How to get your babysitter in trouble....

or - in reality - how to get your babysitter to THINK she's going to be in trouble.

I guess that Jacob ran into a table on Saturday night while Brian and I were at a holiday party - nothing major, just a bruise on his leg. While the babysitter was helping him / figuring out what the problem was - Allison colored the dog pink. Now - why Astro stood there and accepted being colored on may be more a statement about his desire for attention than his desire to be pink. "Who cares? It feels like she's petting me!"

Anyway, this was nearly the first thing out of the babysitters mouth when we got home and I think she wondered if we were going to be mad. However, it was about all Brian and I could do to stop laughing. Oh well - Astro needed a bath anyway!!

Forgot the stats

I forgot to mention that Allison went to the doctor on Monday for her 8-yr check up. She was deemed in good health - albeit small.

She weighed in at 42.5 pounds, a height of 45.5 inches - which put her in the 3rd percentile for each. This is down slightly from the 5th and 10th percentiles from last year - but the doctor was not too concerned. The ritalin supresses her appetite so there is usually a period of stagnation when kids start taking that - but they typically will catch back up to their growth curves (hers is just small to begin with).

She does - however - have humongous teeth. She looses two baby teeth for every one adult tooth that comes in.

She lost another tooth last night. When the tooth fairy visited, the tooth fairy did not find the tooth in the tooth fairy pouch. The tooth fairy left $1 but was unable to retrieve the tooth (I swear it was gone). Allison must have squirreled it away somewhere because in the morning she comes down very excited because the tooth fairy left her $1 AND the tooth. Sigh.

From frustration to laughter

So we were driving back from karate last night and Jacob and Allison were busy telling me things from the backseat. Jacob had been talking for a while (as he's apt to do) and Allison wanted to say something, but couldn't get a word in. So she let out "a yell" followed by a loud proclamation that "Jacob was NOT letting her talk."

This was followed immediately by two kids both talking about how THEY should be the ones talking. Ugh.

So I say - "well, I'm not listening until you two figure out who's supposed to be talking."

This led to a long debate in the backseat as to who should be the one to go first.

J: I should be the one - I got a new karate belt and kids with new belts go first.
A: I got a new prize - so kids with new prizes should go first.
J: No - I should go first because my new belt is orange and your watch isn't orange.
A: I should go first - I'm oldest and we should go oldest to youngest.
J: No - we should go youngest to oldest and I should go first.
A: Oldest to youngest.... me.
J: Boys first.
A: Girls first.
J (placing his new karate belt on his head): Look - I'm a reindeer and reindeers should go first.
A: Yes - reindeer go first - but I made reindeer antlers out of paper so I should go first!

Needless to say..... we got home first.

Blizzard

It snowed. On Sunday we dug ourselves out. Let the winter of 2010-2011 be the year that we go buy a snowblower....

We began with shovels.



After a few feet, I joked with the neighbor about renting his snowblower and he let us borrow it. Here are the kids being assaulted with the blowed snow.



We also began a fort. It wasn't really "packy" snow (Jacob's word) - so we really could just dig out a hole and try to build up the walls. Perhaps in a few days it'll be warmer than zero degrees out and the snow will get more packable.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Allison's birthday began with breakfast with Santa. There were a total of 12 of us there - so it was an intimate breakfast with Santa. Santa made everyone balloon animals.... who knew he was so multi-talented!



They were having family days at the old paper mill where the breakfast, so we stuck around, did a scavenger hunt, pet some goats and llamas, and made paper snowflakes.



Allison opened presents later in the day. Her birthday loot included her birthday dress (pink - she wore it all day), Bratz doll, barbie fishing rod, pictionary game, and a paint-your-own tea set. She made Thank You notes with the stamping supplies she'd gotten at Thanksgiving.

She also made her own birthday cake. That's right - if the kids want a birthday cake - they'll make it themselves, Thank You.



Then she blew out the candles and we enjoyed the pink frosted birthday cake.

A new song

Jacob and Allison were making up Christmas songs in the car today (first real snowfall). Jacob had the following gem:

"you'll put out your stocking for Santa...
and you might get toys or toothpaste...."

Soooooo tempted to put toothpaste in his stocking now.....

Christmas Parade

So -it's an attempt to catch up on old stuff. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Allison's brownie troup participated in the Appleton Christmas Parade. I'm not sure I'll jump on that bandwagon again.



First off -it was cold, cold, cold. We took a trolley from the school to the start of the parade route. We were there at 5pm. The parade started at 6:30pm. Our "float" started actually walking in the parade at 7pm. So, we stood outside with 20 girl scouts (with no bathroom, no food, no drinks) in subfreezing temps for 2 hours. After about an hour and half - Allison started asking if we could go home. After making it that far - the answer was NO.

Once we started walking, I think she had fun. And we saw Jacob and Brian who were huddled together along the parade route. Fortunately, Brian told me where he's set out the chairs (at 9am that morning - the Christmas parade is a serious event).

Right, Mom?

Jacob has an odd conversational quirk (which is starting to bug me.) Rather than asking a question, he'll make a statment followed by "Right, Mom?"

No: "Can you see that building over there?" Instead: "You can see that building over there. Right, Mom?"

No: "Are we going to meet Kaden there?" Instead: "We're meeting Kaden there. Right, Mom?"

Sometimes, this also comes into the conversation as reassurance of a statment.
No: "Hey, it's snowing!" Instead: "Look outside, it's snowing! Am I right, Mom?"

Yesterday, he said some form of "Right, Mom?" 4 times in the 10 minute car ride to karate. I asked him why he says it so much and he said this: "well, I can't say it at school, so I have to say it to you."

