4 in Middleton...

Valentine's Day, aka Friendship Day

2010-02-12T14:08:00.000-06:00

So... my daughter had to bring cards to school today, not for Valentines Day, but for "Friendship" Day. They were not to be personalized - that takes too much time - the teacher mentioned. So, we had to make 18 generic "Friendship Day" cards.

Luckily, one of my friends blog, I spied the cutest, and easiest ideas - these cute little Flower Valentines. Of course, we did have to change it from "Happy Valentines Day!" to "Happy Friendship Day!" so I put David to work changing the text (it is in PDF format and I don't have a PDF editor. I let him handle the challenges like that, but I supposed I better take those on more, seeing as my job is changing a bit to include puzzles like this, and David doesn't get paid to teach me how to teach other people... but I digress).

They came out very very cute and hopefully Friendship Day went well, although I personally think it's a bit on the lame side.

Miss Pixie

2010-01-31T22:08:00.003-06:00

A bit of an update on my kitty.

She's doing better... all of her test came back lower, but not great. That's all we can really hope for at this point. We are giving her subcutaneous fluids daily, making sure she east special kidney diet food and giving her pepcid. She truly is like a little old lady at this point.

She'll go back to the vet at the end of the month and we will see where we go from there.

A tail of 2 kitties.

2010-01-25T14:12:00.003-06:00

Here's 2 pictures of Pixie. One on the 21st before being treated and one today. Hopefully you can see the fullness in her face now that she has some fluids in her.

Thursday:

Today :

I see a difference. It's a good thing.

Pixie Cat

2010-01-24T21:25:00.002-06:00

Pixie is totally my baby. We got her in August of 1995 - yes, that makes her almost 15 years old! Sadly, on Friday we took her to the vet we found that she has Kidney Disease. From what I gathered from the tone of the Dr, if she improved over the weekend, she had a chance, if she didn't well, we'd be looking at a very gloomy Monday.

Happily, she has improved over this weekend. She's eating - and not only foods she likes, but a special kidney diet. She's drinking and she's taking her medicine.

This doesn't mean that she's out of the woods, it's simply means that she's doing better. Kidney disease in cats can be managed, but it can't be cured. We are basically buying her time. How much time - I haven't a clue. We might be talking days or weeks. I am doubtful that it's years, but I am hoping for months.

Pixie was our "baby" for 5 years before our 1st child was born. She'll always be my baby.

2010

2010-01-15T14:07:00.002-06:00

It's a new year! This is the year my son turns 10. That alone I can't believe. He has one more year left in elementary school. It's making me feel old. TOO old!

This year, we will also get back to traveling a bit. We didn't go anywhere last year (well, except I went to Colorado, which I loved!!) so it's time to take road trips to visit the grandparents. That costs money, so we have come to a decision to really not eat out anymore. Now, I know this affects people's lives - the restaurant industry provides lots of jobs and well being for many many many people. But it's a huge source of money loss to us. Plus, I love to cook. We have decided to eat better, at home, more often. In order to do that, and give myself and incentive to do it, I am going to blog about my 2 1/2 months of not dining out and the meals and dishes I make. They will hopefully make me NOT want to dine out. The new blog can be found here :

http://nomorediningout.blogspot.com/

I am also hoping to keep this one updated a bit more. It's not very exciting, I know, but I am going to try.

Knit 1, Purl 2

2009-11-13T19:24:00.005-06:00

A few years ago, I was given a quick knitting lesson by the education coordinator (at the time) at JoAnn. I had wanted to learn, just never did. The lesson lasted, oh about 5 mins - if that. After that I would make a few scarves here and there, but not much. Last year I started to make a few more things. My big project was felted mittens, which I LOVED!

After these, I took a bit of a break. When I went to Colorado, I wanted to learn how to make socks and Heather was kind enough to show me.

I love knitting socks.

Amaya has 2 or 3 pairs.

I am still working on a full pair for me. I have made a few single ones, but I have never been happy with any, until this beauty came along. These socks are almost done -- well one at least. I made a few mistakes and had to rip out a few inches - yes inches. I took a break and made a few hats. I needed to feel like I completed something. Hopefully, I will have one compete sock done by the end of the weekend and the matching one soon after.

Yes, blog, I forgot about you again.

2009-10-01T10:01:00.002-05:00

But here's the good news. A few weeks ago I looked at a Tumblr site that I had a few years ago. I kind of abandoned it. But looking back at it was so neat. It was a like opening an old diary. This made me realize that the blog isn't so much about other people reading it, but about a history and a diary of sorts. Years from now, hopefully this will still be around and I can look back at my digital diary and remember what happened. So, again, I will try to keep up with the blog perhaps not for the present time, but for my future self to look back and reflect on.

On that note...

FALL IS HERE! I love fall. Here's a little snapshot from this weekend apple picking at the Eplegaarden in Fitchburg.

What a crazy 2 weeks!!

2009-05-11T09:58:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago my son turned 9. 2 days later I left for Colorado and had a whirlwind trip out there. Yesterday my son competed in his first swim meet in the 9-10yr old division. Today it's quiet. It's been kind of crazy around here.

I can't believe my son is 9. It's doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but it was. His birthday is always slightly bittersweet and the fact that he is so old now, brings back some difficult memories. A few days after he was born, a man I worked with lost his daughter in a car accident. A few days after that a friend of mine went into preterm labor and gave birth to her daughter at 22 weeks and subsequently lost her. Both of these people haven't had their children for 9 whole years. That always kind of stops me in my tracks.

On a bright note, look at this view I saw for the 1st time almost 2 weeks ago. It's just breath taking. It's hard to imagine seeing this almost every day and not being in awe of how amazing it is. I really enjoyed my few days out in Colorado. I definitely want to take the kids out there sometime. I know they would love it.

Finally the other big thing was my son's swim meet. He didn't do great, but that was to be expected. I am of course proud him him, no matter what. He was swimming twice the distances he was used to and doing a stroke that he could barely do 6 mos ago and now it's his strongest. The one thing he wasn't amused with was that I told him he was supposed to be born (my due date) May 19th, which would have had him still being 8 yesterday. He didn't laugh. See, if he was still in the 8 yr old division, he would have had all 1st, 2nd & 3rd places. Oops. Damn high blood pressure 9 years ago really messed with my sons swim meet. I should have known better, huh?

