new day, new attitude

Fresh perspective on life today. Thanks for your sweet concern, Stephanie and Jessica. The tea and cookie frosting sort of helped - not really, though. What DID help was watching my boys at their wrestling class (they love it so and always look over for my reaction when they do a good move - makes me feel so good that they still want mama-love) and then going to my Bunko group. Actually, on the way to Bunko I was thinking, "I'm not really into this tonight. Maybe I'll scoot out early with an excuse of a headache or something." And then I had a glass on wine. And, then one more. And, ahhhhhhh... Some good laughs and all was better in my world.

Then, after Bunko, I drove past your house, Jessica, and that made me happy too. Because, at 11 pm, your lights were on and it looked very warm and cozy and ALIVE in there. I smiled at the thought of you and David, up late together, enjoying some wine and watching a good show together.

Today will be a fun day for me -- which also helps the attitude. My old, old friend whom I have the most fun with in the world is having her annual holiday luncheon. This party has been many sizes and types, but lately (and this year), it's my favorite size. 8 of us, eating way too much, drinking even more, getting very silly in the middle of the day. This is certainly one of my favorite days in the year. Bob will come home early, and I'll head over around noon. I promised to bring a little appy, so I'm off to the kitchen to create!

Here's to a happy day for us all!

wow (and not in a good way)

Ever had one of those moments when just the littlest thing put you over the edge? Out of the blue all of these emotions come flying out of nowhere? And all of a sudden, you are down in the laundry room, hiding from the children, crying and cursing the world?

I am trying to collect myself so I can go back to frosting christmas cookies. I have NPR on and am going to brew up a cup of tea. It's really not a big deal - REALLY it's not - but I just want to go upstairs and hide under my covers.

boring, and loving it

• Finn recently asked me who the first person was in the world. I totally dig discussions like this -- not because I am even close to having an answer, much less an answer to satisfy a 6 year old, but because it's fun to explore such huge topics with my kids and hear what their thinking is. Anyway, I did a little creationism vs. evolutionism bit, and, in the process, while discussing God, I called her a she. Because, it's always bothered me that, if we are to assign a gender to God, why do we give maleness to her? When I made this shift personally a few years ago, I felt like I could wrap my mind around God a lot more. I'm sort of more into disorganized religion than organized religion -- hey! I just made that up, but it kind of works! But, back to the story at hand, when Finn was later talking about it all, he very matter-of-factly referred to God as a she. This may be offensive to some, but I loved it.
• We have been baking cookies for christmas. I have some safely tucked away in the freezer, but I decided to live life on the edge last night and allow the family to eat some of the cut-out cookies we made last night.
• During last week's snowstorm, in between shoveling and baking cookies, I made a double batch of praline syrup and canned it. This syrup is yummy on ice cream. I'm thinking about giving it to the kids' teachers as a present -- maybe that and a bar of homemade soap.
• We've been watching a lot of movies lately. Tis the season to "get cozy" under blankets and watch movies together! The kids have thoroughly enjoyed Home Alone and Home Alone 2 - both thanks to the library. On Netflix, Bob and I watched Donnie Brasco. Nothing like a NYC mobster flick to bring a couple together. I also watched Funny People the other night after Bob fell asleep. It's not the best movie I've ever seen, that's for sure, but something about it has hung with me. I like that feeling.
• I started knitting. I knitted a scarf for Enzo this past weekend. It's full of mistakes and it's probably too bulky for him to ever wear comfortably, but I'm pleased with it. I'm working on a scarf for Finn now. Alex's scarf is next. Wow, we're a big scarf family, you are probably thinking. Nope, not at all, but I'm really enjoying the process. Perhaps I'll post pictures soon.
• And, in reviewing this post, I'm reminded at how completely boring and normal my life is. Baking. Knitting. Canning. Kids' movies. I am so lucky and blessed to have such banality.

recent haps, yo

We've been good-busy.

making mad faces...

going to our friends' farm....
to cut down our christmas tree...
losing a front tooth...
playing in the snow...
(did I mention snow? only a whopper of a snowstorm!)...
and then frigid cold temps, which made a beautiful picture on a crisp morning (see the moon in between the branches?).
I love our front deck, even snow covered. Those chairs remind me that leisurely summer days aren't too far away (are they????).

oops

So, I posted this ridiculously over-the-top gushy post about how much I loved my kids and my husband and my life, and then, shortly after posting it, it ALL fell apart over here and I came back down to earth. You know - it's all ok, just the normal kind of falling apart, but it made me reconsider all of earlier gushiness. Note to self -- don't post when on some Friday-afternoon-early-holiday-cozy-and-warm-possibly-also-hormonal high, because the high pops and then I just feel silly.

