Weekend Review 7

1.  Season two of House of Cards came out and I watched all of it.  So good.

2.  Tried my hand at two new recipes of food I adore.  I made Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and London fog tea latte.  Both were very easy and will be added to the list of things I make more than one time.

3. Thursday there was no school due to thunderstorms and blizzard warnings.  I went over to he school and finished the backdrop and called Barb to go look at costumes at the opera house.  I found everything I needed and more.  After finding what I wanted Barb said "you know, verna made some aquatic costumes for a middle school show."  She had like 20 fish costumes and such.  I'm set.  All I have left is Ariel.

4.  Green poop.  That's not supposed to happen.  Constipation.  That's not suppose to happen on a totally breast fed diet.  I think a lot of Felix's crankiness comes from intestinal discomfort.  I'm checking to see if it is a dairy sensitivity.  Man this little guy puts me on a lot of diets.

5.  Lunch with Joleen Jansen at Treats ended up quite an event when Katie Weideman (a local news reporter) walked in the door.  They were doing a piece about the propsed year round calendar.  I guess Joleen and Katie are both Dubuque natives who went to Coe, etc, so they know a lot of the same people.  Afterwards we talked about dishntunes and what the next step is.  I am suggesting just a marketing company.

6.  Got the car washed in Decorah.  The place behind quick star has guys that come out and scrub it for you.  Since I was over there I also checked out the Maurice's.  Then I realized I had cash on me and went to the Depot.  Felix and I both got great new sweaters.  Total=$2.75.  I adore that place.  Bryce and I were talking about 5 and 10 year dreams and I am interested in having a baby store in Decorah.  We looked at realty sights to get an idea for commercial and residential costs and I saw that the GameStop building and business is for sale.  I totally want it, but it's wrong time/wrong place type of thing.  We also saw some barn houses that are already made that are totally in our price range.  I have a feeling that in order to make my husband happy we won't be living in the country again.  :(

7. Every year I want to lose weight on my belly and thighs, but every time I look at a picture it is my arms that I notice.  They are just so flabby they make any chest up picture reveal my weight.  I wanted to try the wraps that lots of my friends are selling but they don't allow use when breast feeding, which makes me wonder what toxin is in them.  So I bought a couple of hand weights and have been doing some lifting very night for a month now.  I'm not noticing any visible signs yet, but I can feel muscle growth.

8.  This week is the week Felix really started interacting with us.  Smiles and talking in a row rather than random.  His favorite thing to smile at is Link.

9. The boys and I went to Walmart on Friday for some supplies and a gift for Bryce's birthday.  It was slippery and a semi hit a bridge right in front of us.  We were a few semis behind but my car wouldn't stop.  There was already a semi on the outer edge so I had to op for oncoming traffic.  Fortunately there wasn't any and we stopped safely.  Minus the harsh words the boys had to hear.  We also grabbed lunch at the Mexican restaurant and our waiter was named Felix.

10. For Bryce's birthday I had link use $5 of his to pick out a gift.  He chose a burger press.  We also made a book for Bryce with pictures and words by lin and we used pipe cleaners and straws to make ninja figures.  They have been playing with them non stop.

13 years ago

My friend Cheri mentioned that this week she and her husband officially started dating 13 years ago.  Oddly enough it is the same for us.  This Saturday marks the day, when we first hung out, just the two of us.  I don't think I have ever recorded our meeting story, so here is how we started.

I was at the BeBop Bar in Florence, Italy with my roommate and my friend Christy ;).  It was getting pretty late and I could tell that my roommate was not going to be coming home with me that night.  I started walking home, which was just outside of Florence's walls, about an hour walk over the Ponte Vecchio.  I was scared because it was so late and everything closes around 10, including transportation.  So I thought first I would go to the all night bakery by the school and see if anyone was there I knew.

As soon as I got to there Bryce walked around the corner.  I already had a crush on him so I was shocked to see him there.  We said hi and a split second later his roommates and friends walked around the same corner following him.  They were all headed to a different bar and asked if I wanted to go with them, letting me know that it was Bryce's birthday.  I said no, that I wanted to go home and Bryce said he would walk me.  I told him no because it was his birthday and I lived a long ways out.  He said he would rather walk me home than go with his friends, so he did.  

That walk we talked about things like our families and the Simpsons and school.  When we got to my door there was the awkward "what next" moment so I gave him a hug and said thank you.  The next day was spring break so I didn't see him again for a week.  

The next time I saw him I asked him if he was scared walking back by himself.  He said he was and that he didn't know I lived so far away.  Never-the-less walking me home became a pattern.

