This Summer the Girls Have Learned....
............How to pee outside
..............................Older people move at a much slower pace
......It's important to pick the cherries with the stems on
....Words like snarf
...........It is possible to dance off the drips when wiping is not an option; we're still on the peeing outside thing.
.........................................97 isn't necessarily old
...................How to Cannon Ball off the dock
.......People die. Even young people. You can be roasting marshmallows & swimming with them one day and the next they are gone. It's the one thing worse than leaving the cabin.
...Good things do come to an end, even things that seem to fit perfectly together. Like Great Grandma living on the farm. Consequently, they've also learned that her apartment building in town is a hotbed for new adventures.
..........Games like Sequence & 31 with quarters
....................................Spinning quarters
.....We always stop at Dairy Queen on our way home from the cabin.
.............................How to swim, swim, swim!
...............................................How to shuffle cards
.........Conquer fears: Abby's overcome her fear of dark enclosed slides. It's still TBD for Lauren & the second ear piercing.
..................How to ride bigger bikes
....Where the wild raspberries are on the back hill
.........Little birdies take pictures
........................How to make rolls
..................Friends from China bring a whole new element of fun
............Some chairs come with remote controls and they are FUN!
............................How to poop outside
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
1. I'm a sucker for popcorn. Kettle corn not excluded.
2. Maybe it's a Midwest thing. That was always our Sunday night supper.... and I don't think we were alone in that one. I seriously love popcorn.
3. After the Obama's were caught on the Kiss Cam at the basketball game in DC last night I got to thinking.... How many people get put up on Kiss Cams who don't know each other? And how awesome would it be to be sitting next to a total hottie and end up on one of those?! Ewwww, or if you end up on one with the guy you've been watching pick his nose the entire game. That one would be ishy.
4. Crazy 8s & 31. Abby is a rock star at both of them, thanks to Papa. She's also become an expert at spinning quarters, gambling and peeing in the yard. As soon as she takes her ACTs she should be ready for college.
5. I cannot get that stupid Call Me Maybe song out of my head. And thanks to the many versions on YouTube I am now seeing Big Ten mascots dancing my head.
6. Giant. Screw. In. My. Tire. Not happy. Thanks to the friendly service crew at my uncle's shop, a patch & I'm good to go. Whew!
7. Six hours we spent at the water park with friends yesterday afternoon. Life is good. It's moments like this I appreciate the opportunity we have to spend our summers at home in Minnesota.
8. Among Lauren's many talents: fashioning a diaper for her bear out of paper & tape.
9. I can still hear the words Lauren said to her Grandma Phillips, "Someday you're going to find out I went to space." My heart swelled with pride!
10. And then she told her sister that when you go to space you also have to work. Something tells me the child was born with work ethic. Love that child!
2. Maybe it's a Midwest thing. That was always our Sunday night supper.... and I don't think we were alone in that one. I seriously love popcorn.
3. After the Obama's were caught on the Kiss Cam at the basketball game in DC last night I got to thinking.... How many people get put up on Kiss Cams who don't know each other? And how awesome would it be to be sitting next to a total hottie and end up on one of those?! Ewwww, or if you end up on one with the guy you've been watching pick his nose the entire game. That one would be ishy.
4. Crazy 8s & 31. Abby is a rock star at both of them, thanks to Papa. She's also become an expert at spinning quarters, gambling and peeing in the yard. As soon as she takes her ACTs she should be ready for college.
5. I cannot get that stupid Call Me Maybe song out of my head. And thanks to the many versions on YouTube I am now seeing Big Ten mascots dancing my head.
6. Giant. Screw. In. My. Tire. Not happy. Thanks to the friendly service crew at my uncle's shop, a patch & I'm good to go. Whew!
7. Six hours we spent at the water park with friends yesterday afternoon. Life is good. It's moments like this I appreciate the opportunity we have to spend our summers at home in Minnesota.
8. Among Lauren's many talents: fashioning a diaper for her bear out of paper & tape.
9. I can still hear the words Lauren said to her Grandma Phillips, "Someday you're going to find out I went to space." My heart swelled with pride!
