Recap before rehearsal

Best wishes to my friend Heather who, assuming all went to plan, delivered her new baby boy this morning. Welcome New Baby!

It's 2:50 PM on Thursday, and I am actually reasonably certain it's Thursday, and I am happy to say it also feels like 2:50 PM. I think the kids and I never quite adjusted to California time, because we have rolled right back into our old Minnesota schedules. Including Lucy awakening in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Which is odd, considering during the 10 nights of living with Jean and 7 nights of vacation, she got up in the middle of the night... exactly once the entire time. Go figure. Both kids are napping (Lucy's in my bed, where I'd been attempting-but-failing to nap myself). The contractor and his dude are in our kitchen -- and WE HAVE APPLIANCES, ladies and gentlemen! And I actually witnessed water coming out of my kitchen faucet. It's a Christmas miracle.

So what I didn't actually get to say when I was posting all those photos is, we had a wonderful time in California. We flew into LAX at 11PM last Wednesday, and the kids were champs on the flight (Lucy slept and Ed happily watched Lady & the Tramp). We rented our car and drove down to Lake Forest (about an hour) where our hotel room was waiting for us, along with a lovely gift bag from the Morrows. The room was perfect for us -- 2 queen beds set off from the living area by a pocket door. The hotel was sufficiently shabby to give it some character, but certainly clean enough to keep us all from breaking out in hives. And the free breakfast was eggy and crispy-hashbrowny and the coffee was strong and we were so happy for the sunshine and the shirtsleeves.

We drove over to Alison and her family's house and met her husband and daughter and let the kids play in the yard for a bit. Alison and I remarked that we hadn't seen each other but maybe 4 times since high school -- but she hadn't changed one iota (except for being about 30 weeks pregnant!) and I remembered why I became her friend in the first place: because she is funny and sweet and easy-going and for some reason I love her hand gestures.

The Morrows took us over to Alison's parents' house (her dad is Lee Strobel) and it was great to see her folks again. We went out to dinner and the next day we went to Laguna Beach where Lu and Ed and Joel and I frolicked in the sand like a bunch of total idiots. Ed chased seagulls and Lucy picked up all kinds of "bee-ful" shells and rocks.

On Friday night we drove down to La Jolla to stay at the Strobels' condo. In the next couple of days we went to the San Diego Zoo (a really beautiful zoo with reasonable kids-lunch-package deals), Legoland (a surprisingly fun if unbelievably dirty kiddie amusement park -- Lucy LOVED the rides, got to drive her own car, and only hit her limit on a roller coaster that was a little thriling even for me: midway through the ride Lucy says, "Mommy I have to tell you something" and I said "OK what?" (Mind you we are zipping aroundandabout on this thing) "Is this ride for kids? I don't really like it."), and the beach (Carol, we did find the seals at the last possible moment before we were leaving! They were awesome!!).

This morning as the kids were eating their delivered Jimmy Johns, Lucy asked why mommies have babies instead of daddies. I said that mommies have a special place inside, next to their tummies, called a uterus, that's just for making babies, and daddies don't have one. I asked if that made sense, and she nodded and said "Yes!" and then she thought for a moment before asking, "Do I have a uterus?" I assured her she did.

But hooo, boy, there's trouble on the horizon. For ME.

PS! Next week I start taking care of my friend Tricia's little boy during the day. So, pretty much, there will be no more blogging. ;) Until I get my act together.

The kitchen

Ok, so the first three are taken from the doorway that goes from the living room into the kitchen. In the first pic you can see the hole where the dishwasher will go.

Here's the hole where the fridge is going... as well as my new little "to-go" desk.

Here's the desk again as well as the large hole for the new back door.

This is our new dinig room! AKA Ed's former bedroom. This photo was taken from just inside the new back door.

This is also taken from inside the new back door. The island's countertops aren't done yet; the big hole in the island is for the stove.

Home again, if this is what one calls "home"

I think I'm getting a headache.

We're home!

Our new cabinets are gorgeous. Looking forward to acquiring some appliances between 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM today. Looking forward even more to having the hot water turned back on... and to figuring out what the heck happened to our home phone line.

I have no idea how I'm going to feed the kids lunch today. Here's what we have in the house for food:
1 small ziploc bag of pretzels
1/2 loaf whole wheat bread
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait Passionfruit yogurt
3/4 gallon milk
3 cans Coors Light
1 bottle (16 oz) grape syrup

...Wait, Jimmy John's delivers, right?? YESS!






Alison and me, in her folks' backyard



Abby and Lu, putting around


Joel and Ed on Laguna Beach



Ed finds a kindred spirit


In happier times


Ed chasing a pigeon. "Umback eeer!"


On a beach in LaJolla

Hangin' tough

Hey everybody! I'm so sorry, I don't even know what day it is. I had to sign something for the kids yesterday and I went to date it and couldn't even guess the date. The computer is telling me it's the 11th so I'm guessing that must be accurate within one or two days... right?

The first couple dance rehearsals for High School Musical went pretty well -- maybe even great! I am only a little behind where the director wants me to be as far as finishing all the dances in Act I before I go on vacation. I am having SO much fun with the kids; we worked on some partner-stunting activities last night (flips, lifts, double-cartwheels, etc.) and laughed a lot. And I'm really pleased with how the dances are coming out visually. It's hard with such a large cast (41 kids!) to make sure everyone gets a chance to try everything. And by "hard" I mean "impossible." There are almost twice as many girls as boys (of course -- welcome to theatre), so the girls who are not extremely vocal and outgoing often kind of sift toward the back wall and disappear. I regret that, but I know that they will have to learn to stand up for themselves. I remember learning the same thing in high school -- if you hang out in the back for rehearsals, you will wind up in the back for the performances.

Speaking of which, if you would like to buy advance tickets for High School Musical at a nice discount, please email me and I'll set you up with the info. Tix go on sale to the general public on Jan 17 (next Thursday) via www.ashlandproductions.com.

The kids and I are still at Jean's. Joel has been working like a white-mouthed Mississippi mule at the house -- Joel saw Ed awake-and-not-strapped-into-a-car-seat for the first time in 5 days this morning. The walls are still torn out but the sheetrock/drywall is going up as I type. We have our new back door framed in, and the electricity is all set to have walls put up around it. I swung by the other day and saw the little blue boxes where my new outlets are going to go (you may remember that I had been running an entire kitchen on ONE functional outlet) and I got a little misty. And, living at Jean's, I've been getting quite used to having a dishwasher and let me tell you, having my own is going to make me a very happy woman.

Ed's had kind of a nasty cold all week (which didn't preclude us from taking him to ECFE; my apologies to the other kids, but seriously I had to get out of the house) and Lucy has taken an vow to wear her big blue pretty dress for five days. And nights, since she's worn it to bed the last two nights. We're on Day Three. It's got a giant hole torn in the lining but for love or money I cannot get her to take it off.

Jean's in Chicago for the weekend. I was going to take the kids, too, but at almost the last possible moment a broken-hearted-sounding Joel called to say he was finishing his chores at the house and if we could just not get on the plane he could spend almost the whole weekend with us as a family.

I'm taking a Day of Rest here at Jean's... the kids are parked in front of Sesame Street and I'm going to try to organize some of our personal flotsam and jetsom. Is that how you spell that?

A series of mini-vacations

That's how Jean has summed up the Life of Gronau in January, 2008. Here's a more accurate description:
Hobos!
Transients!
Vagabonds!

Saturday morning I piled up the kids and drove up to Oak Grove where Becky and Adam were housesitting for Adam's sister's family's gorgeous abode. We sledded (I hope Beck will post pix, it was hilarious!) and napped (well, the kids) and I choreographed while Becky made homemade Buca-di-Beppo (AKA "Becky-di-Beppo). The Dalys and Mathews arrived later and we drank, dined, and delighted in each other and in our adorable progeny. Joel, meanwhile, tore out the north and west walls of our kitchen, right on down to the 60-year-old studs (I'm going to get some oldie-porn hits for that, I'm sure) and insulation.

