Thursday, February 24, 2011

Snow Day #2

Sten lost a bet . . . his good friend mentioned that he had 50$ left in his account. Sten confidentally bet him 49$ that school would not be cancelled (today) due to an accumulation of snow. How do spell L-O-S-E-R?!

This would explain why one child is "sporting" snowboots. Scooters and rollerblades are the preferred method of travel on these cement floors and the kids insist on riding everywhere they go.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Squeaky Clean

Do the math! How can the smallest person in the household require the longest showers? It's a good thing that we don't have to pay for our water as she stays in the shower until the water gets cold or until she shrivels to the size of a raisin. Another thing that mystifies me is that I can let her know that she needs to be getting out soon (20 minutes into the shower), and she hasn't even washed her hair?! Also, how does this little person use 16 oz of cleansing products within a week? Something doesn't add up . . .

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cosmopolitan in the Country

Once upon a time, Jessica invited us to a party. Oh, she added - "Can we have the party at your house?" We couldn't say no - after all, it's a little bit "her" house too . . .


It was a "black tie" affair with these two penguins mixing the (virgin) drinks.

One of the highly compensated waitresses

Eager partygoers
waiting for more pics from a photograper that was present (hint hint)


a Slap on the Back

Sten nervously opened the envelope that was delivered in 5th period. What could it be? No, couldn't be . . . a letter informing him that he was "student of the month" for the sophomore class. Three cheers for Stennie!

Sten also participated in Districts for the swim team and during the 500 freestyle race (that's 20 laps), he was conservatively pacing himself. At the last turn, he was a body length behind the kid beside him but decided that he would be the first one to the wall. Oh yeah - he smoked 'em, taking 11 seconds off his previous time! Rah Rah Rah!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

World Traveler

Scott is STILL in Virginia. I have changed his ticket 3 times and he is finally coming home on Wednesday. The girls are missing him terribly and Scott believes that the dog became physically ill due to his absence.

This weekend, he cruised up to Washington DC and took in the sights. He was able to see most of the monuments and visited Arlington Cemetery and witnessed the "changing of the guard".

The Obamas wanted to meet for lunch but he had a better offer . . .

Monday, February 7, 2011

Poor Pooch

Our dear lab Danner has refused to eat lately and has experienced some (er, umm) digestional malfunctions recently. We took him to the vet today and he could not readily determine a diagnosis so Danner is spending the night for observation (cha-ching). Danner turned into a beast as soon as we entered the office, barking and growling as if he was going to tear the vet into itty bitty pieces. Milah sat quietly in the corner, taking it all in - while Maren was busily chirping away asking any question that came to mind. "Do dogs ever go potty in here? What'cha doin? (as he was inserting the thermometer) Why?" They led Danner to a (glass front) cage and Maren hollered to me that he was staying in a refrigerator. Hmm, reminds me why I request such appointments when the kids are otherwise occupied.

Hopefully, he's back home tomorrow and on the mend. I don't think our Blue Cross/Shield policy covers the hound.

And yes, these are old pictures. Who are these adorable kids and where did they go?




What a Mess!

Perhaps this doesn't happen at your house, but . . . we had a horribly unsightly closet and an unfinished walk-in shower that was the dumping ground for things we didn't know what to do with. One night, in a moment of brilliance (or not), I cleared out the shower area which meant all that mess was in our bathroom. Problem is, after going through it all - we had to find the proper home (or burial) for every piece. Many of the things belonged in the office, so that led to a thorough cleaning and refiling project. At one point it was difficult to enter or exit as the piles were heaped - you know the "gets worse before it gets better" state? The kids were shaking their heads, I'm sure very doubtful that we would ever see the floor again. Good news is - we found things that we'd been searching for and I invite you to open a drawer and admire our well organized office (give me a few days on the basement). I love the feel of "deep clean", but the migratory nature it commands is a chore.


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Remember When?

Road trips when I was young always included overnight stays at motels similar to this. It was always my job to point out "vacancy" signs and holler from the back seat of the Volvo when I spied a possible resting joint. My dad would fold up the maps while he sent my mom in to make the arrangements with strict instructions to "see the room" and "check the beds". This sometimes led us to 2 or 3 dives before finding a suitable spot. Once in the room, we knew what to expect. The walls would be cement block, the beds would be rock hard - outfitted with one sheet and a polyester bedspread which was never warm enough and seemed to slip off the bed at least once during the night .The T.V. would have 3 channels (that would have to be changed manually), the indoor/outdoor carpet would be stained, and the room would smell of cigarette smoke. We would immediately rummage through our suitcase, find our swimsuit and begin a relentless campaign of "can we go to the pool?"

Flash forward a few decades . . .
Scott is in Virginia Beach for 3 days. Before he left, we bought his plane ticket, made rental car and hotel reservations with the click of a button. We were able to "see" the (non-smoking) rooms and choose his particular seat on the plane. The bed was a luxurious pillowtop concoction and he was able to choose from 6 different pillows, the down comforter was cozy, he easily flipped through the 799 channels with a remote, and there was a desk and chair for convenience. Around lunch, he was looking for a bite. Trip advisor allowed me to give him some interesting dining choices, sitting 2950 miles away. No need for maps, cameras, guidebooks, or scrounging quarters for the pay phone - he has a smartphone in his pocket.
One thing hasn't changed however. The kids still wage the mighty pool campaign as soon as we get in the room.
Makes me wonder what the next 30 years will bring?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Snap On (for girls)

The males in this household have a "thing" for tools. We (the females) decided to get a power tool of our own. A cricut! For those of you who aren't familiar with these amazing creatures, they do die-cutting of paper, fabric, and vinyl. You can make your own vinyl sayings for walls and endless other things. Actually, the boys are impressed with our new gadget and have requested different projects of their own.

I recently helped update the office of a bark business. This board is going to be on the front of their check-out counter and would've been impossible without the cricut. Milah is a bit bummed cuz I am getting payed in bark - not too thrilling for an 11 year old. She was hoping for some coinage I believe. I will frame it in black, and will take pictures of the completed office shortly.
FYI: I did not use the sticky-backed vinyl material as it would have been too expensive. I just used black paper, and then glued each letter on the fiber board with watered down tacky glue (yeah, this was the un-fun part). I am in the process of doing a few coats of Modge Podge so little fingers won't grab the letters as it will be right at "little people" level. I wanted it to be wacky wonky due to it's whimsical nature and I didn't want to have to line everything up perfectly as I certainly would've failed miserably at that task. I do wish it was more "right justified", but I like it.