Winona weekend!

Hi gang! Just got back last night from a fun-packed weekend trip to Winona. Because the kids and I are leaving for another road trip in the morning and because today I've got to start laundry, grocery shop, hit the beach, and plan a couple dance lessons, this update will be brief and photo-filled.

We stopped at Lark Toys in Kellogg, Minn. The kids got to ride on the carousel and we marvelled at the July weather that would be with us for the next 36 hours: low 60s, cloudy and windy.



Upon arriving in Winona, we met up with the Vanornys (Stu, Julie, Winona, Dashiell and Tristan, Stu and Amber's nephew) and Cigelskes (Amber, James and Amelia) at beno's deli for lunch.


Naptime at the hotel consisted of chips & salsa, veggies and dip and a screening of Bolt, much to Eddie's elation.


We swam and hit Bub's for dinner, much to Lucy's dismay: "It's called BOOBS!?!? THAT'S not a restaurant!!!" And our kids were out like lights at 9:15:


Saturday morning brought more miserable weather -- thank goodness for the Riverport's indoor pool and our fabulous poolside rooms! Lucy learned to "dive" (bellyflop) from the top step, and Eddie did his best flailing dog-paddle to keep up with her.


Stu, Dash and Ed:


Tadpole #1 and 2:


Winona has had quite enough:


We finally ventured out around 6pm to visit the WSU Campus. The Shakespeare festival was going on and we didn't catch any theatre but we got to enjoy some live music.
Kids on the rocks:


Lucy: "These flowers match my skirt!!"


The obligatory dorm-pix:




After we parted ways on Sunday, we drove out to Jared's place. We pet Bullet the goat:


Despite my grunting and eyebrow-twitching, the kids drove the tractor:



And Jared took us up his folks' mountain in a weird little buggy and I thought for sure we would all die. No pix of that (too busy clinging to Lucy's bony body with one hand and a sawn-off piece of wood with another).

THEN we took the kids horseback riding!



Lucy and I rode Lucky -- Joel and Ed were on Ebony. The trail leaders chided us (a bit) for not letting Lucy ride her own pony. I thanked them for their suggestion and held her a little closer.



The kids got to pet a miniature horse named Marshmallow. Super-cute.


After the horses we went up to Garvin for our farewell panorama. We stopped at the Garvin Heights Vineyards for a brief wine-tasting and then took the Wisconsin route back on Hwy 35. I'd never gone that way before and it was lovely -- next time we'll build in more time to stop in some of the small towns along the way.



We finished the evening with dinner with the Watsons, whom we haven't seen in, like, forever. The kids ran around together like a horde of puppies and we adults enjoyed the Wats' lovely garden and some g & ts.

It's good to be home but laundry and the garden can no longer be neglected! And I've trips to pack for!

Help me tie these tap shoes and put on this fringey skirt, will ya?

Lucy: We're going to the ball and we're going to find the most handsomest man to marry.

Me: Oh, like your daddy?

Lucy: No, someone else. A YOUNG guy.


Ouch, Joel.

I'm NOT your Eddie

Ed is in this crazy-negative phase. He just handed me a CD and asked "What is this?" and I answered "It's called Paris Combo" and he just grunts and replies "It's NOT Paris Combo!" I don't get this 3-year-old stage.

He also makes a sound like a very angry cat when he's mad, and he's big into announcing "I DON'T LOVE YOU" every chance he gets.

Joel took us (me, Lucy, Ed and Jean) to the Science Museum for my birthday a few weeks ago, to see the Titanic artifacts exhibit. It was a lovely day and before we went into the exhibit, we took a couple minutes to explain the sinking of the Titanic to the kids. They were surprisingly enthralled with the story and if I can figure it out I'll post a video of Eddie's recap of the story. It goes something like "The boat CRASHED into the iceberg and it went up and up and then it CRACKED and then it went downdowndown." Which is actually pretty accurate.

I'm sorry, I have about 100 other things to mention, like the fact that earlier this week I accidentally bought 12 pints of blueberries at Aldi ... and that we're taking a little trip to Winona this weekend (and Lucy keeps asking "When are we going to your COLLEGE?!!" ... and that Joel and Jean did their triathlon last Saturday and totally rocked... and that my folks were up for the tri and helped us clean out our whole backyard, making it a really pleasant place to be (finally!)... and that we found ANOTHER awesome little beach in Woodbury ... but I've GOT to go shower and get the kids to the park before we all implode.

2 from Lu

Lucy found my high school varsity letters (from choir, of course, because they totally give letters for choir!) and asked what it was and why it was laying on the floor of my room. I explained what it was and that it was on the floor because I was putting some of my high school pictures on Facebook and the letters fell out of my scrapbook.

And Lucy asked, "Is it because you want to remember your childhood?"

Well, golly, I guess it is.

Also last week we were at the Dari-ette, and I took Lu to the potty, and as she was sitting there she remarked "Every time I sit on the potty, I go potty!"

Me: "Yeah, I guess."

Lucy: "Typically, that's just how my life goes."

Anybody want a condo?

My darling (I actually typed "daring" at first, which is not altogether inaccurate) sister is selling her condo. MLS # 3807174. It's in West Saint Paul, 3 BR/2 BA and it's a really nice place for $129K. Anyway... if you know anybody...

Lovely homes also still available in our neighborhood -- I think Alley Joel and Cara go on the market in the next few days here (*sob!*).

They found the kids

Hey there, I completely forgot to post this and I know this is way-late, but they found Maya and Rojo Espinosa in North Dakota on June 6. I don't actually have any other details, but they are physically safe. Thanks everyone for your prayers and kind thoughts.

My I key keeps breaking, this is a problem.

2 little Lucy things I forgot:

1. She is TOTALLY SWIMMING. 2 weekends ago we were at the lake. On Saturday she was laying in the water, "walking" her hands on the bottom and kicking her feet. On Sunday she was paddling with her hands and kicking, with a noodle around her middle. On Monday we went to the beach with the Watsons (and the Dalys, Hobdays, and Youngbergs) and Lucy saw Owen and Will swimming solo, and there were no noodles in sight, so she just up-n-started dog-paddling.

And to think I questioned Dan Fors when he said 6-year-olds could do actual strokes! Amazing!

Also, today in the bathroom at the Dari-ette, Lucy remarked on the fact that "Every time I sit on the potty, I go potty!" and I said, well, yeah, and then she added "Typically, my life goes like that."

Oh, and she saw a "No Parking" sign today on the way home from Jean's house, this one:

And she asked whether I'd seen "the R with the line through it" (I can see how she thought it was an R) and I said No, sorry, I missed it, and she said she'd keep it in her mind until we got home so she could draw it for me, and after we stopped at Aldi we got home and she grabbed paper and pencil and drew it for me, and I said Oh! and I explained that it meant No Parking, and she took that in and then commented, "Well, it would be nicer if they just said 'Please don't park here,'" and she totally has a point.

Carol remarked that we should have our government send 4-year-olds to all international negotiations, and things would probably go much more smoothly, and I can't argue.

Oh, and I'm sooooo excited about So You Think You Can Dance, and I adore Brandon and Janette and their cha-cha, and Philip and Jeanine were just MADE to do Nappy-Tab's choreography, and Melissa and Ade's ballet was gorgeous but completely unfair, no way did they pick that out of a hat unless it was a hatfull of ballet! and Evan and Randi's Sweet Charity number was also unfair in that it was choreographed by a six-foot-tall woman since E and R and both about Lucy's size, and I also loved Kupono and Kayla's vampire dance, and Vitolio and Karla, I like you too but that number just wasn't awesome, and I think Jason and Caitlin HAVE to go home this week because that B-Free Alien number was ridiculous, and not in the Mia-Michaels/Dan Karady way, but in the way that actually means "ridiculous."

Tuesday morning blues

The "I" key is totally broken on my laptop, so this will be an interesting experiment. Oh look! Apparently I can just press the little button underneath. I don't hardly miss it!

Well I just can't figure out this crazy weather. It's 90 degrees with blinding sunshine for a full week, and now it's overcast and about 55 at 8:30 AM. I really admire Minnesotans who choose to put a permanent pool in their backyards -- those are just the kind of glass-is-half-full eternal optimists that this world probably needs more of.

Took Ed in for his 3-month checkup and he is most assuredly a three-year-old boy. He got a giant kick out of the hearing test -- "I hear it mommy! I hear it!"

Lucy is my resident grumpy stick-in-the-mud -- I made plans today to take the kids to the Minnesota Zoo: the expensive, nice, far-away zoo in the area. Lucy, upon hearing of these plans, made a face and said she didn't want to go. Well, I'm not going to twist her arm and drag her across the metro against her will. She wants to stay home so we can get the free lunch that the playground down the street serves every weekday. That girl is one cheap date.