Joel drove up later and we Gronaus spent the night, overstaying our welcome in the morning and skipping church. When we got back to our house around noon, it quickly became apparent that we couldn't hang out there much longer -- with the basement as the only dust-free place, we decided I should take the kids over to Jean's house.

Which I did! And here we are. The weird thing about being here is that when Jean's at work and the kids are napping (as they are, bless their poor little homeless hearts), I am bored senseless. There's no laundry, no dishes, and no cooking (I toted over the entire contents of our fridge, since our fridge's circuit was busted in the demo). Jean has a lot of reading material on hand, fortunately. I started reading "Princess Bride" again -- awesome book.

Soooo... here we sit. Oh! Lucy started her new tumbling class this morning. Super-cute, though Ed was devastated that he couldn't join in. You should email me, or comment, or something. 'Cuz it's a little lonely.

Head on the table, I like shirt

Today one of the teachers in Lucy's room caught me after class and said, "Your daughter is a riot." This was not news to me. But apparently today they were pouring out juice for the kids, and the pitcher was getting kind of low and some of the kids were starting to clamber to make sure they got their juice before it ran out. Lucy sat back and said: "There's a lot of juice. I'm not going to worry about it."

We tried Alison's "Island" idea with Lu yesterday during naptime and it worked out all right -- she spent about 45 minutes playing alone in the basement, then she came upstairs and delivered the address from yesterday's post, and then she went back down and snuggled in on the couch to watch "High School Musical" and fell right asleep for about an hour and a half. See, this is what gets me: she does still need a nap sometimes. Today she actually requested "The Island" so she's in the basement again. So far, not so bad. Although she did just come upstairs to go potty, and I reminded her there was actually a potty in the basement. She atragott.

Lucy has written a song.

Head on the table, meat and cheese.
Head on the table, pen and cup.
Head on the table, I like sleeves.
Head on the table, chair and hot.

So, Mozart she ain't. But it sort of rhymes... sort of. And it's kinda taken on new life in our house as a mild expletive: Ed spilled his milk again?! Head on the table!!

Reasons why she can't go downstairs and have some quiet time while Mommy cleans up the kitchen

"For one, I have to get a drink of water.
For two, I have to work on my computer.
For three, I don't really know what's going on.
For four, I don't have any work to do.
For thirty-nine, I have to go somewhere."

I can't remember... is this "normal"?

Happy New Year everybody! Welcome to Chaos in the Gronau home. It's de- and con- struction season!

Last week we moved Ed out of his beloved old bedroom and in with Lucy. Nights have been going great -- they have been singing each other to sleep, and then sleeping well. Naptime is another story; Lucy is eschewing naps almost entirely and Ed has been suffering the consequences. It's going to be fine as soon as I can figure out what on earth to DO with Lu for three hours in the afternoon, while I try to make dinner, do laundry, sip tea and whatnot. But really, the nights have been a breeze. For the most part.

Lucy: "Let me tell you a story about sleeping."

Me: "OK, go ahead."

Lucy: "Eddie said 'Mama, Mama, Daddy.' And I went to sleep. But I don't think he stopped."

Joel took up our generic-Pergo kitchen floor on Friday or maybe it was Saturday. He started horking into it during breakfast, and I asked, "Is this really the best time to be doing this?" since the kids and I had just sat down to our cereal/"See-YO!".

Joel paused with crowbar and hammer in hand.

Lucy took a beat to look at Joel. Then a beat to look back at me. "Mommy, I think you're right," she said. "But I think he's going to do it anyway."

Sunday, Joel dropped the kids off with his parents and then we started knocking down the kitchen wall, with assistance from the Lovely and Talented Jean.

And old-but-serviceable "before" shot of the wall.

Joel, with the wall halfway down.

Monday we cleaned up a bit and then went skiing with the Alleys at Afton Alps. I really love to ski and wish we could do it more than once a year. We rang in 2008 at the chalet with one very modest plastic glass of champagne, wolfed down the First Mini-Tacos of 2008, and were home in bed by 1:30. A low-key NYE but just perfect. No skiing injuries either, which is a double-bonus and I think Joel had only one wipeout, on the first run of the night (that is unless you count the multiple times he and Alley Joel got tangled up in each other while dismounting the chair lift. Alley Joel on a snowboard is dangerous and hilarious).

The wall all cleared out. The plastic makes it hard to visualize. Recognize that floor?

Today, we mopped sheetrock-dust out of the kitchen all morning until the Gronaus dropped off the kids around 1PM. Joel goes back to work tomorrow for the first time in what seems like a month. We slowly swing back into our regularly scheduled activities... I still have a mostly-functioning kitchen (for the next few days, anyway -- the cabinets and sheetrock are going away this coming Saturday) and we leave on vacation in just over 2 weeks! Yikes!

Blogging will be light for the next several weeks because the kids and I are going to move in with Jean next week while some of the electrical work gets done. Also, the demise of Lucy's napping is going to cut into my computer time. Also, I have to get my choreography/curriculum done for these dance classes I'm allegedly teaching for St Paul Parks and Rec, even though I can't find any sign of them online. Frustrating!

Anyway, some pix from the end of 2007:

The happiest Grampa.

Mmmm, coconut cake batter!

Sweet kids.

Oh, what the heck, I so rarely have pix of my own self...

Don't try to watch this if you get motion sickness.

There's no sound on the video clips with my cheapo digital camera but here you go -- Lucy in motion.

Oh, OK, one more pic:

The eye of the hurricane

That's what it feels like about now -- the Christmas show has ended and High School Musical is just about ready to get rippin'. Of course, in this "eye" we have the minor events of various Christmas and New Year celebrations to attend to... well, it's not much of an eye. Thank you SO much to everyone who made it to the Christmas show! It means the world to me when you take the time to come and support live theatre.

If you came Saturday night you saw the Out Of Control Meg Show -- I slipped and fell right on my rear in the middle of one of the dances, and then I went through a whole nother number with my left shoe unbuckled. A kicking number, mind you. Joel was sitting in the second row and made up his mind to act as a human shield, just in case the shoe went flying off in the direction of someone's head. Considering I was kicking straight at eleven of my family members, it was probably a very real danger. I am an unbelievably unprofessional actor. It's not something I'm proud of.

Here's Lucy wearing my Radio City costume:





Ed eating MEAT:



Lucy's dance show this morning:

Fun with face-recognition!

Heritage.com has this amazing software that can do this (I couldn't find a decent photo of myself, alas!):

AAAUGH! Where has my week gone?!

Hey there, so it's Thursday night already. I cannot tell you how quickly my weeks fly by, especially when Joel's home Tuesday/Wednesday! Everyone in my house seems to have recovered almust fully from the Mystery Superbug ... I'm not sure about the rest of Joel's fam. I never did get whatever it was, thank goodness, but I'm remaining diligent about not sharing cups and kleenexes (you might think that one would be obvious, right?) and only biting my nails immediately after washing my hands. Compromise, I tell you, it's a wonderful thing.

My Christmas show goes up tomorrow. You should come on Sunday! It's at 2pm. Buy tickets at the door. Being in the show and also being the choreographer has been challenging. I haven't been able to watch any of the numbers in the last couple days because I've been working on my own stuff backstage including several tricky costume changes, and really all you can do to get dance numbers to look right is to practice them and there simply isn't time. One of the moms was leaving tonight and she said to the costumer "The costumes look AMAZING! ... And ... the dancing is FUN!" Ooooooh, that's soooo not a good thing. Not that I'd actually convinced myself that everything looked perfect -- well, honestly, I'm still learning how to do a whole show. So I'm hopeful I can apply this experience to High School Musical when it starts next month.

My Grandma Jake, after a couple weeks of my p's dealing with various miscommunications with her caregivers, has officially moved into her new place. My mom hasn't shared many details but apparently Gram has a 99-year-old roommate and they are going to get along like peas and carrots. Or maybe more like peas and honey... not sure.

