Like totally 80's!

I was just watching VH1's I Love the 80's...got me thinking...

E.T.
Cabbage Patch Kid's
Trapper Keepers
Scratch 'n Sniff Sticklers
Friendship Pins
Banana Clips
Side Ponytails
Layered Socks
Stirrup Pants
Cassette Tapes
Fruit Stripe Gum
Guess Jeans
Reebok Hightops
Dolly Pops
Swatch Watches
Neon
Acid Washed Jeans
Parachute Pants
Rubik's Cube
Speak and Spell
Helen Keller Jokes
Strawberry Shortcake
Teddy Ruxpin
My Buddy
Kid Sister
Merlin
Glo Worm
Care Bears
Rainbow Brite
Punky Brewster
Top Loading VCR's with Cord Remotes
TAB
"Where's the Beef?"
Pinning or Rolling Your Pants
Aqua Net
Jelly Shoes
Jordache Jeans
MacGyver
Atari
Rollerskating
Wanting He-man and She-ra to "hook up"
Pop Rocks
Coke
Pop Rocks and Coke (it could KILL you)
Pac Man
New York Seltzer
Mullets
Jelly Bracelets
Charm Necklaces
Shoulder Pads
Hammer Pants
Leg Warmers
BIG Earrings
Fingerless Gloves
Miami Vice
Wanting to be a Goonie
Marty McFly
Pogo Ball
Magic 8 Ball
Monchichi
Bosom Buddies
Fruity Yummy Mummy
Nerds Cereal
Qbert
Donkey Kong
Candy Cigarette's
Big Red Gum Commercials
El Camino's
Fame
Weeble Wobbles
Puttin' on the Hits
Solid Gold
Pound Puppies
Battleship
Bubble Up
Lollies
Bottle Caps
Banana Seats
Slinky
Apple Computers (with the GIANT floppy drive)
Scrunch Socks
Penny Loafers
Valley Girl Talk
Lip Smacker
Break Dancing
Puffy Stickers
California Raisins
Hacky Sack
Tether Ball
Boom Boxes
Crappy Horror Movies (Who remembers Saturday the 14th?)
Spuds Mackenzie
Chinese Jumprope
Four Square
Dynamite Magazine
The Bloodhound Gang
3.2.1 Contact
Simon
Relax Shirts
Hypercolor
Socks with Pom Pom Balls on the back
Lee Press on Nails
Roach Clips with Feathers and Beads
"I know you are but what am I?"
"Gag me with a spoon."
Webster
Silver Spoons
Different Strokes
Family Ties
Who's the Boss?
The Facts of Life


....I should really stop now...

Building Traditions...

So far I have found the beginning of the holiday season to be quite fun.  Mikaylah, being five years old now, is without a doubt 'in the know' about the Christmas season.  I'm quite loving all the fun that's gone into "holiday prep" thus far. 

When the toy ads started to come out before Thanksgiving, she would grab them, grab a marker, sit her butt down and start circling what she wanted.  She would gasp with every turn of a page and yelp out "I want that!!".  Funny.  I think everything was circled....

And...truth be told...how fun is it to play the "Santa Card"?!?!?  You know which one I'm talking about...the "oh my goodness I hope you'll put on your jammy's and brush your teeth like a good girl - it would make Santa so happy...".  I have to giggle when she disappears for awhile, comes back and lets me know that she cleaned her room or brushed her teeth without being told and then asks shyly "will you call and tell Santa that I was a good girl?".  How can I resist?  I grab the phone, dial the number (which COINCIDENTALLY happens to all be my work number AND Santa's number) and "talk" with Santa.  The first time I did this, Mik giggled, rolled around on the floor and snorted with excitement.  When I hung up I said "Santa had to go help and Elf with a toy issue he was having..." to which she said "was it my toy" with giant wide eyes!!!

So yesterday, we decorated the tree...I unpacked the ornaments, Daddy handed them to her and she hung them on the tree.  Although some branches are heavy with ornaments and giant sections of tree have no ornaments at all, its still quite pretty and she did a good job.  After she went to bed last night, Jason hung candy canes all over the tree.  This morning we told her that Santa stopped by last night and hung up some candy canes all because he loved the tree she made so much!  Haha....oh the stories we tell....and the smiles they bring.

Despite the fact that its pooring rain today, the holiday season is off to a great start.  I have very little shopping left to do, our house has been decorated compliments of Mik and holiday party plans are in the works. 

What traditions are you building with your family??

Needing a Maid!

Its been a great long weekend.  I had Thursday off for Veteran's Day, Friday is my usual day off and then of course there was the weekend of Saturday and Sunday. 

I spent Thursday with my husband...we had lunch at DaVinci's in St. Paul.  We love that place and haven't been there in years.  Its a pasta bar...choose your sauce, choose your veggies, choose your meat, choose your pasta...watch them cook it up for you!  Delish!  And get a load of this...we really party hard in this house...after lunch, we came home and took a long, snuggly nap together.  It was awesome.

Friday, I took my kiddo to school and then spent the morning and early afternoon doing some Christmas shopping.  I got lots done and as it turns out, there were a lot of deals to be had on Friday.  Can't complain about that.  Friday afternoon, I played with Mik and had a lovely time.

Saturday I woke up to a freakin' blizzard!  We were supposed to get 2 to 4 inches, but it turned out more like 8 to 10.  Anyway...Mik and I had our very first Daisy Scout meeting and she is officially a Daisy now! 

It was a nice group of little girls and some nice mothers too!  We played games, made bracelets and painted fingernails!  Then, we learned some new songs and the Girl Scout Promise.  It should be a fun year!  We played in the snow on Saturday afternoon...

Mik spent nearly an hour moving snow around on the driveway with her brand new shovel.  She loved it!  Saturday night concluded with me and Mik watching Charlie Brown episodes with a big bowl of buttery popcorn.  It doesn't get better than that does it??

