Dear Blogspot, you've been great these past 6 years. But I'm moving.
Friends: you can find this post at its new home here: http://www.foell.org/jessi/2012/04/mbi-and-me/
Sorry for the redirecting. Update your bookmarks...if you still do that.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Jules in Bullet Points
I've been terrible about documenting what Jules is up to since the end of his monthly posts. So here's a post dedicated just to him and what he's up to.
-When he's supposed to be sleeping, he's usually singing the ABC song, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, and has a conversation with Lamby. If you ask him to sing, he won't. So I enjoy his nighttime routine of singing in bed (or when he's playing or in the tub).
-He follows statements up with questions. For example: "Lamby has eye. Can you talk to Lamby?" or "I have trains. Do you like trains?" Or he'll follow up a statement with "Buuuuuut..." It's great to see how clever he is at constructing sentences.
-He's obsessed by loud things. He goes off on long winded tangents about smoke alarms, tornado sirens, train horns, and train whistles. It's cute until you hear what he's actually saying, then it's sad how much they terrify him. We're working on getting him comfortable and that loud noises have a purpose. Library books help.
-When you talk to him on the phone and ask him how he's doing, he always says he's good. Always. Then he might go into something about how he couldn't do something because he was sad. He knows how to have a pity party.
-He likes Mac 'n Cheese cold.
-His favorite toy is a pink stroller we got him for Christmas. He loads it up with cars or whatever he's hauling and runs from room to room.
-His standard greeting: "Hello mommy, hello! How are you doing?" whenever I come home or talk to him on the phone.
Quick list of funny sayings:
-Drum Quarters = Drum Corps
-Grocery Carpet = Grocery Cart
-Would that be perfect?
-Can I see pictures on your ipod phone?
-We're best friends!
I should really do a monthly post on him. He's always doing or saying something new. While sassy and a challenge at times, he's really a good boy.
-When he's supposed to be sleeping, he's usually singing the ABC song, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, and has a conversation with Lamby. If you ask him to sing, he won't. So I enjoy his nighttime routine of singing in bed (or when he's playing or in the tub).
-He follows statements up with questions. For example: "Lamby has eye. Can you talk to Lamby?" or "I have trains. Do you like trains?" Or he'll follow up a statement with "Buuuuuut..." It's great to see how clever he is at constructing sentences.
-He's obsessed by loud things. He goes off on long winded tangents about smoke alarms, tornado sirens, train horns, and train whistles. It's cute until you hear what he's actually saying, then it's sad how much they terrify him. We're working on getting him comfortable and that loud noises have a purpose. Library books help.
-When you talk to him on the phone and ask him how he's doing, he always says he's good. Always. Then he might go into something about how he couldn't do something because he was sad. He knows how to have a pity party.
-He likes Mac 'n Cheese cold.
-His favorite toy is a pink stroller we got him for Christmas. He loads it up with cars or whatever he's hauling and runs from room to room.
-His standard greeting: "Hello mommy, hello! How are you doing?" whenever I come home or talk to him on the phone.
Quick list of funny sayings:
-Drum Quarters = Drum Corps
-Grocery Carpet = Grocery Cart
-Would that be perfect?
-Can I see pictures on your ipod phone?
-We're best friends!
I should really do a monthly post on him. He's always doing or saying something new. While sassy and a challenge at times, he's really a good boy.
Friday, February 10, 2012
It's Groundhog Day...again
I love that movie. Everyday feels like Groundhog Day here. Just the same thing over and over again. But lets talk about some of the new things happening around the house - bullet point style:
- After 3 years of Justin participating in the Overnight Website Challenge, I finally decided to join him. I applied for a team and was accepted! I'm no developer, but I can add content like no ones business. So that's what I'll be doing in March.
- Justin and I are attempting to relive our days of Drum Corps. We're auditioning for Minnesota Brass - an all ages drum corps. This time he'll be my seat partner!
- Jules continues to be our loving, sweet, son who bosses us around by saying, "You come to my room to play trains wif me." His new question is, "Is that you mommy?"
- Scully is still around and terrified of Jules who loves to chase her. But he also asks her to be his "best friend" - he's tender like that.
- We've had the strangest winter in Minnesota. I don't think we had any snow in January and if we did, it melted because we've been in the 40's. Except today. It's 5 degrees out right now. Yes, it's as cold as it sounds. I'm hoping it just means we'll have a longer spring and a hot summer. If not, I don't think Justin will want to continue to live here.
- Justin's into bikes, beer, and baby's. Let's just say he's attempting to make one of each.
- We knew Jules would be like us in many ways, but we didn't take into consideration some of the things we didn't want to pass to him. Talking in his sleep, bad skin, hard breathing when he's watching t.v. or concentrating on something, and biting his nails. These annoying little habits are sure to get worse.