Last Saturday, Joel and Jean and Cameron and the rest of the girls from our coed softball team all competed in the Tri-Loppet in Minneapolis: 11k canoe, 5k trail run, 15k mountain bike. It was HARD and kinda miserable, and it really illustrated for me what dreadful shape I am in. OK don't get me wrong: the literal shape of me is fine, but all my lovely muscles have converted into mooshy flesh and bone and I hate it. After watching "So You Think You Can Dance" last Wednesday, I made a new-year resolution (it was my birthday, so it's a new year for me!) to exercise more regularly. Jean and I went for a run last night along the river and it was really perfect. Running really isn't my thing, but I can do 30 minutes every now and then.ooooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

OK I think I got the I key fixed. Gotta get moving on laundry and maybe organizing the kids' toys (again). Why is that such a nightmare?!?! I go to other people's houses and their kids' toys all seem to have places to be... not here! There's junk everywhere, nothing has all the pieces it came with, and nothing gets put away when it's done being played with.

Our neighbors' Hummer got towed at 11PM last night, which leaves soooo many unanswered questions: why in the middle of the night? Why were 3 cop cars necessary? What's the DEAL with that family? Why would anyone in this neighborhood even OWN a Hummer?? Their dog barked at me for the solid 20 minutes I spent weeding my garden yesterday afternoon, and I could hear people in the house talking, so I'm SURE they could hear their poor dog freaking out at me. Too bizarre.

I know I promised you a Seattle/Rolling Meadows recap, but I don't think anybody really cares, and I posted lots of pics on Facebook anyway. I've got to hit some laundry and dishes. Ciao!

Mama why is tomorrow only a day away?

Something about our yard must make it look like an inviting place to take a stroll.

Once a year or so, I spy a random person walking from our street straight back through our yard toward the alley. They always stay on the sidewalk, and they typically walk with purpose. I think many of our neighbors have fences that make such cut-throughs impossible; also, we're on part of a big hill and I can see how cutting through our property can lop off a big downhill followed by a steep climb, if one were traveling a certain path.

So just now, as I sit at my computer looking out at the verdant jungle that is my backyard, I watched a gal walking up toward our garage. When she reached the alley she turned left and disappeared behind our garage, only to materialize moments later walking to the right. I then watched her stop, turn, and start to sprint back toward the left. The second she vanished (again) behind out garage, I saw a gigantic white truck ZOOMING toward her down the alley.

I never heard a crash or a scream so I assume she made it. If it had been a cartoon the timing would have been mildly amusing, and in real life it was just-- sorta-- interesting to watch.

Whatever, I gotta go pick some rhubarb. Anybody want any??

Home sweet Hades

OK so life with a deck is pretty good! The kids and I have breakfasted out there both mornings we've been home, and I LOVE sipping coffee in the fresh air. I also like the built-in clock that is the sun rising over the neighbors' tree. When the rays hit Ed's eyes, it's time to pack up the cereal and tuck back into the house for the most-but-not-every-morning ritual of getting dressed and brushing teeth.

My guess is my kids can sense a thunderstorm, because they have been On Edge the last day or so and now we're amid a lovely late-spring shower and they are ripping each other's hair out, screaming, while I silently stare at the clouds, willing them to part and dry the grass so I can kick the kids out and bang my head on the floor in peace and quiet.

Fate has not been on the side of me getting my Seattle/Chicago pics up -- the camera is, as I type, in the glove box of the van, which is merrily parked in the garage which is, unfortunately, across the yard from my house. Last week Lucy drew a picture of our house, and then she smiled at me as she added a box on the side. "You know what this is attached to the house Mommy?" she says, "It's what you've always wanted... a garage!!" Indeed, my kingdom for an attached garage. Though as I told Carol yesterday, I'd totally settle for a bathroom on the same level as my bedroom.

Progress through participation

I'm still in Rolling Meadows, posting from my parents' desktop that is starting to sound like it's going to self-destruct any second. Maybe look for new pics on Sunday or Monday, and notes from our adventures. In the meantime...

We were sitting at dinner, eating chicken fingers and zucchini-fries (SUPER yummy, BTW) and reliving funny moments with the kids. My dad mentions that while I was in Seattle, he took the kids into the yard to splash in the kiddie pool, and before he knew it Lucy had stripped down to her birthday suit and was running around in her me-oh-my.

Lucy, listening, shakes her head, smiling like a much-older person, and mutters "What will the neighbors think?"

OK OK and Eddie the other morning crawled into his chair at breakfast and declared "I'm a VERY busy woman!"

And if only I could capture the inflection in Ed's voice when he calls "Graaaaam-paw..." Sooo funny.

Joel and Jean will be joining us at my folks' tomorrow, and we'll be at the Twins/Cubs game Friday afternoon! I'm afraid I missed my peonies blooming this year, which makes me very sad. Joel promises there's "stuff" growing in the garden but I am skeptical and trying desperately to keep my curiosity at bay, until we get back.

My folks are rock-stars for putting up with me and these crazy kids.

Posting from Rolling Meadows

Joel and I had a fabulous trip to Seattle -- it's really a fantastic city.

Pix and full synopsis to follow (I didn't bring the camera cord and I don't think my folks' computer has the right software, anyway).

Anyway, so now I'm in Chicagoland for the next 10 days, without much in the way of plans. Nice way to start the summer...

Sooo THAT'S why they call it "sod-busting"

I'm a sod-buster!! I feel like that is how my last three days (oops, I started writing this post on Monday night, I think, and only just now have found time to finish it) have been spent -- turning Joel's idea of a paltry 10' x 8' "garden" into the horticultural wonderland that's going to be my yard, if everything lives and if I remember to water and if I ever figure out "pruning" and if I know when-the-heck to harvest.

I have to get Carol to draw me a map of my yard so I can show you. I expanded last year's plot into hmmm, well I'm not super-good at estimating... maybe 15' x 12'? Which encompasses our existing rhubarb, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, the "walking onion" which I still don't fully understand, 2 kinds of peas, carrots, radishes, and ending with 2 kinds of watermelon, and pumpkins.

The space we had the African Killer Sunflowers last year (which is the little strip of dirt between the parking pad and the fire pit) are getting a new crop of ECFE sunflowers -- five seedlings made it out of the milk-carton containers and into the ground. And I read you can do squash near sunflowers (and also I misplaced my zucchini seeds for a few days, so they didn't make it into the Master Plot), so I put in seeds for three zuke bushes in that strip as well.

Tomatoes and basil went in the tomatoes' usual home, up against the garage. And I dug out a 2' strip on either side of our front steps, in an attempt to prettify the front yard (which is TOTALLY pointless since we never use the front of our house, but it remains the front of our house and it is pretty sad-looking) by planting some begonias and rudbeckia there.

Joel also (last weekend) managed to plant my new (used) clothesline poles, found on Craigslist of course, and lovingly retrieved by Joel via 2 trips to Cottage Grove (about 15 minutes south of here). The gal who had them at her house is about 12 months pregnant so I'm going to cut her some slack for not being able to describe the poles over the phone to me AT ALL. I asked her the approximate 1. size... 2. color... 3. material... and 4. weight of the poles, and she said she didn't really know... which is totally ridiculous, since I took one glance at the poles (really T-bars) and could see that the appropriate answers would have been "1. enormous, you'll need a truck; 2. white with rusty spots; 3. metal with the concrete still attached to the bottom from the previous planting; and 4. approximately six tons each. Instead I sent Joel down to CG the first time with the notion that he might be dealing with some PVC pipe that could easily stash in the minivan. Ooops.

JG also poured the 6 cement footings for our deck!! I am trying not to get too excited about the deck, but it's going to be really nice to have it.

Anyway, Sunday night we all sat down for dinner and Joel and I tucked into the meal like 2 farmhands. Being bone-tired and crazy-hungry felt unusual and interesting. And good.

Monday I did heaps more planting (which I'm SURE is all for naught after this crazy last 2 days of 90-degree-weather and godawful winds -- I haven't been able to keep ANYTHING watered for more than three minutes, and I bet all the seeds have eigher washed away or been devoured by the squirrel infestation in our yard. Seriously, I have NEVER seen so many squirrels. Eddie was chasing them around yesterday like a crazed spaniel. He names them all "Jumpy" and calls them "squee-yos" or "chick-munks" if he forgets.


Some will win, some will lose... some're born to sing the blues

Honestly, I want to blog about AI and Glee (MY NEW FAVORITE SHOW, cannot WAIT for fall!!) but the heat & wind combo today has sapped all my creative energy. No really, I feel completely beaten. I do want to note (re: Glee) that I about freaked when I heard they named their show choir "New Directions." (That was the name of my HS show choir, in case anybody besides my parents are reading this.) And I also want to note that I've read in several places that critics are worried that Glee will be disappointing to their "target market" of 11-17 year olds. I'm sure the 11-17 niche is more desirable than I am, but I AM THE TARGET MARKET FOR THIS SHOW. Whether or not that means it will be a successful series, I do not care to speculate.

Oh! Another marketing note. When I take dance classes, I do so at Phil Alesso's Dance Spectrum studio on Grand Ave (or maybe technically Chatsworth St?) in St. Paul. I take lessons for a few weeks, then life intervenes but I always go back. Anyway, they are just darlings there, and the studio is non-competitive, and if you are looking for a place to take dance lessons (ballet-tap-jazz for kids thru grownups) I cannot speak too highly of them. I think they could really use some new, enthusiastic students, so consider going, OK? Summer classes restart June 15, I think. I may also have Lucy start lessons there in the fall.