Is this a quirk? A phase? Is he seeking reassurance?.... does he just want to always be correct?... is it simply to make sure that I'm still paying attention to the conversation?

Or is this some form of Northern-speak and we're just substituting "right, mom?" for "eh?"

"Look it's snowing, eh?"

Halloween Pictures

Finally - Halloween pics. Allison went as Dauphne from Scooby Doo and Jacob was Batman. Even though Halloween was a full month ago - the candy is still hanging around.



It was a pleasant Halloween Day - though. Here are the kids in their super-cute T-shirts.

Haven't posted in a month!

It's been a whole month since our last blog post. So much has happened..... well, not really. There was Halloween - and there are pictures - sometime I'll get the camera hooked up to the computer.

Jacob got the flu the other week - he vomited at school - which was quite traumatic for him.

Allison is enjoying piano lessons. We now have 4 variations of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to practice.

Brian and I had a babysitter last night - with no particular plans. That never happens.

Jacob got to take Nintendo DS to Allison's brownie scouts meeting the other day and he wanted to make sure I had both the DS and the charger and TWO cases (one for the DS and one for the charger). I said we didn't need two cases - we only needed one. An argument ensued, then Jacob said "why don't you just take two cases so that I won't have to keep complaining?"

I laughed and said we could take zero cases... Jacob decided that one was just perfect.

The apple falleth not far...

Last night we went to get flu shots (we being Allison, Jacob and myself). We were one of the last groups to go (6:50pm and then ended at 7pm). As the nurse came out and called our names - Allison ran up and said "Can I go first?!" probably not the typical response from kids getting shots. Jacob was more reserved - perhaps with fresh memories of his 5-yr shots in August and a grave concern that they would "poke a hole in him."

So - Allison up first, she wiggled, did and "OW!" and then was done. Sticker time! Mom went next. I hate shots. Oh well. Then it was Jacob's turn. He was opposed. I held his arms, the nurse gave him the shot and he screamed bloody murder until she said "Done!" at which point the volume was instantly lower and Jacob sat up and said "really?" He hopped down and went to pick out his Batman sticker.

Then suddenly Jacob said he didn't feel good. He started to grab his throat saying that it hurt and he was getting sick. I sat him down in the chair - he was now quite pale, shaky, and visably upset. Our very calm nurse said "I'll be right back" and seconds later returned with two other nurses - who asked me "was he this pale when he came in?" and "has he every had a flu shot?" To which I said - no and yes. We laid Jacob down on the table, got hom some water and they checked his blood pressure, oxygen, and pulse. All fine. The doctor also came in to check him and said he was Ok. Apparently it was a reaction to the stress and the thought of the shot.

She suggested we have him lay down for all shots in the future - as these things tend to get a little worse as kids get older. Gee - getting queasy from shots..... I don't know where he gets that AT ALL. We can both blame Grandpa Jim.

Every Girl's a Princess

Last weekend, Allison and I went to the Every Girl's a Princess event at Fox Valley Technical College.



You sign up for a time and when you get there - you're "princess" is wisked off by a royal attendant who helps them pick out a dress, jewelry, and make a wand.



Then they are "announced" and have their picture taken. The attendant then takes the girls to make a little memory book.



Then we went to the "Royal Tea" where students in the culinary arts program have prepared a little tea meal and you're served in the dining room. Allison was a little weary of all the people and sounds at the beginning - but she really got into it and had a very good time.

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. We met a very friendly / loud donkey:


Took a horse-drawn carriage ride:



And then walked over to the orchard and enjoyed some hot cider and an AWESOME apple pie.

5 Stages....

I’ve decided (and I am apparently not the only one given a quick internet search) that having a child with a disability requires a period of grief. Parents of kids with disabilities must “raise the child they have while letting go of the child they’ve dreamed of.” And if you think that sounds terrible or if you are a parent that said “all I want is 10 fingers and 10 toes” - I think you’re full of s**t. We want our kids to be musical, athletic, popular, and/or smart. We want them to avoid drugs, find love, be kind to others, and be happy. All of the above would be the best.

And this post is not about love – love is different – love is the bond that you get that helps you survive parenthood. Because we all love our kids – without that – frankly – no kid would get past the terrible 2’s. We love our kids with disabilities (and we love those without a disability.)

No the grief is about the hopes and dreams and we all have them for our kids and the real challenge of acceptance when their limitations are real and significant. Here's an annotated synapsis:

Stage 1: Denial. There is nothing wrong. He/she’ll grow out of it. Everything’s a phase, right? We need a better school / discipline / structure. It’s not OUR kid with a problem, he/she doesn’t fall into THAT category. It doesn’t apply to us. ((always the initial stage – but feel free to come back here anytime! ))

Stage 2: Bargaining. We need to find the “cause.” Get to the cause, get to the cure. I’m sure it’ll work out fine if we do X, Y, and Z. ((Google – we love you, but honestly, there’s a lot of kooky options out there. A spoonful of olive oil every day – sounds great! It worked for Sally Field! We’ll try it anyway –these are our KIDS we’re talking about for heaven’s sakes! We'd feel worse if we didn't try.))

