Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventure. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2020
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
The Great Freeze of 2019
Well. Winter has arrived. A weekend or two ago, I promised Eli that I'd take him sledding to enjoy the Big Snow that we'd just gotten. We went, loved flying down the hills and had so many laughs together, I loved it! Hiking up the hill, trying to hit each other on the way down, tipping over and rolling through the snow, coming home to hot chocolate, what's not to love?? (Timeline - Sledding on Jan 20. Two major snowfalls in the few days preceding that.)
Next - the cold. Wind Chill of 20 below and guess what? School was CANCELLED. Snow day! Actually, technically Freeze Day! Or whatever. They're off of school on Friday. (Timeline - Cold on Jan. 28) The kids stayed home, the parents went to work.
Did I mention - David left for CANADA on Thursday? (That's Jan. 27 for those of us keeping track.) Who goes NORTH in January? We're not fans of winter. And David went to Canada. Colder? It's practically the edge of the world. Anyway, we're at work, the kids are home loving the weather that cancelled school. The weather people predict snow and cold and we're Wisconsinites so we roll our eyes. We complain about how the grocery stores are mobbed by everyone who thinks they'll be snowed in for the next 2 weeks so they'd better stock up now.We participate in the mobbing by stopping at the store for "just a couple essentials."
On Sunday we heeded the call of the local homeless shelter that's asked for extra food and blankets due to the increased number of people needing shelter. As we got to the shelter we join a line of people going into the building, everyone carrying bags stuffed with food, blankets, hats and gloves. I look around amazed at our community's response to the call for help. We get inside and see one of the gentlemen who runs the shelter standing there with wide eyes and a look of awe of his face. He's dumbfounded at the response. He tells us to just pile our things "over there." In the pile of bags of food, bedding, everything they asked for.
I walked out hoping the kids saw how one family can help another. Or how a community can come together to do something wonderful when we join together. Or how we should recognize the blessings that we have in our lives and never take them for granted. We have a warm home with a furnace that works and a fridge and cupboards that are fully stocked with food. We are so blessed.
Sunday night the call came. No school Monday - Snow Day! Archer asked if I wanted him to clear off the driveway in the morning and I accepted the offer. They were saying 8-10 inches of snow was on the way and they weren't wrong. Monday morning (Jan. 28, in the timeline...) we were greeted with a driveway filled with snow. As I started getting ready for work, I heard the snowblower start, then quit. I heard it start and die again a couple more times. Last week it seemed to work just fine, but now? I finished getting ready for work. I went outside to find Archer shoveling the snow. He apologized but also told me he was only going to do half - the left half, the half that needed to be cleared for me to get the van out. We shoveled together, I called my boss to inform him that my street still hadn't been plowed and I didn't know when I'd be able to leave the house. There was a wall of 10 inches of snow at the end of my driveway. Archer called Bampa to ask for advice about the snowblower and through a series of questions, trying again, and more questions, we finally figured it out. The auger was frozen with ice surrounding it. The chute was blocked by a solid chunk of ice. It would have to be thawed out before we could use it again, and there was only colder weather in the future. And that was when the Story was revealed to me.
Archer finally told me. The last time it snowed (Jan. 18th-ish?) he had offered to clear off the driveway, and when I got home, it was BEAUTIFULLY cleared. Even the sidewalk. Even around the mailbox. Not a speck of snow out of place. I bragged to everyone what a great job he had done. I paid him a big fat $20 bill for his wonderful work. I was the proudest mom you've ever seen. And when it came time to snowblow the driveway again, it turns out the snowblower hadn't been cleared out from the last time. We stood in the garage trying to chip away at the ice with a stick, after we'd already shoveled the left half of the driveway together and the plow came and filled it all in again and we had shoveled more. And we were chipping away at the ice in the snowblower. And he finally couldn't take it anymore, and he confessed. He wasn't the one who had cleared the driveway last week, but he'd been told to take the money and not tell Mom anything about it. And he hadn't cleaned out the snowblower, or whatever. And when I heard this whole story all I could do was laugh. Only a perfect storm of record snowfall and record cold and someone doing a favor for someone else that turned into another kind of problem of frozen blocks of ice inside the equipment... Only then could this whole story have come out about Archer accepting payment for a job he didn't do and who would have even guessed? I laughed, and called Bampa to let him know the details of the kerfuffle and later called Shelly to tell her to take a hairdryer out to the garage to thaw out the snowblower. She said it took her an hour and a half. And now we're back in business
So where were we on the timeline? Tuesday, I guess, Jan. 28. It is going to be just as cold as it was on Friday, but school is now IN SESSION. I look at the forecast and see that at the time the kids will be getting off the buses, there will be a wind chill of 30 below. I make a decision that I've never done before. I keep ALL THREE kids home from school. I will not have them walking 2 or 3 blocks in weather that can cause frostbite in five minutes. So they stay home. I give them assignments and warnings and leave them to the warm cozies of home while classmates are off to school. As far as I can tell, none of them changed out of their jammies all day. When I got home and walked from the garage to the mailbox and back, my nose and fingers were already staring to hurt and I know I made the right decision to keep them home and order them, "DO NOT go outside today." No one talked about anything but the weather all day long at work. And this afternoon, I received a call from the school district. No school Wednesday. Wind chill will be 50-55 below zero tomorrow afternoon. The last time it was this cold in WI was 35 years ago, too long ago for even me (the old mom of the group) to remember it. I've never heard of weather this cold. (I looked it up. The last time it was this cold in WI was 1984. I definitely don't remember that.)