Fly, Breast & Free, IM & Relay and Shaving Seconds

2009-02-21T21:25:00.002-06:00

A year ago swimming was a foreign language to me. I grew up in Florida... as an ice skater. My son, here in Wisconsin, is a swimmer. I spend many weekends in the fall & winter at a pool. It's usually a balmy 80 degrees (which in Feb. it *is* balmy). The summer you will find us at various locations in Madison from Hawks Landing to Ridgewood & Shorewood. It is looking like this is my future for the next several years.

Last year, my son did swim lessons and that was it in terms of sports. Once a week, 30 mins a lesson. Now, I spend Tues, Wed & Thurs at the pool and if there's a meet, I work it. It's not bad and it's great to see him getting some positive self esteem.

Today was the last meet until the summer. Honestly, I need the break. I know he'll miss the meets, but out of the 10 or so meets he participated in, I think 7 were hosted by BAC which meant we had to work them. Today was the worst since I believe I have a sinus infection and my head was pretty darn close to exploding.

Today was a good day. The boy got 4th place in his backstroke (tied for 4th and 3rd was just .07 seconds away), 7th in 50Y free (out of 24 kids!), he improved his 50 y breast stroke by a lot!

The next big step will be summer teams. He will be 9 which will be a a huge difference. He's been competeing in 8 & under for the last 9 months. The 9-10 yr old division will be different. It will be faster and harder. The boy realizes this and doesn't expect to get 1st or 2nd or 3rd. He just doesn't want to be last, which I think won't be any problem at all.

In Memoriam

2009-02-05T14:10:00.004-06:00

This is not a post about a person that died, but a car that we lost.

On Saturday, January 31st, 2009, we said goodbye to the dear beloved, run down, green Jetta (Sequoia green if I remember correctly). She was a good car and only failed us once in Atlanta when the battery died after only a short time leaving us stranded at a restaurant. We got her before we were married so she was even at our wedding in Kennesaw. She drove me to MindSpring faithfully everyday in Atlanta. Green Jetta even made the trip to Wisconsin in luxury - being put on the moving van and not having to drive one of those pesky miles between here and there. However, after 11 1/2 years, it was finally time to say good bye. We didn't really want to. We didn't owe a thing on her, however, she was looking rough. The mirror was broken (and not something that could easily be replaced, it was imbeded in the body of the car), the muffler needed replacing, she was leaking collant - and those were just the things we knew of. It would have cost more to fix her than she was worth. So, after all those long years and experiences we said good bye.

Who would replace such a good faithful car??? Who else but another Jetta. Meet Red Jetta. Spicy Red, I beleive. Red Jetta is a 2004, so she's newer but not brand new. She's also a lot cleaner and has a clean bill of health. Will we keep red Jetta 11 1/2 years. Who knows. Perhaps if we take a little bit better care of her she will last 11 1/2 years!!

Oh, and look at this fun little fact. Our cars now match the house (which, no we did not paint green & red and still have yet to change it)

Butterfly

2009-01-20T20:11:00.001-06:00

I guess my daughter is dreaming of Spring. My husband worked on this little art project with her. Vocals were done by her as well!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T17:25:00.003-06:00

I supposed one of my New Years Resolution should be to post more on here. I will try. Now that I have a computer of my very own (a new Mac Book!) I hope to do so. I wanted to start by wishing everyone a happy new year. I can't believe it's 2009. This year my son will be 9 and my daughter will be 6. My daughter will also complete her 1st year of Kindergarten. It seems odd that I don't have "little" kids any more, but it feels good. Happy New Year!!

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-09T14:51:00.005-06:00

It was the seasons 1st snow day today. I managed to push the kids out the door for a little while to get out of the house. Here are some highlights of our day cooped up at home.

Amaya's attempt at a snow angel -

Just one more thing...

2008-11-30T10:48:00.002-06:00

I was so sad to read about the Walmart Employee's death on "Black Friday". It really makes me mad too. Every year, news outlets show footage of crazy shoppers rampaging through the doors of Walmart. How could the company not see this coming? Every single year someone is trampled, it's only a matter of time before someone was injured severly or killed. Opening all the doors at one time to allow a mass of thousands in never ends well. This poor man wasn't a "real" employee, from what I read - he was just a temp. Part of me thinks that Walmart likes the attenion that the media draws to it's mass entrances. I hope next year they queue the line and open one or 2 doors at a time. People shouldn't risk their life just to work.

Just one more reason why I really don't like that company as a whole. This should never ever have happened.

Walmart Saved our Butt

2008-11-29T22:42:00.005-06:00

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I despise Walmart, especially the one here in Madison. I haven't set foot in the Walmart on the westside in years, and I do not intend on changing that anytime soon. I watched a movie a few years ago about Walmarts employment practices and I have choosen, for the most part, not support an employer who doesn't appear to value their employees except for their inexpensive labor.

Now, on the night before Thanksgiving, while at a hotel in the Dells, my husband discovered that that our battery in the van had died. We were about an hour from home and I had to be at work at a retail store (that is VERY busy on the day after t-giving - yes, I know they all are, but really, trust me, we are SLAMMED!) by 11am on Friday. Around 9am on Thanksgiving, my dear husband called AAA and a kind tow truck from Prairie Land towing came not once, but twice (because the cables didn't work the 1st time) to get the van up and running. We knew if it was turned off, it wouldn't start back up.

We were all prepared to buy a battery and have to install it on our own since I didn't expect to find an open car shop on Thanksgiving. I left David and the kids in the car, running of course, while I ventured into the only open store around. Walmart. This is the Wisconsin Dells, after all. I wandered in, picked up some decongestant for my daughter and made my way back to the car dept. when what did I see?

People. Yes, they were open.

I have never been so relieved to see a helpful Walmart employee.

They picked out the battery we needed, and me and my family waited. I was about to go and pay for the medicine when one of the other helpful walmart women said I could just pay for it with the battery, but I could go head and open it to give some to my daughter then. A few moments later she returned to put on the DVD of Tinkerbell for her as well. She also had a little girl and watched Tinkerbell lots.

I coudln't help but think that this woman was here, helping us (probably on barely a living wage) while her little girl was back home with out her.

We were extremely Thankful to the 2 or 3 people who were there on Thanksgiving, to help people like us who's car battery died an hour from home. While I don't like Walmarts in general, I have a new found love for the Walmart SuperCenter in the Wisconsin Dells. Beleive me, we were Thankful for Walmart this Thanksgiving. I will never say that again.

Just Keep Swimming Swimming... Just Keep Swimming...

2008-11-10T11:29:00.005-06:00

So, let's sit back and look back at how Blake got into swimming...

