earth mamaspace

Fun Staycation to chase away the cold

2012-01-28T09:08:00.008-06:00

The kids had a day off of school on Friday, which happened to correspond with Mike's day and morning off before his work weekend. So we took advantage of the late-week time off to take a one day staycation right here in Des Moines, and chase away the winter blues. Jack's class presented a little play for the parents and siblings on Thursday morning, which we attended before our adventure.

Before the play (We really need to teach that kid to tie his own shoes and give his teachers a break :)

He and his friend Kate doing their one-liner:

After a lovely little Jan Brett play, followed by cookies made by the kids, we left to begin our "vacation." We stopped for lunch at Jethro's BBQ near Drake. Our waitress said to me, "You are brave. I have one 4-yr-old and I NEVER go out to eat." And here I thought they were pretty good at this restaurant...

Finally, the kids were giddy to get to the hotel and begin our PIRATE ADVENTURE.

Gavin really loved those slides, as did the other two.

We ate dinner at 4:30 and they were already WIPED OUT. Three hours of swimming and they were so done.

But after Mike left to take Gavin home for the overnight shift, the older ones revved up enough to head back out to the Tiki bar for some ice cream and pirate play.

All THREE of us were in bed at 8:38 PM, oblivious to the screams and splashes in the pool outside our door.

The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast for three bright and early at the hotel restaurant before Mike and Gavin came back for more swimming.

After spending way too much money in the arcade, the boys enjoyed watching CABLE cartoons (ooh, ahh) the rest of the morning before we checked out.

Then it was Friday afternoon, and Mike left for a loooonnnng weekend at work. Boo.

2012-01-20T21:56:00.001-06:00

when it comes to suckers, it's "clothing optional" at our house

future secret agents

the sectional arrives

2012-01-11T19:25:00.003-06:00

oh thank goodness, we have furniture again! after 4 days of sitting on the floor and looking up six feet to the t.v., I'm glad to have family room furniture again :) now we just need a couple end tables for drinks and i'll be set for what appears to be (finally) a cold, windy winter season.

i'm not sure how it didn't cross our minds, but when we chose the cushions it didn't even occur to either of us how well the circles within circles print would match with our tree prints above. lovely when UNdecorating people can pull that off ;) of course, probably real decorators would advise using contrasting patterns. whatev.

shenanigans already underway....

2012!

2012-01-08T21:49:00.005-06:00

It's January! 2012! And we have been out riding our bikes, walking to the mailbox, and generally enjoying the weather. It feels like March. What is going on? Is this global warming? Because I have to say that as much as these temps. creep me out (it is January in Iowa, after all), I am LOVING this.

Things I would like to accomplish in 2012?

1) Clean our master bathroom shower.
2) Meet with a lawyer and get a real will written.
3) Get my knee issue diagnosed so that I can rejoin Farrells and come up with a more regular physical routine.
4) GO ON VACATION. With hubby. And no kids. Far Away. The end.
5) Really and truly focus on being a loving wife, rather than business partner.
6) Visit Bridget and her lovely Willa. Visit Alicia in her new New Jersey home. Visit many in Minnesota. Get. Out. More.
7) Read more. Books currently on my upcoming reading list:

Mama, PhD
The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter
Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion
Raising Free Thinkers
The New Book of Family Tradition: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Everydays
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest
In Defense of Food

And, oh my, there are many more. But I am starting there.

Things I am so very thankful that 2011 brought me:
1) Sleep. Mike has undertaken the challenge of Gavin night-duty. So nursing has greatly diminished and for the first time in two and a half years, my body has learned to get a full night's sleep again.
2) A beautiful new home that has left me feeling settled and more at ease. It has been a joy to host family gatherings, potlucks with friends, work parties, and welcome loved ones into our home to share food and memories.
3) The feeling of brightness and happiness creeping on a more regular basis again.
4) The creation of Wisdom Circle, which picked up where Birth Circles left off, and has offered me three hours every month of rich, thought-provoking conversation about real topics with like-minded women who I have grown to cherish.
5) Saturday morning book club. Pretty much "ditto" to that last comment.
6) The village that Willowsong Midwifery has presented to me and welcomed me into, which has gradually opened up new and rich friendships for not only me, but my kids and husband, too.
7) Much more introspection about spirituality, life, and happiness than I had enjoyed in the past. With the perfect people to discuss it with.

I seem to be listing things in sevens here. Maybe seven will be my lucky number this year.

Many, many good wishes to all reading this as you approach a new year of journeys.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-08T20:45:00.006-06:00

We had a very enjoyable, low key Christmas this year. Adam came on Christmas eve and spent the day with the boys and I while Mike was at work. We made eskimo cookies to leave out for Santa. Adam and I used to make those all the time growing up.

Adam also played engineer and teacher, and spent about an hour with the boys taking apart a broken snowman and showing them how playing with the wires and various batteries made different parts dance. Something I would never do. Thank goodness for uncles.

Christmas morning

Bounce House Mania

Rocket launching it the backyard

In the afternoon on Christmas day, Mike's parents, brother and sister-in-law, and all of their kids and grandkids came over. I didn't get a lot of photos, but do have this of Jack really digging down into his gift bag:

My parents came on New Year's Day and we celebrated our family Christmas then. Good food, good times.

doing a little decorating

2012-01-08T20:26:00.005-06:00

my slow, slow, slow process of hanging things on the walls continues. my dear and lovely friend sarah gifted me this graduation/christmas gift recently. sarah, we found a perfect spot for it:

and Steph, thanks for the help on where to put the vinyl lettering. the afternoon after you left i finally put them up! this also helped me finish hanging the rest of our photos in the hallway, too :)

today the last of our furniture was purchased and picked up by craigslist buyers. (as i type, mike sits in the middle of an empty living room, watching t.v. on a dining room chair). in a couple days our new sectional will arrive. i'm stoked to see how it will tie together the family room and, hopefully, warm up the space a bit.

little monkeys

2012-01-08T20:21:00.002-06:00

apparently the gymnastics classes are paying off for all three of my boys. found them in the hallway one day doing this:

So......huh.

2012-01-08T19:56:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking about blogging for weeks. And the longer it takes me to get around to it, the more I put it off because the task seems so much BIGer. At the moment, though, it seems I might just start posting some photos and playing some catch-up. I have a lot of photos I never posted because I'm still meandering through iPhoto, and still haven't attempted to learn how to use it yet. But I've got some fun photos, so for the 2? 3? of you who still pop in occasionally to read this sorry blog, here is your update :)

I'm gonna go waaaay back here....

Mike's 34th birthday. Hawkeye cake.

I am excited that we finally started a new family tradition this year, which is something I've been wanting to do for a long time now. This was our first year of making a Family Tree of Gratitude. Mike's birthday is on the 15th of November, so beginning the evening of his birthday we start hanging leaves on our "tree" every night all the way up to Thanksgiving. We have each family member pick a leaf, and write on it one thing we appreciate or enjoy about one other family member. The nice thought is kept a secret (except for the parent who hears the thought and writes it down for him who is too young to write). This gives us about 10 days/thoughts of thankfulness and appreciation to share and "hang" until Thanksgiving, so that's a cute little tree of 50 leaves. Then the evening of Thanksgiving, we took each leaf off and read them aloud for everyone to hear. It was super cute to see their little smiles of shyness when they heard things like, "I really like it when daddy watches me in my gymnastics class," and "I love it when Benji shares his trucks with me." It was my favorite part of the holidays this year, period, which is why I chose a photo of us and our Tree of Gratitude for our holiday cards :)

Benji and Jack's preschool holiday concerts

One more photo with Santa after driving through the Jolly Holiday Lights display. This time Gavin wasn't too scared to sit by him.

odds and ends of the past week

2011-12-05T16:10:00.002-06:00

i was not too happy about this little prank benji pulled several days ago:

after 5 years of owning a king-sized bed, we now finally have a king-sized bed set! it's a little fun stepping up into bed rather than down onto a mattress on the floor.

we hosted mike's pharmacy work holiday party on saturday night. it was about 20 people, so busy, but really fun.

celebrated my mother-in-law's 55th birthday yesterday.

she was pretty excited about the kindle we gifted her.

learning a new lingo

2011-11-30T23:32:00.005-06:00

i'm behind on blogging. a lot. we just traded in our old PC for a macbook, and i admit, the iPhoto software has me a bit dazed. it's not as user-friendly as i had hoped. it appears that all my meticulously-organized folders of photos from our last computer got unorganized when they were transferred to the new mac. so finding photos to upload and share has become a challenge. and when i do upload new ones, finding them...period...is also a challenge. so i'll work on it, and go from there!

for now, just a quick update that many good things are happening around here. christmas decorating is done as of today. not sure i've ever done it before december before (granted, it is nov. 30th...but still). we went to a real tree farm for the first time.

wow, people go early for their holiday trees! so many of those trees were spoken for! we picked a tree that really didn't look too large when we were there...but getting it home, we discovered it is big. really big. it's beautiful, but big. i had to buy new lights just to have enough to go up! you probably can't tell from these photos, but we have 9 ft. ceilings and we had to cut the top off the tree (and a foot off the bottom):

we don't have much by way of holiday decor, so it's simple. but nice. and easily put up and torn down :)

the boys are starting to feel the christmas spirit. and we ordered their big joint gift from santa last night (a large bounce house for the basement, to help kill the winter blues and work out that excess energy when we are held up inside).

got their photo taken with santa at bass pro shop. nothing says the holidays like getting your picture taken in front of a dead, stuffed animal. am i right?

