Seems like it was weeks since my last post, not sure I can remember everything. Nick and I had a couple adventures on Thursday. We went thrifting and had a lunch date. Rob took Ellie to the GGs for lunch. We met up and went to the pool. It was a gorgeous day. We stayed and played for a couple hours.
Friday was the last day of camp for Ellie. She really enjoyed this fashion class. She brought her dress home to continue to work on. They had to chose a cause as their theme and Ellie chose Imerman Angels. The dress is a blue prom dress that we bought from Salvation for her birthday fashion party. She attached small mosaic tiles from the "found" box and she draped leis around the waist. I am impressed at how much she got done in a week. Nick and I went to the park to play and have our last one on one time. We had lunch and cruised to the pool again. The kids were instantly in the water, took Rob and me a bit of time to warm up enough to hop in. Nick was enjoying the slides and growing more adventurous. I guess he tried to switch to his head first while in the slide and caught his eye on something - a nice bruise. Ellie was getting out on the ladder and not paying attention and slipped and had a bloody knee and bruise.
Saturday morning Dad took the kids fishing. The overnight storm left it pretty cool outside and also flooded the pond they fish in. Ellie caught a catfish but Nick wasn't able to cast close enough to hook anything. They went to Toms Thumb instead. They talked Dad into a trip to Bennison's Bakery, too. Rob went up to Glenview to help the Buss family out with their move. He was in charge of removing screws and nails from the walls. I had some time to myself and was able to straighten up the house and do some laundry. I went out and weeded the garden - the newspaper trick kept the weeds out for about a month but they have started to creep up. I picked the kids up after lunchtime. We came home and they played. We went to Glenview in the evening for the Park Lane block party. The kids love to go because the jump house is up, and Brannon has a zip line in his yard. The firetruck came, too. It was such a nice evening. Great to visit with friends.
This morning most of us slept in, Ellie was up at 7. We had a relaxing morning before starting projects. The metal top above our bay window was in need of scraping and painting. It was the perfect day to do it because it was cool out. Rob started doing that while I worked in the yard. The kids joined me for a trip to Menard's to pick up some spray paint and things. I was able to find a hydrangea to drop into an open space under the magnolia tree. We chose a cooper color to paint the bench in our yard. We got some flags for the front yard this week. We came home and Rob was just applying the first coat of paint but it was bubbling up. He ended up having to heat gun scrape the entire thing. The kids played outside. I painted the bench, really like how it turned out. I dug out pachysandra and vinca that had roamed too far and re-planted where we had empty spots. I worked on cleaning up the paint mess while Rob finished scraping. We joked that maybe we would just leave it that way like the front door that never got re-painted. We went to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Mom had quite a spread - chicken, chik'n, spinach, blueberry salad (with some of our lettuce), fruit, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. The kids made s'mores for dessert. Mom had a vacation present for the kids, Jo and Ole are going away this week for vacation. The boys got bug vacuums and Ellie got an American Girl dog. They all got an art kit and 4th of July light ups. Nick loved his bug vacuum. He and Tony were outside trying to get all the bugs they could to study. We came home and Nick worked diligently getting bugs. By the time we came in he had a cicada, earwigs, earthworms, and many other crawling and flying things. He even had the neighbor's grandkids helping.
Please continue to send positive thoughts...Rob's co-worker found out last week that her 13 year old daughter has leukemia. Her youngest daughter is in school with Ellie. All the collective, positive thoughts are appreciated. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Cleaning Up
Massive amounts of rain here the past couple days. I went down to the basement this morning and pulled the mats up and black, stinky gunk was revealed. I kept pulling mats up and the water and wetness kept appearing. Luckily, we didn't flood and there was no active flow. It either came up so slow that the ball drain didn't stop it or so fast that it couldn't keep up. The kids helped pick all the toys up and pile stuff on couches and counters. I cleaned the black gunk off me and then took Ellie over to North for camp. Flooded streets and sidewalks on the way there.
Nick and I came back here and he played upstairs while I worked in the basement. I got all effected mats up, washed, and stored. I washed down the floor. I set up all the fans to start drying the floor. The basement stunk - still does. Maybe my nose got too much of a dose today because I notice the smell everywhere I go. Nick helped me harvest some lettuce in the garden. We had to drain some of our pots that were retaining rain water. We had some jalapeno peppers and a strawberry, too. We took them over to Mom's house. Matteo was over there and I think it was nice for Nick to have some one on one time with him. Nick asked Mom to cut the lone strawberry so we could all taste it, Mom did. Nick and Teo played with trains and sat net to each other eating M&Ms.
We came home and started purging the basement. I told the kids this morning that this has happened too many times in too short of a period. I asked them if we could make some decisions about some of the toys in the basement. After Ellie and Rob came home from camp we had lunch and began the process. I was duly impressed with their willingness to donate their toys. Ellie decided she was pretty much done with Barbie dolls, Nick decided he was done with the pirate ship and smaller toys. All in all, I think we had 6-7 bags of toys and games to donate. We were able to recycle/reclaim more than 10 plastic bins. It looks great down there. Since it wasn't a pool day, we continued. Ellie organized her craft drawers. We were able to give Nick a drawer for his projects.