Hey, it's Jean's birthday on Friday! Swing by her blog and wish her a happy 29th.

I guess I'm going to bed -- except I'm wired from rehearsal and from the Meximelt I snagged on the way home -- $1.38 of yummy goodness, I tell you what. And from the eight Christmas cookies I have eaten, plus the two more I'm going to eat right before I brush my teeth and go ni-night. I'll be awake in bed for the next couple hours, mentally rehearsing the "12 Days of Christmas" dance and getting stuck every single stinkin' time at the part after the weave. Yaaarrrrgh, Payter.

The poop scoop!

AKA, The Plot Thickens (or does that give you a bad visual?)

Last night, Joel felt ishy before we went to bed. By 1 AM he was up, sick as a dog. He called in to work today and has been napping on and off. Even on the happiest, healthiest weekend days, Joel's mere presence throws my entire Daily Schedule into a tailspin, so it's for the Greater Good that he's confined himself to his Man Cave in the basement.

So I lurk about the house with the dread akin to a caged turkey's while counting down the days until Thanksgiving -- much uncomfortableness is coming and I can't really do much about it.

So help us solve this mysterious Superbug:

Ed vomited late Saturday night and had several very messy diapers through Monday, but has really seemed fine since then, although he didn't really eat anything until Monday evening. Lucy had messy bottoms Monday morning and then started vomiting -- her last go was about 6PM Monday, after which she immediately perked up and demanded food. Joel got sick late Monday night and continues to feel poorly.

Joel's mom, dad, two sisters, Jeff, and at least two cousins (all of whom were at the same party on Sunday afternoon) are ALL very ill. Which would make me think: Aha! Food poisoning! Except that Ed was sick Saturday night. So what gives? Either Ed's illness was just a weird coincidence and everyone else was food-poisoned, or he managed to get everyone else sick within 24 hours.

I actually still feel great, but I'm second-guessing every little shiver, tummy-rumble, and muscle twinge. It's OK, I'm only supposed to be in a show this weekend. Oof.

I aftergott to mention that I finished the last Harry Potter book last week -- does anybody want to talk about it!??! Please?!

My kids never get sick, my kids never get sick

My kids are sick.

Actual vomiting. Who ever heard of such a thing? Ed actually seems to be rallying -- Lucy, however, is very, very sad. It's heartbreaking.

We hardly ever watch Barney, but Barney's voice sounds different to me today. Did they get a new actor, or something?

Gingerbutt!

Shout-out to any "prospecting" (hey! We have an inside joke!) ECFE moms who find me here, after I was outed by our leader, Mary Ann, whose daughter was Googling her and found my prior entry where I mentioned her. Hi!!


And now, for kid anecdotes:

(As I'm tucking Lu in for nap)

Mommy, I need my gingerbutt.

Your what?!?

My GINGERBUTT man that I made in ECFE.

Ohhhhh...

Lucy's other new favorite bastardized phrase is "aftergott" -- as in, "Oh no! I aftergott to drink my milk!" and "I aftergott to bring my backpack to dance class." and "I can't show you my dance moves because I aftergott them already."

You get the gist.

Speaking of backpack, Ed thinks it's hilarious to go up behind you (assuming you're squatting down to tie Lu's shoelace or zipper her coat or wipe the jelly fingerprints off the wall... again...), wrap his arms around your neck, wrap one of his little legs around your waist, and shout: "Packpack!" So cute.

Joel thinks it's funny to get the kids to pretend they're sleeping whenever someone is about to enter the room. He always says "Quick! Quick! Sleeping!"
Ed, of course, has picked up on this. When I go into his room to get him after a nap, he squeaks "QUEEEK!" and throws himself down on his face.

Adorable things they said today.

Ed:

"Why? Why? Why?" Seriously, Ed? You're not even two. Yours is not to reason why. Not for another year or so.

When we go check on him afer he's been sleeping for a while: "Book. Saur-saur. Clock. Light." Just randomly naming objects in his room, while sleeping.

If he's not yet sleeping, he will say "Kiss" and then demand one. Sweet.

And oh, the saur-saurs. Dinosaurs, to you & me. His favorite... well, that is, next to his blanket -- that same one that my aunt Mary Ann made for Lucy. It's Ed's absolute obsession. Try buckling a wiggly 20-month-old into a car seat while he's wearing a winter coat and hat and boots and mittens and clutching a giant crocheted blanket. It's a challenge.

"Some." That's when you have something he wants; generally food. "Some. SOME!"

And Lucy:

The other morning, we all got up, well, kinda early. Ed first, and I went down to get him, and Joel followed. It wasn't exactly light yet. So the three of us are just kind of slouching in the semidark kitchen (because Morning People we ain't) when Lucy strides into the kitchen, with the purposeful air of someone calling a meeting to order, and very clearly and confidently addresses our bleary threesome: "HI GUYS!"

Sunday, Faje allegedly pooped all over the house. Lucy took a diaper wipe and wiped every surface she could reach in the living room and bathroom, all the while exclaiming "My gosh Faje!"

Saturday, I was at callback auditions for High School Musical. All day. So today... guess who's latched onto "callbacks"? Mmm-hmm, my favorite little princess. But she pronounces them "cowbacks" or "cowwhacks," thoroughly befuddling Joel.

"Jesus, I love you, but I have to go to callbacks." "Mommy, where is my bag for callbacks?"

So Rob Sutherland is the HSM producer as well as my co-choreographer for the Xmas show. And, it would seem, I am spending too much time with him.

Joel: "Lu, where are you going?"

Lu: "I'm going to callbacks. Hey Dad -- oh, I mean, Rob..." (she may have said more after that, but I was laughing too hard to hear.)

Joel obliged by sitting down in the living room and demanding Lucy's headshot and resume, and then asking her what song she was going to sing.

Lu (emptying out her "audition bag" during her "callback"): "Oh! Here's my lipstick, I have to get my money out. My purse, my mirror -- hold this, please. Okay, I need it back now." Joel is impressed by her array of props. "She's Carrot Top!" he cries.

Every night as we wrestle Lu into bed, we have to keep asking her meticulously-worded questions for which all the answers lead to getting her closer to going to sleep. Like, "Who's going to brush your teeth: Mommy or Daddy?" and "What song do you want me to sing?" and "How many blankets do you want?" The answer to that last question is, invariably, "Five" because five is the largest number Lucy can possibly conceive of. Mind you, she can count to about twelve, but when it comes to actual quantities, "Five" is infinity to her. "I need five blankets..." she says, "...and one for good luck, and one for good measure."

So we finally got her tucked in for the night. Joel pressed Play on her CD player, because both she and Ed like to drift off to some tunes (right now all Ed gets is his Shish box, but it's better than nothing).

We get a bit of a rigamarole from Ed, crying as though his toenails are being plucked from his tender wittle footies until we go in there and he laughs because he GOT us! Joel talks and snuggles him a bit, and he goes back down without a fight.

A couple minutes later, we hear (from Lucy's room):

"No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (pause) No!"

(At this point we realize she must be listening to Joseph. You never know what's in that CD player.)

"No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (pause) No! (slightly longer pause) Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Joel goes into the room.

"Dad, Benjamin did it."

Did what, Lucy?

"I don't know, Dad, I can't hear because you're IN HERE."

Looking for sub in all the wrong places...

Hi there! I need a female volleyball sub (or maybe 2) for Thursday, 12/6 at 6:30 PM in Apple Valley. If interested, please call/email me ASAP. I will not be there to play -- we're missing like 4 of our regulars, which is a stinker.

Come see my Christmas show!

But first, here are the kids one year ago, and four days ago.

Now, the shameless plug:

****************************************

Enjoy Holiday Entertainment for the entire family!

Please join Ashland Productions for a musical journey into a little girl's search for the true meaning of Christmas. "Once Upon a Christmas" will be performed at the Maplewood Community Center Theatre, 2100 White Bear Ave N in Maplewood.

