Christmas 2018

We were all very, merry in Moline for Christmas! Santa proved to be as bad at following through on threats as we are and gave the kids a bounty of toys, when we all know they should have received sticks and coal. In truth, Nick probably would have loved that just as much! Definitely more than the Wowwee Fingerling that he greeted with a disappointed, “Awwww! Why did Santa bring me this?!” No worries, Nick; Santa kept the receipt. He also had zero interest in his Hatchimal (that he asked for) and passed it off to his cousins to hatch. The winners of Christmas in Nick’s world were a six-foot stuffed snake and the Batman vs. Superman Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Brandi). No batteries, sound effects, or animation required to please this kid! He likes things simple.

Lainey, on the other hand, very much liked her little finger monkey and all the other fancy, schmancy electronic toys. The stuffed snow leopard from Brookfield Zoo that she’s been begging for got little attention (but, that purchase is how Nick ended up with his beloved snake, so no regrets). Even though the high-tech toys grabbed most of her attention Christmas day, she loved the simple things, too, like her Mad Libs. I laughed so hard watching her crack up over those! They weren’t even particularly funny combinations, but her laughter was contagious.

As always, we ate very well and had lots of good family time together. I love seeing all the cousins together and watching how they evolve as playmates. I also love that they keep each other busy, so we have more kid-free time to catch up with the adults!

Now we’re back home and gearing up for the Anderson crew to crash Chicago on Friday and ring in the new year with us! Let the festivities continue!

Evolution of a Christmas family photo...

Nailed it!

Honeybunches and Family Planning

The caption to the photo from our holiday lights adventure alluded that it wasn’t the brightest of evenings. The kids were overtired from a busy day and their behavior was fueled by all the kids around them who were overtired from busy days, so there was a lot of whining and stomping and yelling.

But, there was one moment that I keep playing over in my head and know I’ll regret it if I don't capture it in this family diary I’ve created.

 After a pretty big blow-up between Mark and Elaine (the root cause I can’t remember—proof that it’s the happy moments that stick!), I sat crouched in front of two grumpy kids, blowing on hot chocolate to cool it, and quite frankly, wishing we’d just stayed home. Then I heard Nick’s small voice say:

 “Mama, I want a baby sister. I will chub her cheeks and call her honeybunches.”

He said it with such sincerity and his big brown eyes were filled with such longing that it’s a good thing you can’t just pick-up a baby sister at the gift shop. I would have bought him 10!

My heart and my temper melted immediately. I smiled at my sweet boy and explained that I was sorry, but I am not going to make any more babies in here and pointed to my belly. At which point Lainey chimed in with surprise and wonder: “You can control that?!”

Yes, Elaine. Yes, you can, and we will be having LENGTHY discussions about it when you’re older.

 

Ho, Ho, Holy Smokes, I'm Tired!

As promised in my last post, December is moving at a breakneck pace, and I'm white-knuckling it all the way. Mark ended up getting sick with the plague (a.k.a. a cold) this week, so that's really added to the fun. I'd rather have two projectile vomiting kids and shingles than have Mark be sick.

So while I came into the weekend with visions of quiet writing time, where I sat in my favorite chair with a mug of peppermint tea and wrote a humorous, but heartwarming post about our holiday adventures, I am instead going to throw a bunch of photos on the page and let your imaginations carry you. A picture is worth 1,000 words after all...

Zoo lights! Warm weather made for a lovely night...if only we'd left the kids at home.
(These smiles were heavily bribed and very fleeting.)

One of us let our child's whimsy run wild...the other is an engineer.

Girls' night when Nick had movie night at school! 

Another warm day got us downtown last night and
reminded us how much we love this city!

I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season! It has been crazy around here, but I still have the Christmas spirit. Actually, now that I think of it, I have all of the spirits...vodka, gin, and scotch...forget the peppermint tea!