So I'm declaring it. This is The Major Freeze of 2019. Someday when I'm old and grey and rocking in my rocking chair, I'll be telling of The Great Freeze of 2019 when we had three major snowstorms in a week and four days of 50 below zero the very next week and it'll only be the very slightest of exaggerations. (We really did have three major snowfalls in seven days. Only one day of 50 below zero. So far.)
In the meantime, I'm waiting for the 41 degree heatwave they say is coming this weekend, hopefully that'll melt the mountain of snow in front of my front door so we can welcome a visitor or two again sometime soon.
P.S. Did I mention? This whole time, David has been in Halifax. When I look at the map, I feel like he's on the edge of the world. He's farther east even than Maine. I know it's irrational, but sometimes I have this weird feeling that he's going to fall off the edge of the earth. And it's warmer there, even though it's north of here. Twenty Three Degrees Fahrenheit. With the perspective of 55 below, 23 above feels like a luxury, practically beach weather. Just don't fall off the edge when you're visiting the beach in that balmy 23 degree weather that you've got over there, David. Come home soon, join us! I heard today that it's colder here than in Antarctica, and that's a once in a lifetime chance, to say you've been somewhere colder than Antarctica!
Next - the cold. Wind Chill of 20 below and guess what? School was CANCELLED. Snow day! Actually, technically Freeze Day! Or whatever. They're off of school on Friday. (Timeline - Cold on Jan. 28) The kids stayed home, the parents went to work.
Did I mention - David left for CANADA on Thursday? (That's Jan. 27 for those of us keeping track.) Who goes NORTH in January? We're not fans of winter. And David went to Canada. Colder? It's practically the edge of the world. Anyway, we're at work, the kids are home loving the weather that cancelled school. The weather people predict snow and cold and we're Wisconsinites so we roll our eyes. We complain about how the grocery stores are mobbed by everyone who thinks they'll be snowed in for the next 2 weeks so they'd better stock up now.We participate in the mobbing by stopping at the store for "just a couple essentials."
On Sunday we heeded the call of the local homeless shelter that's asked for extra food and blankets due to the increased number of people needing shelter. As we got to the shelter we join a line of people going into the building, everyone carrying bags stuffed with food, blankets, hats and gloves. I look around amazed at our community's response to the call for help. We get inside and see one of the gentlemen who runs the shelter standing there with wide eyes and a look of awe of his face. He's dumbfounded at the response. He tells us to just pile our things "over there." In the pile of bags of food, bedding, everything they asked for.
I walked out hoping the kids saw how one family can help another. Or how a community can come together to do something wonderful when we join together. Or how we should recognize the blessings that we have in our lives and never take them for granted. We have a warm home with a furnace that works and a fridge and cupboards that are fully stocked with food. We are so blessed.
Sunday night the call came. No school Monday - Snow Day! Archer asked if I wanted him to clear off the driveway in the morning and I accepted the offer. They were saying 8-10 inches of snow was on the way and they weren't wrong. Monday morning (Jan. 28, in the timeline...) we were greeted with a driveway filled with snow. As I started getting ready for work, I heard the snowblower start, then quit. I heard it start and die again a couple more times. Last week it seemed to work just fine, but now? I finished getting ready for work. I went outside to find Archer shoveling the snow. He apologized but also told me he was only going to do half - the left half, the half that needed to be cleared for me to get the van out. We shoveled together, I called my boss to inform him that my street still hadn't been plowed and I didn't know when I'd be able to leave the house. There was a wall of 10 inches of snow at the end of my driveway. Archer called Bampa to ask for advice about the snowblower and through a series of questions, trying again, and more questions, we finally figured it out. The auger was frozen with ice surrounding it. The chute was blocked by a solid chunk of ice. It would have to be thawed out before we could use it again, and there was only colder weather in the future. And that was when the Story was revealed to me.
Archer finally told me. The last time it snowed (Jan. 18th-ish?) he had offered to clear off the driveway, and when I got home, it was BEAUTIFULLY cleared. Even the sidewalk. Even around the mailbox. Not a speck of snow out of place. I bragged to everyone what a great job he had done. I paid him a big fat $20 bill for his wonderful work. I was the proudest mom you've ever seen. And when it came time to snowblow the driveway again, it turns out the snowblower hadn't been cleared out from the last time. We stood in the garage trying to chip away at the ice with a stick, after we'd already shoveled the left half of the driveway together and the plow came and filled it all in again and we had shoveled more. And we were chipping away at the ice in the snowblower. And he finally couldn't take it anymore, and he confessed. He wasn't the one who had cleared the driveway last week, but he'd been told to take the money and not tell Mom anything about it. And he hadn't cleaned out the snowblower, or whatever. And when I heard this whole story all I could do was laugh. Only a perfect storm of record snowfall and record cold and someone doing a favor for someone else that turned into another kind of problem of frozen blocks of ice inside the equipment... Only then could this whole story have come out about Archer accepting payment for a job he didn't do and who would have even guessed? I laughed, and called Bampa to let him know the details of the kerfuffle and later called Shelly to tell her to take a hairdryer out to the garage to thaw out the snowblower. She said it took her an hour and a half. And now we're back in business
So where were we on the timeline? Tuesday, I guess, Jan. 28. It is going to be just as cold as it was on Friday, but school is now IN SESSION. I look at the forecast and see that at the time the kids will be getting off the buses, there will be a wind chill of 30 below. I make a decision that I've never done before. I keep ALL THREE kids home from school. I will not have them walking 2 or 3 blocks in weather that can cause frostbite in five minutes. So they stay home. I give them assignments and warnings and leave them to the warm cozies of home while classmates are off to school. As far as I can tell, none of them changed out of their jammies all day. When I got home and walked from the garage to the mailbox and back, my nose and fingers were already staring to hurt and I know I made the right decision to keep them home and order them, "DO NOT go outside today." No one talked about anything but the weather all day long at work. And this afternoon, I received a call from the school district. No school Wednesday. Wind chill will be 50-55 below zero tomorrow afternoon. The last time it was this cold in WI was 35 years ago, too long ago for even me (the old mom of the group) to remember it. I've never heard of weather this cold. (I looked it up. The last time it was this cold in WI was 1984. I definitely don't remember that.)