Long long ago, in a cold January in 2004, Blake started taking swimming lessons at SwimWest here in Madison. Those first few months were rough. Screaming, crying, and general misery were involved. But, we thought at 4 1/2, he needed to start getting into the water. We continued there faithfully for 2 or 3 years. It was warm, the classes were small and it went great. The only problem was that it was a little pricey. Eventually we switched over to lessons at the outdoor pool in Middleton and then to the indoor one in the winter. This past summer, he was finally convinced to join the Middleton Gators swim team. It was a new experience for him and a bit confusing for us as parents. He did great with this new competitive streak that he found inside of him. He did have some difficulties with a few things such as diving in and doing the breast stroke legally. He DQ'd more on breast stroke, than not.

When the summer ended, I wondered where this would leave us. I could tell he loved swimming, and with a little coaching, I knew he could excel. There are quite a few local USA Swimming teams in the area, but we logically choose the one that practices walking distance from our home. This year he has been swimming with the Badger Aquatics Club. While he's not the fastest, he's also not the slowest by any means. And he tries his hardest everytime, and that's all, as a parent I expect.

It's nice too, that for the most part parents don't get too obsessive over it. Parents aren't allowed on the deck of the pool during the meet. (although, I have to say, yesterday there was one REALLY annoying mom who whistled as loud as she could each time her kids swam -- think each time the kids head bobbed up -- and even once almost walked into the area where the starting thingy was. She's pretty much the exception to the rule though). Also, when it's a home meet, parents MUST volunteer for something, so it keeps them occupied. Kids also have to be fairly self sufficient as well. The coaches do come and round up the kids to make sure they are at the blocks, but the older ones are responsible for getting there when the time arrives.

So far this season, Blake has come away with multiple ribbons. There has been 2 1st place, I beleive both in Relays, then some 2nd places -- some in relays others in 50 or 100 Freestyle, then some 3rd and 4ths... and then they also give out 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th at most events. Yesterday he was really fixated on a MEDAL. This is the 1st event with medals. Medals were only given out to the top 3. In one event he tied for 4th out of 18 kids. That's incredible! However, to him, it was a failure since he didn't get the MEDAL. Even if he had gotten 3rd out of 3, if it was a medal, that's all that mattered. I need to get him to look at the big picture. No matter what though, I am SOOO incredibly proud of his accomplishments swimming competitively in the last 6 months!!!!

This is from the 100y Medley Relay. Blake swam the last quarter freestyle. His team was in lane 5 and they got 2nd. The other team was about 5 seconds ahead of them. Him and the other boy who swam butterfly swam the 2 lengths in ~40 seconds, which is great for this age!

This was another race he did well in, backstroke. The difference in time from 3-8th place was about 2 seconds. Blake got 7th, but I think 3rd was about a second and a half faster -- not much! He was in lane 1, the furthest away from the camera.

October 29, 1992

2008-10-29T10:47:00.004-05:00

I grew up without my father around and it was never a big deal. The man I was closest to growing up was my grandpa Hal. I remember one day when I was graduating High School he made a comment about not knowing if he would go to any of his other grandchildren's graduation. I brushed it off not beleiving a word of it and not wanting to imagine a world without him. He was only 70 and surely he'd be around 10 more years for my 2nd oldest cousin to graduate - his mother lived into her 90's. He was healthy and only vice was chewing cigars (a habit I found SOOO gross!). Less than 2 year later he died after a 2 month battle with cancer.

He died on October 29 and his funeral was on Halloween. I am the oldest grandchild by 10 years and that Halloween was so surreal to me. I was 19 which meant my oldest cousin was 9 and then there were 6 others all younger than him. While I cried they played. While my family mourned, they went Trick or Treating. Now, as the mother of children who are the age my cousins were I understand the need for normalcy, but back then it was odd.
I remember the cold day at the cemetary in Illinois and how poingant the service was on Halloween. While it seemed creepy, it also seemed fitting.

This is honestly one of the hardest days of the year. Things have gotten better, but this date is etched in my mind forever. My grandfather is the closest relative I have ever had pass away. (well, except my father, but since I had virtually no relationship with him, it's hard to say he was a close relative). I loved my grandfather so much and I wish and hope he can see all that has happened since he left 16 years ago. I am married and have 2 wonderful children - his great grand children. My cousins are all almost our of high school, and some out of college.

I have such a small family and sadly virtually no contact with my extended family. I don't have any siblings (and neither does my husband, so no aunts, uncles or cousins for my kids - is that weird or what?!) so I have my mom and my inlaws and of course my grandfathers wife, my wonderful grandmother. That's it. Sometimes I wonder what my grandfather would think of the fact that our family has lost so much contact with each other. The last time we were all truly together was at his funeral. Perhaps his death meant the loss of a lot more than just him.

Couponing Success

2008-10-22T11:14:00.002-05:00

Because money is tight, I am trying to be more frugal & stay on a budget. One of the main things I have always wanted to do, and yes, it sounds silly, was to use coupons to shop very cheaply. Over the years I would clip my coupons, but I think I spent more than I would have otherwise BECAUSE of the coupons. I had heard about those websites that would tell you how to basically use your coupons to buy things on sale for cheap or free. Because I live where there are no major (ie chain, nationwide stores) these sites never had a list for Madison that was worthwhile. Recently I discovered that they are finally including Copp's! I know... it sounds silly, but it makes me happy. Today I went to the grocery store and had I NOT shopped the specials or used coupons I would have spent $140, instead I spent $70. 50% off. I think that's a HUGE success! Granted, I now have bread for the next 3 weeks (as long as it doesn't get moldy, we should be good!) and sadly, Hamburger Helper that should last for years (I am reserving that scary stuff for when my family is here over the holidays and I need something that can be cooked in large batches, fast and cheap. Cooking for 7 people for 2 weeks calls for some short cuts here and there). Oh yeah, and in my previous weeks I have stocked up enough broth and diced tomatoes to make chili for the entire winter season. But this is a good thing. Now when I want chili, I have the fixings and I don't have to go out and drop $15 on overpriced ingrediants that I got for probably 75% off through couponing.
My site of choice is www.thegrocerygame.com . You get to try it for $1 for 4 weeks and if you like it, you pay about $10 for the 1st list for 3 months. I have definitely saved $10 in one week, so it is worth it. I am thinking I will need some shelves for my stockpiles of cereal and canned goods soon. I am also enjoying the variety. This is enouraging me to buy things I might not otherwise get and do a few different things.

