It seems like weeks have past since my post on Sunday...not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Monday morning we went and got the oil changed in the van. We dropped it off and walked to the kids' bank to make a deposit of all their change. We continued on to Village Hall to get our new vehicle stickers. We went to return books at the library and check a couple new ones out. We walked back to the dealership and picked up the car. We had a quick lunch before heading for some playtime at Mom and Dad's house. We took it easy and watched George of the Jungle before heading outside to play. The kids were having a great time. Ellie was inspired by all the clubhouse Harry Potter theme and researched science experiments to try out. Tony gladly assisted. We came home and Rob was mowing the lawn. The kids p,aged outside wit Rustine and enjoyed a great summer night.
Tuesday morning we made our list of all the things we needed to accomplish and went to work striking them off. We cleaned up the house. We ran to Costco for some snacks. We ran to the bank to pay the property taxes. Packed for the trip. Rob called to say he wasn't feeling good and thought he would be home around lunchtime, we hoped he didn't pick up Nick's illness. Rob came home and we packed up the car and hoped we could make it without Rob getting sick. Traffic was great and we cruised through. We stopped off at Oink's for a scoop of ice cream, what better way to begin vacation? We got up here in time for dinner and for Ellie to make it to clubhouse for the pie eating contest. Ellie came in 2nd place. Rob went to bed as soon as Ellie was off to clubhouse.
Today was cool and rainy. Ellie went to clubhouse this morning. Nick, Nana, and I went shopping for some food. When we got back, Ellie was home, too. We had lunch and got a plan together. We went down to the beach with a couple buckets to pick up some new rocks to paint. The kids wanted to get some videos for the week and I needed to run into town to pick up a couple things. We were able to rent Nicky Deuce, the movie based on the book Nick and I have been reading. We spent the rest of the afternoon painting rocks. We had sandwiches for dinner and then Ellie was off to clubhouse. Nick and I drove her in the golf cart because it was foggy and misting out.
Sending positive, healing thoughts to the Hakeem Family. Azim and Farheen were classmates of mine and Azim was found dead yesterday at his families store. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Long Couple Days
Last Thursday we went out to Grandma Chocolate's house to help Mom and Dad continue to box up stuff. The kids brought a ball with so they could play outside while we worked. We really got a bunch done before stopping for the day. We stopped off at Culver's on the way home to get a scoop of custard. Rob and I agreed to take the kids to the pool - they brought their snorkel sets with to try out. Much better to get a mouthful of pool water than a mouthful of lake water. They played for an hour or so before it turned too cold to be there any longer. We came home and had dinner and then got the kids to bed. Around 3:05AM, Nick began calling out "Mom." I originally thought it was the little girl next door but realized it was Nick. I ran up the stairs just in time to get him to the toilet before the vomiting began. Poor kid, he is not a good vomiter, like Ellie. He wretches and gags and it isn't pretty. He was shaking and dizzy. Rob helped and we got him back into bed with a bucket beside him and towels over his sheets and Rob laid with him until he went back to sleep. I had just started to doze off when I heard gagging. I ran into Nick's room only to find him asleep - it was Ellie. It was an extremely long night...Nick forgot about his bucket and ran for the toilet about 20 minutes later, to only make it to his doorway before projectile vomiting.
Friday was pajama sick day here. No one got dressed, no one brushed their teeth until bedtime. The kids watched movie after movie while sipping ginger ale or tea with honey. As if we didn't have it bad enough with the vomiting, Nick had a couple bouts of diarrhea, too. In retrospect, I think Nick had Mom and Dad's dreaded disease but Ellie probably had her normal hormonal migraine. They both dozed on the couch for a bit and didn't really want anything to eat. I was able to get some busy work done...I was able to do a spreadsheet of our finances back to January done. Rob came home at lunch and brought some ginger ale. They both sort of rebounded by the evening. We got baths/showers ready and an early bed. I was upstairs reading with Ellie when Nick started vomiting again.
Saturday was a laid back day. Luckily, a bad tummy and some dry heaves are all that stayed around. Rob worked in the morning. Ellie and I did some baking, taking advantage of the cool temperatures. We made double chocolate zucchini muffins, carrot-blueberry bread, and banana-oatmeal-toffee-biscoff muffins. The kids played outside with out neighbor, Rustine. Nick would come in every 10 or so minutes to let me know his tummy still hurt. Ellie and I went to Emily's graduation/birthday party with Mom and Dad. Rob stayed home with Nick because he wasn't feeling good. It was great to see the family. We came home and had dinner and got the kids off to bed early. Congratulations to Dean & Lauren who got married on Saturday. They slipped off and eloped with the girls.
We all slept in this morning. Rob got up just in time to make it to church. I read the paper and put my Target list together. Ellie and I ran over to Target when Rob got home from church. It was super nice girl time - we don't get that all the time. We came home and had lunch before heading next door for Serena's 1st birthday party. Nick stayed at home because he still isn't himself. Ellie played with Sophia and secured her future babysitting ability. We went to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Mom had made a great spread with a garlic gnocchi, green beans, corn pudding, noodles, sweet potatoes, salad, and watermelon. Fruit pies for dessert. The kids played outside together - it was a nice night. We came home and the kids played a bit more before we did showers and bedtime.