- And speaking of Jules, he's terrified of loud noises. I've read about many who have dealt with kids and sensitivity to things like sounds or new situations or foods - and I should take comfort that these sensitivities will lessen and even pass with age. But man this is tough. He remembers instances of loud noises, where he was when they happened and he obsesses over it.
We were heading out to Utah over Thanksgiving break and we stopped at my office to do some last minute work. It was first thing in the morning so hardly anyone was there. My boss and I were chatting, Jules was sitting at the table and Justin was in the hall on the phone. Suddenly, the building fire alarm went off. There was no mention of a drill so this was the real thing. When the alarm goes off all the doors automatically shut and when that happened, along with the startling noise, Jules FLIPPED the F out. I had to grab him and bolt out of the building and reassure him it wouldn't happen again (of course, how the hell am I supposed to know that?). He talked about that for days.
I had lunch with him and Justin this week and we went to my building after lunch and he immediately panicked and started babbling about the alarm and doors closing and he how hated my work. I felt terrible for him when he started crying. It'll be a long time before I can bring him back.
He's constantly asking "What's that noise?" when he hears something he's never heard. Sometimes it's just a question other times you can tell he's worried. All we can do is reassure him. I hope this passes.
- And speaking of obsessing: I'm all over Adele right now. Isn't that voice amazing? If I was in London like someone I know, I'd totally go to every show she was doing. Seriously, amazing.
Hilarious
- After 3 years of Justin participating in the Overnight Website Challenge, I finally decided to join him. I applied for a team and was accepted! I'm no developer, but I can add content like no ones business. So that's what I'll be doing in March.
- Justin and I are attempting to relive our days of Drum Corps. We're auditioning for Minnesota Brass - an all ages drum corps. This time he'll be my seat partner!
- Jules continues to be our loving, sweet, son who bosses us around by saying, "You come to my room to play trains wif me." His new question is, "Is that you mommy?"
- Scully is still around and terrified of Jules who loves to chase her. But he also asks her to be his "best friend" - he's tender like that.
- We've had the strangest winter in Minnesota. I don't think we had any snow in January and if we did, it melted because we've been in the 40's. Except today. It's 5 degrees out right now. Yes, it's as cold as it sounds. I'm hoping it just means we'll have a longer spring and a hot summer. If not, I don't think Justin will want to continue to live here.
- Justin's into bikes, beer, and baby's. Let's just say he's attempting to make one of each.
- We knew Jules would be like us in many ways, but we didn't take into consideration some of the things we didn't want to pass to him. Talking in his sleep, bad skin, hard breathing when he's watching t.v. or concentrating on something, and biting his nails. These annoying little habits are sure to get worse.
- And speaking of Jules, he's terrified of loud noises. I've read about many who have dealt with kids and sensitivity to things like sounds or new situations or foods - and I should take comfort that these sensitivities will lessen and even pass with age. But man this is tough. He remembers instances of loud noises, where he was when they happened and he obsesses over it.
We were heading out to Utah over Thanksgiving break and we stopped at my office to do some last minute work. It was first thing in the morning so hardly anyone was there. My boss and I were chatting, Jules was sitting at the table and Justin was in the hall on the phone. Suddenly, the building fire alarm went off. There was no mention of a drill so this was the real thing. When the alarm goes off all the doors automatically shut and when that happened, along with the startling noise, Jules FLIPPED the F out. I had to grab him and bolt out of the building and reassure him it wouldn't happen again (of course, how the hell am I supposed to know that?). He talked about that for days.
I had lunch with him and Justin this week and we went to my building after lunch and he immediately panicked and started babbling about the alarm and doors closing and he how hated my work. I felt terrible for him when he started crying. It'll be a long time before I can bring him back.
He's constantly asking "What's that noise?" when he hears something he's never heard. Sometimes it's just a question other times you can tell he's worried. All we can do is reassure him. I hope this passes.
- And speaking of obsessing: I'm all over Adele right now. Isn't that voice amazing? If I was in London like someone I know, I'd totally go to every show she was doing. Seriously, amazing.
Hilarious
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Upgrade
He's a tiny little bossy pants who now has a "big boy" bed. We purchased this bed well before Christmas and never had time to set his room up. It also meant we needed to move his chair somewhere else. And at the time, the somewhere else was where the Christmas tree lived.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
He likes it. He especially likes to push the bed away from the wall and hangout (and sometimes sleep) on the floor between the wall and bed.
And just for fun, here's Jules who refuses to look at the camera but still smiles (from Christmas Eve).
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
He likes it. He especially likes to push the bed away from the wall and hangout (and sometimes sleep) on the floor between the wall and bed.
And just for fun, here's Jules who refuses to look at the camera but still smiles (from Christmas Eve).
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Why Hello There!
I'm going to pretend November didn't happen. And according to my blog, it looks like nothing happened.
Moving on...