Fall Part II

2008-10-13T08:47:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday I was supposed to work, but ended up not having to go in. It was an incredible day - clear and WARM! Normally in October, the temps do not get up to 80 degrees in Wisconsin, but on Sunday it did. Because the folliage was at or near peak this weekend, we headed about a hour north of here to Mirror Lake State Park. This park was just outside the Dells, but you'd never know you were so close to the insanity of that area. It was so serene and peaceful. We were there for only about 2 hours, but we had a nice picnic and walked some of the short trails. Fall is definitely my favorite time of the year. The weather is so nice and the colors are radiant.

After spending some time at the State Park, we headed over to see Lake Delton. The lake broke through the road over the summer, devastating the area and destroying houses and ruing the summer tourist season for the area. The Lake is supposed to be filled again next summer, so I really wanted to at least see what it looked like with no water. It really was amazing to see this large area filled with weeds that is usually a recreational lake. I didn't take any pictures. There were lots of signs to keep away the gawkers and I didn't want to stop and be one of the millions of people who oohed and ahhed. I am sure the residents are sick enough of it.

Fall

2008-10-08T08:20:00.002-05:00

It's been way too long since I posted to this blog. A lot has changed in the last 3 months. My daughter turned 5 and started Kindergarten. My son is in 3rd grade and is now swimming competitively with a local swim club. He has his 1st meet this weekend. My daughter is determined to swim on the Gators team next summer, although I am not so sure she will be able to make it across the pool in less than a year.

I now work about 5 hours a day in the morning on the week days. It's odd... for the last 4 years I have worked primarily evenings and weekends and in a blink that changed. I am still getting used to getting up at 6:15 in the morning and also having more time with the family in the evening. It's a bit different to get used to.

I can't believe that fall is here already and Halloween is just around the corner. Our family LOVES Halloween and it's almost time to put up the decorations. Before you know it Christmas will be here!

A Swimming Summer!

2008-07-29T15:21:00.006-05:00

This year, my son decided to swim on the Middleton Gators swim team. The team has proven to be a good challenge for him. He has never really been "into" sports and really marched to the beat of his own drum. He had a bit of trouble at the beginning mainly due to the fact that we knew little about the rules of swimming and there are a lot of little rules. He seems to have overcome most of his difficulties and has ended up doing very well. He hasn't placed in the top 3 or anything, but the fact that he did not DQ in the last meet in any event and won a heat winner ribbon was a HUGE success for him.

Back from vacation

2008-06-25T16:04:00.002-05:00

Well... we got back almost a week ago from a little trip to upstate NY. We go not because we really WANT to, but we "have to". We didn't go last year because of family issues and some of those arose again during this trip. That was definitely the low light of the trip.

We did drive the 800 or 900 miles it is from Wisconsin to Rome NY. Gas was expensive, but I had actually budgeted it to be at $4/ gal, so it wasn't so bad. Another way that made the trip a little easier to bear was that alot of we spent money on during the trip was already paid. The hotel in Lansin MI was bought on Priceline, therefore when checking out, nothing was owed. Granted Priceline can be a bit of a gamble, but if you do some research on Bidding for Travel you get a bit of an idea as to what hotel you might get -- and sometimes a handy review of it. As for food, I bought a gift card to Subway and Cracker Barrel through a Scrip program that benefits my sons school called Simplified Scrip . Granted, the school only got a few bucks, but hey, it's better than nothing. I also bought $325 in gas gift cards as well through the Scrip program. I figured I would have to fill up about 4 times in our Windstar @ about 22/gal per fill up or a mind boggling $88 each! (ouch!) 88x4 = 352 which is why I bought $325 in cards. The cards can be used at the pump (so you aren't tempted to buy anything else -- which is what they really want you to do!) and I just paid in $50 increments (and we stop that often with a 4 yr old little girl anyway!). During the 1st 2 days of driving, I think we spent about $10 on a debit card because everything was paid for on gift cards or priceline. It's also a great way to plan for a trip because you can buy, say, 1 $50 card from scrip each month and after a year you have $600 saved... and of course you have donated a few bucks to a school in the process!

I am really not found of Charter

2008-05-27T20:51:00.002-05:00

So... Charted has never been one of my favorite companies. Today however, they really became my least favorite company.

I decided to log on to my account and pay my bill. I often forget the password and have to look it up - it's usually some gibberish one I can't recall easily. I did find it and I proceed to log on to my account using my user name and the random password. As soon as I got into my account I noticed that the amount due was different than what I thought I owed, as well as the name on the account. It was a Keith something or other in Nebraska. Odd. I figured it was a fluke, so I opened another tab in my browser and did the same. Logged on. This time it was different. It was a different name again... a foreign name in California. So... then I was getting concerned. Charter wasn't *really* giving me access to random accounte complete with home phone numbers, addresses, account numbers, the ability to change/add/delete service, personal e-mail addresses.... you get the point.

I tried a 3rd time. Surely this time I would get my account. Nope. Another try, another name. I forget where the 3rd person was.

This is when I lost it. Charter was giving access to account information. Who knows how many people got access to my account or anyones account.

I called them up and of course they didn't quite understand what I was talking about. They offered to transfer me. I figured I needed to tell someone at Charter about their "little" problem. I got put on hold. For. Ever. And Ever. And Ever.

I eventually hung up. In the meantime I wanted to see what I could get to. Yup. I got to bills. I could change what I wanted. I didn't of course. I would never do that. But the possibility scared me.

I tried calling again. This time someone asked me some security questions. My address, my phone things that I could have had access to on any of the 3 random accounts I had sitting in front of me. This did NOT reassure me at all. The call center rep kept asking me if I wanted to pay my bill and I kept explaining that there was NO WAY I was paying my bill to a company that was giving out account information for free. She eventually transferred me to tech support who robotically explained that this was a known issue and not to log into my account anymore. He wouldn't stop talking for about 30 seconds - just spilling out a spiel about how they were working on it etc... Not reassuring. He was supposed to reset my password. He put me on hold and never came back. Not surprised.

I am REALLY unhappy with Charter.

The start of summer

2008-05-25T15:26:00.002-05:00

So summer is about to start. At the end of this summer things will be dramatically different. For the 1st time, both my kids will be in elementry school. For 8 years I have had a baby or a preschooler, but when my daughter hits kindergarten this fall, I will have neither. It's a little odd to not be the parent of a "little" kid, but it also feels good. I feel like I am moving forward. Many people I know have 3 chilren and many of them had the 3rd right around the time the 2nd started school. People also ask themselves how do they know when they are done having kids, the answer is that you just know. Things are good with the 4 of us. I can't imagine bringing another child into the family, and I honestly really have no desire to. I feel content with how things are right now.