My friend, Eric, passed away on Friday...thanks for your positive thoughts. Our friend, Rosie, is finally home from the hospital for a couple days before round 2 begins. Visualizing me healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Friday was pajama sick day here. No one got dressed, no one brushed their teeth until bedtime. The kids watched movie after movie while sipping ginger ale or tea with honey. As if we didn't have it bad enough with the vomiting, Nick had a couple bouts of diarrhea, too. In retrospect, I think Nick had Mom and Dad's dreaded disease but Ellie probably had her normal hormonal migraine. They both dozed on the couch for a bit and didn't really want anything to eat. I was able to get some busy work done...I was able to do a spreadsheet of our finances back to January done. Rob came home at lunch and brought some ginger ale. They both sort of rebounded by the evening. We got baths/showers ready and an early bed. I was upstairs reading with Ellie when Nick started vomiting again.
Saturday was a laid back day. Luckily, a bad tummy and some dry heaves are all that stayed around. Rob worked in the morning. Ellie and I did some baking, taking advantage of the cool temperatures. We made double chocolate zucchini muffins, carrot-blueberry bread, and banana-oatmeal-toffee-biscoff muffins. The kids played outside with out neighbor, Rustine. Nick would come in every 10 or so minutes to let me know his tummy still hurt. Ellie and I went to Emily's graduation/birthday party with Mom and Dad. Rob stayed home with Nick because he wasn't feeling good. It was great to see the family. We came home and had dinner and got the kids off to bed early. Congratulations to Dean & Lauren who got married on Saturday. They slipped off and eloped with the girls.
We all slept in this morning. Rob got up just in time to make it to church. I read the paper and put my Target list together. Ellie and I ran over to Target when Rob got home from church. It was super nice girl time - we don't get that all the time. We came home and had lunch before heading next door for Serena's 1st birthday party. Nick stayed at home because he still isn't himself. Ellie played with Sophia and secured her future babysitting ability. We went to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Mom had made a great spread with a garlic gnocchi, green beans, corn pudding, noodles, sweet potatoes, salad, and watermelon. Fruit pies for dessert. The kids played outside together - it was a nice night. We came home and the kids played a bit more before we did showers and bedtime.
My friend, Eric, passed away on Friday...thanks for your positive thoughts. Our friend, Rosie, is finally home from the hospital for a couple days before round 2 begins. Visualizing me healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Vacation Part One, Third Chapter
Pleasant surprise that the storm that went through on Sunday night didn't stick around on Monday. Ellie went to clubhouse but Nick wasn't feeling it. It was going to be field Olympics but the field was flooded, it turned out to be beach Olympics. Ellie won 2nd place ribbons for 2 events. We were able to spend a couple hours at the beach. The water was nice and we were able to be in it for a few hours. By the time we got home, it was time to wash up and start dinner. Ellie has been my helper in the kitchen this past week...my sous chef. Ellie went to play games at clubhouse and Nick, Rob, and I went into Menards and Walmart. We were looking for a couple odds and ends and ended up finding a couple odd DVDs in the check out bin. We picked up snorkel sets at Walmart for the kids. Nick was so excited.
Tuesday was cool. Much more a fall temperature day than July. Appropriate, though, for Christmas in July at clubhouse. Ellie was flying solo again. They made stockings in the morning session. I got our big rocks painted and I really like how they turned out. We heard the waves from the house and knew there was a rip current but we told the kids we would try it out. When we got to the beach, the last of the people on the beach were clearing out. Too wavy, too cold, brutal. We went down and told the kids they could sit on the sand or go into their knees. Nick got pulled under but Rob was right there to pull him up and Ellie proclaimed it too wild for her. We were at the beach for maybe 5 minutes. When we got back to the house, I went into cleaning mode. I washed the floors in the dining room, hallway, front porch, and living room. Rob assisted me in refilling my hot water buckets and pre-treating the trim. It was a great day to do it because it was only about 70 degrees outside and the wind was so strong the floors were almost instantly drying. Ellie helped me with taco Tuesday dinner. Nick agreed to go to clubhouse for the white elephant night but bugged out on the walk there.
Last night got down to about 50 degrees. The first night of vacation that we were able to have the windows open upstairs. The kids asked for a blanket! It was still on the cooler end today. I got all our laundry washed and our towels. Ellie went to clubhouse to do their tie-dye t-shirts for the carnival. Nick helped clean up the basement. Rob went into Menards to buy a new ceiling fan and light bulbs. Nick had pulled the light switch pull completely out of the living room fan. Rob installed the new fan before lunch. I made the beds and worked my way downstairs. We had lunch and decided to get on the road because it was too cold to be a beach day. We cruised through Michigan and Indiana...slowly crawled through Illinois. We unpacked and went to visit Mom and Dad and the boys and then did our grocery shopping. The kids really missed playing with Mom, Dad, Tony, and Matteo while we were gone but I guess it was good that we were gone since everyone was sick. I was able to pick all our salad fixings from the garden - love it! The kids played for hours outside tonight. It was dark by the time Nick finally came in from catching bugs with Rustine.