Christmas last year was fun with an 18 month-old. But I'd like to take that back. Christmas with a 2 and 1/2 year-old is fun. Sure, he's sassy and sometimes naughty, but he's really into the magic that is Christmas. I set him up with his own decorated tree in his room and Justin put a little train set around the base. He loves it! And he loves to show it to people who come over. It's so much fun to see him so excited.
He happily obliges with our traditions of cutting down a Christmas tree in the freezing cold, standing outside in the freezing cold for a 10 minute parade, and soon, he'll participate in Christmas Eve fondue. I can picture it now - all bread and cheese for dinner and peppermint ice cream for dessert. It's Christmas, why fight it?
He's not really sure about the purpose of Santa - and we're fine with that. That's a conversation Justin and I need to have because our nieces and nephews were told from the beginning there is no Santa. (Not sure what to think of that...)
I'm not doing a whole lot of handmade items this year, just a few things for various people. So far it hasn't been stressful. But ask me next week when I get back from a conference and realize my last weekend to get stuff done is gone. Hello Amazon!
Work was very generous with holiday time off. They gave us 5 days between Christmas and New Years. So that means I only had to take two days off to get 12 days. It's much needed for a lot of employees; we've been busy. My co-worker resigned and moved back to his home state which left me doing the work of two people. Needless to say, some items have been put on the back burner until they hire a replacement. I'm patiently waiting for that replacement to show up in January. It'll be a New Year's miracle!
Moving on...
Christmas last year was fun with an 18 month-old. But I'd like to take that back. Christmas with a 2 and 1/2 year-old is fun. Sure, he's sassy and sometimes naughty, but he's really into the magic that is Christmas. I set him up with his own decorated tree in his room and Justin put a little train set around the base. He loves it! And he loves to show it to people who come over. It's so much fun to see him so excited.
He happily obliges with our traditions of cutting down a Christmas tree in the freezing cold, standing outside in the freezing cold for a 10 minute parade, and soon, he'll participate in Christmas Eve fondue. I can picture it now - all bread and cheese for dinner and peppermint ice cream for dessert. It's Christmas, why fight it?
He's not really sure about the purpose of Santa - and we're fine with that. That's a conversation Justin and I need to have because our nieces and nephews were told from the beginning there is no Santa. (Not sure what to think of that...)
I'm not doing a whole lot of handmade items this year, just a few things for various people. So far it hasn't been stressful. But ask me next week when I get back from a conference and realize my last weekend to get stuff done is gone. Hello Amazon!
Work was very generous with holiday time off. They gave us 5 days between Christmas and New Years. So that means I only had to take two days off to get 12 days. It's much needed for a lot of employees; we've been busy. My co-worker resigned and moved back to his home state which left me doing the work of two people. Needless to say, some items have been put on the back burner until they hire a replacement. I'm patiently waiting for that replacement to show up in January. It'll be a New Year's miracle!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The Fan
When we moved into our house we immediately noticed the bathroom fan was unusually loud. Like airplane engine loud. The second you turned on the light, the fan came on and you couldn't hear anything even with the door open. The plan was to replace the fan before the baby came.
2 1/2 years later and that fan still lives. And honestly, I don't want to get rid of it. Sure it's loud and I hate yelling "I can't hear you!" when Justin asks me a question from the hall. And it's also annoying when I'm taking a bath with my iphone and want to watch something. (What, doesn't everyone do that in the tub?)
But you know what it IS good for? Locking yourself away and pretending the child you just put to bed is actually sleeping and not in his room screaming "READ STOWY MOM-MOM-MOMMMMMMY!" or "MORE WAAAAAAATER!" or just plain screaming because he's over tired and doesn't want to go to bed. Nope, can't hear it.
After hanging out in the bathroom for a few minutes, I'll turn the light/fan off to see if he's still howling. Sometimes he is and sometimes he isn't.
It's the little things that keep you sane.
Now if I could just get the creaking hardwood floors to not wake him up when I'm sneaking in his room.
2 1/2 years later and that fan still lives. And honestly, I don't want to get rid of it. Sure it's loud and I hate yelling "I can't hear you!" when Justin asks me a question from the hall. And it's also annoying when I'm taking a bath with my iphone and want to watch something. (What, doesn't everyone do that in the tub?)
But you know what it IS good for? Locking yourself away and pretending the child you just put to bed is actually sleeping and not in his room screaming "READ STOWY MOM-MOM-MOMMMMMMY!" or "MORE WAAAAAAATER!" or just plain screaming because he's over tired and doesn't want to go to bed. Nope, can't hear it.
After hanging out in the bathroom for a few minutes, I'll turn the light/fan off to see if he's still howling. Sometimes he is and sometimes he isn't.
It's the little things that keep you sane.