Sunday...spent the day playing games, dollhouse, Lego's baking cookies and brownes and watching the football game (what a waste that part was). 

I love the weekends...whoever invented Monday through Thursday was just plain evil! 

This brings me to my blog title...who has time to clean house when they're busy enjoying their family all weekend?  I need a maid...my sister says that I should just enjoy my kid and that I can clean when she grows up.  It'll be awfully dusty here by then....

Sunday Evening Blues

I've said it before...I'm sayin' it again.  I hate Sunday evenings.  The weekend was fun...I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday all day with my family and now its Sunday evening.  A sure sign that work is just around the corner and my time with my kiddo and hubby are diminshed to a few evening hours...ugh. 

Friday I took Mikaylah and her friend Ellie to the Minnesota Children's Museum for a day of fun!  We had a great time...they didn't have a really exciting traveling exhibit like they sometimes do, but the girls really had a ton of fun in the Our World exhibit.  Basically this is a kid sized town with a grocery store, restaurant, doctor office, post office, art gallery, bus, etc.  The kids walk around and play and be wild and messy.  Its fun....I took about a hundred million photos...see Facebook. 

Saturday was my day to sleep in so I stayed up late watching Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, Pyschic Kids, L.A. Ink and various other shows.  I slept in Saturday and then spent the afternoon shopping with my kiddo...we tried on all her winter gear  and then picked up some new stuff.  We watched tv together and had a great time.

Today, Mik and I played dollhouse and games...did laundry, made a lasagne and just had a good time.  Then Jason and I watched the Vikings play horribly, ate dinner and am now relaxing...you see where this is going now....

Tomorrow....work.  Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful to have a job and even more grateful that its one I enjoy.  I just want more days and more time with my family.

Have a great week all. 

November is here!

'Tis Turkey Season folks!  Thus, I've gone with a food background.  And...I've already gotten a jumpstart on shopping and planning for the Thanksgiving holiday - which Jason, Mik and I are hosting again this year (I made a pretty awesome Turkey last year...). 

Where are we at now you ask?  Halloween is over now and our little Snow White and her parents had a great time trick or treating at the zoo this year.  We also attended her daycare Halloween party and I volunteered in the Halloween Parade and Harvest Party at kindergarten.  It was fun, fun!

Jason and I also attended school conferences for Mikaylah and as we suspected, she's a total rock star in school.  :-)  Her teacher had wonderful things to say about her and she truly enjoys school so much.  I'm so proud of her.

Casey was smelling a little gamey this week...so he headed off to Dog Day Getaway for some playtime, a bath and nail trim.  He was so handsome that I had to take and post a picture of him too!

When I picked him up, he was standing next to another yellow lab much younger than he and it struck me how old he looks.  My good boy is aging a bit which makes me sad.  He's such a great dog. 

Christmas is coming...holy crap.  I'm happy to report that I have already started Christmas shopping which gives me a sense of accomplishment.  I will likely finish on Black Friday this year as I have the list quite well planned out.  I'm really not ready for snow...I mean, hardly anyone really is, but I just don't want it to arrive.  Today Mikaylah and I picked through all the winter wear only to find that her snowpants and a few hats and mittens still fit, but she needed a new coat and winter boots so we went out and bought those today...would hate to wake up to snow one day and not be prepared for it!!!  I also remembered today that I broke the snow shovel last year...I better buy one before the snow flies!

The only other thing going on really is the mystery of Jason's car and the stupid check engine light...its going on and off these days.  Not like flashing on and off, but on for one ride, off the next, on the next, off the next or on only part of a trip.  I took it in for a diagnostics and the danged thing turned off so no codes came up.  Grrr...must get it in there on a day its on to see what the friggin' deal is. 

Hubby keeps bugging me to blog...says others enjoy it and he wants to read them too (does he need the blog in order to keep up with us??  Just kidding Jason...).  So...I'll try to blog more.

Over and Out!

There's no denying it now!

What strange weather this month.  I guess that means Halloween is coming. 

It seems that every year, when someone mentions Halloween, I think of the great snowstorm on Halloween eve in 1991.  I was working as a busser at the Monte Club that night...the snow was falling...and falling....and falling.  We got let go a bit early on account of the weather, but it was really too late by that point.  Now those of you from Monti know, the Monte Club used to reside on the top of the HUGE hill.  That night (after struggling to get up the small hill that led out of the back parking lot of the restaurant), I descended the hill....about a quarter of the way down, my car turned sideways and slid the rest of the way down...snow going up over the roof the entire time.  I had zero control and this was before cell phones...I panicked.  Somehow, I made it to the main drag and began to drive through town...eventually I made it to a friends house and spent the night there (my Dad was NOT happy because that friend was a boy), but what a horrible night of weather that was.

So earlier this month...we're wearing shorts, playing at the park and riding bikes, etc.  This morning, I wake up to no electricity (thanks to the wind) and it was actually SNOWING at my house.  There's no denying it now...winter IS coming.  Hang on!

Overwhelmed.

Whenever I get a moment to myself, I find myself thinking about Mikaylah.  I just cannot believe how much she is changing...Kindergarten is nothing short of amazing.  She's learning so many things....things about words, writing, rules, library books, fire saftety, and practical things like that.  But - I'm so impressed by the relationships she's forming with her classmates and how she expresses herself with people. 

Take Lucy, for example.  Mikaylah and Lucy did not start out on the right foot.  Lucy said some mean things when they first met and they made Mikaylah really sad.  Then, out on the playground one day, Lucy was crying and couldn't find an adult that wasn't busy at that moment.  Mikaylah asked her what was wrong and Lucy said that her shoes came untied and she couldn't tie them.  Mikaylah offered too and then did tie them.  BEST BUDS ever since?  What a change of events.  After the mean things Lucy said, Mik could have left her to cry, but not MY girl!!!  Awesome job Mik!