It really seemed that we were away for far more than a week - good thing or bad? Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Tuesday was cool. Much more a fall temperature day than July. Appropriate, though, for Christmas in July at clubhouse. Ellie was flying solo again. They made stockings in the morning session. I got our big rocks painted and I really like how they turned out. We heard the waves from the house and knew there was a rip current but we told the kids we would try it out. When we got to the beach, the last of the people on the beach were clearing out. Too wavy, too cold, brutal. We went down and told the kids they could sit on the sand or go into their knees. Nick got pulled under but Rob was right there to pull him up and Ellie proclaimed it too wild for her. We were at the beach for maybe 5 minutes. When we got back to the house, I went into cleaning mode. I washed the floors in the dining room, hallway, front porch, and living room. Rob assisted me in refilling my hot water buckets and pre-treating the trim. It was a great day to do it because it was only about 70 degrees outside and the wind was so strong the floors were almost instantly drying. Ellie helped me with taco Tuesday dinner. Nick agreed to go to clubhouse for the white elephant night but bugged out on the walk there.
Last night got down to about 50 degrees. The first night of vacation that we were able to have the windows open upstairs. The kids asked for a blanket! It was still on the cooler end today. I got all our laundry washed and our towels. Ellie went to clubhouse to do their tie-dye t-shirts for the carnival. Nick helped clean up the basement. Rob went into Menards to buy a new ceiling fan and light bulbs. Nick had pulled the light switch pull completely out of the living room fan. Rob installed the new fan before lunch. I made the beds and worked my way downstairs. We had lunch and decided to get on the road because it was too cold to be a beach day. We cruised through Michigan and Indiana...slowly crawled through Illinois. We unpacked and went to visit Mom and Dad and the boys and then did our grocery shopping. The kids really missed playing with Mom, Dad, Tony, and Matteo while we were gone but I guess it was good that we were gone since everyone was sick. I was able to pick all our salad fixings from the garden - love it! The kids played for hours outside tonight. It was dark by the time Nick finally came in from catching bugs with Rustine.
It really seemed that we were away for far more than a week - good thing or bad? Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Vacation Part One, Second Chapter
We have had awesomely hot weather here. We have been able to get beach time in everyday. Nick hasn't been wanting to go to clubhouse this time around. I am not sure if it has to do with him not feeling well or something else but we aren't pushing it. Ellie went and it was Harry Potter themed last week. They made paper mâché eggs in the morning and potions, broomsticks and magic wands in the evening.
Friday we headed off to Dearborn for the night. We left right after breakfast and arrived at noon. We went to the Henry Ford Museum on Friday afternoon. Not too much has changed from the last time we were there. Ellie was about 18 months when we were last there...so Nick has never been. Nick loved the trains and thought there should be more. Ellie liked seeing the teenagers bedrooms throughout history. It is neat that you can now eat in the diner and next to the Weinermobile.
We got a late lunch at Pane before heading to Drury Inn for the evening. There was an outlet mall, similar to Gurnee Mills, a couple miles from us. We decided that was the perfect way to spend the late afternoon. Didn't really buy anything there but we walked around and kept cool for a couple hours. We headed back to the hotel and took advantage of their happy hour appetizers. We swam in the pool for a bit before heading up for a pajama party movie fest. The Disney channel had the premiere of their new movie and Ellie was super excited. There was a huge storm that went through...seriously, the news was broadcasting from a block away from the hotel. We watched it out our window and the rain was coming down sideways. Nick and I braved the weather and went in search of a snack around 9pm.
Saturday we had a good breakfast, checked out, and headed to Greenfield Village. The storm was supposed to reduce the humidity and temperature but by 10am it was into the 90s. The village has changed more than the museum since our last visit. The roads are paved and their are sidewalks now. Nick was pretty much just there to ride the trains, cars, wagons, buses, and carousel...and see the roundhouse. Ellie really enjoyed all of it. We had a treat at the tavern, watched a couple small bands play, saw the clock display. We stayed into the afternoon but the heat was really exhausting. We hit Costco on our way back onto the highway to pick up another beach umbrella and a mattress pad. Our ride back was nice and easy and no as hot as the ride there. We stopped for dinner in Marshall, at Schulers. The kids got to make their own sundaes for dessert. We pulled into the cottage around 8pm.
We all slept in today. We did a bit of shopping in the morning. The kids needed a white elephant gift for the clubhouse on Tuesday. We picked up a couple things at the grocery store and then were on our way back. We had lunch and hit the beach for hours. It was finally a gorgeous, not too hot, day. The water was perfect temperature and not too wavy. We came back and showered and I started dinner. We have been bringing these rocks back to the cottage and painting them for a rock garden...they look great. We had dinner and then surprised the kids with the idea of an evening swim. They were so excited. We didn't stay too long because we could see a storm was rolling in. Nana treated the kids to ice cream at the soda bar and then we came home, showered, and read. The storm just started as we took the kids up to bed. Thankfully, with the air conditioners and fans on they can't hear too much up there. By the time I came down, the living room curtains were blowing about 5 feet off the floor. So far just massive rain, lightening, and thunder. According to the weather alerts we might get hail and high winds too
Please continue your positive, comforting thoughts for Eric, he and his family really need them. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
PS...still on the iPad with auto correct...sorry about spelling and such.