Benjamin's Funny Bugs Gymnastics Class

2011-11-30T23:24:00.005-06:00

Benji is taking a once-a-week toddler gymnastics(ish) class and it is FABULOUS for his self-esteem. He eats it up and is the best behaved kid there. It's amazing to watch him shine like an all star when he's not in competition with his brothers. The instructor tells me how impressed she is with how he listens to instructions and follows the rules...I love watching him in that class.

1st snow of the season

2011-11-12T20:19:00.002-06:00

we were out by 7:45AM to play in the snow. BEFORE preschool. i know a lot of other parents were, too.

halloween, etc.

2011-11-12T20:04:00.006-06:00

i've been a little behind on the blogging. so here are some quick shots of what's been happening around here the past month...ish.

a fun lunch with alicia, kelly, and the most adorable cheeked girl in iowa

a fall leaf project

uncle adam came for the day of beggar's night and helped carve pumpkins (and trick-or-treat)

Gav's "mean" face

Training Wheel Free!

2011-10-10T15:28:00.004-05:00

Jack has been bummed because his new bike this summer was on the larger side. We figured he'd grow into it. But it has been tall enough that riding without training wheels means he stays up once we send him off, but he can't reach the ground comfortably to start/stop on his own. So we got a 2nd hand bike that is an "in between" size of the bikes we already have. It will be perfect for Benjamin next summer. In the meantime, we removed the training wheels. Within an hour Jack was officially training wheel free. I think the shorter distance to the ground was all he needed :)

Today Gavin and I went to return our books to the library, and happened to see that Dan Wardell of IPTV was there for a free kids' program. He is great with preschool aged kids, and Gavin sat for the entire 45 minutes of reading and interacting with the program. It was a good morning!

Even our little tree outside has received the message that fall has arrived:

Fall, fall, fall.

2011-10-10T15:08:00.006-05:00

I can't enough of fall activities. This weekend we took our annual family outing to Howell's Pumpkin Patch. That place has grown into a mini-state fair! I'm glad people are enjoying them so much! This was the first time I can remember we were there in mid-October and I was sweating in a tank top.

Saving the Earth...right outside our backyard

2011-10-03T20:24:00.004-05:00

On a whim today, the boys and I decided to do a mini-clean-up of the pond shoreline near our house. We were down looking for frogs and noticed a lot of (mostly construction-related) trash in the pond and around it. While we were inside getting trash bags, a rake, and washable shoes, Mike came home in time to join us. It became a family affair! It was a nice reason to miss my Farrell's kickboxing class today :)

The mud-caked sheets of tarp we stuffed into the trash bags made them quite heavy to carry; even with brotherly teamwork.

That stuff was mucky! I think our pond could use a dredging.

Bull frog spotting!

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I've been thinking a lot lately about creating family tradition and ritual. I just ordered a book I had added to my wishlist last year before the holidays on that very topic. I'd love it if in addition to a family game night and/or kid-date night, we could add some sort of community service or eco-clean up tradition to our monthly, if not weekly, family schedule. A lot of my ideas don't seem feasible until the kids are older. Volunteering at soup kitchens requires a certain maturity and understanding from the kids, I think. Donating toys is fine but seems to be too abstract. I think the litter pick-up left an impression on Jack. He kept telling Benji, "We're saving the earth, Benj!"

Fall = Welcome Back Nourishing Soups!

2011-10-03T13:59:00.001-05:00

before roasting...

after roasting...

final product. yummy yum yummy yum yummy yum yum.

Still lovin the outdoors

2011-10-02T21:20:00.008-05:00

We kept with our theme for the weekend and spent more time outdoors today. I drove the boys down to my in-laws' farm. They did some 4-wheeling, hay bale jumping, and pasture perusing. All good fun on a gorgeous, warm fall day.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the adventures of Gavin and the wooly caterpillar unfold...

Benji got to run free in the pasture with the butterflies, bees, spiders, grasshoppers, and other bugs he loves (oh, and Hawkeye, too):

Oh my, my new insect book has come in handy already. Now that I have a newfound distrust of spiders, I was able to identify all these monsters:

Verdict: Black-and-yellow Argiope spiders, also known as garden spiders. I had to go to Wikipedia to found out that they are not poisonous to humans (why, or WHY does my book not mention the "poisonous" or "not poisonous" part?? First major fault of book.)

Bridget, are you disappointed that I'm brooding over one of your favorite animals?

Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge & Prairie Learning Center

2011-10-01T16:52:00.004-05:00

October 1st! Fall, fall, fall!! Mike works this weekend, and while coming up with activities for the boys and I to do so we can pass the time together, I was fixated on leaving the city and being outside in this gorgeous fall weather. I settled on a short trip to Prairie City to see the Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center. It's totally the type of thing my parents took my brother and I to when we were young. I used to hate that. No, not hate it, but it wasn't exactly exciting, either. We visited a lot of state parks and did a lot of bird watching when I was a kid. Now I find myself starting to appreciate that they did that with us. I never completed my dream of becoming a forest ranger and living in the wilderness, but I do have a life-long love for nature. So now I find myself on the same path to indoctrinate my children into a respectful and loving relationship with the earth around them (becoming my parents? Yes, I see that.)

We picnicked outside the learning center, bought some books on identifying local birds, insects, and amphibians (pond watching!), and hiked through prairie. We saw 3 bison, but unfortunately did not pull off any elk sightings. We did see what Benjamin described as a Bird Party, when dozens of small birds flew round and round over our picnic. We also enjoyed chasing lots and lots of bugs.

The way Iowa used to look...before cornfields and cell phone towers dotted the landscape....

Playing at the puppet theatre inside the learning center.

Two. Whole. Years.

2011-09-29T21:05:00.005-05:00

That's how long it's been since my sweetie Gav was born. He woke me up today, on his 2nd birthday, at 6AM with an arm around my neck and the words, "I love you so much, mommy." Can I freeze this moment forever? Gavin is the sweetest little part of our family and I can't stop thinking about how he has been the happiest most wonderful unplanned journey Mike and I have ever taken.

Afternoon birthday outing to Monkey Joe's for bounce house bouncing:

We did a small family party this year with just our family and grandparents. We had a steak dinner here at our house, followed by gifts and cake.

I have been on a search for a security object for Gavin. Because right now it's me. Which I'm fine with...for now. But at some point it would be really great if he woke in the middle of the night and cuddled his security object rather than me. Uninterrupted sleep would be a dream I'd like to attain. But Gav is not into blankets--at all. He's not into pillows, like Benji. None of my boys love stuffed animals, but I'm trying everything. Since he requested an elephant cake for his birthday, I went with the theme and got him Cordy Roy Elephant. So far, he LLOOVVEESS him. Here's hoping!!

Ummmm, pumpkin pie spice cake with caramel butter cream frosting. Yes, yes, and yes please.

Gav was more into the chocolate ice cream than the cake. He didn't seem to mind that I had trouble getting the cocoa chunks to fully dissolve when I made it :)

Hmm, somebody's looking like his daddy...

Happiest of birthdays to my sweetest Gav, who is 2 going on 20. While brushing his teeth tonight, Mike told him "Roy [the elephant] told me he'd like to sit right here on the counter and watch you brush your teeth like a big boy." And Gavin looked at Mike and said, "Daddy, elephants don't talk."

Jack's love interest

2011-09-28T20:53:00.003-05:00

Jack told me on the way home from preschool a couple weeks ago the following statement:

"Mom, I asked Cecelia to marry me. She said no."
But he was grinning and red as a beet.

This was quite out of the blue, considering up till this moment all we had heard was, "I am never getting married because I do NOT like kissing."

But every time he mentions Cecelia, he flutters his eye lashes and ducks his head, grinning from ear to ear. Can love strike a 5-yr-old's heart?! He has been coloring pictures for her and leaving them in her preschool take-home tub.

A friend attended one of their preschool field trips earlier this week and emailed me a photo she took. Now I see why he's so taken (she's the one right next to him):

Well, maybe someday she'll change her mind and fall for my dashing young man.

Here's how you know you got your money's worth on cloth diapers

2011-09-15T15:24:00.002-05:00

5 straight years of 3 kids diaper-wearing, washed in extra hot water every 2-3 days, dried in high heat or in the sun..... and the velcro is still going strong. definitely, definitely got our money's worth on these babies.

First (and last) Family Vacation of 2011

2011-09-11T18:45:00.007-05:00

We took the kiddos to Omaha this weekend for a weekend away. It went well, considering the challenges of traveling with three young ones. We did a lot of fun stuff that I used to do with my family in Omaha day trips as a kid. That zoo is so awesome!

Mojos Restaurant, not far from our hotel. They had drawings every 10 minutes to give away $100 and encouraged us to enter. 5 minutes after I did I won! Dinner was "free" and we still left with $55--not a bad way to start vacation.

Henry Doorly Zoo!

Benji kissing a rhino statue

Rhinos (real ones) !!

We observed some inter-species friendliness:

The baby gorilla was very playful

Sleeping Bear

Gav and the Bear Paw

Waiting in line for the train (they look pretty innocent in these photos, but they were little terrors in line :) Waiting in lines has got to be the worst part of visiting busy places with toddlers. Reason #1 we will not take them to an amusement park for a quite awhile.... !)

Waiting for the train

Train time

Right behind the steam engine

Time to ride

Apparently little boys get tired after 4 hours at the zoo, and can sleep through the loudest and most frequent train whistle you can imagine even if it is 6 ft. away.

The whole time we were at the zoo, Jack kept asking, "NOW can we see the sharks?" As it turned out, the way we walked the zoo, the sharks were the last thing we saw. But it was worth it and he really enjoyed the aquarium.

