Storm in my Head

I HATE.headaches! 

Hate 'em. 

Despise, abhor, strongly dislike, can't stand, detest, deplore, loathe, and resent the debilitating pain in my head!  I feel like I can't focus on people and what they are saying.  The light hurts my eyes, even if it is a cloudy day and I am wearing sunglasses.  Can.not.focus!  Can.not.enjoy my children.  Nauseousness go away, I really don't want to puke!  Anyway, last week I endured 3 days of horrible, terrible, no good, very bad headaches and Monday of this week resulted in the same pain!  No fun at all!  Pain pain go away, and stay away!  I have been doing so well with so few headaches.  I really do not want to return to the land of regular really bad headaches/migraines!    

Better than a Bargain!!

Last week was free garbage pick-up in Elmhurst. You see, the residents who live there only get to throw out garbage in the wheeled containers each week. Once a year, for a week, they can toss whatever they want and the pickin's are great! People put their "garbage" out early so junk pickers, like me, and metal seeking junk-trunks will take their goodies home for free. Seriously, you could probably furnish a home for free. After reading about Cindy's earth_day_green, seeing streets lined with toss outs/garbage/trash/junk/perfectly good items seemed a bit ironic. Anyways, I digress. I always know free junk pick-up week has arrived as I drive to bell choir rehearsal on Tuesday evening as the neighborhood I drive through has Wednesday garbage pick-up, so I know.

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Tuesday night after rehearsal, I brought home:

• Little Tikes plastic easel
• jigsaw puzzles
• a child's pitching machine, only needed batteries
• a toy golf club with a little golf cart
• orange mini cones, to mark the turn arounds for Simon's biking and scooting on our sidewalk
• a plastic tray table for the front porch
• an outside scooter for my sitter. All for free.

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I am not done yet. Not.Near.Done!!!

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I was too tired on Wednesday night to go out and I could not find a friend to go with me. I proceeded to sleep on the couch starting around 8:30 p.m. No Wednesday bargains for me!

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Eric got tickets to the Bull's playoff game for Thursday night. So, I fed the kids a quick bowl of pasta, tossed on their jammies, put them in the car, and off we went junk picking. Simon had no idea. On the way he said"Mommy, we have plenty of toys" and "maybe a baby toy for Norah". He had no idea. The first stop and freebie was a hobby horse. I showed Simon how it worked and told him he could now play cowboy. A few minutes later he said "I LOVE JUNK PICK". That's my boy! So the treasures found and stashed into my car that night included (mind you, I was driving a Honda Civic with 2 car seats filled with 2 happy children):

• a larger golf cart with more clubs (so we left the other golf cart on the curb- you know, bigger and better)
• another, better plastic tray table with a removable top with storage for the front porch. (The other can be used in the back yard.)
• 2 plastic white chairs for the back yard (I actually searched for these until I found them. I missed out on chairs at 2 other stops. To which Simon said "they took your chairs". To which I said, "they weren't really mine. We'll find more". )
• A hockey stick (Simon saw it and had to have it)
• mini beach ball
• toy shopping cart for Norah (To which Simon said "when Norah walks away, then I can push it." It only needed a bolt.)
• 2 child sized plastic Adirondack-ish styled chairs, a bit faded
• half a trunk full of cardboard brick blocks

So imagine two plastic chairs and a side table in the front seat next to you with the legs sticking into your side. Yep, that's how I drove home. But it all fit. And I peeled my kiddos out of the car and put them to bed. We have already enjoyed some of our better-than-a-bargain items!

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What are your better-than-a-bargain items?

"Toebuck"

I recently was inspired to attempt to make my Grandma's Zwieback recipe. The most delicious buns in all the world! And the only way I will ever eat them is if, well, I accomplish the impossible. You see, Grandma's were always PER.FECT. And I really do mean perfect. All these years I have never made it. Partly because there is not a given recipe. My sister has one version written down from when she went to have Grandma show her how in person. I have my version. Somehow my Mom has a recipe, even though she never made them. So, I face the fear and intimidation and brave an internet version. Needed to be sweeter and richer. So, now I need to compare and try more sugar and investigate lard. As I was making them, Grandma's comments swirled in my head. Like she was standing there telling me to just do it, it's not that hard. This is what she said in my head:

• keep the dough soft
• don't handle the dough too much, you want a soft dough
• you must use lard
• just squeeze it with your hands
• put the dry ingredients on one side of the bowl and swirl into the wet ingredients

Yeah, those comments didn't help me too much! Here are 3 zwieback I would have possibly considered showing Grandma.