I also was reading some letter-to-the-editor in the PiPress today, criticizing Minn. Governor Tim Pawlenty's anti-tax statement that "Everybody is struggling." I will paraphrase, but the letter reminded readers that NOT everybody is struggling. Many, many people still have jobs. And to some degree, the still-employed have a responsibility to keep this economy plugging along. So I'm not saying we should all go into sloppy, unbounded debt, but for me it was something to think about.

Daddy's little girl

Joel and Lucy and their matching knee-scrapes, with the additional bonus of their matching FACES. Totally not staged (the faces, I mean).

Joel is going to freak out that he's not wearing a shirt. Oooops.



Close-up on the owwies. Joel's is from softball -- Lucy's is from running out the door too fast after ECFE while wearing a dress, and taking a giant digger on the sidewalk. Lots of blood, lots of hollering.

AI Top Three

Sorry, you'll have to link to my friend Heather's blog for a recap. My recap is in her comments. Too sleepy last night!

Give yo' mama a big hug (and offer to rub her achy hammies)

Well after another marathon week (Grandpa visit, dance lesson, ECFE, dance lesson, dance lesson, drawing class, hailstorm, dance lesson, dance lesson, ECFE, ECFE, softball (a victory!), volleyball, dance lesson, doctor appointment, dance lesson, plant sale), I can put another class in the history books -- my preschool dance classes are finito for the school year.

This coming week will be much like the last, with added craziness on Thursday because Lucy has to register for preschool. In the immortal words of Charlie Brown: "AAAUUUGGGHHH!!"

Things begin to thin out quickly, though, as Memorial Day approaches: my various dance-teaching gigs are all totally done by May 27, and then I leave for Seattle (by way of Chicago) on May 29 or 30.

And since we won't be back until June 13 or 14, we miss the end of the school year and, to my dismay, a couple important ECFE parties. When we come back it'll be summer and I don't have a single thing to do until Lucy starts school on Sept. 10. WOW.

Back to the present, tho: About the instant the weather changed on Friday evening (from relatively summery, to rainy and cool), all the muscles in the back of my body (calves, hamstrings, back) cramped up, but other than that I woke up rarin' to go Saturday morning. As soon as Joel took off with the kids, I made an orderly, prioritized list and actually tackled most of the more important things on it: laundry, cleaning the kitchen sink and the bathroom (I used bleach; I know, I KNOW it's bad but I scarcely could stand to sit on my own toilet or turn on the faucet with my bare hands, it was so germy-gross), mowing the lawn, planning the week's meals*, harvesting my already-gone-to-seed rhubarb and then baking 2 pies and a cobbler out of the less-woody bits.

I was sighing to Joel about how happy I was with my accomplishments, when he gave me A Look and remarked that he was glad I'd gotten something done, because he mostly felt like he was just wrangling the kids all day, which he totally was, escorting them to theatre class and Menards and home and through lunch and into their post-lunch movie and into the bath. Joel is mostly a rock star.

We got the movie Ray from Netflix -- we'd never seen it. It was excellent!

Happy Mothers' Day to all the mamas, and everyone who's ever had a mama, out there.

*For the record, this week we're planning to eat:

1. Chicken-with-almonds-and-apples (actually this was tonight), baked in foil

2. Swedish meatballs (I'm really hoping I have all the ingredients for this) with noodles and canned cranberry sauce

3. Creole pork chops with potatoes and possibly a green salad, which might just mean romaine with ranch dipdip

4. Broccoli-rice-chicken bake

5. Leftover ham/bean soup

6. Pork chops with sauerkraut

7. Salmon ... somehow.

At some point all my stories just build up and build up and then I forget everything and have to start over.

Which is part of the reason I blog -- to keep the stories written down somewhere before they vanish forever. Unfortunately I think I just had a memory-erase sometime today, so you just get a couple highlights.

1.
Lucy (starting to get worked up and angry about something I won't let her do, or possibly something I'm asking her to do):
"I don't want to be part of this family anymore! I don't want to be your daughter anymore! You're ugly! You're GARBAGE!"

Ed (who has been silent through the whole rampage, but has apparently reached his limit): "She's not garbage." (teeny pause)
"She's NOT ugly." (teeny pause)
"She's BEAUTIFUL!""


2.
Ed and I are driving in the car. I am turning from 61 onto Shepard Road, and in lieu of the typical "Merge" sign you might see at this type of intersection, there is a "Yield" sign there. Meaning, if there are cars coming, you stop and wait and YIELD until there's an open spot. Which is the opposite of MERGE, which means "speed up to highway velocity and find a hole."

So there are tons of cars coming, so I stop. The big truck behind me does not like this, and starts to honk, so I address him out loud: "It says Yield; whaddaya want me to frickin' do?"

To which Eddie replies: "What's frickin doo?"

So now "frickin-doo" is the latest funny thing to say around the house. Rats.

Ed is definitely in the super-fun-to-talk-to stage that Lucy's been in for the last couple years. Lu, on the other hand, has been challenging at best recently. She's been crabby, rude, bossy, moody, and a bully, at sometimes-overlapping turns. More and more I see how similar she and I are -- a battle that's just beginning, I know. But she's also very loving and sweet and so curious about so many things.

OK OK dishes and laundry are calling...

Won't you be my neighbor?

I just read in the East Side Review that the government, along with the Pohlad foundation, is offering some serious incentives (up to $30,000 if you're a veteran/civil servant + first-time homebuyer) for people looking to buy houses in our ZIP code, 55106.

Apparently, 55106, along with a North Minneapolis ZIP code, have been the hardest hit by foreclosures.

Know anybody looking for a house? I know several on the market in our area. The east side of St. Paul, as I've mentioned, gets a bad rap -- but we've been here for 7.5 years and are delighted to call it home. Come live here so I can borrow sugar from you!

Little shop o' terrors

OK so this is the pink!

It *does* look a little sprayed-on, mostly because of my superdark roots, and the fact that it really doesn't take on hair that's not bleached almost-white.

Another busy week this week, but it's mostly under control.

Watch Oprah this Thursday (April 30, with Kirstie Alley) and look for me and my friends in the front row! Well some of us are in, like, the 4th row. I'm in the front, blonde hair, reddish-orange jacket over black, next to my friend Carol (short red hair over purple shirt).

Pink hair, flat tire

Hm. Well, I guess there's nothing more to say.

I did change the tire All By Myself (including jumping on the tire iron, trying to unscrew the bolts -- thank goodness I still have that extra 5 lb. of winter weight!), and that was a first, so that's something!

And I can't find my camera, so the hair documentation will have to wait.

Oh, and yes I did go see a taping of Oprah last weekend (Fri the 17th, it would have been) and we sat in the front row and the show airs Wed., May 6. And then I stayed out until 5 in the morning and yes it took me six whole days to recover.

And I must be going for some kind of choreography record: 16 different numbers, made up and taught in about 2 weeks. Where'd I put that margarita?

'Tis burnt!

I'm having a really rough week so I connect you with my sister's AI review, which hits all the main points for me and, once again, our rankings are identical:

http://andsoisallthemeat.blogspot.com/

A.I. 4/14/09 -- Top 7

Music from the Movies? Another super-generic genre, not that I'm complaining -- remember the disasters that Billy Joel Night and Rod Stewart Night produce?

But I don't fully understand why Quentin Tarantino is giving musical advice... err, "performance tips" is how he phrased it. It sounded like his credentials are that he loves music. I mean, I love strawberries but you don't see me dispensing gardening advice to aspiring professional gardeners.

I do want to talk a little about how much I love my bed. I love sheets and blankets and pillows. I love my bare, achy feet between cool, clean sheets. I love a fluffy comforter. I love being nestled after a long day of walking the zoo, chauffeuring the children, teaching the dance lessons, drinking with the friends, and roaming downtown St. Paul with the fairly-confident hope that I'm not going to get mugged. Mmmmm, bed. Today's reviews will be colored by how much I love my bed.

Allison -- I don't want to miss a thing by Aerosmith from Armageddon
I wish I could remember correct AP style for movie/song titles and band names. Prepare for some random italics and underlining. Ugh, Allison, the OUTFIT. And the HAIR. I get that you're working a look, but it just looks the Same. Every. Week. I don't think you can wear hair like that every week -- I want to see a color change, or different extensions, or something. Her singing, I guess, kinda rocked, but truly I was bored and I hate writing that but it's the middle of the competition and it's true. The song was so short and all the cuts are distracting. One of the great things about that song is how it builds and builds and explodes at the end, but when you only have 30 seconds to perform, it just comes across as blah and totally forgettable. Think back to past years of Idol -- there are some performances you remember, and then a whole mess of others that just all blend together. This was definitely the latter, though I do think it's good enough to keep her around another week.

Anoop -- Everything I do, I do it for you by Bryan Adams from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
This was a VERY polished, good performance from Anoop. Ditto the last 2 sentences of Allison's review, though. Do you think the people who made this movie thought there were going to be sequels, and that's the reason for the colonic title? Or was it just early-'90s hubris?

