Pricekids

Robin Hood

2009-03-08T15:06:00.001-04:00

Watching Disney's Robin Hood with the boys...

Tired of searching for that box of Kleenex?

2009-02-26T22:17:00.001-05:00

Found at Oddee

This post brought to you by the letter P

2009-02-24T17:41:00.003-05:00

Overheard a few moments ago from our bathroom...

Ian: Christopher, where are your pants?
Christopher: They're down here, so the poop and pee can go down.
Ian: Oh.
Christopher: Let's learn some more words that start with the "puh" sound.

The Nature of the Lego

2009-02-22T17:38:00.006-05:00

The following conversation took place after I fixed Ian's new Lego racer car.

Dad to Ian - "See we just snap the pieces back on, that's what's great about Legos; if it breaks you just snap it back together."
Christopher - "Yeah, its the Nature of the Lego".
Dad - "Yep I guess so."
Christopher - "What does that mean?"
Dad -"What?"
Christopher - "What does, 'the Nature of the Lego' mean?"
Dad - "I don't know, you just said it."

Flashback Friday

2009-02-13T22:25:00.003-05:00

Both from Chris this week

Adam-12

CHiPs

Winter in Michigan

2009-01-30T16:54:00.004-05:00

Sure, it's cold. Like, reeeaaally cold sometimes. But one thing I love about winter in Michigan is this...
When I see the sun shining on newly fallen snow, I can't help but notice just how beautiful it is!

Plus...they love it.

Podcasts

2009-01-28T20:54:00.003-05:00

Over the past year I've become more and more dependent on my iPod. I primarily listen to podcasts and some audiobooks. I listen in the car, sometimes at work (if I'm doing some mindless task) and I even listened while I got my allergy shots today.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite podcasts (at least the ones that I think will appeal to a wide audience). If you have an iPod and are using iTunes to sync just click on the links below to go to the podcast directly in iTunes. If you don't have a iPod and want to listen on your computer, iTunes is a quick and easy way to do so. All of the podcasts listed are completely free. You can listen to any of the podcasts without subscribing however if you like the podcast you can subscribe to have iTunes download new episodes automatically.

This American Life
This podcast is a re-broadcast of the popular public radio program. Each episode is a series of stories set on a common theme. Hosted by Ira Glass, this is probably one of the best radio show on the air today. Listening via a podcast is great because you can choose the time that best fits your schedule. The only draw back to this podcast is that the iTunes store only has the most recent episode available.
If you don't want to listen via the podcast you can also visit http://www.thislife.org/ to play episodes directly from the show's web site.

The Moth
The Moth features true stories told live onstage without notes. Most of the stories on The Moth are less than 20 minutes long and very engaging. iTunes currently has about fifteen episodes available and the podcast is updated every Monday. Unfortunately The Moth is only available for download as a podcast (i.e. you can't play it directly from their website.) Also if you listening via iTunes please note that some of the episodes are marked "Explicit".

Radio Lab
Another public radio show, Radio Lab is a bit quirky and the subject matter can get a bit deep however the stories are very informative. If you happen to check this one out and can't quite "get in it", try a different episode (I recommend listening to Diagnosis). Radio Lab can also be found at their website: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/.

This list is just a small sample of some of the great content that is freely available via the Internet. iTunes is a great place to find more podcasts. All the podcast I listed are audio podcast, however there are lots of great video podcasts too (video podcasts are usually much larger in size.)

If you listen to any of my picks, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Does any one else have a favorite podcast?

Unwanted Guest

2009-01-25T16:12:00.002-05:00

Today, Lisa and I decided it was finally time to move the crib and changing table out of Ian's room. He hasn't used either in sometime and to be perfectly honest we've been kind of procrastinating on this work. Once everything was prepped, Lisa and I began moving everything into the spare (unfinished) room above our garage. Suddenly Lisa let out a little scream and ran from the room. She had discovered a dead bat.

We don't know when the bat had died and as a point of full disclosure we had problems with bats last summer. Let's hope that this is the last. Guess I'll call the exterminator tomorrow and see if there is anything he wants me to do.

Flashback Friday - Schoolhouse Rock Edition

2009-01-23T21:52:00.004-05:00

Here's this Friday's Flashback.

From Lisa
Schoolhouse Rock - I'm Just a Bill

From Chris
Schoolhouse Rock - Conjunction Junction

Cool Web Site

2009-01-18T22:48:00.003-05:00

I ran across this web site on Friday and thought I'd share. The web site has various articles on recycling and saving energy, however I think one of the best features is a search tool for finding locations to recycle everything from batteries to motor oil.

Check it out at http://www.earth911.com

Flashback Friday

2009-01-16T16:25:00.003-05:00

Lisa and Chris proudly present our second Flashback Friday. Today's flashback is a tribute to Saturday nights and the late Ricardo Montalbán. Enjoy.

The Love Boat

Fantasy Island

Movie Quotes - Answers

2009-01-15T00:05:00.004-05:00

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Gandalf: "You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!" - Gandolf

Blade
Blade: "We're gonna play a little game of twenty questions. Depending on how you answer, you may walk out of here with a tan?"

Bridge over the River Kwai
Commander Shears: "I'd say the odds against a successful escape are about 100 to one. But may I add another word, Colonel? The odds against survival in this camp are even worse."

Cars
Mater: "Nah, not me, Flo. I'm on one of them there special diets. I am a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics."

Citizen Kane
Charles Foster Kane: "Rosebud"

The Godfather
Don Corleone: "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Yoda: "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."

Saving Private Ryan
Paratrooper Mandelsohn: "We missed our drop zone by about 20 miles, ended up way over by Bumville or some damn place. "

The Princess Bride
Inigo Montoya: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Norrington: "Gillette, Mr. Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows. I would hate for him to miss it."

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Knight: "We want a shrubbery!"

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Walter Donovan: "Germany has declared war on the Jones boys."

Trail of the Pink Panther
Insp. Jacques Clouseau: "Look, I know what I mean, you lunatic. Now do you, or do you not have for me, the 'massage'?"

The Matrix
Morpheus: "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

Bonus
Roman Holiday
Princess Ann: "Is this the elevator?"
Joe Bradley: "This is my ROOM!"

De-Cabled (almost) - The Plan

2009-01-12T23:14:00.005-05:00

In an effort to cut our monthly bills, Lisa and I have begun researching our options in reducing our cable bill or de-cabling. Where does this idea come from? In part from Jeff MacArthur's blog, Decabled and also thanks to our cable company's ever increasing prices.

Our experiment, if we go forward, won't completely cut cable from our home. Where we live, the cost of Internet access from DSL or Cable is roughly the same. Additionally we will need some kind of local television access which is necessary for general news and weather alerts (sorry weather.com but nothing beats Jerry Hodak telling us exactly where the bad weather is headed.) I realize that I can get broadcast television channels from an antenna, however with the digital television transition just around the corner, we would need several converter boxes as we don't own any digital televisions.

Here's where we stand right now. We currently get Internet access, digital cable tv and home telephone from our cable provider, Comcast. We are considering dropping home telephone and reducing our digital cable to limited basic cable (i.e. only local channels); Internet access would remain unchanged. This change would save us about $72 per month or $864 per year.

The obvious question is, how would we replace the services that we are losing. Well, our home telephone would be replaced by cell phones (which we already pay for) and possibly Skype. As for television, we would still have network channels, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS and most of the remaining shows that we would no longer receive are available via the Internet. The key population in our household that would be most affected is under the age of six. The loss of channels like Noggin, Disney and Nickelodeon would most likely cause some initial strife, however since our kids are young I'm sure they will easily adjust if we provide other options.

If we move forward with our plan, I'll post more details regarding our efforts and how our plan is working.

Something New

2009-01-10T13:29:00.002-05:00

I decided to try something new with the comments on the blog. All new posts will have a new comment system called, DISQUS. One of the benefits of this new comment system is that you can now use your Facebook login (if you have one) to post comments to our blog.

We'll see how it works, post some comments and let us know.

Flashback Friday

2009-01-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Lisa and I have decided to try something new. Each Friday we'll post something from our memories of growing up. Hopefully for everyone from our generation and older these posts will bring back fond memories of your own, for everyone younger probably a good laugh. Enjoy.

From Chris

Mr Microphone

From Lisa

Faygo Boat Song Commercial

This one is definitely a regional thing, but I'm not sure just how far outside Michigan it went. For those who remember though, I hope it brings back some good memories. Now I could go for a Red Pop. :)

Movie Quotes

2009-01-06T20:41:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer: I stole this idea from my nephew, Nathan.

Below are 15 (plus 1 bonus) movie quotes from some of my favorite movies. See how many you can guess. Feel free to enlist the help of family and friend however please do not cheat and use the Internet. I'll post the answers next week in the meantime please post comments with your guesses or even just how many you think you got right.

The List
1) "You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!"

2) "We're gonna play a little game of twenty questions. Depending on how you answer, you may walk out of here with a tan?"

3) "I'd say the odds against a successful escape are about 100 to one. But may I add another word, Colonel? The odds against survival in this camp are even worse."

4) "Nah, not me, Flo. I'm on one of them there special diets. I am a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics."

5) "Rosebud"

6) "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

7) "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."

8) "We missed our drop zone by about 20 miles, ended up way over by Bumville or some damn place."

9) "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

10) "Gillette, Mr. Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows. I would hate for him to miss it."

11) "We want a shrubbery"

12) "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

13) "Germany has declared war on the Jones boys."

14) "Look, I know what I mean, you lunatic. Now do you, or do you not have for me, the 'massage'?"

15) "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

BONUS
Princess Ann: "Is this the elevator?"
Joe Bradley: "This is my ROOM!"

Good Luck

Dry Spell

2009-01-03T16:42:00.004-05:00

For about two months, Lisa has been the exclusive contributor to this blog. This is due in part to her attempted NaBloPoMo and my being very busy. I decided it was time for me to start posting again.

In December our blog took a dramatic dip in the number of posts. The obvious reason would be the holiday season, however I think another culpit is to blame; Facebook. Why Facebook you might ask? Well traditionally Lisa and I have used this blog to communicate with friends and family. In December we both discovered Facebook (or rather joined the millions people who found it first.) As a result we've used Facebook to communicate a lot with our family and friends. I realized today that neglecting our blog is unfair to everyone who has followed but might not be one of our Facebook friends.

