The Push...

We now have 8 days until Christmas and I still have a lot to do.  Last night we finished Abby's Christmas shopping but we still have one more family member to finish and I will not say who it is!

I still have about 6 different types of Christmas cookies to bake and 3 more that need to be finished.  Where to find the time?  It helps that I have finished teaching for the semester and I must say I had one of the best groups of students yet!  Anyway, I plan to use this afternoon, if Abby decides to stay at G & P's for another evening to finish most of the cookies.  As much as we miss her, we both feel that it is good for her to have the time with them and for us.

This week is my last for 2008.  I will not be back to work until January 5, 2009; doesn't that sound great?  There is so much to do; Aunt Carrie and Uncle Thomas will be home and we have plenty of playdates planned with our friends that we have not see for some time.  Most importantly, I am looking forward to waking Abby every morning and hanging out with her.

All Aboard....

Friday evening was spent on the Polar Express. We had the opportunity to share a ride with my parents and our dear friends Peg Peg and Piper. Going into this I thought how exciting will the actually be for Abby? To my surprise, I was excited and overwhelmed at the same time.

It is difficult to put into words the emotions I felt watching her react to the excitement of the Polar Express. There was a point when I almost cried and I am not a crier! I could see the awe and joy on her face it is truly indescribable. 

As the story was read to the children Abby went along with it saying the words with elf Liz. The children were given hot chocolate and cookies after the story. Then there was the build up to arriving at the north pole where they were greeted by the elves and santa waved as he went by in his one horse open sleigh (hey!).

Just before the ride was finished, santa entered our car. He happily greeted each child and gave them a jingle bell! The children were delighted! Remembering the story, Abby reminded us that the bell was magical and jingled her bell all the way home.

Where have I been?

What is it with this time of year? I have fallen off the blogwagon, apologies. We have been having plenty of fun as of late as you can see. There is a facination with snow angels in our home. Unfortunately, as I write this, the snow is gone due to the rain. Cleveland has very interesting weather, one day rain the next 75oC and blue skies followed by a blizzard. I would not change this for anything! I hope that you are having a great Christmas season and that you make as much time as possible for your little ones.

A Little Late

I had the opportunity to go through the many pictures that we have had stored on our ill laptop.  What a surprise! Abby and I have spent the past few afternoons "watching" photos from her at two months to the present.  Our dear (old) laptop is on its last legs, and so, we recently welcomed a new iMac into our home.

Have I mentioned my love for Mac?  You see, it began in graduate school with a wonderful little program called Cricket Graph....

Anyway, it was necessary to move all of our photos from one computer to another which took about 3 days off and on.  It was wonderful to watch Abby react to all of the pictures and ask questions about where we were and who was there.  I had almost forgotten about these from this year's 4th of July , she is growing so fast.  

I hope you have the time to go through your "old" photos with your little one and let them live them all over again.  These will be so helpful in making the photo book that I have been planning on for the past 3 years.

Presents

Shhh, don't tell anyone.  We spent yesterday afternoon making Christmas gifts for Abby's friends.  I must admit that I need to relax a bit when we craft together.  Specifically, I have a tendency to say "stop, stop, stop!" because all I can see is the mess that is about to happen.  I really need to do a better job at letting go, this is just one example.  I am so proud of her creativity and her desire to make something for her friends, I hope that they can appreciate it.
Ralph laughed at me last night when he observed Abby's hands.  He told me that Shorty would not be pleased and so, I am expecting her to read this and is therefore prepared for the dye job on her hands for Thursday.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take the time to be thankful for what you have been given.

Ok, Ok...

I have been reminded that I have taken some time off recently; honestly I did not realize how long until just now. Well, as you can imagine, it has been a typical busy week in our home. Our house is still on the market and to be quite frank, I am tired of having an open house. At this stage all we can do is pray and leave it up to God; if he wants us to move then we will.