Take Adam, for example.  This boy is mean to Mikaylah on a daily basis (incidentally, he doesn't target just her, but rather is mean to everyone).  Anyway...Mikaylah talked about it EVERYDAY for awhile and was seemingly quite bothered by him.  But, now when he's mean, she just says "Go away! I don't listen to mean things!" and he moves on.  I love that she's standing up for herself and that he doesn't get her down.  Way to go Mik!!

I love that Mik has grown up knowing the value of friends and being helpful and that she understand what negative words/actions can do to another.  I firmly believe that she learned this from being surrounded by great family and friends and a daycare that have all taught her to be such a caring and loving little girl.

Do you ever get that completely overwhelming feeling of pride and adoration for your child?  I do, and on more than one occasion since Kindergarten started, I am the one sneaking into HER room and stealing some snuggles during the night!  :-)  How backwards is that?!?!?

Teachers You'll Never Forget

My husband and I got to talking about teachers today at lunch...I asked him if there were any teachers that he had as a kid that he'd always remember...he recalled his kindergarten teacher (also his first crush) and another teacher that made learning about gravity really fun.  So I got to thinking about teachers...which ones would I always remember and why....???

1. Mr. Stupar for the punishment of copying dictionary page 101.
2. Mrs. Grott for being just plain cool! And teaching me to quilt.
3. Mr. Ukara...mostly because he was funny and I started a fire in that class.
4. Mr. Nelson...I mean his name was Willie Nelson so he had that going for him, but when he'd get mad, he'd write on the board really hard and specks of chalk would fly everywhere.
5. Mr. Stoick for tying flies to people's hair.
6. Mr. Drayna for being Military Mike and making me run all hour for belching.
7. Mr. Keating for obvious reasons.
8. Ms. Kimmes for that big long speech she would give right before tests...what was that speech? Something about not cheating in any way, shape or form.  Also...didn't we build the atom's in here??
9. Mr. Houselog because I was TERRIFIED of him and then I lost the Heidi book he borrowed us to read and I was so scared he'd be so mad...and then he wasn't.
10. Mr. Lanners because he reminded me of Sam Malone from Cheers.
11. Mr. Novak and Mrs. Stadnik because she poured Elmer's glue on his head.
12. Mrs. Jorgenson for just clapping random patterns to get people to pay attention.
13. Mr. Oleson because he was so cool and who remembers when Shmoo fell through the ceiling?
14. Mrs. Illstrup for...the plaid prints.
15. Mr. Lavelle because I thought he looked like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
16. Mr. Schneider because he loved the Eagles and he busted Ferg sleeping in class and that was funny.
17. Mr. Stewart because I got an A on the Hobbit even though I never read it - he was afraid of my father.
18. Mrs. Jepson...cool projects and I got to build a Ford's Theater model and write a report on Amelia Earhart and I actually enjoyed it.
19. Mr. Renner because ACK!!!  Did NOT like him.
20. Mr. Kanthak for taking us on that awesome trip to Rapid City which is a whole 'nother post in itself...

I could really go on and on...but for those of you that are teachers, just remember that sometimes its the little things that makes you memorable!!

Back on Track

Okay...I had a brief hiatus from blogging on account of my kiddo being a bit under the weather.  I'm back now - life is back on track!!!

Today was a great day.  We went to Sever's Corn Maze with our good friends - the Gordon Family.  Its so great to go places with kids, isn't it?  Kids make everything so much more fun!  Sever's Corn Maze is in fact mostly about the maze itself, but we went there for the other stuff.  Giant slide!  Hayride!  Petting zoo!  Hay Bale Maze! Kettle Corn! Jumparoo!  And, my personal favorite, the Corn Pool!!

If you haven't been there, its worth checking out.  And a day with friends is a day well spent!  Happy Fall!!

Ugh.

I'm completely spent.  Totally stressed out.  My kid's bowels are a wreck and everything that I have to do to clean her up and medicate her and what not is painful.  I'm so done.   See ya tomorrow.

One more day...

Do you ever feel like you really NEED one more day to your weekend?  Not want, but need...I need one this weekend.  I was gone all weekend, and as per usual when I'm out of town, my kid is sick now.  Ugh.  She's been complaining of tummy aches and was doubling over in pain periodically today...despite a hundred thousand trips to the bathroom, she couldn't go.  We went to urgent care and they did an xray...turns out she is extremely 'backed up'.  She's now on lactulose AND a glycerin suppository (two actually). Things are 'moving' now but I'm not sure if tonight will be the worst and if she'll be up and ready to go tomorrow.  I need one more day with my babe to make sure she's feeling okay.  Drat. 

Can't stop now...

I know this is cheating...but I can't blog tonight...I'm in the middle of scrappin.  The weekend is coming to an end and I still have more to get done.  I at least want to fill this last album, if not get even more than that done.  I'll be scrappin' to the wee hours of the morning.  See ya for a longer blog tomorrow. 

The middle of nowhere...with great friends.

I am literally in the middle of nowhere...I can't remember the last time it was so dark outside...not a street light or lamp to be seen.  We're surrounded by woods.  Its perfectly quiet (shut up to those of you laughing over that line because you know I couldn't hear a train drive through this very room!).  I'm scrappin' with my girls and I'm lovin' it.  I've been here for hours, but only done six pages because the majority of the afternoon was spent gabbing and catching up with everyone.  Everyday life gets so busy and I just don't get the 'real' conversations on a day to day basis that I get on a weekend with these girls.  I've decided I rather have ten 'really good friends' than have a hundred 'just friends'.  Tell a friend you love them!  Signing off and going to be creative now!! 

World Record!!

I think I set a new world record today...I went in to Archiver's...I was only there ten minutes...I spent $107.  How the heck did that happen?  I only needed paper and adhesive!!!  Beat that scrappers!

How fortunate I am...

I've been thinking today about just how lucky I am.  I have a wonderful family, a few really close friends, a great dog, a house and car, a job, a healthy family....and so on and so forth...so many around me aren't so lucky. 