So starting today, I'm going to challenge my partner (both in blogging and marriage) to see if we can both post at least once per week. Hopefully we can do better however two posts a week is better than two a month!

Snow Day!

2008-12-19T15:47:00.016-05:00

It looks like this is the end of the storm, but with cold temps and more snow expected on Sunday, Monday, and Christmas Eve, I *think* we have a decent chance of having a white Christmas. What do you think?

Stepping off the front porch

Our mountain (all the snow plowed from our cul de sac - note there was NO mound of snow there before today)

View from the top - Ian

View from the top - Christopher

Got Snow?

2008-12-19T11:17:00.003-05:00

To be fair about 3 inches of this snow was already there before today's snow storm, however we still have 5 hours before the Winter Storm Warning is finished.

5 years ago tonight...

2008-12-11T22:25:00.004-05:00

Five years ago tonight, Chris and I (and half our family, it seemed) were settled more-or-less comfortably into an LDRP suite awaiting the birth of our first child. I will never forget our excitement and anxiety to know that in a matter of hours, we would become parents for the first time. We knew his gender, had selected his name, had seen his slightly distorted image on 3D ultrasound; the only thing left for us was to stare into his face and hold him in our arms.

After about 12 hours of labor, Christopher David was born via c-section at 3:06 am. Having had aspirated meconium and having low blood sugars, he was kept in the special care nursery and Chris and I were unable to hold him until several hours after his birth. I was bit drugged up following my surgery to think straight (and have looked better too ;). But I do remember gazing at him in wonder as I held him for the first time, awkward as it was with both he & I connected to IV tubes and other wires. It didn't take long for the "mama bear" protectiveness in me to surface. Before long we couldn't even believe there was a time where Christopher was not a part of our lives.
Now, 5 years later, I am still awed by him...by the amazing boy he has become and is becoming. I am so proud of my loving, kind-hearted, bright, inquisitive, and friendly little boy. He is well-liked by his teachers and friends at preschool, well-loved by his many family and friends, an adoring and adored big brother to Ian, and so very cherished and loved by Chris and I.
So Happy, Happy 5th Birthday, Kiddo! You have brought more joy to your Dad and I than words can ever say. I hope I can always be the Mom you deserve. I love you!!

xoxoxo
Love, Mom

Note to self re: making the gingerbread house

2008-12-09T08:37:00.003-05:00

Christopher and I like to make a gingerbread house as our little pre-Christmas tradition. Well, "make" might be a bit too strong of a word, since we actually purchase a kit and assemble it. Even so, it's still something that we like to do together.

This past Friday, Christopher and I (and this time, Ian as well) made a gingerbread house again. It's not a masterpiece, by far, but considering that our last one actually fell apart, I think it turned out alright.

Even so, there are a few points I'd like to remember when we go to do this again next year, so I write this as a reminder note for me to read when the time comes.

1. Open all pieces, including candies, before starting and set them aside (in dishes, if appropriate). Just makes the process easier.

2. Decorate the walls and roof before assembling the house. The icing anyway. First of all, it is much easier to squeeze icing out onto a flat surface. Secondly, it is best not to fiddle too much with the structure of the house for a while after the walls have been "glued" together.

3. The kit only provides about 1/4 the amount of icing you will truly need! Buy or make more before starting this project!

4. Keep plenty of wet cloths and dry paper towels on hand within easy reach. The icing gets EVERYWHERE.

5. Resist the urge to lick the icing off your fingers. Sugar buzzes are no fun at 40. See #4 for alternative options.

6. Make sure you have stepstools ready and in place for both kids (if necessary) before starting. The Little Tikes picnic table does not make a good last minute replacement. :)

7. Put on the Christmas music and HAVE FUN! Remember to enjoy this moment with your children, as they won't be like this forever.

I think that about covers it. I may add more if something else comes to me, and I also welcome suggestions from all of you. What kind of traditions do you/did you enjoy with your children during the holidays? Any words of wisdom that you have gleaned from the experience?

Miss me?

2008-12-07T20:12:00.002-05:00

So, yeah, I started out the month of November with a bang, and ended it with a fizzle. Sorry 'bout that. I've been told by Chris' mom that there has been at least one mention of my lack of posting in the last two weeks, so I figured I'd better write something.

We've been kept pretty busy lately, with work (I did two more days of private duty nursing since the last post), Thanksgiving (had Chris' parents over for dinner), shopping (I actually braved the stores early on Black Friday with my sister), putting up Christmas lights in 15-25 degree (F) weather (brrrrr!), and preparation for Christmas and Christopher's 5th birthday coming up this week (how did that happen?). As Chris' cousin Heather recently put it, life is hectic, but good!

In other (somewhat mundane) news, Christopher is looking forward to his first birthday party invite for a school friend. A little girl at preschool has invited the class for a McDonald's playdate this Wednesday (our McD's has an indoor playscape). Ian has been bladder trained now for a while, which has been wonderful. We're still waiting on him to grasp the concept of telling us before he has gone #2. He's young yet, we know, but the washing machine and bottle of Resolve carpet cleaner will get a bit less of a workout once he's past this phase. :)

So that's a little bit of what's life's been like around here lately. Nothing too exciting, but good nonetheless.

p.s. If I haven't yet bored you to tears, and you're still reading...since I'm finding out that there are more people reading this blog than those who actually comment, I'm issuing a challenge. Post a comment on our blog! :) Everyone reading this, whether I know you in "real life" or not (or whether or not you've commented before), please leave a comment. I'd really like to see just how many people, and who, is reading this blog. Hope to hear from you!

Pain in the sass

2008-11-24T22:13:00.004-05:00

Mr. Ian has become quite the mouthy boy lately. Not sure why exactly. Is it a response to my recent work outside the home? His age? Our stellar parenting? Whatever the reason, His Royal Sassiness needs an attitude adjustment for sure.

Some of his gems include:

"NO, I will NOT eat my dinner!"
"I don't WANT my corn dogs cooked!"
"It is NOT time to go!"

But today, one of his sassy moments had me stifling back laughter. After dropping off Christopher at school, I had to carry Ian kicking and screaming out of the classroom (and away from the toys) back to the car. As I struggled to put him in his car seat, he yelled at me "You get a safety violation!" (click on link and view a video for explanation)

It may not be intentional, but at least he has good comedic timing. :)

Well, I'd like to never do that again

2008-11-22T13:48:00.002-05:00

I was doing pretty well on this posting every day thing, but it took one thing to get me to stop. Getting sick. I mean, really sick. Let's just say that Chris and I both spent waaaay too much time in the bathroom Thursday night/early Friday morning. We're just praying that the boys stay healthy...'cuz that was not fun.

Aside from that, now we're trying to climb out from under the mess our house has become. Like I said in my previous post, I haven't yet become re-accustomed to balancing working outside the home with the work at home. So between that and needing to sterilize all the recently contaminated surfaces in our house, it has become a daunting job. Right now we still only have the stamina to conquer a little at a time, between small meals and rest periods. But we should have everything back to normal (and non-infectious) by Thursday when Chris' parents come by for Thanksgiving dinner.

On a final note, we'd also like to congratulate Chris' Aunt Susan on her recent retirement! We hope you enjoy this well-deserved time for yourselves!

Life of a working mom, part II

2008-11-19T21:57:00.003-05:00

Our house is almost out of control. I admit that it can tend to be that way, even on a good day. But really, Chris asked me tonight if the dishes in the dishwasher were clean or dirty, and I could only respond "I don't know...I haven't been here in three days!" For the record, they were dirty.

Laundry is either piled up, dirty, in the laundry room, or piled up, clean and unfolded, in laundry baskets around the house. I'm worried that the boys might not have clean underwear, and must wash some before heading upstairs.

We haven't eaten a home-cooked meal at home since...ummm...Sunday maybe? I can't even remember what it was. Chris made a run to Meijer's this evening, so thankfully we now have food options that the boys may actually eat for lunch, as well as lunches for Chris and I.

I just read through 35 unread blog posts on my Google Reader. I normally don't have more than 5 unread posts at any one time. I have commented on only one of them. I also haven't read or posted to my favorite message boards in days.

I listened to Harry Potter some yesterday and last night, but remember only part of it, and fell asleep for I-don't-know-how-much-of-it.

This post sounds much more negative than I feel. I actually am enjoying (very much) the work in these past few days, though I do look forward to my upcoming 3 day weekend. I look forward to taking the boys to McDonald's on Friday for lunch like I've been promising them. I also look forward to (maybe) getting the chance to sleep in, and not having to pack lunches and set aside clothes the night before. And even though I don't look forward to the immense task of cleaning the house this weekend, I do look forward to getting it under control again.

Whew! I had forgotten just how draining it can be to work outside the home!

The life of a working mom

2008-11-18T22:01:00.002-05:00

As I am now, at least temporarily, back in the ranks of mothers who work outside the home, I am rediscovering what it is like to need "filling in" on what your child has been doing all day.

At lunchtime, I decided to give my mom a call to check in. After only 3 hours away, I needed an update! My mom happily reported that she and Christopher had just put a cake in the oven. At the end of the day when I got back to their house, I learned that they had all taken a trip to the mall, and the boys got to visit Santa Claus. Of course, they were both very excited. Ian enthusiastically told me that he talked to Santa Claus and asked him for a "little red guitar." Christopher, not surprisingly, had asked for Star Wars Legos. No pictures with Santa, apparently, but what was most important was that they had a great time.

I'm so happy that they are enjoying themselves, and thankful to know they are being watched by people who love them so much! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

So tired...

2008-11-17T20:41:00.002-05:00

Today was the first of 6 days that I will be doing private duty nursing for my parents' friend. I won't go into detail about it because of patient confidentiality, but I think the day went very well. In fact, her daughter called tonight and asked if I could stay 8 hours for the next 3 days (instead of 6 hours), and also asked if I could be there an additional half day next Monday. My parents were more than happy to babysit the boys, so it's a go!

It isn't hard work, and I was only there from noon to 5:00 today, but I am still wiped out. A little earlier tonight, I glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was only 8:30. My body felt as if it was closer to 10:30. I'm so glad to have this opportunity to get back into the workforce, and under such pleasant circumstances. Heaven knows that in this economy, we need it!

