Zoe - Super Sandal Shopper

After dropping off eBay packages at the Post Office this morning, the kids and I headed over to Payless Shoe Store. I was on a mission to get Zoe a pair of white sandals for both the summer and Easter Sunday. She has been wearing Emma's size 8 princess sandals from last summer, but they are too big and are always falling off her feet. She also has adopted a pair of black patent size 8 shoes with rhinestones around the front, and wears them most everywhere I'll let her. She has no size 7 dress shoes, and I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by purchasing a pair of white sandals for both Easter and summer fun.


We went into the Payless and headed for the size 7 shoes. There was a cute princess sandal, and an absolutely adorable white sandal with little multicolored bows on them. I offered the princess sandals up for Zoe's approval, and she emphatically pushed them out of my hand back onto the shelf with a strong "No." Before I had a chance to look at any other shoes for her I hear, "Dora!" come out of her mouth. Dora the Explorer is probably Zoe's favorite show on TV, so sandals with Dora and her sidekick Boots on them comes close to making Zoe completely, purely happy. We took the sandals off the shelf, took off Zoe's shoes and socks and tried on the Dora sandals. Zoe was so pleased she wanted to put her black rhinestone shoes on the shelf in the box and leave them at the store. We went up to pay, where I had to lift Zoe up so the saleslady could make sure both shoes were the same size, and we paid.

Time in store, less than five minutes.

As I left I realized that the sandals were not white and would not match any dress I pick out for Zoe to wear for Easter. Oh well, neither will the pink sparkly shoes Emma picked out while we were on a mission for her white Easter dress shoes. Neither of my girls will match on Easter Sunday, but they will be two of the happiest girls in church, with their pretty new shoes.

Spring Has Arrived

And with it's arrival have come my beautiful daffodils.

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.

Project Runway

I love this season's Project Runway on Bravo. I watched it last year and instantly liked it. I haven't getten to see every episode this year (we don't have Tivo and the VCR is just too much of a hassle), but I have started to plan my weekly grocery shopping around my Wednesday night viewing of the show. Brendan also clued me in to the Tim Gunn Project Runway podcast, which I am crazy about. I subscribe to three podcasts, and this one by far is my favorite. As soon as I download it, I listen to it. Essentially, it is Tim Gunn's opinions, backstory, and views about each episode. I really like it because he gives a lot of behind the scenes events and gives his honest opinion about each garment and each designer's work methods and attitudes. It is concise and well done, as well as entertaining. If you are a fan of Project Runway, you have to get this podcast. I even listened to the episodes that pertained to the shows I didn't see. It's that good.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Somedays my children just make me want to scream.

I Just Liked This

An inspirational quote for the day:

Happiness doesn't depend on the actual number of blessings we manage to scratch from life, but on the attitude toward them.
-Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Plucking

I had to pluck out six (6!!!) gray hairs from my head this morning. I'm not happy about it. Obviously if there are six hairs in the front of my head that I can see are gray, how many are in the back that I can't see?

I began plucking stray grays in my twenties sometime, but never had to remove more than one, maybe two at a time. This morning I found six. This brings me to a difficult dilemma. Do I color my hair to get rid of the gray? I have NEVER colored my hair. No home dye jobs, no professional coloring jobs, not even a highlight. The closest I've come to coloring my hair at all was to use Sun-in. It didn't do much for me. A few brassy streaks that my hairdresser eventually cut off my head before senior pictures.

Now the reason this is a problem for me is that I subscribe to the philosophy that if you are going to color you're hair, you ought to do it right. That means coloring it regularly so that the roots do not come back in and show the gray. I am just not a regular-get-my-hair-done kind of girl. I have long hair that I wear in a pony tail almost every day right now not because I love it that way, but because I just don't call the salon and make an appointment for myself on a regular basis. Last time I got my hair cut was in March or April of 2005, before my sister-in-law's wedding. I don't usually go this long between cuts, but I just don't feel like I have enough time to do it (plus I obviously don't care that much!)

My husband was no help either. When I complained about the state of my hair he offered no support at all. Probably because he started gong gray years ago and if he tried to pluck every gray hair he would have less than 2/3 of his hair left. He looks great with some gray hair. But most guys do. He told me women don't have to worry about going gray. I said that wasn't true. He said HIS woman doesn't have to worry about going gray. I think it was a compliment.

Anyways, I haven't decided for sure, but I'm guessing I won't color it. I hate seeing women who color their hair, but don't commit to it. Either do it right or don't do it all. And since I can't even get to the salon for a haircut every six weeks, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get there for my required touch ups. I also think I'm too cheap to pay for it. I guess I better learn to like gray.

You Don't Hear About Something Like This Everyday In Illinois

I discovered this truly weird story and had to share it. A 61 year old Ohio woman died in August 2003, and sat in her chair upstairs in front of the TV for 2 1/2 years. When I first saw the story, I thought that no one had discovered her for that long and I thought, "How sad for her. I hope I have enough friends or family members who care about me that when I die they'll come looking for me a little sooner than that."

But much to my surprise and disgust, some people did know she was dead.

Pope died at her home here at age 61 on Aug. 29, 2003. A towel had been placed around her neck to keep her cool on that 87-degree summer day. She wore a white gown while sitting in a chair in an upstairs room, in front of a television that played as family members went about their lives downstairs.

Her daughter, granddaughter, and the woman's caretaker all lived in the house while the woman's dead body was upstairs! Too bizarre!

Read the whole story here.

Brothers!!!

Emma and Ian were having their usual morning "let's bug each other until we drive our mother crazy" session when Emma actually complained using this statement: "Ian's looking at me!"

I thought I had at least a few more years before I had to listen to that one.

Creative Anatomy

Ever since I can remember, I've had a raised mole between my left shoulder and neck. I have heard all kinds of advice on it, none of it from a licensed practitioner. One woman I babysat for in college told me that I should have it removed because it could be pre-cancerous. My mom tells me that as long as it doesn't change color or size, then it's fine. I have always had it and it is a part of me. Most people who see it think it's gross, or at the least unsightly. It's not enormous, but it is raised and can be wiggled if someone touches it. All three of my kids have been both intrigued and slightly disgusted with it. If I wear a wider cut shirt, it can be seen easily. I'm not embarrassed by it, never thought to be.

