A Stay at Home Mom Day

Yesterday our daycare provider had a day off, which means I got a Stay-at-Home Mom Day. I love a day like this. Instead of starting our week off getting myself up and ready, then getting the Twinners up and ready, then loading the car and driving to daycare, then on to work....

Well...

Instead Stay-at-Home Mommy and the Twinners got up when we were ready. Then we ate oatmeal. Then Stay-at-Home Mommy called the Lyon's, and left a VM requesting a spur of the moment play date. Then we got dressed. Then Stay-at-Home Mommy tidied up the house and started some laundry. Then we all played with friends, and we ate lunch.

Then the Twinner's skipped naps, and we went to Costco. At Costco, Stay-at-Home Mommy strolled the less-crowded-weekday-warehouse aisles. She listened to her fun three-year-olds jabber, chat, and converse about cereal, the colors of the boxes, Dean's favorite (Mac and Cheese), and the pretty flowers Marly liked, and on and on. Then we came home, unloaded, and headed outside again (on another steamy summer day) to play in the cool kiddy pool. Then Stay-at-Home Mommy made supper while sipping Sangria. Then the Daddy/Husband came home, and could relax after a long day and watch the evening news, while Stay-at-Home Mommy finished a nice, healthy, fresh supper.

Then the Thomberg's carried on with their evening. Stay-at-Home Mommy was feeling like she had given her household and family 100%, if only for one day. Stay-at-Home Mommy went to bed contented.

Stay-at-Home Mommy is back to work today, and life is still good.

P's 5th Birthday

Our godchild P turned 5 on Tuesday. As part of her birthday celebrations, she got to go out to dinner - Her choice.

Where do 5 year olds pick to dine??? - Space Aliens. We met the Huwe's at their Albertville location. As luck would have it, kids eat free on Tuesday's and get a handful of complimentary tokens for the arcade room, which is important, because most adults probably wouldn't have this as a top restaurant choice. P in the teal dress.

For her gift, we contributed to her Land's End pack back and lunch bag with name monogrammed onto it. We are into practical gifts, and thought this would be perfect for her first day of school!

The truth is, I can't believe my best friend's first born is FIVE YEARS OLD!

Wednesdsay AM Detour

Last evening Dean claimed he had a bug in his ear.

I first learned of this issue around 5:46 pm, when Mark called me on my cell phone. We were both driving in seperate vehicles at the time (me coming from work, and Mark from home with the Twinnners), with the intent to connect and travel on to an event as a family.

"What should I do?" Mark inquired.

"Well - Your driving and Dean is in his car seat, right?" I responded.

"Yes..."

"Is Dean in pain?" I asked.

"No."

"Is he upset about it?"

"Not really..."

"Well then what do you think you are going to do right now!?!? There is nothing you can do. Try and distract him or something." I responded.

We met up, and headed on to our destination together. When I got in the car, Dean exclaimed, "Mommy there's a bug in my ear." I asked if he was okay, and yes he was. Dean was fine at the birthday dinner we attended. Back at home, we took a look farther inside Dean's ear. He was not telling us there was a 'BUG' in his ear. He was saying 'BALL'.

Indeed, there was a little green bead/ball lodged in Dean's ear. I have seen these little, plastic, colored balls/orbs/beads floating around the house. I have no idea what they are from, but a sphere was now located inside Dean's ear. We made a few futile attempts to remove it, but thought better to wait for professional assistance (like a Dr with more efficient tools than our tweezers). Again we asked if hurt, "No..."

So, this morning I called the 24 hour clinic appointment line and got in at 8:40 AM with a brand new (young) pediatrician. 20 minutes and a $20 dollar co-pay later, the small, green, circular object (BALL) was removed from Dean's ear.

The weather this morning is perfect. The sun is shining. The air has just a tinge of fall in it. The sky is a glorious blue, with just a few picturesque clouds.... and all is WELL! It is a good morning for an unusual detour.

Now - back to my regularly scheduled work day!

The Family Calendar

Mark and I have problems coordinating our schedules. Yup, you guessed it, this puts a nick in marital bliss (what's that!!!!)... somewhat regularly.

Neither of us uses a Blackberry or phone with calendar applications. Apparently, Mark doesn't add our personal activities to his Outlook work calendar. Apparently, I am negligent of NOT writing family activities or events in general on our standard paper calendar, (sent to us by our realtor around the holiday's) which hangs on the side of our fridge.