Adam -- Born to be wild (no idea on the artist or movie)
ARGH! I'm accustomed to seeing him last! I'm mentally unprepared for sheer awesomeness!! Listen, this guy is Not Normal. But he's so EXCITING to watch! JG and I think Simon's crabby comments are just meant to keep the show interesting -- Simon knows what makes good TV and Adam being Pure Genius every week is getting repetetive (not for me, mind you! but for the average teenage viewer). I'm once again astounded that Adam can take a song I loathe and actually make me want to buy it. Bravo, Adam.

Matt -- Tell me have you ever really, really really ever loved a woman? by Bryan Adams from Don Juan deMarco
Honestly, Bryan must have lost some kind of bet when he was writing this song. A sampling of the lyrics:

If you love a woman, tell her that she's really woman.
If you love a woman, tell her that sheeeeee's a woman!
She needs somebody to tell her that it's gonna laaaaaaast forever (I love the implication that it doesn't actually need to last forever, she just needs to hear that it will?)
So tell me have you ever really, really really ever ever really ever looooved a woman.

That said, I do enjoy harmonizing with along with Bryan Adams songs -- this one and Anoop's, anyway.

Danny -- Endless Love by Lionel Ritchie from Endless Love
The harp sounds really bad here. The whole thing feels like it ought to happen at a super-cheesy (albeit very expensive) wedding. Paula uses the word tambre and I have to look it up and apparently it's a commune in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region Veneto, located about 80 km north of Venice. Sounds like a lovely spot for a super-cheesy (albeit very expensive) wedding.

Kris -- Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from Once
I know I try to sound all callous and detached from this show; sarcastic and smarmy like a good blogger. But I hear that Kris is singing this song and I gasp, nearly choking on my mouthful of SmartStart Antioxidants cereal. You all know how much I love this song, and this movie, right? And let it be known that I am a bit peeved they didn't mention the singers/songwriter -- hello, the song won an Oscar last year.
Joel made some comment before I knew what the song was, like, "You're going to want to see this one" as though I was in any danger of ffwding through Kris' entire section. But I love that he knows I'm going to get excited about this song.
OK OK back to Kris. I think he made a BIG mistake not using the guitar. The song is MADE for guitar -- the guitar is practically a character in the movie! Without a guitar, a singer is apt to do show-choiry hand motions like raise one hand and clasp it into a fist. The guitar makes the song more real. Also, Kris made some pitch choices that I wouldn't have thought of. Some of them may have been unfortunate.

Lil -- The Rose -- Bette Midler
*Sigh* Lil, you are off-key everywhar. You don't hit the riffs/runs/whatever the right way, and it is making me sad. But the pity boat has sailed and you aren't on it. It's time to go home.


Rockstar:
Adam

Passable:
Anoop
Danny
Allison
Matt/Kris (I tied them because I disliked their performances for completely different reasons)

Lousy:
Lil

Finding time to go to the bathroom

OK so, right, just as I decide I'm going to slow things down, it turns out several things I'd already committed to start heating up all at once.

Starting next week I'm back at Hastings HS working with their many choirs (though not the show choir) on their spring choral concert. This is the group with 600 kids onstage for the final number. I have 12 different songs to choreograph for them. I'm SCARED.

I'm also volunteering with Ashland's production of Seussical -- using my rope-pulling and leaf-retrieving skills backstage. Or, side-stage. I think I also get to run a spotlight. Yeepers.

Ashland is also staging Seussical at a local Math & Science high school and I have to learn a bunch of choreography well enough to teach it. My first rehearsal is tomorrow evening and I'm actually thinking it will be all right.

I also am teaching Latin dance one night a week, to a group of condo-owners downtown St. Paul. This is a very fun gig, with a great group of people. But I always get nervous teaching grownups!

In addition to all this craziness (and in addition to the creative movement classes I teach that Lu and Ed also attend), the kids have started drawing and theatre classes. As much as I don't advocate getting kids toooo involved toooo young, I do kind of feel like my kids are seeking more structure. And both of these classes are very limited commitment, which is nice.

Aaaaaaannnnnd... I'm going to see Oprah on Friday! I know, this sounds completely out of left field, and it is, but my book club girls have been looking forward to this for YEARS and some tickets became available, and they snatched them right up. I'm not exactly sure how I'm getting to Chicago yet... or where we're staying... and the girls are having a heated email exchange about what to wear. It's really fascinating and I'm looking forward to it. I've seen snippets of Oprah's show but I'm sure I've never actually sat down to watch it. I do really respect Oprah and all she's accomplished and it will be so cool to do something spontaneous, for a change, in this lifetime. OK OK I know I colored my hair yellow and stuff, so I think what I mean by spontaneous is actually more like "somewhat complicated." I was going to add not-very-well-thought-out but that applies to SO much of my life already.

Hey, so the Watsons' old house across the street has been fixed up and is once again for sale. I can't find the price online yet, but if anybody wants to be our neighbor, there are 3 houses right on our block, all up for the taking -- and all seem to be recently relatively well-taken-care-of.

I MUST go throw in some laundry.

And Easter Miracle

OK so we're at the Gronaus this afternoon, and since it was 5:30PM and I'd decided to completely give up any attempt whatsoever at eating healthily today (I had already chowed on lots of jelly beans and Peeps and a bit of Caramello and a Coke and nice portions of the ham-cheezypotatoes-butteredroll-blueberrycheesecake melee that was lunch)... I was looking for food.

Just kind of sniffing around. I didn't want candy, but probably something sweet (because I always want something sweet). But maybe also salty, and a little crunchy? Asking a lot, I know.

Donna and I were chatting idly -- I think she was making mac-n-cheese for Lucy.

I started imagining Puppy Chow (you know, the chex/peanutbutter/chocolate/powderedsugar mess people toss together and serve at parties?). And how good some Puppy Chow might taste. And I glanced over at the corner of the kitchen where Donna keeps her toaster, because that happens to also be where she keeps any homemade or bakery treats that don't require refrigeration.

And there, in the corner, next to the toaster with its darling quilted, ruffled, dandelion-yellow cover, was a round, covered, Tupperware container.

I moseyed over.

I laid my hand on the lid.

I contemplated not saying the following out loud, because it would sound ridiculous coming out of my mouth, for one, and then I'd have to explain the disappointment that was sure to follow. But I said it anyway:

"I really want this to be Puppy Chow."

In the split instant that followed, I caught the first glimmerings of a strange expression come across Donna's face, but before I could even begin to read it, I opened the lid and IT WAS PUPPY CHOW.

Donna burst into laughter at the expression of shocked delight on my face. I threw my arms high over my head, hollered "JESUS LIVES!! IT'S AN EASTER MIRACLE!!" and then we all whooped for about 20 minutes at this completely trivial prayer, serendipitously and bizarrely answered. Well, others whooped as I stuffed my face. Mmmmm, puppy chow.

It turns out, Donna doesn't even LIKE puppy chow, but she'd made it for book club and there were leftovers, so she sent it home with me. And now, in addition to the Easter Bunny's sugary detritus, I also have leftover puppy chow.


OK OK 2 more quick stories: the kids checked out an old Peanuts book from ECFE about the Easter Beagle. I believe it's called "It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!" It's, you know, one long Peanuts strip in book form. It's not really that funny and I didn't really like it or get it, but the kids made me read it a lot before I wised up and took it back to ECFE.

Anyway, this morning Joel and I awoke to the pitter-patter of little feet, followed by hollering: "The EASTER BEAGLE CAME!!! There's eggs EVERYWHERE!!"

Bet we're the only house in St. Paul celebrating Easter with a mythical Beagle.


Finally, on Saturday, Darling Joel took me out on an awesome date, to see Medea Medea performed by dancers from Shapiro & Smith, at the Southern Theatre in Minneapolis. Yup, modern dance, yup, it's sooooo weeeeird, but I really loved it and I so admire the performers and choreographers. Supercool, and I didn't have to plan it at all! Thanks Boofer!


Rats! One more thing, then I swear I'm going to bed: shout-out to Mom & Dad Ryan, AKA Grampa & Gramma Books, thanks for the visit! We had such a wonderful, lovely time with them. Mom, Lu loves the new shoes and doesn't regret the Princesses-over-Hannah Montana decision one bit, PHEW.

Joel's come down with a stinker of a cold, or allergies, so I'd better get up there and see what I can do to help. Happy Easter, everyone...

American Idol 4/7 -- Top 8

Songs From The Year Of The Contestants' Respective Births!

(So Joel got the VCR working! He pulled it out from Godknowswhere in the basement, found a cord, and hooked it up to the TV in our bedroom, which hasn't been using a converter box (yet) because A. it's on a rabbit-ears antenna, when the converter boxes work way better with a roof antenna, and 2. Joel's the only one who watches TV in the bedroom so I'm sorta hoping when the digital conversion is complete and that TV suddenly doesn't work, I'll have a few nights of peaceful drifting-off-to-sleep without the horrid noises of Family Guy in my ears. Until Joel figures out how to hook that TV up to the roof antenna -- which, I'm sure, as long as nightly Family Guy-viewing is in Jeopardy, will magically happen in mere minutes. Regardless, he totally wins Husband of the Year for taping AI for me. AND putting the kids to bed AND cleaning up the kitchen. What a sweet man.)