Zoe is very interested in my mole and asks to look at it often. I have to sit down and pull my shirt collar over so she can get a good look at it. Sometimes she touches it and makes an "ewww" kind of face, other times she just looks at it and says, "Mo."

This morning Zoe was running around in just her diaper when she stopped to look at herself in our full length mirror. All of a sudden she turns around with a huge grin on her face pointing to one of her little nipples and proudly exclaims, "Mo!" She then points to her other nipple and says again, "Mo!" Then, pointing to Brendan, who had just gotten out of the shower and only had a pair of pants on repeated, "Mo!"

I had the best laugh I've had in a long time.

Chocolate Pudding

Wednesday nights are karate night at our house, which means Ian has to go to karate class, Brendan won't be home for dinner, and the kids and I have to eat dinner early to get Ian to class on time. This means I make kid friendly fare for dinner. Who wants to force the kids to eat the perfectly good food I usually make by myself. That kind of coercion is better handled by two adults. So last night we had chicken patties, chicken nuggets (child's preference), apple slices and chocolate pudding.

Before Wednesday night, my kids thought pudding came in a six pack of plastic cups from the grocery store. I don't think I have ever "made" it for them. While whisking the pudding mix into the milk I decided to put the pudding into dessert glasses instead of one big bowl. Anything looks prettier in a tall footed dessert glass than in a big bowl, and my kids, having never had pudding made at home, may have needed some enticement to try the thick brown dessert.

As I pulled the pudding from the refrigerator, Ian and Zoe were obviously excited to devour the contents within. Emma, my extremely picky eater, was interested, but was not allowed to partake at this time due to her still working on her single chicken nugget I required her to finish. Ian had his eaten in no time and declared, "This pudding even tastes better than Jello pudding!" (He was playing on the computer when I emptied the contents from the Jello pudding box into the milk.) I graciously thanked him for his compliment.

Zoe, on noticing Ian's happiness with the dessert and the pretty dish it came in scrambled to clear off her high chair tray. She handed me her plate with half a chicken nugget remaining and her sippy cup and demanded a spoon to be immediately brought to her so she could indulge in the chocolatey goodness. I began eating mine about the time Zoe finished hers and she noticed I was putting peanuts in my pudding. She asked for peanuts in her dish and scraped every last bit of chocolate out with the peanuts. Even when she could no longer get any measurable amount of pudding out of her dish, she asked me at least three times to refill it with peanuts, which she ate with her spoon.

Emma, upon completing her chicken nugget and with both visual and oral displays of how wonderful the chocolate pudding was could no longer hold back. She decided to try it. I brought it out to her and with a small amount on the end of her spoon, she tasted the chocolate pudding. She declared the pudding "the best" and continued to take little spoonfuls. I asked her if she really liked it, because she has a habit of saying she likes something if she thinks someone wants her to like it, but in truth may not like it very much at all. Her response was, "I do like it. Do you want to see me say Yum?" She then stuck a spoonful of pudding into her mouth, smiled a big, brown chocolatey grin, and said, "Yum!"

I think it's safe to say I'll be making pudding again.

Emma Writes Her Name

At the ripe old age of 3 years and 5 months, Emma has written her name for the first time. We were playing with the Magna Doodle when I asked if she wanted to write her letter E. She said yes, and we ended up doing her whole name! She was very proud, and quite frankly, so am I. Now we just have to work on counting past eleven.

Divorce

I am an optimist by nature. As a kid I always looked on the bright side. If things were down, I'd figure out how they were going to look up. I was the teammate in sports who always tried to get the team to forget about all the mistakes and get out there and do it better.

I think I've carried some of this optimism into my adult life. I know it has taken some knocks in the past, junior high was pretty tough for me. Moving to a new state and city took some time to get used to. After having each of my kids I faced some demons and difficulties. But for the most part, my glass is half full.

Where is this going? I have two friends who have gotten or are getting a divorce. One is an old college friend whose husband cheated on her while she was pregnant with their child. They went to counseling, but he wasn't really interested in fixing the marriage. The other is an old neighbor with whom I became friends when we were both pregnant with our first kids together. We both became stay at home moms at that time and really forged a strong friendship. She called me today to tell me she is getting a divorce. I kind of saw it coming. She's been calling me for a year and confiding the many problems she and her husband have had. They have two kids. It makes me so sad.

I kind of thought and hoped that none of my friends would have these problems. I know it is very Pollyanna-ish of me to think that way. I know the divorce statistics. There is no way that this life altering event wouldn't have touched my life in some way, but still I harbored the hope that it wouldn't happen, not to my friends, not to people I know. And yet, here it is, right in front of me.

I went to John Carroll University, a Jesuit college, and somehow thought that this insulated me and my friends from the kind of relationships that lead to divorce. I don't think I really believed this completely, but I did know that my friends were good people, people who don't deserve to have that kind of heartache in their life. And even though my husband was touched by his parent's divorce at a young age, I still didn't think it would happen to the people I know. I guess I didn't want it to happen to the people I know, and those are two different things.

I still have hope for enduring relationships. I look at my parents, my husband's grandparents, my good friend Joan and her husband Jim, and see how truly in love they still are after 40, 50, 60 plus years. I look at my other friends and their marriages and hope and pray that they don't meet the pressures and demands that lead to divorce.

I am still a glass is half full kind of girl. I'm just a more realistic one now.

Swimming With The Kids

Took the kids to the newly built Vaughn Athletic Center to go swimming in the leisure pool they have there. It is a great indoor pool with lots of gizmos and gadgets for the kids to play with while splashing in the water to their heart's content. I have never taken them there, and thought a dreary January morning was a good time to go.