Stage 3: Anger. Why did this happen to us? It’s not fair. Jealousy of everyone who doesn’t have to deal with X, Y, and Z. It’s not our child’s fault – it’s the other kids. It’s not our child’s fault – it’s ours. Resentment of others and, yes, even sometimes the child. ((nothing can be gained if you’re not honest here… we’re not proud of this phase. You say your Tommy is in the talented and gifted program, star soccer player, and was invited to 15 birthday parties last year …. I’m saying ‘great’ but thinking ‘f-you’))

Stage 4: Depression. Guilt. This problem will never get better. This phase will never pass. How do we possibly plan for the future? Will he or she ever achieve *fill in the blank*? Overwhelmed. ((if we’re smart here we seek out other people to share our experiences with…. we’re not always smart here. Why? Sometimes we’re embarrassed. Sometimes we think you won't understand because you don't have the same problems))

Stage 5: Acceptance. It is what it is. We will do the best that we can and trust that it’s good enough. We have new goals and new ideas and we measure progress based on those. We make changes and we adjust. ((if we’re lucky, we spend a lot of time here. Sometimes we’re lucky. The kids are the luckiest if we make it here. While the semantics of the word acceptance imply a certain sense of ease – it’s not easy to be here))

The most elusive – Stage 5. You think you’re there and then suddenly there is a new challenge, a new day, and you may go back to 4, to 3 or even to 1. Note – never talk with me within 24 hours of an IEP meeting (typically in March) – that’s a way for even the most seasoned parents of kids with disabilities to go straight to 3 or 4. Because sometimes acceptance for a period of time lulls you back into a sense that nothing’s wrong. You’ve revised your plans, made adjustments and it’s going great. And then it’s not – and you grieve all over again.

(End note - if your Johnny is a star soccer player, smart and a whip, and the most well-liked kid ever - I do really want to hear about it and will really be happy for you. Because if I'm in or around phase 3, I'm probably actively avoiding you..... at the very least I'm avoiding facebook. It's like Lake Wobegon in there....)

http://www.livestrong.com/article/14684-stages-of-the-loss-process/

Thoughts from Jacob

Jacob is a constant stream of consciousness. Ever hear a kid say something and wonder - what made them think that? Never a problem with him. He'll lead you to the final thought - and you better be paying attention - there is honestly going to be a quiz.

Recent thoughts: "what if the McDonald's was invisible? Wouldn't it still be there then you just couldn't see it? Have you ever seen an invisible McDonald's?"

"This bridge is 100 high. I bet if there was a bridge in the ocean it would only be 1 high. I bet you would have to be small to fit under it."

"Have we ever been kayaking in Appleton?" Me: "Well, the first time remember we went in Lake Winnebago." Jacob: "Where is that exactly?" Me: "well, it's actually in Menasha" (note: city limit approximately 3 blocks from our house) Jacob: "I said have we ever been boating in APPLETON." Me: "I guess not." Jacob: "So, you were wrong the first time, huh mom?"

Bears win!

Given a blog named "Bears Fans in Cheese-Land" - I think this must be noted!

Things I've learned about composting

Earlier this year, I built a compost bin out of scrap wood. It's pretty basic - a square box with open slat sides. It doesn't spin, turn, flip, or otherwise mix stuff. But I've been assured things will compost in it anyway. Even if we do nothing. That's my type of compost bin.

So, I was reflecting on things that I've learned since we started composting. I thought I'd share.

1) generally - the more of your meal waste can be composted - the healthier the meal.

2) old Cascade dish tab bins make great kitchen countertop receptacles for compost waste. They have wide tops and they snap shut to keep out fruit flies and keep in odors.

3) leaving waste in the countertop bin for too long makes it smell like vomit when you do dump it out - particularly if it contains onions. Coffee grounds smell good all the time.

4) coffee grounds contain lots of nitrogen. Nitrogen makes plants get "leafy" it does not necessarily make them bear more fruit.

5) compost shrinks!! Our bin is not big and we thought that we'd fill it up by June - which we did. But then suddenly it was only half full, and so we filled it up again. And then the same thing happened again. Cool.

6) An open compost bin does not attract that many bugs. Of course, there are flies and bees and the like - but they stay within about a 2 ft radius of the bin at any given time. Why leave - that's where the food is.

7) it doesn't smell out there (except in the case of #3).

8) you are supposed to also add newspaper. We don't do this enough.

9) I did once add fruity pebbles. They are still the color of highlighter markers several weeks later.

We'll see what it looks like in the spring when we spread it on the garden. Hopefully like nice black dirt.

Soccer team

Saturday was picture day for Jacob's soccer. Let it be known - Jacob's parents are cheap. I did not want to pay the money for team and individual pictures when I can take them myself (and we bought the picture for soccer in the spring.)



There was one other parent who fell into the same category, but what I didn't know was that all the other kids signed up for individual pictures - so they got to take them but Jacob didn't. So here we go:

Fun Run?

Friday night we went to the kids fun run with the Fox Cities Marathon. Fun might have been a stretch (at least for us parents by the end). The kids were very excited, though. It was at the minor league baseball stadium and the kids got to run around the infield.



The run was supposed to start at 6pm. At 6pm, they were filing people into the stands. They then had kids run around the field with a torch. Then they talked for a while about the sponsors. Then they had a mascot race. Then (6:15+) they started the toddler trot. The parents with toddlers couldn't get onto to the track because of the crowd. We were waiting in the stands - and getting impatient. Well, the kids were getting antsy:



Then finally (6:40 - maybe) they started the 1/4 mile kids run. TWELVE KIDS AT A TIME!! There were like 500 kids in the stands. OMG. We were near the top of the stands and so finally we snuck down another aisle - pushed through a crowd of older kids waiting for the 1/2 mile run - and gave them a shove out onto the track. Quite literally. Our friends Kim and Todd were there with their girls - Natalie and Gillian - so Kim and I went and sent all the kids together.