Thanksgiving 2017

It has been a crazy few weeks, so I’m a few days late getting in a Thanksgiving post. Luckily, it’s my blog and I have a readership of 10, so I get to make the deadlines and the rules for publishing.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, both kids participated in the Lincolnwood Drumstick Dash. It’s a fun little run divided by age groups, where they pile the kids at the start line and let them loose. Nick wasn’t sure he wanted to race, because he was afraid he would fall down, but in the end, he rose to the occasion. He didn’t do so bad either—definitely a leader of the bunch! Of course, he thinks he won, because he got a medal. Elaine was more than happy to rain on his parade and very dryly point out that everyone gets a medal. But, Nick just ignored her. He won damn it!

Our Thanksgiving was lovely and came and went without any drama or illness (except for Chris, who was pretty sick, but he’s Sean’s problem, not mine.) Sean gets “Uncle of the Year” awards for swimming with the kids at the FREEZING hotel indoor pool—Lainey was the only one who didn’t seem bothered by the frigid water and air temps. It definitely snapped the adults out of our Turkey day food and drink comas!

The weather was great and the travel to and from Ohio really could not have been any smoother. Nick said it best… “You know why I like Ohio? I just love the view!” So, there you have it, Ohio Tourism Bureau, your next marketing slogan. I really do get a laugh out of how geeked-out the kids get seeing all the farm fields, barns, and animals. Seeing the landscape through their eyes gives me a new appreciation for what was just the ordinary growing up.

We traveled back home on Friday, so we had the weekend to deck the halls and start infusing the Christmas spirit! Christmas decorations are up, cards have been ordered, shopping is 95% done, and the calendar is filled with an aspirational schedule of holiday events! Bring on December!

Leading the pack (via creative editing)

And she's off!

 

Happy racers!

 

Two Little Fishies

When the YMCA closed the pool this past June, we were really bummed out. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened, as far as swim lessons go. Right as the Y pool closed, a new swim school, Big Blue, opened up just five minutes from our house. I took the kids for a free trial lesson and was hooked! Being a new facility, of course it was spotless, but what sold me was the amazing staff and teachers! Everyone has so much energy and seems really excited to be there versus the Y instructors, who barely cracked a smile. Seriously, sometimes walking into Big Blue is the best part of my week, because everyone there just seems to love what they are doing and greet you with such enthusiasm.

All of the above is nice and all, but the place isn't cheap, so I wanted to see results. Well, I've got them tenfold. I really cannot believe how much Lainey and Nick have progressed in just three months. Nick has gone from hiding under the bleachers at the Y to avoid the pool to swimming without any flotation devices and doing some actual swim strokes. He's moved up two levels in the past month. And, oh man, Lainey! She can now swim freestyle and does a mean backstroke. We could drop the lessons right now and she'd be fine for water safety. But, she really enjoys them and is learning better technique (and the other strokes) to prep her to join a swim team. Even if swim team's not her thing, she gets a great workout in at class--they work these kids hard! (Which also means sleeping little ones at bedtime--an added bonus.)

I love seeing how proud the kids are when they reach a new level. I seriously got emotional when Lainey moved up from Dolphins to Junior Team. She flew through the lower levels pretty quickly, so it took her awhile to achieve the next level. The pure joy on her face when she saw that ribbon and new she'd made it made me almost burst into tears. I don't think I'd ever seen her so proud or happy about something.

So glad we found this gem of a place! Can't wait to see how the kiddos keep progressing!

From Guppy 2 to Guppy 3!

Miss Junior Team 1

No more Guppies...Dolphin 1!!!

Tricks and Treats

Halloween was a monster success! The kids partied at school and came home ready to hit the streets and get those treats! The cold temperature did nothing to chill their enthusiasm--they begged for candy for almost two hours! Afterwards, our neighbor hosted a group of us for pizza, so bedtime definitely got pushed and pushed a little more. Can't say this morning was much fun, but seeing their joy last night made up for it (or at least it will when I have those memories years from now; thankfully it's the really good ones that seem to stick!)