Weekend Review 6

1.  Link got a pull and peel twizzler for washing his hair in the tub, even though he was scared.  He had more fun with that Twizzler than anyone I have seen.  He made snakes, a snake tongue, knots, a Lany and the Tramp spaghetti, and laughed whole heartedly at Bryce saying "I've gotta split" before tearing it apart.

2. On Monday as we were getting ready for Kinderhaus, Link was complaining about his eye and wouldn't take his hand off it.  When I finally pried his hand off and looked I saw an object and lots of bloodshotness so I had Bryce take him to the ER.  They had to restrain him in a sheet to get to his eye, but they removed just an eyelash and said it may be an infection, so he got drops and an order to not go to Kinderhaus (grr)

3.  I went to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which is really great (minus one moment which was just too weird for my taste).  Bryce and I went solo at different times.  I also rented Dallas Buyer Club.  Now that movie I would give either best picture, best actor or best supporting actor.  Very good movie. And on Wednesday I went to Decorah with Felix and saw American hustle.  Her was in the theater Tuesday but I missed it.  I thought American Hustle was good, but could have used a little more umpf.

4.  On Saturday I showed Link how to make donuts the way my mom use to make them with me (using Pilsbury biscuits).  We had a lot of fun.

5.  Link got another 50 tickets in his jar for helping out.  He earned Darth Vader lego figure.  Now he is hoping for Indiann (as he calls him).

6. We did Valentines at the library and Link had a valentine party on Thursday at Joan's.  I planned a few activities for Friday, but we didn't do them because someone at Joan's exchanged with them all the stomach flu.  I heard that all 7 families were up at night with a puking child.

7. Bryce and I had our date canceled since we now had a feverish, puking kid.  The poor little guy.  Fortunately Bryce and I stayed well.  After my little pity party, I decided to try to make things better by getting Bryce and I a dinner from Johnson's and bringing it home.  Well, that didn't go so well either.  They told me to pick it up in 20 min, then when I got there they had forgot to put the order in.  I returned home 45 min later to two crying kids.  But Bryce made my day with a genuine, "your really beautiful, even with however many day old baby spit up in your hair."

8. I actually have kids willing to help with set this year.  They have put in a lot of hours but was are still miles away from getting done.  I also did a run though on Friday without scripts and they all did really well.  I think they surprised themselves.

9. This week I tried baking bacon and hard boiled eggs.  The eggs I liked, the bacon I still prefer fried.

10. More snow. I think I may be the only person who still finds beauty in the glittery moonlight,  I would say our yard has over a foot, maybe two in it.

Dateless

One of the biggest things I regret not doing before having Felix was taking another baby-moon.  Before Link was born Bryce and I went to New Orleans and had a blast.  Last year Link was at the age we could have taken off for the weekend and it could have just been Bryce and I.  I forgot how I took Link everywhere when he was little.  And it didn't matter that much, but now with two kids it does because there is never a private moment.

Bryce's (and Link's) ideal place is home, mine is somewhere I have never been.  Just like how Bryce has 4-5 dinners he like to make and mine is something I have never cooked before.  I get depressed when I feel like I have spent too long somewhere doing the same things.

Anyway, all of this to say we were planning on having a big Valentine's Day today.  Going someplace new, a new restaurant, a new art gallery, and a new movie.  It was all lined up.  But Link threw up all last night.  And my mother who rarely babysits was asked to babysit twice this week and her response was "Wednesday and Friday!?!?"  Needless to say I didn't use her either time.  I thought grandmas were suppose to be excited to spend time with their grandchildren, especially such a great kid like Link.  Oh well.

At least Bryce got me a card.  Or ran out and got one when I was at play practice, after already getting his card this morning.

Bah-Humbug

snugride

Graco is recalling billions of car seats because their latches are not opening easily enough.  The only models they are not recalling, despite being asked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the Snugride models, which is what we have.  Great, now I feel really safe.  Especially with my re-occuring fear that I am going to fly off the bridge into the Mississippi.

Buying our snugride has been a mistake from the beginning.  We bought it soon after Link reached over 20 lbs at 3 months.  The snugrides claim to hold more weight (32 lbs) and we thought, with the way this kid is gaining we need this model.  Well, he held steady at 21 lb for over a year so there really was no need.

What I do like about our snugride is that we also got the swing it can attach to, so we can set a sleeping baby in a carseat into a swing without taking him out.  We also got the stroller, which worked well when traveling.

What I dislike about the snugride is it is just a little too wide to fit in the upside down highchairs at restaurants and it doesn't fit grocery carts either.

Weekend Review 5

1. Saturday had a lot of activity in it.  I went to the 4-H prom dress shop.  I didn't buy anything but they did really well.   The Extension sent a package to us with 4-H swag.  Link is crammed into a 18 month shirt for this picture.