Rob and I did a major organizational purge of all our paper files. Ellie opened envelopes and helped out, too. We had a garbage bag filled with paperwork for Rob to shred at work. I did a final vacuum and we headed upstairs. We are supposed to get more rain over the next few days so we didn't put the mats back together.
Ellie and I finished another book. We thought about it, we have read 6 books in the 3 weeks she has been out of school - impressive. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We had veggie burgers, Michigan asparagus and peppers, a fruit salad, salad, and potato pancakes. Dad played with Nick and Mom, Ellie and I played Family Feud.
Monday was Ellie's first day of Trashy Fashion at North. They use recycled materials to design clothing. They have been encourages to enter the fashion show in the fall. Ellie is so very excited about this class. Nick and I dropped Ellie off and we had some time to ourselves. It started to rain as we left the parking lot, which rule out a park trip. Nick wanted to come home and watch a movie. I think he is tired and needs some chill out time. Ellie and Rob came home and I said I had to do some grocery shopping. Nick joined me and Ellie went with Rob to do a couple side jobs. We met back here and went to the pool. It was a great day to be at the pool. It was hot and sunny. We spent a couple hours there until the clouds turned dark and it looked like it was going to rain. We told the kids because we were so hot and worn out that we would have to have ice cream sundaes for dinner. We made banana splits and the kids loved it.
Tuesday morning Ellie told me we didn't have to walk her into school and I could just drop her at the curb...starting already. Nick and I went to Salvation and looked around. It is funny because Ellie is usually my thrift buddy but Nick was picking out his own clothes. We went to Michael's to see if there were any projects we wanted to work on but couldn't really find anything. Ellie came home from camp, we had lunch together. Our afternoon plan was to go see Monster University. It was a cute movie. We hit the pool when we got home but the day was not so sunny and the water felt really cold. Rob jumped in and pretty quickly got out. The kids played for a couple hours, though. Nick felt brave and tried the blue slide and loved it. I watched as he swam the deep end a couple times by himself. We came home and made pizzas and I cut up some fruit and veggies.
We have a family friend that could really use some positive thoughts right now, they received some tough news this week. Hoping to get back to normal tomorrow in the basement. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Nick and I came back here and he played upstairs while I worked in the basement. I got all effected mats up, washed, and stored. I washed down the floor. I set up all the fans to start drying the floor. The basement stunk - still does. Maybe my nose got too much of a dose today because I notice the smell everywhere I go. Nick helped me harvest some lettuce in the garden. We had to drain some of our pots that were retaining rain water. We had some jalapeno peppers and a strawberry, too. We took them over to Mom's house. Matteo was over there and I think it was nice for Nick to have some one on one time with him. Nick asked Mom to cut the lone strawberry so we could all taste it, Mom did. Nick and Teo played with trains and sat net to each other eating M&Ms.
We came home and started purging the basement. I told the kids this morning that this has happened too many times in too short of a period. I asked them if we could make some decisions about some of the toys in the basement. After Ellie and Rob came home from camp we had lunch and began the process. I was duly impressed with their willingness to donate their toys. Ellie decided she was pretty much done with Barbie dolls, Nick decided he was done with the pirate ship and smaller toys. All in all, I think we had 6-7 bags of toys and games to donate. We were able to recycle/reclaim more than 10 plastic bins. It looks great down there. Since it wasn't a pool day, we continued. Ellie organized her craft drawers. We were able to give Nick a drawer for his projects.
Rob and I did a major organizational purge of all our paper files. Ellie opened envelopes and helped out, too. We had a garbage bag filled with paperwork for Rob to shred at work. I did a final vacuum and we headed upstairs. We are supposed to get more rain over the next few days so we didn't put the mats back together.
Ellie and I finished another book. We thought about it, we have read 6 books in the 3 weeks she has been out of school - impressive. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We had veggie burgers, Michigan asparagus and peppers, a fruit salad, salad, and potato pancakes. Dad played with Nick and Mom, Ellie and I played Family Feud.
Monday was Ellie's first day of Trashy Fashion at North. They use recycled materials to design clothing. They have been encourages to enter the fashion show in the fall. Ellie is so very excited about this class. Nick and I dropped Ellie off and we had some time to ourselves. It started to rain as we left the parking lot, which rule out a park trip. Nick wanted to come home and watch a movie. I think he is tired and needs some chill out time. Ellie and Rob came home and I said I had to do some grocery shopping. Nick joined me and Ellie went with Rob to do a couple side jobs. We met back here and went to the pool. It was a great day to be at the pool. It was hot and sunny. We spent a couple hours there until the clouds turned dark and it looked like it was going to rain. We told the kids because we were so hot and worn out that we would have to have ice cream sundaes for dinner. We made banana splits and the kids loved it.