Now if I could just get the creaking hardwood floors to not wake him up when I'm sneaking in his room.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Two Year Molars
Jules was always a content baby unless he really needed something. He had this high-pitched "EEEEE" right before he would start to cry. So if we caught him at that stage, we were golden. As a toddler, pretty much the same way. Except the "EEEE" is now "Help ple-EEEEEEEse mommy!"
He's a good eater. He has manners. He's funny. He's a little self-destructive when we say "No" or tell him not to do something. And even when he's sick, he's manageable. Just cuddle, a little meds and he's good.
But damn these 2-year molars! Never was he like this in all of his teething episodes. At first I thought he was sick. A slight fever and a hacking cough, I blamed it on the kids at the gym. But then I saw little teeth poking through and it all clicked: the moodiness, fever, not wanting to eat, screaming when it was time to brush teeth. Turns out, giant, stabbing knives were poking through his little gums. I'd be moody too.
Mommy: Jules, do you want Mini Wheats or Cheerios?
Jules: Cheerios.
Mommy: (getting the Cheerios box)
Jules: NO CHERRIOS, MINI WHEATS!!
Mommy: You want Mini Wheats?
Jules: NO! CHEERIOS!
Mommy: (WTF? Getting the Cheerios Box)
Jules: In little bowl. (he means a ramekin)
Mommy: You can't eat Cheerios in a ramekin.
Jules: IN LITTLE BOOOOOOWL!
Mommy: Fine, here.
Jules: Pour milk.
Mommy: (starting to pour milk)
Jules: NO MILK!
One day, I think he ate yogurt and raisins. That's it. For a kid who normally eats a big bowl of cereal, toast, yogurt and milk, this new diet of nothing is a little worrisome. But I know it's temporary and he'll be fine.
Last night after a particularly difficult diaper change, he actually said "hurt in mouth." Oh, it was so sad! And I felt really bad for him. So Justin and I cuddled him and tried to help him feel better with medicine and distraction, diaper-less.
So 2-year molars, hurry up and get here. We miss our sweet Jules.
He's a good eater. He has manners. He's funny. He's a little self-destructive when we say "No" or tell him not to do something. And even when he's sick, he's manageable. Just cuddle, a little meds and he's good.
But damn these 2-year molars! Never was he like this in all of his teething episodes. At first I thought he was sick. A slight fever and a hacking cough, I blamed it on the kids at the gym. But then I saw little teeth poking through and it all clicked: the moodiness, fever, not wanting to eat, screaming when it was time to brush teeth. Turns out, giant, stabbing knives were poking through his little gums. I'd be moody too.
Mommy: Jules, do you want Mini Wheats or Cheerios?
Jules: Cheerios.
Mommy: (getting the Cheerios box)
Jules: NO CHERRIOS, MINI WHEATS!!
Mommy: You want Mini Wheats?
Jules: NO! CHEERIOS!
Mommy: (WTF? Getting the Cheerios Box)
Jules: In little bowl. (he means a ramekin)
Mommy: You can't eat Cheerios in a ramekin.
Jules: IN LITTLE BOOOOOOWL!
Mommy: Fine, here.
Jules: Pour milk.
Mommy: (starting to pour milk)
Jules: NO MILK!
One day, I think he ate yogurt and raisins. That's it. For a kid who normally eats a big bowl of cereal, toast, yogurt and milk, this new diet of nothing is a little worrisome. But I know it's temporary and he'll be fine.
Last night after a particularly difficult diaper change, he actually said "hurt in mouth." Oh, it was so sad! And I felt really bad for him. So Justin and I cuddled him and tried to help him feel better with medicine and distraction, diaper-less.
So 2-year molars, hurry up and get here. We miss our sweet Jules.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Trains
My kid. He loves trains. That is until we took him on a real steam engine that freaked the f out of him.
Trust me, he's holding on for dear life.
Before the weather got all weird and cold, we took a trip up to Northern Wisconsin. On the way, we stopped and rode on an old steam engine. We thought Jules would love it. And initially, he did. But as soon as that whistle let out its high-pitched squeal, Jules FREAKED OUT. There was no consoling him. There was no "Look Jules! You're on a steam train like Thomas!" There was only screams and tears.
We're awesome at parenting!!
He eventually lightened up after lunch and was excited to sit in the engineers seat of a train that did not move. Or make a sound. Or had a weird hiss to it. It was finally exciting for him.
He requested to go inside the caboose, up top. Justin was excited to crawl around old train cars. I was just happy Jules wasn't crying anymore.
On the way back, we decided to sit at the furthest car from the engine. What a difference that made. Jules was so happy, bouncing from seat to seat.
Wait for it...
And, steam whistle.
Trust me, he's holding on for dear life.
Before the weather got all weird and cold, we took a trip up to Northern Wisconsin. On the way, we stopped and rode on an old steam engine. We thought Jules would love it. And initially, he did. But as soon as that whistle let out its high-pitched squeal, Jules FREAKED OUT. There was no consoling him. There was no "Look Jules! You're on a steam train like Thomas!" There was only screams and tears.