The one blight on the evening was some prankster took our bowl of candy we left out on the step. And I mean the actual bowl!!! I know it's always a risk that some older kids are going to take all the candy in one fell swoop, but do they have to be total jerks and take the bowl too? Perhaps it was someone's trick when they happened upon a treatless bowl. Sigh...

In other unfortunate news, Nick got a trick played on him in the form of a nasty stomach bug. He's been throwing up since three o'clock this afternoon. I'm just glad he didn't get hit with this bug yesterday! That would have crushed him!

Hope everyone had a fun-filled Halloween!

The water is dangerous, but the streets are safe!

Check-out that tail!

The crew!

Nicks says...

Nick talks from the moment he wakes up until the moment he drops to sleep at night. Even after we’ve turned off the light and left him alone, we can hear him chatting away or singing a song he’s made up. He’s taken the game of “why?” to new levels, relentless in his follow-up to each answer with another “why?”—it’s exhausting.

 

So many of his thoughts come out of thin air and, with his deadpan delivery and amazing comedic timing, he keeps us cracking up. I really wish I could just have a running transcript of all the things he says in a day. Not so practical, but I’ve been trying to be better about jotting some gems here and there. Here are a few from the past week or so…

On multi-culturalism…

 

Nick talking to Lainey—“‘Duh’ means ‘you should know that already’ in Spanish.”

On taking care of his things…

“I’m going to break the iPad!” Pauses and smiles. “I’m just being silly. What would we do if the iPad was broken?”

 

On physiology…

Nick: I’m not going to grow for 35 days.

Me:  Why?

Nick: Because that’s just how my body works.

On keeping it on the sly…

 

Nick was being too loud (as always) in a public place.

 

Lainey:  Nick whisper.

Nick: <whispers> So, Daddy doesn’t hear me say the bad words?

 On family bonds…

 “Can we get rid of Lainey and get a boat?”

  

Really, putting these down on paper don’t do them justice. You need to see his big brown eyes, tiny hand gestures, and impish smile to really understand his charm. But, I can see all that when I read these and I know I’ll be happy to have these on paper one day, when this little guy is all grown up.

Pumpkins and Puddles

Well, we've had some really beautiful weather this week! Too bad we didn't have it last weekend while Dad and Sharon were visiting. I poured rain all day on Saturday, making for a muddy mess for our annual trip to Didier Farms on Sunday. The mud wouldn't have been so bad, but it was overcast, windy, and cold! Even with the yuck weather, we still had a blast. The kids probably could have stayed the whole afternoon!

We picked out our pumpkins, per usual, and even though Mark and I had agreed each kid would get one pumpkin, we ended up leaving with six! Two big, two small, and two really small. Nick was excited to find a large one that was shaped like a heart--later realizing it also looked like a butt--oh the laughs that ensued from the wee ones! He then found it's twin among the tiny pumpkin bin. How could I say no?

We've been really lucky the past 4 years to have amazing weather, so I suppose we can take a year of clouds! Thanks for treating us, Dad and Sharon! Another tradition carrying on!

Uncle Chris! Uncle Chris! Uncle Chris!

 

Uncle Chris rolled into town last Friday and our house was almost shattered with Nick’s excitement. This is not to say Lainey wasn’t also enthused, but Nick was just off-the-wall. He had been counting down for the past week, asking multiple times a day if it was Friday yet, before launching into all the things he was going to do with Uncle Chris. It was really sweet, and luckily, Chris delivered on Nick’s expectations. There was lots of Star Wars play, and we watched Episode II: Attack of the Clones, something Nick was particularly anticipating. (I will say, however, he seemed just as into watching Girls Just Want to Have Fun.) Both of the kids were really sad Uncle Sean couldn’t make the trip and are anxious to see him at Thanksgiving. Lainey did get to do some texting fun with him yesterday, which she loved! She’s already a tween, that one.