Benji watching sting rays and sharks

When asked what their favorite part of vacation was, the kids always say "jumping into the pool." It just goes to show that it doesn't matter how far you go or how much you spend; it's the simple things they like the best!

Sunday we went to the Sunday Omaha Farmer's Market and enjoyed playing at the park nearby. It was a nice farmer's market in a suburban setting--not huge, but not small. Afterward we stopped downtown to visit the Old Market District for lunch before heading home. I was super excited to see a tiny garden trinkets store when we walked the Old Market and found the Sun I've been looking for for months-- a metal sun to hang on the outside of the house, above what will be a future patio area.

We had lunch at Uptown Brewery:

Now we are home again, and 4 loads of laundry are about to be completed. Preschool again tomorrow! The boys are super duper excited about those new sneakers.

Back to School

2011-09-08T20:26:00.004-05:00

And it was 46 degrees when we got up, so the boys actually got to wear proper FALL back-to-school clothes! They were quite excited about new jeans and new sneakers. (Although Jack's sneakers hadn't arrived in time to wear for the first day. He's got them now, though, and is excited to learn to tie them himself.)

Also exciting, today's mail brought a box of 4 copies of my dissertation. Finished. FINISHED.

Drowning in produce

2011-09-03T21:16:00.006-05:00

Really and seriously drowning.

There are far worse problems to have, of course. I would love to do nothing but work through my cookbooks and use up this lovely heap of local, organic produce, but I'm having a hard time working out when all this cooking madness would take place. So I do what I can, when I can. In the meantime, I think there is no other veggie so lovely than fresh roasted brussel sprouts.

(How many of you just gagged a little? No, really, the fresh sprouts are so wonderful :)

We have been enjoying a fair amount of insect and bird watching around here lately. I'm thinking of actually buying bird watching and insect guides. Does that make me nerdy?

The number of birds I've been introduced to from watching the pond is astounding. Today I had to bring in my parents (avid and experienced bird watchers with insane magnifying binoculars and an extra zoom camera) as aides in helping me identify two of these beauties:

(Green herons)

There are still some unidentified birds out there driving me mad because I can't seem to figure them out. But it's a nice pastime to enjoy while washing dishes in front of the window. Most of the time, the others are fighting/wrestling in the meantime.

Pinatas!

2011-08-26T21:31:00.003-05:00

Today we hosted a little back-to-school pinata party. It was fun to have lots of buddies over before school starts, since once everyone's different school sessions start up again, it will be much harder to arrange playdates.

You would think suckers would make these kiddos smile a bit more!

What At-home Parents Do All Day

2011-08-26T21:20:00.002-05:00

Saw this post on cafemom and HAD to repost it. I've always wanted to write a witty little piece detailing the "excitement" of my day as an at-home parent, but this really is much better than I could ever do. Now just take this and add one additional child ;)
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I saw red when I read a letter to an advice column from a childless woman who suspects her friend is lying about being busy all day. “I’m feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy,” she says, so “why won’t my friend tell me the truth?” She wonders what are stay-at-home-moms doing all day that they can't call or email?

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, and the advice columnist seems to physically restrain herself from reaching out to wring the letter-writer’s neck. Still, I thought I might detail a typical day alone with the kids. That way, when your friend whines at you for not answering her email about her roommate eating her potato chips (yes, that’s real), you won’t have to find the time and childcare to write her a reasoned response. You can just forward this to her.

Dear Person Who Wonders What SAHMs Do All Day:

I love my kids, and I am so happy. Also, I am very busy. Here’s what I do.

5 a.m.: Baby wakes up in crib and wants to nurse. I nurse her and she goes back to sleep, but doesn’t want to be put down. I bring her into my bed, where my sweaty toddler is already sleeping because she woke two hours earlier. Lying between them, I get only fitful sleep, because when I’m not getting a 2-year-old’s foot to my head, I am worried about rolling over on the 10-month-old, or poking my husband to make him roll over so he’ll stop snoring.

Both kids wake up for real at 6:30. This is actually nice and late for them. I change two diapers and try to get them both dressed, but the toddler wants to be naked for a while and rather than risk a tantrum I let her run off. I get the baby changed and dressed as she performs the can-can, jamming my body against the changing table as I wrestle the top of the Baby Genie open because it’s stuck again. Which means I have to change the bag. The fresh bags are in the kitchen. I take the full bag out and drag it to the front door.

I try to get food into both girls while making coffee. This involves pouring cheerios and blueberries onto the high-chair tray, making toast with cream cheese, and scrambling eggs. While I try to get the grounds out of the coffee maker, the baby climbs over to the oven and hangs off its handle. I use my foot to hold it closed. The toddler yells, “NO!” and knocks her down. The baby wails. I pick her up. This means I can’t finish the coffee grounds. I put her in the high chair. The toddler pees. I help her clean up the pee. We go back into the bedroom, because now she wants to put a diaper on and I’m not about to let that opportunity pass me by.

The baby begins wailing because she’s lonesome; I’m still trying to either convince or wrestle with the toddler, who has decided she does not like the pants she picked out. Finally we return to the kitchen, and I realize that the baby is wailing because she’s pooped in her nice clean diaper (the girl likes a clean canvas). I plop the toast onto the booster-seat tray, strap in the toddler, and proceed back to the bedroom to change the baby. The poop is a blowout; we need a total outfit change. I realize I haven’t replaced the bag in the pail. I fold the diaper into itself and bring it to the kitchen garbage. The toddler has flung her toast because she is done.

I still have not been able to make the coffee.

I turn on the TV and make the coffee and gulp it as the girls are momentarily quiet. I straighten up the kitchen, put away the clean dishes, put up a load of wash. Then I sit down with them and watch the end of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When it’s over, the toddler asks for another one and I say no, so she shrieks at the top of her lungs for a half an hour. I bring the baby into the bathroom with me and hop in the shower, poking my head out to play peek-a-boo the whole time. Afterwards, both girls “help” me get dressed by placing items of clothes against parts of my body. This is very cute, but does not get me dressed.

The door buzzes: it’s the UPS guy with the diapers from Amazon. I run down the hall wearing one sock and a bra and pray he really is who he says he is, because I am not about to open the door to check.

I resume trying to get dressed as the toddler begins jumping on the bed. She falls off and bonks her head, and leading to about 45 minutes of soothing and crying. The baby, meanwhile, appears holding a blue crayon and displaying a matching blue tongue and teeth. I attempt to fish pieces of blue out of her mouth while the toddler continues to shriek in my ear at top volume. I put the clothes in the dryer.

It is time for ballet class.

We pile into the car and I drive to my friend’s house, where I put her car-seat into my back seat, then drive all the girls to the studio. I put the baby in a sling and hold both girls’ hands. One toddler likes to run fast, the other ambles slowly. One toddler has to pee before class, the other is still in diapers. Helping the toddler pee involves holding her over the toilet with both hands; the baby is still in the sling; the other toddler is literally running in circles yelling, “bal-LET! Bal-LET!” We go upstairs; the ballet teacher asks me to put the girls’ hair up and I punch her in the face. Sike! I laugh and say I did my best, and she says it’s all right. The big girls go into the studio. The baby crawls directly to the top of the metal stairs. I pick her up and return her to the play area (train table, plastic kitchen, LOTS OF FUN STUFF). I sit down to read my phone. She crawls back to the stairs. I then spend 45 minutes dragging her back to the play area repeatedly, though I do manage to answer some emails.

ARE YOU STILL READING?

A woman gives me the stink-eye for checking my phone when I'm with the baby. "Shouldn't you be paying attention to your child?" she asks. I run through several snappy responses. By the time I have come up with the perfect one, she has moved on.

The ballet class is over all too soon. I drive through McDonald's, hoping nobody sees me, because I am addicted to their smoothies and also starving. We head back to my friend’s house where I unload the big girls, then the car seat, then the baby. The girls run off to play and the baby stares at the other baby dubiously. I "help" my friend make lunch, mostly just eating everything she tries to put on the toddlers’ plates. We feed the toddlers, then the babies. Then we clean up the floor under the high chairs. The toddlers fight over who gets to go in the bouncy swing, then fall apart emotionally. It is nap time.

We head home. My toddler has dropped her nap, so instead, she throws a tantrum because she is disappointed at having to leave her friend’s house. I pull over, open the windows, and sit five feet away on the curb, waiting for her to calm down. If I had a cigarette, I would smoke it. I dream fondly of cigarettes. I come back to the car and ask, “Are you done?” She blinks and says, “Yeah. I done. I sowwy I scweaming and scweaming.” The baby is asleep!

At home, I let the toddler watch two shows while I whisk the baby into bed without waking her. This is when I get a little bit of emailing done, though I do not have the energy to call anyone. I pay several bills and finally, finally make out a form to change something with the kids’ medical coverage. I realize the bank has charged me fees for something and I spend 45 minutes arguing with them on the phone. I start marinating meat for dinner and realize we are out of rice and pasta.

The baby wakes. I nurse her. Then we're off to the grocery store. After returning eight bottles of ponzu sauce to the shelves, I wise up and give the toddler a pack of brightly-colored hair clips and she spends the rest of the trip placing them carefully all over her head.

A woman gives me the stink-eye because I have the toddler in the basket of the shopping cart while the baby rides in the baby seat. “That’s unsafe,” she tells me. “Well, I forgot my leash,” I respond wearily, tucking a pack of toilet paper next to the toddler and taking a plastic bag out of the baby’s mouth.

When we are paying, the toddler asks to “boop this,” and the checkout woman is remarkably patient about letting her push various buttons, then gives us some stickers. “Where are the rest of these hair clips?” she asks, as she rings them up. “Oh, you’re wearing them all!” My toddler is proud.