We're awesome at parenting!!
He eventually lightened up after lunch and was excited to sit in the engineers seat of a train that did not move. Or make a sound. Or had a weird hiss to it. It was finally exciting for him.
He requested to go inside the caboose, up top. Justin was excited to crawl around old train cars. I was just happy Jules wasn't crying anymore.
On the way back, we decided to sit at the furthest car from the engine. What a difference that made. Jules was so happy, bouncing from seat to seat.
Wait for it...
And, steam whistle.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
OhHAI!
Not intentionally forgetting this space. It exists and at this point, something that isn't a "hey, lets make something that works well even better!" Except, I'm not sure it's better.
I'm looking at you Facebook.
Seriously, I've only seen a few new features over at the bookface and really, I'm getting tired of it anyway so now may be the time to jump ship?
So I come back to my old bloggy friend, Blogger. Who's still reading anyway?
I'm looking at you Facebook.
Seriously, I've only seen a few new features over at the bookface and really, I'm getting tired of it anyway so now may be the time to jump ship?
So I come back to my old bloggy friend, Blogger. Who's still reading anyway?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Peter Pan Fan
I loved Peter Pan when I was younger. Well, I should say, when I was 12. It was just a sweet, fun, adventurous story. I haven't seen it since. But I somehow own the dvd - pre-Jules. Weird.
I showed it to him the other night and, wow, is that a violent and somewhat scary cartoon for kids. This is the most violence Jules has seen and naturally, he's glued to it.
It's much different than Thomas & Friends' gentle "James was cross," or "Cinder and Ashes!" Peter Pan has sword fighting, beating up girls, missing hands, bombs, drowning, and pirates.
But then it ends so sweetly.
I think I'll hold off showing him Bambi.
I showed it to him the other night and, wow, is that a violent and somewhat scary cartoon for kids. This is the most violence Jules has seen and naturally, he's glued to it.
It's much different than Thomas & Friends' gentle "James was cross," or "Cinder and Ashes!" Peter Pan has sword fighting, beating up girls, missing hands, bombs, drowning, and pirates.
But then it ends so sweetly.
I think I'll hold off showing him Bambi.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Minna-Do-Da!
Lots of dumb stuff going on so let's review in bullet points!
- The Minnesota State Fair started and yes, we've already gone. The open invite still exists for those who want to bust out their stretchy pants (or draw string pants, whatever you've got) and come out and eat all day long. It's an event. An event that means summer is over in Minnesota. And you gain 6 lbs.
- We spent a long weekend in Northern Wisconsin with Justin's family. Eight kids, six adults and two dogs in a cabin. It was as fun as it sounds.
- Jules speaks like an adult now. Just ask him where he's from. "Minna-do-da!"
What's my name?
"Mommy!"
No, my real name.
"Des-deee."
It's cute.
- The garden is doing well. I've plucked cucumbers and tomatoes as they've ripened. The corn, carrots, onions and potatoes are growing nicely and should be ready in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed! I learned a lot and I'll do some things differently next year, but it's been fun.
- We went to the Vikings game Saturday and I got groped while walking to the bathroom. I thought Bears fans were assholes.
- Started watching Mad Men. Love it! Love that it's streaming on Netflix. Love Netflix. The end.
- The Minnesota State Fair started and yes, we've already gone. The open invite still exists for those who want to bust out their stretchy pants (or draw string pants, whatever you've got) and come out and eat all day long. It's an event. An event that means summer is over in Minnesota. And you gain 6 lbs.
- We spent a long weekend in Northern Wisconsin with Justin's family. Eight kids, six adults and two dogs in a cabin. It was as fun as it sounds.
- Jules speaks like an adult now. Just ask him where he's from. "Minna-do-da!"
What's my name?
"Mommy!"
No, my real name.
"Des-deee."
It's cute.
- The garden is doing well. I've plucked cucumbers and tomatoes as they've ripened. The corn, carrots, onions and potatoes are growing nicely and should be ready in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed! I learned a lot and I'll do some things differently next year, but it's been fun.
- We went to the Vikings game Saturday and I got groped while walking to the bathroom. I thought Bears fans were assholes.
- Started watching Mad Men. Love it! Love that it's streaming on Netflix. Love Netflix. The end.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dead Presidents
After we put the baby - excuse me, toddler - to bed the other night, we got to talking about past President's. Justin asked, "Can you name all the President's from the 20th Century?"
"I think so."
And I proceeded to go from Roosevelt up - the first Roosevelt. Now, honestly, starting with Roosevelt was a guess. I was about 80% sure he was the first but it turns out he started in 1901. I was pretty impressed with my abilities to name all but three President's from the 20th century (and 21st of course). I only needed a few hints to name those three. Justin admitted he couldn't name that many. Sad. And he's smart!