Friday we headed off to Dearborn for the night. We left right after breakfast and arrived at noon. We went to the Henry Ford Museum on Friday afternoon. Not too much has changed from the last time we were there. Ellie was about 18 months when we were last there...so Nick has never been. Nick loved the trains and thought there should be more. Ellie liked seeing the teenagers bedrooms throughout history. It is neat that you can now eat in the diner and next to the Weinermobile.
We got a late lunch at Pane before heading to Drury Inn for the evening. There was an outlet mall, similar to Gurnee Mills, a couple miles from us. We decided that was the perfect way to spend the late afternoon. Didn't really buy anything there but we walked around and kept cool for a couple hours. We headed back to the hotel and took advantage of their happy hour appetizers. We swam in the pool for a bit before heading up for a pajama party movie fest. The Disney channel had the premiere of their new movie and Ellie was super excited. There was a huge storm that went through...seriously, the news was broadcasting from a block away from the hotel. We watched it out our window and the rain was coming down sideways. Nick and I braved the weather and went in search of a snack around 9pm.
Saturday we had a good breakfast, checked out, and headed to Greenfield Village. The storm was supposed to reduce the humidity and temperature but by 10am it was into the 90s. The village has changed more than the museum since our last visit. The roads are paved and their are sidewalks now. Nick was pretty much just there to ride the trains, cars, wagons, buses, and carousel...and see the roundhouse. Ellie really enjoyed all of it. We had a treat at the tavern, watched a couple small bands play, saw the clock display. We stayed into the afternoon but the heat was really exhausting. We hit Costco on our way back onto the highway to pick up another beach umbrella and a mattress pad. Our ride back was nice and easy and no as hot as the ride there. We stopped for dinner in Marshall, at Schulers. The kids got to make their own sundaes for dessert. We pulled into the cottage around 8pm.
We all slept in today. We did a bit of shopping in the morning. The kids needed a white elephant gift for the clubhouse on Tuesday. We picked up a couple things at the grocery store and then were on our way back. We had lunch and hit the beach for hours. It was finally a gorgeous, not too hot, day. The water was perfect temperature and not too wavy. We came back and showered and I started dinner. We have been bringing these rocks back to the cottage and painting them for a rock garden...they look great. We had dinner and then surprised the kids with the idea of an evening swim. They were so excited. We didn't stay too long because we could see a storm was rolling in. Nana treated the kids to ice cream at the soda bar and then we came home, showered, and read. The storm just started as we took the kids up to bed. Thankfully, with the air conditioners and fans on they can't hear too much up there. By the time I came down, the living room curtains were blowing about 5 feet off the floor. So far just massive rain, lightening, and thunder. According to the weather alerts we might get hail and high winds too
Please continue your positive, comforting thoughts for Eric, he and his family really need them. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
PS...still on the iPad with auto correct...sorry about spelling and such.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Vacation, Part One
Vacation Part One has officially began. It is no cooler at the cottage than at home. Plus, the cottage only has a couple window air conditioning units. I apologize if anything is screwy with this post...I am on the iPad and it has auto correct for spelling and I am quickly typing.
Nick and I definitely picked something up illness wise. I started him on his nebulizer on Monday and prednisone yesterday. I have a hearty cough. Ellie seems to be doing okay but she asked for her inhaler tonight. Fingers crossed that we improve quickly and I don't have to email the allergist or worse.
The kids did their last check in at the library and got their T-shirts and coupons. We checked out the books that we could find for Battle. We even found one of the books on disc so we could listen to it in the car.
We have had a pool hiatus this week because of our coughs. Even though it was bloody hot yesterday, we helped our neighbors move the swing set from our backyard into theirs. We had offered it to them but we were originally thinking moving it in the fall...not on the 95 degree day. Our other hesitation was that the rat hole lead under the swing set and we weren't sure what we might find. We worked with our neighbor and his brother to get it moved and it went quicker than I thought it would. I am glad they are able to use it for many more years.
Nick did a study at Northwestern on Monday. It is similar to the study Ellie did last year. Eventually, it will lead to a visit downtown for a fMRI. Nick isn't quite sure if he wants to go all the way through with it but he really likes that he will have enough money to buy the Lego train he wants if he does.
Mom and Dad came over for lunch yesterday. It was too hot to do anything outside so Dad and Nick played with trains and his new erector set and us girls painted rocks. The rocks ended up coming out very cute...I will have to take a picture.
Getting wrist cramps typing this on the pad. Please keep my friend, Eric, in your positive thoughts, he needs them. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Nick and I definitely picked something up illness wise. I started him on his nebulizer on Monday and prednisone yesterday. I have a hearty cough. Ellie seems to be doing okay but she asked for her inhaler tonight. Fingers crossed that we improve quickly and I don't have to email the allergist or worse.
The kids did their last check in at the library and got their T-shirts and coupons. We checked out the books that we could find for Battle. We even found one of the books on disc so we could listen to it in the car.
We have had a pool hiatus this week because of our coughs. Even though it was bloody hot yesterday, we helped our neighbors move the swing set from our backyard into theirs. We had offered it to them but we were originally thinking moving it in the fall...not on the 95 degree day. Our other hesitation was that the rat hole lead under the swing set and we weren't sure what we might find. We worked with our neighbor and his brother to get it moved and it went quicker than I thought it would. I am glad they are able to use it for many more years.