I put the baby into the car first, and notice people looking with alarm at my toddler, alone in the cart. I hurry back and put her in the car before they call CPS on me. I load the groceries into the car. I roll the cart back to the corral, car-doors open, again worrying that someone will yell at me for leaving the girls alone.

I get a text from another friend -- can the toddler have a post-nap playdate? Sure! I drive to his house, which is stunningly beautiful and remarkably un-childproofed. I spend the next hour assisting the baby in walking up and down, up and down, up and down their wooden staircase as the older kids whip each other into a frenzied crescendo. I worry about the groceries in the car and when it’s time to leave, I have to carry the toddler out because she’s again upset about leaving her friend. More screaming ensues.

We arrive home. I unload the groceries. I set the baby at the foot of the stairs and watch her start up. I get the toddler, who agrees (for once) that she does not need uppies up the stairs. I unload the groceries. My husband texts: he is home and can carry them up. Thank effing god. I arrive at my door and am greeted by the dirty diaper bag. I do not even care.

--by Amy Keyishian

The Last Days of Summer

2011-08-25T21:57:00.005-05:00

We have been enjoying summer's final days. Though, to me, it is strange when school starts back up before the IA State Fair is finished. That is plain wrong. Luckily, our preschool starts after labor day weekend, fully into September. So for me, that will feel more like...fall!

I am so head over heels happy with our preschool and its teachers. Today, Jack's preschool teachers made a home visit to get him excited for preschool again. They brought fun things for him to do, and got to see all his favorite toys and his home. They had made him a paper chain that counts down to the last 13 days before school, and ending with a photo of his teachers "waiting" to see him. So cute! They had him do a self-portrait while they were here:

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with dear friends Sarah and Orion, who came from Iowa City to hang and visit baby stores in anticipation of their first baby. We had a lovely dinner and a great morning at the farmer's market (contrary to my shady, crappy photos):

During one of our shopping trips to the East Village, Sarah found me the most perfect print for my kitchen:

While Jack spent last weekend with Mike's parents in Osceola, going to a rodeo and playing on the farm with "bapa," we took Gav and Benj up to the Ames area to visit the butterfly gardens.

Gavy is my little helper. He likes to give treats to the kitties, and then smile from ear to ear, saying "Morphine LOVES me! Dotty (Lucy) LOVES me!"

All 3 of my kiddos love to shuck corn.

We are looking forward to hosting a Back-To-School Pinata party tomorrow morning at our house. One fun last hurrah with the neighbors and preschool buds before "real" school begins again :) Photos to come!

Cookin, cookin, cookin.

2011-08-17T13:02:00.002-05:00

I am fully enjoying my "work" nights, where I'm stuck in the kitchen on my own terms. We decided Tuesday nights would be my night to stick myself in the kitchen to prepare food for the week, and for the deep freeze, while Mike puts on the daddy show. So far I've enjoyed three Tuesdays of cooking. I've produced a fairly impressive list of entrees for our freezer. So far the line-up is as follows:

Chicken Lasagna with Tarragon Cream Sauce
Curried Coconut Chicken and Rice
Orange Beef
Pizza Burgers
Homemade Marinara (with fresh tomatoes, onions, and basil...ummm)
Curried Carrot Soup with Wasabi Cream
Creamed Chicken with Dill and Savory Biscuits
Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Sauce

I've also blanched and frozen a fair amount of sweet corn and tomatoes for future cooking use, and have made up things like homemade waffles for the freezer, yogurt, homemade ice cream, shredded bulk blocks of cheese, etc. It's so nice to have an entire evening devoted to preparing snacks and meals so that my life can be a little easier during the daily grind. Getting back to cooking again has been rewarding. I'm looking forward to making rosemary bread and gnocci this week.

Backyard Camp Out

2011-08-14T13:55:00.004-05:00

After Jack's birthday party last night, he wanted to set up the tent in the backyard and have a camp out. We decided the weather was right (almost fall-like) for camping, so we pulled out the old tent. It hasn't been unpacked from its bag for 7 or 8 years!!! Luckily, no dead mice were found upon unpacking it. Mike, Jack, and Benj all slept out in the tent while Gav and I enjoyed the warmth and comfort of our indoor beds. It got down to about 58, and I woke up chilly with the windows open, but the boys seemed to do okay!

Jack's 5th Birthday: Part 3

2011-08-14T09:43:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we hosted Jack's family birthday party here at our house. We had about 22 people, and my great aunt and uncle even drove down for the afternoon from Red Wing, Minnesota just for the party. It was such a treat to have so many family members present to celebrate Jack's special day.

We love you 5-yr-old Jack!!! Here's to many more birthdays.

Jack's 5th Birthday: Part 2

2011-08-14T09:36:00.003-05:00

I've started thinking our kids are pretty lucky that they often get to celebrate their birthdays 2-3 times, between their friend parties, family parties, and actual birth days :) On Jack's actual birthday he opened the gifts Mike and I gave him, enjoyed a #5 pancake, and had a ball going to his buddy Jaxson's birthday party at a local bowling alley.

Jack's 5th Birthday: Part 1

2011-08-14T08:52:00.007-05:00

Oh my, we have a 5-yr-old! In some ways, the past five years have flown. In others, it's not hard for me to believe we have a 5-yr-old, since we also have: 3 kids, 2 PhDs, and are now in our 2nd house. A lot has changed since Jack's birth five years ago. It's incredible and, as Mike said yesterday before his party, makes me a little verklempt.

This year we discovered the beauty of having his friends party AWAY from our house. I loved that all we did was show up and food, cake, place settings, and fun were provided (by someone else). No house cleaning, either! It costs more to host at an alternative setting, so we asked him to choose five friends to invite instead of including everyone we would normally invite. I imagine as he gets older, it will get harder and harder to host manageable parties, since we'll always be trying to narrow down the guest list from school friends, neighborhood friends, family friends, etc. But it was really nice and we had a ton of fun. We had his party this year at the ICubs game.

Planting up the Place

2011-08-14T08:33:00.004-05:00

It takes me a long time to really get a feel for what I want on the walls of a home. In our last house, I had finally started putting up some real decor on the walls when we decided a few months later to list it and move. Now I'm starting anew! Our house still has a very minimalist feel as I try to feel out what I want and where. I have my eye on this StoryPeople sun for one of the family room walls, but it will probably be awhile (Christmas?) until we want to make that sort of purchase. I have boxes and boxes of framed photos up in my closet, but many are outdated and I'd prefer to put new and fresh photos in the frames before putting them out. Our family portraits don't include Gavin, so I haven't put those up at all, either, since they don't really represent our family anymore. For now, we have kids' fingerpaintings and hand picked preschool garden pumpkins decorating the rooms :) Still, Mike is itching to make our house more "homey," so in an attempt to do so, I planted up the place a week ago. I do hope they survive. I do NOT have a way with greenery.

Even after living in the house 5 months, workers are still showing up to "finish the job." A guy from Wayne-Dalton showed up the other day to put up our garage door hardware! I had nearly forgotten about that. Now I think the house is mostly done externally....?!

a weekend "off"

2011-07-31T20:56:00.005-05:00

i love mike's weekends off. most of the time they aren't really "of" since we usually fill them with plans, but every once and awhile we have a weekend where we have no major events and can really relax and hang. this qualifies as one of those weekends, except free time for us usually turns into busy time, but it was still a weekend off :) we did some LONG NEEDED organizing. hung up some family room prints we had framed:

finally purchased and assembled the kids' pottery barn bookshelf i have had on my wish list for months:

and organized gavy's closet so all baby books and toys are together in his room:

My mom and I went for a girl's brunch out at La Mie and then shopping in Valley Junction:

The newest activity around our house is SUPERHERO play. Oh my, they are into superheroes. We've got spidermans, supermans, batmans, wolverines, iron mans, and I don't even know who else running through the rooms and jumping out from behind the couch. It is constant entertainment.

That Gav Man is a mean sword slinger. I'm not kidding; he is fierce.

and, as always, we've got the normal brotherly love going on here and there:

Coming up for air

2011-07-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

It has been a long, loonnngg time. Blogging (emailing, facebooking, eating, sleeping, peeing...) has been at the bottom of my to-do list in the past couple months as I struggle to get through the days. Summer has been really hard this year as I navigate the waters of three active boys who seem to want to spend 75% of their time fighting with one another, 10% of their time destroying our home, 10% eating, and a mere 5% playing together in relative harmony. Benji has taken summer break in a particularly difficult manner. As soon as school ended he started having major tantrums, waking up more often with night terrors, and being extremely challenging as the emotional X factor of our daily lives. I attribute part of this to having to once again share time and attention with his older brother now that they aren't switching off days at preschool. I've struggled more as a parent and an individual in the past couple months than I have my whole life. On the verge of seeking out anti-anxiety meds and counseling, I couldn't figure out why my constant search to be more zen and let the little things go kept coming up as an Epic Fail. I finally decided that it's because I happen to think that learning to accept the fact that I have no control is...well, absolute bullshit. I don't think any human being on this planet can be okay with having no control. Not even a buddhist monk can do it, I'm pretty sure. Even he will have control over his meditation, his focus, his mind. I finally decided I need to start delineating between what I can have control over and what I can't. Only then will I start to accept the chaos a little bit better.