So I'm declaring it. This is The Major Freeze of 2019. Someday when I'm old and grey and rocking in my rocking chair, I'll be telling of The Great Freeze of 2019 when we had three major snowstorms in a week and four days of 50 below zero the very next week and it'll only be the very slightest of exaggerations. (We really did have three major snowfalls in seven days. Only one day of 50 below zero. So far.)
In the meantime, I'm waiting for the 41 degree heatwave they say is coming this weekend, hopefully that'll melt the mountain of snow in front of my front door so we can welcome a visitor or two again sometime soon.
P.S. Did I mention? This whole time, David has been in Halifax. When I look at the map, I feel like he's on the edge of the world. He's farther east even than Maine. I know it's irrational, but sometimes I have this weird feeling that he's going to fall off the edge of the earth. And it's warmer there, even though it's north of here. Twenty Three Degrees Fahrenheit. With the perspective of 55 below, 23 above feels like a luxury, practically beach weather. Just don't fall off the edge when you're visiting the beach in that balmy 23 degree weather that you've got over there, David. Come home soon, join us! I heard today that it's colder here than in Antarctica, and that's a once in a lifetime chance, to say you've been somewhere colder than Antarctica!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
F5 Travels
Saturday evening we were all in bed by 7:00. On Sunday we were up WAAAY too early, and traveled by two flights and a stop in Detroit all the way down to Radiator Springs. The locals are very friendly and welcoming. We've happily moved into the Cozy Cone hotel - there are plenty of pillows and tasty foods for all of the Fortier 5. Sunday evening we went downtown for live entertainment and a little bit of shopping. Dinner at Planet Hollywood was full of singing and we stayed out a bit too late, considering how early we'd been up, and how exhausted we all were.
Monday was a day for exploring the surrounding area. Although Radiator Springs is a fun little town, we're interested in seeing what the rest of the countryside has to offer. And WOW we found lots of adventure! Our adventures included a jeep safari through the African Savannah, It's Tough to Be a Bug show explaining the trials of the smaller creatures on our planet,
Kilimanjaro Safari
African Dancers
Tuesday
Epcot
Lunch in Norway
Peanut Butter Cheese
Canned Beets - taste sweet but smell a little bit like dirt?
Dinner in France
Two months later...
We're now in March and I never finished this post. Let's just say, there was no time to spare for writing. We did take about a billion pictures, so maybe someday I'll share those. But we'll just leave it on this note - our trip to Disney World was the best vacation our family has ever had. We've never taken a whole week to travel somewhere completely new. We all got along, had so many wonderful moments together and fell into bed exhausted every night. We will treasure it forever.
Monday was a day for exploring the surrounding area. Although Radiator Springs is a fun little town, we're interested in seeing what the rest of the countryside has to offer. And WOW we found lots of adventure! Our adventures included a jeep safari through the African Savannah, It's Tough to Be a Bug show explaining the trials of the smaller creatures on our planet,
Kilimanjaro Safari
African Dancers
Tuesday
Epcot
Lunch in Norway
Peanut Butter Cheese
Canned Beets - taste sweet but smell a little bit like dirt?
Dinner in France
Two months later...
We're now in March and I never finished this post. Let's just say, there was no time to spare for writing. We did take about a billion pictures, so maybe someday I'll share those. But we'll just leave it on this note - our trip to Disney World was the best vacation our family has ever had. We've never taken a whole week to travel somewhere completely new. We all got along, had so many wonderful moments together and fell into bed exhausted every night. We will treasure it forever.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Thanksgiving Road Trip
Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, we were able to enjoy a two day trip to Monroe to visit as much of the family as we could round up. It's been too long, I'm so glad we had the chance to catch up with everyone. And there's nothing like a road trip for some very special bonding time. Can't wait to do it again sometime :)
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Scout Weekend at Devil's Lake State Park
For the second year in a row, I've taken the kids to join Archer's Boy Scout Troop camping at Devil's Lake. Those kids always amaze me. The Scouts are wonderful hosts (thanks Archer!). The rest of us are just along for the adventure. Incredibly, Eli hiked the entire trail both morning and afternoon with no complaints, no major injuries, etc. etc. There really isn't much more to say than that. We all had such a great time that I'm pretty much speechless.
Thanks Kids!
Abridged Summary of Events...
- Practically a dance party in the van on the way up to camp, great music, only a few wrong turns along the way
- No Rain
- No Rain Fly (left at home! oops!)
- No UPD (Universal Pounding Device, Scout speak for mallet/hammer/beat up old bowling pin) for pounding stakes into the ground
- Used IPD instead (Improvised Pounding Device, Mom speak for a ROCK)
- Amy, Mary, and kids arrived at camp well before the Boys, set up camp and then waited for many many hours for the Boys to catch up
- Picked a site across the street from the pit toilets, good I guess?