Tuesday morning Ellie told me we didn't have to walk her into school and I could just drop her at the curb...starting already. Nick and I went to Salvation and looked around. It is funny because Ellie is usually my thrift buddy but Nick was picking out his own clothes. We went to Michael's to see if there were any projects we wanted to work on but couldn't really find anything. Ellie came home from camp, we had lunch together. Our afternoon plan was to go see Monster University. It was a cute movie. We hit the pool when we got home but the day was not so sunny and the water felt really cold. Rob jumped in and pretty quickly got out. The kids played for a couple hours, though. Nick felt brave and tried the blue slide and loved it. I watched as he swam the deep end a couple times by himself. We came home and made pizzas and I cut up some fruit and veggies.
We have a family friend that could really use some positive thoughts right now, they received some tough news this week. Hoping to get back to normal tomorrow in the basement. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Tired Post
I am tired so this is not gong to be a huge post tonight. We got some pool time in at the end of last week. Swim lessons ended on Friday and Ellie was able to test out of level 7 and is now on level 8. We went up to Michigan on Friday afternoon...longest trip ever, almost 4 hours. We were able to get some beach time in on Saturday but the water is still way too cold to be in. We finished up a couple projects and started a couple more - always a work in progress. I did take my ativan up with us and I was able to sleep. I guess that just might be what I continue to do for the nights there.
We stopped off at Bass Pro on the way home today and the kids got to do their summer camp - bb gun target shooting, crafts, and line casting. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner - yummy fruit and salads, veggie burgers. The kids got to play with Tony & Teo for a bit.
I will hopefully have more to share on Wednesday. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
We stopped off at Bass Pro on the way home today and the kids got to do their summer camp - bb gun target shooting, crafts, and line casting. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner - yummy fruit and salads, veggie burgers. The kids got to play with Tony & Teo for a bit.
I will hopefully have more to share on Wednesday. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Almost forgot it was Wednesday
This week is flying by. We still have swim lessons in the morning and then the kids have one session of science camp in the afternoon.
Monday I went grocery shopping because we were out of so many things. The kids got to pick their favorite fruits and veggies out. Ellie even tried the portabello pizzas they were sampling. I ran over to Unique to see if they had anything great. I ended up with a couple shirts. We went to the pool in the evening and stayed for a couple hours. It was 92 degrees when we got there and was 72 when we left.
Tuesday the kids watched Hop between swimming and camp. I did some house cleaning while they were at camp. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We made the portabello pizzas, a farro beet salad, fruit, salads. Ellie made a oreo pie for dessert. We watched America's Got Talent. Dad helped Nick and Rob get the lights going on the train outside. You couldn't really tell when it was still light outside but once it was dark the red lights glowed and the caboose was lit, too.
Today we came home for down time between swim and camp. I did laundry and worked out. Ellie made a peanut butter pie for dessert. I took advantage of the cooler temperatures and made pumpkin bread. While I was working out, Ellie and Nick surprised me and washed the dishes and then dried and put them all away - very nice surprise. I came home and got mega loaded laundry baskets put away. I went out to fertilize and weed pull the garden. Rob brought the kids home and then he took Ellie with him to do a couple things. When they got back home, we took a walk to the park to play. We came home and had dinner and then while I was making zucchini bread, Rob took them to a different park for a bit.
Looks like it will be a hot weekend, glad we got the air conditioners put in at the cottage. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Monday I went grocery shopping because we were out of so many things. The kids got to pick their favorite fruits and veggies out. Ellie even tried the portabello pizzas they were sampling. I ran over to Unique to see if they had anything great. I ended up with a couple shirts. We went to the pool in the evening and stayed for a couple hours. It was 92 degrees when we got there and was 72 when we left.
Tuesday the kids watched Hop between swimming and camp. I did some house cleaning while they were at camp. Mom and Dad came over for dinner. We made the portabello pizzas, a farro beet salad, fruit, salads. Ellie made a oreo pie for dessert. We watched America's Got Talent. Dad helped Nick and Rob get the lights going on the train outside. You couldn't really tell when it was still light outside but once it was dark the red lights glowed and the caboose was lit, too.
Today we came home for down time between swim and camp. I did laundry and worked out. Ellie made a peanut butter pie for dessert. I took advantage of the cooler temperatures and made pumpkin bread. While I was working out, Ellie and Nick surprised me and washed the dishes and then dried and put them all away - very nice surprise. I came home and got mega loaded laundry baskets put away. I went out to fertilize and weed pull the garden. Rob brought the kids home and then he took Ellie with him to do a couple things. When they got back home, we took a walk to the park to play. We came home and had dinner and then while I was making zucchini bread, Rob took them to a different park for a bit.
Looks like it will be a hot weekend, glad we got the air conditioners put in at the cottage. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Father's Day
Wednesday seems like a lifetime ago, not really sure how much I am going to remember for this post.
Thursday night we picked Rob's mom up in Glenview before heading out to Dean's house for dinner. Dean cooked dinner for all of us and the kids loved playing together. The 2 new desserts we made were okay but I probably wouldn't repeat either of them.