10. And then she told her sister that when you go to space you also have to work. Something tells me the child was born with work ethic. Love that child!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Ten on Tuesday
1. Is it Tuesday? I was pretty good on what day it was right up to our trip to Washington. Ever since I've been living in the land of calendar oblivion. I love it!
2. Listening to the girls ride their bikes up and down the driveway.... I wonder if my parents wore the same smiles as my sister & I cruised up that same gravel path?
3. I found a hide-a-bed in the People's Press' bargain section, which got me thinking.... do they still make hide-a-beds?
4. Abby never stops singing. Well, almost never. Maybe that's why she doesn't like brushing her teeth, it stifles her inner songstress. Perhaps it can also explain the talking in her sleep.
5. Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. But here's my number. So call me maybe. That would be Abby's, and now Lauren's favorite never-ending song. And now you can have it stuck in your head, too. You're welcome.
6. I am finally on the third installment of the Fifty Shades trilogy. I didn't expect to be saying this, but I've enjoyed it most when it got past the dirty. And the second book was better, hands down. I can't wait to see where the third book leads!
7. What do people in Owatonna do for fun on a random Monday night in July? Attend Dancing with the Steele County Stars, of course. It was quite the evening of entertainment, and best of all I finally got to check out Medford's new school; I was impressed!
8. I've been on the lookout for cute and simple sewing projects to get myself acquainted with my new sewing machine. Enter the Ric Rac Flower. UCreate is loaded with adorable tutorials. love. Love. LOVE.
9. At six & seven, the girls still love to play cars. What once was downtime spent lining up their four-wheeled toys is now an elaborate society constructed out of their imaginations. I could listen to them play for hours.
10. My heart weighs heavy with equal parts disappointment and wonder. It's hard not to be saddened when you find out people aren't who you thought they are. And yet I wonder if the nature of growing up will reflect kindly on them. It certainly gives me a lot to think about when shaping the path my children follow. a lot. A Lot.
2. Listening to the girls ride their bikes up and down the driveway.... I wonder if my parents wore the same smiles as my sister & I cruised up that same gravel path?
3. I found a hide-a-bed in the People's Press' bargain section, which got me thinking.... do they still make hide-a-beds?
4. Abby never stops singing. Well, almost never. Maybe that's why she doesn't like brushing her teeth, it stifles her inner songstress. Perhaps it can also explain the talking in her sleep.
5. Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. But here's my number. So call me maybe. That would be Abby's, and now Lauren's favorite never-ending song. And now you can have it stuck in your head, too. You're welcome.
6. I am finally on the third installment of the Fifty Shades trilogy. I didn't expect to be saying this, but I've enjoyed it most when it got past the dirty. And the second book was better, hands down. I can't wait to see where the third book leads!
7. What do people in Owatonna do for fun on a random Monday night in July? Attend Dancing with the Steele County Stars, of course. It was quite the evening of entertainment, and best of all I finally got to check out Medford's new school; I was impressed!
8. I've been on the lookout for cute and simple sewing projects to get myself acquainted with my new sewing machine. Enter the Ric Rac Flower. UCreate is loaded with adorable tutorials. love. Love. LOVE.
9. At six & seven, the girls still love to play cars. What once was downtime spent lining up their four-wheeled toys is now an elaborate society constructed out of their imaginations. I could listen to them play for hours.
10. My heart weighs heavy with equal parts disappointment and wonder. It's hard not to be saddened when you find out people aren't who you thought they are. And yet I wonder if the nature of growing up will reflect kindly on them. It certainly gives me a lot to think about when shaping the path my children follow. a lot. A Lot.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thank You Thursday
1. I am thankful that despite the record breaking flooding in Duluth early yesterday, no one was seriously injured or killed. They have a long, broken road ahead of them.... you're all in my thoughts & prayers.
2. I'm grateful that we are afforded the opportunity to come home in the summer months, and equally as grateful for our annual two-week adventure in Washington to see the rest of our family. It certainly makes up for the other ten months of the year when we fly solo in far away Ohio.
