Life in the Left-Turn-Only Lane

Brownies, Belts, Babies

2011-03-06T19:46:00.003-06:00

So first - the brownies. I got the urge to bake tonight, and figured I probably had the ingredients for brownies. I did, and these are the ones I made, from allrecipes.com:

Best Brownies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

I added a tablespoon of milk to the frosting, as it seemed a little thick.

Now, onto the belt portion of my entry. Master M. granted me my orange belt on Thursday! I had my form and one steps memorized, but no stripes on my belt, so it was definitely a fun surprise. Mason will test for his on Thursday this week.

My toes match my belt

OK, babies! Thursday night this week, I'm speaking briefly to the Baby On Board class at CC's Physical Therapy! Thank you to April for giving me the opportunity to discuss fetal positioning and labor/birth positioning. I also have a mama due any day now, someone I have known since the 2nd grade, and I can't wait to help her bring her newest little gift into the world.

Cajun Chicken Lasagna

2011-02-23T19:06:00.004-06:00

I made the yummiest dinner tonight! Definitely not the healthiest, though. I made some changes from the original, so that makes it my own, right? At any rate, it's adapted from allrecipes.com.

Cajun Chicken Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles

1 whole chicken breast, cooked & shredded or diced small

1# sliced andouille sausage OR Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup each diced red & green bell pepper

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 tsp. sage

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or to taste (depending on how spicy your sausage is)

1 can seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained

2 jars Classico creamy alfredo sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I used less, just sprinkled it on)

3/4 cup water

To start off with, you can preboil the lasagna noodles if you like. I NEVER do; if you want to, just omit the 2/3 cup sauce on the bottom of the baking dish, and also omit the water.

Combine sausage, veggies, garlic and sage in a large skillet; cook over medium heat until sausage is cooked through. Drain off fat or excess liquid. Add cooked chicken, Cajun seasoning (start with just 1 tsp.), stir in tomatoes and one jar of the alfredo sauce. Taste and add more seasoning if desired.

From the second jar of sauce, pour 2/3 cup of this in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. If you preboiled your noodles, skip this step and lightly spray the dish. Place 4 of the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce (I do 3 lengthwise and 1 crosswise), then half the meat/veggies mixture. Repeat layers, and add another layer of noodles on top. Pour the remaining jar of alfredo sauce over this. top with cheeses. Pour 3/4 cup water around the edges of the dish, cover in tinfoil.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour, let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 12.

Happy New Year?

2011-02-20T19:28:00.005-06:00

Yeah, it's February 20. I know.

So, some terrible things and some great things have happened since I last blogged.

First, the terrible, so I can end on a happy note. My stepdad (who is just my dad, since 1980; I've never called him stepdad, because my biological dad passed away when I was just a baby), got cancer. They found it in the colon when he had a colonoscopy mid-November because of some abdominal discomfort he'd been having for a few weeks. When they went in to remove the tumor, the surgeon discovered there was already fluid building up around his organs, and tumors everywhere. Talk about shocking news. A mere two months prior, my dad had ridden his mountain bike from their house (Southport area) all the way to OUR house (Hawktree area).

After one doctor told us there was no hope and we should just go home and have hospice care, we got a different oncologist who was ready to help fight it. Unfortunately, we never got to that point, and Dad passed away three weeks after the surgery. It was the day after his birthday, and only my mom, brother and I were at his side. I don't want to go into much detail beyond that, because it's a very personal and private thing. But I will just say - being present at someone's passing out of this world is both the most awful thing I've been through, yet I feel so honored to have been a part of it, and wouldn't want it any other way.

You add that to the fact that my dad's mom passed away 5 weeks before, and his dad passed away a few weeks ago, and it's been a rough few months.

So, onto the good stuff?

After several weeks of phone calls and emails shared with Concordia, I finally got my B. A.! How did this happen, 15 years after actually going through graduation? Well... I failed a class senior year, so I never technically got my degree (even though I possess a signed diploma.. hmm). It was Physics: The Science of Sound. Concordia axed the class as a requirement for a music education major in 1997. I graduated in 1996. So, yes - I should've argued this point right after graduation, had them move my grad date to 1997, and moved on with my life, owning my degree. But.. I didn't. Fast forward to January, and during my time off, I called them. She had the Education and Music departments each review my transcript, and - long story short - I was awarded my B. A. last week.

Also, Adam received his First Degree Black Belt Recommended in Taekwondo last week! Here he is:

Recommended black belt means he's not a black belt yet. His belt is half red, half back. He has around 6 months to a year until he earns black belt, and even then it's completely dependent upon how hard he works. If you slack off, it'll take you a couple of years; if you show up for every class and really work, you'll earn it in 6 months.

Which is a nice segue into other news: Mason and I have started Taekwondo too! He looks so cute in his little uniform - it's hard to believe Adam was ever that little, but he must have been, since it's his old uniform.

The winter weather is still craptacular, I hope this is our last winter storm of the season. But I'm really NOT counting on it!

Listen! Do you hear that? Me neither!!!

2010-10-31T14:57:00.004-06:00

I had the best run of my life today. I know that sounds crazy; I didn't win a race, didn't earn a medal and nobody even saw me. Plus it was only 3 miles.

But it was fantastic. Why? Because of my new BFF, her name is ProAir.

Isn't she pretty? All red and white. Apparently, and I did not realize this until today (yes, I really have been running for 4 years), but it's your BODY that's supposed to get tired when you run! Not your lungs! I KNOW! Shocking.

Adam had a great Taekwondo tournament yesterday. I will post pictures from that, as well as Halloween pictures, later this week.

Tommy, can you hear me?

2010-10-26T20:38:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to start bloggin' again! I've missed it far too much, and Facebook just isn't the same.

So, I'm cleaning up the comments section, changing some settings, redoing my gadgets.. etc. Stay tuned. :)

Oy, I suck.

2009-06-01T20:27:00.003-05:00

Well, that's a long time to go without blogging, isn't it?

I will confess, I quit blogging for two major reasons. The first one? Facebook. I swear, my entire life story is on facebook these days. Every picture I take, my "status" a few times each day. It's a sad addiction.

My Facebook page

And the second thing is, I can't figure out how to upload pictures from the digital camera. Dan put Picasa on my laptop, and now I have no idea how to use it. I don't know why it's so hard, but it completely stumps me. However, I can text pictures I take on my cell phone right to Facebook!

So I'll do a quick recap of the last what, 7 months?

- In October I hurt my knee doing another half-marathon, the Nike+ Women's Half Marathon. About mile 11 it went out on me, and I haven't been able to run further than 4.5 miles since. I'm thinking of starting up again to see how it does.

- In the late fall, DJ started Taekwondo too. He is now a camouflage belt, and Adam is a purple belt.

- We got a new kitty in early 2009! Her name is Zellandine, and she picked me out at Central Dakota Humane Society. Isn't she gorgeous?

- In May, I was the victim of job cuts, so I no longer work for CCC. I loved working part-time from home, and it really upset me to lose my job. For the time being, I'm working for The Idea Center; it's fun & interesting, and brings in a little money. I've applied to be a teacher's aide for the '09-'10 school year though, and I'm working on getting my ND teaching license. I'm hoping to maybe sub for '10-'11 to get my feet wet with teaching again - gotta ease back into it after being an at-home mom for so long! - and then hopefully get a placement the following year.

I think that's it for now. I really will try to blog regularly again, and maybe Dan can teach me how to get pictures from Picasa to Blogger.

Teh HUUUUUUUGE Picture Update!

2008-09-20T15:06:00.012-05:00

I haven't updated in a while, but a lot has happened in the last week or so! Adam tested and received his camo belt in Taekwondo! Yesterday was also Adam's 6th birthday, we're having his party tomorrow, so I'll post pictures another day. Tonight is Evening at the Opera. I'm not sure if I'll have any pictures of that, but if I do, I'll post those another day too!

So without further ado, here's a photo deluge. And yes, I purposely spelled "the" wrong in the title of my post.

Adam getting his hi-5 from Master Materi

Adam receiving his camo belt

Full group shot

And now, some pictures of my big day! I ran my first half-marathon today, the ND Roughrider. The weather was perfect (about 50F at the start), I ran the whole thing without stopping to walk or soil myself (hey, it was my biggest fear), and I finished in my goal time! I don't know my chip time yet, since the results are not up on the website yet. But.. my Garmin said 2:30:33 and the clock said 2:30:34, so it's close enough to my goal of 2:30 to make me extremely happy.

Me coming up on the family at Mile 4

Goin' in for the high-5!

And.. back to running away from nothing.

Talking with Dr. Debbie, my favorite chiropractor at the gear truck post-race.

This is the photo my mom took of me finishing the race. Yay!

And finally - the video of me finishing the race. Yeah that's me screaming "Woohoo!"

In Good Times And In Bad

2008-09-08T09:29:00.004-05:00

So.. I had a really bad run on Saturday. It started out OK, but I started feeling nauseous in mile 3, which NEVER happens unless I'm racing my rear off in a 5K or something.

I saw my friend Sarah's dad Bill (well OK - I guess he is sorta my friend too!) right around mile 4, he was coming out of the tunnel as I was going in. I stopped running to chat for a few seconds. After that I never did get my mojo back - it's like my rhythm got screwed up or something.

I stopped for a Gu and some water when I turned around at mile 6.75 and walked for a while. I ended up walking again at mile 8.. and again at 8.8 - what the heck? I walked back through the tunnel and forced myself to run again. I thought I would run 4 miles, then walk the last half mile or so. Wrong again!

From mile 11 on, I kept trying to jog, but would only make it a minute or so before running out of juice and walking. When I would jog, I looked down at my Garmin to discover I was doing a 13-minute mile pace! I felt utterly defeated, and completely wasted. I did my 13.5 miles in a pathetic 2:50. UGH! So much for trying to get that done in my half goal time of 2:30.

I know everyone has bad runs sometimes. But I did learn a few things.