Randy Jackson was a soupy-cuters baby! The rest of them -- not so much. Who IS this Kara DioGuardi, anyway? She is just perfect for this job: nice to look at, always has something intelligent to say. Kudos to the HR department of American Idol, I tell you what.

So here we go!
It sorta sounded like they were going to do the contestants in descending order of age, but then someone must've realized that meant we'd be stuck with three 1985 songs in a row. It turns out there is a LOT of bad music from the '80s, much of it sung here tonight!

This ended up being a very bizarre night for me as a viewer, as you will see when you get to my final rankings. I *really* tried to take each performance on its own merit, and this week I stuck to my guns despite being contradicted by the judges at nearly every turn. In fact, maybe I should get that out of the way:

Best to worst:
Adam
Scott (!!!)
Kris
Allison
Matt
Anoop
Danny
Lil

Danny -- 1980 -- Stand By Me
OK I did agree with the judges here -- the arrangement was atrocious. I hated the disco beat and also the harmonies. And some of his notes were bad in the beginning. He sounded like a little kid in the beginning. I kind of hated the whole thing. When I first heard the Mamma Mia! soundtrack, I realized that I didn't even like ABBA all that much, but I really didn't want anyone else singing their songs. And apparently I also feel that way about this song (though when I saw the Mamma Mia! movie, I totally changed my mind but that is beside the point here). A bad way to start.

(Side note: I cannot WAIT to see this show "Glee"!!!)

Kris Allen -- 1985 -- All She Wants To Do Is Dance
UGH! Don't like this song either! Thank goodness Kris is as darling as a recently-birthed puppydog, with that twitchy upper lip and everything. I actually liked his rendition. A little.

Lil Rounds -- 1984 -- What's Love Got To Do With It?
And this is where I get confused. Surely Adam is older than these kids? Huh. Anyway, Lil's first note was bad, and it didn't get any better. She lacks Tina's pipes and gams. She's oversinging the whole blasted thing. The judges are harsh but they are right.

Anoop -- 1986 -- True Colors
What is it about Indians? I just adore them. Could Anoop's 'rents be any cuter? Hey Anoop, Sharpay Evans called -- she wants her pink microphone back! Ohh, apparently it's just the lights. ANOTHER heavy-handed arrangement, but not bad at all.

Scott -- 1985 -- The Search is Over
So I guess we're NOT going in chronological order. I might be the only person in America to feel this way, but I LOVED THIS PERFORMANCE. Seriously loved it. Joel mentioned some bad notes but I didn't hear 'em. I liked the mascara. I suppose it's no surprise that I *heart* a big, belty song, but I did. As Kara and Paula were talking, I hollered at the TV: Don't listen to 'em, Scott! and Joel shushed me for being too noisy. I do agree that the electric guitar was very weird.

Allison -- 1992 -- I Can't Make You Love Me
It's weird hearing a 16-year-old singing "turn down the bed." Especially when I realize she is technically young enough to be my child. And... Allison, really, again with the punk look? But the song was solid and the judges are right-on about her needing more personality when she's not performing.

I've never seen an X-Men movie, never wanted to (unless our waiter from Embers back in 1995 happened to fulfill his lifelong dream of getting himself cast, which I'm pretty sure he never did) -- but I would totally pay $9 to see this "Wolverine." Sign. Me. Up.

Matt -- 1985 -- Part-time Lover
I just don't GET the '80s. This SONG! Gaaaaah!! Matt's rendition might have been good, but I just couldn't focus on it. Possibly because Joel was shimmying between me and the TV the whole time. I even rewound it and still couldn't get into it. Sorry Matt.

Adam -- 1982 -- Mad World
I thought this was a song from the '70s -- it has that psychedelic feel, doesn't it? I do not think it is AT ALL fair that Adam doesn't get to hear from all the judges. I mean, honestly -- the judges' opinions sway ME and I'm, like, made of iron! I really appreciate the judges' perspective and besides, even a standing-O from Simon might not be enough to get the votes tossed Adam's way. I'm very concerned about this and am considering writing a strongly-worded letter. What I SHOULD do is vote, but I'm totally not going to stoop to that level again. Jean, do you remember -- was Bo Bice the last time we voted?
Joel made sure I knew that he caught Adam's nearly-off note at the very end. Then, from the replay, it looks like he didn't sing it that way in rehearsal!?!? Inconceivable. I am impressed with Joel's musical ear and I also want to point out that he has been heard plunking around on the piano a little here and there. Soupey-cuters.

Our love is like a storybook story

Just plopped the kids down in front of The Princess Bride in the basement. That remains my favorite movie of all time. We just finished lunch and I just need a little bit of quiet time this afternoon to prep for my dance classes tonight. I can't force myself to sit in my chilly dark basement on such a sunny day! I'm thinking of taking my book out to the van, which is parked facing into the sun in the driveway, and taking my quiet time out there.

Oh... that's right... I was going to use Quiet Time to prep dance lessons. Hmmm.

I was headed down to the basement right behind Eddie, who I watched pause at the top of the stairs, carefully empty his Spiderman backpack and throw each individual item down the stairs, then chuck the whole backpack down before finally progressing down himself after the loot. I wonder if he figured this out on his own -- to toss his stuff down there by itself, first, so that he can descend safely and unimpeded by baggage. Or maybe Joel gave him the idea. It's really cute, anyway.

Lucy is busy planning her birthday party (which, need I remind you, will not be for five more months??). She changes the invite list every day (and by "changes" I mean she just adds on more and more people originally forgotten) and she has made nametag-bracelets for all the invitees. Last night this is what she told me (please note that parentheses indicate she's wiggling "spirit fingers" while talking):

"Mommy do you want to hear the plan for my birthday party. First we're going to go to the pool and go swimming. Then (and I'm so excited) we're going to have tacos. Then (and this is my favorite part) we're going to have chocolate cupcakes with sprinkes. Then (I can't wait to tell you) we're going to go outside and have a fire and toast marshmallows and then (if maybe just a couple people want to) we can sleep in a tent, unless they get scared and want their mommies."

Sounds like quite a party, I can't wait. Nice not to have to worry about planning it!

This morning I took the kids to Choo-Choo Bob's, an all-things-trains store way over on Marshall and Cleveland. It's a wayyy cool store and they have a sweet storytime a few times a month, with a guy who could easily be my father dressed up like a train engineer (striped overalls, matching hat, red bandana) who reads books about trains to the kids and plays guitar and sings train songs. It's wonderful and my kids were elated. Then they have some electric trains up and running for the kids to watch, and they have several wooden sets for kids to play with.

The place was pretty crowded but not uncomfortably packed, as the Red Balloon bookstore was (and maybe still is?) for Tuesday storytime. We got there about 5 minutes late but the kids found a place to sit and I, a place to stand. And then (about 10 minutes late)... a daycare walked in. Three grownups and TWENTY kids in their 2s/3s/4s. Honestly, I was a *little* appalled. And I cut little kids heaps of slack, and these kids were very well-behaved, but seriously? They about doubled the size of the crowd. And afterward they totally monopolized the six or eight wooden train sets in the back of the store. I dunno... if you run a daycare with twenty little kids in it, I think you can bring your kids to the zoo, or the Children's Museum, but I kinda don't think it's fair to bring them to free storytime in a small store. You should have several train sets in your daycare already, with kids that age, and ... I mean... you wouldn't bring them all to the library, would you? Actually, you probably would. Hmmm. Well anyway, the whole thing was a great experience for us, the 20 extra kids didn't really affect our enjoyment of the place at all, and we'll definitely go back.

OK I gotta go find a place to sit in the sun.

Edgar Sawtelle

Hey, so I just finished the book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. I believe, in the last couple weeks, that I've recommended it to some of you: specifically Jean, Nicole Watson, and perhaps Carol?

Anyway, I am DYING to discuss this book. Someone! Anyone!

Satin jamma bottoms... so cozy...

So I would really like to spend the $20 to get the wireless converter for our Qwest router. It would be soooo nice to sit on a cozy couch and do this, rather than in the folding wooden chair in the cold kitchen.

It's so hard to know what to spend $20 on.

We're getting an Aldi up on the corner (it's probably 1.5 miles away, but still... a corner!) and I am REALLY excited. Joel says the sign was up today, and the facade definitely is starting to look like an Aldi! I went to the Aldi over at University and Lexington today and MAN you can get a lot of groceries for under $20 there. It's good action.

My Neighborhood Leadership Program thing at the Wilder Center is almost over -- we graduate on April 20. I'm sad about leaving this amazing group of St. Paulites -- in our group of 27 there are people from... well, at least 27 different walks of life. Men, women, moms, dads, childless, gay, straight, black, white, people from East Africa and Palestine and Burma and Mexico and even San Francisco. Married couples, homeless people, divorcees, disabled. All with hopes and dreams to make Saint Paul a better place to be. It's incredible, the things we find in common... and the differences. So many of them have such concrete, ready-to-go notions of how they're going about their community work -- I feel like a flailing poser compared to them. I'm so blessed to have been able to walk through this program with these folks. I feel much less ignorant than six short months ago -- yet I also realize how very little I actually do know.