Friday started with swim lessons and Nick and his little competitive buddy were separated into different groups. It was last day of session one for science camp. The kids loved the first session. Rob was to take his mom up to Michigan but we had heard that our area was hit pretty bad with the storm last week. The power was out from the Wednesday night storm, trees down, wind damage and we decided it was best to stay home. Rob and I got to spend a bit of time together before picking the kids up at camp. We decided to have a movie night since it was too cold to go to the pool, Tony had a bit of a cough and wasn't coming for a play date - movie night sounded like the best consolation prize we could do. We picked the kids up and stopped by the library for new books and to register their first check in for the reading program. We ran to Family Video to pick up movies but were met with a sign that they were closing forever. We were still able to rent for the evening but they will close down this coming week. Ellie was able to get 5 free movies with the A's she earned in school this year. We came home and had dinner. We all went out in the yard for a while. Rob and I did some tree/shrub trimming and the kids played. We went it for movie night and we watched Cirque de Soleil on the living room wall.
We woke up to rain on Saturday. I called Jo to see what they were doing and we made plans for the day. We stopped into a rummage sale and then drove past some garage sales. We had lunch together at Culver's. The rain had cleared by the afternoon and we decided to give the Custer Street Fair a try. We parked at Jo's house and walked over to the fair. We just walked around and looked at the over-priced food and crafts. The kids got to play a couple games and win bubbles and chips. We came home and we had our inaugural visit to the pool. It was empty - too cold for normal people to be there. Rob and the kids braved the water. I sat at the edge and dangled my feet in but it was too chilly. We came home and had dinner and the kids watched a movie.
Today we began our day at church. We got to see Nana for a couple minutes but she was busy being social. We came home and I went grocery shopping while Rob took the kids to the pool. It was a much warmer day and the water was warmer. I made some salsa and dip to take to Mom's house. The kids and Rob got home and they went to play in the basement. Rob and I got to read the paper and talk. We went over to Mom and Dad's for Father's Day dinner. Mom made some favorites - Rib's for the boys, chicken legs for the little boys, fake ribs for the non meat eaters. Summer salad, fruit, asparagus, roasted potatoes, pierogis. It was delicious. The kids played outside and tried out their new squirt things. Dad took the kids to the park for a bit. We came home and the kids had showers and we read for a bit.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Thursday night we picked Rob's mom up in Glenview before heading out to Dean's house for dinner. Dean cooked dinner for all of us and the kids loved playing together. The 2 new desserts we made were okay but I probably wouldn't repeat either of them.
Friday started with swim lessons and Nick and his little competitive buddy were separated into different groups. It was last day of session one for science camp. The kids loved the first session. Rob was to take his mom up to Michigan but we had heard that our area was hit pretty bad with the storm last week. The power was out from the Wednesday night storm, trees down, wind damage and we decided it was best to stay home. Rob and I got to spend a bit of time together before picking the kids up at camp. We decided to have a movie night since it was too cold to go to the pool, Tony had a bit of a cough and wasn't coming for a play date - movie night sounded like the best consolation prize we could do. We picked the kids up and stopped by the library for new books and to register their first check in for the reading program. We ran to Family Video to pick up movies but were met with a sign that they were closing forever. We were still able to rent for the evening but they will close down this coming week. Ellie was able to get 5 free movies with the A's she earned in school this year. We came home and had dinner. We all went out in the yard for a while. Rob and I did some tree/shrub trimming and the kids played. We went it for movie night and we watched Cirque de Soleil on the living room wall.
We woke up to rain on Saturday. I called Jo to see what they were doing and we made plans for the day. We stopped into a rummage sale and then drove past some garage sales. We had lunch together at Culver's. The rain had cleared by the afternoon and we decided to give the Custer Street Fair a try. We parked at Jo's house and walked over to the fair. We just walked around and looked at the over-priced food and crafts. The kids got to play a couple games and win bubbles and chips. We came home and we had our inaugural visit to the pool. It was empty - too cold for normal people to be there. Rob and the kids braved the water. I sat at the edge and dangled my feet in but it was too chilly. We came home and had dinner and the kids watched a movie.