                The big event of the weekend was hitting the Jurassic World exhibit at The Field Museum. It was pretty cool—even if a little on the intense side at times for younger kids. We had the bad luck of crossing paths with a couple and their son asking for a refund, because the son decided it was too scary to go in. Doh!! So, that put Lainey on edge before we even inside (to put it very, very mildly), and both kiddos had a hard time at the Raptor and T. Rex portions. Even so, I still highly recommend it for any families with kids who are into dinosaurs. The real trauma for poor Nick came in the gift shop, when I refused to buy a $35 stuffed dinosaur. With lip protruded and hot tears on his cheeks, he said, “You ruined my whole day, Mama.” As it turns out, his day was, in fact, able to recover from this brutal blow.

                The rest of the time we just lolled about hitting the park and the forest preserve. It was a great weekend and Nick took Chris’s departure okay. (I was worried after he wept when Chris left to meet friends for dinner on Saturday night.) A big thanks to Chris for making the trip and the memories! We all love you!

I Mom So Hard

Guys, I know I often write about what a mess I am, but I gotta' say, right now, in this moment, I AM KILLING it. 

After the first week of school, I made some adjustments to our evening routine and--BAM--we're working like a well-oiled machine. Homework? Handled. Extracurriculars? Got 'em covered. Family dinners? Still happening. Bedtimes have been stretched a wee bit and our already loose shower schedule has picked up even more slack, but the kids aren't struggling to wake up and flies aren't following them, so we're good. 

And this weekend? Let me TELL you about this weekend...

• Kids' Halloween costumes picked and bought. 
• Flu shots administered. 
• Birthday present (for next weekend) bought and wrapped. 
• Banana bread baked. 
• Errands done.
• Laundry washed, folded, AND put away.

And I just wrote this blog post. AND it's only NOON! Say what? Don't mind me, I'm just going to be reading leisurely the rest of the day (because I also already have dinner prepped and ready for the oven!)

However, even as I bask in the glory of an impending afternoon with nothing much to do, I realize it's only possible because we've had two weekends in a row with nothing on the calendar (and last weekend we scored play dates for the kids on both Saturday and Sunday.) All hell breaks loose again starting next week and probably won't let up until after Thanksgiving...which means after Christmas...which means after Nick's birthday. So, that's cool. At least I'll have material for this blog...

First Day of First Grade!!!

Looking sparkly and ready to shine!

Lainey’s off to first grade! So far so good! Her besties are all in her class again this year (for better or worse—we shall see), and I’m really happy with the communication style of her teacher so far (although the bar wasn’t set that high from last year).

We may have been a bit over zealous with fall activities, however. She will continue swim lessons on Thursday nights and gymnastics on Wednesday nights. We switched her from lessons at the YMCA to a real gymnastics school, because she just wasn’t learning much. From just one class at the new place she made a huge skill leap (same thing happened with her swim lessons). It’s nice to have another option, but it also means I can’t take advantage her afterschool program at the Y to fit-in the lesson.

She’s also signed up for Girl Scouts (only one Friday a month), and I promised her last year she could take the afterschool cooking class (also on Wednesdays). For her to participate, I have to leave work 30 minutes early to get her. I piggybacked gymnastics for the same night, because I know I’ll be home early and we’ll have time to get ready for class. I am so relieved that the YMCA basketball league we signed her up for isn’t moving forward, because there aren’t enough kids. It would have been TOO much! Seriously…what were we thinking?

Right now, everything takes place on week nights, but I can move swim or gymnastics to the weekend if it becomes too stressful. I’m trying to take advantage of the early years with little to no homework and keep extracurriculars during the week, so our weekends are free. Free to sign-up Nick for something that is…

Welcome back to school!

Farewell to Foxy

While our Florida getaway was fantastic, we returned to sad news on the home front. Nick's fish, Foxy, swam off to the bluer sea of the beyond. And judging by the condition of the mortal remains, he met his maker about five minutes after we walked out the door last Saturday. It wasn't a pretty sight.