This week, my boss' husband was diagnosed with MS - she is devastated.  In July, a former coworker's 19 month old child was in a swimming pool accident and has been in a coma since - those parents live with intense guilt over the accident.  A friend of mine went through a double masectomy and chemo for breast cancer - thankfully she has overcome it!  I follow a number of children on Caring Bridge that have all manner of awful diseases and injuries from heart and lung trouble to burns.  They are faced with painful procedures, staring, financial devastation...you name it. 

Its all so sad and makes me feel so fortunate to have the blessings that I have in my life.  I really need to work harder at not taking those blessings for granted.  For example, I need to live my life and enjoy my child EVERY day instead of always dwelling on not having conceived a second child yet.  The spare change I spend to get an occasional mocha could be better spent by sponsoring a less fortunate child or feeding a hungry and homeless animal.  Instead of just reading those Caring Bridge pages, I should send messages of encouragement and concern. 

I hope you'll reach out to someone less fortunate and spread a little love each and every day!  As my friend Jill always says, be a Joy and Cheer spreader!!  Every little gesture, favor, donation, smile, hug, etc. makes a difference in someone's life.   Happy thoughts to you and yours!

Looking forward...

This weekend, I will be heading out of town with some cherished friends...we're going on our semi-annual scrapbooking retreat! 

Basically, we buy a ton of food, pack up carloads of scrapbooking tools, papers, pictures, etc. and we rent out a retreat house and spend all weekend scrappin' and eatin' and laughin'.  It rocks.  Sadly, a few good friends will not be in attendance at this event...but surely we will be thinking of them and texting them all weekend! 

Last time we scrapped, I worked on my DisneyLand album and finished that up.  I will now go back to playing catch up...I wonder if I will ever be current in my scrapbooks?  Will I ever take pics, develop them and scrap them all in the same month...doubtful.  I'm too far behind, but nonetheless it is my goal.

Funny thing...my scrappin' gal pals are my besties.  We all take tons of pictures of nearly every event in our lives, but we NEVER take pics on our scrappin' weekends...I wonder why?  Well, as I said some will be missing from this upcoming weekend, but come Spring, I'm going to take pictures at the scrappin' weekend...and then scrap pictures of us scrappin'!

At any rate, because I'm so looking forward to this weekend...the week is taking far, far too long.  For now, the cough syrup is still kicking my arse at night...so I'm headed to bed early.  Again.

Do I do anything? Or nothing?

Mikaylah was sad after kindergarten on Friday...she said someone told her she wasn't pretty.  She reminded me of it several times over the weekend and again when I picked her up today (although I don't think it happened a second time).  What have you done in similar situations?  I told her that the person who said it had likely had a bad day and said something that they didn't mean.  Of course, I also told her she is the prettiest girl I know!  What would cause a kindergartener to say such a thing?  As you well know from earlier posts, the thought of my child being teased terrifies me.  Should I do anything or do nothing and let it pass??

Sunday Evening Blues

I hate Sunday evenings.  The weekend is over.  We're just about into the work week and the minutes of our weekend freedom are winding down to zero. 

This week is going to be a long one.  Why you ask?  Because, this weekend is girl's weekend and our Fall Scrapbooking Retreat!  We're trying out a new place in Wisconsin...hopefully it will be free of any bugs unlike the last place we went.  I love a weekend of scrapbooking.  Great friends, good food, it's carefree, there are no chores...just fun and creativity!  And a whole lotta laughter.  I will miss the girls that can't make it this time around though... 

First and formost though, gotta get through a busy work week!

I love Fall!!

Today I got a taste of Autumn.  I don't understand how this could not be EVERYONE'S favorite season.  I mean, what's not to LOVE about it?  What are some things you love about Autumn?

My list includes:

1. Nice cool weather. 
2. Beautiful leaves. 
3. The bug's aren't so bad. 
4. Apple picking! 
5. Playing outside is way more fun in the fall. 
6. Coffee always seems to taste better on a chilly morning. 
7. Wearing comfy sweatshirts and hoodies.
8. Pumpkin carving!  
9. Someone's always baking delicious pies (except me, because I can't bake).
10. Pumpkin cheesecake.
11. Festival activities, i.e. Ren Fest, Corn Maze, Scarecrow Fest.
12. Trick or Treating!
13. Turkey season is coming and my ALL TIME FAVORITE THING TO EAT IS FRANKO FAMILY STUFFING!!
14. Starbucks has Pumpkin Spice Latte's.  Holy moly those are heavenly!
15. Pumpkin butter on english muffins.
16. Lefse is comin' soon!!
17. Halloween decorations are fun!
18. FOOTBALL SEASON starts.
19. Its the best time of the year for chili and cornbread.
20. The Fall scrapbooking retreat is in September.

We went to the apple orchard today and rode the haywagon, jumped in a big hay pile and picked some Honeycrisp apples.  I just love this time of year! 

I love fall! Fall is exciting.
It's apples and cider.
It's an airborne spider.
It's pumpkins in bins.
It's burrs on dog's chins.
It's wind blowing leaves.
It's chilly red knees.
It's nuts on the ground.
It's a crisp dry sound.
It's green leaves turning
And the smell of them burning.
It's clouds in the sky.
It's fall. That's why...
I love fall.

-   Author Unknown

BOO!!!

I'm going to go ahead and fill you in on one of my guilty pleasures in life...GHOST shows on TV!! 

Yes...I love the show Ghost Hunters on the SyFy channel and I'm not scared to admit it to you!  I'm absolutely fascinated by the paranormal.  I TIVO Ghost Hunters and watch it EVERY week without fail.  In a pinch (during the off season that is) some of my standby ghost shows that will do if Ghost Hunters isn't on are Ghost Adventures, Paranormal State and Ghost Stories. 

My husband thinks I'm a total nerd (ironic since HE is the one that plays Dungeons and Dragons) for watching these shows and doesn't waste any chances to tell me this fact.  I've pretty much banned him from even being near the TV room when I'm watching them because his behavior and taunting completely ruin the show!  Boo on that...get it?  BOO!!!