So once I was done, I told Justin we should learn all the Presidents, not just in order, but the years they served. Sounds like High School all over again, eh? Forced learning! Sleeping in class! Economics at 8am! (true story)
But really, who says you can't take time out to learn (or sadly, re-learn) something as an adult? And shouldn't learning be about, well, learning more on something that interests you? Plus, it's a challenge!
So I'll be index-carding it up with President's and their terms. I'm sure this information will help me in trivial pursuit or something. Lord knows most subjects didn't help me land a job. (I'm talking to you ALGEBRA.)
Just gotta talk Justin into it...
"I think so."
And I proceeded to go from Roosevelt up - the first Roosevelt. Now, honestly, starting with Roosevelt was a guess. I was about 80% sure he was the first but it turns out he started in 1901. I was pretty impressed with my abilities to name all but three President's from the 20th century (and 21st of course). I only needed a few hints to name those three. Justin admitted he couldn't name that many. Sad. And he's smart!
So once I was done, I told Justin we should learn all the Presidents, not just in order, but the years they served. Sounds like High School all over again, eh? Forced learning! Sleeping in class! Economics at 8am! (true story)
But really, who says you can't take time out to learn (or sadly, re-learn) something as an adult? And shouldn't learning be about, well, learning more on something that interests you? Plus, it's a challenge!
So I'll be index-carding it up with President's and their terms. I'm sure this information will help me in trivial pursuit or something. Lord knows most subjects didn't help me land a job. (I'm talking to you ALGEBRA.)
Just gotta talk Justin into it...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Scully
Let's talk about Scully for once (it's been a while since she's been featured). Since the baby was born, I hate to admit it, but she's been put on the back burner. We don't neglect her but she doesn't get all the attention she got for the first seven years of her life. We took her everywhere, got her special treats from expensive pet boutiques, bathed her once a week and everything else a furry friend could ask for. Now she only goes to the vet or my in-laws for excursions, no trips to the pet boutique, bathed probably five or less times a year, and many times, yelled at just out of frustration. She's regressed in her training - as little as it was - and has taken to cowering when Justin calls her name.
We've never hit her. Although, the baby hits her when he thinks he's petting her. He's getting better but he gets really excited and she gets really scared. It's sad and I feel terrible that I can't give her all my attention like in the past.
Recently, she got sick as a result of us forgetting to give her her heart worm meds. It didn't help that she's constantly out in the yard exploring and eating mice. As a little dog, her job is to burrow and hunt rodents. Instinct got the best of her and she found mouse town under our shed (awesome, huh?). Caught one or two, who knows, and got sick. And recently, she came in from exploring outside and ended up with a gash on her upper back and hind leg. She's just not having a good summer. And we're not having fun taking her to the vet and feeling guilty because we aren't protecting her well.
Justin thinks it's her fault and while I agree to a point, we are responsible for her well being and safety. It might be time to reconnect with her, refocus with training and make the last part of her life as fun as the first part.
We've never hit her. Although, the baby hits her when he thinks he's petting her. He's getting better but he gets really excited and she gets really scared. It's sad and I feel terrible that I can't give her all my attention like in the past.
Recently, she got sick as a result of us forgetting to give her her heart worm meds. It didn't help that she's constantly out in the yard exploring and eating mice. As a little dog, her job is to burrow and hunt rodents. Instinct got the best of her and she found mouse town under our shed (awesome, huh?). Caught one or two, who knows, and got sick. And recently, she came in from exploring outside and ended up with a gash on her upper back and hind leg. She's just not having a good summer. And we're not having fun taking her to the vet and feeling guilty because we aren't protecting her well.
Justin thinks it's her fault and while I agree to a point, we are responsible for her well being and safety. It might be time to reconnect with her, refocus with training and make the last part of her life as fun as the first part.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Kid...He's Got the Beat
It's been a fun summer so far! Now that Jules is older, we can take him to lots of outdoor activities, including a Drum Corps show. He loves music and always does a dance when any type is playing. We took him to our local parade and he stomped and danced when the bands went by. Afterwards, we listened to a local Drum and Bugle Corps - Minnesota Brass - do a stand-still of their show. Jules was enthralled and loved it! He danced. He screamed. He stayed out late!
While we didn't get the same response when we took him to an actual show, he still did well. You can't expect a two-year-old to sit still when there are bleachers to climb on!
While we didn't get the same response when we took him to an actual show, he still did well. You can't expect a two-year-old to sit still when there are bleachers to climb on!
Friday, July 15, 2011
!!!!!
I want to talk about Facebook status' for a second. You've seen them, the ones with multiple exclamation points, like this many!!! after every sentence!!!! "And it's gonna be a good day!!!" !!!!
Really, I think one exclamation point does enough, possibly two to get a point across. But let's limit it to every other sentence, at least. Please?