Showtimes: Friday, December 14 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, December, 15 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, December 16 at 2:00. Tickets are $14.00 for adults and $13.00 for Seniors and Children.

Call now to reserve your tickets! 651-274-8020. (and I'm in it!!)

And God bless us, every one

Joy, joy, joy.

That's what I was going to post before that I forgot about. I am so full of joy right now.

I didn't really do a Thanksgiving post, but I adore Thanksgiving and how its only point is to express gratitude for family and all the blessings in our lives. And to eat wonderful food, prepared with love.

Joel's p's hosted the whole gang again this year, including Jean and my folks (did I say this already?). Their generosity and willingness to open their home to us all was so much appreciated. I felt like I got to spend time with my parents -- always in such short supply. We even got to have a family game night on Friday after the kids went to bed -- we missed Ellen but she did get to dine with her boyfriend's family. As my parents left, I was just overcome with a feeling of warmth, knowing that my own children were tucked safely and snugly into their warm beds -- and I know having kids isn't for everyone, but at that moment I felt like I knew that this was exactly where I needed to be in this life. I am so glad, so lucky, so blessed to have these little people to pass along traditions to, to share the family games with, to share holidays with, even when my own parents are hundreds of miles away.

We had rehearsal for the Christmas show last night and of course I got all misty during "God Bless Us Everyone" -- I'm not the first to say I loooove the Christmas season, but sometimes I do loooove the Christmas season. I think I do a good job of distancing myself from the commercialism of the holiday. The kids are only getting $75-worth of used Craigslist toys from us -- I'm sure Joel will cave in but I'm really personally trying not to spend a dime on brand-new stuff for them, since this is most likely the last Christmas I'll be able to get away with it. And Joel and I have been going to Bible study and even made it to church last Sunday(!) so I'm kind of really feeling in the true-spirit-of-Christmas mood. And I've always hated Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" song, but three separate, very reliable sources were all raving about it recently, so I'm even rethinking that long-held Scroogeishness.

PS -- We're not doing Christmas cards this year. I'm sorry. It costs around $100 to do them, not to mention hours of time to do them the way I would insist upon doing them, and it's just not going to happen this year. Please accept my sincerest apologies, and proceed with your holiday season.

I could while away my entire life waiting for Blogger to load...

Golly, where to start?


Well, OK, Wednesdays remain my favorite day of the week. Loooove ECFE, looooove the fact that I don't have to tear off somewhere at 3 in the afternoon.


Speaking of which, a Regular Babysitter has been secured for those other days -- hooray! Kudos to N-Wats for loaning me her nanny. That loud whooshing noise you hear would be me, exhaling.


So let's see, where we at? I have, of course, forgotten everything I was going to tell you about. Oh yes!

I have signed on to teach several classes for St Paul Parks & Rec in the new year. I'll be teaching Beginning Swing and Latin dance, plus a beginning "dance for fun and fitness" class (kind of a jazz-dance class with a big focus on stretching and just getting your body moving for an hour) on Wednesdays. On Mondays I'll be teaching a Hip-Hop dance class for kids age 7-13 (YIKES!!) as well as a "Baby Ballroom" class (I'm actually calling it "Dancing with the Diapers" because "Baby Ballroom" was taken) where a parent can bring his or her babe-in-arms and learn to do basic dance steps, ostensibly to soothe and/or entertain the baby.

Eddie got over his cold-thing and is really making up for lost time by being extra-goofy and extra-rambunctious. Over the weekend, watching Ed laughing like a maniac as he flung himself around the living room, Joel and I turned to each other and said, Oh, yes, there's our son Edward; we really missed him!

Lucy is running hot and cold with us -- she so astutely turns my own phrases right back on me, it's more than a little disconcerting.

Lucy, put your hat back on.

Mommy, I took it off for a reason!

Lucy, can you go potty by yourself this time?

Mommy, I can't do that because I can't really handle it.

Lucy, why did you drop your cup of milk on the floor?

Mommy, I just can't know. (Okay, so her syntax needs some work.)

Lucy, you need to put your shoes on now.

Mommy, are we running very very late?

Monday she emerged from her room after her nap and I knelt and gave her a giant hug. It must have been extra-enthusiastic, because Lucy said "Wow, Mommy... that hug was really really... (and I could tell she was searching for the most superlative word she could find)... the most beautifulest hug. You did that because you really really love me."

I just got an email from my sis El with the coolest story which I will now share with you. Background: as a bday present, El's boyfriend got her tickets to a Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova concert in Chicago. If you haven't seen Once you have no idea what I'm talking about and I'm not going to explain it because you should just see Once.

Oh boy. It seriously was the best concert I've ever seen for the
following reasons...

-It was at the Vic which is, oh about 2 blocks from my apt.

-We were 15 ft from the stage.

-So Glen walks out by himself and starts the show playing "Say It To Me Now" on the same guitar with the hole in it from the movie. Then Marketa comes out the piano and there's also a guy on cello, bass and violin. They played just about everything from the movie, and well as some new songs, some of the Frames songs and two covers. A Van Morrison and a Bob Dylan. I've just never seen anyone sing/play with so much passion. He was literally beet red after each song. And he's so engaging with the audience, talking between all the songs. At one point, he's telling this story..."I was in N.Y. last week and I met this guy from Chicago who gave me the best compliment ever. He had just seen Once and was inspired to learn the guitar and just put out an album of his own. I don't know if he's here." (cheering from the guy standing directly behind me) "Hey Anthony! Why don't you come up here and play with us. The chords are really easy on this one."And this dude, who had been breathing down my neck all night was like, "holy crap!" And everyone made a path to the stage and he went and played with them. It was just so friggin cool! The whole thing!

Hmm, I can't figure out how to make this block quotation go away. Blast it.
Well I'll write more later maybe.

PS Auditions for High School Musical tonight!! I'm so excited!!

Lucy Survives First Dentist Visit

In other news, pigs have been seen circling O'Hare, and Hell is reporting snowfall.

No, really, she did it! Just don't tell her, okay?
So I had all kinds of awesome advice from several experts on how to prep Lucy for her first dentist visit. Get the "Dora goes to the dentist" book. Have Lucy go with me to my dentist. Take a field trip to Jamie's office to let Lu look at the tools, chair, etc. Did I follow any of them? Well, I think you can probably guess the answer to that. Last night I did a mad Google search and decided to make as big a deal about it as possible, given the three hours I'd allowed myself to whip a routine dentist visit into a princess birthday party.

So when Lucy woke up this morning, it was "Guess what day it is today? HAPPY DENTIST DAY!" I sang "Happy Dentist Day to you..." about 25 times; I rewrote (on the fly) the oldie "Happy Holidays - Happy HOLidays - Happy Holidays - Happy HOLidays ..." to make it about a dancing dentist ... I had Lucy pick out her Most Beautiful Princess Dress to wear... it was exhausting. Mostly because I had also scheduled a Craigslist umbrella-stroller pickup followed by a Watson playdate for the morning.

Well anyway, short story long, Lucy was An Angel. Though it helped that the hygienist is an absolute miracle-worker. She explained everything to Lucy, from the mask, glasses, and gloves she wore, to the light overhead, to the chair, to the rotating toothbrush. Everything. I'd be lying if I said Lucy wasn't uneasy about the whole thing, but the biggest resistance we got was in actually laying her head back on the chair. And that only took a couple gentle words, followed by me gently-but-firmly nudging Lucy back onto the chair. Lucy was wonderful during the x-rays and they got some beautiful photos of her teeth. Lu was a total champ, but really so much of the credit goes to that hygienist. It was, truly, *almost* a pleasure -- and I think for a dentist visit, that's saying a lot!

Ed is still seriously under the weather. Sad, sad man. He just needs some rest and I'm hoping he'll get it with all the grandparent-time this weekend. Ohhhh golly did I really just say that?