Do not have two martinis, a glass of wine and a Bulldog the night before attempting 14 miles.
Do not catch my son's stomach bug the day I attempt 14 miles.
Eat a breakfast consisting of more than a slice of toast and 1/3 cup orange juice before attempting 14 miles. HELLO?!
When attempting 14 miles, REAL Powerade is a better idea than Powerade Zero. HELLO?!
Bring more fuel than I think I need when attempting 14 miles. One Gu is not enough, especially on almost no breakfast. I was ready to gnaw my arm off at mile 11.

Darien had an awful stomach bug Thursday (poor kid was barfing in the bathroom at Taekwondo!) which kept him out of school on Friday, and I think I caught some of it. I felt just horrible all day Saturday and most of Sunday. We still went to the ATA picnic on Saturday evening though, and had a blast! I even rode the rides at the amusement park on a queasy stomach and did not hurl. Neither did Darien.

Here is Mason on his first day of preschool last week!

I stole this from Maria's blog, I need it.

The Terriblest Blogger EVER

2008-08-29T12:46:00.013-05:00

That would be me, of course.

Since I last wrote, DJ started Taekwondo, DJ turned 8, both Adam and DJ started school, and I ran 12.5 miles. Does that about cover it? These pictures should help.

DJ blowing out 8 candles - notice how the other two are "helping"

DJ learning a low block with Miss Honey

DJ and Adam in front of Northridge on the first day

DJ and Mrs. Ward, his 3rd grade teacher

Adam sitting at his desk in Mrs. Towne's class

Proof that I did it. With a few long walk breaks. My half-marathon goal is 2:30 so if I cut out the long walk breaks, I should be able to do it.

And so Mason wouldn't feel left out... SUPERSTAR!!!

Mrs. Extra, Extra, This Just In

2008-07-27T09:38:00.004-05:00

I don't like Britney Spears, really. But I will say, a few of her songs are good for running. For example, Piece of Me is good for mile 7 when you're telling yourself, just 3 more and then you can die on a park bench.

Who in their right mind gets up at 6 am on a PERFECTLY good Sunday, in 90% humidity, after only four hours of sleep, and spends nearly 2 hours running? WHO? NOBODY, that's who. Nobody in their right mind. Only insane people do that.

10 miles. That's one thousand calories, people.

You wanna piece of me?

I got done with my run (nutrition consumed: 12 oz. G2, 1 Clif Shot and 8oz. water) and couldn't figure out why I was covered in sand. What the hell did I just DO? I mean, I know I was running along the river, but I don't remember jumping in to cool off.

Then I realized, it was salt. I'm used to getting salt on my forehead, but I had it all down my arms and legs.

I swear someday I will blog about things other than running again. Like my sick kitty who spent 3 days in the hospital for a UTI/blockage, or that my oldest kid turns 8 in just over two weeks.

The half marathon is 55 days away.

8 Miles

2008-07-14T16:01:00.005-05:00

I discovered something after running the 10K. It's this:

I just got this car magnet from this online store. It makes me feel better about my ugly feet and black & blue toenails. Eh, who needs 'em?

So Saturday I ran 8 miles! When I put my Garmin on, it said low battery. Oh great! Well, I knew from looking at the marathon map that my parents' cul de sac was the 4 mile point, so even if my Garmin gave up the ghost, I knew generally how far to go. I can't believe I ran from Pioneer Park to my parents' house and BACK. I did take a couple of walk breaks when I needed a sip of water or G2, but never for longer than a minute.

Except for the one bathroom break I took.

I have no idea how long it took me, since my Garmin crapped out right after I turned around.

While I was out bustin' my ass running, kitty was doing this:

he says "I wonder what the poor people are doing today?"

Fishbowl... Martini?

2008-07-08T20:23:00.004-05:00

Think this martini is big enough for me? I like the "olives" in the bottom. Actually this is our new fish bowl. Petsmart also had a coffee cup, a brandy snifter and a margarita glass, but this one fits me best.

I wonder what the proper ratio of vermouth to a half-gallon of gin would be?

Race Report

2008-07-04T12:49:00.004-05:00

Well I did it! I ran my first 10K! Here's my detailed race report.

I got into Mandan around 7:25 am, and parked my car behind Central Market. Found the registration line, it was very long and slow-moving. I was chatting it up with an older guy who was run-walking the 5K.

Every person I talked to in line was doing the 5K. I saw a group of elite runner girls, and they too were running the 5K. I ran into my pals Sarah, Sarah's dad Bill, and Vance.. all running the 5K. Greeeeaaaat. I just knew I was going to finish dead last. I figured I could do the race in 1:20, but was hoping for 1:15 or maybe even 1:12.

I went back to my car to strap on my iPod & my Garmin, and take one last swig of G2, and headed into Central Market to go to the bathroom. Then it was time to start!

We started by going up a hill. No problem - Sarah had told me there was 1 hill in the beginning, which wasn't too bad, and then of course you get to run down it on the way back. Cool. Made it through that hill no problem. Then we turned.. and went up another hill. OK. I can do this. My pace was varying between 8:30 and 10:30. Probably too fast, but I felt good. Whoa - it's only 10 minutes into this race, and here come the 5Kers who have turned around. I still have an hour to go!

Then it was flat for a bit, but then up ahead was a long hill but not very steep. At the top was the 5K turnaround. I grabbed a cup of water at the turnaround, then kept going. I wondered why the hell I was running a 10K, when all these happy people got to turn around.

Corner time. Oh great - gravel! NO problem. I train on gravel. I love gravel. Me & gravel, we're TIGHT. But wait. This is not nice fine, smooth, grated gravel. This is washboardy-sandy stuff with huge rocks thrown in to make it an obstacle course. Sweet. No traffic control on this road, so when the cars would go by, I got to eat dust. Even better!

Another hill. I can do this. It looks huge. OMG. It's huge. I'm going to die on it. Here come the 10Kers on the turnaround, wow - they're really fast. I cave and start to walk about 2/3 up the hill. As I near the top, a dude going the other way says "You can finish this! Run! Come on!" I smile and think, yup, and start running again. Sweet, I made it. Cruuuuuuise down the other side.

Only to run up another one. Good lord, will these hills ever END?? But wait.. at the top is the turnaround! I made it halfway! And the back has GOTTA be more downhill than the out. I grab water from the dude, and think.. please. PLEASE let there be one more soul behind me so I'm not last.

I turn around and head down the hill. I'm not last! There is one more girl behind me. She looks to be in my age group. I'm not last!

The second half of the race was hotter, but faster. It's full sun the whole way, and at 65 degrees, I was feelin' it. I glanced at my Garmin only for pace, not for time. A few times there, I was going 11:30, and 12:00 is my projected half marathon pace, so I tried to cut myself a break.

I walked up the remaining hills. Yeah, I copped out. What of it? The uphills on the way back were much shorter though, so I didn't lose much time.

I finished WAY behind the rest of the pack, but when I hit the 5.5 point and saw 1:00 on my Garmin? Yeah. I didn't care. The rest was downhill and I cruised. I was so happy.

I finished in 1:06:42! WAY ahead of my goal! And I wasn't last. The last girl finished 1-2 minutes after me, and she didn't look like she cared too much about being last. I think my official time was 1:06:48 but I didn't pay too much attention to the girl when she said it, so until I hear for sure, I'm going with my Garmin time.

As I was leaving, I saw my mom drive by. She was going to take a finish picture of me, but oops... missed it. I guess I'm tooooo fast!

So I'm going to spend the rest of my 4th of July with my feet up, and not thinking for one little minute about the amount of calories I'll be consuming later on. Many will surely be in liquid form, as I make up for how crabby I was yesterday about not having any.

Running with the Cows

2008-06-26T13:48:00.005-05:00

You've heard of people who run with the bulls in Pamplona, right? Well, not me! I run with the cows near Hawktree. At least there is no chance of getting gored. Here's what they do - I run past, and they watch me, just like this:

Chewin' cud, swishin' tails, and trying to figure out what's chasing me. I need to start taking my camera on runs, so you can see all the cows, squirrels, deer, bunnies, and bullsnakes I encounter. I need to brang me a bow'n arro & shewt me sum LUNCH all up in hurr.

The Y track is closed while they tear out the north wall and make our YMCA officially Freakin' Huge, so I have to run outside. I can't do it during normal hours because of lack of child care, so I got up early whilst everyone was still sleeping, and was on the road by 6 this morning.

Well. I knew this already, but it's very hilly where I live. At first it's fine - almost all downhills. So the out: good. The back: not so good. But that's ok. Hills are good for my training. Maybe not so much in 80% humidity though.

See this cute little bouquet of flowers? DJ made it for me with Legos. They got a bunch of oddly shaped Legos during their visit to LegoLand in Minneapolis a few weeks ago.

And now...

Seven-Year-Old Wisdom:
DJ: I just tasted myself, and I taste DISGUSTING!

Three-Year-Old Wisdom:
(while he was sitting on the potty, I noticed an eyelash on his face, so I grabbed it)
Me: OK, blow, and make a wish.
Mason: (blow)
Me: What did you wish for?
Mason: Ummm, a house.
Me: We already have a house, silly!
Mason: A door?
Me: We have lots of doors.
(pause)
Me: How about World Peace?
Mason: (looking excited) We don't have any of that!!

The Things They Say

2008-06-11T22:10:00.002-05:00

Heard from my basement full of rowdy boys:

"Oh man, I'm gonna need a helmet!"

Not really something a mother wants to hear.

And tonight, while eating dinner:

Mason: There was this huuuuuuuuuuge lightning crash today!
Adam: And then Mason pooped in his pants.

It's true. He came running up the stairs for a hug after the loud thunder, then asked if I would check to see if he pooped in his underwear. I guess you could say today's thunderstorms scared the crap out of him.

Yellow and Blue

2008-06-05T14:44:00.008-05:00

OTHER than running... haha... there are lots of things happening these days! The boys have started their summer sports, I'll try to get some pictures put up next week.

But this week, the focus is on ADAM! He graduated from preschool in May, and here's a picture of him receiving his diploma.