Anyway, what I really want to do someday is take a Haunted Vacation tour and do some ghost hunting myself.  Most likely I would suck at it, since I can't hear a thing...but it would still be fun to try.  So I'm setting a goal...sometime before I die, I will travel to Hunedora Castle (Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula's residence) and tour it.  I think that would be complete awesome and super freaky!

There used to be a show on TV, hosted by Linda Blair, and it was called Scariest Places on Earth.  I really wanted to try out for that show, but before I could, it went off the air.  It was a show that you could sign up five people in your family and you'd be taken somewhere really scary like Hunedora Castle or a haunted southern plantation or an old abandoned insane asylum...or my favorite episode, a tuberculosis clinic!  I digress though....

There...now you know I'm fascinated with the completely geeky topic of the paranormal and GHOST HUNTING!!!  In fact...I'm headed downstairs right now to watch this week's episode of Ghost Hunters and follow it up with the season premiere of Ghost Adventures.  Have a spectacularly haunted evening!!!

Cheating

I'm exhausted...and the cold medicine is kicking my rear...I got nothing to post...so I'll just say, GOODNIGHT!

Conditioned to lose. Conditioned to fail. Conditioned to expect the worst.

Have you ever wanted something so bad that every thought throughout every day seems to revolve around that one thing?  No matter what you do, its always in the back of your mind?  Always keeping you from concentrating completely on the task at hand?  Always there..taunting you...pressuring you...smacking you right upside the head?  We (Jason and I) want something very badly right now.  We have tried to make it happen for the past three years...still no luck.

Five miscarriages and many, many infertility appointments and tests later; my husband and I still don't have the second child that we want so badly.  We've spent thousands of dollars trying to figure out the problem regarding why its hard for me to get pregnant and even harder for me to stay pregnant...sometimes we feel close to finding the answer, sometimes we feel so far from it.  The bottom line is that we don't have the answers yet and we're getting older by the minute! 

We've begun, after lots of time and many heart to heart talks, to explore the options of adoption and fostering to adopt.  We've learned, based on the family unit that we have right now, that fostering is not for us.  There are so many restrictions and rules surrounding what child(ren) can be placed in a particular foster home and we just don't qualify...why you ask?  Because here in Dakota County, a foster child must be YOUNGER than the age of any child(ren) currently living in the home and the foster system is filled to overflowing with older children.  There really are none that are younger than Mikaylah even available to us. 

That brings us to adoption...without hesitation we would absolutely adopt!  We are certain that we would love another child as if he or she were our biological child, but in order to do that, we need to win the lottery it seems.  I'm so discouraged by the whole process of adoption.  It presents itself to be so much more centered around money than the welfare and needs of the children that need familes.  Parenting is a tough job, shouldn't we have to pass a rigorous test rather than just coming up with $40,000?  And, realistically, nowadays who can finance $40,000 just to bring the child home and then turnaround and be able to pay that off WHILE paying for daycare and day to day life needs for that child?

So now that you've read that, let me really break it down here...let me REALLY be honest about this.  I am a great mother. Jason is a great father.  Mikaylah would make an AWESOME big sister.  Crack-whores the world over are conceiving children every minute of the day.  Women are birthing and tossing away children on a daily basis. Some days I swear if I have to read one more horrific news story about child abuse or a parent murdering their child(ren), I will lose it completely.  Why can't we have another when we are GREAT parents and those LOSERS seem to have a limitless supply of children at hand?!?!  What have we done to deserve this?   Have I failed my husband and daughter?  What should I have done different?  Yadda yadda yadda....

So this brings us to the present...I have a few more tests this week (some nuclear med scans).  Perhaps we'll spend the rest of this year trying to conceive and see what happens.  Perhaps these tests will give us definitive answers.  Right now, we're conditioned to expect bad news.  Conditioned to have moments of joy and thoughts of YES IT'S WORKING, followed by the agony of loss.  Conditioned to expect THE worst.  Maybe in 2011 we'll begin the process of adoption.  We stand firm...our family is not yet complete.  There IS a child out there that wants us as much as we want him or her.  We just have to make it happen. 

Desperately Seeking Mommy Advice

Okay...time to get real for a minute here...if you DO NOT want to know the details of my child's night time potty training issues, shut down this blog! Don't read any further.  I beg of you mom's out there to please read it and offer me some suggestions...I have reached the point of desperation.

Okay...first, Mikaylah is five.  She has been successfully daytime potty trained since age 3.5.  She struggled with it at first, but by age 4, she was a pro.  Night time is a whole different story...at age five she has still NEVER had a dry pull up in the morning...while this isn't particularly upsetting to me, what IS upsetting is that she still poops her pull up at night.  Omigosh I know!  Will she be in pull ups on her wedding night? 

I've done all that I can with patience, praise, encouragement, reassurance and continuous effort, but we haven't found what works yet.  She's been poop-free for two nights now, so tonight I rewarded her with a small toy.  I told her if she went two more nights poop-free, she'd earn another one.  We'll do that a few times...then lengthen it to five poop-free nights for a better prize.  Is this completely nuts?  Have I lost my mind?  Am I trying to find my child's "currency" with night time training?  What if she doesn't make it for two more nights...will she be disappointed and will that damage her more??

What else have I done you ask?

1. We've seen her pediatrician and a neurologist.  Nothing wrong.
2. We've tried just cold turkey sleeping in undies...fine if its just wetting, NOT fine for pooping accidents.
3. We've left it alone for three months and then revisited.
4. I've tried waking her periodically...difficult because she's a VERY heavy sleeper and a sleepwalker.  Also, keep in mind that I can't softly talk to her to wake her up completely because she can't hear me.  I have to yell and wake everyone in the house and possibly the neighbors too. 
5. I've limited beverages after dinner.
6. I've consistently had her on Lactulose for her occasional constipation so that is "easier" for her to go.
7. She is on acidophilus supplements for "regularity".
8. I've tried motivating her with the idea of sleepovers once she's out of pull ups.