The summer will be busy. My son is doing swim team for the 1st time and we have a trip planned. We are also going camping and my daughter will celebrate her 5th birthday. I have lots of activities for them during the day and hopefully we can get out and about through the state a bit. All this will happen in roughly 2 1/2 months time. At the end of it all my life will change dramatically. I will no longer be the "at home mom" - even though I have been working part time for the better part of 4 years. I still want to be part time so that I can go to the activities in the evening and be able to have fun. I definitely feel that I miss out on a lot working evenings and weekends. I look forward to the future of my kids in school during the day and being able to be with them in the evenings.

Oh my gosh, I love HDR

2008-05-18T17:44:00.003-05:00

I have seen lots of HDR pictures over the last year or so. They are always so amazing.

I got a Canon Rebel for Christmas and have wanted to make HDR pictures. in The last month or so finally decided to figure it out. It's not hard. It's just bracketing the exposure of several pictures (at least 3) and then using a program to merge them together. I tried Photoshop CS2 and was not impressed. Them I did a little more research and found Photomatix. Holy moly! This program is amazing. It basically does all the work for you. I love taking the HDR pictures now. I just need HUGE CF card now.

Here is my first REAL GOOD HDR image. It is of a corner of the Thai Pavillion at Olbrich Gardens. When I first saw this pop up on the screen it litterally took my breath away.

I appreciate the cool weather, really I do.

2008-05-14T09:37:00.002-05:00

However, I am truly ready for something consistantly in the say, 75-80 degree range. I don't think that's too much to ask for in May, do you? The rain has finally slowed down. We just need it too be a little warmer. We took a long walk through Middleton last night and it was quite pleasant. I am really looking forward to this summer and the activities we have planned.

It looks like we are going to head to NY after the boy gets out of school. When we return both kids will have lots of things going on around town. The boy will be doing swim team this year which I think he will be good at. Not much is happening in July, however we may try to take a trip to Devil's Lake and camp for a night or 2.

August we are planning a lovely trip to Door County and camping in Peninsula State park. We have even convinced the grandmothers to join us. Granted, they will NOT be camping, but roughing it in a quaint little hotel right outside the park grounds. Every time we go up we always comment on how much they would love it up there. I am so happy they will join us this year. Hopefully too we can go on a LONG hike with the boy - something the little girl can't do *QUITE* yet. Hopefully in they next year or so she'll be able to make it 5+ miles with few compaints. The grandmothers can hang out with her and we will explore the park.

I am really looking forward to summer, I just need it to be a tad bit warmer.

1 Bag, 1 Person, 2 Weeks?

2008-05-07T14:01:00.003-05:00

So Mom left today. She'd been here 2 weeks and when she arrived 2 weeks ago, she brought along her 2 checked bags. She checked them both with no issue.

Today, leaving to go home, she walked back to me a bit perplexed telling me she had to pay $25 for her 2nd bag. I told her no... one bag must have been overweight and that's why they charged you. Nope. Big sign says "1 Bag Free 2nd Bag $25" and then some other fee for 3 bags. This was on Northwest. I don't know if other airlines are following suit. I don't think it's THAT big of a deal, but what bothers me is that she brought 2 here for free, she should be able to return with that amount and not have to pay. What was she supposed to do with the 2nd bag?

So anyway, pack lightly for your domestic trips!

Tragic

2008-05-01T22:48:00.003-05:00

This is really sad. This happened here in Madison. This girl was killed a few weeks ago here in downtown. It turns out she called 911 and no one followed up.

Once we accidentally called 911 and apparently they tried to call us when we didn't answer, the police came to our apt and had to see everyone in the house to make sure we were all ok. I can't beleive that this wasn't followed up on. So tragic and inexcusable.

The boy turned 8.

2008-04-28T14:24:00.002-05:00

Well... he's 8. My son turned 8 yesterday. I can't beleive that it's been 8 years since he was born. It just doesn't seem like that long ago and I remember it so clearly. That's the weird thing about getting older. When we were young, 8 years ago was hazy and hard to remember - if at all. Now, in my 30's 8 years ago is clear. Anyway, here's a few pictures. He got a scooter, Super Smash Bros Brawl & an Eyeclops. I have more pictures of the cake on my cake blog.

The wit and wisdom of 4 year olds.

2008-04-18T11:06:00.004-05:00

My 4 year old can be quite witty sometimes. Yesterday, as we were in the car she asked me "Why is called Illinois? Is it full of annoying people?" See, she heard "Ill annoy" when saying it. I had to laugh at this since my family is from "Ill Annoy". I did tell her that no, people in Illinois are not annoying (ok, maybe except one cranky old man that is friends with my grandmother, but other than that I won't generalize for the whole state).

On that note, just a thought. My grandmother who is 86 isn't doing so well. She fell yesterday and went into the hospital. Today my mother called to tell me she's having hip replacement surgery next week. I can't say that I truly feel major surgery at her age is the wisest choice, but to her it's the only choice. I think she'd rather be dead than confined to bed for the rest of her life.

No, Illinois isn't full of annoying people. My dear sweet old grandmother is there.

Back to Reality

2008-04-08T21:41:00.003-05:00

So, after more than a week in Florida we came back to Wisconsin. The plus was that the snow was almost melted away, the con was that it's still cold. But spring is coming I can feel it. The tulips are starting to peek out of the ground and everything seems to be coated with dust. I need to do some spring cleaning, but the dreary cool weather doesn't make me very perky. When it's in the 70's & sunny - I get spring fever big time. This weekend was almost like that, but I was stuck inside all weekend working (one of the cons for being gone so long).

I have a ton of Wilton classes to teach this month. This is good since I had to spend $600 fixing the car last week.

My son turns 8 later this month. I cannot beleive it's been 8 years since he was born. It feels like yesterday. Well... not yesterday, but almost.

Beach Day

2008-03-30T22:04:00.002-05:00

Growing up in Florida, I wasn't much of a beach bum. I rarely, if ever, went to the beach. My kids wanted to go today since it's a novelty to them. When I was little, the beach was there. It was a normal every day thing. No big deal. We decided today to go to Caladesi Island. This was actually a place I mainly went with my grandmother when she visited. It's only accessible by boat (well... actually, since 1985, you can walk from Clearwater beach, but it's a long walk) so we headed out today on the ferry.