And - the last week of May, Adam completed Taekwondo testing and became a yellow belt! The first three pictures are testing-in-progress, and the last 2 are pictures of proud new belt level kiddos.

Half crazy

2008-05-29T13:55:00.002-05:00

Look what I just signed up for! Have I lost my mind? Yes, I do believe I HALF. Because I've now registered for two half marathons, one month apart.

Hey, I'm just doing this one for the girly t-shirt and Tiffany keychain. A girl's gotta have SOME sort of motivation, right?

Been there, done that...

2008-05-20T08:59:00.005-05:00

... got the T-shirt. I really just wanted to say that and have it be true!

That's my t-shirt, medal, and bib.

Well, I went 3.1 miles. The Fargo 5K Fun Run was on Saturday, May 17. I had a blast and can't wait to do it again! Next year I will be doing the half marathon (13.1 miles). My time was 34:12. I am OK with that, but not thrilled.

Mile 1 was basically darting around and weaving between the walkers (some with strollers). I really wish the walkers would be courteous and get to the back. The runners were really frustrated with this, especially when the walkers were in groups 8 across. Not nice! For some of it, I got so frustrated, I ran on lawns. I didn't look at my watch after completing that mile, but I know it took longer than I wanted. At least it forced me to start out slow, right?

Mile 2 I booked it. I felt great, passed a ton of people (not just walkers, haha). I looked at my watch at the end of mile 2 and it said 20 minutes. I was pretty happy with this, figuring I might actually bang this race out in 32 minutes.

Mile 3 I don't know WHAT happened. I must have thought I could just cruise through this mile with no effort. I was relaxed and happy, and not really in "race" mode. I think I was just enjoying the sights and sounds of the race, chatting with people, getting hi-5'd by the crowd. I forgot I was racing, really. I felt well and happy when I finished though, instead of worn out.

The finish is the best part. Well, except for when you think you're done, and then you realize, oh, we have to run around to the other side of the Dome! But that part gets over quickly, then before you know it, you pass the JumboTron camera, then you're heading into the Dome, which is DOWNHILL (thank you, thank you) and I sprinted it. Bit of a problem.. as I was entering the Dome, I took my sunglasses off and hooked them on my shirt. Started sprinting, and they fell off! I checked to make sure there was nobody immediately behind me, stopped, and picked them up. Then ran to the finish line. Embarrassing, but funny.

Anyway, I had a blast. The crowd and entertainment are the BEST. Thank you, Fargo! My friend Sarah finished the half in 2:07 and my cousin Kari finished it (her first race EVER!) in 3:18. WAY TO GO! I think my mom, aunt, and other cousin (who is pregnant, yay!) decided to walk the 5K next year.

Yesterday I registered for the Roughrider half marathon, and began my training program. Here's to 17 more weeks of training! I started a week early in case I get temporarily derailed for vacation, illness, injury, or "I think I'll wait an extra week to run 12.5 miles"-itis. I figure if I finish it "on time" a week before the race, I'll just take an extra taper week.

Gadget!

2008-05-13T22:38:00.004-05:00

As if my Nike+ and Polar F4 weren't quite techie enough, here's what I got for Mother's Day:

It's a Garmin Forerunner 205! A GPS for my arm. I love it. I've only gotten the chance to use it a couple of times, but I think it'll be coming in handy as I train for the half marathon.

Also, in other news, this woman is THE DEBBIL.

If you see her, run. Run far, far away. If your legs haven't been reduced to jelly.

She is out to kill you. Or at least give you thighs of steel, washboard abs, and shoulders that would put the fear of, well, Jillian, into your average person. I'm pretty sure I called her a nasty word beginning with B about eight times during LEVEL ONE. There are three levels. I was shaking trying to wash my hair in the shower after it. This is a 20-minute workout, people. 20 minutes. I was strength training for 40 minutes 3 times a week.

Next update will be after my race on Saturday. Wish me luck!

Circles

2008-05-06T13:16:00.005-05:00

I think Lance Armstrong has a li'l crush on me. Oh yes, I do. Why, you ask? Because he lovingly told me this morning, "Congratulations, you've just achieved a new personal best in the mile". I wonder if Nike+ knows that hearing his voice is pretty much the only thing keeping me running some days? He's like the proverbial carrot.

So I have officially outrun myself.

This is the funniest darn book I have EVER read. I highly recommend it if you've ever considered training for a race of any sort. It will at least keep you laughing at yourself.

Now if Nike+ can just get Lance to say "Congratulations. You've just run a buttload of circles. You are apparently fantastic at turning left." or "Congratulations. You've run 10 miles and thwarted death."

Five-Year-Old Wisdom

2008-03-27T09:45:00.006-06:00

Another Adam-ism for you. First - look, he's an angel!

Adam: Mommy? What if you dropped a grape or a berry on a bug. Would it die?

Me: What? Um... I don't know. I don't think so...

Adam: What if it was a not-strong bug?

My three cuties

Adam getting a medal at tournament

Mason and mom!

Races

2008-03-01T09:16:00.003-06:00

There's one really good way to get back into the running swing of things that I know of. What's the secret? Signing up for races, of course.

Yesterday I decided to do four races this spring/summer. All 5Ks because I know I can do that. Being a slow runner, my goal is to run at least ONE of these races in 30 minutes or less.

5/18/08: Fargo 5K Fun Run

5/31/08: Bully Run 5K

7/4/08: Mandan 4th of July Road Race 5K

7/16/08: Tour da'Park 5K

And one more race this year. THE HALF. Can I do it?

Je regrette beaucoup

2008-01-17T10:16:00.001-06:00

That's French for "I'm very sorry". Aren't I a fun blogger?? I'm a bit swamped right now with Broadway stuff, but I will update after the fat lady sings. I'm not sure who that would be, but if you come to Evening on Broadway, you could decide for yourself!

To tide you over.. some childhood wisdom:

--

Adam: God made the first person on the EARTH and it was Adam. Not me though.

--

(while getting ready for bed last night, Mason, 3 years old, wearing big-boy underwear for the first time - there is a black mark on Adam's sheets, it's been there since last year, won't wash out, Mason was sitting on the edge of Adam's bed)

DJ: Mason, what did you do?
Mason: I didn't do that! (pause) I don't think I did.
DJ: (looking at Mason's butt) I don't see anything.
Adam: I'll smell it.

--

Adam is so brave.

Race Day!

2007-09-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well I did it - this morning I ran my first 5K! It was awesome, and I will definitely be racing again. I wasn't sure about it until today, but the race atmosphere is so great. My time was 35:31 which I think was respectable for my first race. It was SUPER cold outside, around 35 degrees. The marathoners all took off in shorts and tees, the 5K runners were mostly in long pants and long sleeves. I even had gloves on.

One small problem - I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera, so Dan had to take pictures and videos with his Treo. They won't be superb quality, but I will post them later when he gets back from hauling sheetrock.

OK, here they are:

Long-Awaited Update

2007-09-08T11:00:00.001-05:00

Finally - vacation pics, birthday pics, a Tug pic, and back-to-school pics. Dan has pictures of DJ's first day of school because Bad Mama forgot the camera. Dan had his camera phone.

My friend for 11 years, Sherocious, her youngest son, and me.

Grandpa and kiddos looking at Seattle from the Space Needle.

Pictures from DJ's 7th birthday party:

Tug, anticipating dinner

Adam & Mason, on Adam's first day of preschool!

Mama didn't wear any eye makeup for fear of it running down the face.

In my backyard

2007-08-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

OK, I know I wasn't going to update until after vacation, but I couldn't resist this. I was sitting on the couch this morning, I hadn't yet had any coffee. I looked up and saw four horses running through my backyard!

They left my yard and went next door. Nobody lives there right now so the grass is not mowed, and they got some breakfast. I called the Sheriff's office, they found the owner, and they're currently being herded back to their own place by a pickup truck and a doggie. The boys thought it was great, and the puppy REALLY wanted to herd them somewhere.

Not dead or anything

2007-07-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I updated, so I just wanted to shoot one out.

Tug is growing quickly, and has now finished Puppy Dynamics class. Yay for him! I can't say he is that much better-behaved than he was before class, but that takes time. I will just say it out loud: Rottweiler puppies are bastards. I see the other puppies at class (Labs, Poodles, Aussies, miniature Greyhounds & Schnauzers, etc.) and they are so sweet. Then you have Tug, and his Husky friend Skye and his German Shepherd friend Zack, and they are all little bastards who beat up on each other. Skye alpha-rolled him this week and I cheered her on. I almost made a doggie play-date with Shug, Skye's mommy. So she can kick his ass a little more. He deserves it.

Thursday we leave for vacation to Seattle, so there will be a tremendous internet vacuum because I will not be online. However, we will take lots of pictures and blog 'em later. Saturday I'll be meeting up with Shelagh, my Canadian BFF!

Running update: I am back up to Week 7 of the Couch to 5K program. I was up to Week 7 before, but then I got a cold, then we got the dog, and I had to take a few weeks off. So I started up again at Week 3. I will end Week 6, then I'll take another week off for our vacation, then re-do two runs from Week 6 when we get back, before starting Week 7. Then upon finishing the program, I'll have plenty of time to get some more good runs in before the race on Sept. 15!

Tug - 8 weeks

2007-06-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

OK, first - some 7 week pictures:

Classic rottie-butt shot

Having some crate time

And now, some 8-week shots I took today:

Practicing "sit"

Who could resist that FACE?!

OK, sorry - this is just a pretty picture of my much-needed liquid refreshment after dealing with three boys and a puppy ALL DAY. Can you blame me? See how my appletini matches my glass...

Puppy Pics!

2007-06-15T07:52:00.001-05:00

Introducing Tug, the newest member of our family! Dan decided to do a "mama and doggie" photo session. We picked him up yesterday from Randi's Rotts. THANK you Randi!

I love the sequence of these two below - he got pretty comfortable on my lap!

He was such a good boy on the trip home from Minot! I couldn't let him cry in the carrier, so I held him most of the trip. We stopped every half hour or so, so he could run around in the grass and relieve himself. He didn't pee in the Jeep even once!