What else do I do...seriously, HELP ME!!!  I cannot have my daughter in pull ups at college!!!

Food for thought...and food advice...

So far, when I ask Mikaylah how the school day went, I'm getting one consistent theme...she loves lunchtime.  I know that bringing a cold lunch or buying a hot lunch is a new and exciting thing for her, but I guess I didn't really understand how much she would love it. 

Today she talked at length about liking the chocolate pudding I included in her cold lunch (why can't they make those easier to open?).  Last week it was the apples and caramel dip that was exciting.  Other days she has talked about her lunchbox and the themes of other kids' lunchboxes...princess ones, Scooby Doo ones and various others. 

I think its cute that she finds lunchtime to be so fun.  I hope I can keep her lunches varied enough that she still finds them exciting.  For those of you that pack lunches for your kids, what do you pack??  My choices seem limited without refrigeration, as I'm never sure how long an ice pack will really keep things cold...I would love ideas!

Sick Day...on a Sunday

I haven't got a thought for today's blog...I've spent nearly the whole day laying down.  I'm officially sick.  I thought for the past few days that maybe I had some allergies or something. 

I'm going to leave today's blog as a big thanks to my wonderful husband and daughter for taking care of me today and letting me rest and making me chicken soup.  I love you guys!

P.S.  And thank you to Mikaylah for making me a Get Well card. :-)

Visit with an old friend...

Mikaylah and I went down to Spring Valley, MN today to visit an old friend named Pam.  My family has ALWAYS known Pam and her family...we were neighbors way back when we lived in NY and eventually all moved to MN.  I digress.  Anyway...we went down for a visit today.  We had a lovely tea party lunch of scones, sandwiches and cake with lemon curd and raspberries.  After playing at her house for awhile with her AWESOME and HUGE dog Sabrina, we jumped in the car and went out for some fun.  We stopped at the Angora Goat Farm, the depot in Harmony for Ice Cream, Alfred's farm in Harmony and then went out for Pizza in Spring Valley.  We stopped back at Pam's for a litte more doggie time and Mik played with the boat in the fish pond while Pam and I had one last cup of tea.  Great day!!

Does a song ever do this to you?

Is there a certain song that whenever you hear it you think of ONE particular person in your life?  The music and the words take you right back to your past and to a whole load of really incredible memories??  Carole King's Now and Forever does that for me...it makes me think of my life long bestie HEATHER!!!  We go back about a million years...not just the two of us, but our families too.  I have countless amazing memories from my childhood and they seem to all, in some way, involve her...some that I can think of off the top of my head are:

• Crosslake camping...remember the bloody nose/playground incident and Peppy La Pew?
• The Goranson family threw the BEST halloween parties!
• Sleepovers were awesome at Heather's house...the Goranson kids taught me the joy of building forts and they were quite extensive ones!
• The tire swing in the backyard (the monkey swing too!).
• Speaking of the backyard...there was the slide incident resulting in a broken arm for Heather, but some very cool acrobatics.
• Heather used to eat raw hot dogs.  I have nothing more to say about that.
• Heather's dollhouse...OMG!  That things was so AMAZING!!!
• Remember eating birdseed and making paper wings?  We were sure we could fly if we did that...we couldn't.
• CHEESE WHIZ!!!!!  'Nuff said.
• The backwards facing seat in the brown station wagon...that thing rocked!
• Trips to bertram lake for swimming.
• Snow forts and the backyard skating rink!
• Pepper.  Love that dog.
• Donald, Mickey and Goofy the fish...and I always wanted to clean their bowl?!?!?  What was THAT about?
• When Heather barfed after seeing a spider on the innertube.
• Speaking of barfing...riding to dance class.  And then, dancing in a barn. Heather had cool leg warmers.
• Crooked bangs...Heather always had a cowlick giving her crooked bangs!  LOL!!!
• Playing Electra Woman and Dina Girl...I always had to be Dina Girl...Heather justifed this by saying Electra Woman had blonde hair and she did too, so she HAD to be her. 
• Heather falling off my rainbow bike.
• Watching the Great Space Coaster at Heather's house.
• The path in the woods leading to Heather's backyard....late in the day/evening, it was best to RUN the length of that path so the monsters didn't get ya!
• Speaking of monsters...Heather was a Kooky Spook for Halloween one year.  Remember Kooky Spooks?
• Teaching Heather to "clean" her room by shoving all the mess we made right under the bed!  That one didn't get by Barb...was a good try though.
• Freddy the bear.
• Decision Hills Camp and having to sing the Bald Headed Man from China in front of everyone...we had Jill to thank for that.
• Jonathan's Gymnastics classes and doing "valleyfairs" off the vault!
• Heather's grandma made this great camping snack...toasted buns sprinkled with cinnamon...they were so yummy!  And...don't get me started on the awesome array of Christmas cookies...oh how I miss those. 
• Heather gave me a tinkerbell necklace from her trip to Disneyworld and Epcot...I still have it and will always treasure it.
• How it was SO HARD to climb up the Oakwood Manor signs, but we wanted to sit up there so badly - we used to have picnics on those signs.
• Riding our bikes to the dirt road and back was a BIG deal.
• When singing hymns in church, Heather would point/tap (quite agressively I might add) at each word as it was time to sing it...
• I could go on and on and on and fill up this page, but I'll leave it at this and just say:

You rock Heather and I love you dearly.   :-) 

The song that makes me think of Heather...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK65QEMTPC8

Thoughts of days gone by...

As of tomorrow, my Fridays spent with Mikaylah will end and she will go to school (save for the occasional Friday holiday and day off from school).  I don't like it one bit.  I think I will spend the day whining and stomping my feet - by myself - because Mikaylah will not be with me - just me - not me and her.  I'm sure you get my drift.  No one asked me if I was cool with just letting the Fridays go after spending five years of Fridays with her...this shouldn't be allowed.  There must be someone I can write to about this atrocity...  Thanks...my venting is momentarily done.