So I've let go of some responsibilities and pastimes and started to focus on those simple things that might make my life easier or, at least, more manageable. I've started turning off the computer at night so that I'm not tempted to try and "catch up" on email or Facebook, but instead pick up a book and let my mind relax. I've also chosen the arena of Food as my control center for...uh, control. I may not be able to control the fact that when they were in the basement yesterday they opened can of exterior house paint and handpainted the basement walls and floor (oh yes, they did. on the night Mike was at work till 9:30pm). But I can control what we are ingesting, where it comes from, and how it's produced. I've always loved food and have long missed cooking since childcare has taken over every waking moment of my life. I could happily spend hours in the kitchen trying out new recipes and whipping up meals. But that sort of time and energy is not simply not available when in charge of 3 young kiddos. So Mike and I have come to an agreement that he will try to start viewing my job more equally to his, which will include letting me take one "work" night a week to cook meals for the week while he is on 100% kid duty (just as I do every Wednesday evening when he works). Right now this is more important to me (and doable) than giving my attention to exercise or cleaning or anything else on my List.

I considered embarking on this little challenge: 10 Days of Real Food Challenge

but I'm starting a bit smaller at this point. We've started paying a lot more attention to the food we are eating and replacing those foods with more natural options. I ask myself two questions when I am grocery shopping: 1) Can I make this? 2) If I can't make it or choose not to, can I purchase it locally from someone who does? If the answer is no to either question, I buy said product. It has helped me move away from store bought ice cream and begin making and keeping our own, it has helped me draw more on the organic veggies coming in our CSA box each week rather than from the produce area of the grocery store, and has widened our food repertoire. I can have a really hard day with the kids, but it's amazing how good I feel when we sit down to a dinner that I worked hard to make and which is full of not only nutrition, but thoughtfulness to (in the eco sense, that is). This has given me a taste of sanity in the past couple months when most of mine was absent. I've had some fun cooking experiences thus far:

We are loving the Kitchen-Aid ice cream attachment

I discovered that homemade gnocci is easy to make, simple to freeze for later, and divine to eat

no, i didn't bake these loaves but these are my inspiration for buying new bread pans. my circular loaves were nice but not easy for sandwich making. now that i see the bread pans mr. (chef) nowatzi uses, i purchased my own :)

we've moved away from pb&j picnic lunches toward homemade hummus and guacamole, or odds and ends in different containers. WOW is that a lot easier to pack up before a busy day

we love using the CSA produce to shape our meals. here are some whole wheat oat pancakes that we topped with our CSA strawberries and I served it with homemade cinnamon honey butter

I have some Jamie Oliver cookbooks I can't wait to devour this week and a whole new stack of recipes I'm eager to try. Cooking is bringing me back to life in a way. It also gives me a little space and peace when I'm in the kitchen out of choice.

Finally, I'm treading lightly and anxiously with Benjamin lately. I took him to the pediatrician yesterday for an initial consult about some strange eye blinking/winking/cringing he's been doing for awhile. I don't think it's his sight as he accurately sees billboards from miles away. He also tested fine in the office. It could be allergies, a tick disorder, or something more serious. I freaked out and took him in when he complained bitterly of headaches a couple days ago. I had visions of neurology appointments dancing in my head all night. Luckily he hasn't said anything about it since. Right now we are giving him allergy meds and eye drops in the event that is the issue, but so far no change. I don't think it's a tick disorder because he changes which eye he closes and it's not involuntary--it's obvious he's doing it on his own. Could be a behavioral habit, too, that he'll eventually tire of. Given his headaches and extreme emotional states though, I'm on close watch.

I'm weary. I've been a shitty wife and a shitty parent lately. I'm trying to get a handle on that. I will add shitty friend to the list, so I apologize to those of you who never hear from me. I promise I love you but need to get through survival mode right now. I'm attempting to tackle the first roles on this list and get those leveled off first.

Okay, enough venting :) I have quite a few photos from the past couple months to post, so I'll get to that now!

Father's Day Photos

2011-07-28T21:54:00.000-05:00

Post-Father's Day Train Ride in Boone with Grandpa John Case

2011-07-28T20:58:00.000-05:00

4th of July

2011-07-28T19:16:00.000-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa brought artillery. It was a really, really fun 4th.

We also went to Osceola and saw the parade with Mike's parents and aunt and uncle and brother and his family.

Odds and Ends Boy Photos

2011-07-28T15:58:00.010-05:00

You might notice how the photos get progressively....messier...as they go forward. Finger painting was an adventure. Thank the universe for Preschool.

Benj is obsessed with water--pouring, pouring, pouring.

It's always fun when Jack insists on dressing himself. On this day it was at least 90 degrees outside.

We've discovered a love for getting out of dodge and away from the normal, busy wading pools and play areas of the city. Jester Park has been so much fun as a short getaway. The water area is awesome, and the bison and elk and other wildlife are incredible to watch.

Benji's preschool buddy, Shannon, joined us (along with her 2 sisters and Benji's 2 brothers) at the West Glen fountains one day. They had a mutual distaste for the actual fountains, and a curiosity with the rock beneath the benches.

Gavin in the veggie bin at the science center (during Jack's week of science center summer camp)

Benj, Jack and Benj's preschool buddy Blake at the zoo

The boys like to play "sleep." Wish they were as good at doing it as they are at playing it.

Little Drummer Boy at the downtown Farmer's Market

The boys enjoyed a visit from Abby and her son "Big Jackson" when they were home from Texas. Caleb and the Carlsons came over for some boy catch-up time. Shenanigans ensued.

My dear husband had already been seeing a chiropractor for an injured back due to picking up one of our children in an odd way. And yet he must have decided he could not be out "dad"ed by Logan and joined in on the insanity of wrestling 5 boys at once. Let's just say my brilliant spouse's chiro appointments saw an increase in the months following this romp.

Kansas City Trip

2011-07-28T15:38:00.005-05:00

The boys and I took a 3 day trip down to stay with my friend Alicia in mid-July. Mike's pharmacy was undergoing a huge computer system change and he was working 13 hr days and under a lot of stress. So we left to get out of his hair and find some new scenery! We had a fun time playing with Comet the golden retriever, "Goose" (Gus) and Jada the cats, and hanging with Alicia and Asia. We visited the T Rex restaurant and Fritz's train burger cafe. Aside from the boys waking up multiple times in the first hours of the evenings, and Jack's 103 temp on the first day we arrived, all went off without a hitch :)

i think i can, i think i can

2011-06-12T10:27:00.003-05:00

found this as an old post that never made it up. figured i'd post now even though it's several months old :)

A few more sights and sounds of summer

2011-06-09T14:21:00.003-05:00

Smoothie Time

Jack loves being a big brother

Gavin realllly loves being the baby brother

We had fun joining my parents for their 30th anniversary dinner out to Biaggi's restaurant a month ago. The boys had a great time eating pizza and entertaining grandma and bapa.

Good Moments

2011-06-09T13:41:00.004-05:00

Just looking back on some photos from the past few weeks, and thought I'd post some. Mike and I enjoyed an anniversary dinner out not too long ago. We got sushi at Cool Basil and went to a real life adult movie. I can't remember the last movie I saw in a theatre.

Jack got to go with my parents for a few days up to Okoboji and stay in their cabin. He loved being spoiled as an only grandchild for several days, and got to do lots of fun lake stuff.

We enjoyed having "just" 2 children to hang with, and tried to do lots of Benjamin stuff while Jack was out. He got to go see Kung Fu Panda 2 with Mike in the theatre; his first movie theatre visit.

Our 9th anniversary family photo:

We had the Carlsons over for the day a couple weeks ago, and Jack got a hold of the camera. Aside from the fact that I found 186 photos (mostly of his face, the carpet, and Lucy) that needed to be deleted, there were a few diamonds in the rough I thought I'd share here (future photographer?)

This is my favorite:

What's new in our neck of the woods

2011-06-04T21:16:00.005-05:00

Sod receiving the typical attention of "toddler care"

Landscaping that we couldn't be more pleased with

Fence! Woohoo! An indispensable tool for parenting 3 active boys

A new area rug to cozy up the family room...which has already seen a fair amount of cuddling and play

And most importantly, the first laid memories of a lifetime of backyard summer play

Fun things

2011-05-23T20:40:00.005-05:00

Today was a fun day. It was Jack's last day at preschool and we took a fieldtrip with all the families and teachers to the zoo. It was a ZOO quite literally, and at one point I panicked a little because I couldn't keep them all in my sight. It went down fine, though, and they got a lot of sun and buddy time in today.

Waiting for us at home were:
1) landscapers
2) sodders
3) my MIXER!

So the rest of the day was stellar as well. The boys were enthralled with watching the sod go down. They ran from the front window, where they watched the men load up the sod rolls on their machine, to the back deck, where they watched them lay them down:

I am just happy to finally look out our back window and see a yard.

There she is, Ms. Tangerine Beauty. Isn't she gorgeous?

My very first recipe whipped up with the mixer was chosen out of a mix of nostalgia and triumph. I made a pavlova from a handwritten recipe I brought back from my host mother in New Zealand in 1995. Yes, 16 years ago. Yes, I'm old. I never make this recipe because it's one of those that requires whipping egg whites till they are stiff, and wooden spoons just aren't made for that. So I've carried it around in my recipe stack for years and years for this moment.

Light, airy, melts-in-your-mouth-like-cotton-candy pavlova. Ummm. Topped with kiwi slices, just like kiwi mom-away-from-mom used to serve it.

Lately I've been musing on what traits of mine and Mike's will our children take on as they grow?
So far, Benji has not inherited my foodie-ness. Check out this gag-worthy concoction he not only mixed up but DRANK:

Jack has my love for animals:

None of them have yet taken on my (or Mike's) OCD anal retentive notion that this type of chaotic mess is not okay:

but I suppose there's still time to instill that in them.