Just like children, everyone wants to know about elimination training and sleep, so here's that info:

Last night he did great in the crate by himself... from 10 until about 1:30. After that, neither he nor I slept at all, and I got up every 2 hours to take him out. It's so hard not to just pick him up and let him sleep cuddled up next to me, but we know you shouldn't let a puppy do something you wouldn't want a full-grown dog to do!

He is figuring out that when we go out to a certain spot in the backyard, he should go potty. So far, he has done it every time.

So that's my update. I'm sure we will have loads more pictures to come! It's just like having a new baby, except without the postpartum blues and... oops, too much information. You can probably guess the other stuff.

We're expecting!!!

2007-06-10T22:04:00.001-05:00

Ha! No, not the way you might think. But we are adding a new member to our family this week, and it should be no surprise to anyone...

IT'S A BOY!

Below are a few pictures of our newest baby. These are 5-week photos. We haven't formally decided on a name yet, but when we get him home on Thursday, we'll take plenty of pictures, and post them along with his name.

Don't you just want to SQUEEZE him? HE'S SO FUZZY!

my body art

2007-06-01T22:18:00.001-05:00

Well, I did it! Below are pictures of my tattoo. Best not to ask Dan what he thinks about it.

I had to get a shot of my pedicure, duh! (OPI's Man of La Mancha for those who must know)

I'm not sure why there's a black shadow - I tried this shot numerous times, it was always there.

Kitty says "You has a flavor?" (it's funny if you read this blog!)

tattoo you

2007-05-25T16:27:00.001-05:00

Well, me anyway.

I made an appointment today to get a tattoo! I've off-and-on wanted one since college, and I finally decided to do it. I'm getting a small treble clef on the inside of my left ankle. In case you're non-musical and don't know what a treble clef is, it's this:

It will be only about 1.5" tall. I'm verra excited. I also have ideas for others I might get someday, but for now, I'm sticking with this to see how I like it. The mutilation will occur on Thursday 5/31 at 11 am. Think of me!

We joined the YMCA today. Yay!

horsie

2007-05-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

Dan: Mason, what does a horsie say?

Mason: (long pause)... Honk.

Jedi knights

2007-05-02T19:34:00.000-05:00

Here's my boys, doing what they do best:

Ah, it's a difficult job, saving the universe, but they make a mother so proud. *sniff* Darien is Obi-Wan (yeah, they finally got the name right), Adam is Anakin, and Mason is Luke Skywalker.

What Brady are YOU?

2007-04-27T17:26:00.000-05:00

You Are Greg Brady

Outta sight! Suave and all American, you tend to be clean cut and upstanding.
You're friendly with most people and a huge flirt (sometimes even with family members!).

What Brady Are You?

Happy Friday! Supposed to be fantastic weather this weekend. I've got pizza dough rising right now, and beer chillin' in the fridge. Tomorrow I plan on getting some sun... and a haircut. Unfortunately I have to spend most of Sunday on a bus, but it's all good.

Easter Food Coma

2007-04-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

I ate so much yesterday, I actually didn't need to eat today!

Well, that's not completely true. I did eat today, but not much. I made my first Easter ham yesterday for my inlaws, and I think it went very well. Everyone left full, so I guess that's what matters most.

Today I completed the first of my 5K training runs! That was an accomplishment. I think I should maybe not do the runs on the day after strength training though, because now my legs feel like jelly. If I were to squat down to the floor right now, I would be unable to get back up.

All the kids are sick. Having three sick kids is a horrible thing, but you know what? They think Motrin fixes everything! Dan gave them all Motrin before bed (I was at chorus), and they are all sleeping right now, believe it or not.

Jen - 1; Hill - 0

2007-03-25T18:38:00.000-06:00

We live on a hill. Tonight, for the first time this year, I had Dan take my 2005 Trek 820 down and air up the tires, and I took it for a spin.

Last year, I had major trouble with one hill, and minor trouble with another. I would ride up the hills, saying "I'm going to make it to the white mailbox this time!" and then "I'm going to make it to the second pine tree past the white mailbox this time!" etc. I never did make it up the major-trouble hill, however.

Well! Tonight I whipped its butt. I shifted gears with mad skillz and made it up that nasty hill without having to get off the bike and walk it, admitting defeat, quickly hopping back on as soon as humanly possible, to avoid looking like an out-of-shape fool.

party people in da house!

2007-03-19T10:23:00.000-06:00

I was gonna put "hizzouse" in the title but I thought that might be just too much for some of my blog readers. It's OK - I'm over it now.

This weekend was my nephew Trevor's 1st birthday party. I didn't bring my camera because I am a bad, BAD auntie. But Darika did (clearly, the better auntie), and she emailed me a few of the pictures she took. Enjoy!

Me and Darika

Darien being a goofball

Adam and me!

birthday "observed"

2007-03-16T11:48:00.000-06:00

Well, Wednesday was my uneventful birthday. How old am I? Let's just say I'm more mid-thirties than early-thirties now. Well whatever. I'm like wine - I just get better with age.

Since Wednesday really isn't A Good Day To Party, my party is tonight. Mom & Dad are taking us out to Meriwether's. We have my cousin Christine coming over to babysit, and the boys are thrilled. I told them Wednesday, and every hour or so since then, they ask, "Is Christine here yet?" I think secretly she must let them do whatever they want. Those were the best babysitters when I was growing up! I feel silly asking an old married lady to babysit though, so if any of you have any daughters, nieces, etc. that you would be willing to rent out for a couple hours now and then, let me know.

Obi-Wan was a mobster

2007-03-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

My two older boys love playing Lego Star Wars on the XBOX. It's funny and nostalgic to hear them talking about Han Solo, Princess Leia, C3PO, R2D2, and my favorite...

wait for it.

Ben Kibbioni. Sounds Italian! "Yo Ben-ay!" He fights with his Light-saver.

Knit-fest

2007-02-25T21:10:00.000-06:00

I've completed and started some knitting projects recently, and it's time to show off my work!

First is my Pomotamus sock. I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Seaside. So far I have only one done. The lace pattern is pretty complicated, but eventually I will do the other one.

Next is the Big Sack Sweater from Stitch 'n Bitch. I used the yarn called for, which is discontinued. Not to worry, I found it on eBay! It's Rowanspun Chunky. The color is actually olive green with tweedy flecks of different colors in it. I'm not thrilled with it - it's a little big, and I didn't sew the underarms right. But who looks at underarms anyway? It's also a little itchy, which means I have to wear a long-sleeve shirt underneath. Oh well, it's a very warm sweater and I still like it.

And below is my current project. From the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits, this is the Bonsai Tunic. I'm knitting it in the suggested yarn, Berroco Bonsai in the same color. First is the picture from the magazine, and below that is my progress so far. I have about 1.5" done.

I'm disappointed that you can't make out the exquisite stitch detail in most of these photos. I think it's time for me to experiment with my camera a little bit.

My Favorite Thing About Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T17:24:00.000-06:00

It's not the chocolate. Or the flowers, or the cards, or even the sex.

Not that I got any of that.

It's this. Have fun reading if you have time! Now these are my kind of Valentine poems.

PS - if profanity bothers you, you may not want to read some of them!

Forty

2007-02-13T13:12:00.000-06:00

No, it's not my birthday. That's one month from tomorrow. And I won't be forty yet!

I haven't shared anything about my weight loss on this blog because I feel like it's a fairly private thing. I'm happy when people notice it, but too many comments about it just make me uncomfortable. Weight comments are just weird - whether they're positive or negative. It's a girl thing.

But as of today, I have lost 40 pounds. And I think that is something to crow about! I have hit my original goal. I still have 5 more to go - I adjusted it when the pounds started coming off. I'm thinking the last 5 will go pretty slowly, since I am trying diligently to build muscle. I can't wait until it warms up outside and I can start running. I'm doing a Couch to 5K program, and maybe, just MAYBE, I might run a 5K this summer.

Wish me luck!

Weekend

2007-02-11T13:37:00.000-06:00

Nice, relaxing weekend. We haven't accomplished much, but sometimes you need weekends like that. Yesterday we hung out with my mom for part of the afternoon, while the boys played and I helped her figure out her new iPod. Mom's techno-savvy now! We went to the Saturday 5 pm church service because Mom was singing, and last night Dan & I watched Super Size Me. It is a gross movie, but very enlightening. I think we eat pretty well, but this movie inspires me to cut out the once-a-week fast food habit we've gotten into.

Today I did an hour of strength training and cardio; I like to kill two birds with one stone by alternating strength and cardio, so my heart rate never goes down. I sent my hubby off to the Sports Show for a fishing seminar, while I shoveled the sidewalk. Once he gets home, it's grocery time for me.

And that's our weekend. Tonight I'm parking myself in front of the Grammys.

This coming weekend is our production of The Vagina Monologues! It's Friday and Saturday nights (the 16th & 17th) at 7:00 pm, at BSC. Two of my sisters-in-law are in it with me, along with a friend from chorus, and a bunch of women I hadn't met before. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for seniors & students, available at the door. Come see it if you can - it's funny, sad, uncomfortable, and beautiful all at the same time.

And now, some pictures:

Sweet doggie. I still miss him SO much.

Yes, we actually caught this on film. Brace yourself. It's my brother. EATING BROCCOLI.

Zero visibility on the second day of February.

Neighbors? What neighbors?

Picture-Fest!

2007-02-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

I was going to post some pictures from Evening on Broadway, but then I thought, maybe it isn't nice to post pictures of people all over The Internet without asking first. And I have way too many people to ask, so I'm just forfeiting.

Dan decided to take pictures of a fight in progress between Mason and Darien:

This is Darien screaming "DO NOT PUT THIS PICTURE ON THE INTERNET!!!

Then, because I never do, I decided to post 2 pictures of myself. I recently got some interesting highlights and lowlights, and you can kinda make them out:

And yes, I did slap on some lipstick in the second picture because I thought the first one washed me out.

Bye-Bye

2007-01-25T16:47:00.000-06:00

Sad day. We had to put our precious doggie down today.