Today we began our day at church. We got to see Nana for a couple minutes but she was busy being social. We came home and I went grocery shopping while Rob took the kids to the pool. It was a much warmer day and the water was warmer. I made some salsa and dip to take to Mom's house. The kids and Rob got home and they went to play in the basement. Rob and I got to read the paper and talk. We went over to Mom and Dad's for Father's Day dinner. Mom made some favorites - Rib's for the boys, chicken legs for the little boys, fake ribs for the non meat eaters. Summer salad, fruit, asparagus, roasted potatoes, pierogis. It was delicious. The kids played outside and tried out their new squirt things. Dad took the kids to the park for a bit. We came home and the kids had showers and we read for a bit.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Running Around
Summer break? I guess I wasn't thinking of all the running round involved in multiple camp lesson locations. Monday morning we all woke up with just enough time to get a quick bite to eat and get dressed before we ran out the door to the kids swim lessons. They both did great and I am so happy that we signed them up. We left and went to Mariano's to grocery shop. The kids got their gelato and it kept them quiet while we shopped. We got home and made lunch. Ellie and I had a little time to read. We got in the car and I dropped them at North for Science Camp. They knew a few friends there and Rob brings them home when he gets off work. I came home and did my Just Dance workout. I ran to Kohl's to pick Rob up some new pants. I tried on about 2 dozen bras. My favorite bra is no longer made and I need to find a replacement. 2 dozen and you might think one would have worked but no, none did. My one Imerman friend had her take down surgery and her husband posted that it all went fine and she was recovering. When the kids got home they played outside for a bit with our neighbors and we talked about going to the library. Rob and I were sitting outside talking when Nick came towards us crying and hysterical. Our neighbors just had a fence installed and Nick didn't want to ask for help so he decided to climb over the fence and he got stuck at the top and fell. He had a huge purple spot instantly on his upper ribs. We rushed inside to ice it and he said he was having trouble breathing - no wonder I have white hair. He took a shower and felt better. We went to the library to check out some new books and then came home to cook dinner. Ellie helped me make a quick Mexican dinner.
Tuesday was more of the summer routine. Ellie passed her level 6 swim test and moved up to level 7. She is cruising in the pool, so proud of her. Nick is in competition with another little boy in his level, not sure if it is productive or not. We came home after swimming to have some relaxation time. Ellie and I read, we did Just Dance, had lunch and were on our way to North. I dropped them and went thrifting. Ellie has one suit that fits for swimming - she is now in ladies sizes. I started at Land End Outlet but couldn't find anything. I went to Salvation and found a couple shirts for me, some wiffle balls for the yard, a super cute pair of Birkenstock shoes and a scooter for Ellie to use at Mom's house. Rob had a dentist appointment and a co-workers going away party so the kids and I decided to go to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We brought with some of our freshly picked lettuce and some veggies. Nick tried our lettuce and liked it. The kids got in some playtime at the park after dinner.
Today was more of the same. Swimming lesson in the morning. Ellie was cruising with her frog legs and Nick looks like he is almost ready to test and move to the next level. We came home after and I did Just Dance while the kids watched a movie. We had lunch and then Ellie and I read for a bit. I dropped them at North for camp. I was on a mission for ingredients for desserts for tomorrow night. We are heading to Dean's house to meet up with Rob's Mom (she just arrived this afternoon from Florida) for dinner and we are bringing dessert. We are trying out 2 new recipes - carrot cake rice krispie bars and mile high banana split pie, I'll let you know how they turn out. I got home and there was a a message from Imerman - I had been matched again. I took a couple minutes to email and call my new match. I went out and did some work in the garden and then did a couple quick house projects. I cleaned the top of the fridge and cleaned up the kitchen. I went out on the upstairs deck and swept and noticed there was standing water in the gutters. I pulled up the hose and worked to get all the pesky leaves and seed down the gutters and clear it up. I washed the cushions off for the deck. Rob and the kids got home and wanted to go to the pool but we were under a severe weather storm watch and I told them no. They set up the sprinkler and went in that for a while until the sky turned dark and lightening started. We came in and I started dinner. We had tons of fruit and veggies and I made some of the vegan chicken patties. Ellie was my helper for the desserts. She mixed, measured, stirred, and assembled. The kids were so frightened by the storms tonight. I am not sure if it has to do with all the news coverage lately about storm devastation or what but they were both jumpy. As I am writing this, now, the rain has picked up again and it is flashing and loud thundering out. Ellie lost her first molar at camp today - she was so happy, it has been bugging her. Rob and I watched the Hawks game tonight - I am still watching it because of the ridiculous overtime.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Tuesday was more of the summer routine. Ellie passed her level 6 swim test and moved up to level 7. She is cruising in the pool, so proud of her. Nick is in competition with another little boy in his level, not sure if it is productive or not. We came home after swimming to have some relaxation time. Ellie and I read, we did Just Dance, had lunch and were on our way to North. I dropped them and went thrifting. Ellie has one suit that fits for swimming - she is now in ladies sizes. I started at Land End Outlet but couldn't find anything. I went to Salvation and found a couple shirts for me, some wiffle balls for the yard, a super cute pair of Birkenstock shoes and a scooter for Ellie to use at Mom's house. Rob had a dentist appointment and a co-workers going away party so the kids and I decided to go to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We brought with some of our freshly picked lettuce and some veggies. Nick tried our lettuce and liked it. The kids got in some playtime at the park after dinner.