And at my sister's request, here is a sample of the unpresentable.

My family sure enjoyed eating them, and Simon kept calling them "toebuck".

Boy, do I have a lot to figure out.

Anyone out there who can help?!?!?!

Easter Time

Good Friday we spent at the Arboretum with friends from church. I love the bush maze with the large "tree house" that overlooks the lovely grounds. Missing from this picture is Norah and myself!

Because our children and 7:00 evening church services do not get along, we had split shifts. Eric went to the Maundy Thursday service. Which I love because it has communion and the somber stripping of all accessories on the altar. I went to the Good Friday service to ring bells and reflected on the crucifiction. We all thoroughly enjoyed the Easter celebration of our risen Lord together as a family.

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Easter morning we enjoyed the 8:00 Easter service as a family and the brunch that followed. We came home to leisurely search for hidden Easter baskets, Blue's Clues style. Simon had his 3 clues to draw in his "handy dandy notebook". He found his clues on the bottom oven drawer, the picture window, and his chair. We then sat in his "thinking chair" to figure out where the clues led. We discovered that the food tray in the oven drawer and his high chair are used on the front porch to eat outside, which we could see out the front window. There was his basket! Norah's one clue led her to her favorite cabinet that has a few toys that she can play with while I cook. We were invited to Easter dinner at the Biesel's house and I just brought tulips! How delicious to walk into a warm and yummy smelling home as company. They had an Easter egg hunt in their back yard and their back fence opens to a park and field. We had a lovely time. Then desserts at Grandma's house to see some of Eric's family.

Adorable Norah in her handmade dress and hat!

Spring Break

My Spring Break ended a few weeks ago, but here are glimpses of our wonderful week.

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Matthew, Kelli, and Ian, friends from IN, visited us the first weekend. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon and evening with them. Then we had a playdate with Kelli and Ian on Tuesday. Norah and Ian enjoyed looking out the window.

Monday was spent enjoying Oak Park and then heading to the Garfield Park Conservatory. Simon enjoyed an Eye Spy game throughout each room in the "plant place". Here is what he learned and some gorgeous sights.

Bromeliad: Like a tank that holds water for the plant and bugs.

A Jade tree, where the leaves hold and store liquid.A Sensitive Plant, where the leaves squeezed together when touched. Look for the smooshed branches.A Swiss Cheese plant, with holes in the leaves to trick animals into thinking it is a sick plant.Magical spaces and inspiring sights.A model of a seed in the Children's Garden. Simon loved looking inside. And this is what he saw.Wednesday we met friends at the Arboretum. Chilly, but fun!
A pop-up peek-a-boo game in the little bush maze! Thursday evening we enjoyed the free evening at the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. Fun was had by all!Norah loved the water and got soaked! Friday brought the largest and longest memory game ever conducted at our house! The week went by fast and we all enjoyed Mommy days at home! A glimpse of what summer shall bring!

Tipsy and Topless

But not quite what you think!!!

Yesterday morning we were a bit rushed trying get Simon to preschool on time. I sent Simon to put on his socks and shoes. Then I heard bang, boom, crash. Which caused me to run and my heart to race. What didI see? His dresser tipped over, all the drawers open, and Simon trying to push the whole thing up! I quickly got him out but cannot right the darn piece of furniture. He was shocked, scared, and crying. Norah was safe in the highchair! His only complaint was the top of his hand hurt and that was nothing. The mind does funny things when shocked and your heart leaps into your throat. I called Eric home (he works only 1.5 miles away). The dresser was stuck on the floor base, so of course I could not get it right, it was tipsy. His ceramic piggy bank slid off, must have bounced off the bed and landed on the wood floor. UN-BROKEN! It is a personalized baseball piggy bank that is awesome and yesterday doubled as a cat (one life gone). All items on the top of the dresser slid and fell onto his bed and the floor, it was topless. I took Simon to preschool, left him there crying for me not to leave. But left I did and he was fine! Came home to clean up the room, not quite on my agenda, but clean I did. The only broken items were cracked picture frame, a broken CD case, and a piece of the dresser frame. That's all! It all missed Simon's head and he was not smooshed or injured. Now we bolt the darn piece of furniture to the wall, so tipsy and topless do not happen again!