This weekend was fun for us as we had very little plans, save for a visit to the landscaping nursery to approve of plants for their front yard design and a graduation party. True to form, when we have no plans, we make them. We searched out and ordered/purchased prints for our family room and got a dining set for the deck. I'm WAY excited about the family room prints by Natasha Wescoat. I'd been thinking constantly of trees. I just want to decorate with trees! But we also want lots of color and whimsy, nothing too serious or sophisticated. I want the house to feel warm and lived in, family-oriented and not formal. Natasha's work is perfect for this, and fits the tree-theme so obviously. Thanks, Steph, for the idea of using our largest family room wall to put up a series of "3" paintings. We followed that advice, and you'll see the "3" theme (so appropriate for us, as it is) in the prints themselves once we get them up :)

Disturbing?

2011-05-15T16:23:00.002-05:00

Does anyone else think this is a disturbing site to see upon entering a room?

This is how my boys play with dolls.

Wacky Facts

2011-05-15T15:57:00.002-05:00

I just got my zoo news and saw some seriously cool facts in there.

Which is NOT true?

a) A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.
b) A snail can sleep for three years.
c) There are more chickens than people in the world.
d) About 20 percent of the plant life on earth is in the ocean.

Give up? Tantalized? Answer is d). It's actually 85% of plant life that lives in the ocean. Aren't those 1st three facts awesome?! Here's one more set:

Which is NOT true?

a) The cheetah is the fastest animal on earth.
b) Most sharks live near the ocean floor.
c) If the sun stopped shining, it would take 8 minutes for people on earth to know.
d) The blue whale is the largest living animal.

Answer is.... b. Most sharks live near surface of water since that's where their prey is.

I thought these were cool. They were only ruined by my know-it-all husband who was unsurprised by all of them, and gave answers like: "oh yeah, that's true about rhinos. Just like antlers on other species are compacted hair." and "Sure, it'd take 8 minutes if the sun simply stopped shining, but if it exploded, we'd know immediately because our gravity would disappear and fling us spiraling into the universe. Geez, way to kill my enthusiasm for trying to stun. He will heretofore be known as, "fun hater."

Eating with the seasons has once again begun

2011-05-14T16:02:00.004-05:00

I am so excited that we picked up our first CSA box of veggies last night! Well, not really a boxful. The boxes will begin in 2 weeks. But the asparagus was ready for us last night. I eagerly picked it up with a recipe already in mind for that first bunch. Tonight I made creamy asparagus soup. It started with the steaming of onions and fresh asparagus:

and ended with this creamy yumminess:

First lesson for me of this season's cooking: decrease the salt a recipe calls for when adding chicken stock that has also been made with salt. Other than that, it was a lovely, fresh soup. Very asparagusy.

I'm just so tickled that soon we'll be enjoying the first crop of spring's bounty, and I will again start trying new recipes and cooking with more variety. We haven't totally committed to cooking with the seasons, as we find it more important to keep as varied a diet as possible in the winter months (including buying imported bananas, tomatoes, and other produce) rather than restricting ourselves to what can be grown locally during those cold months. But we'll do our best to do our part this summer, especially with more time to cook post-PhD!

Rainy Days

2011-05-13T14:08:00.004-05:00

I'm continually amazed how we can go from air conditioning during the day to considering the heat at night. Funny weather. We are making the most of today's rainy day, playing inside. I helped out with the preschool's fundraising garage sale this morning and snagged some super stuff for our own house. Saved $100 on a wooden easel that I had wish listed at Amazon.com when I found one at the sale. It's one of those with the chalkboard, magnetic dry erase whiteboard, materials tray, and a roll of paper you can hook up and over to color or fingerpaint on. Super!

I also scored an awesome bike, same size and style as Jack's new one, for Benji's future use. Although it's Hawkeye colors and Jack is in love with it, so chances are he'll start using that one now :) Mike got some golf clubs (so I assume he plans to learn to golf?) and I found a complete knee/elbow/wrist guard set for when Jack learns to ride without training wheels. I'm not a garage sale person, but I felt good with these deals today!

I feel so blessed to have so much great shelving and storage in the new place, but the combination of having dramatically cleaned out our last house in prepartion for moving and the fact that neither of us are "knick knacky" people, means we have NOTHING on these shelves. The few pieces of Willow Creek carvings I did have were promptly broken after kids got to them on the built-ins. So now, it seems, they work for cars:

Gavin is a book worm. From the moment he wakes up till bedtime, he's asking for "book! read! chair! couch!" He crawled right into Benjamin's nap at breakfast and brought "Goodnight Moon." Benj said, "Okay, Gavy, I'll read to you." It was too cute.

My newest favorite photo:

RED

2011-05-09T20:38:00.004-05:00

We finally live in a RED house :) I was worried at first because it's much brighter than we had originally anticipated, but now that the whole color scheme is up together, I'm loving it. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from neighbors, so the anxiety has lifted. Yeah for bold color choices!

The fence is starting to go in. Hopefully both sod and fence will be in by the end of the week, weather permitting. I cannot WAIT to have a backyard to chill in again.

My bird watching has taken on a whole new dimension now that I spotted these little lovelies today:

AHHH! Baby geese are so cute!

We've been having fun watching the house go up next door. It's amazing to see a house built from ground up. I wonder who our new neighbors will be.

I was super excited about the recent warm weather. We got out the sand box and the water table. Whose idiotic idea was it to put them both on the deck? Oh mess of messes.

There was a bit of cute after it all, though.

Benjamin's 3rd Birthday--The Parties

2011-05-09T14:47:00.009-05:00

We had a busy, busy weekend. It was full of cleaning and cooking and hosting. And all well-worth it. I learned that pastry chef will not be my back-up career. Not only did Mike describe my DIEGO cake as "Diego's down syndrome little brother," but I hated every minute I spent making that thing. I figure you might as well try something once, and if it's not your thing, then at least you know from there on out. Cake decorating was not my thing. I didn't like it, and I don't plan to do it again.

Mixing the colors of frosting two nights before the party. Yes, that glass of wine was incredibly necessary to get through that portion of the prep work.

This was taken after 2.5 hours of work decorating the night before the party. I had already had it, and was barely half done. Fun, fun, fun.

In the end I decided that as long as a certain 3-yr-old thought it looked relatively like Diego before he dug into it with his buddies, then I would have fulfilled his birthday wish. So I'm fine with how it turned out.

We did a "stick the badge on Diego" game

The gift opening was a free for all, with lots of help. It was super quick :)

Benj's buddy Shannon, daughter of his preschool teacher Mrs. Maxwell. Aren't they super cute?

Benj's family birthday party was the very next day, and we hosted a combination birthday party/ Mother's Day brunch. It was a nice, relaxing day with a small group of close family. The weather was gorgeous, the food was good, and the company was wonderful.

Now THIS cake was MUCH more my style. Homemade, with a hand-written "3" on it ;)

It was a great weekend. Another full and fast one, though. When, oh when, might we enjoy a weekend of *no* plans? I don't even think we'd know what to do with ourselves.

Oh, and I believe in a few days I'll be ordering myself a Mother's Day present. I've got my eye on this sweet little baby:
Persimmon....

Relays fun

2011-05-04T20:59:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we had a ton of fun and a ton of visitors in 2.5 short days. It's been awhile since I participated in any Drake Relays celebrations, so it was nice to partake this time around. Not that we actually went to the Relays--that's not what Drake students/alumni do. We drink at the Relays :) Sage and Swarup came back for the weekend and stayed with us. We also had the pleasure of seeing Alison, best nanny ever, my brother, and Matt and Sara (still haven't tried the wine, guys, because I want to save it for when we realllllly will enjoy it. Thank you SO much!) I went out two nights in a row (gasp, the horrors) and it was tons of fun. I learned that Baru 66 is far too pretentious for its own good. It was a nice 3-hr meal, but the flavor should've been better for a $600 bill (okay, that was for 6 people, but still...). Back to Alba next time :) Dos Rios was a delight as always, as was the fact that I learned I am WAY too old to really enjoy the bar scene these days. But the company made up for that.

What? Is that Doops sitting with aliens-- I mean, children? And he survived it? Awesome.

Benjamin's 3rd Birthday

2011-05-04T14:55:00.004-05:00

Benji's parties are this weekend. He wants a Diego cake more than anything. Here is fail #1 of the Diego cake. I made 2 more that are currently frozen (for ease of decorating). Next up, frosting colors for the cake. Only 12 colors. Sheesh...

A nice, post-PhD weekend

2011-04-25T14:36:00.006-05:00

Ahhhh. We had a very busy weekend, but it still felt like "ahhhh" to me since there was no dissertation work involved. And that requires yet another, Woo Hoo!

The weekend started off with a massive cleaning of the toy room on Friday night. It was worth staying up late for-- I now have zero anxiety every time I look at it, since it is no longer a chaotic mess we all avoid. And wonder upon wonders, the kids are *playing* in there now that you walk across the floor without tripping on toys, and now that it is set up to invite them in :)

We put up an "art wall" like we had done at our last house, to display the kids' preschool masterpieces. It goes with the general whimsy of the room:

Saturday I met my mom for a lunch and shopping date. We finally ate at restaurant #3 (it was a rocky start that involved cockroaches, dark rooms, and finally a good fit) and it was super yummy. We then did some shopping in the East Village. I'm not much of a mall shopper, but I get very excited about the shops in the East Village. I picked up some great spices, herbed oils, and vinegars at AllSpice, and then a kitchen rug from Seed

a natural broom from Seed

and a belated birthday present from my mom from From Our Hands:

3 peas in a pod! The significance is never-ending :) And the copper shell of the pod is made from an old copper rooftop of a unitarian church designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. When it was torn down, the artist got a hold of the roof, which had turned green naturally over time, and made jewelry out of it. Super fun!