Joel and I also watched an incredible movie last night -- Synecdoche, New York. It's completely insane and totally blew my mind. I've read on the internets that lots of people hated it (which is quite a feat, considering pretty much nobody's even seen it), so I'm reluctant to recommend it, but I REALLY enjoyed it and want to try to watch it again before Netflixxing it back.

Also I'm really feeling like I'm at a crossroads in life, again... I'm feeling a pull to ditch a lot of my extra stuff, and really focus on the kids. Lucy will be starting some kind of pre-K in the fall (waiting to find out for sure what), and she'll be gone either every afternoon during the week, or three full days a week. Next year it'll be Ed's turn, with Lu in full-day Kindergarten (because that's how they roll in St. Paul). I've got to enjoy my time with these little miracles while I still can... and I have to believe that there will be work for me, outside-the-home work, still available in a couple years.

My mom and dad are going to cringe at this part, but it's an important part of me and so I share: I have been praying a lot about this, and I feel like God is really gently shoving me toward being with the kiddos for now. So in my leadership training today, they encouraged us to commit to our "next steps" for whatever our personal goals are for our neighborhood/community (however we define that -- for some it's their workplace, for some it's where they live). All I felt really good about committing to was working on raising my kids -- and assuming I'll be raising them in St. Paul for the foreseeable future, I think that counts as a "next step" for my community.

But something else tugs at me too -- I really wish there was a place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee in our neighborhood. There is a Caribou Coffee 1.5 miles away (next door to my new Aldi, actually) but it's inside a Byerly's and offers NO place to sit and sip and chat. Otherwise, you have to drive 4-5 miles north or 3 miles east to find a cafe. It's a CRIME!

Let me be clear: I do not think I have what it takes to run a coffee shop. For one, I don't care to get up at 4AM. I obviously have no capital, either... and still... today a guy mentioned a group for women entrepreneurs that finds loans at, like, 2%. Which is purrrty close to free money. And, like... maybe I could sleep in the afternoons? I don't know. I find great comfort in knowing I can give this stuff over to God and see where it heads. I don't need to have an answer anytime soon... but since it keeps coming up... why not me? Why couldn't I do something that would make an incredibly positive impact on my neighborhood? Well, I can think of several reasons why not.

So anyway, in other neighborhood news, we are getting Alley Joel and Cara back in our alley! That's right, they are moving back in. That's the wonderful news -- the crummy news is that our immediate neighbors to the west have their house on the market. Aaand the nice young family 5 or 6 doors down is also selling. Aaaaaand Evelyn the supercute 2-year-old who lives across from the park... they're moving too. It's depressing seeing all the young families vacating the neighborhood. I mean, I get it -- the houses are small and old and close together. And there's NO COFFEE SHOP -- did I mention that? There's certainly no neighborhood identity or character -- I had to stumble on Google maps to find out that our immediate area could be identified as "Eastview" rather than "well, kinda east of Dayton's Bluff -- but west of SunRay/Conway -- north of 94 -- south of Minnehaha." It's frustrating, because I see this as a perfectly valid place to live and remain -- is it because I just have crazy-low standards? Because I don't think we're "good enough" for a higher-class area? Because I feel sorry for our neighborhood and don't want to abandon it?

Anyway this got way long and rambly and I'm praying for guidance and some clarity. Thanks for sticking with me!

A.I. Top 9

Soooo, this is "Popular Downloads on iTunes" week? So random. OK.

I noticed right off that Allison is dressed like a buoy. And then Anoop sings some Usher song called... uh... "Collared"? I've been really slack about listening to popular music so I'm afraid I'm in for a rough week.

Anoop -- Some Usher song
He sings it sharp, it sounds like karaoke, and I'm just not buyin' whatever he's sellin'.

And Paula, I KNOW that pale lipstick is in, but I think it makes you look old. Old with maybe even a mustache. Do not fear colored lipstick! You have nothing to fear but fear itself! I asked Joel for a good quote and he came up with "Easy, furball." So that's something.

Megan -- Some Bob Marley/Lauren Hill song
They announced what she was doing right before a commercial break, and I said to myself, "This is going to be BAD and I'm going to LOVE it." I didn't *exactly* love it though. I think if Megan were in my living room singing this song, I would find it terrific. But on that big stage, she pushes her voice way too hard.

Danny Gokey -- Some Rascal Flatts song
Can you tell I can't get my internets working at the moment? Oh wait this song is "What Hurts the Most." Lucy, of course, thought Danny hit the rock. I guess it was good. Joel thought it wasn't his best. And the judges are recycling comments from four seasons ago.

Allison Iraheta -- Don't Speak by No Doubt
This was kinda identical to the Gwen Stefani version. It was fine -- it was good. And I just don't GET Allison's hair. How does she keep it that color? And how did she get those crazy spikes on top -- is it a hairpiece? Or did she, God forbid, actually get it cut that way?

Scott -- Just the way you are by Billy Joel
AGAIN Scott talks about "stripping down." This guy has naked issues, methinks. I thought the song was really lovely. I even enjoyed the Billy Joel hairdo -- how much fun would it be to be the stylist for a sight-impaired person?! Joel thought he looked a little like Teen Wolf, and thought the song got really good toward the end.

Here, Ryan Seacrest announces that The Fray and Celine Dion will be sung by Matt and Lil. And I wish out loud that it's Matt singing Celine Dion.

Matt -- NOT singing Celine Dion (grrrr.)
Matt, again, sounds bad on the early low notes of this song. He continues to be pitchy on descending notes for the rest of the song, and I think the judges (specifically Paula) are exactly right in their assessment of his performance as a lousy repeat of his Coldplay song from an earlier round. Joel says that Matt was "trying to move someone with his singing -- he moved my bowels." Thanks, Joel, for another quality quote.

Lil -- NOT singing The Fray
(Insert comment from Stu regarding The Fray.)
I didn't take a single note on this performance. It stunk, and I hate to say that because I really like Lil a lot as a person... errr, rather, I think I would, if I actually knew her. Lil, I'm so sorry.

Adam -- Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music
Let it be said that I HATE this song. Let it also be said that I would really appreciate it if Adam's version entirely replaced the usage of the original version at weddings. Any chance we can get a petition going?
I loved the tempo changes -- doing the part before the chorus twice as slow, then speeding back up for the chorus -- it reminded me of the tinkering they did with the Beatles songs in Across The Universe (PS if you like music and have not seen this movie YOU NEED TO).
Right, so Adam is just amazing. My parents called a couple days after his "Ring of Fire" performance a couple weeks ago, giddy because they'd paid $.99 for the song on iTunes. He is good, good, good. And if he winds up in the bottom 3, he'll be crying himself to sleep on his huuuge pillow. That boy's head's like Sputnik.

Kris -- Ain't no sunshine
Hard to go after Adam, man. I, unfortunately, much prefer some other version of this song. it was good but boring. Joel was hoping for some more up-tempo in the middle of the song. I know everybody loved it, but yaaawn.

Well, it's probably good this is my last week. I hate to say I'm getting bored, but there are very few surprises and the remaining singers pretty much shake out the same every week. And it's not looking good for the VCR -- apparently hooking it up with the antenna and the converter box is nigh-on impossible ... unless maybe we want to take up a collection for an HD antenna? The rankings:

Giant head (and shoulders) above everyone else:
ADAM

Next bunch:
Danny
Kris
Scott
Allison

Bottom bunch:
Matt
Lil
Megan
Anoop

Joel's new favorite nemesis

Fluffy Whole-Wheat Biscuits
(from allrecipes.com)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (unsalted)
1 cup milk (I used about 2/3 c buttermilk and 1/3 c skim)

In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt; mix well. Cut in butter (I used a pastry blender)until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until moistened. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter (I just patted it flat with my hands and then cut off square/triangle-pieces with a butterknife) and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Somewhere My Love

A snippet of this song is playing on NPR. I like that I recognize it -- I like that about my upbringing, that I know old songs and can sometimes sing along.

So I have a conundrum. Well, two. Again, my desire to teach dance is conflicting with my home life.

I've been teaching these preschool dance classes, and while I enjoy myself immensely, I have nagging guilt about HAVING to drag Lu and Ed along with me. I mean, once they're there they typically love it, but getting them there is a giant pain in the noodle. So I'm just torn -- do I keep dragging them along, or do I just say Sorry! to my students and postpone classes until my kids are safely into school? It's a real stinker.

Also -- I have some bad news. Tomorrow night will be my final timely American Idol posting. I have a new gig on Tuesday nights at 7:00, so unless I can figure out how to use my VCR, I'm doomed. *Sigh* It was SUPER fun, while it lasted. Unfortunately, Teaching For Money outweighs Watching My Second-Favorite TV Show For Free. That is, unless someone can raise $400 in the next week? Then I can tell my Tuesday class to shove it. Well, let me know how that goes.