We put our Christmas tree up Sunday evening and decorated it last night, Abby loved it! This year we decided to keep it simple, I think there are 6 ornaments on the tree with the big old fashioned lights. The other special item we have is our Nativity scene and I hope you have one too. Abby was charged with setting it up and as you can imagine, it came to life for her. She spent about a ½ hour playing with the sheep, shepherds, magi and the Holy family.

If there is one thing that I pray she takes away from Christmas this year, it is what the true meaning of Christmas is. I worry that she will see Christmas as a celebration of Santa, not of Christ. So, we have told her that the Christmas tree is a big birthday candle for the baby Jesus. And, my mother always has a cake for Jesus and we sing Happy Birthday to him. What do you do for Christmas?

Go Fish...

Another fun filled day has passed and I am looking forward to today. Yesterday afternoon was filled with card games and Candy Land. We tried to introduce Candy Land months ago to no avail, but not this time, we hit pay dirt. This weekend involved the visit of a little friend that I hope will come again soon, the mom was great too!

It was pretty amazing that the girls along with the moms were able to play together for about 20 minutes. These games open up a whole new world; I think Chutes and Ladders will find a home under the Christmas tree. Board games, as I mentioned, are rather new to us but, we have been playing card games for few months now.

We spent a wonderful chilly Monday afternoon playing Go Fish, Old Maid and Crazy 8’s at our dining room table. There were snacks and giggles and a request for more games tomorrow…..it still amazes me how they change so quickly. I can guess that most of you with children feel the same way. Time is going so much more quickly than I ever imagined possible and so, I guess this is why I write this blog; selfishly for myself.

I hope you enjoy reading about our adventures as much as I enjoy writing about them.

I have been very lax at posting lately; life has done what life does.  We had a great time together this past week.  Although we did not make it to the Westside Market, we did have plenty of adventures on Thursday and Friday of last week. 

I thought I would be brave and take Abby to story time at Barnes and Noble, we have never done this.  Wow!  Let’s just say that the people who there should be given hazard pay.  There had to be 30 kids plus moms and strollers in a rather small corner of the store. 

When the activity began there was singing was first followed by two stories.  Old MacDonald was the last song and the children were encouraged to suggest animals towards the end they seemed to run out of animals, not Abby though!  Her suggestion was a turkey!  This received claps and laughs from the woman leading story time and many of the parents, myself included.

 

Have I mentioned Abby’s affection for Trader Joe’s?  How could we be within a 5 mile radius and not go into her beloved store?  Thankfully, they purchased new children’s carts this year, they actually turn!  I was relieved that they store was relatively empty on our trip, this makes cart maneuvering much easier.  We purchased our usual items; hummus, kids cliff bars and snacks. 

The remainder of the day was spent with lunch, a nap and plenty of books, a great way to end a perfect week.

An Early Thanksgiving

The past two days have given me an opportunity to sit back and take stock. I have had to pleasure to be home with Abby and have her all to myself (sorry Ralph, we miss you!). With all of the craziness going on in the world today, I can no longer listen to the news or watch it, I realize how truly blessed we are. Today I decide to start a "Thankful List" and I hope to add to it over the weeks. I would love to hear what you all are thankful for....

1. Abby/Ralph
2. My Parents
3. Our friends
4. Our health
5. Our home
6. Our jobs
   

Trust me, there will plenty more to add as I think of them.

Aliens

At some point I believe that I mentioned putting some of Abby’s artwork here. Today I had some time and a scanner so you will be treated to a couple of her drawings from some weeks ago. As her mom, I think these are great. If time permits, I will attempt to add the chickens we are currently working on.

Drawing is one of her favorite activities, will she be an artist? Who knows and frankly, who cares at this stage. Exposure is what is important not how perfect the end result. I hope that you all value the seemingly small things your kids do because to them they are the big things!