Nick did a study at Northwestern on Monday. It is similar to the study Ellie did last year. Eventually, it will lead to a visit downtown for a fMRI. Nick isn't quite sure if he wants to go all the way through with it but he really likes that he will have enough money to buy the Lego train he wants if he does.
Mom and Dad came over for lunch yesterday. It was too hot to do anything outside so Dad and Nick played with trains and his new erector set and us girls painted rocks. The rocks ended up coming out very cute...I will have to take a picture.
Getting wrist cramps typing this on the pad. Please keep my friend, Eric, in your positive thoughts, he needs them. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, July 14, 2013
I Survived the 20th
The past couple days have been bizarre and surreal at times. While it was great seeing and visiting with some old friends, it just re-affirmed the same issues that always were present. Friday night was an informal meet and greet at a bar in Evanston. I got there early, planning to leave early. I got some very nice conversations in with friends I went to middle school with. It was nice to catch up with some people but bizarre to see others. I don't drink anymore and a couple hours into the event it was uncomfortable being sober when others were clearly over-served. I got home and couldn't get remotely sleepy...it was midnight, 1,2,3. I finally went upstairs but was awake by 6AM...too much iced tea.
Saturday we all went to the high school for a tour and family picnic. It was fun seeing the school and seeing how things have changed and how I remember certain areas being bigger. Nick asked if the mascot was a beaver, no a wildkit. We tried to find my head in the class picture. My friend was in from out of town and I was able to visit with her as we walked around. Becki came in from Madison and joined us for the last part of the tour. We had a picnic out on the track but there was no shade and it was a bit on the warm side. We sat next to friends that went way back to grammar school. They had a couple games for the kids to play but Ellie and Nick were playing with Becki's son. One of my favorite band mates was at the picnic and we got to visit and reminisce. At one point Rob asked if we were going to circulate and say hi to anyone else and I said no, I was good. I describe Evanston to people as a Pretty in Pink environment but I heard on Friday that Mean Girls was actually written about Evanston. Anyhow, there seems to be this invisible line drawn and you never made friends with people on the opposite side of the line. Nothing has changed - the cliques were re-formed and very present. Becki came back to the house with us and Ellie was very good at watching Eddie so we could talk. We had an early evening get together with a few friends. It was a lovely evening outside and I really enjoyed getting to have actual conversations. Dena and Rachael stayed a bit past 10 and it was just like old times.
Today the kids and I met Becki and Eddie over at their hotel to swim for a bit. I got to page through Becki's photo album and found a picture of Rob and me from when we first started dating...fun times. We came home and worked in the yard. It was one of those domino days. We started cutting down a dead tree near the alley, then removing the crud from the gutters, then trimming the branches of the tree overhanging the deck. Cutting the dead branches out of the tree, cutting the branches hitting Ellie's window, trimming the evergreen hanging on the garage. Then we had to bag all the wood and cuttings. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner a bit early. We had a great summer meal - sandwich makings and salads. I had a bunch of tomatoes from the garden and made a salad that we added lettuce to. Dad hooked the new sprinkler up for the kids to run through - we videotaped it because it was so funny. We came home and the kids played with the neighbors for a bit before we came in and got ready for an early bedtime. I don't know if they are getting sick or just allergies but both kids have a cough going.
I am glad I went to the reunion but it was probably my first and last. I will continue to socialize with the friends that I have kept all these years but mass drama is not for me. I need to recoup from the past couple days and the lack of sleep. My throat hurts, now my body sort of hurts from all the yard work. Looking forward to a relaxing week. Plus side, the house and yard look awesome right now. Rob and the kids really were huge helpers this past week. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Saturday we all went to the high school for a tour and family picnic. It was fun seeing the school and seeing how things have changed and how I remember certain areas being bigger. Nick asked if the mascot was a beaver, no a wildkit. We tried to find my head in the class picture. My friend was in from out of town and I was able to visit with her as we walked around. Becki came in from Madison and joined us for the last part of the tour. We had a picnic out on the track but there was no shade and it was a bit on the warm side. We sat next to friends that went way back to grammar school. They had a couple games for the kids to play but Ellie and Nick were playing with Becki's son. One of my favorite band mates was at the picnic and we got to visit and reminisce. At one point Rob asked if we were going to circulate and say hi to anyone else and I said no, I was good. I describe Evanston to people as a Pretty in Pink environment but I heard on Friday that Mean Girls was actually written about Evanston. Anyhow, there seems to be this invisible line drawn and you never made friends with people on the opposite side of the line. Nothing has changed - the cliques were re-formed and very present. Becki came back to the house with us and Ellie was very good at watching Eddie so we could talk. We had an early evening get together with a few friends. It was a lovely evening outside and I really enjoyed getting to have actual conversations. Dena and Rachael stayed a bit past 10 and it was just like old times.