Today was more of the same. Swimming lesson in the morning. Ellie was cruising with her frog legs and Nick looks like he is almost ready to test and move to the next level. We came home after and I did Just Dance while the kids watched a movie. We had lunch and then Ellie and I read for a bit. I dropped them at North for camp. I was on a mission for ingredients for desserts for tomorrow night. We are heading to Dean's house to meet up with Rob's Mom (she just arrived this afternoon from Florida) for dinner and we are bringing dessert. We are trying out 2 new recipes - carrot cake rice krispie bars and mile high banana split pie, I'll let you know how they turn out. I got home and there was a a message from Imerman - I had been matched again. I took a couple minutes to email and call my new match. I went out and did some work in the garden and then did a couple quick house projects. I cleaned the top of the fridge and cleaned up the kitchen. I went out on the upstairs deck and swept and noticed there was standing water in the gutters. I pulled up the hose and worked to get all the pesky leaves and seed down the gutters and clear it up. I washed the cushions off for the deck. Rob and the kids got home and wanted to go to the pool but we were under a severe weather storm watch and I told them no. They set up the sprinkler and went in that for a while until the sky turned dark and lightening started. We came in and I started dinner. We had tons of fruit and veggies and I made some of the vegan chicken patties. Ellie was my helper for the desserts. She mixed, measured, stirred, and assembled. The kids were so frightened by the storms tonight. I am not sure if it has to do with all the news coverage lately about storm devastation or what but they were both jumpy. As I am writing this, now, the rain has picked up again and it is flashing and loud thundering out. Ellie lost her first molar at camp today - she was so happy, it has been bugging her. Rob and I watched the Hawks game tonight - I am still watching it because of the ridiculous overtime.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, June 9, 2013
School is Out! Let Summer Fun Conmence
Let's see how much of the last week I can remember...
Monday was Nick's first day without school but he came with me to Ellie's field day. He was a great partner and went grocery shopping and running around with me in the morning. Ellie's class was a bunch of fun for the picnic and park. We had pizza, carrots, fruit, and pretzels. They made ice cream sundaes for dessert. We went down to the park and the kids played. Nick and I manned the cooler with the popsicles. It was a cooler day but the sun was shining bright and keeping us all warm. After school we went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program and to check out some books. Ellie wants to try to do Battle of the Books again this coming year. We finished up her first book, barely. I am not sure who picks these books but this 1st one we picked was about an 11 year old boy who had leukemia and the chemo wasn't working for him any longer. It took all I had to keep it together those last couple chapters.
Tuesday morning we went to school for Ellie's award presentation. Ellie made us so proud. She looked great, she earned some wonderful award achievements and really made us proud parents. We came home and packed up for Michigan. Ellie got off the bus a little bit later and we got on the road. We had lunch at Culver's and did a quick grocery shop before getting to the cottage. The kids and I went into town to rent some movies while Rob got started on our projects. I think I need to leave a couple ativan up there because sleeping at the cottage pretty much has sucked this season. I hear noises and it wakes me up.
Consolidating days because they all ran together. We did a few projects at the cottage. Rob took care of landscaping clean up. I painted a couple chairs for the dining room. We did a bit of shopping and cleaning. Replacing old things with new. Rob did take the kids to the beach a couple times while I did my thing. We saw Epic one of the evenings and got ice cream from Nemo's. We drove up to Kalamazoo for the rainy day.
We drove home Friday afternoon. We made awesome time on the way home until we got off the skyway. We got home in time to unload the car, change clothes and head to Niles West for the Relay for Life. It was my first time participating, the first time I was ready. It was really nice and I look forward to doing it again next year. Survivors and caregivers open the relay up by walking the first lap. We walked a couple laps before taking a break for some celebratory cake. It was a wonderful night with the sun shining bright. We came home and relaxed.
Saturday was a busy day. Ellie had a make up jazz class in the morning. Dress rehearsal in the early afternoon. In between I did a bit of gardening. Rob mowed the grass and took care of Nick. The kids played with the neighbors. This evening we had a dinner at church to say goodbye to our pastor who will be moving to Pennsylvania to become the assistant bishop. It was a nice evening out, the kids all hing out together, and we were able to visit with friends.
This morning we were all going to go to church but Nick was still sleeping and we have had a long week. We let Nick sleep and I stayed home with him while Ellie and Rob went to church. Nick slept until almost 10:00, he needed it. After breakfast, I started to clean up the house. With 2 kids finishing school, emptying lockers, backpacks, desks...we had crap everywhere. The stupid cottonwood trees are blooming and it looks like snow everywhere and they have invaded our home. Nick was a good helper and went upstairs to clean his room up and put his toys away. I was able to get the living room, back room, and washroom down before Ellie and Rob came home. We all worked together and got the dining room clean, too. Ellie and I did some Just Dance to warm her up for her recital. We all took our showers and I made us some lunch. I did Ellie's makeup and hair and then dropped Nick off at Mom and Dad's house. We were told the recital had 32 dances and thought ahead to ask Mom and Dad if they would watch Nick instead of him having to wait patiently through it all. The recital went very smooth;y. Ellie did great and smiled and looked wonderful. After the recital we went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom made chili and it was a nice time. We came home and did a bit of reading with the kids before getting them to bed. Tomorrow begins summer camp and swimming lessons.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Monday was Nick's first day without school but he came with me to Ellie's field day. He was a great partner and went grocery shopping and running around with me in the morning. Ellie's class was a bunch of fun for the picnic and park. We had pizza, carrots, fruit, and pretzels. They made ice cream sundaes for dessert. We went down to the park and the kids played. Nick and I manned the cooler with the popsicles. It was a cooler day but the sun was shining bright and keeping us all warm. After school we went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program and to check out some books. Ellie wants to try to do Battle of the Books again this coming year. We finished up her first book, barely. I am not sure who picks these books but this 1st one we picked was about an 11 year old boy who had leukemia and the chemo wasn't working for him any longer. It took all I had to keep it together those last couple chapters.
