And so I went...

I worked hard to get to this point. I did everything I needed to do to be ready. There were two things I couldn't control - the weather and the course.

As I drove to the starting location I actually found myself following the signs for the runners, for me, and noticed there were some hills - not huge hills, but more hills than I'm used to.

After registering, waiting, and checking out people's costumes (I did not dress up) - we were off.

As we finished the first mile - the girl at the water table was reading out times. 9:30something (I couldn't remember exactly). I looked at my brother-in-law, "I do NOT run a 10 minute mile." He told me we could slow down. (If anyone needs someone to run with them for their first race - I would nominate him. He did a great job - stayed by me but I never felt like he was pushing me to go faster.)

I don't remember what time the girl at the second mile water table said, but I remember thinking, "That's like an eleven minute mile. I do NOT run eleven minute miles."

I think it was between the 2nd and 3rd mile when it really started raining. Not a mist - but a rain. A cold, wet, rain. My shoes were wet and I couldn't decide if I should leave my sweatshirt on, zipped, opened, or off. I kept switching - on and zipped, unzipped, and then off and around my waist, back on, zipped up again, and then repeat. Well, only two or three times, but it was getting on my nerves. I've got to find something better to wear for my next one. I've also got to work on my pace. More running outside should help with that - it's easy to keep a nice and steady pace on a treadmill.

That's right. I'm already planning on running a 5K with my brother on Thanksgiving morning - want to join us?

And I may or may not have agreed to run a 10K with my brother-in-law in the very distant future.

Anyway...

As we crossed the finish line I could not believe that the clock said 34 minutes and some seconds (gosh my memory is great!). I have run 3 miles many times at the gym - and never under 36 minutes and usually between 37 and 39 minutes.

So - I grabbed a bagel, thanked my brother-in-law for planting the seed in my head to run a 5K and then for helping me follow through, and drove home.

Mike and the boys made a huge sign for me - "Good Job Mom!" and hung it on the front door - it's still there. Quinn wanted to know who won. How many people were in front of me. And how many people were behind me. Luckily, I can honestly say I wasn't first and I wasn't last. I think I have to wait a few days for them to post the results.

Too Spicey. Too Scarey.

2009-10-23T05:47:00.001-07:00

If he doesn't want to eat something, he quickly declares it to be "Too spicey!"

If he doesn't want to do something, or go somewhere, he quickly declares that activity to be "Too Scarey."

He loves to make people laugh and will remember a "joke" that had everyone laughing and tell it again and again. "Yellow eyes!" is his latest joke. Trust me, it was funny. (the first time)

He knows how to play pirates, how to annoy his brother, and how to win over a stranger.

His favorite show is Curious George, but he calls it "ooooh, ahhhh, ahhh."

He cries when he doesn't get his way.

He thanks you if he does get his way.

He loves his brother.

He calls his daddy, "Daddy-o"

He loves signing along to "rock-a-bye-baby".

He prefers to lay his head on the skin of my chest, as opposed to a sweatshirt. (I blame this on the fact that he was a summer baby and spent his first few months of life laying on my skin while I sported nursing tank tops.)

He loves books. His favorites include: Big Enough For a Bed, Find the Puppy, That's Not My Dinosaur, Peek a Who, Goodnight Gorilla, Goodnight Moon, and Night Night Sleep Tight. He can read a few of these to himself.

He loves trains.

Some of his most used phrases, besides "too spicey" and "too scarey" include: "Play with me." "Read to me." "Where are we going today?" "Where's Daddy-o?" and my personal favorite, "Who's that guy?"

He all of a sudden turned into a little boy. A little boy I love with all my heart.

The Plan - The Final Week - Six

2009-10-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Aha - the final week. If I wasn't so tired I go into this whole long thing about how proud I am and what I've learned. But I'm tired. It's been a long day. Heck, it's been a long week.

I ran 3.5 miles today! Woot. It felt good - it felt especially good because I wanted to stop at 3.25, but I just kept on going - and finished. (then we rushed home, fed the kids, showered and headed to my favorite pumpkin patch/apple orchard!)

And on the 24th - The Big Day - I only have to run 3.1 miles - so I know I can finish.