The evening continued with a date night out with my hubby to our fave restaurant, Alba, to celebrate the completion of my degree. Many thanks to Shelly, fabulous baby-sitter du jour, for handling dinner and bedtime for our monsters!!

We went to my parent's house for Easter day and had a wonderful brunch, and a fun egg hunt for the boys. I was so pleased the weather cooperated and we got outside for the hunt, and some bike riding at the park. I'm not looking forward to rain again this week--BOO!

Here are the joyous weekend photos of candy fun:

the best email i've gotten in a LONG time

2011-04-19T14:37:00.001-05:00

Dear Brandyce Case Haub,

The Graduate College has cleared the final deposit of your thesis "Together We Stand Apart: Island and Mainland Puerto Rican Independentistas". Once all graduation requirements have been satisfied, your thesis will be delivered to UMI. This submission will occur no sooner than your official date of graduation.

Relief

2011-04-17T15:47:00.005-05:00

Relief is starting to set in as I finish up all the remaining items on my to-do list before making the final submission of my dissertation to the Graduate College. All is finished on my end, so as soon as I get the "go" from my adviser, I can submit it. Then relief will TRULY be here.

It's been a little anti-climatic, really. I was home again, back to life as normal, within 5 hours of completing my defense. I plan to have a graduation party this summer, but other than that, not much has changed for me. Except for that feeling of "Phew, finally finished that big item on the TO DO LIST."

Still, I can see remnants of the old me creeping back in. Slowly. For example, we are having homemade chicken and rice soup tonight with homemade raisin bread. And I made yogurt for the kids this morning instead of buying the store-bought sugary stuff. My joy for cooking is once again coming alive, and I'm enjoying the thought of having more time for it again. In just a few weeks we will receive our first CSA box of the season, and I relish the thought of having a full summer of more "down" time to really utilize all the veggies by trying new recipes and starting to eat a more whole foods diet again.

I'm turning my attention back to the house, and the settling we still have to do here. All the wall hangings from our old house have been stacked on the built-ins by our fireplace. It just hasn't been something that seemed to merit attention until "after the dissertation" (which has been a coined phrase around here lately). I'm hoping for that to be this week's activity; I want to hang up what we are keeping, and get rid of what we aren't. I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff for decorative purposes, but I'm fine with really waiting awhile to fill the walls so that I know we are hanging things that have true significance. I don't believe we'll hang our family photos now. They don't contain Gavin, so until we get new photos, they'll likely stay down. They just don't feel like a true reflection of our family.

Since moving into the house, the exterior has remained undone. I have had UPS delivery guys and random neighbors approach the house with uncertainty, sure that no one lives here. Now that the weather has started to warm again, little by little, things are starting to get done. First order of business: pouring the cement porch and the portion of sidewalk that already collapsed!!

I continue to fight the "stone battle." The stone contractors for our house swtiched stone colors on us, putting the color we chose for the interior on the exterior, and the exterior stone around our fireplace. I've adjusted to the stone around the fireplace, but the exterior continues to bother me. The red we chose for the siding is a dark, almost raspberry toned red, and I cringe when I see the samples against the warm, brown tones of the stone they mistakenly put up. I found out our builder hasn't yet paid them for their work (they aren't finished--must put up more stone around front porch when porch is done), so I've decided to have them correct the mistake. They are fighting it. We're going to dance.

We are next on the painters' list for exteriors, so I'm excited to have a nice long stretch of warm weather so that can get done. Then hopefully it will be some "real" pillars at the front porch, sod, fence and landscaping. Hooray!

Ding dong, Defense is Done

2011-04-11T21:15:00.005-05:00

Finally, finally, I can wear my pin:

The defense went as well as defenses go. I am quite pleased. And now, despite having to make a few small revisions and get the rest of the diss. all formatted correctly, and I'm Officially. Done.

Champagne lunch after the defense with my committee members:

My ever patient chair, Virginia

Gavy and me in front of the old capitol building in IC:

I've said it once, and I guess I'm compelled to say it again:

WOOT WOOT

2011-04-08T13:34:00.003-05:00

in an attempt to help assure us that benjamin will make it to his 3rd birthday, we've done some massive childproofing of the house. we have locks at the top of each door that goes outside. this one is on the pantry:

17 hours after install, i caught him up on the counter unlocking it so he could get in and eat himself silly. but at least it slows him down.

no real good way to lock the bottom freezer, though. today i came down from changing a poopy diaper and found the freezer wide open, and he was finishing off a carton of ice cream with his hands.

the lock on the cabinet that houses the medicine and vitamins (and now, also the candy and lotions and coins and anything else we have to hide from him. if only it could hold ice cream....)

super duper patio lock

daddy story time. wow, they were all sitting. at once. too bad benj didn't have his super duo pjs on--that would've been even cuter.

easter bunny!

benj and his buddy. (that would be jaxson, not the easter bunny).

cheery pictures to brighten a gray day!

2011-03-26T12:20:00.007-05:00

A Word to the Wise: Wear Pants when using Scissors

Cousin Lucas enjoyed his first birthday party

Gavin enjoyed Lucas's "Candyland" themed party, too

Last month some good friends celebrated with us the 1st Annual CarlHaub day. This was our answer to the insanity of over-buying during the holidays. Our two families (Carlsons and Case Haubs) decided to hold a separate celebration of honor the friendship of our two families during a time every year that is spaced out from the holidays and birthdays. For us that is February/March. Our 1st time doing this was lots of fun, and the kids exchanged gifts with another and I made a cake and we had great food and conversation. Love to have a party just for the fun of it!

Baby Maggie and Gavin playing nicely together

Caleb and Jack exchange buddy gifts

Gavin's been asking to go potty lately, and actually pooped on the potty once. He had a little snafu one day, though, when he got the potty seat stuck on his head. He was NOT happy about this.

Somewhere in the haze of the past several weeks I turned 33. Mike remembered my favorite cake from the whole in the wall bakery across town. Best champagne cake ever. Too bad the box had been open for only 2 minutes before we went to answer the door and Benj got to it:

It really feels like someone is always crying at our house

anxietyville

2011-03-26T12:00:00.006-05:00

hi readers (that is, if there are any of you left!) i'm not even sure where to start with this post. the past few weeks have been so draining that i've had little energy for anything beyond what is absolutely necessary. it doesn't feel good to be in a dark place like that. i thought i was finally working toward some relief, when last night turned into an evening in the emergency room with benjamin, who drank a bottle of kid's benedryl. he's fine now, but i was not in a condition where i handled the added anxiety very well. earlier this week a dear friend of mine lost her neice to a tragic fall out of a 3rd floor window (at a birthday party, in the home of her aunt and uncle, nonetheless). it has been hard to get that family out of my head. my own grandmother's funeral was emotionally trying, but not because of my grandmother's passing, but because of the way my parents acted at the funeral. the family dysfunction is indescribable. on top of all this, i was working my behind off to get the first "deposit" of my dissertation into the U of I grad college, and using their templating software to hit all the formatting rules made my life a living hell. at one point i thought i might not get it done, and if you don't get it done, you don't graduate. i did get it in, but they've already contacted me with a list of errors i need to fix before the final deposit. great; more stress for later. my defense is nearing, only a week and half away, but my adviser is traveling and has refrained from telling me how to prepare for it. the kids were home for spring break all of last week and my patience was at 0%. yesterday a friend told me of a family she knows who lost their home to a fire. they finally were nearing the end of their days in a small rental unit while their new home was built, and then a tornado destroyed it last week.

do you ever go through those periods where you feel like every piece of news is bad, and sadness is all around you, and there is just nothing looking up? this has been a dark month for me.

it's hard to admit that when everyone around you expects you to be on cloud 9 after a big move and impending graduation. it's true-- this should be my best year. and it might be. but there has been a lot of stress and anxiety that has left me feeling like i have nothing left to give to those i love most. the only thing i'm doing a good job at is emotional eating. i stopped exercising when we moved to the apartment and went into winter hibernation (i.e., survival mode). now, i'm so pressed every day to answer every demand of my 3 little masters that my eating habits are both inconsistent and terrible. the only consistent thing about them is that i sit down after they go to bed and consume about 60% of my day's calories at that point. i look forward to it so much that i make no effort to change it. but i've gained back probably 1/2 of the weight i lost at farrell's, which pisses me off. not just because the belly is back but because it adds yet one more thing to my to-do list. lose weight, get back into shape, blah blah blah. something else i have no time or energy for.

but one very bright spot this week was finding out about the pregnancy of a best friend of mine. i am so happy for her and her husband, and can't wait to see that journey unfold for them. it was also an excuse to shop for cute stuff.

so moving on beyond anxiety. i'm going to go through some photos that have long since gotten hidden in my camera, and post some fun images. i have high hopes for april!

Home Sweet Home. And Unpacking, not-so-sweet unpacking.

2011-03-09T14:03:00.006-06:00

We're in! Besides a garage full of stuff I cannot identify, nor do I look forward to sorting, the necessities are all unpacked and put away, and we are enjoying the new space. I haven't done much picture taking, but here are a few to show that we are indeed settled in, and awaiting visitors :)

Still making a loonnnng list of items for our builder of things that need to be corrected/done. I'm sure you can locate some in these photos :)

We have a list of furniture we want to buy, but I think saving up for the backyard fence is priority at this point. So in the meantime, mattresses on the floor for all :)

Having an unfinished basement has been my dream for parenting in the winter. Too bad it's now March and spring is upon us. Oh wait, it snowed yesterday. Nevermind.