Foxy had been looking a little worse for the wear lately, so we had been preparing Nick  that he wouldn't be around much longer, but we weren't sure how he'd take the news. When we told him Foxy died, his first words were, "who's Foxy?" Mark and I couldn't help but laugh, which made him think we were kidding about the whole thing. But, when we explained that we were talking about his fish and that he really was dead, his little face dropped and his shoulders deflated. Mark picked him up in his arms and Nick raised his head stoically and said, "Take me to the office." We told him we'd already removed Foxy from the tank, but he needed to see it for himself. In the end, we let him see Foxy's body. He found it more interesting than disturbing and had lots of questions on why Foxy looked the way he did (but, thankfully, no questions about what happens after you die.)

He chose a spot to bury Foxy in the backyard, marked the grave with some sticks, and that was that. We told him he could get a new fish this weekend, but he hasn't mentioned it again, so we aren't either. Molly (Lainey's fish) better beware...with one fish out of the picture, I think Mark is mulling the easiest way to send Molly on her final swim...

R.I.P Foxy

Vacation All I Ever Wanted...

We recently returned to life as we know it after a four-day break to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. I cannot overstate how much I had looked forward to this trip. My need to get away was not so much driven by my job, but more the need to escape of the daily grind and general scurry and hurry of life with kids. Mark and I made a promise not to rush anything on this trip and just be lazy. Aside from a schedules boat ride, we stuck to it and just let the days fall where they may. We threw out all rules around bedtimes and nutrition, too. The kids were super helpful in making me stick to this one...every time I wavered on handing over yet another treat, I would hear small, but firm voices saying, "You said 'no rules on vacation!'"--and the ice cream or the donut or the cookie would be promptly handed over.

We stayed at a condo building that only had four units, and we were fortunate to share the space with really great people. The unit above us was empty, so our space was really quiet. A retiree, who owned a unit, was staying next to us and she was a great source of info--and a grandmother, so loved having the kids around and didn't mind their enthusiasm (a.k.a. LOUDNESS). The fourth unit was occupied by really great family with an 8-year-old girl, Lulu, whom Lainey totally hit it off with. Their son, Sam, was 11, so Nick lost out on a playmate again. Womp. Womp.

Lulu!

We ran into some residual weather from Harvey, but luckily the really big storms hit during the night. And when it did rain during the day, we just kept swimming in the pool--the kids thought that was awesome! Truly, I think those kids would have stayed in the pool from sun up to sun down, if we'd let them. Two little fishies! Nick enjoyed playing in the sand, but wanted nothing to do with the ocean. One taste of salt water and "his whole day was spoiled!" Lainey didn't love her first introduction to salt water either, but she adjusted quickly and really took to the waves.

Swimming in the rain

As deep as he would go

King of the Sand

Catching waves

The one activity we ventured out for (other than eating) was a dolphin tour boat ride. We kind of struck out on the dolphin viewing (one played for a bit right as we headed out, but we didn't get a good view from our spot on the boat), but Lainey still had a lot of fun on the boat. Nick did not--he was a grumpy, grumpy boy.

Grumpy Gus and the gals

At least someone had fun...

As much as I would have loved to stay a few more days, I think we hit it exactly right on timing. Mark and Nick's skin had definitely had enough of the beach, delicate little flowers that they are, and Lainey's hair was turning to straw from the salt water and chlorine. I still took the full week off and used Thursday and Friday to knock out chores and various appointments for the kids, so we can head into Labor Day weekend with nothing to do, but chill and have fun. So long summer--you were fast and furious, but oh so fabulous!

Farewell Florida...until next time...

The Little Buddy Blues

There are a lot of perks that come with being the baby of the family (I should know), and Nick definitely reaps those rewards. But, sometimes being the little brother can really stink. Like when your older sister doesn’t want you tagging along with her friends anymore.

My heart broke for Nick last night. Lainey’s friend stopped by to ask Lainey over to play. Nick and Lainey were in the basement playing together when I called down. An excited voice shouted back, “I want to go to Vika’s!” Unfortunately, it was Nick’s. Ugh.