- 3 air mattress completely covered with mold, luckily the kids are small enough to share the remaining 3 good mattresses
- So many stars. Visible thanks to the lack of rain fly over the tent
- So much good food. Thanks to the Boys for all their planning and cooking
- Fun at the dance and around the campfire and on the ferry on the way home, new stuff (boys at the dance and who's dancing and who's not), repeat stuff (boys at the dance? a story for another time), great memories for all
- So many wonderful miles hiking around the lake, enjoying the company and laughter of friends and family. Let's do this again sometime!
Thanks Kids!
Abridged Summary of Events...
- Practically a dance party in the van on the way up to camp, great music, only a few wrong turns along the way
- No Rain
- No Rain Fly (left at home! oops!)
- No UPD (Universal Pounding Device, Scout speak for mallet/hammer/beat up old bowling pin) for pounding stakes into the ground
- Used IPD instead (Improvised Pounding Device, Mom speak for a ROCK)
- Amy, Mary, and kids arrived at camp well before the Boys, set up camp and then waited for many many hours for the Boys to catch up
- Picked a site across the street from the pit toilets, good I guess?
- 3 air mattress completely covered with mold, luckily the kids are small enough to share the remaining 3 good mattresses
- So many stars. Visible thanks to the lack of rain fly over the tent
- So much good food. Thanks to the Boys for all their planning and cooking
- Fun at the dance and around the campfire and on the ferry on the way home, new stuff (boys at the dance and who's dancing and who's not), repeat stuff (boys at the dance? a story for another time), great memories for all
- So many wonderful miles hiking around the lake, enjoying the company and laughter of friends and family. Let's do this again sometime!
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Friend Time
We ordered pizzas for the kids, hopped in the Party Bus (aka Family Van) and went out for a a few hours without the kids. All the inside jokes and teasing each other for past indiscretions and complimenting the outfits and it was just a wonderful evening. Thanks Girls! And also thanks Husbands. :)
The next day David treated me to a Brewer's game. We're at the end of September but it's practically 100 degrees so we roasted our way through a great afternoon. Thanks honey! And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for one last Pool Day before the season ends.
The next day David treated me to a Brewer's game. We're at the end of September but it's practically 100 degrees so we roasted our way through a great afternoon. Thanks honey! And thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for one last Pool Day before the season ends.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Zoo Trip
I have been lucky enough to visit the Milwaukee Zoo with each of my kids as they finished up kindergarden. This year it was Eli’s turn, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to join him and some friends as we visited their favorite animals and enjoyed a train ride around the grounds. As always, chapperoning this type of trip is all about counting heads every thirty seconds and trying not to panic every single time the count comes up short, because it definitely happens at least twelve times in the four hours that we’re there. Someone’s always running too far ahead, or lagging behind, or standing just behind you and they don’t get counted. And yet, still, I’ve never lost a kid and we’ve all come away happy that we had a day out of the classroom/office and enjoyed the sunshine.
Elijah Graham, you’ve passed another milestone and you’re just that much closer to being a First Grader, bring it on!
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Hey Summer, Here We Come!
Five school days left, and the kids are getting a head start on summer.
The HC Resort pool has officially opened and the kids haven't wasted any time testing the water. Eli was the first to jump in, but his siblings and cousins weren't far behind.
Cub Scout Rain Gutter Regatta aka Little Boat Race with Handheld Fans...
Eli was a trooper and raced strong, David cheered him along while Shelly and I visited with friends. Good job E!
Archer wasn't at the race because he was home finishing up some big school projects. One of these was his presentation on Norway. He had enlisted help from Grandpa and Eli and they made a zillion pieces of lefse over the weekend. Tuesday night we rolled up the lefse with butter and sugar and Wednesday he was off to school with two pans full. I'm happy to report that the Norway presentation was a huge success, and the entire class enjoyed the treats. And as far as I can tell, Grandpa is successfully passing on his lefse knowledge to the next generations. He makes everyone else do more and more of the work whenever we're around to participate. Pretty soon he'll just get to sit back and relax while the rest of us whip up a fresh batch!
Speaking of Archer... This weekend he and David are camping at the Milwaukee Zoo. This morning Archer participated in the 5K run, and although I wasn't there to cheer him on, I heard he did wonderfully. I think this is his first ever 5K? His troop has set up an activity station for kids to visit and learn about their group. David has reported that it's a VERY popular station and they've had a lot of visitors, despite the rain and the heat. Their troop won third place (out of 31 groups) for their presentation. Way to go Scouts :)
Since the gentlemen are out camping, the rest of us went looking for our own fun last night at First Fridays downtown. Live music, food vendors, all the shops open late, we went to check out the free admission at the museum. We visited lots of little shops and a gallery on our way to the museum. And guess what we found at the artists' gallery? Beautiful art, incredible pieces of jewelry and an impressive display of woodcrafts. And there, nestled in among platters and bowls and cups, I spied... you'll never guess.... A LEFSE roller! I knew what it was immediately, that long roller with the grooves, and it was incredible, an artifact that many people wouldn't recognize. But thanks to Grandpa's determination to carry the family tradition forward to the next generation or two, there we stood, admiring that lefse roller on the shelf with all the other beautiful platters and bowls. AND. And the artist who crafted those fine pieces was sitting right there, on a stool, watching us admire his work! He introduced himself and we chatted for a long time. He's Norwegian, he made that roller that we were looking at, he was surprised that we recognized it. It was a great chance to meet the talented man that created those things. I hope someday to go back and pick up one or two of his pieces. Shelly later told me that she thought he and Grandpa would like to meet each other, perhaps we can make that happen sometime!