Today the kids and I met Becki and Eddie over at their hotel to swim for a bit. I got to page through Becki's photo album and found a picture of Rob and me from when we first started dating...fun times. We came home and worked in the yard. It was one of those domino days. We started cutting down a dead tree near the alley, then removing the crud from the gutters, then trimming the branches of the tree overhanging the deck. Cutting the dead branches out of the tree, cutting the branches hitting Ellie's window, trimming the evergreen hanging on the garage. Then we had to bag all the wood and cuttings. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner a bit early. We had a great summer meal - sandwich makings and salads. I had a bunch of tomatoes from the garden and made a salad that we added lettuce to. Dad hooked the new sprinkler up for the kids to run through - we videotaped it because it was so funny. We came home and the kids played with the neighbors for a bit before we came in and got ready for an early bedtime. I don't know if they are getting sick or just allergies but both kids have a cough going.
I am glad I went to the reunion but it was probably my first and last. I will continue to socialize with the friends that I have kept all these years but mass drama is not for me. I need to recoup from the past couple days and the lack of sleep. My throat hurts, now my body sort of hurts from all the yard work. Looking forward to a relaxing week. Plus side, the house and yard look awesome right now. Rob and the kids really were huge helpers this past week. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Running Here, Running There
Feels like we have been just running all week. Monday started out with taking Rob's car into Bredemann for the 60,000 miles oil change appointment. Even though we make an appointment, it never seems super speedy. The kids forgot to take their Nintendo DS games out of my car, so they were entertained by 2 pens and found all the paper cards in the magazine rack and made mounds of airplanes. It was rainy out but they still washed the car. Rob met us up in Glenview to exchange cars. We stopped in at Trader Joes to pick up a couple things. We had a bagel at Einstein's and then cruised to Aldi on the way home. The kids wanted to see Mom and Dad so we went to their house after we unloaded groceries at home. Mom and I assembled a fan and the kids played on the porch with Dad but it was stinking hot. We came home and got our swimsuits on and headed to the pool. It was super refreshing and Rob met us over there when he got home.
Tuesday morning we had an appointment for Nick to get his haircut. Yvonne did an awesome cut and Nick looks so cute. It is much shorter than we normally go but it is summer and it grows so quickly. We went to Michael's afterwards to pick up some craft supplies for some projects. We collected a bag full of rocks on the beach at the cottage and we are going to paint them. We ran over to Target to see if there was any good clearance. Summer stuff was on clearance and I was able to pick up 2 planters for the garden. The kids got a couple craft kits that were reduced. We headed home and to the pool. We were going to try to beat the rain. We ended up staying at the pool for 4 hours. We met some friends there and Ellie was a great sport and watched the boys. Rob met us after work just as I was trying to rally the kids to leave. We gave them another hour.
Today we spent the morning cleaning the house. This weekend is my 20th reunion but I am not going to the event. I am hosting an alternative get together here for friends who also aren't attending. We went to the pool after lunch, again spending more time than we planned. We came home and showered and the kids packed for their overnight at Mom and Dad's house. I took them over in the afternoon. Nick wasn't sure if he wanted to stay overnight or just for dinner. Tony arrived and the party started. Rob and I went out for dinner to El Jardin. It was great to talk without interruption. We went to Abt after dinner to look at refrigerators. I replaced the seal on the freezer last year but I have noticed a lot of water on the freezer door when I open it and it looks like the fridge seal needs to be replaced too. Unfortunately, our choices are limited - we want a bottom freezer and white color. I guess all bottom freezers are now drawers instead of doors. We walked around and looked but left without making any decisions. We went to Target to look through another clearance section. I called Mom because the grill they had been looking at was on sale. We ended up picking that up with the accessories they had. We came home and took a walk and enjoyed the evening.
An amazing number of fireflies out tonight. I think they needed the heat to go away to come out. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Tuesday morning we had an appointment for Nick to get his haircut. Yvonne did an awesome cut and Nick looks so cute. It is much shorter than we normally go but it is summer and it grows so quickly. We went to Michael's afterwards to pick up some craft supplies for some projects. We collected a bag full of rocks on the beach at the cottage and we are going to paint them. We ran over to Target to see if there was any good clearance. Summer stuff was on clearance and I was able to pick up 2 planters for the garden. The kids got a couple craft kits that were reduced. We headed home and to the pool. We were going to try to beat the rain. We ended up staying at the pool for 4 hours. We met some friends there and Ellie was a great sport and watched the boys. Rob met us after work just as I was trying to rally the kids to leave. We gave them another hour.
Today we spent the morning cleaning the house. This weekend is my 20th reunion but I am not going to the event. I am hosting an alternative get together here for friends who also aren't attending. We went to the pool after lunch, again spending more time than we planned. We came home and showered and the kids packed for their overnight at Mom and Dad's house. I took them over in the afternoon. Nick wasn't sure if he wanted to stay overnight or just for dinner. Tony arrived and the party started. Rob and I went out for dinner to El Jardin. It was great to talk without interruption. We went to Abt after dinner to look at refrigerators. I replaced the seal on the freezer last year but I have noticed a lot of water on the freezer door when I open it and it looks like the fridge seal needs to be replaced too. Unfortunately, our choices are limited - we want a bottom freezer and white color. I guess all bottom freezers are now drawers instead of doors. We walked around and looked but left without making any decisions. We went to Target to look through another clearance section. I called Mom because the grill they had been looking at was on sale. We ended up picking that up with the accessories they had. We came home and took a walk and enjoyed the evening.