I'm making my mom's famous Turkey Carcass Soup this evening and golly it smells delicious. Gotta go find a biscuit recipe...

Anybody out there?

Hey everybody. You ever have one of those days/weeks where it feels like nobody likes you? I do sometimes. It helps to know there are people who love you. It helps to know that God still loves you. It does NOT help when your two children scream "DON'T TALK TO ME!! BAD MOMMY!!" over and over. And over.

How am I supposed to teach my kids anything when they immediately realize they're about to be taught something, and proactively buck and revolt? And, oh, that's right, they're 4. And 3. It's going to be a loooong 15ish more years.

Joel took the little darlings outside this afternoon for some yard-time. It was chilly but sunny and they all had their coats off by the time they came in around 4:30. He dug out our veggie-garden area a little, expanding it for this year's attempts. Here's what's on the docket (or the order form, as it were):

tomatoes
zucchini
pumpkins
snap peas
radishes
strawberries
raspberries
bell peppers
basil
...and the much-discussed apple tree(s). Sure sounds ambitious for someone with a black thumb! I don't have terribly high hopes, but I think it will be fun trying. If anybody is growing anything different and wants to trade, I'm totally open (especially the radishes; last year we had 50 times the number of radishes we could eat).

ECFE is on spring break this coming week, which means an entire week of no ECFE. And from the looks of it, we'll be lucky to hit 40 degrees all week. Sob! Whatever will I do with myself!?

Now I'm going to go try to convince Joel that we should watch the women's figure skating championships on TV. Wish me luck!

American Idol Top 10 -- Motown Week

UGH! Motown!? At least they're getting all my least-favorite genres out of the way. Honestly, between show choir and AI, if I never hear "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" EVER again, it will be too soon.

Ed passed out on Joel's chest on the couch before Lucy and I even got back from dance class, so we gently tossed him into his bunk and then let Lu stay up a little later to watch much of the show. As the opening sequence began, Lucy says "I'll point to the girl I love," which is no easy task when the scene is cut like a music video. After several near-misses and several buttery fingerprints on our TV screen, Lucy nailed magenta-haired Allison as her pick. Not a surprise, but she does have good taste.

Matt Giraud (Lucy: Did he say "Smacker Drive"!?!?) -- Let's Get it On
The very beginning at the piano was HOTT, though immediately following that I'm not sure Matt has the vocal range to hit those low notes. Lucy said "He did well because he listened to his teacher" -- that's my little firstborn! (A teeny note on inbreeding -- in addition to Lucy being the firstborn child of two firstborn children, two of her grandparents are also firstborns and the two grandparents who aren't technically firstborns are the second-borns-of-eleven. The chattiness factor goes back at least three generations. The girl has no chance.)
Overall, I liked it quite a bit.

Paula looks classy and beautiful tonight.

Kris Allen -- How Sweet It Is
How many times has this song title been used as a pun by a headline writer? "How Suite It Is." "How Sweet Kitt Is." "How Sweet It... Israel!" I might've made up the last one, but seriously, this song reminds me of magazines.
Has Kris always been sporting this 5:00 shadow? It's cuters on him. I mentioned that his performance was rock-solid and very enjoyable, and Joel thinks he has a really interesting sound to his voice. Lucy said "I thought he was solid" and I said "That's what I said!" and Lucy repeated, "I thought he was salad." I do not know what this means.
After Paula guesstimated that Kris's high note at the end was an A, I thought back to what I imagined the note to be, and sang it out loud. Then I ran over to my piano (just like you said I would, Jean!!) to try to find the note, and I started on A. Now, my piano is slightly out of tune but Paula was RIGHT ON. An A! Who knew Paula Abdul had perfect pitch?
Now it's possible that I remembered the note wrong, and I just happened to sing an A. In which case *I* have perfect pitch! See, everybody wins!

Scott -- You Can't Hurry Love
Ryan Seacrest: "Here's Scott!"
Lucy: "... aand he's blind." (her comedic taste might need some work, but her timing is impeccable)
Let's get the horrifying pink pants out of the way right now. Wait, I didn't mean "get them out of the way" like "take them off"!! Egads. No joke, those pants look like they were made out of the same sludge as Chicken McNuggets. Grody.
I thought he was kinda shouty. Joel started to comment, when Lucy broke in with "remember, he's blind." I'm not certain she even knows what "blind" means. Something to work on. Joel mentioned that Scott's range seemed kind of small, like he might do well with Randy Newman-style songs that are more about being charming than about blowing the roof off.
Paula's Night Of Being A Musical Savant continues as she uses the word "rubato". Unfortunately, the wheels start to come off when she crawls under the desk, displaying that the bottom half of her "classy" dress is actually a giant tutu. And then she displays ... what is this, Simon's hidden stash of Fiber Bars? Ohh, crayons. Hmm.

Megan -- For Once In My Life
Well! I think to myself, Here's a Motown song I actually like! A lot! I imagined it was going to be really fun and lovely, and I was SO WRONG. She sang sharp, she oversang it, she sang it so fast I couldn't even hear her signature tone. A giant bummer. Lucy: "She hit the rock for me." Joel and Me: "Huh?" We think she meant it as a compliment.

Anoop -- Ooh Baby Baby
Even Smokey Robinson admitted that this is not actually a song. Hey Anoop! THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY A SONG. The sound coming out of his mouth was pretty great, but you are supposed to sing A SONG on this show.

Mike -- Ain't Too Proud To Beg
I actually thought this was surprisingly competent. But that's all -- there was nothing super-exciting about it. Joel wanted Michael to mix up the chorus the 3rd time, but I can't even get that specific... I just thought it was fine, but blah. Which is just what the judges said -- not good enough this year.

Lil Rounds -- Heat Wave
I ADORE her dress and must have one immediately. But she was yelling the song, and I grew bored.

Adam -- The Tracks of My Tears
This song mentions clowns, and therefore I hate it. And yet Adam is an amazing performer and once again he gets my top vote. Joel mentioned that Adam is a chameleon, but that shouldn't surprise anyone who's read my opinions before. Like Bo Bice and Constantine before him, Adam is an actor who can be Mick Jagger one day and Young Hot Elvis the next. I have no idea what that means for Adam from a marketing standpoint -- musical theatre geeks like myself will find him fascinating and it will be easy to cast him in the next Broadway revival of West Side Story, and everyone else will probably just be baffled yet AMAZED at his New Look!
But I want to mention that the song needed to resolve on "you" and not on "need." I waited for that "you" for a good eight seconds until I realized it was never coming. I'm guessing I'm not the first girl Adam has left waiting, sorta confused. To paraphrase Neil Patrick Harris's recent SNL monologue, "I'm like 'What, is he allergic to timing?' and my girlfriend is, like, 'Why won't you kiss me?' and I'm, like, 'Later, I mean, LOOK at this guy!'"

Smokey Robinson dresses real hip for, like, a 75-year-old dude?

Danny -- Get Ready
Joel thought it was amateurish. I actually really enjoyed it, but maybe in the same way that I enjoyed Michael Sarver's performance -- it was good but not really good enough.

Allison -- Papa Was a Rolling Stone
I actually used to think this song was about Mick Jagger. Until tonight, actually. Allison sang the heck out of this thing and I have to go finish cutting Joel's hair so now my rankings...

Top 3
Adam
Allison
Kris

Middle of Pack
Danny
Matt
Anoop

These Guys Can Start Going Home In Any Order:
Mike
Scott
Lil
Megan

Lucyisms

Lu: "A jabberbox is somebody who talks a lot. I'm a jabberbox. My papa calls me a jabberbox."

And also:

Lu: Mama, you laugh a lot on the phone.

Me: Well, I do like to laugh.

Lu: Maybe you laugh because you have so lovely kids.


I've got a house full of one 3-year-old, three 4-year-olds, and a recent 5. The convos between the older kids are hilaaaaarious.

Shopping Spree

Those of you who know me well know I don't buy stuff.

Much.

This week has been a grand, fabulous exception. I've acquired the "Free to Be... You and Me" new hardcover book AND the complete CD (not the 4-song disappointment that comes with the book). This was to be a birthday present for Eddie and while he and Lu have been now listening to the CD nonstop since yesterday, I do think my bliss eclipses theirs. I remember bringing my old 1981 version of the book (which came with a vinyl record) to first grade, hoping to stage a "dramatic reading" of the Boy Meets Girl scene with Eric Lee, only to find that Eric Lee, though one of the smartest kids in first grade, did not yet have the reading skill to do an impromptu performance during Show-and-tell.

I remember Mrs. Head stepping in to divert attention from Eric's frustration. I bet she volunteered to read it with me, but she was a GIRL, of course, and would not do.

In addition, I've gotten my gardening undies in a metaphorical bunch and I am, after all, acquiring the hanging planter-baskets mentioned in the earlier posting. I'm also getting a set of clothesline poles off craigslist, and in addition I found an iron garden bench that I'm going to put in my front yard (in a soon-to-be-dug-out area by the sidewalk) to encourage neighborhood walkers to sit and enjoy the sunshine. Or, should I put it in the shade?