When we left the gallery it was getting dark and we were finally ready to visit the museum. Sadly, we arrived just a few minutes too late and the doors were already locked so we headed for the van. Lots of fun just hanging out together, it was a wonderful time with the kids. And to close out the night, the snuggled into my bed so I wouldn't be lonely last night.
Today Shelly decided she wanted to try out a couple of smoothie recipes so we gave it a shot. One was OK, the other a huge hit. We'll post recipes later. The best part about it was trying new foods. Almond milk and dates, anyone?? It's great to see the kids trying new things, learning new things, and working together to create something we all enjoy. Great job kids!
The HC Resort pool has officially opened and the kids haven't wasted any time testing the water. Eli was the first to jump in, but his siblings and cousins weren't far behind.
Eli was a trooper and raced strong, David cheered him along while Shelly and I visited with friends. Good job E!
Archer wasn't at the race because he was home finishing up some big school projects. One of these was his presentation on Norway. He had enlisted help from Grandpa and Eli and they made a zillion pieces of lefse over the weekend. Tuesday night we rolled up the lefse with butter and sugar and Wednesday he was off to school with two pans full. I'm happy to report that the Norway presentation was a huge success, and the entire class enjoyed the treats. And as far as I can tell, Grandpa is successfully passing on his lefse knowledge to the next generations. He makes everyone else do more and more of the work whenever we're around to participate. Pretty soon he'll just get to sit back and relax while the rest of us whip up a fresh batch!
Speaking of Archer... This weekend he and David are camping at the Milwaukee Zoo. This morning Archer participated in the 5K run, and although I wasn't there to cheer him on, I heard he did wonderfully. I think this is his first ever 5K? His troop has set up an activity station for kids to visit and learn about their group. David has reported that it's a VERY popular station and they've had a lot of visitors, despite the rain and the heat. Their troop won third place (out of 31 groups) for their presentation. Way to go Scouts :)
Since the gentlemen are out camping, the rest of us went looking for our own fun last night at First Fridays downtown. Live music, food vendors, all the shops open late, we went to check out the free admission at the museum. We visited lots of little shops and a gallery on our way to the museum. And guess what we found at the artists' gallery? Beautiful art, incredible pieces of jewelry and an impressive display of woodcrafts. And there, nestled in among platters and bowls and cups, I spied... you'll never guess.... A LEFSE roller! I knew what it was immediately, that long roller with the grooves, and it was incredible, an artifact that many people wouldn't recognize. But thanks to Grandpa's determination to carry the family tradition forward to the next generation or two, there we stood, admiring that lefse roller on the shelf with all the other beautiful platters and bowls. AND. And the artist who crafted those fine pieces was sitting right there, on a stool, watching us admire his work! He introduced himself and we chatted for a long time. He's Norwegian, he made that roller that we were looking at, he was surprised that we recognized it. It was a great chance to meet the talented man that created those things. I hope someday to go back and pick up one or two of his pieces. Shelly later told me that she thought he and Grandpa would like to meet each other, perhaps we can make that happen sometime!
When we left the gallery it was getting dark and we were finally ready to visit the museum. Sadly, we arrived just a few minutes too late and the doors were already locked so we headed for the van. Lots of fun just hanging out together, it was a wonderful time with the kids. And to close out the night, the snuggled into my bed so I wouldn't be lonely last night.
Today Shelly decided she wanted to try out a couple of smoothie recipes so we gave it a shot. One was OK, the other a huge hit. We'll post recipes later. The best part about it was trying new foods. Almond milk and dates, anyone?? It's great to see the kids trying new things, learning new things, and working together to create something we all enjoy. Great job kids!
Sunday, April 9, 2017
First Beautiful Day
Finally the promised WARM WEATHER has arrived. Here in Wonderful WI you just never know when the next beautiful day will come, so I dragged the kids out to the woods with me.
All went well. There were lots of sticks thrown into the water, lots of mud mostly avoided. We spotted a bunch of frogs and one turtle (the turtle seemed maybe like he was resting in peace?). There was a debate about whether or not Archer is a Turtleini expert. You can imagine.
Children + sticks = sword fights, fort building aspirations, stick prodding = Mom gets annoyed and we move on to the next location.
After enough traipsing around and checking out the wildlife we reached the near breaking point and got out of there just in time.
I'm looking forward to more great hikes in the woods in the months to come. Now cross your fingers that we can have another day or two of decent weather, before the next snowstorm!
P.S. Super secret ulterior motive. I recently started feeling nostalgic for my own childhood experiences of exploring pastures and woods for hours on end with my siblings. I was wishing I could take my children to those places from my childhood. But I can't re-create those exact same moments for them. I was wallowing in this realization, but this is no way to move forward into the future, clinging to something that's gone. So instead, I can give my children these little moments of exploring what we do have, the things around us. And that starts only a couple miles from home in the beautiful nature preserve with miles of trails and countless birds and bugs to discover. And we got a good start on that today.
All went well. There were lots of sticks thrown into the water, lots of mud mostly avoided. We spotted a bunch of frogs and one turtle (the turtle seemed maybe like he was resting in peace?). There was a debate about whether or not Archer is a Turtleini expert. You can imagine.
Children + sticks = sword fights, fort building aspirations, stick prodding = Mom gets annoyed and we move on to the next location.
After enough traipsing around and checking out the wildlife we reached the near breaking point and got out of there just in time.
I'm looking forward to more great hikes in the woods in the months to come. Now cross your fingers that we can have another day or two of decent weather, before the next snowstorm!