Even though I told him he had to stay with me, he still scrambled up the stairs and hurried to untangle his inside-out socks. His face was set in earnest concentration that turned to panic as Lainey slipped quickly into her crocs and bounced out the door. I was hoping Lainey and Vika would escape down the block quickly, but Lainey stopped to get her bike from the garage, giving Nick enough time to get his shoes on and outside. He chased them down the driveway and half way up the block before finally conceding they were leaving him behind. Then he collapsed on the sidewalk crying.

I scooped him up, carried him inside, gave him a cookie, and let him watch TV. You know, the basic prescription for any broken heart.

This isn’t the first run-in we’ve had this summer with trying to separate Nick from Lainey. Unfortunately, while Lainey has several playmate options within arm’s reach, Nick does not.  So, when she runs off, there’s no one to easily bring to Nick. I think (hope) that will change when he starts school next fall, but for now he’s just left behind. And while often the other parents/playmates are happy to have Nick tag along, Lainey isn’t always down with that. And that’s okay. She needs to have her space and her time without Nick running at her heels. I’m just thankful that Nick’s a kid who could stand to eat a few more cookies…because I think there will be a lot more condolence sweets headed his way.

Hang in there, Little Buddy! Your day will come…

Kitchen Glory

The kitchen is DONE! Well, in truth, it’s been done for about 3 weeks, BUT they just finalized a few

minor punch list items yesterday, so I’m not that delinquent with this post.

Now, I understand that there are people in this world facing real struggle, but let me tell you, surviving those 10 weeks (yes, TEN WEEKS) without a kitchen was brutal for this pampered little snowflake. I almost wept with joy the day our contractor said I could start using the sink and dishwasher again.

While I never would have guessed it, the sink is my most beloved feature of the new kitchen—even more than my French-door, bottom freezer refrigerator—and I love that gorgeous piece of stainless steel. But, the sink, oh the sink, in all of it’s deep, full-sized glory is making cooking prep and clean-up so much easier! It can dump dirty dishes as I go, keeping my counters clear for other prep, and still have plenty of sink room to use the hanging colander or just simply washing my hands. And after the cooking is done, all of my pots, pans, and cookie sheets fully fit for soaking and cleaning. No more washing half of a casserole dish and then flipping to do the other half. Game. Changer.  

I also now have a double-oven, more cabinet space, and gray ceramic tile floors. Why a special call-out to the floors, you ask? Because they are no longer covered in white linoleum that even Cinderella’s mice armed with pure bleach and hopped up on Adderall couldn’t make look clean. Gray ceramic, on the other hand, hides all. (Subsequently, white socks are now banned from my house.)

Our new counter-height table gets delivered tomorrow—hurray, hurray—which just leaves us to find stools and window treatments! Then we can officially check the kitchen off our home renovation list. It’s been four years in the making, but worth the wait!

This photo doesn't give the sink the glory it deserves

Don't mind if I do bake things at two different temperatures

Hey there, coffee nook--thanks for freeing up precious counter real estate

One Tooth Down...

After three LONG months of wiggling, Lainey finally lost her first tooth on Wednesday. As her impatience grew with the tooth's slow progress in freeing itself, Lainey took to eating whole apples and--WHAM!--it was out within two days.

When we first found out the tooth was a bit loose, I asked Lainey how much cash she thought the Tooth Fairy would cough up for it and she said "two dollars." I thought that was reasonable, but so much time lapsed that I forgot about the conversation. So, on Wednesday, I mentioned that the Tooth Fairy would be bringing her a dollar that night, she said, "Oh. Just a dollar?," with just a hint of disappointment in her voice, but she didn't argue. When I was talking to Mark, I remembered the "two dollar" conversation and we decided to pony up. She was VERY excited to see the extra cash in the morning.

She has another loose tooth in the works (actually, this tooth was loose before the one she lost), so looks like Lainey will have another cash windfall soon!

I think she's adorable with one less tooth!

