100 degrees and counting

We have had a string of 100+ degree days so our inflatable pool is getting a lot of play! It's pretty crazy when there is a 30 degree difference between the house and the backyard.

One family member who adores this heat is our fat cat. Morphine spends hours laying on the patio. I would think that with all that fur she'd want to be safe inside, but I can't convince her of this. She'd rather lounge for hours on the patio! I guess it *is* quieter than the house. And there is the occasional toad to chase. Very exciting for the feline existence.

This is the one thing I've planted in the backyard-- a trumpet vine. Those of you who know me understand that this is an ambitious endeavor for my black thumbs. Mike said to me as we were leaving Earl May, "Can we just light two twenties on fire and skip the part where we dig the hole and waste gallons of water on this thing?" Nice. It's doing okay so far, but if any of you have experience with keeping Trumpet Vines healthy and alive, (Samantha? Sarah? Steph?) PLEASE do share :)

Vegas and Strep, Vegas and Strep (and one missing tooth)

Well. It's been a roller coaster the past several weeks. Our kids managed to stay pretty healthy over the winter and right through spring. When Mike started at Outcomes we got new health insurance, and ventured into our first HSA. At the time we figured, well, our kids rarely get sick so we should be fine. Karma. Since then, Jack got glasses, Benji now visits an ENT since his hearing has been fluctuating and we are watching to see if he needs tube, I will be getting my knee surgery in a little over a week, Gavin has one cavity and Jack has two (joy), and all three kids fell to a very nasty set of germs a few weeks ago that knocked them all out pretty severely.

Gavin got over his Hand, Foot, and Mouth and then Benji started *really* not hearing us. We made an appt. with the pediatrician and by the time we got there he had had fevers for several days and was miserable. A double ear infection and strep throat. He went on antibiotics. A day or so later, Jack was miserable. Dr. visit and antibiotics. Unfortunately all this illness meant our Father's Day Camping Trip was cancelled. Then Mike left for a work trip to Vegas. I think he left just in time to avoid the brunt of all the germs. I was fighting, fighting to avoid it. Jack started feeling better and then Gavin got hit. I had planned to visit Mike in Vegas (my first time) for the last weekend of his trip, so I ran myself ragged to get everything done so that I could go. Poor Gavin was sick right up to the moment I left. I felt bad leaving Mike's cousin with the boys, especially a very screaming Gavin! But Friday night came and I left.

My flight was delayed so I arrived in Vegas a little after 1am Iowa time. I was so exhausted I went right to sleep. I woke up the next morning with a terrible sore throat. The rest of my trip to Vegas was peppered with fevers, aches and pains, exhaustion, lots of ibuprofen, lots of naps, several hours of walking to find a walk-in clinic, antibiotics, and then, a flight home! In the end I was actually okay with having been sick on vacation. Mainly because 1) I could NOT have gotten the rest I needed at home, alone with three boys and also 2) I hated Vegas. Really, really not my kind of town.

Even so, there were moments of fun and I took photos! So here they are!

Mike's conference was at Cesar's Palace, so that's where we stayed. The pool was pretty amazing. It was also pretty populated! I found that if I didn't arrive by 9am, I had to fight for a chair :)

These cabanas were not cheap, but there were many. Truly did remind me of Roman opulence....

The boys have been in a big pirates phase in the past few months, so a visit to Treasure Island was an easy way to get them souvenirs to bring back

Seriously, this photo doesn't even show the entire NY, NY hotel! One hotel. I mean, the monstrosity of it all is unbelievable!!

The best part of the trip was when I took a good 800mg of ibuprofen to break my fever and drown my pain and attend Mike's conference closing ceremony. The food was provided (phew, after my $50 burger and fries from room service that afternoon, a free meal was much appreciated :) and was really, really good. I got to meet the girl he traveled to the conference with and another couple they had met that week. We all had fun watching Pat Benetar sing. Mike's iPhone didn't like the lighting, so the best photos we got are:

I swear that's Pat Benetar. It really is.

SushiSamba!

We went to see the Brad Garrett Comedy Club on Sunday night. No flash photography, and my camera didn't like to take photos without the flash. So here's Brad Garrett looking a little blurry and out of focus. Just a little.....

The Bellagio fountains were indeed a treat to watch.

We flew home together feeling very ready to be home. The next morning Jack promptly came into our room at 6am and lost his very first tooth!

What to do when the (fluorescent) bulb breaks

I did not know this! Worth sharing....

-------------

What To Do When The Bulb Breaks
Public News Service-IA
http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/26832-1
Join the discussion: facebook.com/PublicNewsService Twitter: @pns_news @pns_IA Google+: plus.to/publicnewsservice
(06/08/12) DES MOINES, Iowa – Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) save energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs, but when they do burn out, disposing of them takes some extra thought.

Unlike incandescent bulbs, CFLs contain a small amount of mercury. Reo Menning, a spokesperson for Metro Waste Authority, says they should be handled delicately if they break.

"Basically, what it requires you to do is leave your home for a little while, about ten minutes, and then come back and you need to scrape them up – with a piece of cardboard, or using tape – but don't sweep and don't vacuum."

And there is one more step in the disposal process, she adds:

"Put it in a glass jar with a metal lid, or you can put it in a plastic bags that seal, and then take it to your local hazardous waste drop-off center to have it recycled."

If the bulb simply burns out, it also can be taken to a hazardous waste disposal site, explains Menning. Several retailers, including Target and Home Depot, will accept the unbroken bulbs, too. She says it's likely that many of these bulbs are ending up in landfills because people are in the habit of just throwing burned-out light bulbs into the trash.

Find out more about proper CFL bulb disposal online, at WhereShouldItGo.com.

Gavin the artist

OOOOOkoboji!

Family vacation to Okoboji! Woot!








The first night, Mike fell asleep at 8:30 PM while lying inside the room and keeping kids in bed. I took advantage of the quiet time to sit on the deck of our room and enjoy the view, along with a camera and a glass of wine. I can think of far worse ways to spend an evening alone.










Arnold's Park! Always a fun place for young and old alike.








Gavin was majorly displeased that he wasn't tall enough for many of the rides his brother were on. The attendant of the kid's roller coaster assured me he was an okay height to ride with Jack. What do you think?























This year we finally got to the Barefoot Bar at Parks Marina, which was lots of fun. Nothing beats 5 bars on a Florida-inspired, palm-lined sand beach with a playground for the kids and margaritas for mama. And the kids liked the pirate.




Having my parents there at the same time was so very nice because they were willing to take the kids swimming so we could do a couple boat rides alone, and the last night we were there we took an adults-only cocktail cruise and then went out for a nice seafood dinner. It really felt like vacation!


I took several photos of us on the cocktail cruise with my cell phone, but since I can't seem to find the card that transfers my phone's memory to our computer, I guess they will remain forever locked on my phone :) All in all, a great mini-vacation at Fillenwarth Beach. That place holds so many memories for me, and it's bitter-sweet to now be the parent taking my own children there. I've watched the owner and his own children grow older, but the place seems timeless in many ways. Things get renovated, but it's the same cabins, the same faces I saw year after year with my parents since I was 10-years-old. So amazing.