The place was practically deserted, four tweens, a grandfather and his three year old grandson, and us. Ian immediately put on a lifejacket and Emma followed suit, even though the areas Emma went in weren't as deep as our Little Tikes pool. There was a great teeter totter that all three enjoyed and a couple of rocking animals that squirted water out of a spout each time you rocked back and forth. Zoe wouldn't have anything to do with the jumping swings that are designed for babies and toddlers just her age. She was fearful at first, not letting me put her down at all. Ian ventured into the four feet deep water and was thrilled with his progress of swimming back and forth in the pool.

We all went over to the splash pad that has water spraying out from all kinds of faucets and pipes, some tipping over from buckets and spraying out of water guns. There is a giant bucket that slowly fills with water and when it gets close to tipping over, a bell begins to ring. Huge amounts of water pour out, and I swear Emma and Zoe screamed at the top of their lungs every time that bucket poured out it's many gallons of water for at least the first half hour we were there. I just let them scream, as it feels like all I've been saying for the last two weeks is that they are inside and can't scream like that in the house. They still screamed later in the visit, but it had dropped a few decibels or so.

Ian wanted to try the water slides, but the blue slide didn't use the inner tubes, and he was afraid to go down without a tube. The orange tube is enclosed and goes outside of the complex walls (so impressive to see when you drive up to the building) and the fact that it was enclosed and going to be dark frightened Ian. I'm sure he would have gone with me on a double tube, but I didn't have anyone to watch the girls. Maybe we'll get a chance another time.

One of my favorite things was when I was pulling Zoe through the water and she just giggled with each glide. As I pulled her through the water she would put her right hand into the water with her thumb up, like she was the Fonz, then she'd plop it into her mouth and laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world. Anytime I stopped pulling her she would hold up one finger and say "More." In the time when I wasn't swimming with Zoe but just sitting and playing with her she thought it was funny to pull my swimsuit top out and look down my suit. Unfortunately I made the mistake of giggling the first time she did it. Consequently I spent a good half hour dodging her little hand and holding my own hand over my suit.

We stayed until the pool closed at 11:00, got changed, had a quick snack and headed home. It was a great morning.

Buckeyes Romp Notre Dame

The Buckeyes did it! They beat the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and won yet another Fiesta Bowl title. I have to admit, I am very happy they beat my husband's favorite team, not because they are his favorite team, but because OSU is my favorite team. Most other times I root for ND, as long as they aren't playing the Bucks. And seeing as this is only the fifth time the two teams have played, there usually isn't a big rivalry in the house.

Ian ended up rooting for Notre Dame, even though he claimed he didn't know which team to pull for and also claimed he wanted to root for the winning team. Despite his "Boo Buckeyes" throughout the game, I forgive him. I think what really caused the move towards the Irish for him was that I was very vocally cheering on the Buckeyes. I never said anything disparaging about ND, but I did loudly cheer on the Buckeyes when they made a great offensive or defensive play, and moaned pretty loudly too when the Bucks screwed up.

I picked up the Daily Herald today and read all four articles they wrote about the game. I don't usually read the sports section, and especially don't read multiple articles about a game I watched. But as I read the first article, I just wanted to read more and more of what the writer's had to say, especially since they have a true slant towards Notre Dame. One of my favorite quotes was written by Adam Rittenberg and was this:

With a chance to authenticate its return to college football's elite club, No. 5 Notre Dame lost to a team that owns a lifetime membership.

I think that quote pretty much sums it up. It was great game to watch if you were a Buckeye fan.

Fiesta Bowl Battle

Today is the big game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. As an OSU fan, I am outnumbered here in Illinois, so I dressed all three of my kids in scarlet and gray, before my Irish loving husband was out of bed and could complain about it. I just want to say that the Buckeyes are going to wipe the field with the Irish. And even though I am Catholic, I agree with the sign I found online and am posting here for everyone's reading enjoyment!

GO BUCKS!!!!!

GO BUCKS!!!!!!

Some Of My Favorite Things - 2005

In no particular order, here is a list of some of my favorite things about 2005.

1. How Zoe says "oh oh oh" in a low voice whenever she sees a Santa Claus

2. Ian's first grade teacher, Miss Bennett

3. Emma dancing in her princess leotard in ballet class on Tuesdays

4. Brendan and my tenth anniversary

5. My pink ipod mini

6. Podcasts of Guiding Light

7. My ten year John Carroll University college reunion

8. Not getting pregnant!

9. Ian loving going down the water slide by himself at the pool

10. Discovering other blogs besides my husband's

11. Beginning my own blog

12. my Small Faith Group through Our Lady of Mercy

13. Pilates (Mari Winsor Pilates to be exact)

14. Maroon 5 and Barenaked Ladies music

15. Primary Christmas concert at Our Lady of Good Counsel School

16. Everyone in the family being in Elizabeth's wedding

17. Elizabeth and Patrick babysitting our kids for the weekend so we could go to our reunion

18. Having coffee with Adrian, my former fourth grader and now senior in high school

19. Getting to see my best friend, Aimee, a lot more this year

20. Laura and Jenny

21. Ian going to Granma and Papa camp and loving it

22. Emma sleeping downstairs with all of her cousins at my mom and dad's house

23. Buckeye Football

24. The White Sox winning the World Series

25. Zoe learning to walk and say "mommy"

26. Phone calls with my sister

27. Brendan getting a new job

28. Trying new recipes and making old favorites

29. The Easter egg hunt at my parent's house

30. Kringle from O&H Danish Bakery in Racine, WI

31. "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" movie

32. The Ohio State jersey I got for Christmas from Brendan

33. The Ultimate 3-in-1 Christmas Tree

34. eBay

35. Digital cameras

36. Bailey's Irish Cream

37. The daffodils that bloom in my front yard in the spring

38. Watching the birds in Ian's birdfeeder

39. Starbuck's drinks

40. iTunes music store

41. Getting in touch with Tracey, an old friend

42. Dr. Janda, who helped make my crown look just like any other tooth

43. Checking books out of the library

44. Watching the Real World/ Road Rules Challenges on MTV

45. Watching the Amazing Race on ABC

46. Discovering "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Joss Stone

47. Discovering "My Love is Real" by Buddy Guy

48. Having Brendan's family here for Christmas

49. Getting a pumpkin pedicure at Mario Tricoci's

50. Ian learning to read

51. Zoe calling any of the Disney princesses "Rella"

52. Emma calling her Uncle Patrick "Packwick"

53. Emma's imaginary friend, Casey

54. Stash Double Spice Chai Black Tea

55. Emma being potty trained in two days flat

56. My husband and my kids

Gift Ideas For Emma

Emma received a calendar this morning so that she can prepare for 2006. As we marked her birthday with a balloon sticker, she started to think about what gifts she might like for her birthday. She told me, "I want a kitty for my birthday. A live one. In a box, so I can pet it. And I'll call her TV Kitty. That's what I want. Can you get me that?"