The baskets and bench are being acquired for me by my darling friend Becky, who is never averse to being sent all over the northwest metro area on wild-goose-chases, meeting random people who talk her into buying used board games. Thank you Becky!

AND I think we're going to get a Honeycrisp apple tree. Maybe 2. Through the Friends of Ramsey County Parks and Trails or something. Mmmm, free apples!! Well, after the $25 cost of the tree, that is.
P.S. If anybody knows ANYTHING about planting/keeping apple trees, I could really use your helps. Thanks.

Most importantly, today we got a piano! It's a spinet and looks HUGE in our living room and it needs tuning, but it's here, hoping to be played. I'm so excited!

just me

The kids are in Monticello with Joel. The house is silent.

I'm lonely.

And I sort of have a migraine so I might go for a run -- except it's only 40 degrees now and I hear it's getting up to 60. I hate to get all my good outside-time when the temp hasn't reached its potential.

Who's calling me?

P.S. Later addition: I wanted to mention that Lucy totally read a word the other day: WATER. Just like Helen Keller!! I nearly cried from excitement.

American Idol, Top 11, Week 2 -- Grand Ole Opry

Ugh, I have trouble even typing that: Grand Ole Opry?? Grrr. My hands just want to write "Old Opera" and I don't even like opera.

So I'm not a giant country-music fan. I mean, OK, I have a couple Garth Brooks albums and maybe one Faith Hill, but I swear I never listen to them. Country-music week is historically a super-rough one on AI. I walked in the door just barely in time to catch the first singer -- I'd been dropping off corned beef, sauerkraut, potatoes, and Irish soda bread for Jean at the ER. The very ER that's blocks from about eight Irish bars as well as the Xcel Center where a Wild game was just about to start. Traffic was a bear so I came home a little frazzled.

While I was gone I missed some good old-fashioned bathtime shenanigans with the kids. Joel reports:

Lucy: Whoever says "ketchup" first gets their hair washed first. Okay
Eddie, what do you say?

Ed: Ketchup!

Lucy: Oooop, Eddie wants his hair washed!

Lucy: Whoever says "bathtub" first gets a prize. BATHTUB! Ohh, I get a
prize.

My ECFE parent educator tells us that making up rules for games is part of being four years old. Evidently.

OK so first up: some schpiel about Randy Travis -- honestly, I had no idea he was so old, or that his head would be so oblong. Someone mentions Carrie Underwood, to which Lucy squeals, "Carrie UNDERWEAR!?" and off we go:

Michael -- Ain't Goin' Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up
Doing Garth Brooks is incredibly dangerous -- for one, he's a gigantic karaoke favorite, and for two, he's an incredible showman. Michael's rendition was not bad, but totally forgettable. I might have enjoyed it if he'd played harmonica and sung at the same time. Joel didn't know if he liked it.

Allison -- Blame It On Your Heart
The song was blah, but she is adorable and a really strong singer. Joel likes her tone, Lucy thought it was DOPE, and I really like how Simon says "tuneless" like "chuneless." Just like that series we're watching on Henry VIII: "The Chudors." Or today: "Chuesday." So cute.

Kris -- To Make You Feel My Love
I was surprised by the quality of his voice. During this song, Eddie hit me in the head with a metal pole off an old Pack-n-Play, then blamed me for it and called me a Bad Mom about 20 times. It was a rather unpleasant ending to a nice performance.

Lil Rounds -- Independence Day
Simon, usually I kind of like you, but you're being kind of a jerk. YES there is a recording artist named Li'l Kim, who uses Li'l as an abbreviation for "Little," But Lil is also short for Lily or Lilianna and the older I get the ruder I think it is to refuse to call someone the name they ask to be called. Even if their last name sort of sounds like an adjective/noun. On to the singing: Lil, that dress is SO WEIRD. I used to fold pink cloth napkins for a living and stuff them into coffee cups, and your dress reminds me of that, and not in that good "free desserts and get to watch horses and sometimes drink free booze" way but more like "fold these 1,000 napkins and then spoon 500 cups of gross-out Louie dressing into these cruets."
So like I said, On to the singing.
It wasn't very strong. At all. She is not the powerhouse of Fantasia Barrino, or even Allison. Lucy said she looked tired. And that is that.

Adam -- Ring of Fire
The way he sang "Ring of Fire" made me cringe, thinking about the guy from Jean's blog. That said, I sort of loved it. A LOT. Joel made a couple points about Adam changing "the rules" (which were, ostensibly, to sing something "country") and about the song being "werid, but memorable" -- but the truth is, Adam NAILED IT. I mean, seriously, he is taking some giant risks going for those notes and he hits Every. Single. One. He does look like Elvis and the performance was definitely indulgent (which is not a word I use, ever, but Simon hit it on the nose) but I'm sorry, I totally loved every second of it.

Scott MacIntyre -- Wild Angels
I get this song confused with both "Wild Horses" and "10,000 Angels." Dear camerapersons: I would like to see more actual piano-playing on camera. More hand-shots. Here's my other question: do people actually WANT to see the judges fighting? I HATE watching people fight. "Good television" be damned. Just all get along, ok?

Alexis Grace -- Jolene
The wee person! Joel says. Someone sang this song last year, I says, and I just don't care for the song. Also, she had some major pitch problems. Why don't the judges ever use the phrase "off-key?" Joel also thought she was oversinging -- I don't disagree. I also hate it when people say "the reason is because..." It's really redundant. You can say "the reason IS..." or "X happens because..." but "the reason is because" just chafes my hide.

Danny Gokey -- Jesus Take the Wheel
So maybe I am just in a bad mood today, but the rimless glasses and the popped-collar jacket just put me off. And Danny, you were singing way sharp on the verse. Oof! Where's my wine!?

Anoop -- You were always on my mind
Let me tell you, the first version of this song I ever heard was some weird late-'80s techno remix, which I always liked a lot. So I disagree that the Willie Nelson and/or Johnny Cash versions are "untouchable." I also want to say that I feel like all the songs are starting in unexpectedly high keys this week. But Anoop, this was really lovely. Joel was really looking for a high falsetto note at the end, but it was a very enjoyable performance.

Commercial break: Don't you think if jet-packs ever become de rigeur, that for sure everyone would wear helmets? Or maybe the commercial was about oatmeal. Whatever.

Joel also tells a story about Saint Patrick's Day downtown today, and how walking to his car he had flashbacks to St Patrick's Days in college, with everyone giddy to be drinking beer outside, tee-hee, staggering around from a winter of inactivity + too many wobbly-pops, wearing shorts with blinding white legs peeking out.

Megan! -- Walking After Midnight
Why do I like her so much!? Who cares?! I do. The amount of her talent reminds me of a Kelly Pickler -- who, last I checked, was doing rather well. Joel remains completely uncharmed by her, neglecting even to notice her gorgeous bosoms under that dress. Honestly, I had to point them out. He just rolled his eyes and claimed that now she was going to get "the flu vote."
I think she's fascinating. She's got the makings of a fantastic one-hit wonder, and I mean that as a compliment. Something about the way she sang tonight reminds me of Neko's "These Days" from a mix CD we got from Stu several years ago. That, unfortunately, was not a compliment.
I'm curious about her dropping the "Corkrey" from her name -- on St. Patrick's Day, no less! A crime!

Matt -- So Small
Joel and I do not know the original verison of this song, but we thought this was VERY good. I want to take this moment to appreciate Paula a bit. If nothing else, she is overflowing with love and joy. That's not a small thing in this world (which, actually, is what Matt's song was about) and I just want to say, Thank You Paula -- don't go changin'.

Joel wraps up with: "This is a good year. I don't mean to sound like I'm into this show or anything, though."

And I wrap up with my rankings:

Top 4:
Adam
Matt
Allison
Anoop

Middle of the Pack:
Megan
Danny
Kris
Alexis

Bottom 3:
Lil
Scott
Michael

It's probably time for Michael to go. Let's be honest: he's not going to win this thing. Neither are Scott, Kris, Megan, or Anoop -- I'm just putting it out there. Let me know what you think!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hey there, it's March 17 and that means any doofus can dress up in green and drink too much.
We haven't started drinking here... yet... but we did hit the St. Pat's Day parade downtown St. Paul.
The kids and I hopped the Metro bus and met Joel, the Dalys (including Grandpa Daly), and the Crandalls... and Jean actually had the infamous green coat!

At the bus stop. If you ever want to appear cool and savvy and street-smart, do NOT take a 3- and 4-year-old, decked out in green, on a city bus.

In the skyway -- Ed's favorite part.

On the street, waiting for the parade. It was chilly until the sun finally came out.

The Swarm -- a professional... err... lacrosse team? I dunno. But I do have a token for BOGO tickets, if anybody is interested.

Josie ... and Owen ... eating candy, I presume.

Eddie with Auntie Beans and Grampa Daly in his authentic Irish cap. Slainthe! Or something.

Hey, did someone the other day say that Eddie's breath is "milky"? I mean, it totally is -- it's still baby-breath and it's the best thing ever. Lucy still has some sweetness, although a different sort, in her breath too.

I spend a LOT of time smelling Ed's breath while he sits on the toilet these days, so I guss it's just on my mind.