I should get going for now. I want to listen to Harry Potter for a little while before falling asleep tonight. Good night!

More odds 'n ends

2008-11-16T22:32:00.002-05:00

Today was one of those days where I actually caught myself looking at the boys' in their Sunday clothes (more than once) and realized that yes, church was actually this morning and not yesterday. I also realize that was a run-on sentence, and hope my meaning is clear. In other words, it was a long day!

Christopher did great in Sunday school this morning. He sat with his class at the front of the church while Chris and I kept Ian busy in the playroom at the back. We stepped out of the playroom for a few minutes while he & his class stood up at the altar to sing a Thanksgiving song to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Other than a brief hand covering his eyes that seemed to suggest "Oh no, I don't remember the words!" he did very well. He watched his teachers for help with the hand movements, and sang along to at least most of the words. After that, he and his class went downstairs for the rest of the hour and he seemed to be enjoying himself when I went to the room to get him.

This afternoon I received a call from my long-time friend Kristina, whose sons Noah and Nathan were asking for Christopher to come over and play. Since we had no concrete plans for the day, the boys and I drove down to their house and we all had a fun visit. The four boys wore each other out (Ian fell asleep on the car ride home) and Kristina and I had the chance to chat, which we don't often get to do. We even had a surprise visit from another good friend Ruthie, her husband Tom, and their daughters Ava and new baby Lily. Lily is just beautiful, and despite needing a bath (according to Ruthie, not me!), she had that sweet baby smell that I love! After having some yummy dinner at Tom & Kristina's house, Christopher, Ian and I headed home as a light snow fell. Thanks for the great afternoon and evening, guys!

Yesterday I posted about a private-duty nursing opportunity that came up for me, and that is all set to go. I'll be providing care for my parents' friend this Monday through Thursday, and next Tuesday. She's always lots of fun to talk to, so I look forward to the next few days for that reason alone. Also this is just a great opportunity to expand my skills, and earn some much needed money in the process.

Well, I should be going. Time for bed. Good night!

Odds 'n Ends

2008-11-15T21:31:00.003-05:00

Ian (a couple hours before dinner tonight): I want chocolate.
Mom: How about a peanut butter sandwich?
Ian: How about chocolate?

Kinda reminds me of someone else we know.
___________________________________

Christopher is excited to go to Sunday school tomorrow. This is a big thing since last year I took him to the Sunday school room, headed upstairs and found myself a seat in church, only to have Christopher run all the way into church by himself to find me. I didn't take him back again until last week, but he was so nervous that I stayed in the room the entire time. Tonight he said he is a "little scared, but not really" so we'll see how it goes. He is supposed to be singing a Thanksgiving song with his new classmates in front of the church tomorrow, but we didn't get much practice in. Hopefully all goes well!
___________________________________

Both boys were in bed and asleep before 8:30 tonight! That's unusual lately, especially for Christopher. Hurray!
___________________________________

I have an opportunity to do some private duty nursing for one of my parents' friends who just recently had knee surgery (has had? will have? haven't talked to her daughter yet). It is, of course, a good opportunity to make money, but even though she is a friend, there are still important considerations to keep in mind. I'm a little nervous, but will call her daughter tomorrow to find out the details (just learned of it this evening, and didn't want to call too late). Wish me luck!
___________________________________

Chris has gotten me interested again in "reading" (actually listening to the audio books) of the Harry Potter series. We had started listening to the first book way back before we had kids, but never continued the series. We've seen almost all of the movies and love the story, but we've both always wanted to read the books as well. We are listening to the stories on our iPods. He is now into book #4 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and I am about to start chapter 8 of book #1 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - curiously, it is called HP and the Philosopher's Stone in England, huh). J.K. Rowling really is an amazing writer who brings the whole wizarding world to life with her words. I can't wait to listen to more of the story!

Well, I'd better go. Harry's waiting for me. ;)

So excited!

2008-11-14T21:48:00.002-05:00

Don't you hate it when someone tells you that they've got big news, but they can't tell you what it is? Well, I'm about to do just that. (And no, I'm not pregnant)

Actually, I will tell a little bit, I just don't want to give it all away right now. Christopher will be turning 5 next month, and tonight we came up with a GREAT idea for his first 'kids-only' birthday party (we're planning to do a family party a week later). We had some general ideas in mind, but because of money constraints, and our own feelings about what a kid's party should be, we wanted to keep it simple.

It will be in our home, in Michigan, in December. So our options are limited. We are inviting our friends and their children, which should amount to about 8 kids including our own (and one newborn). We already had the idea of having the kids all make their own mini-pizzas. With pre-made dough from the store (which tastes SO good), shredded cheese, and a few simple toppings, I'm sure they'll all be having a blast and hopefully eating well too. I suppose we should have a couple pizzas and other finger-food available for the grown-ups as well.

However, beyond that, I was stumped. Of course there are party games, but I wanted something just a little different, and I think we nailed it with this (ahem, top secret) idea! Christopher will LOVE. IT. I think the other kids will too.

Ahhh! I'm ready to burst, so I better stop now. I'm so sorry I can't tell you more just yet, but I really do want this to be a surprise, especially to Christopher. I think we're going to have to make sure he is out of the house for a while as the house is being decorated. I promise to take pictures of his reaction. :)

Crazy Day

2008-11-13T23:34:00.003-05:00

My mind is kind of in a jumble right now, so this probably won't be a very logical or coherent post. But, here goes.

Woke up this morning planning to go to the grocery store. I had most of my list together, but was sifting through coupons when I realized my entire stack of SmartSource coupons (dating back to early October) was gone. It was only a minor setback, as I knew I had left them at my parents' house on Tuesday, but still disappointing. It wouldn't make much sense to drive 1/2 an hour to pick up some coupons that might save me a buck on this particular shopping trip...and yet I now refuse to pay full price on anything. So, grocery shopping was temporarily shelved.

A little while later, my Dad called me to say that I had also left the order form for Christopher's Little Caesars' pizza kit fundraiser at their house, and the checks written by family for their orders. Orders are due in by tomorrow, so the boys and I jumped in the van and headed down to my parents' house. Visited for a while, then gathered up everything that I had left the other day (order form, coupons, and Ian's shoes) and left.

I then figured we'd make the most of the trip down and visit the library near their house. We had originally planned to go to the library on Tuesday, but it was closed that day. So I let the boys play for a little while as I picked out some books to read them at bedtime. Then I let them pick out a few DVDs to watch. We've been in desperate need of new reading material, so I probably had 20 items in all. We proceed to the checkout desk and I realize I don't have my library card. Grrrrr. I ask the woman behind the counter who tells me I can use my driver's license, but can only check out 3 items. Double grrrrr. I pick out 3 books, check out and leave.

(BTW...I'm just noticing it is 12:00am...but this WAS started on the 14th, so I'm going to pretend I've still got in my daily post)

So anyway, I picked up dinner from Wendy's for Chris & I and the boys. Then Anita and Dave dropped by so Chris could work his magic on their virus-infected computer, Anita and I got the boys to bed, and the four of us adults chatted while Chris worked on the computer.

So, kind of a busy, but not entirely productive kind of day. Hopefully tomorrow I can get in that shopping trip (with coupons). :)

Good night!

...and I would give that all up for...

2008-11-12T00:21:00.002-05:00

...and I would give up all the imaginary items in my previous blog post for just this one:

A remote control with a rewind button to automatically take you back to those moments that you wish you could hold onto forever. The middle of the night snuggles of a sleepy baby, the first time they say "I love you, Mom (or Dad)", belly laughs.

I love being a mom.

10 Parenting Things I Wish Existed...

2008-11-11T20:49:00.004-05:00

First, I need to admit that I totally stole this idea (even the title) from Cecily of Uppercase Woman (warning: Cecily is a brilliant writer, but has quite the potty-mouth). :) It's just that it's such a good idea, and a much better way of putting into words the rant I originally wanted to post. So here goes:

1) Something/someone other than myself that will follow after the boys to pick up/put back errant legos/crayons/hot wheels/crumbs/paper, etc that they leave in their wake. Must be more realistic and much cheaper than the obvious suggestions such as a Roomba, a dog, a nanny/maid or my clone.

2) A mute button for whining. This was Cecily's #2 as well, and it's so ingenius that I had to steal it. Like her, I wouldn't want to mute the legitimate concerns, just the whiiiininnnng that makes the ears bleed. (screeching counts too)

3) An alarm that sounds whenever Ian's bladder or bowel is reaching critical mass and a trip to the bathroom would be wise. Though he is doing pretty well with potty training, he hasn't yet grasped the concept of telling us before he starts to go. Some days he remains clean and dry all day long, but it would be nice to eliminate the occasional pee on the floor (or poops in the bathtub). Ugh.

4) A vending machine (free of charge, naturally) in our home that at the press of a button dispenses wholesome, well-balanced meals that my kids will eat. I will settle for one that only works at lunchtime as our boys eat breakfast as if they have been starved for, um, 13 hours or so...and dinnertime is rarely negotiable. They get what I make for the whole family. But lunchtime? The bane of my existence.

5) A built-in, full-time, and most importantly FREE source of babysitting for those times when I need to run to the store (and shop in peace) or pick up Christopher from school without carrying a screaming Ian away from the magical preschool toys. Adopting a teenager is tempting, but probably not practical. And certainly not free.

6) I've rethought my #1 and decided to go for the gusto. How 'bout a whole house that is self-cleaning? No? Toys that put themselves away then?

7) A bed that enables a child to fall asleep within minutes after their head touches the pillow, and sleep peacefully through the night until such time in the morning that the parent is ready for the child to awaken.

8) Toddler teeth that brush themselves.

9) A pre-recorded message of my voice saying "Christopher, stop teasing/chasing/grabbing your brother" and "Ian, stop screaming." Wait, I guess I could record that myself, couldn't I?

10) Blinders to cover Ian's eyes while walking past the tv karts at Meijers!

Oh! And a bonus (in reference to the rant that I originally wanted to post about)...

11) A recorded message or letter to somehow anonymously tell people to control their bratty kids already! Hmmm, such as the clueless and infuriating grandma at McDonald's today who did nothing after Christopher told me (well within earshot of her) that her two grandsons had been hitting him & Ian inside the playscape. It wasn't until I saw it happen again and stood up and said "okay, that's enough!" that she finally took them home (after giving in and letting them climb all the way to the top and come down the slide again one more time...no wonder they're out of control). The same kids were climbing on top of and even standing on the tables when we first got there while she did nothing. Agggghhh!! (okay...I wasn't going to rant on that topic again. must stop)

Whew! That was actually a little tough. Anything to add? (about my kids, or what you wish/wished you had/could have had for your own kids?)