So there.

A couple of random thoughts:

I'm looking forward to the snowstorm this week. I got a great recipe from my bookclub friend last night. It's the perfect food for a cold, blustery winter night. Meatball Oven Stew. If I were smarter, I'd figure out how to post the recipe, but y'all will just have to wonder. Unless you ask. And then I can just type it out.

I went to my December bookclub mtg last night. Love my bookclub. We are starting our 17th year together! We just read Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. The voice of the book is a dog, named Enzo! It was a sweet story, and I recommend it.

Off to Trader Joe's!

out of the closet

I came out to a dear friend today. This friend is one of my oldest, certainly one of my best-est friends. I have known her since we were kids, and we were in each others' weddings a million years ago, but I have really fallen in love with her wonderfulness since becoming a mom. I talk with her most days. She knows, next to Bob, I suppose, the most about my daily life. From the little to the big moments, I look forward to sharing them with this friend. And so, it has felt a little weird keeping this blog from her. But, I'm a little shy about it, and I was a little shy to tell her. I took the risk and she received it well (of course she would!). So, welcome friend. I hope you enjoy reading about what I most certainly have already told you about on the phone or in person. :)

One more comment about this friend -- we are normally pregnant when we get all maudlin and carry on about how important we are to each other. I'm not pregnant, nor is she (ARE YOU? kidding!), but I do want to officially state, in this blog post, how important you are to me. I so appreciate your perspective, your sense of humor, your opinions - even (especially?) when they don't agree with mine. I love your family, and I wish your sisters were mine (I have none). Your mom is fabulous. Your children are so sweet and lovely and kind and good.

Everyone should have a friend like this.

OK, enough of that. Here are some photos of the week...

I made ANOTHER batch of soap, and I'm getting more and more pleased with how these are turning out. This one is honey-oatmeal-goat's milk. No strong scent (no essential oils), but I think it will produce a nice soothing lather. (that's enzo's paw in there)

Here is that super cute bingo card, gratis from Stephanie over at built to last. Alex is rather bothered that the free space doesn't have a bingo chip on it, but I think it's perfect as is. It lives on my fridge and I love it.
And here is my newly painted little first floor bathroom (formerly a closet). After many mis-steps with paint color, we finally settled on chocolate brown, and I love it. It looks rather handsome, n'est-ce pas?
And finally, I realize that I was TOTALLY remiss in not mentioning another friend who was at the Craftacular last weekend. Jessica, at www.chasingbeagles.blogspot.com, was selling sweet little frenchie-type objets d'art. Her table was adorable. Almost as adorable as she is. I was lucky enough to chat with her for a moment and then run into her husband and 4 kiddos. I hope the Craftacular will have space for her daughter Zola's stuff next year -- she is a budding artist too!

briefly...

so much to say, so little time to say it. I have 9 minutes before it's time to leave for the guys. I want to post a picture or maybe two, but my camera battery died. sigh... (and I just wasted 30 seconds typing that.)

It was a super great thanksgiving weekend, filled with food and family and friends and little chores around the house getting done. Bob and I had a date and did some Christmas shopping. The kids had play dates, and it was soooo nice to get them out of the house (!!!) and off doing something happy. We went to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum in downtown Milwaukee on Sunday, which was fabulous, as always. Here's hoping the new Madison Children's museum is a little more interesting in their new space.

But a moment I have to blog about is meeting a blog-friend in person at the Craftacular. I love going to this craft show. It's so sweet and lovely and handmade and local. Plus, I once went to a pretty fun wedding in this space, so it brings back fond memories. Anyway, I met Stephanie over at www.wewerebuilttolast.blogspot.com in person after blog stalking her for a while (ha ha). It was nice to put an in-person face with blog pix and words, and the stuff she was selling there was as sweet as she is. I left and realized I had comments/questions that I didn't address (your kids are so cute and funny, how is the pregnancy?, when are you due?, isn't it HARD being pregnant with your third kid? (was for me, at least), how do I get my picture up on my banner with my blog title as well?, how do you refer to other posts/websites without typing them out?) but maybe another time. And, Stephanie, thanks so much for the bingo card! I have had to beat my children to keep them from trying to move the markers. It's adorable. I wish I would have insisted to pay for it, but instead I'll take your generosity graciously. Muchas gracias!

