MOA Adventure

Mark and I have never taken the kids on an outing to the Mall of America, so Saturday was the day. First we made our adult/errand/project stops at Home Depot and Ikea. At Ikea, Mark moved fast and was in and out while the Twinners and I waited patiently in the car... to ... get... to... the ...mall... and see fish and more.

We started off with lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. The food was nothing to write home about, but I did sort of feel like I was on vacation with my family. The kids liked it plenty!

Next we headed to Underwater Adventure. Grandpa David met us there to see fish, sharks and jelly fish. Dean could be heard all along the route piping up, "PAPA look! PAPA! Come HERE! Look Papa!!!!!!!!!!"

Next we headed to Nickelodeon Universe. My Dad really wanted to take Dean on the Log Chute. Dean thought he wanted to go, until it was their turn in line. NOT SO MUCH! Marly only had to take one quick look at the log flying down the chute to decide she had no interest.

We did all ride the Dora Ferris Wheel. Have I ever mentioned Mark doesn't like Ferris Wheels? he took the photos from the ground.

The carousal is a crowd pleaser for all!

We finished off the afternoon with a quick stop at Gymboree to use my Gym Bucks before they expired. The Twinners are nearly 4, and needed to move on to some 4T clothes.

We didn't buy that much, Dean just insisted on carrying his own things, so I had to get an extra bag. Then he wanted to carry the other bag too. He is looking like he made quite a haul at the mall.

To wrap it up, we all had fun. It was a great cold weather outing! I will tell you, everyone else must have thought the same thing, because when we left at 3 pm the place was packed.

**We even ran into my cousin Karin. Mark pointed out we run into her somewhere every winter**

Tea Party at the Thombergs!

Saturday Mark and I met up with Papa David and took the kids on a Mall of America adventure. That means when we got home later in the afternoon, we didn't feel bad popping a RedBox DVD in for them to watch while we worked on a home improvement project in our bedroom upstairs.

Evidentally the movie wasn't very interesting, because at one point, Dean came up to announce he and Marly were hosting a tea party. I was invited to come join them.

This is what I found...I commend them for their lovely gathering and attention to detail. They are quite the host and hostess, after raiding the cupboard where I store items for entertaining.

They found a package with a new plastic green table clothe for the coffee table. Next, Marly and Dean filled crystal goblets with water from the bathroom. They have fine taste in serving wear as well. Notice the plastic Fischer Price cookies from their matching game in a Waterford Crystal bowl (which is a cherished wedding gift from my friend Amy's mom Maureen). They have an additional large Lenox bowl (a shower gift I recieved purchased from Jacoby Drug I think) on the table as well. It had some water in it, so perhaps they were serving punch. To add to the decor and look, they used a decorative squirrel bowl I put out in the fall, and the decorative white and silver bowl we use at Christmas. Notice there are votive candles in the center.

Marly's Fischer Price tea set with a pot that plays music, cups, plates, spoon and tray are no where to be found in this picture.

I gently packed everything away when they were done...
I like to throw a nice party.
It appears Marly and Dean are a lot like their mommy.

Wednesday Ramblings

6:04 am - Marly shuffles into the bathroom. She is up much earlier then usual. I am standing there getting ready. I take one quick glance and her and know Mark and I will be revising our plans for the day. Marly's face is red and blotchy. Her eye lashes are caked and crusty and mattery. Her nose is snotty - PINK EYE!

"Oh Honey..." I sweetly coo to my wee one.

6:07 - I yell, "MARK!!!" He is at his laptop at the kitchen table.

6:12 - Okay... I will go to my 8 am meeting at the hospital, return home, work from home, and take Marly to the doctor. We continue to get ready. Mark will take Dean to daycare and hang out with Marly athome until I return from my meeting.

6:15 - I e mail my boss and co-workers from my BlackBerry.

6:45 - My kind boss replies. Sure!

7:10 - Mark calls and makes a Dr. appointment. It is at 10:30 or 10:40. He can't recall which.

7:30 - I leave for work.

7:35- I am on 280, heading towards the 610 ramp. Something is wrong... I pull over. I have my second flat tire in 4 weeks. REALLY!!! A flat tire????????? I call Mark.

7:38 - I call my boss and explain my dilemma. There is no way I will be in attendance at the meeting.

7:40 - I wait in my car. We decided Mark should take Dean to daycare before helping me.

*I have never in my life had AAA or roadside assistance. Growing up in the country, if something went wrong, you called your husband or dad on the two-way radio, and help was on the way... or some neighbor came along to help you. For whatever reason, Mark and I have never invested in AAA.*

7:41 - I make a Facebook update, tweet @AndreaThomberg...then decide to call 911. I am sitting in a high flow traffic area, and I think Highway Helper would be a good idea when we do change the tire.

*Have I mentioned I have no coffee to drink? I tweeted that too...*

7:42 - I continue to play with my phone, then decide I might as well start to change the tire while I wait.