I watched these blue herons for HOURS yesterday. It was peaceful, watching them fish their lunch out of the pond in the rain. The geese weren't so nice to them, but I loved it.

Moving day (and weekend) was eventful in a lot of ways. I came down with chills and a lot of breast pain. I suspected mastitis, and yep, that's what it was. Wow, I breastfeed 3 kids in 4.5 yrs and am now getting mastitis for the first time, when child #3 is 17 months?! Crazy stuff. And PAINFUL stuff. I went to urgent care on Sunday morning in so much pain and found about 30 people ahead of me. It was abyssmal; people were falling asleep in chairs, kids running around, people sitting on the floor.... I left. I called Cosette's cell phone and explained my symptoms. She said, "Leave urgent care. Always call me first! I'll call in an antibiotic right now. Here are other things you should do..." I can't count my blessings enough that she is more than a health care provider, but also a friend. I wouldn't dream of calling an OB or family practice dr. at home on a Sunday morning, but I didn't really think twice with her. I am so blessed with that experience and all it has brought me. I also called my doula and she gave me all sorts of advice for dealing with mastitis. Good people.

Now that I'm feeling better, I just learned that for my birthday on Friday I'll be attending my grandmother's funeral. I saw her last about 3 yrs ago, when Jack was a baby. She was in a nursing home with alzheimer's and didn't recognize me then. My parents have been estranged from them for many years, but are going to the funeral. I doubt Adam will since my parents will be there and that situation is not yet mended. It may be a long, long day. And complicated. I'm looking forward to seeing my aunts and cousins, whom I've connected with on Facebook (I don't think my parents know this). Hopefully the social dynamics aren't to weird with my parents and my aunts.... it could make a hard day that much harder.

Still, despite the sad news, I'm counting many blessings this week (and year). The house is lovely and we're healthy. My dissertation defense is a month away and many friends will be there to support me. Good things, very very good things.

culmination

2011-03-02T19:30:00.005-06:00

defense. is. scheduled. april 11th at 10:00 AM. this is really, really big. so, so happy.

house will be our's in a day and a half. this is still hard to believe. i was there last night and took some photos, which say to me....still a work in progress. i hope most is done before friday, but some of these things are still happening....

plumbing is done. bonus.

the overhang on the island got cut wrong...they missed one side, and added too much to another. in the end we had to do away with the overhang all together and return our bar stools. BOO. but not being able to open the fridge door when someone is sitting at the island? kind of a problem. so now they have to move the lights over the island since they were centered with the granite.

shower is looking good, but electricity would be nice, as well...

i could use some sides for the tub

paint touch-ups would be nice

it seems every time i show up there are new problems. i don't think we've encountered one vendor who hasn't screwed up at least one thing. most of them are out of our hands at this point. the stone people switched stone colors, putting my nice warm tones on the exterior and the cool, grey/deep red tones around the fireplace. both look very nice but won't match the paint colors i chose as well. little things get irksome. true, no one would know but me. but then again, i'm the one who will live there for the next 20 years.

deck is mostly done, although i was bummed to discover that although we chose the same measurements for it as we had built on our last house, it won't be the same seating area. since the slider bumps out, we lost about 3 feet since they measured out from where the railings meet the house, not from the door. grr.

most bathrooms are looking fairly complete

i think our light fixtures look like nipples. i can't get this out of my head every time i see them.

oh my, it will be challening to keep the kiddos out of this mud mountain for the next month. spring, oh spring, please come. so we can have sod and paint and a front porch.

despite the mad rush to the finish and all the mistakes being made along the way, it's fun to see our home taking form. it's wonderful to have an apartment full of boxes, which makes this feel more transitional than annoying. i can't believe this weekend we'll be sleeping in our new home. it was worth the wait!

photos from the lost world

2011-02-21T15:36:00.007-06:00

i uncovered some photos today that i forgot were on my cell phone and figured i'd share them here:

you know you are a hot sauce junkie when the extra grande bottle of tapatio rides shotgun to your carmel latte (incidentally, the paint sample there, next to my two liquid obsessions? that is the color we are painting our house.)

boys with santa in december

this was taken at the iowa city children's museum when we went for adam's defense

i love this photo of benj because of his facial expression, what he's wearing, and the inscription on the side of 4-wheeler

at bass pro shop in altoona-- future bad boys

i found benjamin like this AFTER bathtime one evening. he had done this while i washed the dishes. nice.

heart breaker on valentine's day

in other news, things are happening on the house this week. at least, things should be happening--majorly, since we are supposed to close a week from friday! there is a lot left to be done (plumbing, lighting, paint touch-ups, decking, pouring the front porch, replacing a broken window, cabinetry detail, stone around fireplace...i could go on, but i digress). so i'm not holding my breath, but i remain cautiously optimistic.

stone is going on.

the boys played in the walk-in closet. that room would get much more play as a kid's playroom than it will as a closet for mike and i, who are NOT shoppers.

staining on built-ins turned out really nice

as did the tiling on the master shower (that paint is supposed to be a light green...looks a little yellowy to me, yes??)

lockers in mudroom are painted

our flooring installer is a machine. he is a one-man show, and has installed the wood flooring on the entire first floor all by himself. he was there saturday and sunday, all day, working alone. great guy. great work.

still loving the color in the half bath, despite what my husband may say ;)

i was a little nervous with the color mike chose for the boys' rooms. he said he was going for a "nautical blue." when i first saw it going on i was a little stunned at HOW blue. but now that i see it with the white trim, i'm good with it. i'm not really a blue person, so it was a lot to take in all at once :)

weekend efforts

2011-02-13T18:50:00.002-06:00

thanks to my husband who played full-time daddy all weekend so that on saturday i could finish up dissertation revisions, and on sunday i could do this:

boring white bathroom before:

warm, rich, Spanish style bathroom after:

i learned two things from this escapade:
1) i am waaaay too short to paint 9 ft. ceilings, even with a step stool
and
2) $200 would actually have been a very good deal to pay the painters to do this bathroom.

ah well, i guess i left my mark on the new house. now i just need to move in.

kiddie visit to the house

2011-02-06T17:03:00.002-06:00

we took the kids out to the house today to see their new room. they like to go out and rough it up a little every now and then. you know, just to make sure it can stand up to their abuse. so far, so good.

getting down and dusty at the new place

already running in dizzying circles

Fun all around

2011-02-06T10:34:00.005-06:00

My fabulous girlfriends (who I once called "neighbors & friends," but now only one of which continues with that title) took me out for a girl's dinner out in celebration of my completed dissertation draft. If I knew I'd get that kind of treatment for finishing this thing, maybe I'd have done it sooner?? :) We went to Dos Rios for margaritas and guacamole and good times.

It was definitely a nice night out. And I'm sorry, Steph, but the jalepeno margaritas are the bomb. No argument ;)

On Saturday I went out to the house for the first time in weeks. It was fun to walk through it after not having been there for so long since so much had changed. It's really starting to get a more "finished" look to it, although we still have a long way to go. Just one more month...just one more month... just one more month. That's my mantra. I took some photos of the fun things that have happened since I was last there. It's fun to see our future home take shape.

There are a lot of surprises along the way when building a home, we've learned. Our builder informed us that we got an unexpected upgrade when they delivered a much bigger gas fireplace than we were supposed to have. While I welcome any free upgrades they want to throw our way, I realized upon visiting the house that it's so big it means we won't get the stonework we had planned for (an arched stone design above the fireplace to match the curved entryways on the first floor of the house). Whatever, at this point I just shrug my shoulders when things don't go according to plan. In the end those details won't matter and we'll be happy with it regardless.

One of the customized changes we made to the house was to add built-in shelving to the side of the stairway right where you walk in the front door. It won't be super deep so probaby won't hold lots of larger books, but I thought it would be fun to have a spot for family photos and odds and ends. Especially since I'm not much of a decorator, so the more that's already "built in" to the walls, the better :)

This is the office/den. Otherwise known as, play room.

Unfinished lockers in the mudroom off the garage.

Tiling has begun in the master bathroom

I took this photo because it cracked me up to see Oxyclean is what they use to clean up mistakes while tiling. That stuff is amazing.

Jack and Jill bath has tile (otherwise known as the Jack and Benj bath)

The closer we get, the more excited I get.

Today while the boys enjoy the Superbowl, I'll be diligently working on my revisions to my diss. draft. My adviser has sent back 216 pages so far and the rest is in the mail. So far, so good!

equality for all: another jack story

2011-02-02T13:27:00.002-06:00

{minor background: it's one of the most important things for me that my kids know that i love them for who they are, and that they never have to second guess whether or not i'll support, or accept, them for the decisions they make in life. add to that the fact that i am a very sound liberal, and the fact that gay marriage is once again a topic of debate within the ia legislature makes my blood boil.}

this morning at breakfast, jack said out of the blue (as are most of his comments these days):

i don't know if i want to get married because then i have to find a girl to marry.

me: "well, when you are old enough, you can find a girl to marry if you want to. or a boy."

jack: (thinking): "i can marry a boy?"

me: "you can marry whomever you love."

jack: "well, i love jaxson. but i don't want to marry jaxson. i just like to play in his bouncehouse."

i guess it's pretty simple for a 4-yr-old.
------------------------------

looking forward to a short daytrip to iowa city tomorrow (all 5 of us) to support my brother at HIS dissertation defense. and no, you are not all allowed to make fun of me that my brother is defending his diss before i am, even though he began grad school 4 years after me. technically he's not beating me, we are going to tie. when we both graduate in may, that is. :)