Back to School

2008-11-10T19:40:00.002-05:00

"Back to School" actually happened in September for Christopher, but in this case, I'm talking about myself...well, sorta. Today I had the pleasure of helping out as a room mother at Christopher's preschool class. His teacher, Mrs. T, had put a note in her monthly newsletter requesting volunteer help from parents. Since I was signed up to provide the snack already, I offered to help out today.

So fun, and the kids were so cute! I helped Christopher and his friends get started on journals they will be working on over the next few weeks. I stapled the inside pages to the construction paper covers and helped them write their names and draw pictures on the covers. On Friday, they will start drawing pictures on the pages inside. Though I didn't get the chance to spend very much one-on-one time with Christopher, it was still nice to be the proverbial "fly on the wall," in a manner of speaking. We (Christopher and I, with some help from Chris and Ian) had also made banana bread for a snack, and it looked like most of the kids ate it all up!

Thanks to my sister for offering to come over and watch Ian while I spent this time with Christopher's class. I couldn't have done it without you, and Ian said he had fun playing with "Aunt Karen!"

By the way...I also had the chance to sit down with Christopher's teacher for a parent/teacher conference while I was there. "Capable" is the best "grade" that can be given, and Christopher was given nothing but "capable" on his report card! Mrs. T had nothing but praise for him (polite, considerate, friendly, good language skills, good writing skills, good drawing skills, etc.)! I'm so proud!

More funny kidspeak...

2008-11-09T22:09:00.001-05:00

Overheard at Chris' parents house tonight:

Grandma: "Do you like those cookies, Ian? Those are molasses cookies."

Ian: "Those are asses cookies!"

That's our boy!

The language police

2008-11-09T08:47:00.003-05:00

Conversation that just took place a few moments ago:

Me: (to Chris, after making a call to an automated service at the Detroit Free Press) "Oh my God, I've got to tell you about this call."

Christopher: "Mom, you shouldn't say 'Oh my God'...that's a bad word."

It looks like our attempts to break Christopher's "Oh my God" habit (that he learned from us in the first place) is working. Hopefully the "holy crap" habit has been nipped in the bud as well. ;)

Writer's Block

2008-11-08T23:33:00.002-05:00

It is 11:26pm, and I'm still not any closer to having anything interesting to write. I realize that by saying that, it implies that I usually do have something interesting to write. So please forgive me for ending here. I hope to be a little more prolific tomorrow night.

Stress Relief

2008-11-07T21:25:00.002-05:00

I find this is becoming a theme with me lately. The problems with our economy, the auto industry in particular, have me worried. Usually I tend to be pretty good about not letting things get to me, but it's been a bit harder than usual in the past few days.

Obviously, Chris and I have some plans in mind for how to weather any potential storm, but in the short term I've found that I need stress relief and a bit of escape more than ever. So we've been making more of an effort to spend time together watching tv shows and movies (usually our evenings are spent online). And just today, I finally went back to our community center for a workout, after nearly five months away from it. What has taken me so long to return to working out? That was the BEST therapy I could have given myself. 40 minutes on the elliptical machine, and some good conversation with one of the regulars there who I haven't seen since June was just what I needed. I really have to do that more.

What things do you do in order to relieve stress?

Cop out

2008-11-06T19:52:00.006-05:00

Not in the mindset to post, but still feel the need to because of the whole NaBloPoMo thing. (What was I thinking??)

Just thought I'd share a photo or two, and the news from our dental hygienist that Christopher appears to have some slight "movement" in his lower front teeth. She says not to be surprised if they start loosening up in the coming months. Eeek! My baby's growing too fast!

Here are some pics from Halloween to share with you. Christopher was Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars, and Ian was his padawan learner (Anakin Skywalker, maybe? We never did settle on that). Thanks again to Chris' mom (and my own mom) for helping me with the costumes. I never could have done it without your help! We got lots of compliments.

Earlier in the day...notice that Ian has a thing for shoes/boots, etc. He must get fully dressed down to his shoes as soon as he wakes up (and will change shoes frequently thru the day, but is rarely without them on)

Enjoy your night!

And with this, I will step off my soapbox...

2008-11-05T22:31:00.003-05:00

Throughout this election, I was aware of the historical and societal importance of a black man running for (and ultimately winning) the presidency. I can honestly say that my vote was not influenced one way or the other by the color the candidates' skin, but by the issues presented to us. I cannot know for sure, but I believe the same can be said of at least most of my friends and family around me, regardless of their chosen candidate. I keep some pretty good company. :)

But while watching a portion of "The View" today (it's a guilty pleasure), I was moved to tears when Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd spoke. As a mom of two young boys, how could I not be moved when Sherri said that she can now tell her little boy that he has "no limitations" in life. When black children around America have been told (quite truthfully) for generations that they can be anything they want to be, but they can't be President. Now, these children have living proof that "yes, they can."

I wish I could say that this historic election marks a return to guaranteed peace and prosperity in the U.S. and the world, or that we have now seen the end to all bigotry. Sadly, that is not true. We still face the same challenges that we did yesterday morning. Our economy is still in shambles, and will be for some time. There are still wars and threats of war around the world. There is still deep division in this country. But for many people in this country, of all races, religions, and creeds, there is hope where before there was disenfranchisement. Now it's up to us to make sure our new President and other elected officials do the job that we hired them to do.

Here is the link to The View if you want to see the videos (they will start automatically when you click on the link). I hope you find it as uplifting as I did. :)

What the heck else am I going to talk about today?

2008-11-04T20:14:00.003-05:00

Voted today. Yay! My parents watched Ian while Christopher joined me at the polls. I enjoyed getting the chance to teach him a little about our democracy and get him excited about the voting process. He did so well. It sure was great to go to the polls in short sleeves too. Normally at this time of year it's cold & rainy, or even snowing. What a great day!

Beyond that, I'm a little too nervous to say much else. We've been flipping between ABC, CNN, and others to get the latest results from the polls as they close. Will either post again later, or will just save it for tomorrow. I hope everyone has a good evening, no matter how your candidates do tonight.

Potpourri

2008-11-03T20:34:00.008-05:00

I'm a (shopping) rock star! Yeah, that's right. I admit it. Here's the proof:

I saved 70% off my total grocery bill at Kroger today. SEVENTY PERCENT. What would have been roughly a $75 bill came out to $22.45. And $10 of that was on diapers. Total savings: $52.17. Yeehaw!

Now, I will admit that 1) this was not my total grocery bill for the week (I did the majority of my shopping today at Meijer), 2) I bought no meat at either store (we buy meat in bulk and freeze it), and 3) a portion of this trip was on items not originally on my shopping list. BUT, the items that weren't on my list came to ridiculously low prices, and will definitely be used. I may not need 6 cans of evaporated milk, but who can resist when they're FREE? (combined with a store promotion, I had a '50 cents off 2' coupon, and found 2 more of the same coupon sitting on top of evap milk at the store!). I have a casserole recipe that calls for it, and Christopher already wants me to make pumpkin pie, so there you go. If anyone else needs evaporated milk, let me know. :)

At Meijer, I didn't fare quite as well, but still did pretty good. I only bought 2 items not on my list, and saved about 39% on my total bill. I also went to Walgreens for one item (that I ended up passing on), but came away with almost $40 worth of Halloween decorations for $13. Now, that is not as frivolous as it sounds. Chris and I were absolutely planning on taking advantage of the after-Halloween sales to get decorations, not only for the house, but also for our yearly "Halloween" camping weekend (which we do in September). For $13 I got 6 sets of ghost lights (10 lights/pkg), a plastic "dripping blood" tablecloth, two packages of spider webbing, four 22 inch jointed cardboard "monster" decorations (a skeleton, a witch, a vampire, and a pumpkin guy), and two black masquerade masks. The boys already have gotten their 12 cents each out of those masks pretending to be Batman.

I could claim all the credit, and say that I spent many hours scouring ads and rummaging through stacks of cut coupons to find all these bargains, but I'd be (mostly) lying. My "secret" is couponmom.com. I saw the woman who runs this site on Oprah, but didn't hear her mention the site there. The url was mentioned in a newspaper article on saving money, so I tried it out. I've been using this method and collecting coupon circulars now for about four weeks. It has made an almost immediate difference in our grocery bill, and a permanent change in the way we shop, I promise you that. I highly recommend trying this site (or others like it). I'm learning as I go, but if any of you have sage advice you'd like to share, please do.
_________________________________________________________

Some of you know, and others may not, that Ian is in the midst of potty training. Scratch that. Let's just say that the family is in the middle of potty training, because what the toddler does affects the whole family, and well...really, the parents get trained during this process about as much as the kid does. Anyway, we are all about the pee & poop lately in this house. And things are going surprisingly well for a boy of two-and-a-half. If we get him to pee every two hours, he will almost always stay dry throughout the day. In fact, he did remain dry for at least two days in a row this weekend. Today, not so much dryness. In fact, he went through 3 clothing changes before two this afternoon...but that is deceptive. Two of those times, he was wet enough to need a change of pants (under and outer), but he let me know of the accident and proceeded to pee a bunch in the toilet. One time he saturated his entire outfit (even the shirt???) and had no more left in his bladder. On the flipside though (ummm, literally), he had two poops in the toilet today. One was by chance as he sat there while I fetched dry pants for him. But one time he actually let me know he had to go in time to get to the bathroom! Hurrah! If you are not a parent, or have not gone through this process before...that is BIG.

So far we have only been using a diaper at night, but remember that brand new package of diapers I mentioned earlier? Tonight, of all nights, Ian decides that he doesn't want to wear a nighttime diaper anymore. Heh. The bed is double-sheeted with puppy pads in between, in case you were wondering. ;-)

Update: About 10:45pm, Ian soaked his pants. Off with the pants. On with the diaper. Thank goodness we double-sheeted that bed. Strip off the top sheet and puppy pads, and done.
_________________________________________________________

Now, GO VOTE. That is all.