It was heavenly. We got an umbrella for my mom to sit under, and the kids played in the shallow and surprisingly clear water. Now, in "Clearwater" the water is not clear. But over here on Caladesi it was. The shelling was incredible. We found several sand dollars that weren't alive, yet were whole. I found a nice sized conch and even found a live sea urchin! The urchin obviously went back into the water. We were there for four hours. It was so pleasant to sit on the beach . It wasn't hot. It wasn't cool. There was a great breeze coming in too. My daughter even found a little playmate under the umbrella next to us.

I was surprised to hear that Caladesi is ranked as one of the "Best Beaches" at first. It's always been right there and I never gave it much though. However, after my visit today, I suppose I can see what others see in it. It's quiet, restful, nice water, activities and lots of great shells.
We are definitely going to add Caladesi to our list of things to do in the future. It was SO much better than Honeymoom Island or Clearawater Beach.

It's different down here

2008-03-29T14:56:00.003-05:00

My son had a great idea to go to a children's fine art museum. He found a brochure for one at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center which is few miles from his grandmother's house. It had a great exhibit called "Artist as Inventor". Before we went I just knew no one would be there. Sure enough, we pull up to an empty parking lot. No one else in site, except at the pool across the field. We walked in and the lady there seemed excited to see us. She went through a whole spiel about the place and even talked to my mom about a big fundraiser gala they have there. But no one else was there. During our hour long visit, one other child came through. That was it. It was really cool too for kids. They had a whole real stage area for the kids to perform complete with theatre lights that they could adjust. Several different areas where they would look at machines and draw and different parts of machines that the kids could assemble on a magnet to create a sculpture. Granted... it was small. But it was nice. But like I said... I just knew no one would be there. Something like this at a children's museum would be busier in Madison. Some of this stuff would be a huge hit there. I'd also love to see something like this at the Madison Children's Musuem.

One other thing I noticed there that was odd - there was some articles laminated from previous exhibits, and one in particular was about a Learning Tree that they had at one time. There was a quote from a parent saying something to the extent that at her kids experience at the exhibit it was the 1st time her kids have ever picked up books and sat down to read. Really? Worse.... the quote was a highlighted part of the article. Color me confused.

It's a nice place to visit...

2008-03-27T07:59:00.003-05:00

... but I don't want to live here anymore.

So I am visiting Florida where I grew up. It's a great place to come to when the weather is in the thirties and your where you live has reached over 100 inches of snow - a record for the season - and winter won't seem to leave. But living here just doesn't have an appeal to me. I am amazed by the quantity of people that *do* choose to live here.

I will admit that I am enjoying myself but I feel like a tourist. I am doing touristy things since I have 2 little kids who want to do all this stuff. We have been to Clearwater Beach and to Sunken Gardens in St Pete. I don't recall if I had even been to Sunken Gardens, but with my reciprocal membership from Olbrich back home, it was free, and why not, right?

One perk for my 7 year old was that the Space Shuttle Endeavour Landed in Florida last night and we were able to hear the sonic booms from the landing. We were hoping to see something, but alas, we were not.

What to do today? We shall see. I am sure that it will be something that charges admission.

I absolutely totally 100% hate flying.

2008-03-23T09:34:00.003-05:00

Why do I have such a huge fear of flying?????

I am supposed to go to Florida to visit my mom on Tuesday and I cannot stop checking the weather to see what the weather will be like here and in Detroit. Right now it's rain/wind/snow showers. I like to fly in pristine conditions. Fortunately, landing in Tampa should be good. It's just getting there. Here's my rationalization. Right now, Madison should be ok. It's going to be above freezing - but it will be raining. The forecast calls for wind. So far it only looks like 15-20 mph gusts. I think I am ok with that. Detroit isn't as great. Their temp is a little lower and calls for the same rain ... but of course possibly as snow. This I am not as ok with.

I have had some bad experiences flying. Last year the plane was struck by lightening. Another time we were almost on the ground and we had an aborted landing. Another time I was in a VERY small plane in snow and turbulence (like 10-12 seats - one on each side). This was flying from Rome NY to Newark. I think that flight was actually the beginning of my fears. I vividly remember a passenger in front of me grabbing the seat with all her might. I remember praying to just get on the ground safely. Prior to that flight I had flown tons and never had a problem.

Of course, my fear got worse after I had kids. 100X worse.

I just want the flights to be over and be in Florida and done with it. I want to travel and I want to go to Europe sometime but I can't even imagine. After about 2 hours on a domestic flight, I am *ready* to get off the plane. Like seriously, I feel the need to open the door and get off NOW. Of course, I wouldn't, but how in the world would I make it on a 5+ hour flight??

Anyway... this helps to write it out. I need to vent about my fear.

I hate flying.

Welcome Spring!!!

2008-03-21T16:14:00.003-05:00

Hooray! It's Spring!!!

That is all.

An outing

2008-03-20T21:41:00.001-05:00

We headed to the Childrens Museum today. A and her friend were there and they had a nice time. Their older siblings don't really enjoy this museum. It's a nice place, but best for the 5 and under crowd. We actually spent 2 hours there. After, the girls had a nice Happy Meal, princess style, of course.

Snow, in spring.

2008-03-20T16:04:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am tired of the snow. I have dealt with 92 inches of it and I am really ready to call it quits. Apparently, mother nature is not. Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow and I have to drive through the awfulness. I hate going out in snow. It makes me very anxious and very unhappy. The only way I can avoid the snow is if work is closed. Unless there's going to be a foot, I doubt this will happen. I have something else coming up that I am dreading too. Flying. I hate flying with a passion. If I had it my way, I would be content to ride a train, drive or take a boat. I know flying is safe, but I still hate it. I have all this anxiety pent up about snow and flying it makes me quite unhappy. When Wednesday gets here and there's no snow or planes for a week I will have a few days of happiness. Until then, I am going to be a big bundle of nerves.

It Figures...

2008-03-19T17:29:00.002-05:00

So, we leave on a trip in just a few days and my son is sick. He's also disappointed that he will miss beach day at school tomorrow since he's pretty sick. He's already had the flu once this year and I am not sure what's happening here. Poor little guy.

It's been a while... welcome back.

2008-03-19T16:27:00.004-05:00

Man. I abandoned this for almost 2 years. I have decided to resurect my blogs though. I am using twitter, have a facebook page, actively use flickr and work for a techy company (which I cannot discuss) and so, I want to revive the blogs. Don't let me forgot about you again, Blogspot.

Nothing says spring like...

2006-04-22T14:33:00.000-05:00

.. THE FARMERS MARKET!!