Then we made a mad dash to the other side of the stadium because the kids leave from 3rd base - run the stadium - and then exit at first base (they pass home plate area twice). We pulled them from the melee at the other side with their medals and left for dinner. 7:10pm.



Here are the kids with thier medals. They had fun. We will not be signing them up for that again next year, however. And yes - Allison ran in a dress

Fall Activities

Thursday nights are activity nights for the kids. Jacob has soccer practice and Allison has piano lessons. Actually, Allison started piano lessons today. We found a teacher who was recommended by several people and we were on her waiting list for the last 5 months. She seems very nice and Allison was excited enough that after school today she ate her snack, put her coat back on and grabbed her piano book without ANY nagging by me.

We're going to start with Suzuki method and see if that works for her. If not, we'll try traditional lessons. Allison did a good job - her lesson was basically learning the proper way to sit at the piano and then learning how to play a basic rhythm with each finger on her right hand. When she started to get distracted at the piano - her teacher had her sit and play a memory match game with music cards. She really liked it.

We went from piano to dinner to Jacob's soccer practice. His coaches have their hands full with some of those boys (K-1). Brian took him to the first game last weekend (in the rain - no pics) and his team won by a lot and also a fight broke out (Jacob was not involved). Jacob does love it, though. His team is the Galaxy and their color is gold - slightly more "manly" than pink.

During the practice, Allison and I spent our time trying to do three days worth of homework that she apparently hid in her desk rather than bring home. We got through about 1/3 of it. I'm just going to send a note showing what we've done and ask her teacher if she can finish it over the weekend. 6:30pm is not the ideal homework time for her.

Jacob, by the way, cannot wait for his first homework assignment to come home. The joys of kindergarten. He does love school. He likes his teacher, and he especially likes gym class and library.

What's up with spelling?

So, there is to be homework this year for Allison (last year, there wasn't much - math worksheets and reading books). There will also be spelling tests. Maybe.

The note that came home at parent night said that each Monday the students would write the spelling words in their notebooks and then the test would be Friday. I guess this also started on Day 1 (Wednesday). I think. Allison did not have any spelling words in her assignment notebook. She did have a few drawings of fairies. Thursday afternoon at pickup I was talking to the other moms and learned there were spelling words - though each kid had their own story. One did not bring home the notebook, but said there was a test. One wrote 1/2 the words. One had all the words and insisted there was a test.

Thursday night, Allison still had no words and was very vague on the possibility of a test. So I'm thinking that either (1) the teacher is waiting for the "natural consequence" of being unprepared for the test - thus leading the kids to "get with the program" so to speak in the next week or two, or (2) as part of Allison's IEP she's not participating in the spelling tests. I don't know. I DO know that being unprepared for a spelling test is NOT motivation for Allison and that she may struggle with spelling because she struggles with being able to visualize things that aren't there. So, hopefully, she doesn't fall too far behind before getting it.

It's also a tricky situation because I don't want to be that parent that steps in too soon or to inappropriately: "What! My kid missed one spelling list! Why didn't YOU write it down for her!"

On the other hand, I want to know what's going on (and Allison is particularly vague about what goes on at school). So I figure if she misses this coming week's spelling list too, I'll send an e-mail asking if she should have spelling words or not - and go from there.

I am impressed with how much her reading skills have improved this summer. For bed now - she's reading me books that have a couple paragraphs on each page. Pretty cool.

Uno Pizza

On day 1 - the kids come home with fundraiser info. That's a whole post in an of itself. Like - Day 1? Really? Welcome to school! Here, go sell stuff!

And then the fundraisers themselves suck - Entertainment Books and Sally Foster gift certificates. The school sends home an Entertainment book that you are suggested to either buy or sell - but please don't return it. OK, but then they sent home TWO. One for each kid. And who wants a Sally Foster gift certificate?? Why can't I just donate $25? Which, I guess I could but now I'm annoyed with the PTO - so probably won't.

Then finally there was Market Day, which if you don't know what it is - it's kindof like Schwanns with a kickback to the schools. Frozen meals - whoo-hoo! Another way to give money to the school, and oh by the way, don't forget to save your boxtops.

Day 1. Day 1.....

Anyway, the second problem (other than me being annoyed) was that Jacob was very excited that he got "a coupon for a game of Uno" at school. He wanted to go get his Uno game on Wednesday afternoon. When we got home, I realized it wasn't a coupon for an Uno game, but a coupon for Uno's pizza - if you buy the Entertainment Guide. Jacob was very upset to hear this news. (why my 5-yr old doesn't know the name of what used to be my favorite pizza place is probably testament to how our eating habits have changed since we lived in Madison). So I promised him Uno Pizza on Friday (today) so that he could use his coupon, even though it means at least one full night of indigestion.

Luckily, Brian has a $25 gift certificate for Uno's that he got last year for being in a focus group, so we don't have to buy the Entertainment Guide. As much as I complained about the cost of spring soccer - at least you did have a fundraiser buyout option.

Next post - "To spell or not to spell" the question of spelling tests....

First Day of School

Allison and Jacob went back to school today!


Allison is a Second Grader!


And Jacob is in Kindergarten!

Bay Beach

So - we found something we should have found a long time ago. On Wednesday (my last day of summer) the kids and I went up to Bay Beach amusement park in Green Bay with Jacob's friend Dominic, his mom, and his brother Evan. It's free to get in, and then the rides are either $0.25 or $0.50 each (almost all the little kids rides were a quarter. Three hours and ice cream cones for all - less than $10 total.

Here's Allison - not having any resemblance to the ride itself.....