And ding! time is UP!

happiness is...

learning a new hobby (soap making, colored with tumeric and scented with lemon and orange)

Newly built shelves stocked with canned goodies from this years' harvest

family game night

a happy doggie outside in the sunshine

being able to hang out in jammies and rain boots all day long and make pretend phone calls

chicago weekend

So, on Saturday Alex turned 9 (!!!), and we decided to head down to Chicago for the day. First, we stopped at Dave and Busters. I decided that that place is pretty much my idea of hell, but the boys love it (sigh). So I endured, barely, and then MY idea of fun started.

We walked down to Michigan Ave to check out the Festival of Lights festival, or Millionaire Mile Lights Festival, or something like that. Parade, crowds, big city noise and excitement, ending in fireworks.

Enzo started off a little reluctant...

We finally convinced him to soldier on, and, when we got to Michigan Avenue, we bought light sabers from a street vendor. I normally shun these purchases (crappy toys from street vendors AND weapon-toys for my children), but I got caught up in the moment and actually RAN DOWN the street vendor to buy them. I also tried my best to argue down the price, but to no avail... Anyway, once armed, the boys were content to do battle up and down Michigan Avenue.

We were all so happy to be together there in downtown Chicago, celebrating Alex's birthday.

We didn't make it to the fireworks. The parade was taking a looong time to make its way down Michigan Avenue, so we decided to turn around and head to the car. All in all, I think we walked about 3 miles, and Mr 3 year old walked about half of it. Suffice it to say, we were all tired by the time we got back to the car.

Alex declared it "one" of the best birthdays ever. I agree!!!

briefly...

We have a fun, busy weekend coming up. On Saturday, which is also Alex's ninth b'day (more on that in a future post), we are going to Chicago to see the sights, which may also include the festival of lights on Michigan Avenue and fireworks at night. On Sunday, we are hosting Alex's football party and their families for a post-season celebration party. I suppose about 30-40 people will be coming. So, since we'll be gone all day on Saturday, I've been spending today getting ready for the party... by sorting thru the basement laundry room. Because, of course, the nine year old boys coming to the party will notice a tidy and organized laundry room... Why is it that when I get the urge to do that throw out/goodwill sorting is exactly when I should be doing some other, more pressing house duty?

weekend review

I'm a little behind around here. Let's review the weekend, shall we?

On Saturday morning, Finn and I walked down to school for Marvelous Math Morning (Alex opted out and I did not invite little Enzo). The math part was ok - fine - but I just really really REALLY enjoyed hanging out one-on-one with my Finn for a couple of hours. We played Yahtzee there (!!) and did some other little math type of activities, and then we saw a guy blowing bubbles do some cool things and talk about shapes and the math and science with bubbles. We had a leisurely walk home hand-in-hand. It was lovely.

During Saturday afternoon, it seemed like things were kind of quiet around here, so I took off for a bit by myself. I picked up some books on hold at the library, and then I went to a pawn shop just to check it out. I've never been to a pawn shop before, and I was curious. It was fairly creepy in a very desperate way. I felt very sad for the people and things that were in there. There were tons of guitars and a few video game systems and fancy tvs (that didn't bother me too much), but then there was a whole shelf of tools and some vacuums. That bothered me. If you're pawning your tools and vacuum, things must be rough. I plan to never return.

Later that afternoon, we went to a turkey dinner at a neighborhood church. We don't attend this church, but some sweet neighbors do, and this is our second year attending. The food was fine, but I most enjoyed the atmosphere. There were many neighbors there - most I recognized, and some I just met for the first time. People were happy and friendly, and it was nice fellowship. After we ate, Bob popped into the kitchen to help out with dish washing. The kids were kind of running wild with a good buddy of theirs and the other kids who were there, so I decided to check on them.