Strategic Planning

Every now and then I have the opportunity to test the waters as a stay at home mom. Ideally, I would like this to be the norm but that is for another day. So today, I will take some time to finalize our plans for next 2.5 days where I have the starring role as temporary stay-at-home mom. Wednesday evening is working its way out, perhaps a friend or two to visit. Thursday is taken care of; we plan to spend the better part of the day at my parents followed by our weekly Little Gym class. Friday, is another story particularly with the weather forecast indicating rain.

I try to have at least one big activity per day for Abby as of late, cooking anything tops her list. As you know by now, we cook/ bake constantly in our home, Abby can thank my mother and grandmother for this. If there is one way I will remember both of them it will be of their cooking. As a child, I dined on delicious French foods as my mother learned to cook; my 5^th grade pictures thanks her for this. I occasionally attempt to reproduce her French onion soup, though I am sure it will not equal hers. There is however, one thing that I love to make my grandmother’s sauce. Now, if you are Italian, you understand sauce.

Writing this, I have decided that Abby and I will make grandma Ranieri’s sauce on Friday. The day will start with a trip to the Westside Market to purchase oxtails, followed by a stop at the pizza bagel stand. While we are there, we may as well pick up some vegetables and fruit. Did I mention that Abby adores the market? Really, she asks to go but I think it is for the pizza bagels (just like me). The recipe for her sauce is rather simple and I must warn you, this is for HUGE batch to freeze just as grandma did.

4 oxtails

4 48 oz cans pureed tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

2 tbs butter

Oregano

Salt

Sugar

6 hours low simmer

Why no measurements, well, I make it by taste. This is how I was taught and this is how I do it…..

If we are really adventurous, there may be fresh pasta and meat balls to follow. If you want those recipes, let me know, they are similar to the sauce recipe…taste!

Weekend Re-Cap

It snowed last night, technically, not a true Cleveland snow. However, it made me realize that soon there will be eighteen inches of snow on the ground and snowmen in the yard. Until that arrives we need to deal with the crummy weather that precedes it such as yesterdays. This also made me recognize that we need to find somewhere (fast) to take our little ball of energy when the weather is not cooperating.

Stop now, Spoiler Alert!!!

I guess we did the typical rainy weather activities, a movie (Madagascar 2) and baking cookies. We should have gone bowling again as we did on Friday; I think this is a back pocket activity for this type of day.

Anyway, Madagascar proved to be a big disappointment for us and Abby. Within ten minutes baby Alex was thrown into a box and taken away from his dad. Great, thanks for the heads up….This set the mood for the rest of the movie which was way too violent for our little one. She cried on the way home, afraid of the previously mentioned box incident. I wonder if the fifty other little ones had a similar reaction.

On a lighter note, Friday night was great. A little over twenty of our friends and their little ones joined us for an evening of bowling. This is one of our favorite family activities it is close to home, inexpensive and most importantly fun! Hopefully, we can make this a monthly event; the dad’s appear to be the most interested….

Sigh...

So, how do you feel? Is it relief, excitement, dreadfulness….I can say that I feel a bit of all three today. The anticipation of how our country will move forward given last evening’s results leaves me with these feelings. There is the feeling of relief that 1) the election is over and if you worked in my department you would feel the same 2) that Bushy is gone (with a 35% approval rating I do not think there will be too much hate mail). I guess there is a mix of excitement and dreadfulness because who knows what is next? The hope is that we leave this place better off for our children.

On a lighter note, this evening we are watching one of Abby’s little friends for a few hours. Due to this, we have moved tiny taco night to Wednesday for the entertainment value. We have had some other friends join us for tiny taco night and they enjoyed it so tonight should be a hit! The plan is to follow with some painting activities that I found here: http://www.kidscraftweekly.com/ I will let you all know how it goes…..

Get OUT!

…and vote. I hope that you have found the time to vote today, yesterday…This year, we decided to vote from home with the projection that this will be one of the largest voter turn outs for a presidential election. In the past, I have taken Abby with me to vote, allowing her to touch the screen or push the “chad” through, however, neither of us have 2-3 extra hours to spend in line. This morning I heard a report that 30% of voters voted this way!