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My Mom sent me this in an e-mail yesterday without even knowing the story! This is not Norah and we do not have a dog. Enjoy the Childproof Drawer!

10 Items or Less

I recently enjoyed

1. an Easter Egg Hunt
2. hunting for the perfect outfits to dress up my kiddos for Easter
3. gathering Easter basket items
4. hiding Easter baskets, and providing Blues Clues to find them
5. coloring with crayons
6. playing Memory
7. reading books while cuddling little bodies
8. giggles while playing peek-a-boo
9. hugs and kisses and tickles and pats and nuzzles galore
10. playing outside

So, all of these little joys and blessings are totally worth

1. fevers
2. teething and growing pains
3. middle of the night cry spells
4. emotional growth spurts (a.k.a. meltdowns/tantrums)
5. finishing my a.m. coffee at 2:00 p.m. after reheating it twice
6. my children's inability to always or completely dress themselves or manage personal belongings
7. sweeping the floor 3-5 times a day
8. eating my food cold, after cutting and assisting little people's ingestion
9. the little pieces that get lost in the dishwasher and the little socks that get lost in the washer/dryer
10. icky illnesses and owies

Norah Noel's First Birthday

We sure enjoyed celebrating Norah's first birthday! Here is a collection of pictures from her actual birthday and her birthday party. We enjoyed breakfast together as a family and then dropped Mommy off at her "big school" a.k. work. Eric picked up the kiddos from the sitter around 1:30 and visited with Grandma for awhile. The day was soooo very nice that they all sat outside in the driveway. They picked up Mommy after school at 3:00 p.m. sharp! We spent the lovely, 70 degree afternoon at the Arboretum. Headed home to open presents, have dinner and then venture out for our traditional 1st birthday treat at the Dairy Queen!!! The following Saturday we had her family birthday party and had a wonderful time. Enjoy the show!!!

There is nothing worse . . . .

. . . . . . than not being able to comfort your baby!!!  Norah slept last night from 7:30 p.m. until 8:15 p.m.  Then alternated from crying, screaming, whimpering, and dozing in our arms until about 10:30.  The crying, whimpering, and dozing continued through the night, in our bed. Screams of deafening decibels were emitted when she was lowered 1 cm. into the crib.  So, as to not have 2 kids awake (as Norah and Simon share a room), she slept with us.  Around 5:00 a.m., she finally succumbed to deep night sleep.  Oh, those aching teeth!!!  Only more to come :(

Precious, Little Time

A friend of mine recently posted about a list of phone calls she feels she needs to make. Someone commented with this article. Just wanted to pass it along to any of my interested readers for some validation of how Mom's are so busy! Click on the article to enlarge and read it.

Scary Moments

1. Simon loves Toy Story. However, Toy Story 2 was quite the opposite. Traumatizing in fact. He sobbed "Woody has to go to the house" practically the entire time! Then, when the toys come to rescue Woody and he turned away from Buzz and buddies, whoa - extra traumatic. Toys are very real! Fast-forwarding until Woody was safe in the home of Andy was very much appreciated!!!

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2. Simon woke up dazed and confused a short while back. Eric went to bed early and I was working in the basement. I heard him crying and wandering in the kitchen. I picked him up and Simon kept saying between sobs "Daddy not help me". Don't know what that was all about.

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3. One time Simon roused from bed around 10:30 p.m. and we were still up watching something in bed. Simon wandered first into our room then through the house looking for us. When he found us he said with tears "why you guys not in your bed". We think he thought he slept the entire night and it was morning.