*Have I mentioned I know how to change a tire? My dad taught me after college. On my way to an internship interview in Duluth, I got a flat somewhere along Hwy 23, probably north of Mora. What did I do? Well I called my Dad (of course)! He told me to call a tow truck. Back at home, he showed me how to change the tire in our heated farm shop, with a floor jack and an air wrench. So... that is NOT exactly the same at the bitter cold roadside, but I know the basics.*

7:47 - I have the spare out and the car jacked up. It is bitter cold. I am properly clothed besides my feet. I have dress boots on.

7:55 - As the MnDot Hwy Helper pulls up, I realize I clearly do not have the strength to loosen the lug nuts.

*Have I mentioned my feet are freezing cold? My dad calls me EVERY SINGLE FALL to ask if my emergency kit is in the trunk. The same warm clothes have been in their for 10 years, but I didn't have boots with.*

8:00 - The Hwy Helper has power tools in his truck. He asks me if I loosened the lug nuts before I jacked up the car. Hmmm... your suppose to loosen the lug nuts first???

8:17 - The Hwy Helper finishing changing the tire, throws the flat in my trunk, and I am on my way.

8:19 - I call Mark and tell him it is all taken care of. He is about 300 feet away when I call, with Marly in the Pacifica. They turn around and head back home.

8:23 - My feet are frozen solid and I NEED a latte. I make a quick stop at the Caribou drive thru.

8:31 - I trot into the Noble Park Mobile. The service manager looks at me and says, "Weren't you just here a few weeks ago?" Indeed I was. I alert him I would like to order another new tire just like the one I bought at the holidays!

8:45 - I head home. My car has some unusual tire size that the shop doesn't carry on site. It will arrive later in the day.

9:00 - Mark heads to work.

9:15 - I log on to my work account on my home computer and try and get some work done.

*But first I finish my medium 1/2 caff latte....

10:11 - Marly and I head to the clinic, since Mark never did recall if the appointment was at 10:30 or 10:40. The silly donut tire is on my car.

10:50 - The Doogie Hauser doctor confirms Marly has pink eye, with a minor ear infection.

*We are very happy with the clinic we use, but our favorite pediatrician works part time, so we don't often see her when we need a day of appointment. The clinic has two new pediatricians who are FRESH out of medical school. Dean saw one of the two this fall. Marly saw the other new one Wednesday. They have plenty of openings, since they are so new (and young).*

11:15 - We are at Target to get Marly's prescription. Might as well pick up all those other things we need while we are there. $112 later and we are out the door... $112!!!!!!!!!!!!! How does that happen?

*That doesn't include the prescription co-pay which was covered by my medical flex account*

And then.... It was back home to have lunch, concentrate on work, play with play dough and Chutes & Ladders, get Marly down for a nap, do more work...and put together a nice supper for all of us with some of my $112 worth of merchandise from Target.

*I took a photo of my flat tire when I was changing it, but I don't know how to download photos off my fancy smancy Blackberry Torch, even though it has a computer cable that also operates as the charger.*

How was your Wednesday???

Thank You Kristian Regale!

I would say I have about 14 readers a day on my blog. Okay, 13 because I can't count myself. On days I come up on the 'google alert' for a company's marketing department, then I have 15.
(I know, I know... I need to add 'google anayltics')

After New Year's I posted about Marly and Dean's private NYE party in our basement, complete with sparkling fruit juice in champagne flutes. I named the fruit juice beverage by brand in my post. I commented the kids got plenty of sugar that night, and perhaps high fructose corn syrup.

Readers, it turns out NO high fructose corn syrup was injested, and less sugar then I initially believed.

Take a look! This comment was made to the post by the Kristian Regale company.

Hi Andrea,

thanks for being a fan of our products. It looks like you had a great
time...especially the kids! Kristian Regále is made with a Swedish Recipe that is 100% all natural, no corn syrup and has less sugar than any other 25.4oz non-alcoholic sparkling juice brand.
Signed Kristian Regále!

January 14, 2011

I remain a fan of the product. I have purchased more of the "special juice" since NYE. The kids got another bottle as a treat this past weekend when the H-we's came for an overnight. This time Marly and Dean got to toast and make cheers with their good friends, P and M. All 4 thought this was the cat's meow!

Two Hours Late

It has become my morning routine to watch Fox 9 news for a few minutes each morning before starting my day. I turn it on when Mark wakes me up, since he goes on line to work much earlier then I get moving. I claim to want to catch the weather, but really I just want to linger under the covers a few minutes longer.