Most of the little kid rides were variations on a theme. Central pivot point, circular motion, arm attached to .... ladybug, car, fire engine, bomber, caterpillar, boat, etc.



The big kid rides we avoided because they were things that spun (teacups and the like). There was a giant slide, Allison and I went together and she didn't like it that much. There were also bumper cars, but Allison and Jacob were not interested. Next year (?) there will be a roller coaster.



We waited a LONG time to ride the train, which was very anticlimactic. There was also a Merry-Go-Round, which Allison loved. Since I bought $15 in tickets, and we spent less than $10 - I guess we'll just have to go back.

One more paddle

We went kayaking again today. It was a beautiful day, and the lake water seemed even clearer than it usually is. We paddled to the public dock - went swimming and had a picnic - then paddled back. The kids were great until the car ride home. Too much sun... too tired... I don't know.

When we got home - we attended to a few yard issues. I cleaned out the pool (my newest plan involves draining the gross stuff to the yard rather than through the filter). It's better but still needs work. Brian also tackled the apple issue. The back of our yard is one solid layer of apples. We don't know what to do with them because there are too many for the compost bin and we don't have any hunting ground to use them to bait deer.

Love / Hate

Generally, I love calendars (they are like "To Do" lists for time). However, right now, I'm in a love/hate relationship with my Google calendar. I'm inescapably drawn to it - and yet at the same time it creates an incredible amount of panic.

My new online courses go live in 1 week - my face-to-face classes start in 2 weeks. The remaining August days are filled with all those things I wanted to get done this summer but didn't - and not the fun stuff either... the "take-the-car-in-for-that-recall" kind of stuff. You'd think that the looming deadlines and the "No, I have NOT finished that syllabus" would provide some motivation. Instead, I'm like a deer caught in the headlights with my heart racing but my legs locked. This should be a fun year.

Other fun vacation pictures

Keep the trees or not?

We have 5 large (LARGE - like 60-80 ft) cottonwoods in a strand between our house and our neighbors. Some people around the block happened to have some guys out to cut down 15 comparably large cottonwood trees today from their yard because they got concerned following the large storms that we've had this summer. So, I asked the guy to come around and give us an estimate for taking down our cottonwood trees. It was very reasonable.

So, I'm pro-ing and con-ing the trees. Pro - shade, privacy. Con - cotton, sticky pods, branches (see pic from earlier), the potential to fall on the house, the need to disassemble the pool filter twice a summer, the fouling of the air conditioner, and the moss on the roof. And one is rotting at the base.

Conscience - can I really take down 5 trees that have been there longer than we have? Then, what do we put in their place? Finally - would I rather have granite countertops? I don't like spending money on landscaping. This explains a lot about our yard.

Hailstorm picture - July 2010

New roof

We finally got an insurance adjuster out to assess the hail damage. Apparently we need new:
roof
deck box
sunroom roof
screen door
window screens
playset canopy
pool suncover
2 downspouts
and new waterproofing on the deck

The siding was in excellent condition, however. Weird, eh?

Charlotte

Vacation post #3: Things to do in Charlotte

At the beginning of our vacation, we stayed with Aunt Jeanne in Charlotte for the weekend. Mostly, we just hung out at her place or in the neighborhood swimming pool, but we did a little sightseeing.

Our Children's Museum passes from Appleton got us into the Discovery Zone center downtown. We all had a lot of fun there.

Building block towers.


Seeing frogs.


And laying on a bed of nails.

Also in Charlotte, we searched for a good BBQ place, only to learn that not updating your GPS has undesirable consequences for finding restaurants (or restaurants in Charlotte go out of business very rapidly).

The kids had fun with their cousins too - playing at the pool and at Aunt Jeanne's house. Neither would get on the top bunk of the bunk beds, though.

Surf's Up

Are there crabs?

Three years ago at the beach, Jacob would have nothing to do with the water and Allison jumped around in it. This year - it was the opposite. Though he was hesitant in the beginning - Jacob ended up loving to play in the surf, jump in the waves, ride on the raft, and especially collect the seashells. Every day he took a walk with Grandma and Grandpa up the beach to look for shells.



Allison on the other hand, did not like the salt water very much. So, she spent time playing in the sand with Barbie, and finally enjoying the waves from the relative safety of the raft.

Alert, Alert!

Vacation post #1: Jacob is hilarious!



Jacob was hilarious in the car on vacation. On the way from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach - each time we'd pass a fast food restaurant we'd hear a squeal from the backseat. "OH MY GOSH!! MOM, DAD, DID YOU SEE THAT? Guess what it was?" After a few minutes of guessing obviously wrong things... we would come around to what it was we were actually supposed to have been SUPER excited about. Mostly it was McDonald's (with an OUTDOOR playland MOM!!) or Burger King. Once, it was Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel??

It was even funnier because we weren't planning on stopping for any food (particularly fast food) - but we had four hours of fast food spotting.



The last night was even funnier. We were driving to Jacob's other favorite thing - mini-golf. It was late (past bedtime) for the kids and they were excited. All of a sudden we hear "ALERT, ALERT, ALERT!! IT'S A McDONALD'S!! ALERT ALERT!!"

I feel for the kids. They get in Mom and Dad's food catch-22. It goes like this - no fast food unless we're traveling. But then when we're traveling, we take them to places we can't get in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the kids were not wowed by Chick-fil-A - otherwise we would have eaten a lot more fast food. They did great in restaurants, though, all vacation long. They have a new funny habit of sharing / trading between their dishes. Usually it works out OK - half a grilled cheese for two small pieces of pizza - for example. Sometimes, less so - two french fries for your entree.