P.S. Super secret ulterior motive. I recently started feeling nostalgic for my own childhood experiences of exploring pastures and woods for hours on end with my siblings. I was wishing I could take my children to those places from my childhood. But I can't re-create those exact same moments for them. I was wallowing in this realization, but this is no way to move forward into the future, clinging to something that's gone. So instead, I can give my children these little moments of exploring what we do have, the things around us. And that starts only a couple miles from home in the beautiful nature preserve with miles of trails and countless birds and bugs to discover. And we got a good start on that today.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Hockey Fun
Shelly's choir was chosen to sing the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Admirals game. What an honor!
There was much waiting before the game, but once things got started we were pretty entertained.
There was much waiting before the game, but once things got started we were pretty entertained.
Highlights -
Just one fight between the players and just one fight between siblings about who sits where.
Tossing stuffed animals onto the ice for donation to local law enforcement and paramedics teams, to eventually be given to kids in scary situations.
We sat very near a teacher from the kids' school that was enthusiasticly (um, LOUDLY) cheering the whole time.
Countless trips to the concession stand for popcorn, sodas, pretzels, sodas, cookies, sodas, time for a trip to the restroom!
And then there was the long walk to the parking garage and the long drive home. We were wiped out after an evening of fun.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
While the Cat's Away - Day One
The Cat, aka The Dad (he doesn't even like cats, this whole analogy might not work...) is away for six days. I said to David, what will I do without you? He said, what you always do. Meaning, our schedule rolls on, school, work, homework, laundry, bickering, laughing, did I miss anything? I told the kids that Dad is the one who reminds me to be nice to them, and without him around, who knows what's going to happen. Maybe pizza for dinner every night. (For real. I really thought about that. Except I don't even like pizza that much, so maybe not. Maybe ramen noodles instead.)
Anyway. On my way home from work I saw approximately 147 people out walking their dogs because it was a balmy 43. I was inspired to get outside and told the kids they had to go for a walk with me. They agreed, on the condition that they would get shamrock shakes afterwards. We proceeded on our 0.8 mile walk and Eli wiped out only three times. We had dinner, went grocery shopping, found a new turtle friend (his name is Fasty because, um, he can jump really high?) and the kids were thrilled when we FINALLY picked up their shakes. Bonus - We listened to Queen on the ride home. Awe. Some.
We played a lot tonight. We fooled around and there was almost no crying and we all just spent a couple hours being silly. Everybody said lots of funny stuff and I remember almost none of it. Shelly told a story about how her class got to use tablets in the library at school today, and Mr. Librarian was very protective of these devices and asked everyone to be extra careful. "They're my babies, please be very gentle with them." Class Comedian jumps in and asks, "Did you marry a flatscreen TV?" Mr. Librarian worked very hard to hide the smile on his face but all the kids knew that he thought it was funny too.
Shelly and Elijah and I were sitting on the couch and Shelly decided she wanted to watch TV and told Little Brother to go get the remote. He immediately got the remote and brought it to her and then, without any judgement, just asked the question. "Shelly, are you just lazy or what?" Can you hear it? The honesty and the curiosity in his voice? Shelly, without missing a beat, launches into a little speech about humans and how they're just naturally lazy and that's just how people are and yes, she's lazy. Can you hear the matter of fact justification in her voice? And as she goes on, he curls into the corner of the couch and covers his face with a pillow and I hear him say, sadly now, disappointed in his sister's answer, "I just don't think that's how it should be." Hugs all around for everyone. And quit being lazy!
The Cat, The Dad, called to let us know he made it to LAX and he had a few spare minutes to chat with us before he had to head off for work stuff. I guess we're all keeping busy without each other, but I'm definitely counting down the days till the cat is home again.
Anyway. On my way home from work I saw approximately 147 people out walking their dogs because it was a balmy 43. I was inspired to get outside and told the kids they had to go for a walk with me. They agreed, on the condition that they would get shamrock shakes afterwards. We proceeded on our 0.8 mile walk and Eli wiped out only three times. We had dinner, went grocery shopping, found a new turtle friend (his name is Fasty because, um, he can jump really high?) and the kids were thrilled when we FINALLY picked up their shakes. Bonus - We listened to Queen on the ride home. Awe. Some.
Shelly and Elijah and I were sitting on the couch and Shelly decided she wanted to watch TV and told Little Brother to go get the remote. He immediately got the remote and brought it to her and then, without any judgement, just asked the question. "Shelly, are you just lazy or what?" Can you hear it? The honesty and the curiosity in his voice? Shelly, without missing a beat, launches into a little speech about humans and how they're just naturally lazy and that's just how people are and yes, she's lazy. Can you hear the matter of fact justification in her voice? And as she goes on, he curls into the corner of the couch and covers his face with a pillow and I hear him say, sadly now, disappointed in his sister's answer, "I just don't think that's how it should be." Hugs all around for everyone. And quit being lazy!
The Cat, The Dad, called to let us know he made it to LAX and he had a few spare minutes to chat with us before he had to head off for work stuff. I guess we're all keeping busy without each other, but I'm definitely counting down the days till the cat is home again.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Birthday Weekend
Happy Birthday Husband!
To a wonderful guy, from the family, we're glad we could spend it with you. For better or for worse.
David took Eli to Scout Camp for the afternoon, an event designed to give new scouts of all ages an idea of what Scouting is all about. And boy did they EVER give the kids an idea. The Scouts are now allowing boys as young as 5 to join so Eli's getting a head start on the fun. Kindergartners are Lions. So. Introducing you to our little Lion Cub, Elijah Graham!