Tuesday morning we went to school for Ellie's award presentation. Ellie made us so proud. She looked great, she earned some wonderful award achievements and really made us proud parents. We came home and packed up for Michigan. Ellie got off the bus a little bit later and we got on the road. We had lunch at Culver's and did a quick grocery shop before getting to the cottage. The kids and I went into town to rent some movies while Rob got started on our projects. I think I need to leave a couple ativan up there because sleeping at the cottage pretty much has sucked this season. I hear noises and it wakes me up.
Consolidating days because they all ran together. We did a few projects at the cottage. Rob took care of landscaping clean up. I painted a couple chairs for the dining room. We did a bit of shopping and cleaning. Replacing old things with new. Rob did take the kids to the beach a couple times while I did my thing. We saw Epic one of the evenings and got ice cream from Nemo's. We drove up to Kalamazoo for the rainy day.
We drove home Friday afternoon. We made awesome time on the way home until we got off the skyway. We got home in time to unload the car, change clothes and head to Niles West for the Relay for Life. It was my first time participating, the first time I was ready. It was really nice and I look forward to doing it again next year. Survivors and caregivers open the relay up by walking the first lap. We walked a couple laps before taking a break for some celebratory cake. It was a wonderful night with the sun shining bright. We came home and relaxed.
Saturday was a busy day. Ellie had a make up jazz class in the morning. Dress rehearsal in the early afternoon. In between I did a bit of gardening. Rob mowed the grass and took care of Nick. The kids played with the neighbors. This evening we had a dinner at church to say goodbye to our pastor who will be moving to Pennsylvania to become the assistant bishop. It was a nice evening out, the kids all hing out together, and we were able to visit with friends.
This morning we were all going to go to church but Nick was still sleeping and we have had a long week. We let Nick sleep and I stayed home with him while Ellie and Rob went to church. Nick slept until almost 10:00, he needed it. After breakfast, I started to clean up the house. With 2 kids finishing school, emptying lockers, backpacks, desks...we had crap everywhere. The stupid cottonwood trees are blooming and it looks like snow everywhere and they have invaded our home. Nick was a good helper and went upstairs to clean his room up and put his toys away. I was able to get the living room, back room, and washroom down before Ellie and Rob came home. We all worked together and got the dining room clean, too. Ellie and I did some Just Dance to warm her up for her recital. We all took our showers and I made us some lunch. I did Ellie's makeup and hair and then dropped Nick off at Mom and Dad's house. We were told the recital had 32 dances and thought ahead to ask Mom and Dad if they would watch Nick instead of him having to wait patiently through it all. The recital went very smooth;y. Ellie did great and smiled and looked wonderful. After the recital we went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom made chili and it was a nice time. We came home and did a bit of reading with the kids before getting them to bed. Tomorrow begins summer camp and swimming lessons.
Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Whirlwind
It has been a busy few days and nights. Thursday was Nick's field day and picnic at school. The day was re-arranged because of the impending storms. They began the day at the park for their field day and then had their picnic lunch in the classroom. I went to the park to help out and play. I picked up the pizzas to take for lunch. Nick actually tried and liked the pizza. I think I went to Kohl's in the afternoon but that could have been a different afternoon because they have all been glued together in my mind. If it was the Kohl's day, I picked up some great clearance clothes. Almost everything I bought was 90% off. When the kids got home from school we went to Mariano's for $10 pizza night. If you are ever in the neighborhood of a Mariano's on Thursday night - a whole sheet pan pizza is $10 and they will put whatever ingredients you want on it. We had seriously just walked in the door and it started pouring rain, lightening and thundering. It was great because the pizza took 30 minutes and the rain had quieted down by the time we left.
Friday was another crazy day. I got the kids onto the bus and did my wii workout and took a shower. I had the volunteer breakfast at school. It was nice, as always. There was a dance, song and music performance. I came home and did some laundry. Rob came home and Mom and Dad picked us up to head back to school. Nick's Pint Size Poets was on Friday afternoon. It was very cute. Thy each had a couple lines to recite and then a poet followed each recitation. Nick did great. Ellie was able to come down for a little bit of it, too. Mom and Dad drove us home and then Rob, Nick and I went to grab some ice cream as a treat. We had Rob's union picnic after Ellie got home from school. We were off to the forest preserve. It was supposed to have some kid activities but becks of the storms things were cancelled. We stayed for a little bit but parted ways when it began to rain. Mom and Dad offered the kids an overnight and they happily took them up on it. I dropped them off but Nick had a little meltdown. I think he is a bit sad that school is done and he won't be in his routine. We talked for a while and he decided to stay. Rob and I went to try Las Fuentes in Morton Grove for dinner. It is nicely decorated and they had a nice menu, the salsa and chips were good. Unfortunately, way too many things went wrong with our order and after about 90 minutes we walked out.
