Are there presents??

My poor literal minded child Anna was so disappointed this morning to find no presents under the tree. I put it up last night, I told her that Christmas is after Thanksgiving, and it was snowing a bit. That must mean it is Christmas, right? I think we need an Advent calendar. Or two, one for each of them. I don't even want to think about how many times they are going to ask me how many more days.

Pronunciation Tip O' The Day

Gearing up for the big game tonight and just want to make sure the announcers who read my blog are ready. Okay, when you say, "Notre Dame fumbled the ball again", don't get all fancy on us. It is pronounced "noo-tur" dame. It is not a cathedral in France, it is a school in the midwest. Of course if the phrase you are looking for is "huge upset by Notre Dame" feel free to say it any way you want.

Mining for Gold

I don't know which is more embarrassing, the fact that I haven't organized the storage room in the 2 years we've lived here or that Sean forgot we had an extra DVD player. When I was getting the xmas chaos out of the storage room tonight I decided to move stuff around since there was extra room to shuffle. So nice having the elephant of a fridge out of there, not to mention the xmas trees. Anyway, in the piles of electronics boxes that Sean hordes I found one that was surprisingly heavy. I figured it just had old cords and such in it (have about 5 of those boxes) but was quite mystified to open it up and find what appeared to be a never-used DVD player. I dragged it out to show Sean and he had vague flashbacks of getting it with the sound system, some package deal, was waiting until our other DVD player died. Huh, very convenient memory loss there as one did in fact just croak and he decided it was time to Blu-ray it. So we tried it out and it works, perhaps is a little outdated but I think I know someone who won't say no to a free DVD player. Merry Christmas Stephanie!! We'll throw in some DVDs too, unless you are ready for Netflix?

Also, the winner of the 1st xmas card contest is the Corum family, friends of mine from the Indy days. They actually tied with Conroe Medical Center but since I don't even know what state that is in, it doesn't count.

Back from the club

And then home to a sparkling clean kitchen, how delightful. Anna and Patrick barely ate anything and I'm so glad that it wasn't my hard work cooking that went to waste. Here is a picture of everyone showered and clean before we left. And again, where am I in this photo? This is why I splurge on a real portrait of us once in a while.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To ME! Oh man, I had no idea how excited I would be to NOT cook this year. I obviously enjoy cooking (due to my love of eating) and I make the Barefoot Contessa's "Not Thanksgiving" menu a few times a year, mostly so we can enjoy real turkey sandwiches, but I am just too tired this year to deal with it all just for the 4 of us, oh wait, I guess we are 5 now. Whoops. I reminded Sean that he wouldn't get to scrub the roasting rack today and he didn't exactly weep. Now I have more time to organize some of the closets and baskets of toys so we know just how much Santa does NOT need to bring. Actually, maybe Sean should do this since he is opposed to my idea for a minimalist approach to gifts this year, i.e. one thing they really really want from Santa and then stockings and gifts from the many relatives. He usually cracks and runs out on xmas eve to beef up the tree with more toys.

Once the house is really clean I can think about getting out xmas decor. I refuse to decorate for one holiday before another one is past, so I guess I can start tomorrow. I heard Denis asking why we had 3 trees in our storage room when he came over to help Sean remove the dead fridge the other day (many thanks Denis and Nancy for getting rid of that for us!!), so clearly decorating for xmas is no small task around here. And it will be lots of fun with Patrick, the un-decorator around this year... and here is a photo of him from the park yesterday, using my new filter.

Oh hey Mom, just hanging out...

I find Patrick in the toy basket far too often considering he hasn't yet figured out how to get out of it...

Eating Habits of the Catered to Children

I mentioned before how addicted the girls are to homemade bread (and butter too of course, wait until they find out about European butter, I need to keep that expensive treat a secret from them). Well, Patrick's morning routine involves taking him as quickly as possible to the kitchen when he wakes up (yelling) and then listening to him whine and yell some more as I thaw a pancake for him in the microwave. The longest 25 seconds of the day. Then I tear it up for him and he shovels it in with both hands, happy as can be. I usually make a double batch of pancakes and freeze them for this exact purpose. You cannot imagine how the day goes when I am out of pancakes and he has to wait for me to make one for real. I have stopped giving Megan them from the freezer so they will last longer, so now she is on to cinnamon toast, which means we go through bread even faster.