They let everyone try archery. And BB guns. Seriously???? Once again, what kind of mom sends her kid.... (See the January Archives for a previous moment with this same thought.)
Bows and arrows and guns. I think they did other stuff too, but that was pretty much all I heard about. Oh yeah, and the rockets. Good thing there were lots of dads there to help every step of the way. Go dads! Go David!
But that was just the start of the fun, once the boys got home, the Fortier Five plus Two Grandparents trekked to the China Lights show at the same garden where David and I were married. When we were able to make our way to the Exact Spot where we stood to get married, there was a 1,000 foot long dragon facing us. I told E that the dragon was there when we got married. And I spent the entire ceremony worried that the dragon was going to CHOMP me! Do you believe me? He nodded, he looked a little scared. Sorry, E, I was just kidding. Anyway, beautiful show.
When we had seen almost everything and taken almost a million pictures we braved the crowds again and tried to swim against the stream to get out. Whew. Poor Dad, his birthday fun light show turned into a bit of a struggle as he tried to corral E and find the van. Eli had way too much energy. The grandparents and mom were way behind and weren't offering any help with the rambunctious Lion Cub. Happy Birthday Dad, you get to spend time with your family. Nothing but sunshine and rainbows, right? ;-)
Now for the little surprise - we took Mamaw and Bampa home and all the kids jumped out of the van to stay in HC for the night. Happy Night!
David and I enjoyed a dinner that didn't include kids menus. We didn't have to tuck anyone in, remind them to stay in bed, tell them to quit talking, etc. Nice evening, thanks to Mamaw and Bampa. I hear they had their own fun movie marathon and such.
Next morning, time to get the kids home in time to finish school projects and get to ballet rehearsal on time. And funny thing, for the first time ever, E insisted on driving. How kind! He asked me about 30 times if he could drive, then he quit asking and just told me, "I'm driving!" There wasn't much arguing with him. Thanks for being the chauffeur for the day Graham.
Ok, outa time, gotta move on to the next activity. Keep moving, everybody!
To a wonderful guy, from the family, we're glad we could spend it with you. For better or for worse.
David took Eli to Scout Camp for the afternoon, an event designed to give new scouts of all ages an idea of what Scouting is all about. And boy did they EVER give the kids an idea. The Scouts are now allowing boys as young as 5 to join so Eli's getting a head start on the fun. Kindergartners are Lions. So. Introducing you to our little Lion Cub, Elijah Graham!
They let everyone try archery. And BB guns. Seriously???? Once again, what kind of mom sends her kid.... (See the January Archives for a previous moment with this same thought.)
Bows and arrows and guns. I think they did other stuff too, but that was pretty much all I heard about. Oh yeah, and the rockets. Good thing there were lots of dads there to help every step of the way. Go dads! Go David!
But that was just the start of the fun, once the boys got home, the Fortier Five plus Two Grandparents trekked to the China Lights show at the same garden where David and I were married. When we were able to make our way to the Exact Spot where we stood to get married, there was a 1,000 foot long dragon facing us. I told E that the dragon was there when we got married. And I spent the entire ceremony worried that the dragon was going to CHOMP me! Do you believe me? He nodded, he looked a little scared. Sorry, E, I was just kidding. Anyway, beautiful show.
When we had seen almost everything and taken almost a million pictures we braved the crowds again and tried to swim against the stream to get out. Whew. Poor Dad, his birthday fun light show turned into a bit of a struggle as he tried to corral E and find the van. Eli had way too much energy. The grandparents and mom were way behind and weren't offering any help with the rambunctious Lion Cub. Happy Birthday Dad, you get to spend time with your family. Nothing but sunshine and rainbows, right? ;-)
Now for the little surprise - we took Mamaw and Bampa home and all the kids jumped out of the van to stay in HC for the night. Happy Night!
David and I enjoyed a dinner that didn't include kids menus. We didn't have to tuck anyone in, remind them to stay in bed, tell them to quit talking, etc. Nice evening, thanks to Mamaw and Bampa. I hear they had their own fun movie marathon and such.
Next morning, time to get the kids home in time to finish school projects and get to ballet rehearsal on time. And funny thing, for the first time ever, E insisted on driving. How kind! He asked me about 30 times if he could drive, then he quit asking and just told me, "I'm driving!" There wasn't much arguing with him. Thanks for being the chauffeur for the day Graham.
Ok, outa time, gotta move on to the next activity. Keep moving, everybody!
Friday, October 14, 2016
Piano Plus Some
Shelly's started taking piano lessons from a friend of mine, Ms. Heather. Tonight, the boys came along and we waited in the car. No time for sitting around, we decided to check the air in my tires. It's never too early to start learning proper automobile maintenance. Or it's just fun to play with the pressure gauge.
And then I lost them. The boys ran off into the woods at the end of the street and I knew they were gone for good when they discovered a fort.
When Shelly's lesson was over she ran off into the woods to join the boys. I had no choice but to stay for dinner with Heather while our kids wore themselves out in the woods, and enjoying a Grand Nerf War and grabbing a piece of pizza occasionally as they ran through the house chasing their next foe. I completely lost track of how many kids there were and who they even belonged to (there's another kid? who was that? where did he come from???).
Finally, at 9:00 we were ready to leave. And it wasn't until we got home that I realized, Archer had ended up with a big scrape on his face and black eye. I'd never even heard him complain that he was hurt. All he would say when I asked him was, "You should see the other guy's face." So.... I wonder if Ms. Heather will still teach Shelly piano after this? I wonder what the other guy's face - her son - looked like?
