Springtime in Chicago

Taken off my deck this afternoon.

Mr. Clean Saves the Day!

Brendan and I have been very busy this month trying to get the house ready to be put up for sale. We've had the kitchen floor replaced, bought and hung new curtains for the sliding glass doors, washed walls, decluttered the kitchen, removed all magnets and pictures from the refrigerator, etc. Yesterday, I spent three hours cleaning, decluttering, and stashing stuff so that our realtor could come over for less than five minutes and take pictures of several of the rooms in the house to put on the brochure and internet when we list the house.

Brendan has been planning to paint several walls thoughout the house this weekend that are very dirty, or just have to many marks on them. The upstairs hallway, that we haven't painted ever, we just left it the way the previous owners had painted it, had one wall with large and dark green marks from our clothes hamper on it that Brendan was going to have to paint over. We hoped that the paint in the basement marked "ecru" and left by the previous owners was the color that was on the wall, although we don't know for sure. Well, last night I had a great idea. I would try the Magic Eraser. After several minutes of gentle scrubbing, our wall looked as good as new. No green marks, no paint removed, nothing. Just clean, ecru (we think) colored walls. I was so proud of myself. I just saved Brendan lots of time, time he can now spend cleaning or packing other things!

I Can't Wait Until April 2!

All three of my children woke up at 5:40 AM this morning. Zoe, who regularly sleeps until 7:30, was crying and I knew I would have to get up with her. I went into her room, and although the sun was peeking through the sides of her blinds, I told her it was still "night night" time and that she had to go back to sleep. I proceeded to pick her up, sit with her in the rocking chair, wrap her up in her blanket, and rock. As this is going on, I hear Emma looking for me in my bed. After a few tears, she goes downstairs to look for me there. Upon not finding me, she becomes very concerned and goes to consult her big brother Ian. After talking with him for a few seconds, she decides that asking her dad, who is showering, would be the best method to finding me. I am still rocking Zoe at this time and keep hoping Brendan hurries up so he can grab Emma and Ian if need be and usher them downstairs so that they don't interrupt Zoe going back to sleep. Emma went into the bathroom and scared the hell out of Brendan, who told her I was either in bed or probably in with Zoe. Emma knew I wasn't in bed, and didn't think I was in with Zoe. Brendan, hoping to finish showering and getting dressed without any further near heart attacks, sent Emma out of the bathroom. Emma went back to her room and chatted with Ian about my possible whereabouts once again. I then heard a loud whisper outside of Zoe's door, "Mom, are you in there?" It was Emma. I didn't answer her, Zoe was looking very heavy eyed and I didn't want to risk it. Emma repeated herself, in the same loud whisper. Again, no response from me. I hear her heading back to her room to talk to Ian once more. He must have advised her that I probably couldn't hear her because she was whispering, because her next question, in a quiet tone, not a whisper, was "Mom, can you hear me?" I wrestled with whether to respond or not. On the one hand, if I let her know where I was, she would hopefully stop bugging me. (I have trained the older two kids pretty well on not coming into the room when I'm with Zoe during a sleep time.) If I don't tell her, she'll keep asking if I'm there until she gets the information she wants. But telling her risks the balance of putting a sleepy two year old back to bed. Three year olds are very persistent, and Emma is no exception. Because of this I decide to let her know where I am with a loud "shhhhhh." Zoe isn't bothered too much, and Emma is happy to know where I am. She informs Brendan of my location and happily goes downstairs with him for some juice. I lay Zoe back down in her crib, grab my bathrobe, and head downstairs myself, where I am greeted by Brendan, Emma, and Ian. It was 5:55.

Karate Ian

Wow! Ian has had a great two days. On Sunday he competed in his first karate tournament and won second place! Then on Monday, he tested for his green belt in karate and got it!

In the tournament he competed against other six year old orange belts and ended up with a second place trophy. He got a buy in the first rounds, then went up against a girl who was not very aggressive. He beat her 3-0. Then in the final match he went up against a boy who was excited to be competing. After an accidental kick to Ian's groin, Ian went on to score one point, to the other boy's three. He stuck through the match and really did a great job. After receiving his trophy he told Brendan and I that his trophy was very valuable to him. "It's as valuable as my Gamboy and Bunny," he said.

Then on Monday he tested forhis green belt. We were there to cheer for him as he received his next belt ranking. He was so proud, and so was I.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

From my three (half) Irish and green clad children to all of you, have a good one!

When Procrastination Pays Off

I am a subscriber to Family Fun magazine and really enjoy looking through it, reading the articles, and even trying a few of the cute ideas. Ian's and Emma's valentines were made from an idea from this magazine and I've made a few fun recipes. I decided not to renew because even though I really liked the magazine, I thought we could save a a little money. Well, yesterday I got a call from representatives of the magazine and they offered me a three year subscription for just $0.93 an issue! They only publish ten times a year, so I'm locked in for $9.30 a year for three years! How great is that! All their renewal offers were for $14.95 a year, so I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. Maybe we'll try this tactic with Brendan's Sport's Illustrated subscription.