Taking a breather

2008-11-02T20:12:00.002-05:00

I know I'm not alone in my feelings of fatigue lately. It gets a little difficult to see a silver lining amidst news of lost children (whatever happened to that poor little girl? her eyes still haunt me), completely senseless tragedies, the crappy economy, and some scary, moronic people.

So it was a welcome relief to read Mitch Albom's article today as I opened my Sunday paper about one woman's amazing "Pay it Forward" moment. Kind of like coming up for air.

NaBloPoMo (or something like that): Day 1

2008-11-01T22:39:00.002-04:00

We're not officially signed up for NaBloPoMo (or at least not yet), but I've been fascinated by this (what's the best word for it?) movement for the last two years and secretly wished I had tried it sooner. So, I have decided to write a blog post a day for the entire month of November. Pretty lofty goal for a blog that two people combined cannot seem to update more than once a month, in good times. But I guess that's the reason I'm doing this; to push myself (and perhaps Chris as well) to stretch my/our writing "muscles." Any suggestions for topics would be greatly appreciated. :)

I will try not to let these posts devolve into what I ate for breakfast, or something equally scintillating. But I will make an exception today, partly to get me started on this little project, and partly because it was enjoyable day and I'd like to share it.

Today, Chris and I had the rare pleasure of a few child-free hours spent with his sister Anita and her husband Dave. While our niece Sarah entertained the boys, the four of us enjoyed a couple games of bowling, then dinner (shared appetizer platters and yummy desserts) at this place. It was so nice to engage in light-hearted adult conversation interupted only by high fives for the occasional strike or spare (as opposed to "Mom? Mom? Mom? Moooooommmm!"). And it has been far too long since we've had a grown-ups only night with Anita & Dave. We really had so much fun with them, and can't wait to do it again.

Thanks for the great evening, guys! And thanks especially to Sarah...you don't know how much this meant to us. :) Love you all!

Happy Fall!

2008-10-14T21:30:00.003-04:00

Not much to say, just some photos of some cute kids enjoying the season. Note: These pictures were taken on 3 different days (all within the past week) that ranged from summery to cool to downright chilly. This should explain the variations in clothing. :)

Why I support Barack Obama

2008-10-06T11:14:00.002-04:00

For a long time, I have been wanting to say something even a fraction as eloquent as this New Yorker editorial. It explains in great detail so many of the reasons that I will be voting for Barack Obama on November 4th, and so many reasons that I couldn't find the words for.

I doubt that it will change the minds of staunch supporters of John McCain, but that's okay. I am very passionate about this election, and just feel the need to explain why. No matter who you plan to vote for, though I do hope it's for Mr. Obama :), please VOTE! Michiganders, remember that you must be registered by TODAY, October 6th, in order to vote in this crucial election!

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/10/13/081013taco_talk_editors

(My name is Lisa, and I approve this message)

Supporting a good cause

2008-04-24T19:46:00.006-04:00

Today marked Christopher's first time (of many, I am sure) to collect money for a cause at school. This one being St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital via their Trike-a-Thon. A worthy cause, to be sure. The St. Jude website says it best:

"St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

We are where some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Where doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients. Where no one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. We've built America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops.

All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay."

As for Christopher (and his school's) participation in the trike-a-thon; though I don't know how much money was raised in total, I would still have to call it a success. The day was sunny, a little cool and breezy, and just perfect for biking. The kids looked so proud riding their bikes around the school grounds, and the parents & teachers looked even prouder. I was particularly proud, as this was only the second "real" time that Christopher has ridden his new bike since he got in for his fourth birthday in December. He did great on the bike (saying to me "I fell once, but I didn't get hurt!"), and is so proud of his 22 punches on his card (a punch for each lap completed).

After the biking was finished, all the kids were treated to a pizza lunch, along with watermelon, potato chips, cookies, and juice. Altogether, I'd say we spent about 3 hours out in the sun today between the trike-a-thon itself, playtime on the playground, and lunch outside. Quite tiring, but still a good day.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to make this day a success!

Row the Boat

2008-03-29T12:25:00.004-04:00

After the success of our first release Flight Lessions, Pricekids Studios proudly presents...

First Concerts - Redux

2008-02-10T17:04:00.000-05:00

In August of '05, I recorded for posterity the details of our oldest son Christopher's first concert experience. That concert was of the Wiggles at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and he was 20 months old. Though he seemed to enjoy it at the time, I'm sure he has no recollection of it now.

Today, on a much, MUCH colder day in February (our car's thermometer showed 3 degrees F), 21 month old Ian had his first concert experience. This time, the show was Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music and the venue was the beautiful Fox Theater in Detroit.

After breakfast at McDonald's (not enough time for a "real" restaurant, but we needed to go inside since the boys ate pancakes), we drove down to the Fox, parked in their garage (I wanted to take a thermos of hot chocolate to the parking garage employees today...bless them!), and rushed across the street into the theater. As a former volunteer usher at the Fox, I already knew this to be true, but everyone there was SO very kind and helpful. From the paid ushers at the door, to the volunteers, to the woman behind the snack counter, and the guy whose job I don't know...there were smiles everywhere. I remember thoroughly enjoying when I ushered the Sesame Street shows, so that could be the reason, but either way, we were impressed.

We sat in the mezzanine (ahem, though our tickets read Gallery C, i.e. "nosebleed"). We got to our seats just as the house lights went down, and had a perfect view of everyone onstage.

Ian took a little while to warm up to the idea of what was going on (though not as long as Christopher took with the Wiggles a couple years back). Once he did, he clapped his hands above his head, bopped his head to the music, and jumped up and down. He was mesmerized the entire time!

Christopher was slightly more reserved. He wouldn't sing, though I did catch him singing a little phrase here and there. He did, however, clap, slap his hands on his lap, stomp his feet, and pretty much any thing "required" during the show. He tried to fight it, but I did see him crack a smile a few times. :)

After the show, we wanted to have lunch at Johnny Rockets, which is located next to the Fox. However, we got there about 2 minutes too late, as any usable seat in the restaurant had already been filled by other families leaving the theater at the same time. There were 2 person booths along the perimeter, and seats at the counter, but with our family of four (one of whom is a young toddler), none of those options worked for us. On a warmer day, we would have driven around the city for other options, but today there was no prying us out of our warm car again until we arrived home.

All in all, I'd have to say today could be considered another successful "first concert" experience.

The Cow Says...

2007-11-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

Tonight Ian picked the book, Fisher Price My Little People Farm, to "read" for his bedtime story. The Little People Farm book is a "Lift the Flap" book which means not much reading; just Ian pointing at animals and Mom or Dad naming them.

While reading the book, Ian opened the "door" to the barn and pointed at an animal. I said, "Cow". He pointed again and made his sound to indicate he wanted me to name the animal. I said, "Cow". This exchange continued for several rounds before I took a closer look and said, "Oh I guess that's a goat!".

Satified, Ian moved on to the next animal.

Pound of Dirt

2007-09-23T23:16:00.000-04:00

Nanny always said you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die...

...but she didn't say you have to like it!

Mortality Check courtesy Cedar Point

2007-08-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

Alternate title: You know you're an old fart when...

Yesterday, Chris and I took advantage of a kid-free day (Christopher is camping with Chris' parents, and my parents took Ian for 24 hours) to drive down to Cedar Point (aka, "America's Roller Coast") to satisfy our need for speed. Both Chris and I have each been roller coaster freaks, if you will, for most of our lives. We, however, had never had the opportunity to ride them together. Previously, the only time we had been to CP as a couple (or any amusement park for that matter), was the year I was pregnant with Christopher...so no thrill rides for me.

But this time was different. A last minute deposit of the kids with the grandparents, coupled with a non-pregnant me, meant we could ride until we puked (if we wanted to, anyway). I was so excited!

So yesterday morning, we awoke around 7:00 (already later than we probably would have done in our youth when we would have wanted to be there as the gates opened. By the time we showered & dressed, gathered our things (because we're so last minute), got the little guy up and freshly diapered, bought our tickets at Meijer (again with the last minute thing), dropped said little guy off at the parents', drove the 3ish hours to Ohio, checked into dumpy hotel, realize that wasn't the hotel we really wanted, drive back to dumpy hotel and get refund, drive back to budget-hotel-of-our-dreams (or at least one that wouldn't give us nightmares), then drive to the park...it was about 2:00pm.

Even though we didn't arrive quite as early as we would have hoped, we still had 8 hours until the park closed, so that left us with plenty of time to satisfy the thrill-seeker in us. So we started with the Raptor. Approximately a 45+ minute wait, manageable, but still a little discouraging considering it was only our first ride. It was a thrill though, made even weirder for me since I had to sit on my flip-flops and leave my bare feet hanging in the breeze.

Next, mostly because of location and also for the nostalgia, was the Blue Streak. This coaster is so tame in terms of height and speed, but sure can whip a body around! I still love it, even though I'm always surprised to see it still standing each time I visit.

After a quick lunch, we walked somewhat aimlessly (already a big departure from our younger, "on to the next coaster" mentality) and wound up at the Power Tower where we were shot straight up 240 feet and then free-fell/bounced back to earth. Whee!

Next, we took another trip down memory lane to the Gemini. This one is not quite as old as the Blue Streak, but both Chris and I remember its inaugural year of 1978, when it was (if I remember correctly) the tallest, fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. That title was given up long ago, but it is still a wild ride, and riders are given the chance to pick either the red or blue train which "race" against each other. Our blue train won, btw. ;-)

We then strolled through Frontiertown (old west section of the park) where the newest ride, the Maverick, is located. Unfortunately, as is usually the case during a ride's first year or so, it was not running. We then sat for a while as we ate some frozen custard, then took a soaking (or at least a partial one), on Thunder Canyon.