3. I'm thankful my grandma has successfully made the transition from life on the farm to a suitable place in town with her mind & independence in tact.
4. I'm even more thankful I still have my grandma to spend time with. Both grandmas!
5. I am so grateful for Lauren. It is dreadfully painful to be in her presence when she is tired or hungry, but she makes up for it when she's not. The child has a kind heart and she's a good friend & loving little lady. I thank God everyday for that girl.
2. I'm grateful that we are afforded the opportunity to come home in the summer months, and equally as grateful for our annual two-week adventure in Washington to see the rest of our family. It certainly makes up for the other ten months of the year when we fly solo in far away Ohio.
3. I'm thankful my grandma has successfully made the transition from life on the farm to a suitable place in town with her mind & independence in tact.
4. I'm even more thankful I still have my grandma to spend time with. Both grandmas!
5. I am so grateful for Lauren. It is dreadfully painful to be in her presence when she is tired or hungry, but she makes up for it when she's not. The child has a kind heart and she's a good friend & loving little lady. I thank God everyday for that girl.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Anger Management
Abby. What more can I say? If you've spent time with the child lately, one thing is clear: managing her anger and controlling her behavior is not her strong suit.
I've tried everything.... Let her cry it out, let her work it out herself, talk her through it, impose consequences for escalated behavior, take away privileges. Long story short, I'm at the end of my rope. Short of hiring a life coach, I came up with one final solution, The Secret Code. When she gets angry, and you can bank on it happening sooner than later, she's supposed to give me a wink. "But what if you're not with me?" Easy! Find something pretty, pretend it's me and shoot it a wink; I will know. And with that suggestion it was like the heavens opened up and swallowed the intense frustration that had devoured her body.
Will it work every time? Your guess is as good as mine. But I'll be researching life coaches just in case.
I've tried everything.... Let her cry it out, let her work it out herself, talk her through it, impose consequences for escalated behavior, take away privileges. Long story short, I'm at the end of my rope. Short of hiring a life coach, I came up with one final solution, The Secret Code. When she gets angry, and you can bank on it happening sooner than later, she's supposed to give me a wink. "But what if you're not with me?" Easy! Find something pretty, pretend it's me and shoot it a wink; I will know. And with that suggestion it was like the heavens opened up and swallowed the intense frustration that had devoured her body.
Will it work every time? Your guess is as good as mine. But I'll be researching life coaches just in case.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Not so Ten On Tuesday
The past school year I made a diligent effort to make a daily post. It became a stealth record of the girls' school year and a nifty way to keep family & friends up on our latest musings. This year I find my efforts yielded by two things: First, the girls' additional night of two-hour gymnastics consumes even more of our already dwindling family time. Second, Blogger limits the number of pictures I can use without being charged a fee. Frustrating! I could solve the problem by setting my blog into a book and deleting pics, but of course I haven't made that commitment yet, so here I sit....
Ten on Tuesday has become my favorite weekly topic. I LOVE its randomness, its structure, and of all posts it's probably the one that best captures a single moment in time.
In a nod to random, here's my Ten on Tuesday. On Saturday.
1. I'm all for removing the drinking age. My proposal: eliminate the right-to-drink at age 21, let kids start drinking whenever they want and instead cap off at oh, lets say 34. As I see it kids can metabolize their booze much faster & get a much less severe hangover. Of course I'm kidding about really proposing this legislation change. But I am serious about one thing. No one told me that just two adult beverages would make me feel so crappy the next morning.
2. I truly cannot remember the last Friday night I went out on the town. I also cannot remember the last time I was awake late enough on East Coast time to be awake for The Tonight Show. I haven't decided if that makes me a rock star or just a sad old lady.
3. When "Tonight, Tonight" comes on the radio we still gasp, then turn it up and dance. Don't think that one will ever get old. We can get crazy let it all out.... Love it!
4. I like to click on the "Everything" option on Pinterest. That's where I've found most of the good stuff these days.
5. Last night Lauren told me she needed several cotton circle pads and a Q-Tip for a project. She would also need some glue to make it stick.... I can't wait to see what she comes up with!