P.S. SKOL VIKINGS!!

First OFFICIAL Day

Today was Mik's first official day of kindergarten...yesterday was orientation and since I was there to ensure she was okay, it really didn't count in terms of me being able to survive the day through my anxiety...I MADE IT!!  I was able to get out of work in time to get to daycare and watch her get off the bus.  Wow..she looked so BIG!!!

I asked her about her day and she says she had fun...I'm not sure if she was overwhelmed or what, but I really had to ask A LOT of questions to get details.  Her favorite part of the day was coloring with crayons.  She says she met some friends, but can't remember their names.  She had a partner at lunch time, and again..doesn't remember the partner's name but she says "she was real pretty mama".  She was THRILLED about having brought her lunch to school and told me repeatedly what a great PB&J sandwich it was.  Lets see...she also said that Mr. Elo brought his guitar today and taught the class a new song.  She sang a bit of it "Mikaylah's here today.  Mikaylah's here today.  Let's all shout HOORAY!  Mikaylah's here today!".  Apparently, they went through all 22 kids...the song must have lasted forever.  That's about all I got for details...aside from the fact that the sinks are really short and she can reach them "just right!". 

Praying for a great Thursday and Friday!  A HUGE thank you to MacKenzie for helping Mikaylah on and off the bus! 

"Never doubt what nobody's sure of." - Willie Wonka

As I sit here thinking about this post, I can't seem to come up with the right words.  I'm not sure there is a word that exists which can adequately describe the overwhelming sense of pride that I am feeling right now.  My little girl is growing up and I am so unbelievably proud of her. 

Today was the first day of kindergarten.  Was she shy? Yes.  Was she nervous? Yes.  But, despite that, she handled herself incredibly well!  I feel filled to overflowing with love for her as I think about the five years of life she has had.  I am amazed at all the wonderful things she has accomplished despite the hardships she has faced. 

In her first days - as it was confirmed that she had a moderately severe hearing loss, I remember being overcome with sadness....sad for all the things she would have to endure.  The medical intervention, speech delays, learning to wear hearing aids, being teased for being different and the list goes on and on.  While those things sound so simplistic, they aren't. 

Here's a brief rundown:  Mikaylah has had over 30 ear infections, four sets of ear tubes, two additional ear surgeries, one neck surgery, countless rounds of ear drops, antibiotics and ear cleanings.  There have been uncountable trips to the audiologist.  We fought for years with trying to get her to wear her hearing aids consistently - she constantly pulled them out. She was enrolled in early childhood special education at 9 months of age and began weekly interactions with a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher to help her realize the benefit of the hearing aids.  She began riding the bus to special education classes at age 2 1/2...long before any parent should have to watch their child ride off to school.  There she learned about her hearing aids, learned some basic speech concepts, learned some sign language and made some friends. 

To see her today, in a classroom setting with her peers, she seemed no different than anyone else.  Was I somehow thinking that something else would happen?  She responded to directions, followed along and did all the things she needed to do.  The teacher didn't single her out and talk in an obviously louder voice thereby drawing negative attention to her.  No one told her to "try harder to hear".  I realized today that all the nervousness that I had was based on my own experience with school...kindergarten and first grade were AWFUL for me. I was teased so mercilessly for wearing hearing aids and I have feared from day one that I found out about her hearing loss that she would be faced with that as well.  To this day, those two years of my life still haunt me and I HATE wearing my hearing aids and I HATE thinking about what others think about them.  What will I do if she comes home and tells me someone made fun of her?  Will I be able to hide my breaking heart while I tell her that she is amazing and perfect and that NOTHING is wrong with her?  I will always have these thoughts in the back of my mind, but today I am entertaining the thought that maybe things aren't going to be so bad for her? 

The bottom line is that she had a great first day...I'm filled with emotions from pride and happiness to nervousness and fear.  After seeing her today, I know that she IS going to do very well.  I'm excited for the days and months ahead and can't wait to hear every wonderful detail of the friendships she's making and the things she's learning.  I vow to tell her EVERY SINGLE day how much I love her, how great she is and how very proud I am to be her mother.  I vow to be optimistic.

The 180 Degree Day

Holy CRANKY Batman!!  That's how my kid's day started out.  Miss Princess Mikaylah woke up very grumpy this morning..it escalated through the morning...maxed out at lunchtime and then turned for the better in the afternoon into the evening.  This morning my girl got angry if I even looked at her - but tonight, all she wants to do is hang all over me and snuggle and tell me she loves me.  WTH??

Wouldn't it be funny if adults behaved in the same manner as children?  Like if I was at a restaurant and didn't like my food, I could just outright cry and hide under the table (yes, that happened to Mikaylah today)?  Lets say you're at work and your boss asks you to do something (similar to how I asked Mikaylah to clean up her Thomas game when she was done with it) and instead of doing it, you stomped your feet and shouted "this is NOT fair!" (yes, this happened today too).  And my favorite, when asked to simmer down and behave, if an adult wanted to shift the focus away from being naughty and on to something else, they could just blow snot rockets, cry and say "but I needed a tissue!" (yep...happened today too). 

I love love love my child, but when this day ends and she's drifted off to dreamland, I'm going to sigh and choose to remember the snuggling and smiles....  :-) 

P.S.  Stay tuned!  Tomorrow is day one of KINDERGARTEN!!!  Woot woot!

Edwards' Family "Clean Like Crazy" Day

"Our house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy." -Author Unknown

It became very apparent that we goofed off every weekend all summer and our light cleaning and fast straightening up definitely caught up with us.  Thus, I declared today as Edwards' Family "Clean Like Crazy" Day!  We managed to get caught up on the miscellaneous odds and ends that needed to be done (why do towels bars seem to loosen themselves over time and I never have a furnace filter when I need one..), as well as some heavy duty cleaning. 