Next, we came upon Millenium Force, a coaster which was introduced in 2000 (hence, the name). For some reason, in my mind, I had this coaster confused with the Magnum, which I had ridden back in the late 90's. So I somewhat merrily "enjoyed" the hour+ wait in line (even had the pleasant surprise of "Jessie's Girl" being played by the park deejay), thinking the entire time that I had "been there, done that" so it would easy! I even mentioned how I had "psyched myself up for the Top Thrill Dragster." Chris was in a bit more somber mood. When we were about to step on the platform to board the ride, I realized why. "I don't think I've ever ridden this one before," I said to Chris. "No, you haven't" he said, mumbling something about "that first hill." Uh...yeah. :)

So, we sit ourselves into the seat, belt ourselves in, and lower the seemingly puny lap bar when I realize "I don't have anything to hold onto!" Me. The girl who prides herself on keeping her hands up through every ride, wants to hang onto something. I settle for the sides of the lap bar, and realize just how open the car really is. I feel like there is nothing around me. Only now that I see pictures of the ride do I realize there really is a support behind my head. The train starts its ascent up the first 310 foot high hill, with dizzying views of Lake Erie below and no railings to give even the slightest illusion of enclosure. I begin to chant what will become my mantra throughout the entire ride..."ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod..."

Mercifully, the trip up the first hill is quicker than most, but the plunge down seems to take forever! Forget my throat, my stomach feels like it has left my body. We then fly at speeds of around 92 mph on two steel pipes for track, are hurdled up and around bends and curves, over hills, and through tunnels. There is no moment that Chris is not yelling, and I am not repeating "ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod." After 2 minutes and 20 seconds of this, we finish the ride with wobbly legs. I say "I've been cured of wanting to ride the Dragster."

It took a little while to come down off the adrenaline rush of the Millenium Force, but once we did, we decided to ride the Wicked Twister, which has a lovely view of the beach btw. It was quite tame compared to the Millenium Force, but a thrill anyway. But when that ride was done, and with the sun beginning to set, we decided we had done enough. We left the park after only 5 hours, old farts that we are!

As we enjoyed the park yesterday, Chris and I both realized something about ourselves. Though we are far from giving up on roller coasters and thrill rides, we have gotten to the point in our lives that it's not all about trying to squeeze in as many of them as possible anymore. When we were younger, we were "invincible" (or so we thought), and didn't have anyone to depend on us. Now, we are suddenly aware that our bodies do have limits, and we have two little boys (aside from other members of our family) who need us around for a long time. It was this realization that kept us from pushing ourselves yesterday.

This is not to say that we won't go back on those rides. I fully intend to ride the Millenium Force again (masochist that I am ;-), and even brave the Dragster. But yesterday gave us enough of a thrill for now.

Facing your own mortality can be a bitch. But it can also open your eyes to the truly important things in your life.

I Don't Know

2007-07-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

Conversation between Christopher and I just two minutes ago...

Me: Five more minutes and then its bedtime.
Christopher: ...silent...
Me: Are you listening to me?
Christopher: Yes
Me: How many minutes until bedtime?
Christopher: I don't know.

Monster Spray

2007-07-14T10:21:00.000-04:00

On occasion Christopher is plagued by monsters that infest his room. Try as we might we have not been able to rid his bedroom of this menace. Not long ago Lisa found a temporary yet effective solution; Monster Spray.

As you may know, monsters do not like things that smell nice. So Lisa sprayed a little bit of Monster Spray (some may refer to this product as air freshener) in Christopher's room and the monsters are gone for the night. Monster Spray eventually wears off and in our house it is not necessary every night, but it has become an invaluable tool for warding off things that go bump in the night.

Chicken Curry (aka - "The best dinner in the whole town"*)

2007-06-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 green onions with tops, finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
rice (I made 2 cups)

Cut chicken into small pieces; place in crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except rice. Cover and cook on high 2 1/2 to 4 hours or on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves 4.

The recipe also calls for 1/4 cup dry sherry, but as we have no sherry in our house, dry or otherwise, I just went without. I served it with a side of peeled and sliced cucumbers, and crescent rolls.

(modified recipe from Rival Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Cuisine)

* Disclaimer - Please note that the giver of this title is only 3 years old and also thinks that instant oatmeal and chicken nuggets are gourmet fare. The adults in the household however, seemed to enjoy the meal. The jury is still out for the one-year-old.

One of the best parts of our New York trip

2007-06-26T21:26:00.001-04:00

Perhaps one of the nicest parts of our trip to New York City was the city-wide smoking ban in restaurants and bars. I have long been a proponent of a similar law being passed in Michigan, however I didn't realize just how great it would be until we visited NYC.

No walking through a cloud of smoke to get to non-smoking or having a table so close to the smoking section that I might as well be smoking myself. Believe it or not, all of the establishments that we visited were very busy. Guess the smokers decided they could make it though dinner without a fix after all.

The sooner we get this bill passed in Michigan the better.

I'm sure there is one, but I can't come up with a witty title for this

2007-06-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Overheard just a few moments ago, as Christopher was busy playing with his Lightning McQueen, Sally, and Mack.

Lightning: "Come with me to the big race, Sally. It's really racy there."

Day 3 - Part 2

2007-06-19T01:04:00.000-04:00

Because my Day 3 post was getting longer and longer, and was also getting emotionally difficult to write, I decided to break it into 2 parts. Please go here if you haven't read any of the Day 3 post yet, or go here to start from the beginning of our trip.

After visiting the WTC site, we thought we might visit Little Italy for some pizza. So again, Chris' plan was to walk up Broadway to get us there. An online map makes it look like about 10 blocks, but I'm not so sure. ;) Maybe it was the 90-something degree heat, maybe it was the fact that we had already walked a good 2-3 miles (that's a wild guess) from our hotel to the Empire State Building (please see the previous Day 3 post), but that walked seemed much longer than 10 blocks.

Anyway, in Little Italy, we sat indoors at a little sidewalk cafe. Remember the 90 degree heat? Sitting "inside" gave us the combination of a/c inside with wide open windows. Inefficient, but really nice! We had a delicious pizza dinner, complete with strolling street musicians singing traditional Italian songs...it was like being in a movie!

Refreshed but not willing to walk much farther, we found the nearest subway station and rode back to 42nd Street. Trust me, we could not have walked that distance, or at least not at that point. I don't even know how far it is, but it probably took 5-10 minutes by train. We rested and freshened up in our room for a little bit, then headed back down to Broadway/7th Ave area to do some shopping before retiring for the night.

More pics (again, mixed in with the whole trip) here.

Day 3 - Loooong and emotional

2007-06-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

In our last installment, Chris and I were about to take a tour of lower Manhattan on Sunday morning. Instead of boarding the bus anywhere nearby our hotel, however, Chris suggested we walk down Broadway (approximately 10 blocks?) to the Empire State Building to avoid the long lines for the bus in Times Square. The idea was to go to the observation deck there, then board the bus afterward. Great idea. Of course, it might have worked out better if his wife (ahem) didn't suddenly see the "Empire State Building" about a mile to the left somewhere around 42nd St, deciding "hey, why don't we just go this way?!"

Several loooong blocks, a stop at the ATM machine, a street fair, and an unplanned visit to Grand Central Station later...we suddenly lost said "Empire State Building" since the closer you get to a building in New York, the easier it gets lost behind the canyon of other tall buildings directly around you. Of course, then Chris pointed out another tall building with a spire on top and says "there it is," to which I say, "noooo, that's not it." Ummm, yes. It was. The building I had seen, and led us on a wild goose chase of, was the Chrysler Building!

So anyway, we finally make it to our destination, and take the one escalator, and two elevator rides to the 86th floor observation deck. Really cool. It definitely gave me a bit of vertigo, especially when I took this shot, but was definitely worth the trip. If you go, make sure you get your observation deck tickets before getting there though. In our case, our tickets were included with our bus tour package. It was nice to just go directly to the line for the elevator rather than getting in line for tickets first.

We then boarded the bus downtown that took us through the neighborhoods of (among others) Greenwich Village, Soho, Chinatown, Tribeca, then to the World Financial District and Battery Park, which sits at the southernmost tip of the island and looks out on the Statue of Liberty. We got off at the park, took a few pictures, and got some ice cream since it was getting quite hot. As I said yesterday, tourists cannot go up into the Statue of Liberty, so we did not bother with the boat trip over there. Bummer, since it was also closed in 1986, the last time I visited New York.

Per our tour guide's suggestion, we headed north on foot from Battery Park to the World Trade Center site. It was only a matter of a few blocks and took us through the financial district, probably one of (if not the) greatest concentrations of wealth in the world.

The absence of the two towers is noticeable even from a distance because of the impact they had on the New York skyline, but it was starting from about a block away that I personally felt the greatest sense of their loss. The nearby area is sunny now, and the midday heat was oppressive. A block away in front of St. Paul's Chapel, which still stands across the street from where the towers stood, I couldn't help but notice the backdrop of sun and sky behind the church. It's hard not to imagine the shadows those huge buildings must have cast, and how they must have towered over that church. Regardless of how one felt about the presence of those towers, the fact that they are missing now is such a ("sad" is such an inadequate word here) reminder of the unthinkable loss of precious lives that day.

Visiting the site itself (which is hard to see much of because of the fencing that is draped in most areas with fabric or fine mesh) was not quite as emotional for me as I had thought it would be, but moved me almost to tears nonetheless. I did in fact, wipe away tears as we walked away, but more than that I just felt quiet, reflective, and reverent. To me, that felt appropriate at the time. We took other pictures, but I personally made sure to take a picture of the name of the one person I (kind of) knew personally in those towers. Her name was Marni Pont O'Doherty, and I only "knew" her online, through her posts to a Rick Springfield fan bulletin board that I frequented. We never met personally, but she was clever, creative, and so funny in her posts. Her last post to the board was minutes before the first plane hit the north tower. She worked in the south tower, the second to be hit, first to fall. She had contacted family after the first plane hit to say that they were told to stay put, the tower was secure. She was never heard from again.

Second Day, Second Row!!

2007-06-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday (Saturday) was spent partly waiting for, and on, one of those "hop on/hop off" double-decker tour buses. The wait to get on the bus in the first place seemed to take forever, but actually took about 30 minutes. So once we got on...we didn't get off until close to the end of the circuit. Hey, we didn't want to lose our seats on the top off the bus! :)

The tour yesterday took us uptown, which included the neighborhoods on the upper west side, Harlem, the museum district, and generally around Central Park. It was a pleasant ride on which we got plenty of sunshine, and got to see a slightly less congested part of the city. It the was the type of area that we could see ourselves living there if we had met sometime in our twenties and had time to see the world before having kids. Very cool.