Now, while Anna is a huge huge fan of bread and butter, she is by trade a carnivore. We asked her last night what her ideal meal would be and she told us what would go in the 5 sections of her dinner tray: salmon, bacon, hotdog, craisins, and apple slices. Notice that all those meats are pink and easy to chew. Megan loves anything that is cheese and starch and the only meats she will eat are some chicken and salmon. I didn't have salmon until my late 20s and I'm glad I figured out early that the girls like it. Those little frozen packets of it are rather cheap and rather easy to cook (actually, easiest to grill them, at least for me since Sean does the grilling, haha).

Patrick is at that annoying stage where he can't eat a lot of stuff yet and throws all new items on the floor. So he lives on turkey sandwich meat, colby jack cheese, whole wheat crackers, bread, freeze dried apples, some cereals, pancakes of course, and some baby food, mostly fruit sauces. Notice the lack of vegetables, I am tired of scrapping those off the floor. He has started eating mashed potatoes which the girls continue to be suspicious of.

So, this explains why we are going out for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I am tired of doing all that cooking and cleaning up afterwards to make a huge meal that the majority of the family won't enjoy. I'll do a turkey later for sandwiches or maybe just wait until Howdy's has their hot turkey sandwich special and go there for some "grocery shopping", haha.

Dangerous Library

I had just returned some books at the library today and was pushing the stroller out into the atrium when two large heavy books fell on my head. I turned around to see what was going on and this young librarian just rolled her eyes and said, "oh, they're throwing books". What?? I was confused, like this is a common event and I should know about it? I couldn't see anyone up above me and still didn't know what was going on (first sign of brain damage??). I went to check on the girls in the children's area and then asked another librarian what was going on, I mean, shouldn't anyone be concerned? Well, then it occurred to me that these books just barely missed hitting Patrick whose head is not nearly as hard as mine so I decided to go investigate a little more, i.e. find the kids and have "words" with them. I asked the upstairs librarians what was going on and if they saw some kids throwing books. This was an older lady and she was immediately upset and had no idea that anyone was hit down below, I think she just heard the books fall and then the kids ran out. Sounds like these are frequent visitors but this is the first time this has happened so she was happy to file an incident report. Just like the hospital, if no one complains then they have no justification for reprimanding someone.

Anyway, I get home and find out that my head did actually bleed a bit and it hurts but Sean doesn't think a CT is necessary. The police called (so that's what "private caller" is on caller ID) and I told them I don't think we need to file a battery charge but it could have been a very serious injury if it had hit my baby. Doubtful that they will ever find the kids anyway or prove who did it at least. The head librarian also called to check on me and was the nicest guy. Of course librarians are nice, but he was very concerned and wanted me to know how serious they think this is and their plan of action. We can't have hooligans overrunning the library-- this is the refuge for us nerds, leave us in peace!

Of course this all reminds me of the time Sean and I were at Circle Centre mall in downtown Indy when Sean was spit on by a kid a few levels up. If you want to see Sean get all angry and riled up, just mention this incident to him. If we ever find out that our kids are involved in this sort of behavior we will not write it off as kids being kids. As my mom always says, some parents make excuses for their kids all the way to jail. Our kids will be in their own personal jail here with their various latest technology toys taken away...

High Maintenance

The girls have always been a bit dependent on my homemade bread as it is the main staple of their diet and anytime Anna has to declare a favorite food she says, "bread and butter". So I end up making a loaf at least every other day, although it feels like every day. Well, Anna has now decided that she only likes it when it is fresh, as in hot enough to melt the butter. No, I cannot convince her that toast is an option. Megan on the other hand is in the midst of demanding multiple pieces of cinnamon toast and all I'm thinking is that's another loaf gone... Megan is also the one who noticed that I changed bread flour. I saw King Arthur flour in the store one day and wondered if it could possibly be worth the increase in price (about $2 more). The first time I used it not only did Megan notice, but she remembered to mention it when she came home from school that day after eating it at lunch. It really is better and I suppose it is worth the extra $2. Better pick up an extra shift, Sean.

And since I already know that all they would end up eating if I made a huge Thanksgiving dinner like I usually do is the rolls, I made reservations for us at the club this year. No one else was without family this year so I didn't have the motivation of other people to feed who would actually eat. It is cheaper to do this also. I will just make a turkey later so we can have sandwiches. Which means more bread...