Since Bumper is still around, and by the looks of it not going anywhere, I don't think Emma's dream of her own kitty will become a reality anytime soon. But a girl can dream.

Happy Birthday To Me

Yesterday was my 33rd birthday. It was nice. Didn't do much, got to sleep in and then read for a little while in the morning. Brendan took Emma and Zoe to Dominick's to pick out some flowers and a card for me. Emma was set on roses and picked out a lovely pink dozen of them. When looking at the cards, she settled on one with a great big pink rose on the front, sure that it was the one I wanted. It was a pretty card, although it was to "Mother" and read, "from both of us." Her intentions were sweet, so how could I not love it?

I made myself an almond cake from a cookbook I received from my mother-in-law for Christmas. I know many people think you shouldn't make your own cake for your birthday, but I actually enjoy it. Twice a year, my birthday and Mother's Day, I make whatever dessert or cake I want. I don't worry if the kids or Brendan will like it or eat it, I simply make what I want to try or have. This cake was simple and delicious. There was no frosting and it didn't need any. What I also loved about this cake is it made a single 9-inch layer, so not a lot of leftovers! Ian and Brendan both liked it, while Emma and Zoe wouldn't try it, opting instead for vanilla ice cream.

I received some cool presents from Brendan, a book called "Whose Bible Is It?", a program to organize all of my recipes on the computer, and some very warm and fleecy pajamas, which I've been wanting since we've turned the heat down this winter to counter the higher gas costs. The kids gave me lots of hugs and kisses and sang me happy birthday and "May the Dear Lord Bless You" sung to the tune of happy birthday. It was a good day.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone today! May your day be filled with good food, good fun, and may you be surrounded by those you love.

Here are two samples of my children's art to celebrate the season. Emma made the tree while Ian created the snowman.

Polar Express

I fell in love with The Polar Express book by Chris Van Allsburg the first time I read it many years ago. Ian's first grade teacher, Miss Bennett, loves the story and movie, and got Ian excited about the story by creating a Polar Express in her classroom. The kids had doughnuts and hot chocolate, received a ticket that they had to have punched by the Conductor (Miss Bennett's Dad), then settled in to listen to the story read by Miss Bennett. Ian came home with a bell around his neck and a true excitement for the story. I suggested we rent the movie to watch tonight and he jumped at the chance. He added lines from the story while watching the movie and was very excited throughout. I loved the movie as well and think we need to get a copy for yearly Christmas viewing. Get the book and the movie, you won't be sorry.

Christmas Concert

Ian's Christmas Concert was on Wednesday and it was great! The kindergarten through third graders all gathered in the school gym to perform Christmas songs for their parents and families. The first graders performed first and sang their three songs loudly and clearly. The third song was about all of the things they are thankful for, and each first grader had a short solo. Ian sang loud enough (without microphones) for the whole audience to hear. It was fun.

The other grades came out and sang their songs, which our girls enjoyed as much as Ian's songs. Finally, the kindergarten came out and did their "Christmas Pageant" program. They sang about the Angel Band dressed as angels and played instruments with the gusto of 5 and 6 year olds. They then moved over to the Nativity scene, complete with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and angel Gabriel. While singing Silent Night, the shepherds and three wise men completed the scene. They ended with Away In A Manger and Zoe became very animated and excited seeing all the kids up on the stage. As I am a sucker for all things adorable, I choked up and realized how amazing and lucky I feel for sending Ian to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Every Christian kid should get a chance to act out the Nativity for Christmas. Those that don't are really missing out. I know how proud Ian was last year to be one of the three wise men. He still points out and gets excited about anything that involves the three kings.

Anyways, it was a great night. It is definitely one of my favorite Christmas experiences so far this year.

Oh My Gosh! I'm Conservative!

Found this on another website and thought it was kind of funny. Brendan and I have had a few discussions about the "War on Christmas" this year. If any of you were not previously aware of my political leanings, this should make it abundantly clear.

I'll Give You More Any Day!

While carrying Zoe through the house today I gave her a big kiss on her left cheek. She giggled her big belly giggle then pointed to her right cheek and said, "Moe". I melted into a puddle on the floor then gave her a kiss on her other cheek.

This is why I became a mom.

Another Reason To Be Happy With What We've Got

Brendan and I have been living in our modest three bedroom one and a half bath home for almost six years now. It is actually our second home, having bought our first house out in Cleveland before moving here to Chicago. I love it, but it is a little small with three kids and a cat. It is also in a terrible school district, prompting us to have to pay for Ian to go to Catholic school. I have watched several of my neighbors, four very close ones in the last two years, move out of our neighborhood and into nicer, newer homes. Hey, we are thinking of looking in the Spring ourselves. But one of the good things about a smaller house with a southern rear exposure is we don't have to run our heat a lot. Our bills are pretty reasonable, although we have turned our thermostat down to 66 at all times and occasionally down to 64 at night with the threat of higher gas bills this year. I sometimes wear three layers (a turtleneck, a sweater, and a sweatshirt over it all) as well as slippers over my socks. But, when the sun is shining, even on a bitterly cold day, our house warms up so much that the heat doesn't run until the sun goes down for the day. This, and the fact that there simply is not a lot of square footage to heat, keeps our gas bill pretty reasonable.

My girlfriend with a new, beautiful home with high ceilings just got her most recent gas bill. It was $465!!!! Our last one was only around $180 or something I think. Not that I'm thrilled with that, but I'll take $180 anyday over $465. I feel bad for her, it sucks to have one bill that high and know we still have at least three more months of temperatures similar to the ones we are having right now. But, I'm happy that for this year, we are still in our little house, with our one and a half bathrooms, and our smaller gas bills.