And this is when I come upon THE SCENE. Alex was hiding in the bottom of the stair case. Finn and friend were sneaking down the stairs, and other kids were skidaddling out of there too. And then there was Enzo. The pastor was talking firmly (sorta yelling, actually) to the kids about not running in the stairs, and Enzo stood his ground and talked right back to her. Sorta yelled, actually. "It is NOT SAFE for you or others to run up and down these stairs!" she said. "If you say that, the POLICE will come and SHOOT YOU," replied Enzo. I quickly intervened and apologized profusely to the pastor and tried to shush Enzo out of there, but the pastor made sure to tell me that he was being VERY RUDE. My first inclination was to respond, "he's just three" but I held my tongue.

Since then, I've been reflecting on this. Do I excuse his behavior too much because "he's just three"? He's a very strong-willed child, not afraid to speak his mind, however inappropriate it is. But, in addition to being pretty rude at times, he can also be very sweet and charming. So, although I think the pastor was a little out of line saying that (mostly because we don't have a relationship with her, so it felt a bit heavy handed and unnecessary), I'm thankful that she did since it's given me an opportunity to reconsider how I view his behavior.

Back to the weekend... On Sunday, we met up with some old friends whom we haven't seen in way way too long. Our oldest two kids are the same ages (and they stopped at two), and this is the mom whom I bonded with during those loooooong days nearly 9 years ago as a brand new mama. This mom and I would spend hours sitting in the same room together, gazing at our new babies, marveling at/worrying over every aspect of our babies. In many ways, she was my lifeboat, since she was right there with me on that strange and scary journey. I will always feel so fondly about this family. So, we met again -- this time, going to their youngest son's hockey game. We picked up right off from when we last talked (which was months ago), and I was thrilled to see that the kids also jumped right back into their friendships. What a wonderful day. Filled my heart with joy.

and one more...

so just when I declare that I have no one tidy little comment about Alex, he goes and does this...

We have this virtual post-its on our computer screen. I sat down on the computer last night and found he typed me a post-it. "Dear mom, I love you more then (sic) the ocean. love, Alex" and then another one. "Dear mom, I love you so much more then the gamecube and the ocean. love, Alex". And today? A new one. "Mom, What is 8+8+5+2+10+500+1? Use the calculator to help you find your answer. Love you, Alex"

Love it.

lovely little things

This picture was taken when we were apple picking about a month ago. This reminds me that I have another bushel of apples to make into sauce. We drove back out there this past weekend to pick more, but alas, self-pick was closed for the year. I bought a bushel of Jonamac apples, which I will combine with a bag of Empires that we haven't eaten yet (from the month-ago trip), and hopefully we will have enough sauce for winter. We do love our apple sauce.

I want this blog to remind me of little moments that I'm afraid I'll forget in the blur of daily life. So, here's an attempt to record one or two.

Finn's take home journal, which we get every Friday (he writes in it and then we write back over the weekend), has contained the sweetest little notes to, well, everyone in the family. To Dash the doggy, he wrote "you mack me hape" (happy). To me, he wrote, "I lov having a dog" and "I hop (hope) you hav a god lif" (good life). He can be quite the tenderheart underneath all that boyness.

Yesterday, when I told Enzo that we were going to stay at the playground to play for a bit afterschool, he jumped up for joy and said, "you got the power, mom!" Also, yesterday Enzo painted a couple of notes for his brothers and had me write what the notes said. Basically, he was telling them that they were his best friends, he was proud of them, and he loved them (well, technically, he loves Alex and likes Finn).

As far as Alex goes, I don't have one specific anecdote, which, I suppose, is a bit reflective of his age. But lately, I have been overwhelmingly proud of how well he is doing in and out of school. He seems to have adjusted to the transition of 3rd grade very, very well. He is a smart and kind kid. I got him to sit on my lap the other night as a joke, and I found myself getting a little teary eyed. My little baby is gone. I feel like he's on the brink of some big developmental changes (wanting more privacy with his body, being more private about his life, thinking that Bob and I are kind of dorky and annoying) -- all normal pre-teen stuff, I know. I will love that journey too but I can't believe how fast the time has flown.

It's all good. It macks me happy.

President Obama's visit to Madison

On Wednesday, President Obama visited Madison. It was the first time in nearly 60 years that a sitting president visited Madison. He came to a middle school less than a mile from our house to talk about a new education initiative. The city was all abuzz about his visit, and I caught a little of the Obama fever. I decided that Enzo and I would walk on over to see what we could see.