Over Thanksgiving he tore his left cruciate (tendon). We didn't figure out that's what it was for a few weeks. We decided to have TPLO surgery on it ($2000), probably late this month or next month.

Early this week, he tore his right one. He was unable to walk up and down stairs, and spent these last few days living in the basement, and going out the walk-out to eliminate. We put him on painkillers, but he was still in so much pain.

The vet said surgery was still an option, but with both legs injured, recovery would be extremely difficult for him and us, as well as painful for him. Getting both legs done at the same time was not recommended, since he would not be able to bear weight on either leg.

Tuesday, Kernel stopped eating, and would only drink minimal amounts. He also began growling at me when I'd go downstairs to pill him, pet him, let him out. We felt this was his way of telling us it was time to let him go. He had not been himself since Thanksgiving.

I miss him so much. Our house feels so empty and quiet without his constant presence. He was my daytime companion, my exercise partner, and my attentive audience when I needed to practice my music. I thank him for teaching me about big dogs, and about Rottweilers, and allowing me to fall head-over-heels in love with the breed.

I don't know how I will be able to make it through the days without seeing his quirky ears, his caring, loving, expressive eyes, his silky fur, and his adorable rottie-butt. I hope he knows we loved him more than we could ever express.

Kernelius Maximus von Polkhaus
June 30, 2003 - January 25, 2007

Preschool Program

2006-12-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

This morning was Adam's preschool program at Merry Go Round preschool. He played a cookie, and got to sing "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar" with two other children. He did great, and didn't even have any stage fright!

Adam preparing for his big role

Singing "Who stole the cookie" with Cullen and Abbi

Adam with his best friend, Sophia. These two are inseparable! And adorable, her mother and I agree. They exchanged "digits" today, so hopefully they'll get to have a playdate over Christmas vacation.

Doggie

2006-12-20T14:16:00.000-06:00

Here's Mason petting our poor gimp-leg doggie. It seems K-dogg has a torn cruciate. He's going to get Xrays next week to make sure it isn't anything else. If it is a cruciate tear, then he's in for some surgery. He has been an angel since his appointment yesterday, it's as though he's thinking that if he behaves extra-special good, we won't take him back there.

Sorry!

2006-12-16T19:20:00.000-06:00

I'm such a bad blogger. Below are some cute pictures by which to redeem myself. Meanwhile, look - our chorus has a website now! And no, I'm not in any of the pictures because they're too old. We had our Christmas concert last weekend; next up is Evening on Broadway in January!

Here are the two older boys at their birthday party:

Here is Mason attempting to blow out his candles on his birthday in October:

And here is Mason cuddling with Pilchard:

I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful Christmas, and I hope I have some great pictures to post afterwards. Maybe even one with ME IN IT! Imagine that.

Halloween 2006

2006-11-01T10:40:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, and I have a ton of pictures to share. But I'll save that for later. Right now, here are the kids in their costumes. DJ was Mario, Adam was Luigi, and Mason was a ghost.

I have more, but blogger's giving me trouble, so I'll share later!

Wedding

2006-09-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Today, my cousin Christine got married! My middle son, Adam, was one of the two ringbearers, so I took advantage of the photo session at the Capitol grounds this afternoon.

The entire wedding party

Bride, Groom, and kids

The bride with the kids

As Darien called her, "the beautiful bride, Christine". He kept saying "This is such a great wedding" and "Christine looks so beautiful!"

"Mama, I'm tired, can I sit on your lap?" One of the bridesmaids caught the photo op.

It was a great wedding! I got to sing a couple of tunes during the ceremony, the kids behaved perfectly, the food was good. We didn't stay long enough for the dance, because the kiddos (Adam especially) had a long day, and everyone needed to get home and into bed. Congratulations to Chris and Christine! When you guys have babies, I so owe you a million nights of babysitting.

P.S. - if the babysitter gets married, does that mean we can no longer ask her to babysit??

Friday

2006-09-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

I love Fridays. We have homemade pizza, I usually have a drink of some sort, Dan sometimes comes home early, and we're all just happy and relaxed. Today has been a rough day for Mason, he fell asleep in the car at noon, which means he didn't get his usual 2-hour snooze between lunch and picking up Darien from school. I put him down after we got home, and he woke up an hour later, crying. I put him back down and now I need to go wake him because it's 5:30 pm and I don't want him up until midnight tonight.

I couldn't choose between these two pictures, so I posted them both:

Big Kid!

2006-09-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was a momentous day - Adam started preschool! We took some pictures to commemorate the occasion.

This is Adam's reaction to us saying, "You're at school! Look excited!

Finding his name under the coat/bag hooks...

Mason and Adam playing Little People with Mrs. Sievers

And this is what happens after a long morning at preschool. I stepped out of the shower this afternoon, and here is what I saw:

How cute is that???

I'm too nice.

2006-08-29T12:56:00.000-05:00

Today's entry is simply a link to my husband's blog entry. Oh, and a quick picture of the kids and I. Fresh outta bed, and cuddling on the loveseat! After that is a picture of all three boys playing with one of their favorite toys.

Dan's oh-so-funny blog entry

When Friends Move

2006-08-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

The pictures Justin & Michelle posted just made me miss them. I hate it when people move away. Here's a picture tribute.. we'll miss you guys!

And yes, he took the picture while he was driving. He's kinda stoopid that way. We hope it's humid and miserable in Florida.

Shoes

2006-08-19T17:07:00.000-05:00

Mason being uber-fashionable!

So the others don't feel left out

2006-08-18T16:35:00.000-05:00

The results of a photo session with Adam for his preschool "All About Me" worksheet:

And a quick pic of Mason enjoying some of Uncle Mike's cucumbers:

Now We Are Six

2006-08-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

I had to quote a Pooh book by a.a. milne for my sweet not-so-little boy, who turned six years old today! Here are some pictures of him in sequence...

Age 2

Age 4

Age almost-6

Happy Birthday, Darien! I can't believe you start first grade in less than two weeks. What will I do without you for 7 hours every day? Will you miss your mom? Will you make friends? Will you figure out how to buy milk to have with your lunch? You still seem too young to be away from me for 1/3 of your day.

Decorating

2006-08-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

We bought a few items of furniture from our down-the-street neighbors who are, sadly for us, moving to Florida in a couple of months. On the bright side, they wanted to get rid of some of their stuff, so we took advantage. Most of it was basement furniture, but I did get a lovely corner unit out of the deal. I decided to find some decor for it today, and this is what I came home with:

I picked up the stuff on the top two shelves at Hobby Lobby. Yeah, I know I said I was never going to shop there again after The Shopping Cart Incident. But anyway, there are three vases, and the dark-looking thing on the right is a tiny wine-colored lampshade with little beads hanging off it. I fell in love with it, but they didn't have any stands there! So I have to buy one somewhere else. I hope I find one, or I'll have to return the adorable little thing. The middle shelf is just three candles, I think I need something else there, too. The bottom shelf contains two of my favorite cookbooks, and two bottles of wine. I had to choose those two because every other bottle we have, although much prettier to look at, is too tall for that shelf.

And I decided to do something useful with my yarn stash instead of having it take up space in my closet. See below:

Cute huh?

nano nano

2006-07-28T13:16:00.000-05:00

No, it's not Mork. Check out what my wonderful, amazing, thoughtful, and generous husband bought for me last night!

It's a 2GB iPod nano!!!! It holds 500 songs and 25,000 pictures. I already have 75 songs on it, and I can tell that unless I decide to be more discerning, I actually won't have enough space on it. I got an armband for it, so if it ever gets below 100F, I can go for walks and have music! Imagine that.

There's something I never knew before until just now. There's a really weird gross sound in the song "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas. If you've heard it, let me know in the comments.

We have a BBQ to attend tonight with some friends from Dan's work (all the cool people! I feel so popular!), and then tomorrow night is the family picnic for Moms Club. Yes, in this heat.

Progress

2006-07-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

I'm overdue for some knitting progress pictures, so here you go! The first is Pomatomus, knitted in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Seaside. It's very slow-going, I've finished the leg and just started the heel.

And this is my progress so far on Tempting II, which I'm knitting in TLC's Cotton Plus in Spruce. It's for the Sexy Knitters Club knitalong. It's supposed to be stretchy, but right now it looks impossibly tiny, I'm not sure it's ever going to fit me. So far I have 9 inches of the body, I need to knit 7 more inches before I can start the sleeves. It seems like it's taking me forever, but I need to remind myself that it's knit in the round. Every sweater I've made so far has been knit in pieces, so you knit the whole front, then the whole back, which get sewn together later.

Today I ordered yarn for the Big Sack Sweater from Stitch 'n Bitch. It calls for Rowanspun Chunky, which is discontinued, but I found it on ebay for a great price. I got the Fern shade, which is a deep olive green - yummy!

Neglectful

2006-07-20T17:19:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I haven't blogged recently. Lots of stuff going on, clients etc. but things seem to be slowing down now! I thought I'd post a quick picture. This is me and Mason (on the left) posing with my oldest friend Shana and her daughter Elise. Mason and Elise are about three weeks apart in age - her first, my third. Our moms were best friends growing up, how wacky is that? My mom is her godmother and her mom is mine.

This picture was taken at my grandma's 80th birthday party on Memorial Day weekend in Minnesota. We were just about to leave and go back home, Mason was at the end of his rope, so I'm surprised he wasn't screaming!

Not quite right

2006-07-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

This is what the fourth of July is supposed to be like. But instead, it's eerily quiet. It doesn't feel like Independence day at all, actually. We're under a burn ban, and this year because of the drought, it extends to fireworks and charcoal grills. What's the 4th without fireworks and BBQ? This is the first year in a long time that we didn't buy a bunch of fireworks for the kids. Usually we brag about how we can shoot them off right in our own driveway because we're not in city limits. But not this year - there's not a pop to be heard anywhere.