Woo hoo! It's farmers market time. For those of you not in Madison, it's hard to understand what the big deal it. Farmers Market is Madison. The market is strict - only vendors who produce their own produce, flowers, cheese, bread etc... are allowed. It all must also be from Wisconsin. The Brunkow Cheese, Spicy Cheese Bread (YUMMMY!!!)) from Stella's, Garlic Angel Hair Pasta from RP's, creamer mushrooms, a chocolate ring from Oak House bakery and the kids got a cookie from a new cookie place. Their normal cookie man wasn't there today. Hopefully he will return next week. Have I mentioned how much I love the market?

The market is held around the capitol every Saturday. About once a month we will head inside the capitol and look around. The Wisconsin capitol is really very beautiful. The 5 year old loves to visit and find the fossils in the granite.
Anyway, you know where to find use nearly every Saturday!

The 1st Trip to the Dentist

2006-04-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

My children had never been to the dentist... yes, I know this is not the best given that my oldest will be turing 6 next week. Let me give you some background...

Until about a year ago, my oldest would SCREAM bloody murder when taken to the doctor. When he was sick, he wouldn't even allow the Dr to look into his ear. For check ups, he refused to get onto the scale on his own (this I hated! They would weigh me, weigh me with him and figure out his weight.). It wasn't until around his 5 birthday that he would go to the Dr and allow them to examine him without behaving like he was in a tourture chamber.

Would you take a child like this to the Dentist?
Well, I wouldn't.

I am actually glad I waited. It ended up that he was so thrilled with his 1st dentist visit. He had no issues with his teeth or brushing and was disappointed to find out that he wouldn't be going back until October. I really beleive that if he had gone when he was 3, as recommended, he would have had a horrible visit, screamed and possibly hated the dentist for a long time. Instead, he LOVED IT! The highlight of the trip was the x rays!

The 2 year old had a much easier time. She didn't get the full dental treatment, but she did pass with flying colors too. All in all the dental visit was a success! Unbeleivable, the kids can't wait to go again.

The good, the bad and the good!

2006-04-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

So, it's officially Spring now! Easter has come and gone and now we are awaiting our 5 year old's birthday in a little over a week. He will be 6! My how time has flown. He's finishing up his 1st year of kindergarten. I am suprised to find out he's reading at a nearly end of 1st grade level! I am very proud of him to be reading so well. By the end of 1st grade, they want children to read at a level 18 (I don't know on what scale) and back in January he was at a level 10. End of Kindergarten should be 5! My 2 year old is having her own issues. Apparently, she doesn't like preschool anymore. All year she had NO problems going to school, and then all of a sudden about 2 weeks ago, she doesn't want to go. No reason, just that she misses mommy.. awe.... Today, she started crying before even walking in the door. We brought her security blankie along, and that seemed to help. When she goes in, her teachers always offer to read her a book, she goes along and then she's good to go. I can't help but wonder if she just wants that book read to her. On a bright note with the 2 year old... she's almost potty trained!!! She does great during the day and stays dry! I still have her in pull ups at school because she doesn't talk at school and I fear that she will just sit silently and pee in her pants at school. Soon, I hope to make the bold jump to sending her to school in undies. Well... so much for my update. Here's a photo of the kids at their Easter Egg hunt... that's a whole other blog entry on it's own!

The Windy City

2006-04-04T16:43:00.000-05:00

So...we, took a trip to Chicago. It was my 1st parent trip to downtown Chicago. I have been to the 'burbs, and flown out of Midway, but I hadn't *actually* been to the city that I can remember well.
We couldn't find a hotel reasonable enough to stay at downtown so we actually stayed out by O'Hare. We got a killer deal on Priceline.com and stayed at a Renaissance by Mariott for just $55/ night plus taxes and parking. I love Priceline. We took the CTA trains in to town every day and even rode a few buses. I am actually surprise at how many people are afraid to use public transportation. We paid just $12 for unlimited train rides and bus rides for the days that we were there. You can't beat that.
We visited the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium as well as the Art Institute. We also got a great deal on tickets - we bought a City Pass. This includes admission to 6 different venues all for $50 (in Chicago, it varies in different cities). So I din't feel bad when we only spent 2 hours are the Art Institute, or the the Shedd was jam packed... We also got to by pass some of the LONG lines, so it was worth it just for that.
Anyway, Chicago was a success and I know we will be returning soon!

Spring is springing!

2006-03-26T20:57:00.000-06:00

Spring is on it's way - thank goodness! Our 2 kids are getting restless and winter here in Wisconsin lasts a little longer than I want it to. I grew up in Florida and spent 10 years in Georgia and down south, spring is here at this point. I really get spring fever around this time of the year.

Today, it made it up to a whopping 50 degrees! 50 degress in Wisconsin after the sub zero temps is like a breath of fresh air. Today we started back on a fun activity we began last summer called Geocaching. We love getting out and exploring different parts of the area. All you need is a GPS to get started. The kids love it because it's a "treasure hunt" and they get all sorts of gadgets and toys they really don't need, but find to be interesting. On todays hunt our 5 year old discovered the 2 caches we found! He loves looking for it and finding them.

Hopefully we will have more beautiful days ahead.

2nd Place!

2006-03-16T19:51:00.000-06:00

We won 2nd place in the Engadget cake contest! hip hip hooray! We get a prize!

I'll admit that I am not as impressed with the winners cake - but I supposed I was looking at something different than a sloppy cake that is a phone. I personally really liked the "3rd" place alienware cake. very cool! My Kudos to you.

Geeks & Cakes

2006-03-13T23:07:00.000-06:00

aibo_cake9
Originally uploaded by Svengali.

What happens when you mix geeks and cakes? This is what you get. What is it? This is a Birthday cake for engadget.com . Why? They were holding a contest to give away an Alienware computer and BOY do we need a computer!

What you are looking at is a cake shaped like a Sony AIBO. Sony is not maing him anymore, so that's why we chose him.

So what WAS this contest all about... read here. But basically, you had to bake a cake -- a REAL cake (no photoshop) and the best wins. Simple, huh? Well, no so much. This baby took a long time. He's not perfect, but I think he's darn good. He's in competion with a lot of Apple products and Alienware cakes, so I am hoping his uniqueness shines through.