We did have some awesome, wonderful peaches. Who knew that there are varieties of peaches! We stopped at some place in the middle of South Carolina and bought peaches and peach bread and peach pie. Yummy!!

BTS Shopping

Well, the back to school shopping is nearly complete. This year, I decided to shop earlier - since my procrastinative tendencies the past few years have left me scrambling for some odd-brand piece of required equipment. Last year was the infamous art paper hunt. I think the school supply lists are longer than they used to be. (I also realized when talking with the babysitter the other day that I was getting dangerously close to being a "when I was a kid, the world was so different...." kind of person).

But none-the-less, the length of the supply lists can be evidenced just by the expense of finding everything - so far $200. This included all basic school supplies (pencils, folders, etc) on the list, ($130!) plus Jacob's gym shoes and Allison's new backpack. Jacob opted to used his "old" Batman backpack and Allison doesn't have new gym shoes yet. The shoes must be left at school, so they have to be a separate pair than regular tennies.

This expense also doesn't yet include any new clothes (other than gym shoes). Jacob will definitely need new pants, since he grew out of his old ones this spring. But he seems to be in a bit of a growth spurt, so I think we'll wait until the weather gets pant-friendly. You know - like mid-September.

The next step will be to write the kids initial on each and every supply. Yes, this means each colored pencil and each crayola crayon. Fun stuff.

Lyrics

The real lyrics:
"I'm gonna sing you a song and it's not too long, it's a song about a murder. My old dog killed a bullfrog and the song don't go no further."

Allison's version:
"I'm gonna sing you a song and it's not too long, it's a song about a burger. My old dog, an invisible frog, and the song don't go no further."

BTW - kids favorite songs: "Bumble Bee Song" (by Laurie Berkner) and Jacob also really likes the rendition of "Dem Bones" (Wee Hairy Beasties?) on the kids' CD Brian made years ago. His version of the lyrics go "dem bones, dem bones, dem... dry bones. Hear the word and the law." I guess it's kindof the same thing.

It'd be easier with Jesus

Dave Berry once said something to the effect that people who share their religious views with you rarely want you to share yours with them.

The kids have been full of questions lately. Questions about life and death, where babies come from and how people got to be on Earth. I try to answer the questions the best that I can - with the occasional bow out of "let's discuss that later." Today we got into evolution - which I realize that I have an understanding of but there are a few steps between "ocean full of algae" and "chimps to humans" that are missing from my version.

I also have a very nuanced ...?... view of religion. As in, I'm not in the "God Made The World, Heaven and Earth" camp. I certainly won't deny the possibility that God exists. I have a healthy appreciation for the beauty of the world, and a fascination with how it seems to be simultaneously so delicate and robust. It's simply amazing. But I don't at all subscribe to the church kind of worship God, or the "my way or the highway," black and white kind of religion. (note that I do not think *all* kinds of religions or religious people fall into that category).

The thing is - that kind of view does provide an abundance of easy answers (at least easy when you're under 10 - probably less easy as you get older). Example: how did people get on Earth? Me: well, many many many many years ago the world was mostly ocean and there was algae..... long story.... (insert frogs).... and now people live on Earth. Alternative explanation: God put us here.

This plays out repeatedly... what happens when you die? What happens when the cat dies? Why do people have babies? Where were we before we were in your tummy? Why can't I smoosh that ant?

Some people will argue that perhaps the simplest explanation is the best. However, 30+ years of asking myself what I believe and I can't simply give the kids the easy answer. I don't know why not. Eventually they will get old enough to make up their own minds about the ways of the world regardless of what I tell them now. I also know that some constructs are not easily dismantled and for whatever reason, I just can't.

So, the kids should prepare for some long stories sprinkled with a healthy dose of "you know what.... I don't know."

Camping

Pics from the weekend camping trip to Madeline Island. We stayed at the Big Bay State Park. After numerous bicycle problems were fixed by Grandpa Jim, we took a bike trip from the state park to a neat little town park. We also became good friends with DEET - as the bugs were pretty bad. They seemed to oscillate between swarms of flies and swarms of mosquitoes. Many people had netted dining canopies, which would have been a good idea.

Jacob doing his favorite "throw rocks into the lake."


Allison and Jacob overlooking the lagoon.


We also went to the beach. Allison really enjoyed playing in the sand. She was covered head to toe.


And the kids went swimming in Lake Superior. The bay was very shallow, which kindof warmed it up a little. The water was also crystal clear, which was neat.


Here are the kids waiting for the ferry to get to the Island.

An expensive lesson in honesty

So - I'm curious if anyone has thoughts on this story. One morning about two weeks ago, Allison colored in a library book. I almost posted something about that morning - it was a morning sans ritalin and filled with many of the *poor choice* behaviors that seem to be less frequent these days. Another post for another day.... and I'm not suggesting that lack of aligned brain chemistry excuses the poor choices.... as is evidenced by the rest of the story.

So, anyway, Allison had colored in the Lola character in the Charlie and Lola book blue on three pages (of a 24 page book). Brian and I talked to her about how you have to treat books with respect - particularly library books because other kids will use them to. To reinforce this lesson, we (I?) decided she should tell the librarian what had happened. So we took the library book back to return it and notified the desk librarian. We told him it was colored in, and he made a comment to the effect of "I'm sure it wasn't *you*, right?" and we said "no - it was." He seemed a bit taken aback that we were admitting to the offense. He made a note, said that if there was going to be a fine it would show up on her account, and said that it based on the coloring (3 blue heads on 3 pages) he didn't really expect any fine at all.