The Only Way To Vacation

With three kids who are horrible at traveling and sleeping in weird beds, the only way to go is to drive 1.5 hours to the Great Wolf Lodge and stay one night. Yes, we pulled the girls out of school and thus had the waterpark to ourselves, which is vastly superior to going when it is crowded. Felt like we were gone way longer than a day too. The entire vacation including shopping and meals cost less than 2 plane tickets to go see family. Sorry family, this is the only way we can roll right now. Sean can't get many days off in a row from both jobs...

Dessert?

After the super nutritious dinner of pancakes with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips, Anna and Megan both ask what is for dessert. Oh, maybe some carrots?? Then I tell them that it reminds me I need to call and get them their dentist appointments. Megan then informs me that she can't go tomorrow because she has a birthday party to go to. I'm sure the dentist will be so disappointed not to work on a Sunday afternoon.

Kansas Seafood

We finally made it to a theme night at the club; it was seafood buffet night. I know, I was a bit suspicious of seafood so far from water but they did a pretty good job. No sitter to be found so the kids enjoyed "kid night" there which was run by this fabulous gal who runs the office there. I felt like I should pay her but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate or kind of insulting since she's not just some hourly employee there. I think maybe something will just go on our bill, anyone know about that? Sounds like the kids had a great time and Patrick was just thrilled to be up past his bedtime- that is when he goes into super good baby mode. He chirped happily all the way home so I guess he enjoyed himself.

Oh and I got the DL on the sewer smell up there. I thought it was only at the pool but apparently it also goes into the lower level of the clubhouse and we smelled it tonight. As Anna said when we walked in, " it smells horrible". I was just hoping that wasn't dinner... Anyway, they have no idea where it is coming from but it started during construction last spring. They are running some tests and hopefully will have it fixed soon as it is certainly bad for the restaurant business. We couldn't smell it upstairs thankfully. I did threaten that we would quit if the pool kept smelling like that so I am glad that they are at least working on it...

Attention Locals!

We just found out about this great project that the Flint Hills Breadbasket does each year and thought others might be interested too. So much more rewarding to shop for gifts for people who truly need things. Here is the info from their website:

Adopt A Family

Gifts for children, warm clothing, and household needs are concerns for many parents during the holiday season. Adopt A Family is a program that provides holiday gifts to families who would otherwise be without.

The Adopt A Family experience is a positive one for recipient families and donor families, demonstrating the spirit of giving during the Holidays! There is room in the program for all levels of participation; University affiliates, organizations, clubs, church groups, business groups, families, and individuals can participate as donors.

Please take the time to consider this opportunity and contact us at 537-0730 if you would like to Adopt A Family.

Entertaining the Boy

We try to breed stereotypes about here so we've been playing catch and chase the ball with Patrick in the house. I don't see any drawbacks to encouraging him to throw a ball in the house, do you??

Busy Boy

I get nothing done these days. I finally had to empty the baking cupboard and now Patrick plays in there. And then this is what Patrick does sometimes when Sean is working a shift in the office.... stands there and whines at the door, pressing his face to the glass.

Not just saving gas

I'm saving my sanity by not driving to Megan to school each day. She slept in a bit today and Sean had the day off so I decided to drive her for once, didn't think it would be a big deal. Huge mistake. It was rainy and cold so the drop off line was probably longer than usual, so we wasted a good 5 minutes there. The highlight though was watching some woman park in the 2nd lane which violates the rules, not to mention common sense. And why did she park there? So she could walk her child to the door, holding an umbrella over his head. She might regret that someday when he is still living in the basement at age 36.... Riding the bus has made Megan so much more confident and independent. And some of that gas money went to buy me a nice new pair of fancy slippers for the lazy winter ahead. Win-win.

I want lessons!

This photographer is pretty amazing with her newborn photos, along with all other ages but what I really love is how her photos from the Outer Banks beach vacation turned out. This is what I want to learn to do. Oh, and Mom, be sure to check out her photos with horses, you will love them.


Okay, I am using the insert link function but it obviously isn't working so I will add it to my sidebar. It is under Jodie Otte Photography.

Who needs toys?

Patrick is completely obsessed with getting into my baking cabinet. I haven't found a good way to lock it so I usually just try to redirect him by picking him up and moving him to his toys in the other room. Oh, but it doesn't take long for him to mosey on back. The lure of the flour canister.... also caught him gnawing on unsweetened baking chocolate today. Anna says to him, "that doesn't taste good Patrick, trust me." Yep, they only try that once.