An amazing number of fireflies out tonight. I think they needed the heat to go away to come out. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Long Holiday Weekend
Thursday was the 4th of July. Also known as one of the busiest days of our year. We got up and had a quick breakfast before heading to Glenview for the church parade. We decided not to go crazy with our entry this year and just wing it. We all wore red or blue and the kids had poofy necklaces and sparkler headbands. Nick had his roller coaster and Ellie her scooter. We dropped our chairs off for the Skokie parade on the way up to Glenview. We met Nana there, she was staying with friends. We did our lap around the circle and the kids got a to pick a prize for participating. We came home and packed our clothes for Michigan. I cut the melons up to take to Mom's house later. I got all the food ready for the picnic in the afternoon.
We went to the Skokie parade which was just as good as usual. Didn't know how it would be because Skokie re-routed the parade due to construction this year. We picked up our picnic and went back to church for the afternoon. We got to visit with a bunch of friends, the kids got to do all the races and games. Nick won 2nd place in his age group sprint.
We headed to Mom and Dad's in the early evening for a BBQ. Uncle Bry was in from WI and the GGs came over. It was a great time. Mom had the food spread taken care of. We visited in the yard after dinner. The kids lit some sparklers and played while we visited. We went home for enough time to grab our glow necklaces and bug spray. We finished the day at the fireworks. It was a great show and the kids were troopers for our very long day.
Friday morning Rob picked up Nana from Glenview and brought her here and we got in the car and left. It was smooth sailing to Michigan. We ate lunch of the way at Culver's. We were able to hit the beach in the afternoon for a couple hours. We have a small beach this year and it was hard to find a spot for all our chairs and umbrella - very crowded. It was hot and steamy but the water was still way too cold to be in. The kids don't have that temperature gauge and were in the water playing.
Saturday we divided our beach time - we were way too hot in the early afternoon. We went for a couple hours in the morning and then a couple hours in the later afternoon. I took the kids into St. Joe's to look at all the art. Every year they have a theme and businesses and artists paint the theme and they are spread all over the downtown area. This year it is transportation - so there are trains, caboose, airplanes, and helicopters. We weaved up and and down the streets and then went down to the beach. We counted the steps this time - 73 stairs down and then the same 73 up. I promised the kids we would come back again during the summer but we arrived to the car just as the rain drops started to fall. We took a long walk after dinner and surprised the kids with a trip to the soda bar for ice cream.
Today we spent a couple hours at the beach in the morning. We weren't aware how long we were there today because it was the first day there was actually a breeze and was pleasant. Up until today, the water was like a sheet of glass, not a a wave in sight. We came back and started our clean up - sweeping, and garbage. We dropped another air conditioning unit in upstairs. I washed the kitchen floor and tried to clean the back porch of a gallon of sand. The kids played a couple games with Nana before we got on the road. We only got about 5 miles on the highway before we were stopped. We got off and decided to take the back roads. We stopped in New Buffalo for ice cream at Oink's. We listened to the traffic report and decided to take it slow, as all roads into Illinois seemed to be backed up for miles. We did some shopping in Michigan City outlets. We were able to get Ellie a couple swimsuits at the Hanna outlet. Rob picked up a couple things at Old Navy. We continued to head West on 20/12 but we began to hear that was be suggested as an alternate on the traffic reports. It seriously took us about 5 hours to get home today. We did stop twice, so maybe 3.5-4 hours but still. Traffic was terrible and slow because of the holiday weekend. We came home and I made pizzas, we watered the garden, I got laundry in, and we ate dinner.
We agreed, we will not be traveling next year for the 4th. Nice weekend but getting home sucked. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
We went to the Skokie parade which was just as good as usual. Didn't know how it would be because Skokie re-routed the parade due to construction this year. We picked up our picnic and went back to church for the afternoon. We got to visit with a bunch of friends, the kids got to do all the races and games. Nick won 2nd place in his age group sprint.
We headed to Mom and Dad's in the early evening for a BBQ. Uncle Bry was in from WI and the GGs came over. It was a great time. Mom had the food spread taken care of. We visited in the yard after dinner. The kids lit some sparklers and played while we visited. We went home for enough time to grab our glow necklaces and bug spray. We finished the day at the fireworks. It was a great show and the kids were troopers for our very long day.
Friday morning Rob picked up Nana from Glenview and brought her here and we got in the car and left. It was smooth sailing to Michigan. We ate lunch of the way at Culver's. We were able to hit the beach in the afternoon for a couple hours. We have a small beach this year and it was hard to find a spot for all our chairs and umbrella - very crowded. It was hot and steamy but the water was still way too cold to be in. The kids don't have that temperature gauge and were in the water playing.
Saturday we divided our beach time - we were way too hot in the early afternoon. We went for a couple hours in the morning and then a couple hours in the later afternoon. I took the kids into St. Joe's to look at all the art. Every year they have a theme and businesses and artists paint the theme and they are spread all over the downtown area. This year it is transportation - so there are trains, caboose, airplanes, and helicopters. We weaved up and and down the streets and then went down to the beach. We counted the steps this time - 73 stairs down and then the same 73 up. I promised the kids we would come back again during the summer but we arrived to the car just as the rain drops started to fall. We took a long walk after dinner and surprised the kids with a trip to the soda bar for ice cream.