Why Does Scrooge (McDuck) Hate Christmas?

Ian chose to watch "Mickey's Christmas Carol" for his show while I made dinner tonight. Brendan and I love just about any and all versions of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" so to have him make this choice made me happy. (We have at least three different children's versions of "A Christmas Carol" and hope to eventually get the kids to watch all of them as well as when they are older the 1999 version with Patrick Stewart-our favorite!)

Anyhow, as the story gets going Scrooge, played by Scrooge McDuck, is bah humbugging Christmas. This is where Ian takes the time to inform Emma, his little sister, why Scrooge hates Christmas so much.

Ian - He (Scrooge) hates Christmas.

Emma - Why?

Ian - I think his mom and dad were killed on Christmas Eve.

Emma - Does he like it even a little?

Ian - No.

I'm so glad Emma has someone like Ian to clarify the murky spots in the plot. Never mind that he mixed a little Batman lore into the story.

No Barenaked Holidays For Me

I'm pissed off right now! I went to the official Barenaked Ladies website and found out that the "Barenaked For The Holidays" special was going to air on Bravo today and possibly at a later date as well. I was all excited about it as BNL is my absolute favorite band of all time. I was getting online to blog about it and to give everyone a heads up about when they too could catch this great show. I checked the online listings for Bravo today and saw nothing. I typed in several variations in their search engine and still came up with bupkus. I go over to Bravo Canada's website and lo and behold it is right at the top of the page. Our options for the evening here in Bravo USA are Faith Hill or Elton John. Come on! Not even one lousy hour for the Ladies!?! I know they are Canadian, but they're awesome! E.J. is English but he is still being shown. BNL is singing Christmas music for goodness sakes!

Workin' Together

It snowed again last night/ this morning so Emma, Zoe and I went out to shovel the driveway after dropping Ian off at school. Emma loves using the little orange snow shovel and happily runs up and down the driveway carrying snow from one side all the way to the other to put in some pile she's making. I have to admit that at the start of the snow season I enjoy shovelling, too. It is one chore I actually like and unless it's really bitter cold, don't usually mind doing. It was cold this morning and before I had the driveway done my fingers were feeling cold and painful. I just wanted to get the work done and get inside.

Enter Emma. She comes pushing her shovel next to me, picking up snow and singing, "Working Together, working together" in the most angelic voice you can imagine. Her song warmed me up enough to finish the shovelling this morning.

Eeeewwwww! Yuck!!!

Okay, it's a given parents have to clean up gross stuff a lot. Poop, pee, vomit, spit, chewed up food, boogers and snot. But today when I was mopping the floor I got a lovely little surprise for my cleaning talents. As I cleaned the bathroom floor, I looked up at the wall next to the toilet and saw what appeared to be a poop smear. Not a big one, but a smear of feces nonetheless. I actually don't know for a fact that it is poop. Maybe it is half chewed up Tootsie Roll. Maybe not. My initial reaction (besides disgust) was to sniff it to make sure. Then my rational intelligent half of my brain said, "Don't do it! Don't smell it!" So I didn't smell it. Instead I just cleaned it up with my Antibacterial Clorox Wipes and hope I never see anything like it again!

A Happy "Blue Christmas"?

I borrowed the Fats Domino CD "Christmas Gumbo" from the library today and was listening to it while I mopped the kitchen floor. I like hearing different singers perform Christmas songs and since I don't have any Christmas songs sung by Fats Domino in my collection, thought I'd give this CD a try. It's pretty good, he leaves the songs fairly traditional while adding his own jazzy blues sound. But when I heard "Blue Christmas" I was amused. It was upbeat and snappy, I could almost hear Domino smiling while he sang it. I like it, a new version to enjoy.

So Darn Cute You Could Just Eat Her Up!

This is Zoe, wearing her brother's Viking hat.

Gingerbread Cookies

Since the Christmas baking season was officially opened with the first batch of gingersnaps being made the first weekend of December, my kids have been talking about making gingerbread men. Yesterday Emma helped me mix up some gingerbread cookie dough. We stuck it in the fridge and waited for Ian to come home from school to roll out, cut, bake and decorate the cookies. Ian and Emma took turns with my little gingerbread boy and girl cookie cutters, as well as a star cutter and my big gingerbread boy cutter. After cutting out the cookies and depositing them on the cookie sheets, we baked them up and waited for them to cool. After they were completely cooled, I frosted each cookie with vanilla frosting and passed them on to Ian, Emma and Zoe for decorating. I sat an array of colored sugars and Christmas themed sprinkles out and let the kids go to town. They each began shaking and sprinkling their tasty decorations all over the frosted cookies. Ian and Emma both asked if their cookies looked nice while Zoe kept trying to open new sections of her sprinkles can so she could add more sparkle to her cookies. Zoe got both of my variety cans covered in frosting from her cookies and giggled while she licked the frosting off the tops. Fortunately this is the third year or so for those sprinkles, so they were pretty well done anyways. I had to throw both containers away after Zoe's masterful decorating.

It took a lot of patience on my part to not clean up all the sprinkles as they rained onto the floor and not to tell the kids to use less sprinkles on the cookies as they coated every inch of frosting with non-pareils. It bugs the heck out of me when there is a lot of waste of sprinkles or other things like that. But I also know it kills the fun when mom tells the kids to use the sprinkles they've already spread all over the table. When I act like that, what begins as fun ends up as my kids saying they don't want to frost any more cookies. So , I bit my tongue and took satisfaction in the fact that I may have actually learned one thing in my six plus years as a parent. The kids and I had a ball, and the cookies obviously turned out beautiful!

Snow Ice Cream

Besides playing in the snow yesterday, we also made snow ice cream to eat. We waited until Ian got home from school and then set to work making our treat. I made this for the first time last year and followed a simple recipe. This year, I just winged it. And, it came out much tastier this time than I remember it being last year. Here is my simple recipe for snow ice cream. Try it the next time you get a fresh snowfall.