We have taken the opportunity to discuss with her the election and what it means to all of us. Yes, yes three years is young to grasp the gory details yet, it is imperative to demonstrate the importance of one’s civic responsibility. So, I gathered my ballot and Abby and we sat on the recliner and voted. I explained to her why I was voting for a given person and an issue, we discussed how these issues/ people would affect our family and her friend’s families. One can only hope that this will leave an impression and impart to her the significance of making her voice heard through voting.

With that, I wonder when we will have a new president. Will it be tomorrow? Or Thursday? Or God forbid we run into another 2000 election!

We all have different view points on which we feel is the best for our situation. All I ask is that you vote!

I Stand Corrected

My dear mother informed me that I made a mistake in a previous post (Gooey on the inside). Apparently, the pumpkin in question was not a mere eleven pounds but sixty! Thank goodness we straightened that one out. I love you mom!

I hope that you all had a great weekend I know we did.....See you soon.

Trick-or-Treat

Can you smell it in the air? That wonderful smell of leaves when it is just warm enough to wear a long sleeve shirt and have warm cider at the same time. Yesterday was the start of what I think is our Indian Summer and today should be a wonderful day for trick-or-treating! This is one of those holiday's that I remember with such fondness that I wish I were ten years old again.

Halloween was enormous when I was younger, I often spent it with my elder cousin and his friends. The evening inevitably ended with a shaving cream fight, we are not there yet but I hope Abby has the same excitement when she is older. Tonight will be spent with her buddy J.B. and his little brother at their place. It looks like a pizza evening too!

Do you have any Halloween traditions? I would love to hear them! We usually have a special meal that has been as far as I can remember. This year, with Halloween being on a Friday, and spending at a friend's home we are altering our plans. There is always next year to go back to our traditions.

As always, there will be plenty of pictures to follow this weekend.

Boo!

We are extremely fortunate to live in the Cleveland area with the numerous museums, parks and the fantastic zoo. If you have the time to attend one of the Boo at the Zoo events at the Cleveland Zoo do so! This was our second year attending Boo and all had a great time!

Abby dressed as a lady bug and spent the evening with Buzz Light-year (a.k.a J.B.) and the fierce dragon known as baby Matthew. There is so much for the kids to do, dancing, night time train rides, a haunted house, a magic show and the animals! However, I think a leash is necessary!

The idea is great to allow the kids to explore the zoo at night but, at this time of year, it is dark at 7:00 p.m. and I am so fearful that we would lose her in the crowd. Can you imagine looking for a little one in the dark let alone the zoo? Thankfully, Abby chose to be chauffeured around in her stroller for the better part of the evening.

From a parents point of view and maybe the kiddos too, the animals were the best part. Since it was so cool out and dark, many of the animals that are typically sleeping or lazy due to the heat were out. The wolves were only 10 feet from the glass and the bears were more than “active” (if you care to know how active ask Abby). Overall, we had another fantastic family weekend. I am looking forward to this afternoon with Abby; today we will be drawing whales I think.

Gooey on the Inside

Have I told you how generous my parents are? We are trying our best to teach Abby that less is more and to appreciate the smallest things. This allowed us to spend Monday afternoon last evening carving the best pumpkins, a three year old could ask for. Of course, we had a dip in the tub.

Abby was given an 11-pound pumpkin along with thirty other smaller pumpkins to carve and decorate with around the house. Ralph brought out the 10-inch chef’s knife to remove the top of the pumpkin. While he was doing this, we were treated to a dance around him and the pumpkin. Once the top was detached, Abby dug right in removing the innards and giggling as she told us how disgusting this is.