First, a very official looking helicopter, protecting the restricted air space, I suppose. It circled overhead prior to Obama's arrival.

And there he is! (I think) We were waiting about a block or so from the school and I decided to walk in the middle of the street to see what I could see. I stopped to take out my camera and I realized - hey! There's the motorcade! There were dozens of Madison police cars and motorcycles, a bunch of white SUVs and then a couple of presidential looking limos. He was in one of them, maybe it was this one!

As soon as the president arrived, the snipers popped up on top of the roof of the school. Although I totally understand and appreciate their job, their presence kind of gave me the willies. Not a job I would wish for my boys to someday have.
I was standing with a bunch of good old Madison liberal hippies. It was a fairly small crowd (100 or so) but there was good energy, some spirited chanting, and signs. Lots of signs.

halloween

Blog catch-up over the last few days.

Lots of Yahtzee is being played. I've tried to introduce some fresh games (monopoly, chutes and ladders, boggle) to no avail. I'm not complaining -- yahtzee is fun and quick and actually making Finn's and Alex's math facts come pretty quickly lately (look - I have 4 threes, that's 12!). I'm just trying to be prepared for when we all hit that yahtzee wall.

Here's some proof that Dash is still with us.
We carved pumpkins. Well, first we grew them on at the farm. And then we brought them home and carved them. Oh, and we roasted the seeds - a first for me. Yummy!
And finally, halloween costumes. Rain cloud (with a squirt gun for rain - ha ha), superman, and leaf pile. Rain cloud and leaf pile were assembled last minute with materials on hand. Love it.

football tournament

Last Saturday, Alex had a football tournament, which concluded the football season. It was cold, and the tension was THICK. For the first time in our flag football lives, the score was officially kept, and wow did that make a difference for coaches, players and parents. Especially coaches and parents.

Alex played great. He was center for all three (yes, three) games. His snaps were unbelievable. Only one went a little haywire, and that was due to the brisk wind. They were a thing of beauty, those snaps of his. Alex also grabbed some key flags -- one which stopped the opposing team from getting the game tied and going into overtime.

Overall, the team played really, really well together. They were tight. Plays were fairly complex and good. We had some thrilling plays with long touchdown runs and two interceptions. The coaches (and some parents) weren't so impressive, unfortunately. I will mostly blame one opposing team's coach in particular, even though our coach yelled something very inappropriate during a tense moment between that other coach and the ref. I'm taking the tactic that, although I don't like it, it's all just going to get more and more intense if the guys continue in sports, so we should get used to it.

And, the best part of this report is that Alex's team (the Packers!!!) won the entire tournament! They were very proud, as were we. What a fun and exciting day!

Enzo and Finn were total troopers during this day-long event. They never complained once about how their entire Saturday was spent outside, in the cold and wind, watching their big brother.
It was a great day!

football highlights reel #2

and, here is finn's. the song choice is his.

football highlight reel #1

I put together a bunch of highlights from alex's football game last weekend. After his spectacular touchdown run, he spiked the ball (!!!) which resulted in a penalty and some stern words from his coach. He was acting silly about it at first, but now he's very embarrassed and would not let me include it in the video. Although I suggested he follow all of the rules of the game, I also told him that I appreciated the sentiment behind the spike -- he was proud of his touchdown and wanted to celebrate. Just maybe next time do it a little more low-key. Alex has a big football tourney this weekend. Can't wait - should be a FUN day.

Finn's football highlight reel will be forthcoming.

applesauce

well, dear reader(s), last Monday, the guys and I went apple picking (as referenced in a previous post). We picked the windfalls off of the ground.

We put them in the bags we brought from home.
A couple of days later, I started the applesauce process. Can you smell the apples simmering? I love that smell in our house.
And here we are! 23 1/2 quarts of applesauce, put up for winter. I don't think this will get us very far (we are big applesauce fans in this house), so we have plans to make more this weekend with some friends.

the funk is starting to lift

I've been in a funk for most of this month. I've decided that October is just a hard month for me, and THIS October, in particular, has been "wooper" (to quote Enzo) hard. I'm sure our lousy weather contributes to my blue mood. I hit bottom on Saturday and kind of fell apart. Bob swooped in and gently suggested I head out for some alone time, which I gratefully took him up on.