Murphy's Law

Murphy’s Law says that when you are having a new kitchen floor layed, and you have to do 25 additional things like pack two extra lunches, get packages ready to send after selling on eBay, and remove the stool and tissues from the bathroom before it is time to take your six year old to school, your three year old, who hasn’t had an accident in over 6 months, will pee all over the bathroom floor, your six year old who is holding himself because he has to go pee so badly will argue with you that he doesn’t want to go upstairs to use the bathroom but instead wants to use the bathroom with the pee all over the floor, the pee from the 3 year old will go all over your six year old’s favorite stuffed bunny, which you will now have to wash this morning otherwise he won't have it for bed tonight because you won’t have access to your washer and dryer because your kitchen floor is being layed today, and all after you have just poured milk onto your cereal so you can't eat it because it will all be soggy after you have cleaned up the mess. And blogger is having technical difficulties so you can't blog about it. At least that’s what Murphy’s Law said at my house this morning.

This Is My Husband

I have always loved Fox Trot. It is a well written, well drawn comic that is always current and always delivers a laugh. Today's is especially good, if only because my husband has been waiting for these stamps to come out (and may have pondered this same question Jason has!).

Heaven

Ian was teasing Emma this morning and somehow ended up telling her she was dead. Instead of getting upset about it, Emma became extremely joyful. She said, "When I'm dead I get to go to heaven and see Jesus and his mother and give God a hug." Then she danced around in circles and said, "I can't wait until I'm dead and get to go to heaven. It's gonna be so great!"

Now, I have to admit the innocence and exhuberance Emma showed was sweet, and kind of fun to watch. But it was also slightly disturbing to me as well. As happy as I am to hear her talk about going to God when she dies, the very thought of her death frightens the hell out of me. I know she wasn't truly deeply contemplating death, but it was still unnerving to hear a 3 1/2 year old talk about when she will be dead. Maybe we should all look at death with the innocence of a three year old; but of course we can't because we know of all the things we have done in his life, both good and bad.

Emma capped off her joyful exhaltations about death with this final comment. "When I'm dead, I want to wear this." (her pink fleece dress, white shirt, pink tights, and black shoes.)

A Misunderstanding Of Meaning - Part 2

Last night as we were getting the kids ready for bed, Ian noted how he has a very busy week. "I have karate, pajama day at school, and I have to get ass on my forehead."

Brendan and I looked at each other and said, "What do you have to do, Ian?"

"I have karate, pajama day at school, and I have to get ass on my forehead on Wednesday," Ian replied.

At this point, Brendan erupts into a belly laugh and doubles over with laughter. I try to contain myself, as I don't want to hurt Ian's feelings. "Oh right, Ash Wednesday. You have to get ashes on your forehead."

It will be so nice when Ian's two front teeth grow in.

A Misunderstanding Of Meaning

In the fall I bought Ian a picture Bible that he has read many times. It is set up like a comic book, so it combined two of Ian's favorite things, knowledge of God and comic books. When he first received it, he read all 800 or so pages in about a week. Since then he has read and re-read various parts of it.

Ian's teacher, Miss Bennett, sends a letter home almost every Friday, detailing the weeks events and what is coming up next week. As Lent begins this Wednesday, in last Friday's letter she mentioned that the whole school will be writing down a sacrifice that they will make during the 40 days of Lent. These will be put on display in the hallways, and although she said she would be discussing what a sacrifice was before each student chose and wrote one down, she wanted us to go over what might be an appropriate sacrifice for a first grader to make.

So, yesterday while Ian was having a snack at the dinner table, I brought up the topic of sacrifces. I said that on Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent begins. I went on to explain that during Lent, Catholics often make a sacrifice for the 40 days. I mentioned that all the students in his school would be making a sacrifice for Lent, and that on Monday he would have to tell his teacher what his sacrifice would be. Before I got a chance to explain what a sacrifice was, Ian blurted out, "I can't make a sacrifice. I don't have anything to kill!"

Brendan and I just about fell on our butts laughing. After we recovered and explained that he would really be giving up something he decided he would give up playing his Gameboy for Lent. A good choice, I think.

Ian informed me after school that a sacrifice was supposed to be something hard, not easy, so he decided that since he doesn't play his Gameboy that much, he would give up TV for Lent instead. It's going to be a tough and long 40 days!

Sweeter Than Sugar

Zoe, my youngest who will be two in two weeks, just melted my heart into a puddle on the floor. Before her nap and bedtime I hold her in my arms, and she usually lays her head down on my shoulder while I sing her three songs before I lay her down in her crib to go to sleep. The first song is called "Zoe Bear" and pretty much just consists of me singing those two words. The second song is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." The third song is "Goodnight Zoe". Today before her nap, as I sang the words "goodnight Zoe" she sang along with me, in her sweet little voice saying, "Night night me" each time I sang it. It was the most beautiful singing I have ever heard.