I finished cleaning up the pumpkin and obviously did not do it fast enough for some one to get into the pumpkin. For now, they are comfortably residing in our kitchen until Friday evening. Halloween pictures will soon follow…

Kaleidoscope

My Videos

I was finally able to upload this, if anyone has any suggestions on a different way to add it let me know!

Thanks

I think things have worked themselves out at day care. A new day, a new start. Thanks to all of you who asked and offered their support.

Ugh!

If you have a child in day care and you are reading this then hopefully we can help each other out. You see, Abby has been in day care since she was 3 months old, not my first choice. Given the opportunity, I would gladly stay home with that fantastic little girl. Unfortunately, that is not in the cards at the moment.

So, we manage. Barely. As I write this we are looking at alternatives to her current place. We have had some issues over the years but it really came to a head today. I know that the people who have chosen to this field have a challenging position but, come on, help us parents out.

We have a high spirited, independent, beautiful little girl. This can be a test for others as it sometimes is for us. However, please speak to my child with kindness and do not undo what we work so hard to foster at home, independence. If you think that a three year old can ruin your day then, please find another profession.

What is a parent to do? I try to be kind and bring my concerns to the appropriate individuals and hope for change. Let us see what transpires this afternoon when I pick her up.

Missing...

Have I ever told you how much I miss that little one?

It is hardest when she stays at my parent’s house. I know she will be home soon but, it seems to take forever. Yesterday, she did not arrive at our home until 4:30. Honestly, when she is gone, it is so boring. Ralph was still at work and I had been on the toothbrush hunt (do not ask) for an hour. Nevertheless, when I arrived at our place there was just this silence.

Silence. Something that seems so distant during the movement of a regular day, the singing and questions fill every minute. Where was it? I truly missed it. Days such as these are good for me; they force me to look at things very differently. Unfortunately, getting caught up in the daily crap does not leave you the time to enjoy all that we should.

I often wonder what life would be with two or three or four. Will we miss even more of the songs that make us laugh? As I write this many of our friends have added to their family which appears very exciting. But, with both of us working what will happen? Let’s just see what God has in store for our family.

Spit + 10 Three Year Olds=STREP

Yep. We got it, Strep. Sunday morning was spent in the Westlake Urgent Care along with a fellow preschooler from Abby's school. Thankfully, we caught it a bit earlier than the other kiddo who was coughing and lethargic; nothing beats a fever of 102.0^oF. It was only a matter of time, it appears we had our choice of impetigo or strep.

The Westlake Urgent Care is fantastic in case you are looking for an ER alternative. The nurse was great with Abby, he was rather sure it was strep when we mentioned the association with the previous little one. It was evident before the doctor came in that Abby had strep, thanks to the nurse (in the hallway) stating that he was three for three today! Yippee....

And then, the emails. Of course there were plenty of parents to alert, not the way I want to communicate with the moms.
Dear____
Thanks for a great_______, we had so much fun!
I wanted to let you know that Abby was diagnosed
with strep today. Have a great week!
Katy

Imagine sending those out.

We are definitely blessed to have a happy sick kid. Typically, a fever or vomit is all that we have when Abby is sick, she does not stop going. Today will be spent at G and P's moving rocks, driving the golf cart and swinging, what a life!

Popcorn, Football and Three Year Olds

This week has been yet another busy one. We have been riding our bike, drawing, playing with our friends and attending a football game! Yes, we attended our first high school football game this Friday. A fundraiser for the Elyria City Schools preceded this, a friend of ours manages curriculum for math and science there.

After dinner, we took a trolley ride with all of the kids around the block to show off the building of the new high school. Abby and Kloe had a great time on the trolley ride! The original idea was to take the trolley to the game; however, we decided to drive. I love this time of year, it was cold by the time we left for the game, good thing we drove ourselves!

We met two additional families at the game, which were friends with Kathy and Kris. There were four three year olds in our group; did I mention that they all adore popcorn? Between the three year olds, they shared four boxes of popcorn in the first twenty minutes of the game. I was surprised at how excited and interested the kids were in the game, there were shouts and cheers from our little pack.