Snow Ice Cream

Fresh snow
half & half
milk
sugar
vanilla

Fill a mixing bowl with fresh snow. Add some sugar and some half & half. Stir. If two snowy and thick, add more half & half. Taste. If not sweet enough, add more sugar. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or to taste). Stir until well incorporated. Eat and enjoy!

Use the milk if you run out of half & half. It will still be good. I used 1% milk when all of my half & Half was gone. I tried this recipe last year with evaporated milk and just regular milk, no half & half. It was okay, but this year's batch was nice and creamy. It will be like soft serve, and you have to eat it all right away. It's a lot of fun to do with the kids on a cold snowy day!

Did You Do Anything Fun Today?

Emma has been talking about playing in the snow since the first few flakes appeared in November. I always assured her that when we got a lot of snow, we would go out and play in it. Well, that's just what we did this morning! Emma and Zoe loved the deep snow, and Emma insisted on pulling her sister in the sled. After some snow angel making, sled riding and pulling, snowball making and hockey playing in the driveway, we finally went inside. All that in less than 30 minutes!

Watch Out Notre Dame!

I'm thinking OSU is a shoe-in for the Fiesta Bowl title. Just a hunch.

Thanks, Mark!

Christmas Kindness

It is so easy to get caught up in the frothy busyness of the Christmas season. I am feeling it more this year than in years past. Tonight I was reminded of the true spirit of Christmas and Christ. My two teenaged neighbor boys, of whom I don't even know their names, and they don't know mine, came and shovelled my driveway. I didn't ask them to. They didn't ask me. They came over, shovelled, and left, without any word. I probably wouldn't have even known they did it except that when I was making dinner I went out into the garage to get some hot dogs from the freezer and heard shovelling sounds. I peeked out my window and there they were, shovelling my driveway and sidewalks. I am so touched by their act of kindness. I am going to try and pass that kindness on to someone else now. Get in the Christmas spirit, do a kindness for someone without thought of thanks. You'll feel so much better about it than running to the mall to get the perfect present.

Humbled By My Kid 2

So Emma, my three year old so full of wisdom, floored me again this afternoon. We were making a nativity art project where Emma was coloring a picture of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. While coloring, she said that crosses were bad. I asked her why she said that. She said crosses were bad because the bad soldiers put the big (adult) Jesus on the cross and he died.

All I can say is, Wow!

Holy Day of Obligation

Today is the Solemnity of Mary, a holy day of obligation for Catholics. I took the girls with me to Our Lady of Good Counsel's mass at 9:00 AM because that was the mass Ian was attending with his school today. I have only attended mass there a few times because we belong to a different parish. As I was waiting for mass to begin with my two girls I waved to Ian who seemed very happy to see me. I also noticed Father Tony setting up an electric guitar. He is an older, balding priest with a strong Polish accent. There was no piano accompinament today, but there was Fr. Tony, with his electric guitar. All the traditional hymns were sung by the students, parishioners and teachers led by Fr. Tony on the electric guitar. Kind of different, but still good. The rest of the mass was fairly simple, students doing the readings and Fr. Russell giving his sermon about Mary. To be quite honest, I didn't get a lot out of it because I had two squirming girls I was trying to keep in line. At the end of mass one of the students announced that the closing song would be "Letter B." Or so I thought. The kids had been given papers with songs on it, I just thought they were lettered and not numbered. Imagine my surprise when strains of the Beatles tune, "Let It Be" came from the electric guitar and mouths of the kids! Very different indeed! I don't know if the students even know the origins of the song, but I sure did. I also know I never got to sing a Beatles song when I left church! It was a memorable service!

Humbled By My Kids

Ian and I had a rough morning yesterday. He is by nature a dawdler who can get lost in his imagination and spend much time there when he should be doing something else. After many bad mornings when he was a kindergartner, I thought I had figured out how to get him moving without having to nag, yell or cajole him. I give him plenty of time to get ready, (the minimum times are: 20 minutes for breakfast, 20 minutes for getting dressed, and 10 minutes for brushing his teeth) and occasionally check up on him without raising my voice or being negative. But yesterday things didn't go as planned. He had at least 30 minutes to get dressed, and despite all of my calm reminders and quick checks on him, he still couldn't get moving. I finally ended up threatening to take away some of his priveleges, and then he got angry with me because I couldn't help him that second to button up his shirt. (I was dressing his two little sisters at the time.) Of course by now I'm aggravated and worried we are going to be late to school. Ian is mad because I'm telling him it is his fault we are late, and things just went downhill from there. He couldn't find his hat and gloves I had laid out for him, he couldn't zip up his jacket, his bag wasn't zipped. On top of all this, I spilled Ian's milk leftover from his cereal when I opened the cupboard and a sugar shaker came out and landed in his bowl. I was in the midst of cleaning that up when I see Ian purposely crush two of the Froot Loops Zoe had spilled all over the floor. Instantly, I'm pissed off. Not only do I have enough to clean up already, but my six year old son who can't seem to get dressed in less than an hour is adding to my mess! Needless to say, I didn't handle it well. I know he didn't do it to make more of a mess for me. I know it is a six year old boy's natural instinct to want to crush something just because he can. But at the time I had had quite enough.

Anyways, fast forward to this morning, which went much better, basically due in my part from deciding not to react to him that way again. I made a chart with the three main things he has to do in the morning. If he does them in the right amount of time and without me having to stand over him, he gets a sticker on the chart. Today he didn't earn one for getting dressed. But he did for eating breakfast and brushing teeth. However, I didn't get upset and neither did he. I didn't take any priveleges away or raise my voice. I did tell him that if he was late to school, he would have to explain to his teacher and to the secretary why he was late, that I would not do it for him. We weren't late, but I have decided that if we are I'm not going to make any excuses for him. I am also not going to get angry. There are worse things than being late. Like yelling at your kid in the morning.

Amazingly, Emma said something very profound to me on the way to taking Ian to school today. We were talking about God and Jesus and when he was born and such. Referencing yesterday morning and my difficulties with Ian, Emma said, "Jesus gave you a very good brain, so you shouldn't be mean to us." So profound, and from the mouth of a three year old!