THANK YOU to everyone for all the awesome travel tips and ideas!! You guys rock -- what a treasure of knowledge you all have among you. I should post the ones people emailed to me as well -- just in case anybody wants to reference it all later. I am so grateful and blessed to have you all reading this. Know that you are appreciated.

And so we head into Thanksgiving! Have a great one, everyone -- find a moment in all the holiday craziness to pause and recognize all the good people and things in your life. Remember that you are loved. And that's all I have to say about that.

The Unbearable Sadness of Panda

Okay, there seems to be some confusion as to whether or not I was aware that books exist on the subject of travel. Just to clarify: I was. :) Thank you for checking. What I was really looking for, though, was some real-life helpful hints from people I know, trust, and love (if you're reading this, you probably qualify). For example: I know some of you have been to San Diego. I know some of you have traveled with young children. That's why I'm asking.

So, right, we're flying into LAX, getting a hotel for a couple of nights to kind of get the kids acclimated to the new time zone and maybe enjoy some January sunshine, and then we're going to be spending about 4 days down in La Jolla. We're mostly going to go hang out with my friend Alison and her family (since I haven't even met her husband and daughter yet!) but also just to escape from Winter in Minnesota for a few days.

I think I'd like to acquire/borrow 2 umbrella strollers for the trip. The double stroller, I think, is too bulky to lug about, and the kids are so little that neither one can really walk long distances without getting whiny and adirectional. So if you have any leads for me, let me know. Also I think we might be purchasing a portable DVD player in the near future (for car rides and especially for the plane ride) so if you own one, send your review my way. Thanks!

Also! Sad Panda update -- Eddie has a cold or something. So we had a really rough weekend of basically cheesing out in the living room for two straight days. No, seriously, it was rough. The weather has been especially Novembery the last couple days (here's what I mean: it's 2:30 PM and the sky is exactly the same color as the street, and there isn't even enough ambient light to wash dishes by) and yesterday I never took off my pajamas all day. This works OK with me but not so much with Eddie, who does occasionally require a diaper change -- which he did not get yesterday. Oops.

Lucy's going in for her first big-girl dentist visit tomorrow, and I do not anticipate at all that it will go well. In unrelated news, the other day Lucy and Ed were playing very nicely and quietly together in Lucy's room, and all of a sudden I hear her, with supreme confidence and volume, yet apropos of nothing, say: "I am the HERO of this land!!!"

Three random thinghys

There is nothing more disgusting than my kitchen floor. Seriously, how can one batch of blueberry pancake syrup make an entire 11x15 space so unbelievably sticky??

It really bothers me when people store their cups upside-down in the cupboard. If you're doing it to avoid dust, then you simply need to drink more.

Joel and the kids and I are going to southern California on vacation in January! Need your travel tips/recommendations/must-sees. Help!

You are not lost!

Hey, don't leave! This is still my blog. Please stay. Thanks!

You said it was snowing, Mom, so WHY CAN'T I GO SLEDDING!??!

One good thing about this new electronic age we live in is that it's so easy to go back and look up when things happened (assuming they were recorded in a cell phone or email or somesuch). One of the oddities of my personal brand of perfectionism, in addition to having perfectly-folded t-shirts but a sinkful of dirty dishes, is that for some reason it Really Matters to me exactly when things happened. Like, did that summer camp I taught at start in June or July? Did Lucy cut her first teeth at 8 or 9 months?

It also REALLY irritates me that Ed couldn't have been born 5 days earlier, so he and Lucy could be precisely 18 months apart. It throws off my math and my estimations of things. I know, I know, seriously, do I have time to be bothered by such things?

So let's see, what's new with the kids. Ed's dentist appointment was uneventful -- x-rays show no root damage, nor other larger cracks. His 4 canines have all poked their little heads out and his mouth seems to be giving him less trouble overall. He's such a sweet little baby man. He's so cuddly and loves hugs and snuggling. And he, too, has started singing along with all the music in the house. He can't keep up with Lucy's tempo so he just chimes in the last word of every phrase. He can get all the way through "Baby Mine" with me like that:

Me: Baby mine, don't you...

Ed: Kyyy

ME: Baby mine, dry your...

Ed: Eye!

On and on like that. The whole song, bridge and all. He does get tripped up on the very end, where we do the last line three times, changing "you are so precious to me, cute as can be" to "you are so precious to me, and your daddy" and then back again. The other day I handed him a ball, and he said (I swear): "Thank you, I really like it." I even have another mom as a witness. She witnessed the Baby Mine responsorial, too, so you can ask her about that as well.

Speaking of moms, I'm going to plug ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) for a bit. Their advertising (well, what I'd seen) was really crummy (like, I got a handout in the hospital) and I only tried it out because I heard good things from some very reputable sources. Now, I'm really lucky to have my own personal network of moms-who-were-my-friends-first, and we do get to talk a lot about raising our respective kids, but I had no idea how valuable I'd find ECFE's 90-minute conversations strictly about raising kids. Most of the moms in my group have school-age kids, which is so great because they have a bit of perspective on living with kids Lucy and Ed's ages. But they also have kids under age 5, so it's not like they're done with toddlers -- they're still working on their younger ones. The group is led by Mary Ann Cogelow, who has an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge and education, plus a self-effacing style that makes her really accessible and human. Anyway, I sooooo look forward to Wednesday mornings. Plus we moms take turns bringing snacks. And I think you know just how I feel about snacks.

Clever Title Here.

So I don't have a lot of time to write these days. Who does? You say. I know. It's just... kinda crazy around here. I feel like I'm just barely hanging on to order in the household, despite having an entire 24 hours to myself over the weekend. Like, I did all that catching up, and now there's MORE laundry to do?? WHAT!?! It seems so unfair.



The two adult social-dance classes I'm teaching, at least, are winding down. One class left for each one. I'm choreographing Ashland's Christmas show, though, and that's picking up. (The show will be the weekend of Dec. 14 -- please come!) I went to my first rehearsal for that last night. My Tuesday/Thursday afternoon classes continue to be a source of grief, as far as finding people to watch the kids. I hate abusing friends and relatives; but I also hate taking the kids to Dee's, which is a logistical nightmare, incredibly inconvenient, and also a little expensive. Argh. I'm so sorry to keep whining about that.



I'm really enjoying my Wednesday morning ECFE classes. It's a great group of moms in class -- and even though we're all white (well, this week anyway), there's a really interesting range of backgrounds and cultures. I feel like we have some really good talks about important childrearing issues, and we delve into some uncomfortable topics as well. Last week we talked about shaming your children (and how we do it unintentionally). This week we brought up some behavioral issues with all our kids, and there was also a lively discussion about St Paul Public Schools' language immersion schools (there is a Chinese Immersion and a Spanish Immersion school, and maybe more). It's fascinating and wonderful to spend time with educated, informed, thoughtful women who live in my city and send their kids to the public schools here.



Now, I love the suburbs -- I grew up in the suburbs and I imagine living there again someday. But right now I'm so glad to be a city dweller. St Paul has so much to offer, and I feel like I'm only beginning to scratch its surface. And since I'm pretty sure we're not moving anytime soon, I feel compelled to really commit myself, somehow, to St Paul. I want to patronize her markets, restaurants, stores, and libraries. I (oh blast it, I just realized I didn't stop at Rainbow after ECFE and now I'll NEVER get out to get my groceries!! Gaaaah!) feel like I have been living in a shell, or a bubble, until I had kids. I felt like I was just biding my time in St Paul until I could move on to a "better" life somewhere else. But that was my mistake. There is a richness of culture and experiences here in the city of which I want to fully be a part and take full advantage. Criminy, and we've only been living here six years. Yeesh.