So... let's hope the Cozi family calendar I signed up for last Friday might finally help us avoid our regular last minute arguments about how one or the other didn't know about an event. (Insert here - Dave Matthews Band Concert Mark will be missing in September due to a work training event for Mark in Duluth). Now we can both be accountable for all of our activities. I do plan to make 95% of the entries to the calendar, but realize now Mark can easily find them all, or add what he needs.

Anyway, I have registered for the free online service, and hope it solves some of our issues. I have entered every event I can think of so far, (including the kids dental appoints next March). The events/postings are color coded by which family member is involved. I plan to print the calendars in monthly form regularly as they change, and post them on the fridge where our standard calendar now hangs. You can make events re-occuring (such as kids sports activities). Both Mark and I can log on and access the calendar at any time, and add or make changes to it. That means if Mark is at work, he can go on line and check our families activities if necessary. If desired, we can print a weekly version with more details.

The on line service can also be used to send e mails or text messages to each family member, and will also send reminder notices about events. If you have internet on your phone, you can add appointments from anywhere.

Organization (or an actual Family Calendar that works) could just improve my marriage here folks!

I know, I know... the whole on line family calendar is NOT new, but it is new to me.

Birthdays....

Is today August 19th? Today would have been my mom's Birthday. She would have been 58 years old.

Memories....

Tourists in Town

Sunday we decided to be tourists in town.

We headed to Lake Harriett to ride the trolley.

Wherever you live, I think there are many fun opportunities to explore,

we simply overlook them.

Marly with the wind in her hair.

Watching the sailboats.

What a nice, calm Sunday afternoon.

Just the THREE of us!

Friday morning I woke up and decided to STAY HOME! The idea had been swirling around my head since Thursday at lunch with two co-workers. I started my internal dialog by saying out loud, more as a question then a statement, "I think I am going to take PTO tomorrow?!"

And so I did. I called Daycare Cindy around 7:40 AM and alerted her the kids weren't coming. We were going to the beach instead! I headed to the Internet to find the address of a new beach and splash pad I had heard about in Blaine. I packed the cooler with hard salami, string cheese, grapes, granola, pita chips, hummus, and water. The kids suited up and we made the first stop of our carefree day - Caribou Coffee to visit daddy, pick up a Breve, and the kid's life jackets (which were in Mark's vehicle).

Next stop,  Aquatore Park in Blaine to check out the Teddy Bear Band. I noticed they were playing at 10:30 AM when I went on line to find the address of the city beach. Not a huge hit with the Twinners, but glad we checked it out for a few songs.

And then it was on to Lakeside Commons Park and Beach on a overcast, yet humid day. The kids rotated between the prestine playground, the splash pad, and the beach... and they had a blast. I had a blast too. It was just me and my Twinners. No girlfriends, no daddy, no phone calls, (no camera), no books to read - Just me, Marly and Dean.

Because it was JUST THE THREE of us, I took more time to play in the water, listen, talk, encourage, and watch my two beautiful three years olds. I observed and enjoyed their development. I loved on them, and loved for being a mom.

For one day, for a few hours, life was very simple, very good and very uncomplicated.

Where does the $ go???

Where does all of our hard earned income go anyway??? Well, let's see..

First there is the giant willow tree in our backyard. The Tuesday after the 4th of July, I had the day off. At 8:30 AM, Marly, Dean and I were still in our PJ's when the doorbell rang. The man at the door explained he was from a tree service working up the street. He asked if I would like an estimate on the willow tree in the backyard.

"An estimate on what?" I asked.

"Ma'am, Have you looked in your backyard today? Perhaps you should come around the back with me?"

So there I was in Mark's big, navy blue bathrobe and bare feet inspecting the huge downed willow branch on my neighbors yard.

We haggled over the price and service. The men returned and the mess was fixed before Mark arrived home from work. The gentleman was kind enough to alert me the entire willow tree was rotted and eventually would need to be removed, or it will come down bit by bit. Mark and I are going for bit by bit. You see, we love this giant messy tree, and the estimate to remove it was $1,300....

Then there is our upstairs toilet. Yet again, the Twinners had flushed something down it. Roto-Rooter costs $150 to remove your toilet (which I know from past experience, although somehow I got it for a lot less due to a customer service issue). So, we bought a toilet snake. It didn't work. I plunged, and plunged and tried to default to the downstairs toilet for like a month. Then, Mark removed the toilet. He tried to dislodge whatever was inside. The toilet is old, with traps and curves to catch things - things never to be removed. The toilet got put back on (and I plunged).