The best part about running is this:

On Friday I found out that the program that I teach is on the cutting board. Meaning, all three plans of budget cuts that our superintendent proposed to the school board had my preschool program cut. Nothing is official yet, but hearing that was not the way I wanted to start my weekend. To top it off as I was pulling into the gym after work I sent Mike a quick message letting him know about what time I'd be home and he texted me back letting me know that our fridge didn't appear to be working. Right. So off I went into the gym. And I ran 3 miles. It never felt so good to run. All the thoughts of what I'd do next year without my "perfect" job and all the thoughts of "oh my god we just got a new dishwasher - seriously - now a new fridge" were gone. It was me, my music, and my run. (Of course I did sort of freak out a bit on my way home when I finally stopped to think about what may or may not happen. Which is silly.)

On Tuesday I woke up and Mike told me our dishwasher was broken. Seriously. The new one he just installed was leaking water all over. He went to work, my kitchen was once again torn apart, and I took Quinn to school and headed to the gym. The plan said run 3 miles; I told myself I would only have to do 2 miles, since, you know, I was having a bad day. But you know what? I got to that 2 mile marker and thought, "What good would stopping here do you?" And so I ran 3 miles and it was great.

So anyway... here's my plan for the week.

Week 6
Monday - Rest.
Tuesday - Run 3 miles easy.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy. You will begin to taper after this workout. A taper is a gradual decrease in mileage. The purpose of the taper is to be sure that your muscles are well rested before you compete in the race.
Thursday - Rest or cross train.
Friday - Run 2 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 1 mile easy.
Sunday - Race Day. Have Fun!!

If you completed the workouts in this program, you will be able to easily finish your 5K. Keep you pace easy in your first race. Do not worry about your time. You can work on improving you speed in later races. Run at the same pace you were training at or if you are feeling good, just a little faster. Avoid the temptation to start out a lot faster than you have trained for. If you start out too fast, you will have a hard time finishing. Most importantly - HAVE FUN. If you would like to improve your performance, move on to the more advanced training programs.

Of course I know you're all just dying to know what I'm going to do next week, right? Now that I'm done running - what am I going to do?

You'll just have to wait and see, my friends, wait and see...

Cultural Differences

2009-10-15T04:44:00.001-07:00

I learned about this in college. One of my child development classes. We discussed the cultural differences in raising children. People tend to parent the way in which they were parented. And so there are differences - and many differences have been found to be cultural. Sometimes, the parenting methods of one culture are deemed inappropriate by another. (And by culture - I'm talking not just about race, but socio-economic status as well - it plays a big role.) One of my professors used to run parenting groups in a low-income, prodominately African-American, school district to try and change some of their parenting habits. So, there she was, a small white jewish woman, trying to encourage these parents to use more positive reinforcement, read to their children more, belittle them less, and basically, talk to them about things happening around them. She admitted that the struggles these parents face are more than we (a group of Master's students in the suburbs) would ever face. She was proud of what the parents had accomplished, but knew, when it came down to it, they'd fall back to how they were parented - and she didn't like the effect it would have on the children. At the time I wondered, and continue to wonder: Who are we to decide exactly what is the correct method for parenting? Physical abuse is absolutely wrong and not nessarsary to manage a child's behavior. But what about this verbal abuse she described so well?

Since then I've sort of forgot about that night's lecture. I continued working in my mostly white - upper-middle class school district and found that most parents have very similiar parenting styles as my own. Grant it, some of them are more relaxed about certain things and others are so uptight about different things, but mostly, we seem to be on the same page as to what is and is not appropriate.

Then the other night I was at Woodfield Mall. The meca of cultural differences. While in the Looney Toons play area I heard over 10 different languages and saw so many shades of skin I thought I was at a UN convention.

And then it happened.

"Savannah. Get over here right now." Her voice was full of anger so of course I looked up. Did Savannah hurt somebody? Who was crying? But my preschool teacher instincts told me Savannah had really done nothing wrong. I was confused by the mother's anger.

Savannah came fairly quickly to her mother. Dressed in an adorable red jumper with her curly black hair pulled into pigtails, I guessed the little girl was 3, maybe 4 years old.

Regardless of the quick obiedence, the mother's angry tone continued. "We're leaving right now."

Savannah began to whimper.

"Don't start that. We've been here two hours. I'm tired. It's time to go."

Savannah began to cry.

"Shut it. Shut your mouth. None of the nonsense." The anger in her voice was clearly rising.

Savannah muffled her cry back to a whimper.

"Put your coat on and let's go."

Savannah now has her coat on and is managing to keep her cries to a minimal.

"Shut your mouth. That is enough of that noise. We're leaving. Keep crying and I won't bring you back."

And so they left. I heard Savannah muffling her cries on the way out and her mother continuing to tell her to "shut it."

During that little episode I also saw a mother trying to talk her 2 year old out of a tantrum. And I saw Savannah's mother look over and I swear she was thinking, "Uh, really? You're going to coax your child out of that tantrum and then let them play? Seriously?"