So we're starting to hunker down for the winter -- I tore out the Great Tomato Experiment over the weekend (but not before harvesting, with great hopefulness in my heart that they will ever ripen, 40 more green tomatoes). Joel cleaned out the gutters and did some cursory raking (one good thing about the un-fenced-in yard is that the detritus from the nearby trees does, eventually, take its leave ... pun acknowledged). I've been wearing my wool socks around the house, treading with vigilant lightness so as not to slip on the floor. As long as I remember to keep piling on the layers, I stay pretty cozy, even with the thermostat at 61 during the day.



The kids are their same wonderful selves, as always -- Lucy came home (with Joel and Ed) on Sunday, walked in her room, and gasped: "Mommy, you organized!" She's been talking for weeks about going to some wedding (sometimes she's the one getting married, but usually it's Faje. Lucy is always the one responsible for the catering, and she's always running late in getting the food in "the car" -- which is Aunt Jan's old leather chair that we keep in the living room). Yup, Faje keeps her invisible little head in on the action at all times. Lucy seems to be doing pretty well in her away-from-mom activities; though I'm thinking maybe I won't send her to preschool at all next year. Well, that's what I'm thinking this week. The SPPS have 4-year-old programs but not one for threes. And I could pay to send her to a private Three program but A) where exactly am I going to come up with an extra $130-$500 per month? and B) I can't imagine what they're learning in there that she won't get from staying in ECFE and dance class and maybe I can even sign her up for a couple other classes, for the price. Oh, I don't know, I'm actually totally conflicted about it.


Ed's a little terror -- his 4 little canine teeth have poked their way through his gums, and the chip in his front tooth has gotten a little bigger. I'm still at a loss as to what to do -- Jamie (my wonderful dental-assistant sister-in-law) says I could take him in, but there's really nothing they could do. She said if I did take him in, to just take him to his regular doctor. All the other moms I talk to say to take him in to a dentist. I even got some great pediatric dental recommendations, but ... argh. I don't know. OK OK I'll make an appointment. Argh.

Well honestly, I could go on forever, but there is dinner to be prepped, dishes to wash, laundry to tackle, and dances to be choreographed. Where the devil did my Lily Allen CD go!?!?

OK, OK, twist my arm...

Halloween pix!


Our first-annual Halloween Pirate-Style Dinner: Giant Turkey Drumsticks to chank on!


Lucy was supposed to be the lion, but of course it was princess-or-nothing for her. And the lion costume was WAY too cute to waste.


Ensign Leopold...


That's Jean as the Reindeer of Death. I'm going as "Lucy's Real Mom" in the blond wig. Or, a princess witch. At this moment Lucy was a Hawaiian Indian Princess.


Joel as Rudolph, the Red-Nosed DEMON.



I dunno, there's something (and I can't believe I'm going to use this word) organic and wonderful about just opening up a box of costume parts and accessories and letting everyone have at it. I'm all for choosing one specific costume a month ahead of time and going full-out... but the impromptu dress-up kind of seemed to embody the real spirit of the holiday.

The Dalys came over for trick-or-treating after dinner, and we did a five-block canvass of our neighborhood. The kids held up really well, despite having to be reminded to yell "Trick or Treat!" at every single house. And to say "Thank you" after they got the candy, at Every. Single. House. And despite the incredible hilliness of our neighborhood -- the kids really had to work for their loot!

The Daly girls were SO adorable in their matching teddy bear costumes (Carol you're going to post pix, right???). Ed was a hit as the lion -- he even remembered to say "TWEET!" almost every time. And Lucy was very happy to be the princess... thank goodness.

I was reading a Midwestern Living magazine (that I cannot seem to stop receiving even though I can hardly stand its smarminess) article about holiday traditions and so I've been thinking a lot about our own family traditions, of which there has been a pathetic dearth. I mean, MY family has traditions, and JOEL's family has traditions, but we haven't really started establishing our own. Well anyway, in the article one mom they interviewed was talking about how the family eats a casserole the night they decorate the Christmas tree and the mom was like "Eating a simple food like a casserole keeps us grounded...." and I was like, COME ON, nobody in real life says things like that. A casserole is easy to throw together and easy to reheat and easy to chow down on and call it a whole meal -- that's why you make a casserole. Not to remind yourself that beneath all the perfect decos you harvested from your own personal forest you happen to own behind your amazing home that's being featured in a beautiful-if-smarmy magazine, you're still just real people at heart.

So I'm really sorry I used the word "organic" earlier. It won't happen again.

A mind of her own... inherited from us.

Update on Lucy and Halloween:

"Lucy, tomorrow night we're going to go on a walk. You don't have to dress in a costume, but Eddie will."

"Oh Daddy, I just want to go to Halloween."



"Lucy, do you want to wear a costume?"

"Yes, I want to wear a costume and go trick-or-treating."

Seriously!??

"So, Lu... what do you want to be?"

"Um, a princess."

Gee, no kidding.

I forgot to mention that last Sunday morning we were doing second-breakfast with my folks and Lucy was getting super tired from Grandparent Overindulgence so she started to have a whining freak-out at the table. As in, she wanted the entire 28-oz jar of jelly on her piece of toasted bread. And also not.

So she got some quiet time by herself in the bedroom. My mom went in after a minute and asked Lucy if she knew why she was in a time-out.

"I threw a fit," she answered.

Gee, no kidding.

Glory be!

Then the door burst open wide!
And my daddy stepped inside!
And he kissed my mama's face!
And he brushed her tears away!
The night Chicago died Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na-na...

This song is stuck in my head. Yes, indeed. Oh, and Jean, Paper Lace is the band.

Ed is supposed to be napping but instead he's in his crib saying "Ready, go. Wheeeee!!" What a goofball.

We had an awesome weekend in Chicagoland! We got in to RM very late on Thursday night but the kids slept almost the whole way in the car, and were total angels. We got to see Stu and Julie and the twins, and Matt and Megan and Charlie, plus Nick and Estelle, and we got to spend lots of quality time with Ellen's boyfriend Dwayne Blazer. He taught us the trick to being the wittiest person in the room, and elevated our family banter to a new level of sarcasm. Oh, and Ed slipped on a rocking-whale at the playground and chipped his two front teeth. Poor little snaggletooth.

Ed climbed into bed with Lucy on Saturday morning at my parents' house, and she was trying to read him a book but he was getting wiggly. "Don't go, Eddie!" Lucy said. "I'm nice! I'm friendly!"

Lu had her last dance class of the session this morning, and I picked up Joel at work so we could all watch. All the other kids in class said their names, and of course Lucy insisted she was "Cinderella." She did pretty well as far as following along with the movements, but she latched onto another little girl and together they kind of went into goof-off mode: spending more time dancing/pretending to nap with each other than listening to Miss Lee. Oh, well. Ed was devastated that he couldn't join in the dancing and I had to let him run around in the hall for the second half of class.

Oh, PS Mom: I still have your camera. Sorry!

It's a gorgeous fall day here -- the oak tree in our front yard is radiant orange, with the sun streaming through. I picked about eight more tomatoes this morning -- 90% of the plants are totally dead, but there's still quite a bit of good fruit boldly clinging to life. I want to go pick up some pumpkins for the kids, even though Lucy has officically filed for Conscientious Objector status for Halloween.

I'd better start picking up this dump. Oof, it's tough to be gone for the whole weekend.

Don't forget, everybody, tomorrow (Tuesday) everybody in America gets a free taco from Taco Bell!! from 2-5 PM. Enjoy!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Much to my chagrin and despite all my positive thinking to the contrary, it's really turning into autumn. The trees are truly gorgeous but our heat has been kicking on for the last couple of days. We really enjoyed receiving last month's energy bill, which was like eight dollars. But those days are short-lived.

This week is my one-year anniversary of being home with the kids! I deserve a gold watch but I bought myself a new pair of Gap jeans instead. Buying jeans at the Gap is ridiculous ("The Classic" -- "The Essential" -- "The Curvy""The High Waist" -- "The Long and Lean" -- give me a break!!) but ultimately satisfying (it turns out my rear end is rather pleasantly-shaped -- but who knew, since I had been ignorantly if contentedly drowning in a pair of Dollhouse stretch jeans that I had already worn straight through two pregnancies).