Saturday morning I met Jo at Mom's house and we went rummaging. Dad took Nick. Ellie, and Tony fishing. Mom watched Matteo. Jo and I had fun and we were able to get a lot of things accomplished without little hands. I scored a bag plus of clothes for the kids. We came back to Mom's to meet up. The kids had caught about 8 fish and had a great time. We came home to pick up Rob and were on our way up to Lindenhurst. Our friends, Geoff & Donna, had a graduation party for their oldest son, Weston. It was great to visit with them because it has been way too long. We stayed and visited and Nick played with the boys for a couple hours. We must try to get together more often because we miss them. We made our way home via some stores. I stopped at Bass Pro to return the shoes I bought last week. We stopped at Community and we scored some nice clothing. Ever growing Ellie needed some new shorts and we were able to find her about 6 pairs. We came home and picked up dinner from West of Edens because we were all starving and couldn't wait to make dinner.
Today is National Survivor's Day, happy to be celebrating it. We started at church. This is the second time in a row that during the service a huge centipede has scurried past us, Rob killed it. We visited with friends after the service. We traveled north to see Dean's new house. They just closed on Friday and are in the process of moving and cleaning. The kids loved playing together and we got a bit of visiting in, too. We were on our way back home when Mom called and asked if we could stop for soy ice cream - we struck out. We went to 3 stores with no success. It was family Sunday today. Mom made everyone's favorites - corn pudding, pierogi, noodles, fruit, salad, broccoli and cauliflower, salmon and bbq chick'n. We had smores pie and blueberry buckle for dessert. The kids got to visit and play for a bit. We came home and Rob and I got all our paperwork together for our refinancing - pain in the butt. We all took showers and got the kids to bed.
Ellie finishes up on Tuesday, this year flew by. I will post again next Sunday because we are headed up to the cottage for a couple days. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Friday was another crazy day. I got the kids onto the bus and did my wii workout and took a shower. I had the volunteer breakfast at school. It was nice, as always. There was a dance, song and music performance. I came home and did some laundry. Rob came home and Mom and Dad picked us up to head back to school. Nick's Pint Size Poets was on Friday afternoon. It was very cute. Thy each had a couple lines to recite and then a poet followed each recitation. Nick did great. Ellie was able to come down for a little bit of it, too. Mom and Dad drove us home and then Rob, Nick and I went to grab some ice cream as a treat. We had Rob's union picnic after Ellie got home from school. We were off to the forest preserve. It was supposed to have some kid activities but becks of the storms things were cancelled. We stayed for a little bit but parted ways when it began to rain. Mom and Dad offered the kids an overnight and they happily took them up on it. I dropped them off but Nick had a little meltdown. I think he is a bit sad that school is done and he won't be in his routine. We talked for a while and he decided to stay. Rob and I went to try Las Fuentes in Morton Grove for dinner. It is nicely decorated and they had a nice menu, the salsa and chips were good. Unfortunately, way too many things went wrong with our order and after about 90 minutes we walked out.
Saturday morning I met Jo at Mom's house and we went rummaging. Dad took Nick. Ellie, and Tony fishing. Mom watched Matteo. Jo and I had fun and we were able to get a lot of things accomplished without little hands. I scored a bag plus of clothes for the kids. We came back to Mom's to meet up. The kids had caught about 8 fish and had a great time. We came home to pick up Rob and were on our way up to Lindenhurst. Our friends, Geoff & Donna, had a graduation party for their oldest son, Weston. It was great to visit with them because it has been way too long. We stayed and visited and Nick played with the boys for a couple hours. We must try to get together more often because we miss them. We made our way home via some stores. I stopped at Bass Pro to return the shoes I bought last week. We stopped at Community and we scored some nice clothing. Ever growing Ellie needed some new shorts and we were able to find her about 6 pairs. We came home and picked up dinner from West of Edens because we were all starving and couldn't wait to make dinner.
Today is National Survivor's Day, happy to be celebrating it. We started at church. This is the second time in a row that during the service a huge centipede has scurried past us, Rob killed it. We visited with friends after the service. We traveled north to see Dean's new house. They just closed on Friday and are in the process of moving and cleaning. The kids loved playing together and we got a bit of visiting in, too. We were on our way back home when Mom called and asked if we could stop for soy ice cream - we struck out. We went to 3 stores with no success. It was family Sunday today. Mom made everyone's favorites - corn pudding, pierogi, noodles, fruit, salad, broccoli and cauliflower, salmon and bbq chick'n. We had smores pie and blueberry buckle for dessert. The kids got to visit and play for a bit. We came home and Rob and I got all our paperwork together for our refinancing - pain in the butt. We all took showers and got the kids to bed.
Ellie finishes up on Tuesday, this year flew by. I will post again next Sunday because we are headed up to the cottage for a couple days. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
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