We decided to get off the bus at Central Park (after having gone entirely around it on the bus). We got some lunch from a street vendor (though he didn't sell hot dogs). Chris had a burger, and I had a Mexican dish of some sort...can't remember what it was called right now! Sort of like a meat pastie, but spicier and with chicken. We then took a carriage ride through the park (or through one corner of it anyway), and walked on our own. While there, we caught an inning or so of a league softball game and almost got beaned with a popped up foul ball! :)

After that, we walked the 15-20 blocks back to our hotel to get ready for dinner and the show (Les Miserables). The restaurant we went to was a bit more expensive than we expected, but we considered it our splurge on ourselves (as if the trip wasn't enough). Chris had steak, and I had North Atlantic Lobster. Delicious meal! We then headed over to the theater for a Broadway production of Les Miz! I was so excited for this, as I have seen it several times at the Fisher Theater in Detroit, and it has ALWAYS brought me to tears. This time was no different.

There was a little snafu with our tickets, which Chris had ordered through an online service that I will not yet name (we'll see first if they refund our money). There were NO tickets held in our name! The man at the ticket booth said that he could sell us two more tickets (which I originally did not want to do), but we bought them anyway. SECOND ROW CENTER!! Let's just say that we were nearly spit on many times by Jean Valjean. Hehe. Unbelievable. Amazing. I felt many times that the actors were looking and singing right to me, and Chris says he felt the same. I have never cried sooner in this show than I did last night.

I will say though, that while it was the most amazing overall experience I have had while seeing that show, the touring companies that come to Detroit put on a show of equivalent quality, emotion, and even set design as on Broadway. I was very pleasantly surprised to find this out. Mom, Dad, and Karen...I'm sure you'll be happy to know this too. :)

After the show, I had a monster headache, so we came back to the room, took Tylenol, and crashed. We are now about to go out for our second day of tours...this time downtown, to the Statue of Liberty (or rather, near it...you can't go up right now), the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center site, among others. Looking forward to all of it!

"Talk" to you all again soon! Home tomorrow! We miss everyone, but especially our boys. Big hugs. By the way, more pics lumped in with the ones from yesterday's post.

NYC - Day 1

2007-06-16T09:57:00.000-04:00

Chris and I are in New York City right now to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary, while the boys are busy making memories at home with Grandma, Grandpa, and cousin Sarah. :)

Yesterday morning we made it to Detroit Metro airport in seemingly record time with plenty of time to spare waiting for the plane. The plane, however, was a tad delayed. It arrived to our gate in time for boarding (just in time). But with 1/2 hour delays into LaGuardia, our plane had to sit on the tarmack in Detroit for close to an hour just waiting to take off. Frustrating, but nothing like some of the horror stories we've heard of.

The flight itself was blessedly uneventful though, and we arrived in NY around 2:00, and the shuttle dropped us off at our hotel around 3:40. It seems like we've chosen a good hotel with helpful concierge service, and great location. You can look out our window to see a glimpse into the Times Square area (or close to it, anyway). Once arriving at our room, the long day caught up with us, and we napped until dinnertime!

Around 6:00, we freshened up and left our room. The concierge recommended a few favorite restaurants, and we chose Pongrsi (sp?) Thai from the list. YUMMY! We then walked around the Times Square area, browsed in the M&M's World store, a souvenir shop or two, and snapped pictures like the tourists we are. Before returning for the night to our room, we shared a decadent chocolate and ice cream dessert at Applebee's.

We took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in this morning, and did just that! Ah! We'll be leaving the room right after I post this to get breakfast and go on our bus tour.

Click here for pictures from our trip so far, and click here for some recent pictures of some cute boys!

La, La, La

2007-05-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

Today at lunch Christopher said the following as Lisa and I sang one of the many goofy made-up songs that we sing:

"Stop singing, I'm trying to eat."

Kite Day 2007

2007-04-28T22:25:00.000-04:00

We went to the Washington Township Kite Day today.
Click here to see all the pictures from Kite Day.

Happy Birthday, Ian!

2007-04-18T08:04:00.000-04:00

Absence + Bear Pic

2007-03-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in quite a while. A lot has happened over the past few weeks. We're getting the household back to normal and I'll try and post the story this week. In the meantime here's Ian's 11 month Bear Pic. Enjoy.

2007-02-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

Bang a Drum

Circle of Cars

Tastes like chicken

2007-02-03T14:11:00.000-05:00

As Christopher lay in bed last night, ~~delaying sleep at all costs~~ trying to fall asleep, I could see from his darkened profile that he was apparently ‘digging for gold.’

Me: Christopher, don’t pick your nose. Do you need a kleenex?
Christopher: No, but…I got some chicken in there.

Mmmmm, McNuggets anyone?

Bad Hair Day?

2007-01-31T23:01:00.000-05:00

Nope, not me!

Official Bear Pic - Ian - 9 Months Old

2007-01-28T16:54:00.000-05:00

One might think that we take perfect Bear Pics on the first try. This is far from from case. If you'd like to see a "Bear Pic - Behind the scenes" click here.

Catching Bugs - In January

2007-01-26T20:16:00.000-05:00

I'm sure there are many places in the world that you can catch bugs in January however Michigan isn't one of them.

Our "baby" starts school tomorrow!

2007-01-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Well, not school really...

Tomorrow morning, Christopher starts in the child care program at the local elementary school (where he'll go to kindergarten in '09). He'll be going approx 8-4:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays. (sob!)

I've been wanting to get him in this program for the longest time, but he had to be 2.5 and potty trained. So that turned out to be the big motivator for learning to use the potty. At the beginning he'd ask "I go to school?" every time he took a pee! Chris and I decided that once Christopher held up his end of the bargain, we certainly couldn't let him down.

I have to admit that I'm a little emotional and nervous tonight about it. I'm scared that he'll be really homesick and won't want to go back. I'm even scared he won't eat anything substantial from the lunch I packed him! I was planning on starting him with just half days, but the teacher recommended diving right in with the full day. I hope that's the right thing to do!

So I've got his lunch packed, clothes laid out, his pillow, blanket, change of clothes (in case of an accident), and outerwear all ready to go (as well as Ian's since he'll be along for the drive over). I just need to finish up his paperwork (almost done), and get myself showered tonight so we can all be ready to go in the morning.

Any last minute bits of advice?

Flight Lessons

2007-01-15T22:47:00.001-05:00


First official movie release from Pricekids Studios

The Negotiator

2007-01-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

A common discussion in our household.

Lisa: "Christopher, what do you want for lunch?"
Christopher: "Hmmm, how 'bout oatmeal?"
Lisa: "How 'bout pizza, or spaghetti, or mac and cheese?"
Christopher: "How 'bout oatmeal?"

What a Smile!

2006-12-27T23:14:00.001-05:00

Kids say the darnest things

2006-12-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

Here are a few gems from our household...
"Don't be mad Mom, be happy."

"Mom, you the best girl I have!"

As Christopher and I descend the stairs after bath time, "Hi Mom, Hi Enon (Ian), this is my daddy".

Point to Ian and saying; “Look a baby” as if he hasn’t seen him almost every day for the past seven months.

“I popped a poop”

Ian's Official Seven Month Bear Pic

2006-11-25T19:28:00.000-05:00

Cookies: Lessons Learned

2006-11-13T20:23:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Christopher and I worked on a project that I've been planning for some time now. We baked chocolate chip cookies (from scratch)! The cookies came out delicious and the activity was a great opportunity for Christopher and I to share some one-on-one time.

Here are a few of the lessons I learned.

Be Prepared

When working on a project as easy as baking cookies, its easy to fall into old habits. I'm sure most good cooks will recommend getting all your ingredients ready before you start, however I tend to get things out as I need them. This method works when your baking by yourself or with another adult, however with a toddler its difficult to keep him on track and scramble for eggs, flour and butter.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

This title should be the mantra for all parents with small children. Being a engineer by trade, its difficult for me to overlook some of the seemingly unimportant details of a project. During our cookie baking, Christopher was determined to spill as much of the flour as possible. After a few minutes I managed to get my brain under control and decided that an eighth of a cup of missing flour wouldn't ruin the cookies

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

When we started our project I figured an hour was plenty of time to mix and bake a least one sheet of chocolate chip cookies (we had to try some before bedtime). In the end we did have enough time however we bumped into bedtime a little bit. While I believe this activity was worth a later bedtime, its now an hour past Christopher's regular bedtime and he is still not asleep.

Don't Forget to Have Fun

Our cookie baking project was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to planning something similar as the holiday season nears (maybe gingerbread men!) As parents we often forget that activities that we view as work can be great fun for our children. Christopher loves to help out around the house and having him help with baking cookies was fun for both of us.

Just when you thought Halloween was over...

2006-11-04T22:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

Click here for more Halloween Pictures

Very Cute

2006-10-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last night at bedtime:

Christopher: "Hey Mommy, you a girl right?"
Lisa: "Yep"
Christopher: "You beautiful"
Lisa (tearfully): "Thank you, kiddo"

Birthdays are Bad

2006-10-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

The following conversation occurred at our house this weekend:

Christopher: "Birthdays are bad."
Lisa: "Birthdays aren't bad, they're good. On your birthday you get to open presents, eat cake and ice cream and sometimes play games."
Christopher: "Oh"

A few moments later...
Christopher: "Hey Daddy, birthdays are good!"

There's no crying in baseball!

2006-10-06T23:22:00.000-04:00

Besides the Tigers won tonight!

I'm a Hammer!

2006-10-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

Tonight, as is the case every night, we headed upstairs for our nightly bedtime ritual. After brushing teeth and changing into warmer 'jammies', Christopher asked, "Where's Turner and Pat the Hammer?".

If you haven't seen Disney's Handy Manny then you are probably not familiar with these two characters from the show. Pat is a lovable but not too bright hammer (pictured) and Turner is a rather grumpy screwdriver. Christopher has a toy plastic hammer and screwdriver that he religiously takes to bed with him and which are now named appropriately Turner and Pat the Hammer. After quickly finding Turner in Christopher's bed, I began the search for Pat while Lisa tried to get Christopher to focus on stories.

I looked in Christopher's bed, closet, dresser, our room, Ian's room, downstairs (twice) and both upstairs bathrooms with no luck. I began to get desperate as it became evident that Christopher was not going to go to bed without Pat. "I need Pat the Hammer" he said tearfully. Finally after searching high and low, I decided to check Christopher's bed one last time. This time I removed everything and sure enough Pat was there, hidden under Lightning McQueen (yet another incarnation brought to us via Disney).