Well, there was a fine - $17. The library had decided the book needed to be replaced at a cost of $17. This also effectively froze her account. Because we had gone this far with it, I had her take the $17 out of her piggy bank and today we went to the library. I checked to make sure the $17 was really for replacement of the book and the librarian (different one) very gravely told me that the blue color could not be erased and therefore the book must be replaced.

Additionally, since her account had been frozen (preventing me from renewing things before vacation) and the library had the wrong e-mail account information in it (so I was not receiving any notifications on her account) she had also accumulated another $7.50 in fines. So Allison paid her $17 and I paid the $7.50 in fines. For this $24.50 - Allison got to keep the original book she colored in. This made Allison very happy and me annoyed. I was annoyed anyway and then to have a very positive reward for her at the end of the tunnel that was supposed to teach her that if she couldn't respect library property then there was going to be a LOSS of privileges....... Ugh.

We COULD have returned it and it would have staying in circulation - probably without any complaints from other patrons. One part of me knows that it is important to be honest and face the appropriate consequences. But another part of me (the part that is trying to teach an important lesson to a 7-yr old) wishes that there was a more moderate fine (maybe $5-$10) that wouldn't have resulted with her getting to take home the book. But now that we've paid $24.50 for it - what do we do?

Playdate RIP

I am almost ready to officially call a close to our "playdate" lives. One, I think that the kids are a little old and tend simply to say "I have a friend coming over" rather than "I have a playdate." More though, our summer has been filled with a much more fluid type of friend play.

The neighbors hired a babysitter to stay home with their kids (8,6,5) this summer - and so almost every day the kids are playing together. Until this week, our mornings have been filled with summer school - but immediately after lunch either Allison and Jacob are knocking on the neighbor's door or Grace and Lucas are knocking on ours. (unfortunately - we have no counterpart to their oldest son, Ben, though Allison once helpfully offered to let him play with Astro).

It's odd that (generally speaking) having 4 kids in the house is less work than two. Typically, the girls are off doing one thing and the boys another - happy to play with someone to whom they are not related. And today - Allison and Grace cleaned and organized Allison room (closet included) so they could set up a play shop and then they took turns alternatively being shopkeeper and shopper. They even emptied the coins out of Allison's piggy bank and got a notebook to keep track of sales.

It took me a little while to get used to, and my biggest gripe may be that Allison and Jacob always offer to provide the snacks, but overall I think I like "playdate"-less world a bit better.

Wanna join us in bed too?

I think we're going to refinance (thanks for the heads up on low rates Bruce and Sue). I called our current lender and his quote was so-so: probably worth doing but not wonderful. So I called a few other local lenders and found a great rate with a nearby credit union. So, the mortgage lady sent me a checklist of information they need with our application.

I'm looking over this list thinking - really?? Brian says that in the post-housing bubble / stock market tumble / mortgage scam world the banks are getting more picky. I think it's a little excessive for a refinance. They want two years of taxes, 2 years of W-2, bank statements, current pay stubs, IRA and all retirement statements, homeowners insurance information, current mortgage statement, property tax bill, and an application form listing all other assets and liabilities. It's going to be one big-a** pdf.

BOGO

One of our summer activities has been the reading program at the Appleton Public Library. The kids get these sheets and they color in a square every time they read for 15 minutes. Every 7 squares you can earn a prize. The kids love it - Jacob even asks "Can we do 15-minute reading?"

We did this program last year too - and the prizes ranged from pencils, to small notepads, to a coupon for a free kids meal at Texas Road House. Unfortunately - this year - the prizes seem to be much more of the latter and much less of the former. So far (and the kids are on week 7-8 because Allison is one week ahead of Jacob), they've gotten a coupon for a free kids meal at Fazoli's, a free kids meal at Texas Roadhouse, and a free pretzel from Auntie Annie's. Nevermind that to "cash in" these coupons, you have to buy an adult meal at Fazoli's, Tezas Roadhouse, and a second pretzel at Auntie Annie's.

Should we really be encouraging our kids to eat out at Fast Food establishments? And what kind of prize is it when it ends up costing you money to redeem it? (We still have last year's Texas Roadhouse coupons too because it's very low on my list of places to eat out should we ever get the opportunity to eat out). I know that the library probably takes whatever local businesses will give them, but it's too bad this is all they could wrangle up this year.

If we add the week that the kids got a free day pass to the state park (which I'm not fundamentally opposed to - it's just that we have a yearly pass already and the kids - who are usually very excited to get their prizes - were like "what's this?") that makes half of the weeks so far where the prizes were coupons of some variety.

Allison and Jacob would probably be more than happy to show up each week and get a sticker for their efforts (week 3's prize). Their favorite so far - week 1's little bouncy ball.

Where, oh where

has my little dog gone, oh where, oh where can he be?

Astro had an adventure. After being accidentally (and unknowingly) being let out of the back deck gate - he went missing. I looked via car. We looked via bike (we being me, Allison, Jacob, neighbors Ben, Grace, and Lucas). And then we looked again via car. No Astro.

Astro gets let out accidentally more than he should. We could call this an accident waiting to happen. I had a bad feeling about this time - don't know why - most of the time I simply wait for him to wander home. But none of the neighbors had seen him, it was hot out, and his permanent dog tag still has a Fondy phone #.

Finally, around 5pm, I call the Humane Society. No dog, but they helpfully took a lost dog report and suggested I call the police department to check on dog reports. So my next call was to the police. Yes, we did pick up a dog matching that description from your neighborhood about an hour and a half ago. Meanwhile, the Humane Society is calling me back - presumably to say "hey - we found your dog!"