6. Hey girl. I will never look at Ryan Gosling the same way again after seeing the mountain of Hey Girl inspirational pics. My new annoying habit: coming up with Hey girl captions for all the gals in my life.... that will probably never get old either. At least not to me. I won't stop 'till I've Hey girled each and every one of you. Hey girl, look out.
7. Spring forward already. Really? Ughh!
8. We've been pounding the smoothies lately. An overdose of vitamins, maybe. I'm all about anything that will keep 'em healthy.
9. My other favorite snack these days: apple & peanut butter sandwiches. The girls love Granny Smith apples, so I use an apple corer to core one Granny Smith and cut it into round slices 1/8" thick pieces. Spread peanut butter over one slice and top with another to make a sandwich. Who knows. Maybe someday we'll get clever and drizzle caramel or chocolate or even fill the hole with a random goody. Hmmmmm.
10. I have great faith that someday Abby will grow out of her tantrums of anger. She can be so mean, so nasty. What happened to that gentle, free-loving baby I once shared with the world?
Ten on Tuesday has become my favorite weekly topic. I LOVE its randomness, its structure, and of all posts it's probably the one that best captures a single moment in time.
In a nod to random, here's my Ten on Tuesday. On Saturday.
1. I'm all for removing the drinking age. My proposal: eliminate the right-to-drink at age 21, let kids start drinking whenever they want and instead cap off at oh, lets say 34. As I see it kids can metabolize their booze much faster & get a much less severe hangover. Of course I'm kidding about really proposing this legislation change. But I am serious about one thing. No one told me that just two adult beverages would make me feel so crappy the next morning.
2. I truly cannot remember the last Friday night I went out on the town. I also cannot remember the last time I was awake late enough on East Coast time to be awake for The Tonight Show. I haven't decided if that makes me a rock star or just a sad old lady.
3. When "Tonight, Tonight" comes on the radio we still gasp, then turn it up and dance. Don't think that one will ever get old. We can get crazy let it all out.... Love it!
4. I like to click on the "Everything" option on Pinterest. That's where I've found most of the good stuff these days.
5. Last night Lauren told me she needed several cotton circle pads and a Q-Tip for a project. She would also need some glue to make it stick.... I can't wait to see what she comes up with!
6. Hey girl. I will never look at Ryan Gosling the same way again after seeing the mountain of Hey Girl inspirational pics. My new annoying habit: coming up with Hey girl captions for all the gals in my life.... that will probably never get old either. At least not to me. I won't stop 'till I've Hey girled each and every one of you. Hey girl, look out.
7. Spring forward already. Really? Ughh!
8. We've been pounding the smoothies lately. An overdose of vitamins, maybe. I'm all about anything that will keep 'em healthy.
9. My other favorite snack these days: apple & peanut butter sandwiches. The girls love Granny Smith apples, so I use an apple corer to core one Granny Smith and cut it into round slices 1/8" thick pieces. Spread peanut butter over one slice and top with another to make a sandwich. Who knows. Maybe someday we'll get clever and drizzle caramel or chocolate or even fill the hole with a random goody. Hmmmmm.
10. I have great faith that someday Abby will grow out of her tantrums of anger. She can be so mean, so nasty. What happened to that gentle, free-loving baby I once shared with the world?
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Abby ♥
Despite the fact that the child has a unmistakable fire in her belly, Lauren is sweet to the core. How do I know? I found a letter she wrote to her big sister, penned on her special outer space stationary. On the front of the sealed envelope you'll simply find "Abby ♥" The letter reads....
You
are my
Fen an
you are
nes
Love, Lauren
The child melts my heart.
You
are my
Fen an
you are
nes
Love, Lauren
The child melts my heart.
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{About Me}
- brookie
- Fairborn, Ohio, United States
- I'm a teacher by trade, writer at heart & mom in every sense of my being. I never considered writing as a profession, but after I got married and began moving around the country, I began sharing my adventures, misadventures & updates through a sort of e-mail newsletter. I found a true passion in unconventional story-telling that has followed me into motherhood.