Today I became captivated by watching the "delayed school starts" scroll across the bottom of the screen. It happens to me every time winter weather strikes. I can't help but watch to see if my school is late. More then 15 years ago, that was 'Buffalo Lake-Hector'. Today it scrolls as 'Buffalo Lake-Hector District' since some kids from Stewart now attend. I stay tuned, watching for the combined small town high schools of my day. Today, the names have changed from town initials (BDRSH - Belview/Danube/Renville/Sacred Heart) to Regional Areas (Renville West/as in the western side of Renville County).

I remember my elementary years, waking up on cold winter mornings in my sunny yellow bedroom (with a yellow ruffle bedspread, yellow flower wall paper, and Raggedy Ann & Andy pictures on the wall). I would hustle into my mom and dad's room, and snuggle in next to my mom. If there was a sign of fowl weather, we would listen to WCCO radio announce the delays and closing in alphabetical order. Often, BL-H was not called the first or second go through of the list. We would wait to get up until we HAD to, to make the bus. We were holding out, hoping we would get called the next round through... letting the calm, cool voice of the famous WCCO radio guy lull us.

Today, I think many parents actually get a text if there is a cancellation or late start.

Just the same, to this day, I am captivated by the TV every time school closings come on. I think I will forever look for Buffalo Lake-Hector.

This and That

I can't say this blog has been very inspiring lately. It is rather un-interesting to tell the truth. At the moment, my life is centered around working, managing our house, being a mom, and last... being a wife (that part needs to change, as in I need to make it more of a priority!)

Anyway - Here is my journal entry update. It's a little of this and a little of that.

• After being rather reclusive between Christmas and New Year's we had a social weekend. We went to pizza with the Lyons of Friday, and had friends to dinner on Saturday.
• I went to visit new baby Luke Braid on Saturday morning. Angie, Jess and I brought new mom (for the 2nd time around) Ms. Hagel Braid brunch for her family.
• Marly and Dean are exactly what you expect for their age (nearly 4) - fun, engaging, able to reason, etc. They play and play with each other.
• I have been having a lot of fun playing Chicky Boom with Marly and Dean. It is a balancing game. Each time they remove a piece, they are sooo cautious, and hold their breath.
• We painted our bedroom this weekend. Okay... I purchased the paint and Mark put in the labor. It will get a second coat this week. It went from chocolate brown and taupe to a torquise blue color with a grey undertone.
• Sunday School started back up yesterday.
• I am feeling challenged by my new job and am so very happy with my career change.
• Mark is busy, busy at the 'Bou. He is clearly at the right place.
• We are dealing with roofing issues, compounded by ice dams. We will be resolving these issues in the spring.
• Marly and Dean started community ed gymnastics last Monday. They love it.
• Marly and Dean wrapped up 2 sessions of swimming lessons at the YMCA before Christmas.
• I need to loss 10 pounds. I have no motivation to do that.
• I want to start working out again, but don't know when that fits into my life.

Happy New Year's from The Thombergs!

Cheers from Marly and Dean!

The Thomberg's had dinner out at nearby Maverick's on NYE then headed back home for a party of 4 in the basement. Nothing too exciting, but we made it fun for Marly and Dean just the same.

*Yes, these children are legacies of St. Cloud State University.

*No, actual liquor consumption did NOT occur during the staging of these photos...just a lot of sugar and probably high fructose corn syrup.

*Yes, this is Kristian Regale sparkling juice beverage.

*Yes, their parents consumed the real deal.

The Week Between

The week between Christmas and New Year's we do not have daycare. Because Mark and I were taking turns working, working from home, and hanging with the Twinners, we didn't venture far.

We spent plenty of time playing with new toys and games, which was fun for all.

Here are our future collegians after a waffle breakfast. Daddy gave Marly a pony tail. I think Dean looks like a future heart-breaker frat boy here....

We cruised downtown one day after lunch to see the deserted Elf display on the 8th floor at Macy's. Pretty lackluster, but an easy, quick outing.

We visited our local fire house.

On NYE Day, I took the kids to Como Park and Zoo for their party and noon NYE countdown. I took these photos at the Conservatory to add to our collection over the years, from the same two spots. Those big koi fish in the pond never get old!

All around, it was a pleasant, relaxing, uneventful, but enjoyable week.

**You may notice I still have not given up on coordinating clothes. Notice the matching sweatshirts, brown screenprint shirts from Land's End, and shirts both including red from Gymboree.**

Jazzing it up! Christmas

Well naturally our Christmas decorations are now removed (...well almost, it is in tubs and laying on the floor in the basement)but, here is a partial glimpse of our holiday decor when it was festive.

Ikea floating shelves (when I took this, I had already removed the glass ball ornaments from the white bowl...). The two lower angels were brass, but I spray painted them brushed nickel.

Ikea photo shelves, decked out with vinyl wall clings purchased on super clearance from Bachman's the year before. The art in the silver frame on top was created by Crafterall here in MN from Etsy. I framed our Christmas card this year on the lower shelf.

Our tree (now located in a snowbank outside).

Since this is our family's way of recording history, better late then never folks.