To each his own, I suppose...

The Plan - Week Five

2009-10-11T05:43:00.000-07:00

Alright - here we go. Week Five of "Run Your First 5K." It's a little more exciting this week - I'll be running 3.5 miles in a week. So that's different, right?

Monday - Rest.
Tuesday - Run 3.25 miles easy. Another increase in mileage here. One more to go.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy.
Thursday - Rest or cross train.
Friday - Run 3 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 2 miles easy.
Sunday - Run 3.5 miles easy. This is the final mileage increase in this program. You are now running .4 mile farther than the 5K distance. This will give you the endurance to easily complete the 5K race and will increase your confidence.

Again, I'm switching up Thursday and Friday. And... here's the list of songs that it's my "run!" playlist. Before you read it - know this - I am horrible at remember names of songs and who's singing. So, if it's a song that I took from a mix CD my friend made years ago it's most likely not the title, but rather some lyrics from the song. If it's a song I purchased from itunes, then you're lucky and you get the song title and the artist.

Mary Janes Last Dance - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I Like to Move It - Madagascar
I Will Survive - Cake *
I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas *
"I just seen a face I can't forget the time or place..." *
Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas *
'Till I Collapse - Eminem and Nate Dogg ****
Good Riddance - Green Day
All Summer Long - The Rock Heroes
"What you got in the bag? Tell me who's your housekeeper..." *
Let's Get It Started - Black Eyed Peas
"Bodyguard" *
"Bucket Seats" *
Overture/All That Jazz - from Chicago *

It does not take me 14 songs to run 3 miles - usually just about 6. So I skip some to get to my "good ones". I've marked my "good ones" with a *.

So - there you have it folks, my Week 5 Plan and my run! playlist.

Enjoy.

Bad Timing

2009-10-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

So... I figured it was bad timing when our dishwasher apparently broke just days before we are all set to close on our DVC purchase. No worries, though. When we figured out we could afford to do this, we figured out we could afford to do this even if things go wrong. No big deal.

So... when Mike told me that I couldn't use the kitchen sink, because there was a leak, because he took the old dishwasher out, I figured. No worries. He's going to install * the new one in 24 hours. No big deal. The dishes can wait.

So... when Mike was working on putting the new dishwasher in and had to go to run to the store to get some parts - twice - I started to worry. No dishwasher and No kitchen sink? Ugh.

He promises the dishwasher will be working by midnight tonight. I'm not going to hold my breath.

I suppose this wouldn't be so bad if not for the following:

1. I am in charge of bringing treats to work tomorrow. This is a big deal, people. I cannot show up with a box of donuts. Oh no - there must be mixing and baking involved - so, there must be dishes involved.
2. I am totally PMSing. Totally and completely.

* We could have paid to have the dishwasher installed. $150. Mike said it wasn't worth $150 to have someone else do what he could "easily" do. He's not saying that anymore.

EDITED TO ADD: It's 8:30pm and Mike just ran to the store. This will be his third trip to the store. I do have a kitchen sink that works now and have done many sinkfuls of dishes - is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it does. a little.

Running - Week Four

2009-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Right. I'm still running. I ran 3 miles this morning, as a matter of fact. The first half mile was hard (as always) and then the last half mile was hard - because my knee was killing me. But not killing me enough to stop, just killing me enough to remind me to stretch my IT band a little bit longer afterwards. Anyway, that was my longest run so far on this plan and it was okay. I will say - I need my music. I love my music. I am so very grateful for my music. Maybe soon I'll post my "run!" playlist for you all - cuz I know you're dying to know, right??

But for now - let's take a look at Week 4 of the Train for Your First 5K plan.

Week 4
Monday - Rest.
Tuesday - Run 3 miles easy.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy.
Thursday - Rest or cross train.
Friday - Run 3 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 2 miles easy.
Sunday - Run 3 miles easy.

*yawn* *yawn* boring, right? I need to switch it up and run on Thursday and rest on Friday. I tried following the plan this week - I rested on Thursday and then Friday came - and I rested again. Fridays always kick my butt. I never want to clean up the house at night, I don't want to think about dinner, I don't want to do anything - so there's no way I'm going to run 3 miles this Friday - I can tell you right now. The funny thing is - this past week I basically forced myself not to run on Thursday. I wanted to go, but figured I should just take the day off and go tomorrow. Didn't work. But that's okay, it just shows you all how "not perfect" I am, right??? I skipped a day!! And then I still got up and finished the week strong.