The Loot

Ian and Emma woke up to find that St. Nick had indeed come to our house. He brought Ian five gold chocolate coins and a Star Wars Clone Wars comic digest book. Emma also received five gold chocolate coins and a Barbie Fairytopia comic digest book. Zoe didn't know she was supposed to look in her shoes, but appreciated the six gold chocolate coins that she got when she woke up!

Ian's Not Very Good At Keeping A Secret

Ian came home from school today and was giving me the usual lowdown on how his day went. Then he added that he was making two ornaments at school and that he would be putting them in a bag when he was done making them. He said one was for me, and one was for his Dad. He also stated that he wasn't going to tell me what kind of ornaments they were. I told him that he shouldn't tell me so that it would be a surprise.

Right after I said that to him, Ian says,"It's a gold sticker with three angels and I put Christmas lights around it. We had to do it with yarn."

I stood there staring at him in disbelief. The boy who wasn't going to tell me anything about the ornaments he was making for me just spilled the beans. And not just a detail or two, but the whole project! I smiled and let him go on about how he was going to wait until Brendan and I are asleep on Christmas Eve and then he's going to get up and put the bag with the ornaments under the tree.

I'll be rehearsing a good surprised look between now and Christmas day!

A Lesson On The Circulatory System

While playing in the basement this morning, I came across Ian's old doctor kit toy, and got it out for Emma and Zoe to play with. Emma was absolutely delighted with the discovery and immediately morphed into a doctor with pink Barbie examination gloves and a penchant for giving shots in interesting places. I immediately was her patient, first a baby, then a kitty. She looked at my eyes and ears and took my temperature. She made me take good tasting "juice medicine" and listened to my heart with the stethoscope. Her favorite tool quickly became the blood pressure cuff. She pumped it relentlessly after attaching it to my wrist, checking occasionally to see what number appeared in the display. It was touch and go for a while, anytime the cuff said "64", my hand blew up. After about three explosions, she gave up on the cuff and went back to the stethoscope. She dutifully moved it around on my chest the way her pediatrician has done to her so many times.

Unfortunately, our medical set is not like the old Fisher Price doctor kit that had a working stethoscope. I used that stethoscope often when I was a kid. It was so cool to hear your own heart thumping and beating in your ears. Remembering that excitement, I asked Emma if she would really like to hear my heartbeat. Getting quiet, she put her ear on my chest and listened intently. Suddenly she pulled her head back and had a huge smile on her face. "I heard your heart!" she exclaimed. I asked her what it sounded like. She again put her head on my chest and listened. Again she pulled her head off of me and described a ka-chunk sound. The best part came next. Emma decided that it sounded like there were people inside my heart building my heart. She didn't think the heart could build itself, so there must be people inside building it.

Three year olds have a great view on life!

Set Your Shoes Out Tonight!

Don't forget to leave your shoes out tonight! St. Nicholas is coming and you don't want to miss any of the treats he might leave! Our kids listened to St. Nicholas's story at church this past Sunday and were eager to leave out their shoes tonight. Emma even called me back into her room tonight after going to bed to ask me when the man who would put stuff into their shoes was coming. I told her he wouldn't come until everyone was asleep. It's going to be hard to get Ian or Emma to sleep late tomorrow!

A Visit With Santa

I took the kids to see Santa Claus today. I wasn't sure I was going to do it today or not, so I didn't tell them until just before we went. That meant Emma found out just before picking Ian up from school. She was all atwitter with excitement for seeing Santa. She wondered how long it would take us to get to the North Pole. I explained that it was way too far to go all the way to the North Pole, so Santa came here for a little while so we could see him. She seemed happy with that explanation and couldn't wait until we could get Ian and go see Santa. I told Ian we were going to see Santa when he came out of school and he was very excited. He wondered how Santa travelled here and how long it would take until we saw him. He also wondered if Santa was real, which I told him he better not say to Santa! (He's been bringing this up a lot lately, though never asking us if Santa is real, just contemplating it.) He also said on the way that all he wanted for Christmas was for all of us to have a good Christmas, which I thought was sweet (though probably involves him receiving some specific gifts that we've been hearing about for the last two weeks!)

I took the kids to see Santa at the Phillip's Park Zoo Welcome Center in Aurora. It was great! First of all, there was no one else there. We had Santa and the entire place to ourselves! Second, there's no photographer, you bring your own camera and get your own pictures. Third, it's FREE!!!! Finally, the Santa is very nice.


While Ian ran around looking at all the mastodon fossils located in the Visitor's center, Emma decided to talk to Santa. For all of her excitement about seeing the man in red, she clammed up at the actual meeting. When asked her name she squeaked out an "Emma" and then stood there silent. Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas and all she said was, "A Gameboy." (Her big brother has been filling her head with ideas about princess and Barbie gameboy games and that she can get a Gameboy when she is older - she has never played a Gameboy, though she has watched her brother play his often enough.) Santa asked if there was anything else she wanted, and I prompted her with a few suggestions which she repeated and then she was done. Santa gave her a coloring book and Emma beamed as she left Santa's side.

Ian took his turn next and took no time at all in mentioning his number one gift choice - the DK King of Swing Gameboy game. After that his memory faltered a little and he mentioned how he had a whole list at home. I reminded him of one or two things, after which he recalled two or more things on his own. Santa reminded Ian he could write him a letter with the other ideas. Ian received his coloring book and went back to invesigating the fossils.

Zoe was a bit of a harder sell. She was interested in Santa, but from afar. She was fine sitting on her seat about 15 feet from Santa,and even okay when brought closer in my arms, but once Santa started talking to her, she pulled her sour face and covered her eyes. We asked her if she wanted to sit on Santa's lap, and she gave an emphatic "No!" I tried to get all three kids with Santa, but Zoe would have nothing to do with it.

On our way out Santa reminded the kids to leave cookies and milk for him, and some carrots for his reindeer, because they get hungry, too. It was a lot of fun, and much better than the lines and chaos of the mall. If you have a kid and you live in or near Aurora, it is well worth the time to stop by the Phillips Park Visitors Center and say "hi" to Santa. Who knows, maybe he'll bring you something special, too!