Smiles

Emma asked me to scratch her back before she went to sleep for her nap this afternoon. As I sat there scratching, I smiled at her, and she tried to suppress a smile on her face. Then she told me, "When you scratch my back it makes my mouth do this." Then she smiled the most beautiful smile in the world.

V-Day Wrap Up

I made a special dinner last night for Valentine's Day. I always like to treat all my sweeties to a special meal on special days. On the menu was country chicken kiev, red potatoes, strawberries and lemon pound cake muffins. The kids made us cut off the tops of the muffins because they had a glaze on top. After that, they gobbled them right up. Everything was yummy and for dessert I made Triple Chocolate Torte. Everyone but Emma liked it, so it was a hit. (Emma likes very few thhings, so I don't worry about it too much.) You can get the recipe for the torte here.

After writing all about how I don't need Brendan to get me any gifts yesterday, he goes and surprises me and got me a gift. It was my favorite perfume that I recently ran out of, so I was truly thrilled. I have to admit it was nice.

Valentine's Day Madness

I understand the newspapers just want to print timely, thoughtful articles that their subscribers are interested in reading. And I have to admit, I read many of the Valentine's articles that were printed in both the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald. (Yes, we currently subscribe to both.) But I am really annoyed at all the suggestions and descriptions of what must or must not be done on Valentine's Day. If you took the paper's writers seriously, you must take your wife/ girlfriend out to dinner. You must also buy her something, and not a humidifier as one reporter in the Daily Herald made the mistake of purchasing for a former girlfriend one V-Day. Flowers and candy are good, but jewelry or something truly from the heart is better. I can't stand it!!!!

Brendan and I have been married for 10 1/2 years now, and I can only remember one time when he got me a Valentine's Day gift. It was in 1999, when I was pregnant with our first child. He bought me the video Mulan and a 13-inch TV for our bedroom, ostensibly because I came home from work each day exhausted and since our only other TV was in the frigid basement family room, I could come upstairs, lay down and watch a show. (Never mind that this was his way of getting a TV in the bedroom, because I said I would never have one in there.) Of course, I couldn't tell him no to the TV, so we kept it. And we did use it, especially after Ian was born. But other than that, I'm not sure if he's ever gotten me a gift. (He may have, I just can't remember one way or the other.)

I'm not complaining. On the contrary, if he isn't getting me a gift, I don't have to look for a gift for him. He always gets me a card, which is what is important to me. He often will pick out a funny card, sometimes a mushy one, but he almost always writes something so heartfelt inside that any woman would kill to have the man I have.

I don't need gobs of gifts, candy or flowers to know my husband loves me. He shows me in so many ways outside of Valentine's Day that mean way more to me than a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers ever could. He is an amazing Dad to our kids, he cleans the bathroom if I haven't gotten to it one week, he does the dishes almost every night, he listens to me when I've had a horrible day and reassures me that I'm a good mom. He tells me I'm beautiful and desirable and the love of his life. It's enough for me.

John Carroll University Represents

Just learned in my online alumni newsletter from John Carroll University (I graduated in 1995) that JCU sent the largest student contingent to the March for Life in Washington D.C. of any Jesuit institution. Way to go, JCU!

When I was a student there more than ten years ago, I made the trip once and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a long and tiring trip, travelling overnight to make it to the march on time, then turning around and coming home at 8:00 pm the same day. At least that's how it was when I went. Mostly so that students don't have to miss too many classes. All I can say is it was an awesome experience seeing so many people, young and old, men and women, all races, coming together to try to end abortion. I'm proud to have come from this amazing school where life is valued from conception to natural death.

Read the full story here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a picture of Ian with his puppy dog valentines that we made together. He is taking them to school today to pass out to all his first grade classmates.

Valentine's Day Treats

If you want to make something sweet for your sweeties for Valentine's Day, give this a try. Make a regular batch of Rice Krispy Treats. Right after spreading them into the pan, sprinkle them with red, pink, and white non-pareils or other Valentine sprinkles. When they are completely cool, cut them with a heart cookie cutter. Voila! Adorable (and yummy) heart shaped treats for all the sweeties in your life!

Which One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other?

Zoe fell asleep on the couch today before her nap, and I couldn't help but take a few photos of the most adorable little girl in the world!

It's Good To Have Lofty Goals

Ian is very excited about a book he is writing in school. He has planned out the dedication (to his sisters) and will make sure he writes the title on the front of the book. He wants me to buy him a notebook so that he can write stories here at home. All this talk of writing stories has inspired Ian to new options for his future. Whereas when he was three and four he usually responded with a firefighter, train engineer, or race car driver when asked about his future profession of choice, he has new ideas now. His current career path? Half bounty hunter, half author.

I think it could work for him. Make some money and gain some interesting stories while hunting down fugitives, then write the stories down and make more money from them. It's really not a bad plan, when you think about it.