The kids enjoyed the fruits of our labors and will probably enjoy them for a few days to come. Keep you fingers crossed for us. :)

More Sickies...how contagious was that bag "boy"

2006-03-07T16:11:00.000-06:00

Last week I posted about my daughter being sick and just snuggling with me. Well, by midweek, she seemed better, but was a full fledged snot producing factory. By Friday, she wasn't doing so well again and finally took her long anticipated trip to the Dr. For some reason, my daughter loves the Dr. My son, on the other hand did NOT like the Dr when he was 2. You would have thought that the Dr's office was a torture chamber by his behavior, but he always survived (even is we, as parents, felt like we did not - oh yeah, don't even get me started on the fact that he wouldn't get on the scale himself so sometimes I had to get on the scale myself with him, then put him down, and weigh me alone to get his weight! Now, that is a torture chamber!). Anyway, she was happy, she got some amoxicillian and seems back to ner normal perky self.Unfortunately, I don't think I survived this unscathed.
I had to work a a demo decorating cakes from 1-4 on Saturday then on to the mall to work at the store from 5-close. My throat hurt, my head hurt... I was MISERABLE! Those must have been the 4 longest hours in my life. I made it through, but still felt awful on Sunday. I am finally doing better and I have my fingers crossed that no one else gets sick.
So all these sickies have me wondering, where did we get sick? Well, almost 2 weeks ago I went grocery shopping at Copps in Middleton. While paying for my groceries with my daughter in her cart, the bag "boy" (35 40 year old man) asks me to move my daughter away from him (she was sitting in the kids seat in the cart, so I had to pull the cart back towards me). The 1st thing on my mind was that he wasn't allowed to be around children (child molester?) or something. When I gave him this "WTH?!" look, he explains that he doesn't want her to get what he has.
Ok, what does he have that can be passed from him to her within a 3 ft radius, but won't get us sick by putting his hands all over our groceries?! This really creeped me out. I don't think someone who is potentially that ill should be handling groceries. This also helped me to understand the City of Madison's push to institute a mandatory sick leave policy. I understand this man needs a job and may not be able to afford a day off work, but did he get my daughter sick for 5 days? Did I get sick from her who got sick from him? I will never know for sure, but it can't help but make me think.

I think if Madison passes the sick leave policy, I will happily do my grocery shopping in Madison. No more sickie ickies from bag men again for us, thank you.

The Sickie Ickies

2006-02-27T15:15:00.000-06:00

So, my 2 year old is sick today. Not with anything too bad, I don't think. She has a fever around 102 and has been very sleepy all day. If I ask her if anything hurts, she says no. So, for now, we are just letting her rest.

This morning when we started to realize she wasn't herself, I asked her if she wanted to snuggle with me - she quietly said "yes". There her and I were just laying on the couch together. She was half asleep, snorting from her runny nose, but it was the sweetest thing. She just wanted to lay with me while she felt so yucky. I asked her if she wanted to lay in her bed, and she didn't. She just wanted me. I know in 10 years, this will be just a memory and when she's sick or even sad, she won't want to snuggle with me, so I just laid there for 15 minutes and enjoyed our quiet peaceful snuggle time. Eventually I realized even though I loved laying with her, quietly, I couldn't do this all day, I convinced her to lay in her bed... she still looked just as sweet.

Games, tickets and prizes - the HORROR!

2006-02-23T21:53:00.000-06:00

We went to Chuck E Cheese's tonight. As a parent of a 5 year old and a 2 year old, you'd think that my kids would love this place. You'd think that announcing to the children "we're going to have pizza an play games" would be something they'd be jumping up and down. Not my son. He was nearly in tears at the thought of his terrible parents dragging him to this horrible place. Here's the deal though... in November we were at Disney World and grandma spent lots of time with our 5 year old in the "Arcade". Grandma even hit the jackpot once and got hundreds of tickets. My 5 year old was hooked. He was addicted... to tickets. So, my husband and I thought, he'll love Chuck E Cheese's.
He's been there 2 other times (ok, maybe 3). Once when he was 2 for a "birthday party", again just after turning 5 for another party and then another time or 2 at random times. My 5 year old HATES birthday parties. Why, I don't know. Add the loudness of this joint with the "nightmare" of a birthday party and I guess that's why he thought he wouldn't like it. Oh yeah, he hates large humanoid robots (buy loves his roboraptor, go figure) so the memory of the "show" wasn't not enticing at all.
So, tonight we drag him to his nightmare. We aren't trying to torture him, but sometimes we just have to force him to do things he will really end up liking. So tonight we lured him with the promise of token. He went in thinking he'd get 100 for himself. We explained, no way, we have to share. Turns out we bought the deal with 50 tokens and the kids won 20 more for themselves. We had 70 tokens. We ordered the pizza, waited for it until I offered to take the kids to check out the games. 2 games into the whole ordeal and he was hooked.
After eating we indulged both of them with tokens and tickets and rides on Clifford. They had a blast. There was only one minor glitch when the 2 year old thought she could play games on her own, which unfortunately she can't, and it caused some minor tears.
Anyway, the evening was a success. They walked away with 315 tickets which bought them some princess stickers, a bug, a shark slinky, a rubber lizard and 2 tattoos. Oh yeah, and the 2 year old ran up and gave Chuck E a hug! :) All in all, it was a nice little family event and the 5 year old was already asking when we could return. See, we aren't terrible parents at all.

My Tuesday

2006-02-21T20:30:00.000-06:00

Let's start a REAL blog post by telling you about my day. Today was Tuesday and we are in the middle of getting serious about potty training my daughter. She's 2 and a half and she loves Cinderella. Her incentive to use the potty is Cinderella. Today, while she was at preschool I went to Target to purchase Princess undies to give her an extra incentive. It seems to be working. She was "dry" all afternoon. Yeah! we have been buying diapers or pull ups for 6 long years (oldest child, my son, will be 6 in April, and he wasn't trained until after our daughter was born) so I am SOOOO ready for her to be done.
My afternoon was quiet until my son came home. I am not sure why, but a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl seem to get along like oil and water. For some reason when they are both home, it seems like insanity all the time. The summer shall be interesting. But, knowing that we won't be stuck inside helps. 10" of snow plus wind chills of -30 in February I think is enough to drive anyone crazy, along with 2 kids.
I had the night off from my retail job and what am I doing, starting a blog!! I should be doing other things too.. I teach cake decorating and I really should work on my next project. Maybe I will do that now. Perhaps.

The Beginning

2006-02-21T20:25:00.000-06:00

So, I finally decided to start a blog. I have been thinking about doing it for a long time, but just never got around to it. It's about time I figured. Anyway, about me... I live in Wisconsin and I am originally from Florida. I have 2 children and a wonderful husband (hence, the 4). My 5 year old is in kindergarten and my 2 year old is in preschool. We are currently attempting to potty train her, so some of my posts my relate to this. I am also trying to lose weight, again, some of my posts may relate to this.