Today We Beached

After weeks of hustle, bustle and timetables and deadlines, we found ourselves free to be lazy and carefree. And so, with bellies full of pancakes and bacon, today we beached! And it was a perfect three hours, complete with a money of a parking spot. The high winds made exciting waves on our usually tame Lake Michigan and the giant nine-foot waves from Saturday made huge, pond-sized puddles filled with clear, warm water all across the beach. We swam, snacked, and built sand castles. I read my Times with the rolling sound of waves behind me. I unclenched and let the warm sun on my back melt me. Tomorrow's Monday promises to be difficult, as so many Mondays are, but today, we beached!

My girl and me

Sandcastle king

Biggest puddle ever!

To the Working Parents

Today was a tough one. Sometimes balancing work and parenting can just tear you to pieces. There's never a good time for an injured or sick child, but there are definitely horrible times. Times where you have debates in your head that you never though you'd have. I know some will argue differently, but it's not always black and white on who comes first. So, today I delivered at work and ended the day where I wanted to be all along--with Lainey's head in my lap. And I just have to let go of how I got from Point A to Point B and accept that no one got my best today. Sometimes good enough has to be enough--even if it feels shitty. But, I'm thankful for supportive bosses. And for forgiving children. And for Friday. And for the wine Mark brought home.

So, tonight, here's to the working parents who...

• miss the big meeting to attend the choir program
• miss the big game to attend the important conference
• dose ibuprofen and hope daycare doesn't detect a fever until after the presentation
• force someone to cover, so they can care for a wheezy child
• debate with their partner of who has the more important work day
• cry in the bathroom because they screamed at their kids during the stress of running late
• laugh as they leave daycare, because their kid's tantrum is someone else's problem now
• love leading the project team more than coaching little league
• give up the promotion, so they can have more flexible hours
• volunteer for every evening or weekend child-related activity, because they feel guilty they aren't there at pick-up every day
• ignore deep sighs from co-workers, because they have to go pick-up their child
• turn away from the disappointed face, because they can't go on the field trip
• work to support their families
• work to fuel their souls

And to all the other dilemmas and tensions and missteps as you try to do what's best. To the wins and the losses. To the pride and the guilt and the gratification and the frustration. Whether you're drinking away a bad day or celebrating one of the goods--cheers!

CRAZY Days of Summer!

Evidently there is such a thing as “lazy days of summer,” but not at the Branderson household this year. We’re going full force with CRAZY days of summer. Weddings, birthday parties, BBQs, Sox game, 4^th of July celebrations, high school reunion, and Pitchfork Music Fest…we have been WORKING it! Add a kitchen renovation that is still underway and various weeknight commitments and this lady has had zero time or energy to do anything extra, let along blog. So, you get the montage, quick hits email to cover the major happenings over the past few weeks.

SOX GAME

Our awesome neighbors hooked us up to free tickets to a Sox game on July 2. We had great seats and the kids got to see a home run ball hit right to our section. They were on the jumbotron AND the TV broadcast. (I was off getting the Dippin’ Dots and missed the action. #momlife)  It was a pretty hot day, so we only made it about two hours into the game before calling it quits, but we still had a blast! Thanks to the Stantons for thinking of us and their generosity in sharing the tickets!

 

 

FOURTH OF JULY

We saw some pretty great fireworks in Park Ridge on Monday night and then took part in our neighborhood festivities on the 4^th. Lainey wasn’t sure she wanted to walk with the Wildwood group in the parade, because she wanted to “get all the candy” that would be thrown. But, she had a last-minute change of heart and ended up scoring a sweet ride with her friend Lucas. Adorable!

 

20-YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

I was not planning on heading to Ohio to take part in my 20-year high school reunion, but decided it would be a good chance to visit with my favorite ladies who still live in the heart of it all. It was a quick trip—in Saturday morning, out Sunday morning—but, I got some great one-on-one time with Meredith and Amanda. The reunion itself was fine, but I don’t think I need to go to another. As Mer said, “it was fun for about a hot minute.”

However, I have zero regrets, because I reunited with someone very dear to me that, for a plethora of reasons and a complicated story that is not mine to tell, I had not seen for almost nine years. The amazing thing about people that you share a certain bond with is that no matter the time or circumstance that separated you, you can fall right back in pace as if only days have passed. I’m looking forward to seeing her again when she comes to Chicago for the marathon in October.