So - hurray - let's go pick him up. But wait.... to pick up the dog you need two things (1) a current rabies shot (which I think is no problem) and (2) a current city license, which we don't have. But, luckily, I can pick up a license from the police department on my way to pick up the dog - provided I can prove a current rabies vaccination. Ok - I dig out the rabies sheet and - viola - it expired on June 26th. This is why I had "Make Dog Vet Appointment" on my "To do" list. Ok - so now I have neither a license or a current rabies shot. Crap.

Another phone call to the police department, silently I'm thankful that Appleton is kindof like a big, small town and the police department has nothing to do but answer questions from irresponsible pet owners like me. I can still get a license if I prepay for a rabies shot at my vet. This is about when two other things happen - Brian calls, and Allison decides to squirt purple lotion all over the upstairs hallway carpet in an attempt to thwart whatever evil plot Jacob had concocted to get in her room. So Brian goes to pay the vet for a rabies shot - it's now 5:40pm and the vet closes at 6 and the humane society at 7. Astro is getting closer to a night in the slammer.

With prepaid receipt in hand, I go to the police station (good to now know where that is), then to the humane society to pick up the dog. I fill out numerous forms, which probably puts me on some "you will never be able to adopt a pet from the humane society you irresponsible pet owner you" list, pay my $96, and take Astro home. A costly adventure.

Fireworks

The kids finally got a chance to "do what adults do" which is Allison and Jacob speak for staying up late. We went with friends to see the Neenah community fireworks last night. We typically don't do 4th of July fireworks - so we were unprepared. Lucky for us, our friends were prepared.

Things we didn't think of that they (fortunately) did:
1) laying out tarp in advance for good seating
2) bringing snacks
3) bringing water
4) bringing glow necklaces to avoid a $5 charge for buying them there



The fireworks were good. There was also a "boat parade" beforehand that reminded me a little too much of the Motor Boat Club 4th of July boat parade. The kids went to bed when we got home without much fuss. They slept in to the ripe old time of 7:00am.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone is having a happy 4th of July. Our weekend has been pretty good so far. Yesterday, we started off our morning at some friends' house watching World Cup and drinking vodka way too early in the am. Then we were invited to the Jellystone Park to swim, play mini golf, and cookout with Jacob's friend Dominic and his family.

Today we cleared bunches of branches and baby trees from the cottonwood stand and shoveled much of the mulch we ordered. One more major yard area to tackle - the apple and pine corner. We're just about to head over to another friend's house for a cookout and possibly to watch some fireworks. Happy, busy, and productive weekend!

Free Time

So this post is to document a number of kids' antics. I write these things and then think back to a conversation I had back when Allison was doing the counselor / play therapy and I lamented that it was challenging to leave her alone any time. The woman (helpfully?) told me that I should "remind her of the rules of the room before you leave" and I thought to myself that I could never possibly come up with enough rules to cover the things she could come up with. Plus, two years later, she now has a willing accomplice.....

Monday - I get up and go to meet my friend at Fox for early morning exercise (it's our week off boot camp). Brian goes into the shower and the kids are playing nicely in their rooms. Brian comes out of the shower and the kids are nicely discussing what they wanted for a morning show. During the time between those two points - they had decided to have an "egg and spoon race" in the kitchen with about 8-9 raw eggs. Allison says "if you drop one and it cracks, you just get another."

Last week (and Brian and I calculated later than this could have been in the span of no more than 15 minutes) between when Brian left and it was time to take Jacob to summer school - Allison had created a spiderweb with two whole containers of dental floss in my room and then completely "painted" her hand in fingernail polish.

Getting Local

There are many great things about June. It's finally warm, school is out, and the farmer's market is open. We've enjoyed getting closer to our food supply. Two weekends ago, the farmer's market opened for the year. We also went and picked two flat of strawberries at a local farm. They mostly ended up frozen, as I wasn't really up for making jam and syrup this year.



This past Saturday we hit the farmer's market again (and found some wonderful rum cake). On Sunday we had Breakfast on the Farm in Poy Sippi, WI. They had a great breakfast of pancakes, hash browns, ham, and cheese. There was also a small petting zoo and you could tour the dairy barn. I learned that dairy cows can calf anytime of the year and that the mama cow gets two months "off" before the birth of her calf. The kids got to climb in a pen with a very weary baby cow, and pet a huge rabbit.

In need of a tape recorder

Sometimes I wish I had a tape recorder to keep track of the things the kids say - particularly Jacob. Today in the car it was this:

"Only boys can be pirates. Boys are awesome, and girls are pretty, and pirates are cool. So that's why only boys can be pirates."

Or the other day when the bath water was not sufficiently deep:

"the amount of water in this tub is called 'too low'."

Boot camp

Boot camp is kicking my butt. I signed up this summer for the YMCA Boot Camp, Tu-Th mornings at 6am. Two of my friends signed up too - so, you know, we couldn't hit the snooze button and decide for another hour of sleep. This week is the third week, and I am clearly much more out of shape than I care to admit. I probably am benefiting greatly from going. But - good grief - next YMCA session, I'm going to find myself a nice water aerobics class.

Brownie Scout

Allison had her "bridging ceremony" from daisy scouts to brownies last week. The girls walked over a bridge and then all together said the girl scout pledge - which has changed only a little since I was in girl scouts. Then there was an ice cream sundae building party. Allison's sundae had chocolate sauce, M&Ms, gummy bears, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and strawberries on it. I suspect there was some ice cream in the bowl too - but that's really an assumption.