Oh wait. I have to tell you about my run on Saturday. I *loved* it. Two and a half miles and I was smiling. I actually almost had tears in my eyes because I couldn't believe what I was doing. When I first started this I used to just try to run for an entire song - and the song would end and I'd be so grateful it was over. Well, Saturday I was thinking about this as those songs came and went through my playlist and I just kept on running... (well, honestly, I run for a mile and walk for about 10 sec. while I get some water and then run another mile.... but you know...)

And so we did it.

2009-10-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's rare for me to talk about money on here, but here I go...

After sitting down and realizing that we've been able to cut our monthly bills by almost $1000 - paid off both cars, our home equity loan, and refinanced our mortgage - We started to look into the Disney Vacation Club.

We have also been looking into buying land.

And I know some would argue that land is a better investment - I'd love to hear anyone's story about how much their house/land is worth right now. (And we did actively look for land this summer, but really could not afford/could not find exactly what we wanted.)

In our mind - the Disney Vacation Club would be a great investment. Not money wise - we're not expecting to turn a profit here. In fact, we're not planning on selling. What we are planning on doing is figuring out when and where we can vacation, because folks, the Disney Vacation Club is not just for DisneyWorld anymore.

I will admit - it took awhile for me to realize that Mike meant it when he kept saying, "yeah, let's do this now - and then save for a camper and land." We both agreed it made sense to buy into DVC now - since those prices just keep going up.

So we did it. You can read more about it over here.

Besides Running..

2009-09-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

So, besides running, we've been busy over here at the "tub" thinking about this.

And it is such a lovely thing to think about, don't you agree?

The Plan - Week Three

2009-09-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

So, here it is. Week three of the boring running plan.

Week 3
Monday- Rest
Tuesday - Run 2.25 miles easy.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy.
Thursday - Rest or cross train.
Friday - Run 2 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 2.5 miles easy. You make a .25 mile increase today.
Sunday - Run 3 miles easy. You make another increase in mileage here. You are running almost a full 5K distance here. A 5K is 3.1 miles. Keep your pace nice and easy. You can work on speed in future races.

This last week was hard. I did two of my runs outside and it was humid. Holy Moly it is hard to run in humid weather. I was sweating, but not cooling off at all. And the breathing? I felt like I did when I first started this adventure. Then yesterday I ran at the gym - controlled temperature and controlled humidity is good.

Anyway - here we go some more...

The Plan - Week Two

2009-09-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

So, week one was fun. Seriously. The one mile run I had to do on Tuesday was So Easy. I ran a mile and said it was easy - so obviously the previous plan on "learning how to run" worked, right? Then, the rest of the week it was two mile runs. I've been running more outside and enjoying the breeze... plus my husband got me an arm band for my ipod so I've got my music with me outside. Anyway - here's week two.

Monday - Rest. This program uses Monday as a rest day, because Sunday is your longest run of the week. You can adjust this to meet your needs, but take off the day after your longest weekly run.
Tuesday - Run 2.25 miles easy. You add a quarter mile to your previous longest run. You will make gradual increases in mileage throughout the program.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy.
Thursday - Rest or cross train.
Friday - Run 2.25 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 2 miles easy.
Sunday - Run 2.25 miles easy.

I think I'm going to flip-flop Thursday and Friday, because I'd rather have a rest day on Friday. Also - these plans are so much more boring than the plans that teach you how to run, but oh well... here we go...

"My sister has an iphone. A pink one."

2009-09-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Her sister is seven years old.

A student of mine told me, "My sister got an iphone. A pink one."

Her sister is seven years old.

Seven.

7

Seriously?

Seven.

And the crazy thing is, I believe it.

That is the type of community I work in.

First Homework Assignment

2009-09-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

We were told to work with our child to create a picture that looks like them. We could use any medium we wanted. We were given a cut-out person to cover up. The assignment was sent home on Thursday - due on Tuesday. Quinn wanted to work on it Thursday - I wouldn't let him. We'd have to gather materials and I wanted a chance to really think about what we could use. Then the weekend came and went and we didn't do anything about this little project yet.

So tonight Quinn and I stood in the kitchen. Then we went in the basement, got some construction paper, stickers, markers, and crayons. Then we went back into the kitchen. How about rice for your hair, Quinn? "No.... how about spaghetti?" Okay that works.

And so... we created this masterpiece with spaghetti, corn flakes, construction paper, crayons, markers, stickers, and glue. Lots of glue.

Man, I hope that glue dries before the morning.