Or better yet, don't post a status update if you're super excited.
Mkaythxbai!!!!!
Really, I think one exclamation point does enough, possibly two to get a point across. But let's limit it to every other sentence, at least. Please?
Or better yet, don't post a status update if you're super excited.
Mkaythxbai!!!!!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's All a Crap Shoot
While living in Las Vegas, I tried to grow an orange tree. Guess how it turned out? I don't know either. I gave it to a friend's wife to take care of when we moved to Minneapolis. But the first year I had it, it survived and actually grew fruit. I learned you weren't supposed to pick it the first year so the second years harvest would be better. (I hope it's growing yummy oranges for my friend and his wife! It probably is, I think she's got a super green thumb.)
When we bought our house, the family before had a huge garden in the corner of the yard. I loved the idea of a garden and wanted to do it. But then I had a baby and then it was winter and then summer again and the baby was crawling and I wasn't in the right mind to start such a task. We did, however, prep the garden by digging out weeds and left over leeks (we ate them, they were good. The leeks, not the weeds.). But after one really heavy, rainy week, it all grew over again and I gave up.
I made up my mind, this was going to be the "Summer of Gardening" (and "Summer of Beverages"). So I started all my seeds inside and they were growing beautifully. I had Friday's off and that gave me time to work in the garden. And I borrowed a family tiller to do the really heavy work for me. But the weather. Oh Minnesota and your weather. You always ruin my plans!
I had to wait a few weeks until the ground was dry. My little seedlings were starting to die-they needed to be planted! But it finally dried out and I was finally able to get started. Let me tell you about a tiller. It's a machine that-while digging into the ground-you hold on for dear life because it's going to take off and not care you're holding on or not. It.was.fun! And quick! It took maybe 45 minutes to till the entire plot. I made Justin till the back scary corner.
We planted the seedlings and BAM, Minnesota decided to go from 70's to 100's in about a day. And most of my seedlings died. All but two cucumber plants died, but my tomato plants survived. I also planted corn, carrot and potato seeds. I figured they were a lost cause too because of the heat and I couldn't keep up with watering. But then Minnesota went back to the 70's with tons of rain. And guess what? Everything grew! Including weeds! So now, I get to pull lots weeds thanks to all the rain. Most of my seeds have sprouted and are growing beautifully. I will have to plant some more corn because they are being overtaken by grass. Meh, I've got tons of corn seeds.
Now, how they will taste is a whole other experiment. Stay tuned...
When we bought our house, the family before had a huge garden in the corner of the yard. I loved the idea of a garden and wanted to do it. But then I had a baby and then it was winter and then summer again and the baby was crawling and I wasn't in the right mind to start such a task. We did, however, prep the garden by digging out weeds and left over leeks (we ate them, they were good. The leeks, not the weeds.). But after one really heavy, rainy week, it all grew over again and I gave up.
I made up my mind, this was going to be the "Summer of Gardening" (and "Summer of Beverages"). So I started all my seeds inside and they were growing beautifully. I had Friday's off and that gave me time to work in the garden. And I borrowed a family tiller to do the really heavy work for me. But the weather. Oh Minnesota and your weather. You always ruin my plans!
I had to wait a few weeks until the ground was dry. My little seedlings were starting to die-they needed to be planted! But it finally dried out and I was finally able to get started. Let me tell you about a tiller. It's a machine that-while digging into the ground-you hold on for dear life because it's going to take off and not care you're holding on or not. It.was.fun! And quick! It took maybe 45 minutes to till the entire plot. I made Justin till the back scary corner.
We planted the seedlings and BAM, Minnesota decided to go from 70's to 100's in about a day. And most of my seedlings died. All but two cucumber plants died, but my tomato plants survived. I also planted corn, carrot and potato seeds. I figured they were a lost cause too because of the heat and I couldn't keep up with watering. But then Minnesota went back to the 70's with tons of rain. And guess what? Everything grew! Including weeds! So now, I get to pull lots weeds thanks to all the rain. Most of my seeds have sprouted and are growing beautifully. I will have to plant some more corn because they are being overtaken by grass. Meh, I've got tons of corn seeds.
Now, how they will taste is a whole other experiment. Stay tuned...
Monday, June 13, 2011
24 Months
Oh baby Jules, my little two-year-old, you are so grown up. You'll never be the squishy little 6-month-old baby again. I had to sneak into your room to cuddle you the other night just like when you were 6 months old.
It was easy to get you because we switched your bed to a big boy bed last week. You get so excited to go "night night" you don't even get out in the morning. You patiently wait for us to get you.
You're so proud.
We've got a running list of signs you know. It's very close to 50 signs! You learn them so quickly now. Your language has also improved dramatically. You know colors and we're working on numbers. You can count to three.
You adore being outside. You and Dad have been spending a lot time outside during the day: playing, working in the yard, bike riding. Anything to stay outside.