Please think nice thoughts for the people in Southern California whose homes are threatened by the fires -- specifically, my friend Alison and her family. One fire about 5 minutes from Alison's house was started by an arsonist -- I had thought they were all just wildfires. Anyway, it's got to be really scary to be living out there right now.

Also, I found thewinger.com which is a blog by professional dancers. It's really cool.

Also a quick Lucy tidbit: when she's sitting on the pot and I'm sitting on the edge of the tub (because she likes company), she often will reach out and massage that little wrinkle that I get right between my eyebrows when I frown. I'm sure she just thinks the wrinkle is weird-looking but I think it's a sweet gesture -- don't frown, Mommy.

What've I been up to?

Jean and I went to see Urinetown (yes, again -- this time at Bloomington Civic Theatre) on Saturday night. So basically I've missed all but one American League playoff game (and I missed all the NL games because the Powers That Be decided to televise them only on cable -- and then they wonder why the ratings were dismal). World Series starts Wednesday, and I can actually watch the first game. Can't wait!!

Urinetown was fantastic. Though in several aspects, I liked Heritage's production earlier this summer, better. Much better. But really BCT's show was incredible as well. We got to sit right in front of John Command, who was spittin' nails about Patrick Morgan's microphone going in and out. It's fun to get that inside look at the behind-the-scenes action -- though we didn't exactly have a choice.

Lucy told me yesterday that she HAD to put on some makeup because she looks "scaredy." So there's something else I have to stop saying.

We really had a fabulous weekend -- on Saturday, the sun finally came out, PLUS I got an extra-good deal on a bunch of Craig's List toys for the kids for Xmas, PLUS I got to go to the new Trader Joe's in Woodbury, plus Joel and I took the kids on a "nature hike" at Battle Creek Park, plus we scored a couple little treats (Aladdin and Beauty & the Beast on VHS, plus some "shish" swim trunks for Ed) at a garage sale. And I mowed the lawn in the sunshine. It was, like, my perfect day. On Sunday Jean and I went for a run (once around Phalen (3 mi)-- her first post-marathon run and my first run in several months) and surprisingly, I made it the whole way. Then Joel and I cleaned the garage -- or no, wait, that was on Saturday. Well, it got done and so did all the laundry and we have enough leftover dinners to make it through the entire week so it's Monday and I feel like I've got a nice solid jump on the week.

Which is great because I found out at the end of last week that I'm also choreographing Ashland's Christmas show. And then over the weekend, when I off-handedly asked how many people were in this Christmas show, I found out that oh, by the way, I'm also IN the show. Yikes! I'm sure Joel is really skeptical of how I'm going to bend the laws of time and space to fulfill these extra commitments. I'm interested to see how it all works out, myself.

Hey, I just found out that my cousin Amy is in the hospital with some pretty serious medical issues. Read her blog for more info, and send some healthy thoughts to her and her family.

Mom's version of the William Tell Overture

My Aunt Rosemary sent me a link to this YouTube video that I think is totally awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYZ7EMoMu64

It made me grin insanely for a few minutes -- but you know how I am about singing. Enjoy!

Desperately Seeking Discipline

Because I can scarcely keep track of my own stuff, I do not expect you to. So before I launch into this post, I remind you, dear reader, that on Tuesdays I teach elementary-school kids a "theatre class" consisting of acting, singing, and dancing.

So despite the godawful timing and logistics of the class (it's 3:30-5pm on Tuesdays in Mahtomedi, and Daycare Dee can only keep the kids until, like, 4:45 and we only have one set of car seats so Joel has to scramble out of work to get the kids and then hang out at Target for half an hour until I can pick the three of them up and really I need to find a better solution because Joel is getting peeved), I do love teaching it.

Except for the talking.

The class is right after school, so the kids have a LOT of energy to expend and a LOT to catch up on. Understandable. And some activities we do do seem to hold their attention enough. But during some of the other stuff, there is nonstop chattering going on. Waiting in line to take a turn speaking? Chattering.

Or this one kid is doing handstands instead of watching his peers take their turns performing. I ask him to stop. I joke -- handstands are awesome, I love doing them myself, I'm all for tumbling but this is not tumbling class! And the next time I turn around, there's Tyler, doing another handstand.

It drives me insaaaaane and as someone with no education training, I feel desperately ill-equipped to deal with it. I want to just scream at them, but that's totally not the right thing to do -- not to mention I am still trying to get my voice back 100% after my brave battle with the double dose of chest cold/marathon cheering. The only thing I really know how to do is give time-outs, so I don't call them that but I did send 2 kids to go sit out and not participate in whatever activity we were doing at the time. The girl took it well (despite the fact that "Sheila was talking to me FIRST!") and came back at the end of the activity to take her turn. But poor Tyler the Handstand Boy sat out the entire rest of the class, refusing to rejoin even when I went over and asked him nicely to please come back, we're all having fun, and maybe if your mother would cut your hair I could actually see your face to talk to you.

So I guess next week they get a little talk about respecting each other's performances by paying attention, blah bah... I wish I knew what to do.

Oh rats I have to get up at the crack of dawn and make apple cake for ECFE tomorrow. But I really want to see how the Red Sox-Indians game ends. Blast it!!

Elephantitis of the tomato and apple

I harvested about 4 more cups of tomatoes today -- is this normal for the middle of October? Will these things ever die?

Also the Gronaus took us to Karen and Skip Olson's house on Saturday for an impromptu apple-pick. We came home with, I kid you not, probably 50 pounds of apples. So... I'm planning on making pie. And applesauce. And apple cake. Yeepers.

At some point over the weekend, Grammy Donna taught Lucy this song:

I love him, I love him, I love him
And where he goes I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow
He'll always be my true love, my true love, my true love
From now until forever, forever, forever...

Apparently not content with the chorus, Lucy also learned the entire verse:

I will follow him
Follow him wherever he may go
There isn't an ocean too deep
A mountain so high it can keep!
Keep me away!!
Away from my love!!!

Lu's not so good on the pronouns (it's usually "I will follow you...") But truly, Joel and I about wet ourselves in the van today when Lucy busted it out. Amazing.

Of course, she's still stuck on Joseph too -- Potiphar being her favorite scene. I mean, really, of all the wonderful family-friendly scenes in that show, she latches on to Potiphar? There's no accounting for tastes.

Speaking of tastes, Ed got a nice taste of Lucyflesh on Thursday when he took a hearty bite out of her face. He didn't draw blood, but Lu has eight very distinct tooth-shaped bruises right on her right cheek.

HEY! Bloomington Civic Theatre is doing Urinetown, opening next weekend. On Saturday the 20th they are offering 2-for-1 tickets. Jean and I are going. You should come too! Let me know if you want in and I will give you the code or whatever. I think you just have to say "email special" when you order the tickets, or whatever.

Joel wants you to know that his knee is doing OK. The swelling has gone down considerably (it was the size of a cantaloupe on Friday and is now almost back to normal) and he continues to gimp about. The pain comes and goes but seems to be improving. Also he is incredibly sexy and hott and he assures you, dear readers, that his upper body has lost neither its superhuman strength nor its chiseled definition.

And we all settled down for a good mid-week nap...

Joel had his torn meniscus removed from his knee this morning. The nurses said he chatted away the whole time he wasn't sleeping (they ended up not giving him the general anesthetic but rather just a "knee block" with some sedative). He was indeed able (and encouraged) to walk on it afterward -- but now he's in the basement enjoying some football movie along with a hearty dose of Vicodin.

On top of my hourly savage coughing fits, I came down with a stinker of a migraine while Joel was being operated on. Let me tell you, we were quite a pair, limping and skulking our way out of St. John's day surgery center at 10:30 this morning.

My dad is here, thank goodness, to help with the household duties and of course the child-entertainment duties.

Jean's been back at work all week -- apparently her toes and toenails (what remains of them) are in rough shape, and she's been having some foot and calf pain too. But other than that she seems a-ok.