My favorite parts: the spaghetti fingers. I didn't want to do it, but Quinn noticed we needed fingers. AND he had the idea to use 5 pieces of spaghetti for the fingers. The corn flake ears - totally my idea, but come on, corn flakes for ears - perfect, right? And check out the shoes. Quinn added some blue stripes for the velcro things on his shoes. And the shirt? Spiderman stickers, because, "I like spiderman and love my spiderman shirt."

Awesome, right?

I hope all future homework assignments are this much fun.

The Plan - Week One (Also - This is NOT always easy.)

2009-09-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

So, I feel like I owe it to you to let you in on a little secret. This plan of mine that I've been following. It's not always easy. There are days where it's physically hard for me to follow. There are days were it's mentally/emotionally hard for me to get out there and do it. This week - Thursday I tried to run outside while pushing Liam in a jogging stroller. Hard. Physically. So I stopped and told myself I'd go to the gym after work. And then I forgot to pack my sports bra and didn't go to the gym. I didn't follow the plan. And since I failed, getting myself ready for Saturday's 2 mile run was proving to be hard mentally. And well, since I went out Friday night for my birthday waking up and motivating myself to get to the gym to run two miles was hard. And, then, to top it off, I wanted to leave the boys at home because Liam has developed a tricky habit of pooping while in the child center so I need to go change his diaper - he manages to do this after I finish running a mile and it causes me to split my workout. And, well, Mike's been home with the boys a lot this week - Thursday night I had to work, Friday night I went out, and here I was Saturday morning leaving again. It's hard to leave them for something like this. I think to myself, "really? Shouldn't you be home with them? You're going to leave just to go run 2 miles?" (It's also hard for me to leave them and go out with friends, it is, but I still do it, because people swear that it's good for me to get out.) And then there's times I'm running and my legs are burning. Burning! But I have to keep going. I have to keep following it and I'm going to keep following it, but I want you all to know, it takes a lot of self-talk to get me there. To get me started. And to keep me going during my runs.

So anyway....

Yesterday I ran two miles! Actually, I ran 2.2 miles because of a good song and the guilt factor of not running 1.75 miles on Thursday. And today I took the boys to the gym, took a pilates class, changed a poopy diaper, and then ran one mile. The plan said I could pick - 2.25 or 1 mile - since I wanted to get some pilates in I choose a mile. (I feel so strong through the week when I do my Sunday pilates I knew it would be good for me to get some core strength work in.)

And so now I'm on Week One of Training for Your First 5K. WooHoo. The sad news - no more timed runs - it's all distance. And Tuesday's run is the last time I get to only run a mile. After that it's all 2 miles plus. But, you know, I'll do it.

Week 1
Monday - Rest. Rest is an important part of any training program. This program uses Monday as a rest day because Sunday is usually the longest run of the week. Adjust this to fit your specific schedule.
Tuesday - Run 1 mile easy. Run at an easy "conversational" pace. If you cannot talk clearly, you are running too hard.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy. Run at an easy pace.
Thursday - Rest or cross train Rest or engage in a non-running activity.
Friday - Run 2 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 2 miles easy. All of these easy runs are performed at the "conversational" pace.
Sunday - Run 2 miles easy.

And there you have it. It sort of makes me laugh that it says, "run 1 mile easy."

The Poop That Looked Like Curious George

2009-09-10T12:44:00.001-07:00

Last night it took an extra 40 minutes for me to get Liam down for bedtime.

He had to poop.

I knew he had to poop.

He knew he had to poop.

And since the windows were open, I'm sure the neighbors knew he had to poop.

To make a long story short - Liam spent about 30 minutes complaining and trying to decide where to put this poop.

He wanted to poop in his diaper, he didn't want to poop in his diaper. He wanted to poop into the toilet. Oh no way, he did NOT want to poop into the toilet. He wanted to poop into the big toilet like Quinn. Oh no way, he absolutely did NOT want to poop into That toilet. He wanted his diaper back on. He wanted it off. He wanted it on. Off. On. Off. Oh so help me... all this with the whining and the holding of his butt and the crying.

Finally, I gave up. Put his diaper on and started rocking him and singing to him. Except, he still Has To Poop.

And the poop started coming and he started screaming.

No poop! Stop! Wait! Toilet!

So we went into the bathroom.

He wanted to sit on the toilet, he did NOT want to sit on the toilet. And so...

He stood there, with me holding a diaper under him, while he pushed his poop out right into the diaper.

And then I put it into the toilet where Liam laughed and said, "looks like ooh - ahh - ahh!" Which means, "it looks Curious George!"