Everyone helped and the house looks great now...save for the room where Mikaylah kept herself busy while Mom and Dad were cleaning!  For supper, a pot of spaghetti with sauce made from scratch awaits the tired Edwards' clan...

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

I dedicate today's blog to our dog Casey.  He is a six year old, 103 pound, lazy, yellow lab.  He came to us through our favorite animal rescue group - Last Hope.  He's been with us for a year now.  What can I tell you about Casey?

His paws smell like popcorn.

He stands up like a gopher when he wants a treat.

He thinks water is the greatest thing since...everything that exists.

He does not know how to chew a rawhide bone or play with dog toys.

Underneath all his fuzzy yellow fur, his skin is black with occasional pink spots.

He's missing a tooth.

He likes to snuggle...but ONLY until he deems that the snuggling has made him too hot.

He likes pillows and blankets and before he was given his own, he would steal them from my bed.

He loves kids...all kids.

He thinks watermelon is a treat.

If he gets off his leash or chain, he WILL run away.

He once caught a bumble bee in his mouth, and it stung his lip. He hasn't caught one since.

He's afraid of hardwood, laminate, linoleum...any slippery floor.

He likes to ride in the car and slobber up the windows and flap his ears in the wind.

Dog Day Getaway is his FAVORITE place to spend the day.

He is afraid of rivers, lakes, streams, ponds...any large body of water.

If he needs to go out, he will position himself in front of Jason or I and stare at us...unblinking...as long as he has to.

He has ridden in the back of an Apple Valley Police Car (see above about running away...).

He sneezes when he gets excited.

He hardly ever barks...unless Jason or I bark at him.

The list is never ending...he's such a good boy and I'm so grateful to have him. 

Little girls are the nicest things that happen to people. They are born with a little bit of angelshine about them, and though it wears thin sometimes there is always enough left to lasso your heart.

Today Mikaylah's friend came over for a playdate.  I just love watching her play with a friend...underneath all the shrieking, excitement and bossiness...she truly is a loving little child.  She talked incessantly about how Ellie was her BESTEST friend ever.  Those two have the gift of gab at such a young age - they talk of toys, princesses, clothes, family, places they've been, movies they've seen and the conversation never stops!  In a matter of a four hour playdate, they played Polly Pockets, Barbies, made silly faces, ZhuZhu Pets, kitchen, dollhouse, dressup, dancing, had lunch, had a pillow fight, colored, played V-Smile, had a snack, played balloons, and the list goes on and on!  There is no describing what a mess this place was after they were done and every bit of clean up was completely worth it for all the giggling and sweetness and love that filled my house this afternoon.  I wish she could stay home with me every Friday for the rest of time...I can never get enough of her and I cherish our time together.  Was my heart really so empty before she came along??

Kids...they say the darnedest things!

I'm going to dedicate today's blog to the cute, witty, smart and hilarious things that Mikaylah says each day.  About a year ago, Jason and I were discussing all the great things she says and we found ourselves often saying "Oh, what was it that she said?".  We were annoyed with ourselves for forgetting the great stuff she says!  Our solution?  A quote wall!  Now, whenever she says something funny, we write it on a post-it note and stick it to the door in the kitchen.  I hope you find them as funny as we do! 

Keep on bloggin'!

"Daddy...my cereal got foggy."

"Mama? Maybe you can just call the dentist and tell him my teeth are already clean!"

"Mama, are you gonna make a close call (she meant phone call)?"

"I have the manyest points!"

"Hey! Lets sing that BINGO song...you know, E. I. Itchy. O. That one."

"Mama...I no has a middle toof."

"Kappy's heart was having a race (if you're Kathy, this is funny!)."

"Daddy, when I was bigger, will I still be your sweets?"

"Mama? Does a fart mean my poop is ready?"

"Mama, can you put a baby in your tummy? Carrie will show you how (Carrie is the neighbor who just had a little girl)."

"I'm drinking skin milk...because its the color of my skin."

"Mmmm...this milk makes my skeleton feel SO good."

"I don't wanna ride in that boy's yellow car (said when going from the airport to our hotel in a cab)."

"Daddy, can you do me a fever?"

"Daddy..its hard to be a Daddy, but its NOT hard to be a kid."

Holy smokes!!!  How funny is my kiddo?!?!?

We be bloggin'...

Hello family and friends!  Today begins the Edwards' family blog!  I hope to meet Tina's challenge and blog everyday in September...here goes!  Bookmark me on your pc and check back...if you're watching, I'll be more motivated to actually do this and meet Tina's challenge.

To catch you up (and, I've gotta start this somewhere), I've been in panic mode for a couple weeks now...prepping for my baby to head off to Kindergarten.  Cripes, wasn't she JUST born? 

Tonight Jason, Mikaylah and I went to Red Pine Elementary's Open House and met Mikaylah's teacher and toured around the school a bit.  Before we got there, Mik insisted that she did NOT want to enter the school and did NOT want to meet her BOY teacher.  Mik's daycare and preschool teachers have always been women and thus far, she's not to keyed up about having a boy for a teacher.  He was very nice though.  I expected him to know NOTHING about her and for me to have to fill his head with the millions of details about the quirks that make Mik who she is, but to my suprise he knew of her AND had received her lengthy file already.  He had set up meetings with her "team" this week and knew her history already!  POINTS SCORED!!  We also met the school nurse who will help Mik with any Hearing Aid issues she may have, i.e. dead batteries, malfunctions, etc. and to my surprise she too knew about Mikaylah!  POINTS SCORED AGAIN!!  I'm so happy (and relieved) that the parties that be have informed those that need to be informed about my amazing little girl!
 

After today's Open House, I'm feeling a LOT better...still some anxiety about bussing and lunch time chaos and what not, but my girl is exceptionally smart and after a day or two, she's gonna be a pro.  Lets hope her Mommy is too!

Next step, teacher meeting on Friday, orientation on Tuesday and then GO FOR KINDERGARTEN!!!  Bring it....