And then I lost them. The boys ran off into the woods at the end of the street and I knew they were gone for good when they discovered a fort.
 |
| Archer discovering the fort, Shelly holding the cutest guinea pig hamster she's ever seen |
Finally, at 9:00 we were ready to leave. And it wasn't until we got home that I realized, Archer had ended up with a big scrape on his face and black eye. I'd never even heard him complain that he was hurt. All he would say when I asked him was, "You should see the other guy's face." So.... I wonder if Ms. Heather will still teach Shelly piano after this? I wonder what the other guy's face - her son - looked like?
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Camp. (Devil's Lake. Badger Trail something or other.... Scouts EVERYWHERE!)
The rain did not stop for THREE WHOLE DAYS. But we didn't let that slow us down on our way to adventure. The kids singing at the top of their lungs to every song that came on the radio, sharing stories with each other and enjoying the scenery along the way made me smile to myself as we drove into the sunset.
By the time the Boys showed up we were just about done with setup, and when they came along to ask if we wanted help, we shooed them away with cries of "Girl Power!" We ended up needing a little help with getting everything secured before we loaded all our gear into it, but we were pretty proud of our accomplishment for the night. We all finally crawled into our sleeping bags sometime well after midnight, everyone in good spirits despite the rain and mud.
Next Day - The Hike
It was drizzling a little but not too cold. Scouts, parents, cousins, siblings, all lead by the fearless Senior Patrol Leader headed out into the woods. This is where the rain was a blessing. There were almost no mosquitoes. Oh, but the mud. The Mud.
Archer and I waited until 3/4 of our way into the hike before the mud fight broke out between us. I can't remember now if it was before or after I fell down and was covered up to my knees with it, but it was pretty much inevitable. And it was ok - fun even. I'm not afraid of a little (or a lot) of mud, it was all good CLEAN fun!
Later, The Dance. Where I proceeded to probably severely embarrass the children and we all had a seriously fantastic evening. We were about five songs in before Archer actually started dancing, but the Cousins, Sister and E didn't waste any time.
Speed round to finish this waaaayyy too long recap -
The food was great all weekend long (thanks Boy Scouts!)
There were NO injuries!!!
One scout shared his conquests from the dance when we all came back to the fire that night (there was KISSING!)
We bailed early Sunday morning to make it home in time for ballet and we have been trying to catch up on laundry ever since
Maybe we'll get to have a repeat performance again next year, maybe it'll be a little drier???
Friday, August 26, 2016
Game Day
The boys have left the country and Mom is left with the two young cubs. We certainly weren't about to let the boys have all the fun. Bring on the baseball!
We brought Mary to join our fun and she was a great sport. We were such tourists, taking pics at every possible opportunity and enjoying every possible type of garbage food that we could find. We were just about bored out of our minds and ready to leave when FINALLY there was a home run and Bernie came down the slide and we got super excited to be there. Go Brewers! It wasn't enough to keep us there, though, we were done. Tired and time for bed.
Enjoy the pics!
We brought Mary to join our fun and she was a great sport. We were such tourists, taking pics at every possible opportunity and enjoying every possible type of garbage food that we could find. We were just about bored out of our minds and ready to leave when FINALLY there was a home run and Bernie came down the slide and we got super excited to be there. Go Brewers! It wasn't enough to keep us there, though, we were done. Tired and time for bed.
Enjoy the pics!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
What Kind of Mom...
Lets her kid go camping in sub zero weather, knowing he's planning to attempt earning a Freeze Out Badge and will be stuck OUTSIDE for a minimum of 24 hours? WHO DOES THAT? This Boy Scout thing has really gotten Archer into some situations I never would have imagined when he started this journey many years ago. I hear it's going to warm up to above freezing by then. But there's a good chance of rain... So...
What kind of mom lets her kid DO THAT? Me I guess. And all the other parents of the boys going on the trip. And when I was asked if I'd like to come along? Nope. I'll stay home in my warm cozy bed. Good luck Arch, I hope you don't lose your toes in this adventure!
What kind of mom lets her kid DO THAT? Me I guess. And all the other parents of the boys going on the trip. And when I was asked if I'd like to come along? Nope. I'll stay home in my warm cozy bed. Good luck Arch, I hope you don't lose your toes in this adventure!
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Great Big Fishing Trip
This isn't really my trip to tell about, ask Archer when you see him.
Here are a few pics shared with me, enjoy!
Here are a few pics shared with me, enjoy!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Beach Day
We had planned on just staying for the mornng because the weather elves in my phone said there would be stoms in the afternoon. But then... the elves were wrong, the storms never came, we stayed too long and all ended up sunburned.
I hadn't brought much food because, you know, we were only going to stay a little while. So... My starving children stood with their sad puppy eyes in front of Willie's mom until she offered up some chips - Shelly snatched them up and retreated with her friend Sarah down the beach. Once those were gone, Sarah must have turned her sad puppy eyes on her own mom because the next thing I know, the two girls are sharing some other treat with some other family... Does that qualify as "beach bum"? Begging food off the next family down the line?
Anyway, we finally went home where I decided we should ge a picture of the four of us together and we broke out the selfie stick. Seriously, why do I even own one of these things? And if I'm going to own it, I should probably practice a little more... I don't think you're supposed to SEE the selfie stick in the selfie picture. Oh well, we had fun with it!
Other notes:
1. The water was like ICE which didn't stop the kids but I mostly sat on the beach and roasted rather than freeze my feet off in the water.
2. We saw a BALD EAGLE! WOW! Pretty rare and unexpected for our neck of the woods. Except there are no woods here - our neck of the city?
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