Driving cars, looking cool.
We had your birthday part on Saturday. All your cousins adore you and had fun taking you all over the play area. You napped so well afterward!
Not the best family photo, but it is what it is.
You got a sand and water table. I haven't put the sand or water in it because you like to drive cars all over this thing.
You totally love it!
You took it upon yourself to climb in and play.
"Just checking this umbrella thing."
These two years went by so fast. There's no slowing you down. Happy Birthday my little one!
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Three Years
I was recognized this week for working here three years. That's the longest I've worked somewhere that wasn't school. My usual thing to feel after TWO years at any place is anger, frustration, stress, boredom, blah, blah, you get the idea. But here, I haven't felt that. Sure there have been frustrating days. Anger at dumb decisions. Stress at getting a project done. Boredom from lack of work. That's at all jobs and not at once as it was in the past. Since being here, I've never said, "I'm done. I want out. I hate it here." Not once. Ask Justin how many times I said that at my last employer.
It was nice being recognized because a lot of people didn't know what I did, who I was, or even what I looked like. But that changed within the past year. The role I have now lets me interact with more departments and become the hero at the last minute (toot toot! - that's me tooting my horn.). And when my boss ended his speech about my work here, I was surprised at the applause that came. Loud cheers! What? Who was doing that? No one knows me or the work that I've done. But people did know me and the work I've done. And they cheered. I was the popular kid for 15 seconds.
I haven't thought about where I'll be in the next 10 years career wise. Where ever I am, I hope I'll be as happy as I am here.
It was nice being recognized because a lot of people didn't know what I did, who I was, or even what I looked like. But that changed within the past year. The role I have now lets me interact with more departments and become the hero at the last minute (toot toot! - that's me tooting my horn.). And when my boss ended his speech about my work here, I was surprised at the applause that came. Loud cheers! What? Who was doing that? No one knows me or the work that I've done. But people did know me and the work I've done. And they cheered. I was the popular kid for 15 seconds.
I haven't thought about where I'll be in the next 10 years career wise. Where ever I am, I hope I'll be as happy as I am here.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Themes are Good
*ooh, Looks like I can now "mobile post" - but I'm not gonna.*
May in Minnesota is weird. You have beautiful, sunny days with a high of 75. Perfect, Minnesota! Then you have beautiful, sunny days with a high of 55. She can't help her moodiness.
I'm doing a garden this year. I was with infant last year and couldn't get my act together for many reasons. This year, this summer is the summer of gardening for me and the summer of beverages for Justin. We're nerds and like to theme our summers. One summer was the "summer of socks" the next was "summer of slurpees!" So, once we declare it, it'll happen.
Summer of gardening consists of 1) cleaning up the front and back yard and not be the embarrassment of the cul-de-sac any more. And 2) planting a simple vegetable garden. By not going overboard, I'm keeping it simple and doable. Or else, I'll fail. Corn, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, cauliflower, and pumpkins - for the kids. So far, so good! I got my starters going and just finished tilling most of the garden. But, Minnesota wants to ruin everything for me and rain. Jerk. While the hard work is 1/2 way done, it really all comes down to how things will taste. I can only hope it's edible.
Summer of beverages consists of 1) brewing our own beer and 2)creating our own pop. Orange, root beer, grape, cream soda, whatever! Plus, we'll need a cool beverage after the long hours of garden time we'll be putting in EVERY.NIGHT.FOR.THE.REST.OF.THE.SUMMER!!
I'll let you know how it goes. What's your summer theme?
May in Minnesota is weird. You have beautiful, sunny days with a high of 75. Perfect, Minnesota! Then you have beautiful, sunny days with a high of 55. She can't help her moodiness.
I'm doing a garden this year. I was with infant last year and couldn't get my act together for many reasons. This year, this summer is the summer of gardening for me and the summer of beverages for Justin. We're nerds and like to theme our summers. One summer was the "summer of socks" the next was "summer of slurpees!" So, once we declare it, it'll happen.
Summer of gardening consists of 1) cleaning up the front and back yard and not be the embarrassment of the cul-de-sac any more. And 2) planting a simple vegetable garden. By not going overboard, I'm keeping it simple and doable. Or else, I'll fail. Corn, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, cauliflower, and pumpkins - for the kids. So far, so good! I got my starters going and just finished tilling most of the garden. But, Minnesota wants to ruin everything for me and rain. Jerk. While the hard work is 1/2 way done, it really all comes down to how things will taste. I can only hope it's edible.
Summer of beverages consists of 1) brewing our own beer and 2)creating our own pop. Orange, root beer, grape, cream soda, whatever! Plus, we'll need a cool beverage after the long hours of garden time we'll be putting in EVERY.NIGHT.FOR.THE.REST.OF.THE.SUMMER!!
I'll let you know how it goes. What's your summer theme?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