Sunset

2006-06-26T21:53:00.000-05:00

This is what the sunset looks like over my world:

I submitted it to the local news, we'll see if the meteorologist puts it on the news. We get a great view of storm clouds moving in, which I've submitted in the past, and he has used them. I wish the fiery red of the sun was more obvious in the picture, but you'll just have to take my word for it. That's the Hawktree golf club over on the right.

Summer

2006-06-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

What is there to do in the summertime? Some knitters quit knitting when the temperature rises, but not I! Instead, I knit lacy socks. This is Pomotamus from Knitty, I'm knitting it on Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Seaside. I've been super busy with work (thanks, Tammie) so it's going pathetically slow. There are three pattern repeats in the leg, and I haven't even finished the first one.

And this is what happens on a hot afternoon when grandma takes the kids, and mom decides to hit the produce store while she's a little bit hungry:

I went a little hog-wild, but at least it's all healthy, right? I also bought a new blender so I can make smoothies. What the heck am I going to do with an entire watermelon?? Can you make watermelon smoothies? Watermelon daiquiris? Hmm... And there WERE more cherries and strawberries, but the boys and I basically ate them for dinner last night. Dan has been in Denver, and was supposed to be home by now, but his flight got cancelled, so now they're driving back. I expect him home around midnight, instead of 12:30 this afternoon. Bah.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2006-06-22T22:34:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from our weekend trip to western North Dakota. We stayed in Medora and visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. These are some general pictures of the park:

Those are wild horses. We also saw one buffalo, some Elk and about 400,000 prairie dogs in a prairie dog urban sprawl ("town" doesn't do it justice - it even has suburbs). We decided it was the NYC of prairie dog towns.

Photo Deluge

2006-06-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

My first harvest! Cherry Belle radishes. We ate some last night.

Darien all geared up for soccer. Obviously.

Running the ball down the field...

And back.

He had a great time, and can't wait for Wednesday night!

Jaywalkers

2006-06-05T13:47:00.000-05:00

Here they are in all their glory:

I completed my Jaywalker socks over the weekend. They are so bright, not my usual style at all, but they're fun. It's amazing how alike they turned out, especially since I certainly didn't plan them that way. I did end up having enough yarn with some left over - whew! I already started a new sock using KnitPicks Simple Stripes (a yarn they are phasing out, unfortunately), pictures to come soon.

Yesterday I joined the Sexy Knitters Club KAL (knitalong) group. Our first project will be Tempting II - a sweater I've been wanting to knit. Along with about 37 other Knitty projects.

Tonight is Darien's first night of soccer. I will take pictures and post this week. He has soccer Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 7:30 until the beginning of August.

Fun in the Sun

2006-06-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

What is there to do on a 94-degree day? THIS!

Don't you love their farmer tans? Meanwhile, Mason was entertaining mommy inside:

He did that all on his own.

Look What I Made!

2006-05-25T16:07:00.000-05:00

I give you my completed Jaywalker sock, in Socks That Rock yarn, colorway Xmas Rock:

There's some crazy flashing/pooling, but I don't care, it makes them unique. The cool thing is, when I do the second sock, it'll look nothing like this one. Here's another shot from a slightly different angle. OK, I really just wanted to show off my sexy lower leg/ankle/foot. Rrrawwrrr.

I'm scared to death that I won't have enough for the second sock. If you're a fellow socknitter and you have a little extra Xmas Rock hanging around, email me. Call me cheap, but I just don't feel like spending another $23 on a toe's worth of sock.

And this is what I made on Monday Night Out with The Girls:

We went to Urban Girl for a little jewelry-making fun, and then margaritas afterward. This is a mother's bracelet - my birthstone (aquamarine) is on the far left, then two peridots surrounding the letter D, two sapphires surrounding the letter A, and two uh.. pink stones (tourmalines?) surrounding the letter M, then Dan's birthstone (peridot) and our wedding stone is the dangle (sapphire). It's my DAM bracelet!

Flashing my Stash

2006-05-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

I've seen "Flash your Stash" pictures before, so I had to do my own. Now keep in mind, this is ALL SOCK YARN. I have other yarn. But I can make 14 pairs of socks!

Socks!

2006-05-19T09:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted sock pictures. So, below are my most recent socks. The pair on the left is Sockotta, I knit most of the first cuff during the Civic Chorus Evening on Broadway performance.. I only sang at the beginning and the end, so I had all this time to knit in between. The pair on the right is Opal Elements #1076. They are so pretty, and they turned out exactly identical! Ignore the cat paw in the upper right corner of the photo.

And below is my newest sock creation! I'm currently working on a Jaywalker sock, the yarn is Socks That Rock, colorway Xmas Rock. I've never done Jaywalkers before, it's fun! It's too hot to wear socks these days, but when fall arrives, I'll have really pretty feet.

I recently bought two skeins of Socks That Rock (Xmas Rock and Carbon), and six skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (Black Purl, Aslan, and Seaside). I ordered Sensational Knitted Socks from Amazon, which arrived last week, so I have all kinds of interesting new patterns with which to knit up these gorgeous new yarns. They are SO soft and the colors are unbelievable.

I'll admit it - it's awesome that I have a sock yarn colorway named for a character in The Chronicles of Narnia. Rrraaaarrrr!

Even Better

2006-05-13T12:40:00.000-05:00

Thursday night I made a nice dinner and decided to crack open a bottle of my favorite chardonnay, to date. I haven't had any Rombauer in quite some time, and it was yummy. I had a second glass last night.

After dinner, we went to the Band Night parade. I wanted to go for nostalgic reasons, because on Band Day fourteen years ago, I first got to know the cute, nerdy trumpet player with the fast car, who is now my husband. We were in the Century High School band, I was the fife player (in the fife & drum corps, which you can't see in the pic below because they're way in front - but you can see them and the color guard in the link above) my senior year. But this is a shot of the band as it is now, and I had to repress the urge to holler, "Looking good, Patriots, WOOOOOOOOO!" at them as they marched by. Or "Guide!" which is only funny if you're a former Patriot. I distinctly remember some former CHS grads yelling that at us, at my first parade, and I thought it was mean and funny at the same time. I still have a little pride for my alma mater, even though my brother is going to make fun of me EXCESSIVELY for it.

Adam M., Katie N., and Cade R. - I know you don't read this blog, but we had some fun that year! I wonder if I can still remember how to play Yankee Doodle on my piccolo...

Look at that smile!

2006-05-10T20:58:00.000-05:00

My baby's gone! Darien lost his first tooth tonight, as you can see. We're not sure yet what the tooth fairy is going to bring him. I guess it depends on how much cash is in Daddy's wallet. Congratulations to my sweet little guy!

Portrait of Relaxation

2006-05-08T19:08:00.000-05:00

Yummy. Notice the empty wine rack in the background. Time to go shopping!

A funny note - excerpt from a conversation the boys and I were having at dinner:

Adam: Are bananas a fruit, mommy?
Me: Yes, bananas are a fruit. What other fruits can you think of?
Adam: Oranges!
Darien: Apples!
Me: and Watermelons, too!
Dan: Uncle Chris.

This is a test to see if he ever actually reads my blog.

La La La

2006-05-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of our chorus performing last night, taken with Dan's Treo. You probably can't make everyone out, but I'm in the fourth row (second row from the back) first person on the left. The chorus link above is not really a link to our website, because we don't have one, but hey - it's the best I could do!

This is a view of one of the boxes inside the beautiful Belle Mehus Auditorium:

Here's what mom and I did today! We planted radishes, beets, lettuce, and carrots. We'll plant the rest (warm-weather crops) later on:

And this is Adam being... Adam.

Blossoms 'n Baby Buns

2006-05-06T08:05:00.000-05:00

I took this picture of the juneberry bushes out in our yard this morning. They're so tiny and pretty!

I did not have a good week. Shall I summarize? To start the week off, my mother-in-law got pneumonia on Saturday and had to spend Saturday night and Sunday in the hospital. Darien was sick (vomiting) from 4:30 Wednesday morning until 8:30 the following morning, and stayed home from school for two days. I discovered I'm over-scheduled for May and June: I have clients due 5/17, 6/3 and 6/5. And my mom will be out of town from 5/17 until 5/28, I myself will be out of town 5/27-5/28. So I'm praying my 5/17 client goes early and the other two hold off until June. Then on Wednesday, on the way to a client meeting, I backed out of the garage and hit my mom's car and did $768 worth of damage to it. Then to top off my great week, Kernel decided to investigate mouse poison. So Dan induced vomiting (a 50/50 solution of warm water and hydrogen peroxide, squirted into his mouth via a turkey baster - I'm sure this will be funny to us SOMEDAY), and I went to the vet to pick up some Vitamin K tablets, which he has to take for three weeks, because D-Con is just warfarin, which thins the blood so the mice hemmorhage to death. How lovely.

But the good news is: my mother-in-law is feeling better and is home from the hospital, Darien is now better, our insurance is going to cover the damage I did to my mom's car, and Kernel will be fine.

Tonight is our final Civic Chorus concert of the season, then we're done until September. Our theme for Evening at the Opera is going to be Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro (the Marriage of Figaro).

And now it's time for a cute baby picture!

It's comin' around again

2006-03-31T08:48:00.000-06:00

Hormones suck. At least, I think it's hormones. I'm emotional, my chin is breaking out, and the awful insomnia has returned. Just like last time. Hopefully this time it won't lead to a horrible sinus infection.

Banks also suck. Today is payday, but does our bank balance show it? No! Of course it doesn't! I'm waiting for a call back from someone over there who'd better tell us where our paychecks (direct deposit) went. I think I'd better put some wine to chill in the fridge starting now. Good thing I bought that before our checking account got so empty!

Now that's customer service.

2006-03-23T15:10:00.000-06:00

We ate at DiDonna's for my birthday, I ordered tomato basil soup along with my entree, knowing full well I'd never finish it, but it's worth it. It makes for a fantastic lunch the next day. It's the best tomato basil soup on earth, let me tell you. My sister in law is a server there, and she even labeled my soup for me.

Mama's little cookie monster

2006-03-08T13:38:00.000-06:00

Because it's funnier in sequence. I give you Adam, in the throes of being spoiled by his grandma.