Today we spent a couple hours at the beach in the morning. We weren't aware how long we were there today because it was the first day there was actually a breeze and was pleasant. Up until today, the water was like a sheet of glass, not a a wave in sight. We came back and started our clean up - sweeping, and garbage. We dropped another air conditioning unit in upstairs. I washed the kitchen floor and tried to clean the back porch of a gallon of sand. The kids played a couple games with Nana before we got on the road. We only got about 5 miles on the highway before we were stopped. We got off and decided to take the back roads. We stopped in New Buffalo for ice cream at Oink's. We listened to the traffic report and decided to take it slow, as all roads into Illinois seemed to be backed up for miles. We did some shopping in Michigan City outlets. We were able to get Ellie a couple swimsuits at the Hanna outlet. Rob picked up a couple things at Old Navy. We continued to head West on 20/12 but we began to hear that was be suggested as an alternate on the traffic reports. It seriously took us about 5 hours to get home today. We did stop twice, so maybe 3.5-4 hours but still. Traffic was terrible and slow because of the holiday weekend. We came home and I made pizzas, we watered the garden, I got laundry in, and we ate dinner.
We agreed, we will not be traveling next year for the 4th. Nice weekend but getting home sucked. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Happy July
Spent the entire day inside the house. We had breakfast and I went to work cleaning the tops of the kitchen counter tops. Like other places in our house, the counter top seems to be the final resting place for many items. Nick was playing with trains and Ellie went upstairs to work in her room. Ellie came down for graph paper and a tape measure, she was wanting to move some of her furniture around. I went up and helped her measure her room and all her furniture. We graphed it all out and played with arrangements before going back up to move things around. Ellie moved all of the boxes out from under her bed and breakable items off her shelves. I brought the vacuum and broom up. We had lunch before tackling the real move.
A few hours later and Ellie's room has been rotated about 100 degrees. It looks great and it is very clean. Ellie really worked to organize all her boxes and bins. We finally got her corner shelves hung and her small, breakable items are now safe on shelves. Nick tried to help and play at the same time. We had dinner here. I had a fridge of veggies - peppers, asparagus, mushrooms & zucchini that I cooked with onion for taco filling. We had a great fruit salad with mango, strawberries, and blueberries. Apple pie for dessert. Ellie and I read for a bit before we watched the American Baking show and went up to bed.
Tuesday was Dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad. The kids and I were in charge of finding and bringing dessert. We had lunch here before heading out to Mariano's. After carefully looking through the entire bakery, we decided on their signature cake (chocolate cake with cherries and cream), mini canoli, and gelato. We walked through the store to get all the samples they were offering . The kids got a scoop of gelato to go. We came home and the kids made cards for Dad. They had some time to go out to play with the neighbors. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We carried in El Famous. It was a great evening.
Monday was started with grocery shopping. We went to Aldi and the produce market. We were busy bakers. Nick helped me mash bananas for bread and shred zucchini. We made 6 loaves of vegan bread - banana chocolate chip and double chocolate zucchini. We dropped a care package off to our friends with some of the bread and some other things I found helpful on my journey. We went to Half Price Books and stocked up on $1.00 movies. We were able to find a few of the movies the kids really liked to rent from the store. We went for the 3rd check in at the library. We were able to find some more battle books for Ellie and reserve a couple more titles. Rob put a coat of paint on the window, looks great.
Hasn't been a pool week because the cooler temperature. It has been an open window week - lovin' it. My garden is finally starting to look like it is July. We have a couple red tomatoes, flowers on the zucchini and cucumber plants and beans hanging. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
A few hours later and Ellie's room has been rotated about 100 degrees. It looks great and it is very clean. Ellie really worked to organize all her boxes and bins. We finally got her corner shelves hung and her small, breakable items are now safe on shelves. Nick tried to help and play at the same time. We had dinner here. I had a fridge of veggies - peppers, asparagus, mushrooms & zucchini that I cooked with onion for taco filling. We had a great fruit salad with mango, strawberries, and blueberries. Apple pie for dessert. Ellie and I read for a bit before we watched the American Baking show and went up to bed.
Tuesday was Dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad. The kids and I were in charge of finding and bringing dessert. We had lunch here before heading out to Mariano's. After carefully looking through the entire bakery, we decided on their signature cake (chocolate cake with cherries and cream), mini canoli, and gelato. We walked through the store to get all the samples they were offering . The kids got a scoop of gelato to go. We came home and the kids made cards for Dad. They had some time to go out to play with the neighbors. We went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We carried in El Famous. It was a great evening.
Monday was started with grocery shopping. We went to Aldi and the produce market. We were busy bakers. Nick helped me mash bananas for bread and shred zucchini. We made 6 loaves of vegan bread - banana chocolate chip and double chocolate zucchini. We dropped a care package off to our friends with some of the bread and some other things I found helpful on my journey. We went to Half Price Books and stocked up on $1.00 movies. We were able to find a few of the movies the kids really liked to rent from the store. We went for the 3rd check in at the library. We were able to find some more battle books for Ellie and reserve a couple more titles. Rob put a coat of paint on the window, looks great.
Hasn't been a pool week because the cooler temperature. It has been an open window week - lovin' it. My garden is finally starting to look like it is July. We have a couple red tomatoes, flowers on the zucchini and cucumber plants and beans hanging. Visualizing my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal, Tree
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