I spent a few hours of Saturday afternoon at Borders, which is such a luxury it's silly. I rarely buy books, but to leisurely browse thru a book store without a little person distracting me was just SO what I needed. I actually did buy a couple of books (primarily because I had some in-store credit to use up), but more importantly, I was able to re-center. I came back home in a much better frame of mind, and, fortunately, today my mood was better.

I suppose it's good to nurse old wounds. To find strength in broken places. To honor some old emotional scars. But it's also good to be in a sunnier place.

what a day...

This morning, I was leisurely talking with Mary Beth, my sis-in-law, about Christmas present ideas for my kids. Enzo was climbing around the couch, and I had half an eye on him while I was chatting. He opened the window. I turned my back and the next time I turned around, he was gone. Missing from the room. Evidently, he pressed against the screen and fell out. Fortunately it's a first floor window and the drop was only a few feet. He seemed more surprised and mad than truly hurt.

Then, about 20 minutes later, I was on the computer -- same room as Enzo, same room as the aforementioned incident. He was back up on the back of that couch, climbing around. I wasn't paying much attention to him, and then I heard him cry out in pain. He was holding something up to me. What? What IS that? Looks like a little tooth. But, why would Enzo be holding a little tooth in his hand? (these are the thoughts that ran through my head) As I rushed over to him while the blood was streaming out of his mouth, I realized, indeed, it was one of his teeth. I figured out from him that he wrapped the cord from the window coverings around his tooth (??) and fell down, thus ripping his tooth from his skull. Fortunately, it was a clean extraction -- root and all came out -- so no need to head into the dentist today (ironically, the guys all have dentist appts tomorrow). The bleeding stopped fairly quickly, and, after a dose of tylenol for pain relief, he seems perfectly fine. That is, until he smiles and you see his gap.

And the beat goes on...

apple picking

Yesterday was a GLORIOUS day. Finally, we had average temps and sunshine, so I decided it would be a perfect day to take the boys apple picking. It's one of my favorite activities of the year.

(I'm still trying to figure out how to post pictures to this thing, so these are out of order)

Here is Enzo, barefoot, trying to plant a stick into the dirt. This is one of his favorite activities lately. Love.

Finn asked me to take a picture of the sheep on the hillside. The apple farmers also raise the sheep for their wool, which they spin into yarn and then sell in their shop. I think they may also sell the meat.

And, here are the boys, trucking up the big hill on the way to pick apples. We picked 4 bags, which will be transformed into apple sauce once I get a going in the kitchen.
I just love this orchard (Door Creek Orchard outside of Cottage Grove). It's my secret dream to own this place to live here and sell apples. It seems like such a sweet life. I was talking with the owner -- not disclosing my secret -- and he and his wife have owned it for 26 years. The house on grounds, which looks lovely from the outside, was built in 1860 and it used to be a Norweigian dairy farm with about 40 head of cattle. Sure seems like the good life.

(by the way, how does one spell "norweigian"?)

announcement

Ahem. CTTM has now two, that's TWO (NOT including me!) readers. Rome wasn't built in a day, folks.

The picture above doesn't relate to the post. I just wanted to see if I knew how to post a picture again. But, now that it's out there, I have been considering this picture for the christmas card. Opinions?

I wish to address a comment from my newest reader, "mark". "mark" asked about the name of this blog, suggesting that the moon wasn't a very desirable place and therefore, why would one want to crawl there. I look a the phrase in a different light -- one speaking of endurance and determination in reaching a goal, which I demonstrate on a regular basis as a mother. "I'll make it to the moon if I have to crawl" is what Anthony Kiedes sings, and that line from that song often is in my head as I'm going through my day. I could have named the blog "waiting for the toaster" or "looking for lost shoes" (both of which I've done in the past 30 minutes AND everyday since becoming a mother) but those don't seem quite as poetic. So, "mark", I hope this answers your question. And I think "swimming to the mountaintop" would be a great name for a blog.

Hey, did you notice that? I bolded great.