Mmmmm.

2006-03-03T20:42:00.000-06:00

Yeah, that's a full case of my favorite wine. Twelve sumptuous bottles. Which makes me one happy mama. It's a wee bit blurry, and no - it's not because I drank one of those bottles already (I actually haven't had any yet), it's because my camera battery is just about kaput. Cheers!

In like a Lion

2006-03-01T14:46:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but it's snowing like crazy out there. I tried to take a picture out the other window, so you can see the actual snowfall, but somehow it doesn't look as bad on the picture as it does looking out my window right now. Oh well.

Listening - a double dose!

2006-02-22T10:10:00.000-06:00

This CD - "Wicked" Original 2003 Cast Recording - has taken top spot in my car. I think I'm obsessed with it! In a good way. I just finished reading the book upon which the musical was based. It all started when I got the latest Lorie Line book, Now and Then, for Christmas from my mom, and two pieces from "Wicked" are in it. I fell in love with the music with the first measure of "For Good".

I just LOVE this CD. "Trouble" by Ray Lamontagne. There aren't too many tunes on it I don't like! My favorite is "Shelter", but I also love "Trouble", "Narrow Escape" and "How Come". It's one of the few CDs I can listen to, front to back, without skipping any tracks or getting tired of it. A review done in O Magazine said at first she (I can't remember the singer who reviewed it) couldn't tell if the singer was male or female, white or black, and she liked that. I agree. If you liked the Amos Lee CD below, you'll love Ray.

Whee.

2006-02-17T20:08:00.000-06:00

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Jen!

Ideally, Jen should be stored on her side at a temperature of 55 degrees!
Jen has three eyelids.
Reindeer like to eat Jen.
Bees visit over three million flowers to make a single kilogram of Jen!
You can tell if Jen has been hard-boiled by spinning her. If she stands up, she is hard-boiled.
If you break Jen, you will get seven years of bad luck!
An average beaver can cut down Jen every year!
Astronauts get taller when they are in Jen.
Jen once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest!
Jen can be found on a Cluedo board between the Library and the Conservatory!

C'mon, try it - it's uh.. fun. Sort of. OK, I admit it, I don't get out much.

If you need a laugh, go here: Stuff on my cat

I did another one, and this one's funnier:

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Your doula!

In her entire life, your doula will produce only a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey.
Twenty-eight percent of Microsoft's employees are your doula.
You should always store your doula in an airtight container in the fridge.
Olive oil was used for washing your doula in the ancient Mediterranean world!
Oranges, lemons, watermelons, pineapples and your doula are all berries.
Your doula is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature!
Your doula can fly at an average speed of fifteen kilometres an hour.
Plato believed that the souls of melancholy people would be reincarnated into your doula!
Pacman was originally called your doulaman.
In the Great Seal of the United States the eagle grasps 13 arrows and your doula.

Addictive

2006-02-08T16:08:00.000-06:00

We've been having fun with this since the weekend:

Frvade

If you decide to try it, you MUST read the "Information" section first (and refer to it while trying to solve the puzzles), and you really should sign up for the Forums. I wouldn't have been able to solve most of them without the forums.

So far we've made it to Level 25. I'm ashamed to think of how many hours I've wasted playing this game, but once you start figuring out the puzzles, you don't want to stop.

First Socks of the New Year

2006-02-06T08:55:00.000-06:00

I got these finished in January, but didn't get a picture taken until just now. This was my first attempt at making identical socks. Usually I just pick up the yarn and start knitting, with no regards to where I am in the colorway. They didn't turn out exactly right, but I'm pleased with them! These were made with Fortissima Colori Socka yarn, on size 1 Brittany needles. I picked up this yarn at Urban Girl, where the lovely and talented Katie from Sage Junction Yarns stocks some yarn and needles. Sage Junction is about 20 miles from here, so it is much easier to just drop by Urban Girl. However, that didn't stop mom and I from taking a little mini-road-trip out to Sage Junction this weekend! We picked up some coffee and went out there with the boys. I got a ball of Opal and two balls of Socka.

I now have one ball of Sockotta (#2 in the picture) on the needles right now, 2 balls of Opal (Elements #1076 and Lollipop #1012) , 2 balls of Socka #9074, and 6 balls of Magic Stripes all waiting to be made into socks. I'm also working on a gift for someone, but it's SECRET, so I'm not going to disclose any more!

What is Friend?

2006-01-24T08:22:00.000-06:00

This morning, Cookie Monster sang this song on Sesame Street. It's one of my favorite Sesame Street songs, so I'm putting the lyrics here.

Sometime me think,
What is friend?
And me think,
Friend something very special.

A friend somebody to share your toys,
To stay with and to play with and to make a lot of noise,
To spin around until friend get dizzy,
And jump up and down until stomach get queasy,
And to sometimes tell stories to.
A friend somebody like you.

Sometimes me think,
What is friend?
And me think,
Friend something better than chocolate ice cream!

A friend somebody to take to park,
A buddy you can buddy with 'til it start getting dark,
To laugh and joke and hippity-hop it,
Or tickle and poke 'til friend tell you to stop it,
And me no think of any more.
Well maybe friend somebody
You give up last cookie for.

Listening

2005-11-11T14:44:00.000-06:00

I first heard about this guy last week. I was watching ER, and they played this lovely, bluesy song at the end. The only phrase I caught from it was "seen it all before", so I immediately started looking for it online. Unfortunately, I had the lyric wrong, and listened to about two dozen songs with "heard it all before" somewhere in them, until it hit me that the lyric might actually have been "seen". Duh! I found it right away, then.

Ol' Gimp-eye

2005-10-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I noticed a spot in my vision (right eye). It looks like when someone takes your picture with a flash camera, you know how that little spot stays there for a few minutes, then goes away? Well, it was there all day yesterday - and nobody took my picture. While eating dinner, I noticed a second one had popped up as well, so now there are two camera-flashes in my right eye.

So I decided to head to the eye institute this morning. They ran all kinds of tests - first an intraocular pressure test (not the air-puff one, the kind where they put the yellow numbing stuff in your eye and then TOUCH YOUR EYE with the little machine. TOUCH YOUR EYE!), then they dilated my eyes. I waited for a bit in the blinding lights of the dimly-lit waiting area, then the Good Doctor took me back and did an exam where he shined a light so bright into my eyes that I kept squinting, and when he was done, everything was green. He said my retina and cornea looked good, he couldn't find anything wrong. Except the pressure in my right eye was 24 and my left eye was 20. Normal is 10-21. So they did the visual field test. This is way fun if you've never had one. They put a patch over your eye (I couldn't resist saying "AARRRRR!!!"), then you look into this big white bowl-shaped thingie and focus on one orange light in the middle. Then little lights sparkle in your peripheral vision, and you click a button each time you see one. I passed with flying colors.

He suspected that while I don't have glaucoma, it could be the beginning stages of it in my right eye. So he gave me some drops to put in once a day, and I'm supposed to go back in a week to see how it's doing.

Here's the hilarious part. The drops are made from prostaglandins! Y'all know my job, and one of the substances I hate are prostaglandins. It's the stuff they put next to the cervix to get it to dilate. There are gentle ones, like Prepidil and Cervidil, and nasty ones like Cytotec. I've always said I will never let prostaglandins NEAR my body. And look - I'm now putting them in my EYE! MY EYE! (howl)

So, please say a little prayer for my gimp-eye, that it responds well to the drops, and that the pressure decreases. I really don't want to worry my pretty little head about going blind this early in life!

Boo!

2005-10-27T09:27:00.000-05:00

This is my archenemy, my nemesis. The Black House Spider. I friggin' hate him. Them.

We've been having some major spider problems - there must be a nest or something, right outside our front door. I'd been killing around 7 spiders a day, most don't make it past the entryway. Yesterday when the neighbor girl came over (we take her to school in the mornings), they were waiting and a few scurried right in. Little buggers! So, tired of being held prisoner in my own home (afraid to open the front door), I ran to Home Depot and found some super-duper insecticide and went to war on those suckers. LOL! There's tons of little (and big) spider carcasses outside my front door now. I'm leaving them there for Halloween. Tee-hee!

Yesterday Mason had his 12 month check-up and vaccinations. He cried. He weighs 21 lbs. 13oz. (65%), and is 31" tall (90%). I thought he would weigh more than that, I was thinking around 24 pounds! He just seems so big to me, and is solidly in 18 month size clothes. That's typical of my boys though - they're always in one size larger than their age, because they're so tall! Someday all three of my boys will be towering over me.

Uh, hi!

2005-09-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

I've seriously neglected my blog. And I really had no intention of doing so! Really.

My computer died and just got a new one, and my photo sharing stuff is GONE gone gone. I have some pics of the boys I want to share though!

Here's the three of them on our lawn. Mason isn't really that huge, he's just further forward than the other two. I was taking pics of their feet in black & white for a collage in our bedroom. More to share soon!!

Listening

2005-04-22T07:59:00.000-05:00

This is Jem, my new favorite artist/CD. You can listen to the entire CD at her website, which I think is GENIUS, because when you're poor like me, you can afford to get maybe 6 CDs a year. I am so leery of buying new CDs just in case there's only one good song on there and the rest suck. But when you can listen to the whole CD, then you know you're making a good investment. Hear that, record companies?? So I bought it this week.

Monday Darien has his "kindergarten roundup" in the late afternoon, we'll meet the teachers and see the classrooms. Monday night I have to drive 100 miles to sing with Civic Chorus, I will get back late.. ugh. Tuesday I get my Mirena! I can't wait to be infertile! Let's hope my cervix cooperates, otherwise Deb won't do it and I'll have to go back when I get my period. And who knows when THAT will be?

Our internet access is majorly sucking (we have wireless). And the ISP is not really trying to figure out what the problem is, so today, we are switching providers.

Fire-crotch.

2005-04-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I am now a balding redhead. No, I didn't take a picture.