2. We went to Central's carnival.  I was suppose to work doing tattoos but there were already people there so I skipped.  Link played games for a while and then we went home.  No show for us this year.

3.  I made my own saurkraut and cream of something soup.  I really enjoy figuring out how to make my own food rather than buying cans.  I would love a whole pantry or freezer of homemade food, but that will take some time.

4. Link had a Kinderhaus half birthday.  Now he thinks he should be wearing 4 and half T clothing.
We missed morning session because the car wouldn't start, but in the afternoon they made cake and then Bryce and I came at the end to show photos of Link.  He walked around a candle for every year of his like and then a birthday book was read.  He was really excited about what I shared.  The kids wanted to take Link's photos home with them.

5. We changed Link's car seat to booster seat.  This is much more helpful when trying to buckle him in or get him out along with Felix.  He is old enough and big enough.  It was one of those things where we had just stop paying attention to.  (Like when Sawyer was sitting in a high chair when he was 3 or 4.)

6. Friday I had to go to the Waterloo Playhouse to rent some costumes for the Little Mermaid.  I found a few mermaid tail outfits and a bird.  The Music Boosters are offering to pay for this.  I also went to Hobby Lobby to get some props which is right near Scratch Cupcakes so I had to get some of those.  Then just because I had time in the day and a good baby with me I went to Target and went through their clearance aisles.  Link and Felix both got some new clothes.  Pants were $1.50.  I love it when I find brand new clothing that is cheaper than used.

7.  I updated my shop at the Turkey River Mall a little.  It is hard when I need a second hand and either Bryce and I have to be on baby duty.  I feel like I am doing most things one handed already so needing 4 hands is almost impossible.  I'm making no money right now, but it is the dry season and the weather is frightful, so I am going to wait it out for maybe a year to see if it is a good fit for me.

8. I rented Captain Phillips.  It was pretty good.  I wouldn't give it Best Picture but I can see why it is a nominee.  I really liked the ending.  It was very true to life.  It wasn't the "Yay, we did it!" or "Yay, I made it."  Instead Phillips went into shock which is exactly what most people would do.

9. Musical practice is coming along.  I had the 4-H theater club join us on Wednesday.  Believe it or not but there are still some actors I haven't even seen yet.  Their schedule is that crazy.

10. I don't have a photo of it, but Felix has been smiling a lot this week.  Unfortunately most of it has been directed at his bouncy chair friends, a plain blue wall, and his brother.  I'm a little jealous.

Weekend Review 4

1. Grandma Betsy and Grandpa Jim came to visit over the weekend.  Link was snuggling up on them just as much as Felix, who slept a good chunk of the time.  We didn't do much because it was a bit nasty outside.

2. Like this nasty.  At some points you couldn't even see the houses across the street.  -23 degrees.

3. I'm slowly starting to get a routine down, but it is one that does not involve working and Link staying home (He has had 1 full day of Kinderhaus this month due to weather and illness).  Link and I have been having some fun and we have both added some chores to our day. I am cooking and cleaning and launder-ing every day a little bit rather than letting things pile up.  Link is putting his clothes down the laundry shoot and emptying the silverware from the dishwasher.

4. I am taking a tip from other moms and trying this "putting kids to bed before we go to bed" thing.  Link was extra tired on Monday so it worked out well.  He went to bed at 7 pm and Bryce and I had time to snuggle up on the couch together and watch The Apartment (which is a great old black and white film) on Netflix.  

5. Link takes his time with everything and I always feel like I am rushing him, so I am trying to be better and spread things out.  Thus, we are working on Valentines in increments.  It has been a process but we are almost done.

6. Link and Felix and I spent Tuesday out and about.  We went to story hour.  April brought her kiddos too so it was a party.  Then we went to Pizza Hut.  Buffets with one parent, one child who can't see over the counter, and one newborn don't really work.  Link did a great job at being by himself while I changed Felix in the bathroom.  I was a little nervous.  He also was a great help when we went to the store.

7. We missed three days of musical practice and had one on Friday night.  I choreographed one dance and am now working on three more.  Well, actually I am just teaching choregoraphy.  I am stealing each and every dance from youtube and I don't care one bit.  I need things as easy as possible.

8.  I caught up on two Downton Abbeys and Sherlock.  I guess I was two behind on Downton.

9. I'm having some pretty big mood shifts.  Karin stopped by the other day and I was able to share with her.  Bryce is an absolute saint dealing with me, that is when he is not being the bane of my existence.  See. ;)

10.  We had a photo session with Jen.  It was pretty rough, but we have seen one photo and it looks good, so hopefully there are more in the batch.  Here are some of our gems from the week.