The Big 5

A milestone day for Anna, a whole five years old now. In other news, that means my cell phone and the minivan are just over 5 years old. In fact, Anna was almost born in that van! It's only fitting that we make her drive it during her high school years, haha! We'll see if Patrick breaks my cell phone before then...

My Sous Chef

She's almost five, the free ride is over.

Why can't you block junk calls??

Why can't it be like email where you can block spammers? I am beyond annoyed with these stupid calls from 1-800-670-9944. I finally answered today after they kept leaving half a message on our voice mail which I know is a scam. It always says to call such and such number and then extension--silence- and it cuts off then on purpose. Anyway, when I answered it was the same recording, not a live person so I couldn't give them a piece of my early morning grumpiness. I did however just call the 800 number right back and after many many rings someone answered and I told them to remove me from their list. I gave my number and the lady asked if I was Adrian Daniels. Uh, do I sound like Adrian? She did say she removed me since this is no longer Adrian's number, so we'll see what happens. Adrian, where ever you are, you are a popular man. I'm guessing you owe some money...

Oh and does anyone know what Simperian Marketing is? THey also love us. I did accidentally answer a call about giving donations to educate policemen about Amber Alert. I agreed to shut them up, after they lead me to believe it would be tax deductible. My pledge card came and upon further research I found out that it wasn't tax deductible. No doubt because the majority of money raised goes to support the telemarketers. I tossed that and then when they called me back I explained why. THe lady says in her most judgemental voice, "So you are NOT going to HONOR your pledge???" NO MA'AM, I am NOT. Funny, no calls from them ever again...

My point is, why can't I just have a button on my phone to push to block a number forever????

Mailman curses us

The word is out that I like catalogs and today was a record day. 13. I'm sure retailers are hitting it extra hard and early this year so apparently I should be Christmas shopping? Just not in the mood yet and it's too early to have presents sent to people. Too early for kid begging too, so quite a few will go right in the recycle bin before the girls see them.

My delicate flower

I doubt the grandmas even want to see yet another boring shot of the kids, so I thought I would post this one. Anna was wearing her brand new slightly fancy dress at the park and I thought the only problem would be showing her undies while swinging or something. Nope, she decided to crawl under the pirate ship plaything through some hole dug in the sand. She did this twice before I dragged her away. She was filthy. Then off to school she went!

Happy!

Not a great shot but that face cracks me up.

What's that smell?

Sean was out of town last night so when he called in for his nightly check I informed him that the house smells funny. It's kind of like pickle juice. Now, one of our neighbors had an incident where her children ate and dumped a jar of roasted red peppers on her bedroom carpet, so for mine to trickle pickle juice throughout the house is not an unreasonable fear. But, I didn't see an empty jar or any green spots. It was really quite puzzling until I smashed a ladybug before it snuck into my bed and the odor was released. Bingo, mystery solved. I don't think I can stand 4-6 more weeks of ladybug invasions so I hope the paper is wrong about that. We don't even have that many and they are better than roaches, but it's still annoying.

Sprung Forward

Poor Patrick doesn't remember how "fall back" works and thus he is just remembering that we "sprung forward" last spring. So the normal 7am party is starting at 5am which is completely unacceptable. Megan is up at 6am and that's when she really begins to earn her keep around here. Mornings definitely aren't as rushed these days....

The weather was so great yesterday and we were more than ready to head out by 8:30am, so we went downtown and did all the things I imagine we would do if we bought that cute little stone house that just popped up for sale across from the library. It would be so fun to just be able to get up and walk to the bakery, the library, the park, the preschool, Harry's/Howdy's, the shops, etc. Sean is thrilled that nothing was for sale down there back when we moved here because he really had his heart set on a big media room that you can usually only get out in new construction. We are certainly happy where we are now so I guess we will just drive downtown and park some mornings and enjoy the walk. Unfortunately yesterday we were having so much fun I forgot the furnace guy was coming. Hard to remember that when it's 80 degrees!

Brown Bear Brown Bear

What do you see? I see a red bird looking at me. Oh, we have read this so many times that I can do it in my sleep. Nice that he finally pays attention though and it is a good distraction when he is mad about something.

Perk to being small

You can fit into all sorts of fun places!

Who needs a closet?

Does anyone else have one of these? Yes, the kids are too small to ride shotgun, so instead I pile all the jackets we may or may not need there. And then I do it again the next day and the next, so the pile just grows to the point that it's hard to see over. And don't even get me started on all the extra food we have stored on the floor...