Here's the story.. last year I purchased Allure magazine's Beauty Box, as I do most years. In it was a hilighting kit - PERFECT for me - it was light blonde hilights (Clairol Natural Dimensions) for dark-medium blonde or light brown hair. Which is what I have.

I decided last night to do the hilighting. I've never hilighted before. I started to follow the instructions, but by the time it looked "done", there was still a TON of color in the bottle, so I thought I'd use a little more. I did some under-layers and such. I waited 25 minutes (the box said 30). I washed it out. My hair was the same color as a Barbie! Bright yellow-white. But only in PATCHES. The rest of it was a decent blonde.

So this morning I called the Clairol hotline and asked what to do. In order to get some semblance of normal, I needed to first re-color it red, then dark blonde, to get an auburn-y color (if I did just the dark blonde/light brown, it could turn green or purple.. NOT good). So I did. In the shower, my hair came out in handfuls.

I still have plenty of hair left, I just hope more doesn't fall out. And I really can't believe I have red hair. Dan says I have a "hot Donna" thing going on now (from That 70's Show). Although she's blonde now, and she looked so much better red.

*sigh*

Lesson learned: ALWAYS FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS! Too subtle is better than... well, THIS.

Winter.. er, Spring.. Wonderland!

2005-03-22T10:52:00.000-06:00

Snow!

Look, it finally snowed! This is the view out my front bay window. Yes, I live in North Dakota and this is the most snow we've had all season. It's sickening, really. We have this kickass John Deere tractor with a snowblower attachment, and I think Dan has used it once since we got it. Looks like I will be shoveling this afternoon!

Yesterday was my lecture at the University. I think it went well, but if she ever asks me to do it again, I will make changes. I talked about labor, birth, interventions, methods of pain management, and doulas. I think next time I will start off talking about doulas so that I can spend as much time as I want - I felt like I ran out of time on that subject. My dad decided to come and watch, and so did Sister Thomas, the president of the U! I was a little nervous when she came in.

Last night instead of going to Civic Chorus, I went out to eat with my family. I'm such a bad girl. I really do love Chorus, but we really needed some family time out of the house. So the fish I had thawing went back into the fridge for tonight. I think my husband just didn't want to have fish for dinner, LOL. He doesn't care that it's good for him.

In a little while I will brave the snow again to go pick up DJ from school. Then I take the kids to my mom's - Tuesday afternoons I have the day "off" from motherhood! I'm probably going to pick up a few things at Target, deposit some checks, and then come home and clean - I have some pretty nasty hot spots that have turned into forest fires.

Out of the Fog

2005-03-11T14:07:00.000-06:00

A fashion maven, even then. Circa 1978.

Alright, I think, finally, things are going to start looking up soon!

First was the insomnia, I mentioned that already. After that, we all got sick. I got lucky and my cold turned into a sinus infection. On the day of Mason's baptism (Sunday), mom took me to the clinic and I got three drugs: an antibiotic, some Flonase, and a cough/decongestant/narcotic syrup. The narcotic stuff was supposed to clear my nose and help me sleep. It didn't. Instead, I got impossibly drowsy, but couldn't sleep. The antibiotic started doing its job, but yesterday it started doing a different, highly unpleasant job. It gave me diarrhea - really nasty, every-20-minutes stuff. So I was going to go back into the clinic but decided my own doctor was better, which meant I had to wait an hour. She sent me away with some Zithromax and instructions to not eat dairy (I haven't had milk in ages) and to eat lots of bananas (I'm allergic to those, thanks).

Well, last night I slept like a rock - from about 9:30 until 6:30 this morning. I still have the Big D, but it's not like it was yesterday. So, $170 later, I think I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Oh, and I got my period back yesterday, too. I had to cancel my lecture at the University this week, so I'm doing it 3/21 instead. Mason finally got his shots this morning, too - supposedly his 4-month ones, but first he was sick, then I was sick, then his pediatrician was in an accident and hurt his back, & so we saw a different one today (my own doctor's husband), and Mason's now almost 5 months old.

Oh well, at least I found time to BLOG, right?

I'm Lynette.

2005-03-03T21:08:00.000-06:00

Which Desperate Housewife are *you?* Take the quiz. My results should not be a surprise to anybody! I took it twice though - it came out Susan the first time. I decided to take it again, and lo and behold - they asked different questions the second time, and it came out Lynette.

Things are going slightly better than they were during my last post. Last week I had a long birth Monday-Tuesday, no sleep Monday night. Tuesday afternoon my mom took the kids and I crashed - yay! Then I had good sleep the rest of the week. Seemed my insomnia troubles were over.. until this week! Monday night, I got 3 hours. Tuesday night, I got 1 1/2 hours. How is this POSSIBLE?! Dan stayed home yesterday so I could nap, and of course, I couldn't. But last night I slept from 10:30 to 6:45. So we'll see what tonight brings. Please send me sleep vibes.

This is a busy weekend for me. Tomorrow (Friday), my mom's group is meeting here for our Book Talk. Saturday all my relatives come to town. Sunday is Mason's baptism. Monday I am doing a two hour lecture at the University (for which I am still not totally prepared). Tuesday Mason has his 4-month shots.

can't do it much longer

2005-02-16T12:53:00.000-06:00

Is it possible to actually die from lack of sleep? 'Cause if it is, this is my last entry because this is also my last day on earth. In the last couple of weeks, I've gotten ONE night of 7 hours of sleep, the rest have been 3-6. I can't survive this way.

Mmmmmm

2005-02-13T16:17:00.000-06:00

Right now, I'm sipping a hot, lovely, caramel latte. You may not know, but I used to be a Starbucks barista, back before I was a mother, and even before I was married. I worked at Barnes & Noble back then, mainly in the music department, and I was also trained to work in the Cafe. The Cafe, with Starbucks' name on it, insisted that all Cafe workers be trained just like any Starbucks barista. So my husband is very lucky to be married to someone who can whip up a latte Starbucks-style for a lot less money! Complete with Reddi Wip and caramel sauce drizzled over the top. Let the fun out!

I put my hair in braids today, then went grocery shopping. I felt like a fool because the People magazine with Julia Roberts and her babies was plastered all over the store and guess what? Her hair is in braids exactly like mine.

Weekend

2005-02-06T08:53:00.000-06:00

Daddy 'n baby

Isn't that just the sweetest thing you ever done seen? And they weren't even posing. Well, OK - Mason was posing, a little. Dano was sleeping. He was kinda twitching, even.

Happy Superbowl Sunday to everyone who cares. Meaning, we don't watch it here. I don't even know who's playing. How un-American of me!

Yesterday we had a nice visit with some friends from Minneapolis (soon to be from Wisconsin as soon as their house gets finished!), they were passing through on their way back from a wedding in western ND. They are currently childless, and I always wonder if hanging out with our zoo makes for good birth control, or makes people want children. Last night we watched "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". It was good, and a nice break from all the action flix we've been watching lately. By the way, "Bourne Supremacy" is not quite as good as "Bourne Identity", but still worth watching.

Today I'll be going grocery shopping (I like to go on Sundays so I can grab a Sunday paper), and then I have a client meeting at 3:00, at the Southside Starbucks. Whee! She's due later this month, and then I'm back in the swing of things with births. I get to lecture at the local University in March, I'm scared out of my mind about it, but also looking forward to it.

Tomorrow is... dun-dun-DUHHHHNNNN!!!!... shots day for Darien. I so do NOT want to do this. When they're babies, it's different. It's like cruel and unusual punishment to vaccinate a four-year-old. So I probably won't post tomorrow, I'll be busy devoting lots of time, love, and attention to my firstborn.

Bait 'n Switch

2005-01-28T13:38:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, I'm a staunch supporter of VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean). I get really mad when a woman who wants to VBAC tells me all these nonsense things her doctor said. Daily, women are told they can't birth a baby vaginally because their hips are too small, their pelvises inadequate, their babies too big; their bodies are broken. I myself was told these very same things, and went on to birth TWO more babies, both larger than the c-section baby, vaginally. HA! The only place, it seems, there is refuge from all the garbage, is my ICAN list. Elaine, a lovely listmember, posted a "comic strip" idea, called Bait and Switch. Here it is.

So I envision this comic strip: an interaction between

a VBAC mom and her OB. Anyone good at drawing?

Here would be the conversation:

------------

Bait:

NEWLY PREGNANT MOM: "Hi! I'm newly pregnant and want a

VBAC. Do you support VBACS?"

DOC: "Yes we do, we loooove VBACS. come on board!"



Switch:

DOC AT 25 WEEKS: "Just want to tell you about some of

the restrictions we have for VBACs: we require you

don't go a day over 38 weeks, we require continuous

EFM, an epidural in place in case your uterus

explodes, you can't have eaten for 2 days prior to

going into labor, and the moon can't be full. "



DOC AT 30 WEEKS: "Oooo this baby is getting big! We

don't allow our moms to VBAC babies over 5 lbs. Moms

who VBAC with babies over 5 lbs have a 96% risk of

their uterus exploding all over the place. Besides,

your pelvis is really small and you aren't capable of

birthing a baby over 3.6 lbs anyway."



DOC AT 34 WEEKS: "I just checked your cervix and it

isn't dilated at all, which means that there is

something wrong with your body and you are never going

to go into labor. I can tell your baby is going to be

at least 7 lbs and you probably aren't going to

deliver before 38 weeks. Lets schedule your repeat CS.

After all, you don't want to die do you? You don't

want your baby to get brain damage or die do you? New

studies have come out that show that the rate of

uterine rupture in  VBACs is actually 56%. Just

remember, in the end all that matters is a healthy

baby"



DOC AT 36 WEEKS: "I can't believe you haven't

scheduled your repeat CS yet. Hmmm. Welllll.... lets

just do an ultrasound to check on baby's weight. Won't

that be fun? Uh oh... While we did the ultrasound we

found out that your amniotic fluid is low, you have

bursitis in your elbow and your placenta is made of

ham. Your baby will die if you attempt VBAC. I'm sorry

but you have run out of options. We will need to

schedule a CS. Which is too bad because I really

support VBACs. Oh well, all that matters is a healthy

baby."