 

PITCHFORK

A big thank you to Dad and Sharon for making the trip to Chicago to stay with the kids, so Mark and I could enjoy our annual Pitchfork Music Fest and a kid-free night downtown. The weather was perfect and the sound was great! We had to skip out on a leisurely brunch the next day to shuttle the kids to a birthday party, but we still got a quiet night’s sleep and late wake-up, so no complaints!

 

 

Things slow down a bit over the next few weekends, so I’m hoping to get back to posting regularly.

Let's do SIX!

Happy Birthday, my love!

 

We think of the milestone birthdays as landing on the “fives”…5, 10, 15. But, there’s something about SIX for me right now. FIVE still sounded sweetly young to me. She’s only five. She’s a kindergartener. She’s still my baby.

But, SIX?! SIX is a kid. A first grader. SIX means more independence and less need to have me by her side. And I look back at the last 72 months of pictures and videos and I sigh at those thigh rolls at one and laugh at the way she over-enunciated everything at two and smile at her Garfunkel curls and power alleys at three and clap as she conquers the monkey bars at four and swell with pride seeing her sing the loudest and proudest at the holiday program at five. And I love those memories of my little Lainey, my first born, my daughter. I will hold them dear and revisit them often, but I won’t wish to go back or mourn that the years went too fast (even though they really, really did).  

Because SIX-year-old Lainey is going to bring it. I’m already so amazed by this girl. She is STRONG and SMART and while I can’t claim she’s a tender soul, I’ve seen her have amazing COMPASSION and EMPATHY—usually in situations where it matters the most. And the conversations we have! Oh the conversations!!! They’re INTERESTING and THOUGHTFUL and I’m so looking forward to how they will grow over this next year. It’s incredible how differently she thinks and processes things after just one year of school.

Six also brings more self-awareness. And more self-awareness brings more self-consciousness. More insecurities. More hurt feelings. This is the territory I’m not so excited to explore. I feel like this is where the real parenting comes in and I’m scared to death I’m going to completely screw it up.

But, as it’s been since this little lady came into our lives, we’ll be taking the tough times with the fun times. We’ll grow together and learn from each other. And, hopefully, amid the power struggles, discipline, and, yes, the shouting, we can throw a little of that compassion and empathy each other’s way and still get our fill of hugs, sharing, and laughter.

Let’s do this, Lainey. Let’s do SIX!!!

Invasion of the Six-Year-Olds

We had Lainey’s birthday part on Sunday. 14, six-year-old girls in our backyard for two hours with just Mark and me holding things down.  If you’re thinking of trying this yourself, DON’T! I still get an eye twitch thinking about it. Let me tell you, 6YO girls know how to bring the drama. Half way through the party, Nick asked Mark if he could please go to his room and be by himself. Poor kid couldn’t take it. Of the 14 girls, at least half ended up crying at some point, including the birthday girl. There was fighting, whining, and bounce house “injuries” galore.  I even had to call one parent to come back and deal with her daughter.

But, all the girls seemed happy as they filed out of our yard and as Lainey drifted towards sleep that night, I whispered in her ear, “Did you love your party?” And she stretched one sleepy arm out and flipped a strong thumbs up. So, in the end, success! Because the joy of being six is that her mind goes straight to the laughter in the bounce house, the thrill of smacking the piñata, and the sweet taste of cake and ice cream on her tongue. She’s forgotten all about the rest.

But, my mind does not. So, I’m glad you enjoyed it, Laineybug. Because NEVER again!



The best picture we got of the group, because organizing a group photo was WAY beyond our capabilities.
 

P.S. I do feel I should mention that, on your average day, most of these girls really are very sweet, but collectively that day...whoa! There were a few standout, AWESOME guests, and I made sure to tell their parents at pick-up. I also had a very serious talk with Elaine that night about how to be a good guest herself.