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4. Simon had an ENT appointment, as he did not pass his hearing screening at preschool. With his history of ear infections and tubes, I thought the health department's next available appointment of May 6th was too far away. So, off to the ENT we went. Both tubes out, both ears filled with fluid as he is finishing a cold. Doc said it may take 3-6 weeks to clear the fluid, so the May 6th date is fine. Upon leaving the doctor's office, Simon had his hands on the elevator door and they got stuck in the elevator!! Thank God Eric was with me as he always brings out the calm in me! I pushed the "Close Door" button which did absolutely nothing. Simon's fingers did not budge. I was 1/2 second from yelling to the lady at the check-in desk whom I can see from the half opened elevator door. Eric just yanked his fingers free. Simon cried so hard as that was very scary and very painful. We took some time by the cushy chairs to recover and realized that they were not broken. Our assessment included no intense screaming when moving his fingers and no dangling/mis-shaped fingers. My little trooper spent the evening with ice on his swollen, sore fingers. We popped in a movie and had pears, popcorn, cheese, crackers, and sausage for dinner. Not quite the happy, desired ending to the fun day we had in Oak Park and the conservatory. The next morning he used them just like normal. Whew!!!! PE tube surgery, some of Norah's birth, and elevator fingers are my scariest Mom moments!!!

Fun Moments from February

Finally, some pictures of enjoyable moments as a family. One warm February Saturday, a nature center, literally surrounded by cement-ville, hosted a special event that included a bald eagle. I was so amazed at this creature's elegance, size, and beauty. Breathtaking.

After visiting the eagle and other critters inside, Simon could not resist helping himself to the puddles, mud, and snow. A royal mess which required a bath upon returning home.

And here is a favorite, Simon meeting Froggy!!! A character in his very favorite books. Froggy came to our library for story time and flop flop flopped into my little boy's heart!

Truly, a favorite pastime in our house. We all love looking out our 20 feet of windows! 10 feet in the living room and 10 feet in the family room!!

A 10

A 10?!?!
Are you serious?
Really, a 10?
How did that happen????

Just yesterday my baby boy's feet were teeny tiny with loveable chub and tasty toes. I thought a shoe size 10 was ridiculously huge and soooo far away. Today we found and purchased a new pair of gym shoes, and guess what, he fits into a size 10. Yep, for real, a double digit for his double lower mobile-movers, a.k.a. feet. I guess that means he has ridiculously huge feet. But to me, they still are small and quite adorable - especially when compared to Daddy's feet. Now THAT size 10 may just make me whimper with wonder!

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Not only with feet, but what is up with clothes? Every dress outfit (searching for the right classic looking Easter outfit) comes as a set. My skinny-but boy is barely in 3T pants at 3 1/2. But a 5T button down shirt and vest is not any too big for the wearer. So, I caved after searching a few stores with no success, which I have no time or tolerance for, and bought a 5T shirt/vest/pants set from my good, Yorktown Target. Because my Ardmore Target never has anything on my list. My guess is that he will fit into these pants in 2-3 years. Nothing like buying ahead! Seriously! Since we are encroaching upon size 5/5T, that means a move across the aisle to the Boys section. Really? Are you serious?!?!? No more T's after a number??? XS or S here we come, at least for shirts!!

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Since I mentioned searching a few stores, might I share some frustration with Kohl's? Girls have a large and expansive entire section of khakis, jeans, brown pants, capris, shorts, etc. Meaning, any length for covering the lower limbs, a.k.a. legs, is possible, in any color and number size with a T. Not to mention any color or pattern for dresses. Boys only have shorts and casual shirts, usually with ugly pictures. Yep, shorts - no pants - to cover the lower limbs, but nothing past the knees. Really, are you serious - in March? One style of dress khakis in sizes 4-7. But you see, we haven't moved across the aisle yet for pants. Then I found the perfect short sleeved plaid shirt that coordinated perfectly with Norah's green dress. However, upon reaching the check out counter I happened to notice on the side, a small iron-on of skulls and snakes!!! Seriously, why ruin a good shirt?!?!? Aagh, such is my frustration.