Yesterday, also known as my 41st birthday, was very nice. Enzo and I visited Grandma O, and she was in good spirits and seemed a bit like her old self. She was wearing black nylon stockings with her shoes, and Enzo was a little concerned about her black feet, which caused Grandma to laugh heartily, which caused ME to laugh heartily. The moment was a bit bittersweet, because I kept listening for Pop's hearty laugh to join in, but those are moments in life. After Grandma, we did go shopping and I did buy 2 sweaters and 2 shirts (!!) and I considered a purse but did not buy one. After the guys came home from school, I built a fire in the fireplace and lazily sat with the doggie on my lap, reading my book (Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Aushlander, a memoir by a guy who is often on This American Life - good book). Mom and Dad stopped by with some birthday cheer, and Bob came home and prepared dinner for the kids. All in all, a lovely little day.

And this is where it goes south. I was getting ready to head out the door for bunko, and I lost my footing on the stairs and fell, twisting my ankle again. Same ankle I twisted on the walk to school the other day. Still hurts today, and I'm limping a bit. I suppose I will heal but this may put my olympic dreams off a bit. I went to bunko and had a nice time but did not win a thing. So, I'm pretty sure turning 41 is bad luck for me.

I"m going to try to post a picture below this text. Let's see if it works!

Hmm, they at the top of this posting. I don't understand... (on one of our last days at the pool this summer, Finn decided to try the 12 feet deep water. True Finn fashion, he jumped in, fearless, and loved the thrill. After a short time, he was going off the diving board - wowee!)

Time's up - off to Friday chores!

blah

It's a gloomy, rainy week around here. Not much happening out of the ordinary -- school for the guys, speech and Birch's class for Enzo, yahtzee at night, meals that the children like to varying degrees (but usually closer to the DISlike end of the spectrum - grr). So, I thought I'd recall a lovely summer evening from a couple of months ago. And then I realized that I don't really want to do that. Kind of a lot of effort for me on this lazy, rainy day.

Instead, I'll get on with my day -- taking Enzo to speech and volunteering in Finn's class for Math time (which I love love love - he cuddles in my lap like a little puppy), visiting Grandma O, maybe little bit of shopping (it's my birthday, so I kind of want to splurge on a new sweater or purse or something like that). Maybe Enzo and I will get a bite of lunch out somewhere together. This evening, I think Alex will have football practice in the rain (they are HARDCORE!) and I get to go to my bunco group, which is always a fun evening.

In completely trivial news, I'm a little bummed because I got my netflix queue a little out of order, and I was hoping for another installment of Weeds but instead got The Big Lebowski. But I'm a strong person. I can overcome this!

for ms. anon

tuesday afternoon update --

I twisted my ankle in my fancy new clogs while walking to school this afternoon.

I am listening to Bob Dylan "Blood on the Tracks" while typing this. I'm pretty much loving it. Kids are playing something outside with neighborhood kids.

Enzo participated in speech today (as opposed to running and screaming down the hall, as he did last week Friday), and afterwards we popped in to the Firefighter demonstration that was happening at the school. We saw a firefighter put on her gear, and we got a tour of the equipment on a firetruck. We were invited in to the gym in part because Enzo was wearing his firefighter coat.

Porketta is in the oven. Cookies are about to be made. PTO meeting tonight. More excitement than I can handle.

some days are harder than others

and it's only 8:40 am. Without getting into the nitty gritty details, this morning was a rough one. Lot's of emotions flying around. I'm pleased to note that we all left each other in a good spot -- with our secret hand squeezes goodbye and even a quick "I love you". Whew.

After successfully getting "the guys" off to their schools (technically, Alex to the bus stop, Finn to school), Enzo, Dash and I continued on our routine to check out the "worker guys" who have been working on a street a couple of blocks down from the school. The worker guys are almost done, and it will be a sad little day for us when we can no longer check their progress. Our "worker guy friend" told us their next project is way on the east side -- too far to check out on our walk back from school.

Oh! I forgot this part! The number 6 fire truck (our neighborhood station) was in front of school this morning! Zo and I saw it in front of Woodmans yesterday -- and now today! In front of school! I'm pretty sure they were there for some fire safety thing, as everyone seemed quite casual and relaxed. As we were standing outside talking about the truck, a firefighter rang the bell for us. So, worker guys AND fire fighters all in one morning! Life couldn't get sweeter than this!