With stories finished and Pat and Turner in hand, Christopher crawled into bed (after I convinced him that there weren't any scary noises in his room). Christopher, Pat and Turner are now sound asleep.

Sweet Potatoes are Yummy!

2006-09-21T22:37:00.000-04:00

Ian's Official Five Month Bear Pic

2006-09-17T22:49:00.000-04:00

We thought this one was too cute not to share also

Gee your hair smells terrific!

2006-09-03T21:14:00.000-04:00

After several days of traumatic bath times (screaming and refusing to take a bath), Lisa and I decided that something more than the "Terrible Twos" must be wrong. Our guess was that something had happened during a previous hair washing (since hair washing seem to be at the center of the rebellion) and now Christopher was afraid to get his hair washed.

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to take a different approach for tonight's bath time activities. After succeeding in getting Christopher to get in the tub he told me, "I not get my hair washed". I replied, “Lets get everything else washed first and then we'll talk about washing your hair.”

When it came time to wash his hair, Christopher was very reluctant. I asked him if he was afraid to wash his hair because it had hurt his eyes before, he said "Yes". I told him that we had some "special" shampoo that wouldn’t hurt his eyes and that we would wash his hair in a special way. Actually we always use baby shampoo but we guessed that maybe he had got some regular bar soap on his hands and then rubbed his eyes during a hair washing. I had him tilt his head way back so that soap and water wouldn’t run down his face. Success, after a few minutes we had the hair washed with no screaming.

After his bath, I told Christopher how proud I was that he had been very brave. He then declared, "My beautiful hair is clean!”

2006 Detroit Zoo Trip

2006-09-01T23:07:00.000-04:00

Today we took our third annual Detroit Zoo Trip. The trip was a big hit and a success for everyone envolved.

Ian didn't actually get too much out of the being at the zoo (we could have been strolling around neighborhood for all he cared). He did do very well though and even took a couple of short naps in the stroller.

Christopher, as expected, got a lot more out of the zoo this year than previous visits. For the first thirty minutes he was constantly asking to see the monkeys and "jaffers" (giraffes) but was soon getting excited about most all of the animals at the park.

We took lots of good pictures and had a great time but after four hours, Mom, Dad and both boys were ready to head home. On our way home we stopped and got some dinner at Buddy's Pizza which was quite yummy.

Click here, if you like to see more pictures of our trip.

Houston, we have a tooth!

2006-08-08T20:08:00.000-04:00

Yes its official, at just shy of four months Ian has his first tooth (beating his big brother by more that half a month, let the rivalry begin).

We had been thinking that we was cutting a tooth for a while now. He constantly chews on his hands and the drooling has be increasing everyday. Yesterday I discover the tooth not yet through and today the tooth had erupted.

Laughing Baby

2006-08-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

Enjoy

Baby Laugh on Vimeo

New Bear Pic

2006-07-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

Ian's 3 Month Bear Pic

Sacked Out

2006-07-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

Both boys asleep in the van, part 2
Originally uploaded by Chris1970.

Both boys fell a sleep on the way home today.

Click here to see the entire series.

Two Brothers

2006-07-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

Christopher - 3 Months Old
(Taken 2004)

Ian - 3 Months Old

(Taken 2006)

Dinner Conversation

2006-07-19T23:21:00.000-04:00

Christopher: (something unintelligable)
Lisa and I: "What?"
Christopher: (something more unintelligable)
Lisa and I: (Silent. Looks of confusion)
Christopher: "I AM LITTLE TEAPOT!"

(Laughter ensues)

The Great Purge of Aught-Six

2006-07-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

Okay I stole that line from LOD but its so good that I had to use it.

Lisa and I have managed to collect an inordinately large amount of "stuff". No we are not those people that you see on TV that have so much stuff that they haven't seen their telephone in twelve years (though we did lose a hand set for quite a long time), but we do have more stuff than we need.

The majority of our excess stuff resides in our basement and as of yesterday we began the long and tedious journey to rid ourselves of this menace. So begins the Great Purge.

Our goal is simple, cut down the amount of stuff, so that what we are keeping will fit in the storage portion of our basement. So far the Purge is going well, we ended up working for three hours and have sorted almost a third of the boxes. Still a long way to go but I'm confident that if we "Stay on Task" we will eventually succeed.

*Note this post has been sanitized for your reading pleasure. The word "stuff" has been used in place of a more profane word originally chosen by the author.

2 Months Old Bear Pic

2006-06-27T22:22:00.000-04:00

Ian's two month bear pic.

We did take a one month bear pic but I didn't post it until just now. You can check out all of Ian's bear pics with this link.

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-18T00:57:00.000-04:00

I'd like to dedicate this to my Dad Dave; my father-in-law Denny; and to Chris, the father of my two boys.

Dad, I couldn't have asked for a better Dad growing up. Even though you grew up in a different era, that didn't stop you from showing me in your own way that you loved me. Whether it was as a "doctor that just puts on bandaids" (as I believed you were until a mean teacher told me otherwise), when you played catch with me so I could practice for softball, your help with all things car-related, the time you said you were proud after my senior awards banquet in high school, or the way you held my hand on my wedding day...I always knew how you felt even if you couldn't say the words. And even though you spoil my boys completely (or maybe because of that reason), you are the best "Papa" in the world too!

Denny, I'm so glad to have you as a second "Dad" in my life. Your strong yet gentle ways are part of the reason that Chris is the wonderful husband and Dad he is today. Your generosity with your time and talents has meant so much to us, even if we sometimes forget to say so. You've made me feel like a daughter, instead of just a daughter-in-law. And I hope you know just how much our boys love their "Pa!" Just like my Dad, you are the best.

Chris, how do I put into words the gratitude I feel to have a man such as you in my life? The day I turned 30, I no longer believed I would meet you, and yet here you are. You're my rock, my love, my best friend, my soul mate...and the best Dad I could have imagined for our two boys. As a mother, it's my job to worry about them, and I do. But I don't worry about the men they will become. With you and their two grandfathers as role models, I already have a good idea of what they will be like.

I love you all! Happy Father's Day!

Long time, no blog...

2006-06-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, I admit I've been bad. I've been try to placate you with pictures and video, while using my two children as an excuse for my lack of real posts. So here you go a real live post!

Some random happenings around our house.

Ian slept (mostly) through the night, the last two nights; five and six hours straight to be precise. Needless to say this has been a welcome development and we are praying for at least a few more nights.
Lisa, Christopher and I went to see the movie Cars last Saturday. It was a great movie, if you've enjoyed any of Pixar's past movies you'll probably like this one as well. Christopher did great, this being his first time at the movie theater.
Ian recently had his two month checkup; he weighed 13lbs 9 oz and was 23 1/2 inches long. He is a very healthy little boy.

Ok, I hope that was a good enough post to make up for my recent absence, but just in case it was a bit lacking here's a smiling baby picture:

Detroit Basketball

2006-06-02T19:37:00.000-04:00

Go Pistons

Detroit Basketball

And then there were two...

2006-05-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

Christopher and Ian
Originally uploaded by Chris1970.

Sorry we haven't posted much lately. Here are two reasons...

Tivo Generation

2006-05-05T10:19:00.000-04:00

A couple of things stand out about television when I was young. The first is that my family had two televisions; one was a large color console TV (the kind that sits on the floor) and the second was a small black and white. We could watch three channels with decent quality and a couple more that we’d still watch but whose quality would be unacceptable today. The second thing that I remember is that for a kid there wasn’t much on TV. Apart from Saturday morning cartoons, only a few scattered half hours of programming existed that appealed to children. The idea of recording television to watch later, wouldn’t come to our household for many years.

Fast forward thirty years, my family today has three TVs (all color), we record television shows on computer hard drives and we can pause and rewind live TV. We have Disney, Nick and Cartoon Network just to name a few. My sons will never know a time when it was not possible to replay a funny commercial, rewind a show to hear a missed line of dialog or play your favorite episode with the press of a button. I often wonder how this “convenience” will affect my children. Will it be harder to get them to watch less TV? Will it be easier to get them to do chores (i.e. pause the show and say ‘you can finish watching after you’ve taken out the garbage’)? But most of all, I wonder what my sons will write about thirty years from now? How will life have changed for them?

Pricekids

Robin Hood

Tired of searching for that box of Kleenex?

This post brought to you by the letter P

The Nature of the Lego

Flashback Friday

Winter in Michigan

Podcasts

Unwanted Guest

Flashback Friday - Schoolhouse Rock Edition

Cool Web Site

Flashback Friday

Movie Quotes - Answers

De-Cabled (almost) - The Plan

Something New

Flashback Friday

Movie Quotes

Dry Spell

Snow Day!

Got Snow?

5 years ago tonight...

Note to self re: making the gingerbread house

Miss me?

Pain in the sass

Well, I'd like to never do *that* again

Life of a working mom, part II

The life of a working mom

So tired...

More odds 'n ends

Odds 'n Ends

So excited!

Crazy Day

...and I would give that all up for...

10 Parenting Things I Wish Existed...

Back to School

More funny kidspeak...

The language police

Writer's Block

Stress Relief

Cop out

And with this, I will step off my soapbox...

What the heck else am I going to talk about today?

Potpourri

Taking a breather

NaBloPoMo (or something like that): Day 1

Happy Fall!

Why I support Barack Obama

Supporting a good cause

Row the Boat

First Concerts - Redux

The Cow Says...

Pound of Dirt

Mortality Check courtesy Cedar Point

I Don't Know

Monster Spray

Chicken Curry (aka - "The best dinner in the whole town"*)

One of the best parts of our New York trip

I'm sure there is one, but I can't come up with a witty title for this

Day 3 - Part 2

Day 3 - Loooong and emotional

Second Day, Second Row!!

NYC - Day 1

La, La, La

Kite Day 2007

Happy Birthday, Ian!

Absence + Bear Pic

Tastes like chicken

Bad Hair Day?

Official Bear Pic - Ian - 9 Months Old

Catching Bugs - In January

Our "baby" starts school tomorrow!

Flight Lessons

The Negotiator

What a Smile!

Kids say the darnest things

Ian's Official Seven Month Bear Pic

Cookies: Lessons Learned

Just when you thought Halloween was over...

Happy Halloween

Very Cute

Well, I'd like to never do that again