I'm thinking about brewing a cup of tea and settling in with the crossword puzzle. I've got about eight songs to choreograph but I suppose that can all be put on hold for a while. Happy Wednesday to all...

SheDidItSheDidItSheDidIt!!!

Above, at mile 8.5.

Below, about 1 block from the finish line:



Jean finished the marathon!

Congratulations, Beansie. You're an inspiration.

Oh, and Joel's having knee surgery on Oct 10.

Well! This is certainly going to be More Like It.

Just got back from the kids' first official "field trip" to Afton Apple Orchard. SO much fun, and the best way to pass a gorgeous fall morning! I was pleasantly surprised, and actually I continue to be, by how well some of these ECFE things are orchestrated. Truly, they have so much experience with kids this age -- just plug new kids right in every year and you're set.

For example, they installed 15 car seats into a school bus in what seemed like 30 seconds. Incredible. Getting 2 car seats in my van takes about a half-hour for me -- these gals are whizzes. When we got the the orchard, there was plenty of time allowed for the kids to play at the playground or observe/feed/pet the sheep, llamas, goats (my kids' fave), cows, donkeys, and pigs, before we all loaded onto the hayride for an apple-pickin' tour. Each person got to pick three apples, which sounds kinda lame-o but really it was perfect for the attention span of 15 under-5-year-olds. We saw horses, got to see a pumpkin growing on a tree (seriously), sampled some apple cider, and sang the "Louisiana Hayride" song (actually just me). Then we tucked into lunch, played in the mud, and loaded back on the van. It was a perfect little outing and I'm sure the kids are going to nap well if they would just allow themselves to fall asleep.

Sooooo... what the heck's been going on the last couple weeks? Unfortunately September has been ripped off my calendar, because I just don't remember. I suppose I could work backward.

Last night I really thought I was coming down with something: allover aches and a really sore throat. But I realized I'd done a lot of talking in the prior few days, plus my dance class on Monday was particularly intense, so I gargled some salt water, took some ibu, sucked on a Cold-Eez and really today I feel about 80% better.

The sore throat also could have been caused by walking about 10 blocks in the rain yesterday -- nobody told me it was going to rain! I'd packed up the kids and hustled them onto the bus for a lovely excursion to the Children's Museum -- but it was not to be. The kids were uber-crabby and sprinting off in opposite directions at all times. I could not even keep them both in the same exhibit -- a nightmare. Neither one even napped after that, which was actually a good thing because I had to hustle them over to Dee's at 3pm so I could go teach my new class.

Back it up! You say. Class? What class?

Remember Ashland Productions, home of the "Joseph" summer camp I helped direct? Ashland has an afterschool theatre program for elementary-school kids, and I'm going to help direct it. We play theatre games and icebreaker/get-to-know-each-other games, and I teach the kids a song and dance each time. It is every other Tuesday from 3:30-5pm.

What a dreadful time of day! You say.

You're right! My kids are generally napsy-doodles at that time. Except Lucy's down to only a couple actual naps a week (Don't pick Tuesday, Lu!) and... well, that's the only good thing. So I'm planning to take them to Dee's (my old daycare provider) house for about 2 hours, every other Tuesday. It's 20 bucks each time, and I'm not entirely certain I'll be making that back in income... but it's something I really want to do. Anyone interested in filling Dee's role for less than $20? You're hired!

In addition to the after-school program, Ashland has two show choirs that I'm also helping out with. If you know me, you know show choir has been my true passion since 1992, so I'm extra-excited to get my hands on those kids.

Last weekend we left the kids with Joel's folks and trekked down to Madison for my cousin Mary's wedding. I discovered a new drink (the UV Blue Lemonade) and had some nice convos with many mostly-drunk relatives. It was a good little getaway for us, and also for the kids, who thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed bedtimes and abundance of new toys at Grammy and Papa's house.

After we picked up the kids on Sunday, we swung by this place for an open house. The home is AMAZING and tantalizingly close to being affordable -- but, not. *Shrug* It is fun to dream.

We had a meeting with a contractor last night to talk about the possibility of opening up the wall to Ed's room and turning it into a dining room. He's a family friend (holy cats, I better not be old enough to have "family friends"!) and we had a great, educational chat and visit with him. It really helped put a lot of things into perspective and that actually reminds me I need to email him and tell him that in addition to a dishwasher (not named Joel) I also MUST have a couple more functioning electrical outlets in the kitchen.

So! Because we have so ungodly much going on, and because we were gone all weekend so lots of housework was neglected... my children are being ignored. Not at this instant, mind you, because they are blissfully napping, but in general, I am finding there is simply not enough time in the day to spend all morning goofing off with them and still expect myself to get all the dishes/cooking/laundry/choreography done, that needs to get done.

Whic brings me to: where's the balance between "homemaker" and "stay-at-home-mom"? Because I read two articles recently about SAHMs, and both said that my staying home ought to "ease some of the housework burden" on my husband, ostensibly allowing him to "focus more on his career." I don't think that's happening. And I don't mean JG's not focusing, I just mean that I still think he does a ton of dishes, dusting, vacuuming, baths, and general pickup -- and he would, even if I didn't have 100 evening activities to dash off to. Some of which bring in some extra money. So what's my responsibility? Is it to roll around in the living room with the kiddos, paint their faces, do crafts (I still haven't done a single craft with them, I swear, I just can't handle whatever disgusting mess would ensue... but maybe I'm thinking of the wrong crafts? And where does one purchase "alum" for making homemade play-dough?)... or is it to organize the bills, do the dishes, change out the laundry, scrub the toilets, dust and vacuum? I'm sure it's some kind of balance; I'm just finding it hard to strike it.

Let's see, what are the kids doing?

Lucy is still really enjoying her dance class (still despite her claims to the contrary). It amazes me that she's making these friends, whom she can name, and I have no idea who they are. Chloe? Reed? Hattie? Leah? Who are you?
Two weeks ago they worked on "pas de chat" ("step of the cat") and this week it was "zig-zags". The other day I caught Lucy demonstrating to Ed how to walk backward... now slow... now fast! But that's as close to a demo as I can get from her.

Ed is jabbering away as usual -- if he wants you to follow him, he'll run ahead, reach his hand behind him, and say "ummm-ON! ummm-ON!" He will give "knuckles" now ("NUCK-ull!") and then pump his fist "Yesss!" afterward. When he goes down a slide at the playground, he stands up at the end and claps for himself: "Yaaayyy!!" and sometimes "Ta-Daa!" and then says "Bow?" and neatly ducks his head before running off to try something else.

Lucy is still insisting that I call Ed "little prince" and calling herself "Singer-lella." She's also started speaking in gibberish, for no good reason. Usually when she's trying to pull your attention, or trying to distract you from something naughty she did.

I will round this out by saying that you know you're a grownup when you start experiencing things coming full circle -- like, when you actually live in a place long enough to see a huge road construction project begin and then end. Or when you actually have to replace something you've never had to replace before, like throw pillows. It somehow gives you the wisdom of age to be able to say "nothing lasts forever" and really have lived it.

Jean's running the marathon this Sunday -- take a quick minute to send her power! If you somehow didn't cadge an invitation to the post-marathon party starting around 1:30 PM Sunday, it's a more-the-merrier thing and you should try to swing by. Cheers!

Mortgage market?
See other sheet
Ed: Umm-ON!
Lucy's gibberish and drawings: what I draw? A cup. Purple. Daddy. The wind. Friday. The "new Faje": Koo-koo.

Just a bite

Imagine a garage-sized pile of debris: newspapers, dance shoes, laundry, wet towels, apples, CDs, kleenexes, papers, papers, and more papers -- all the flotsam and jetsom of our lives here on 4th Street.

Enter: ME (lifting a dirty sock and one of Lucy's drawings off my head): Hey. I'm still here. I've got to get back to work. But I'll blog again soon.

Till then...