Mark trecked to Lowe's in search of a those toilets they advertise you can't plug up. What he wanted was out of stock. I plunged for another week, until we got this! The new toilet cost more then Roto-Rooter, but not if you make more  then one call!

We have decided our new Kohler was money well spent. In the mean time, we are the trashy neighbors with a toilet on our patio. I keep meaning to put a "free" post on Craig's List... but who wants a toilet with a bath toy trapped in it?

Neighborhood curbside dump day is in September....

Next, there is my driver's side car door. It broke on Friday when I returned home from work. I was unable to open the door from the inside. I was like Dukes of Hazard until Monday when I could go get it fixed. $217 later, I am no longer climbing out the side. (Oh... did I mention it appears the motor is going out on my driver's door window, so sometimes when I put it down, I can't get it back up!!!)

There you have it. Where the $ go!!!

Wait.. I almost forgot. Our bathroom sink downstairs was backed up a week ago. Sewage was coming up and filling the sink when we showered, or ran the dishwasher, or washing mashine. We weren't sure what or which the culpurate was. Thankfully, our home warranty covered the stoppage removal for the cost of the $60 service call fee. It turns out I have been throwing things I should not down the garbage disposal!!

Miracle Treat Day 2010

Days after the big event, I am still riding a DQ Miracle Treat Day high! My day began at 5 am with set up for possible news live shots of the Blizzardmobile, which would be visiting our hospital later in the day. Miss America was on hand for the hoopla as well. Around noon, the super cool Blizzardmobile started handing out mini Blizzards to the waiting line at Regions. After only an 1 1/2, over 1400 treats had been distributed. If you want to see more, check out the Gillette Blog...

Later in the day, the Thomberg's headed out to a DQ near our home to support the cause.

Even later on Thursday, I decided the day wasn't quite done. The generous Woodbury DQ operator decided to stay open until midnight to raise more money. Exhausted, fresh out of the shower, and still wrapped in a towel, I called my dear friend Jesse at 9:47 pm and convinced her to join me in my endeavor to consume even more calories. Here we are at 11 pm eating our last Blizzard of Miracle Treat Day (with freshly washed hair and mostly void of make up...).

On Friday several individuals from our hospital foundation were invited to the DQ Corporate Headquarters for a picnic to celebrate the successes of Miracle Treat Day, and the 25th Anniversary of the Blizzard. Yes, I ate another Blizzard (of course!).

I finally remembered to get a picture of the Blizzardmobile, which will be retiring shortly after a summer of touring the States and Canada. Chad is the man in blue. He is the Blizzardmobile personality/DJ/ringleader of the fun extraordinaire.

Folks, I may be 35 years old, but the Blizzardmobile was seriously chilled fun on four wheels! CLICK HERE for more facebook photos of the Mpls visit.

Anyway, I suppose it is time to come down from the sugar high.

The Kids Weekend, and Ours...

This past weekend Kelly took the kids for a weekend with Auntie! The kids get so excited, Dean was waiting in the car ready to go before we were. They made trip to the Washington County Fair on Saturday.

Sunday they had some time at the Forest Lake beach.

Meanwhile, Mark and I decided to check out a few area vineyards. We thought we could stay cool inside while sipping wines. We checked out Wine Haven near Chisago and Chateau St Criox in St Criox Falls, Wisconsin. We had a glass here and there, and some apple wine at a restaurant in town. It was some very nice together time for both of us. Unfortunately, my camera batteries were dead, so no photos of this mommy and daddy footloose and fancy free.

Vacation Post #3

I'm NOT wet Mommy!!!

This year, Lake Superior is at record high water temperature.

Photos taken on the beach at Lutsen Resort.

Miracle Treat Day is nearly here!

Dairy Queen Miracle Treat Day is just days away (Thursday, August 5th)

Please go support your local Children's Miracle Network hospital and have a Blizzard this Thursday. Locally you will be helping the hospital I work at - Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare.

As always, I am busy working to coordinate and promote the event. I am sure I will be eating plenty myself this MTD. Last year I actually got a sugar hang over. The Blizzardmobile and Miss America are also visiting our hospital, so it will be an exciting day. Finally, tune in to FOX 9 News beginning Wednesday morning. They are doing a 25 Hour Countdown to Miracles phone in fund drive.

You can also take the Blizzard Pledge by clicking HERE! (or for more information in general)

ENJOY this Thursday. AND... help us spread the word on Facebook, your blog, etc.