This crisp, autumn air must be good for bunny smells because Dash was sure on some trail all the way to and from school. For the record, he's been a good little doggie lately. I think we finally have our routine down and he's getting it (meaning, not using the house as his toilet). Not the brightest dog in the world, that one.

Off to the rest of my day, which is not particularly exciting but that's ok too. I think I have enough excitement this morning already.

still alive

ok, so one thing I've learned here is that a blog is like a plant. If you ignore it, it just sort of dies a sad little death. I've ignored you, little blog. I thought with school resuming and life settling back down, I would spend more time with you. hmm, what happened? I will try to bring you back to life, little blog. I will!

So, let's recap the weekend, shall we? It was rather fun...

Friday night, I went out with a bunch of girlfriends. I have lots of groups of girlfriends, and I think (shhh, don't tell the others) that this is my favorite bunch of girlfriends. We celebrated a couple of birthdays -- ok, MINE -- at a great restaurant, and then we decided to take it to the next level. Live life on the edge. We went to a hookah bar and watched a belly dancer. And (shhh, don't tell my kids) we smoked a hookah. Anyway, it was a very fun night with a great group. Everyone needs great girlfriends, and I am the luckiest.

On Saturday it was freezing. Literally. Finn and Alex played flag football, and it was flurrying during Alex's game. Snow! On October 10! What is this??!! Brr. After I realized I just couldn't warm up after all of that outside time, I turned on the furnace at home. Bummer - I was planning to wait until November to turn it on, but then again, I was planning on average temps for October, also. Alex and I checked out the South Side Raiders tackle football team to think about next year's option. It was a bit intense, but Alex was not deterred by that. In fact, I think he was excited by all of the emotion. He surprises me, that one.

Sat night, we hired a babysitter (!!!) and had a date (!!!) with our good buddies Bill and Bob and Alan. We ate at Greenbush and went to a Baroque concert at Gates of Heaven. Just a wee bit different from the hookah/bellydancer experience from the night before, but I'm versatile, y'all!

Sunday was a nice and quiet day -- yahtzee (this will be known as the year of yahtzee for this family) topped off by family swim at the Princeton Club. Bob went to a book reading with a friend last night, while Enzo and I baked some cookies.

And here we are facing the week ahead. Looks like the cold is sticking around, so we'll be huddling inside. Playing Yahtzee.

shh...

Quiet day around here. Finn was down sick with some sort of a stomach bug thingy. Poor thing. He spent most of his day on the couch watching library dvds and sleeping.

Here is Enzo, looking not too thrilled with soccer practice, despite dressing the part.

And this is Alex, trying to convince Enzo that soccer practice is supercool!

Uh oh, there he goes. He can't stand the heat, so he's leaving the soccer kitchen!

So the big grandma and granddad sleepover had to be rescheduled to another night. The boys are disappointed, but it can't happen when one of them is sick. :(

One more comment. Today I am reminded how much I love love love the fact that Enzo can entertain himself so well. He has spent the afternoon playing with toys around here in a very creative way -- wooden train set, firefighter toys, cars, kitchen. He has been very happy in his sweet little world. And that makes a happy mama.

summer weekend

Saturday morning, we biked over to the zoo to participate in a (free) Packer's training camp. Although there was a fair amount of grumbling about going before we left, the kids ended up having fun. Donald Driver and Edgar Bennett were very kind to all of the kids.

After the training camp, we biked to Paisan's for lunch. It was a nice, slow, relaxing day.

That night, the kids and I finished watching Little House on the Prairie, which has been a blast to watch together. We were all captivated by the story, and we had lots of good discussion about the treatment of Native Americans 100+ years ago.

Today, our friends/neighbors watched our kids for the afternoon so that Bob and I could have some time alone. Kids went swimming, and Bob and I took a long, leisurely drive in the convertible, and then ate lunch at The Old Fashioned down on the square. Beautiful day, lovely to spend time together.

the beginning

So, I've toyed around with having a blog for a while, and what has stopped me is wondering who my audience would be. And then I realized -- it's me, actually. I'm looking for a handy way to remember our little life here. The ups, the downs, the challenges and triumphs (potty training! weaning! cooperation!!) of our life with our three little boys. Because before I know it, this stage will pass, and the details with get fuzzy.

If you stop in to visit, welcome. Hang out while it's interesting, and move along when it's not. I'll be doing the same.