Fiesta Bowl

The Buckeyes are going to drill the little green Irish men of Notre Dame. Mark my words! That's all I'm going to say about that!

Field Trip

Today was Ian's field trip with his first grade class to the Adler Planetarium. Unfortunately when Ian was in kindergarten I was unable to go on any field trips with him. So this year when Brendan offered to take the day off to stay with the girls, I jumped at the chance to go with Ian on his first field trip. We got to the school a little before 8:00 AM and headed in to wait in his classroom with all the other parents and kids. Ian has 16 students in his class. Thirteen parents attended the field trip. We boarded the yellow bus with all students accounted for and headed downtown for our hour long ride. When we got to the planetarium the kids were excited and anxious. Once we stuffed our coats into a locker (it cost $1 for a locker, so we got eight coats into one half locker), and stowed our lunches on a cart for us, we headed into the planetarium.

There were several schools there today, and our first graders were definitely the youngest there. I think the rest of the classes ranged in age from sixth grade through high school. The kids ran around and touched every button they could get their hands on. They spent only a little time at each exhibit, but thoroughly enjoyed the exciting things they were seeing. There was a lifesize replica of a training space capsule that the kids could climb into and get a real feeling for what the astronauts went through. Ian loved the centrifugal "ride" as the kids were calling it, where he and three other classmates got strapped into two boxes that spun around in circles so they could experience a little of the g-force that astronauts experience during space travel. He also enjoyed the Atwood Sphere, which is the oldest planetarium in Chicago. It was built in 1913 and is still available for people to go into. Another exhibit that impressed Ian was the room that appeared to have no floor or ceiling, but just stars. The kids were really hesitant to walk into it, because it appeared that they were walking on air. I actually had a pang of jealousy for the kids, because after a few seconds and gaining my bearings, I could see the mirrored floor and ceiling. After that the magic of walking on "really clean glass" as Ian put it just was kind of lost on me. There was a great 3-D movie that lasted about five minutes (the perfect length for 6 year old boys!) with stars and planets that appeared to come right at you. Another fun exhibit was a crater maker where the kids could push a button that would blow a puff of air out and into what looked like fine moon dust powder.

When it was time to leave, Ian didn't want to go. He loves outings like these, and despite his flitting from one exhibit to another, he really absorbed a lot of information. He wants to go back sometime, which I assured him we would do.

The trip back to school was a little hard on Ian. His best friend wanted to sit with two other little boys in Ian's class. Even though there are still two other boys in Ian's class who didn't have anyone to sit with, he didn't want to sit with them. He sat with me and by the time we got back to school was his old self. It is so hard to watch your child be hurt by things like that, but he has to learn to accept that people can have more than one friend. And his best friend wasn't being mean to him, he simply wanted to sit with some other kids.

After a spelling test, school was dismissed and Ian was invited over to his best friend's house for the afternoon. I let him go, knowing it would help heal the hurt from the bus ride. He had a great afternoon at his friend's house, and a good day all around.

Snow Day!

I know it didn't snow a lot. But it snowed enough for my kids to be excited about it. When we tumbled out the garage door to get into the van to take Ian to school this morning, Ian and Emma couldn't resist walking through the coating of snow on the driveway. Emma talked of building snowmen and making snow angels. Ian noticed how slippery the driveway had become and cautioned me to be careful. After dropping Ian off at Good Counsel, the girls and I headed home. Upon pulling into the driveway Emma asked if we could stay outside and play for a little while. I told her she and Zoe could play outside while I shovelled the driveway, but they had to wear hats and gloves. Emma readily agreed and out into the chilly air we went. Emma insisted on helping me shovel with her little orange child's snow shovel. She wanted to make "a big pile of snow" that she could jump into or sled down. She began piling snow in the middle of the driveway, which I mentioned to her was counterproductive to my shovelling. She decided to move her pile to the grass next to the driveway and proceeded to shovel any snow she could find and carry it to her pile. Zoe mainly played in the garage, getting into the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe or sitting on the "fast bike." As I neared the end of the driveway with my shovel, I looked up to see Zoe standing at the edge of the garage with the only shovel she could find, a sand shovel. I think it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. My heart felt like it was going to burst with the love I felt for her and my other two kids right then.

After finishing the shovelling, Zoe wanted to go on a walk in the stroller. Emma is always up for a walk somewhere, so I got her scooter out and we went down the sidewalk leaving wheel and foot marks in the unshovelled snow. Emma quickly decided it was too difficult to scooter through the snow so we stowed her scooter under the stroller and continued on our way. Emma made snow balls and through them at me and thought she was very funny. When our legs got cold, we turned around and headed for home. At one corner of the sidewalk where the snow had not yet been walked on, Emma decided to make three snow angels. We both decided they were beautiful. We went on home, Emma changed out of her wet clothes, and we settled in for a fun day at home.

Ballet

Emma's last day of ballet class was on Tuesday. I got to watch her dance and take a few cute pictures. Even though Emma loves the class, I've decided not to sign her up for the Spring session. I would like to, but if she takes the Spring session class there is a recital that I have to buy a $50 dollar costume for, and then, I also have to buy tickets to the recital, too. I heard that the recital is for all of the dance groups taught at the community center, which means it is about a two hour affair, of which my three year old daughter would be on stage all of five to seven minutes. Don't get me wrong, I think the recital would be adorable, and Emma would probably enjoy it. But, she's only three. Doesn't she have plenty of years ahead to do these kinds of things? I just can't see spending about $70 for a recital, plus the $55 the class costs as well. I think nowadays we get our kids into stuff so early that there is nothing exciting left for them to do when they get older. Therefore they are doing things that used to be reserved for teenagers and young adults at younger and younger ages. Only one other mother in the ballet class agreed with me. Many of the other parents tried to get me to change my mind. I have to admit there were times when I questioned whether I was doing the right thing. But $50 for a costume is a lot. She can do the recital thing when she is older if she wants to, but for now we'll take that money and save it for something else