We stayed for half time of course the bands were playing! If you recall, Abby has become intrigued by marching bands, thank you Jennifer. The girls marched and pretended to play instruments throughout half time until Kloe fell asleep in the middle of the last song. That was it; we left and watched the beautiful orange-yellow moon as Abby drifted off to sleep.

Ahhh...

Things have finally calmed down following this weekend. Monday was eventful in the metroparks with one of Abby's little friends. We decided to meet our friend for a ride in the metroparks; the girls would ride their bikes. Well, within 3 minutes she toppled off the bike and that sent my heart racing. Abby lost control and went over the side of the trail which, thankfully, was not too steep but enough to make me sick to my stomach.

After this, we decided to turn and attempt another part of the trail. Guess what? We had another spill which was equally frightening! Ugh! I am sure you can guess what happened next; I tossed and turned all night long. Tuesday morning involved me frantically searching for a new, smaller, bike for Abby. Thankfully, one was found that was pretty inexpensive, with streamers nonetheless, that arrived yesterday.

All is well.

Pumpkin Day

Yesterday was one of the biggest days that we have as a family besides Christmas, of course. Shorty calls it Pumpkin Day and I call it crazy (affectionately) and, based on responses and the parking, there were approximately 200 people that attended. We had friends, family and friends of friends. This year was especially exciting, Abby is finally old enough to appreciate such a gathering and have a blast with her many little friends.

We had hayrides for everyone with Uncle Donny and my Dad taking the wheel through our property and the neighbors. I think Abby took a turn at the wheel too!

My parents are so fortunate to have the neighbors that they have, we weave the wagons through their property every year to boot!

This could be quite a long post but I decided to let the pictures talk for themselves, have a great day!

Saturday Afternoon

We spent this evening at Crocker Park’s Fall Festival. Anything free is right up our alley. It was a perfect fall evening just crisp enough for a warm jacket. There were plenty of crafts for the kids to make along with live music from two separate bands.

The first band was a very typical Crocker Park band; if you have been there, you know what I mean. The second band was what appeared to be pre-teen girls whom Abby thought was great. Of course, we had to stop and dance at both!

While we were listening and dancing to the first group, we ran into some dear friends whom we have not seen in years! What a way to round out a beautiful October evening.

Books on Tape

Silly me. I thought that books on tape were only for adults who said “I should have read that.” Well, it turns out that there is a treasure trove of said books at the LKWDPL, which we have found and fallen in love with. Currently, there are three books visiting our home, Katy and the Big Snow, Bible Stories and The Moon. I admit, I had the Katy book as a child and adored it. These books are a great addition to our reading time and it is teaching the little missy patience! The books are due soon so we are already dreaming about our next selections to bring home.

photo courtesy of google

Yesterday was yet another nap free afternoon. It is never just one; there is always a mob of them that need to entertain one another at the peak of nap time. I give credit to those kids who are able to sleep through that ruckus, let’s hope today is a nap day.

Pick Your Battles

It looks as if naps are slowly disappearing from our lives and this is a mixed bag. There appears to be a mob of preschoolers who would rather yell to one another from their cots than quietly drift off for a leisurely afternoon slumber. Hmmm…given the choice, I would opt for the nap. Thankfully, at home naps are still taken and this is greatly appreciated. A tired preschooler is a cranky preschooler.

Yesterday afternoon consisted of a change of clothing which I was informed by Judy that this been pending all day long; just looking for a reason to change. Fortunately for Abby, one of her friends spilled water on the end of her sleeve. You can image what transpired following this three year olds emergency. Eventually, we settled on a shirt with underwear, no pants. As of late, pants seem to be an option for one member of our little family. This is a battle that I will not wage; as long as we wear them out of the house it is o.k. with me.

We are still having shoe wars. Out of the three new pairs of shoes that we purchased, only one pair “fits”. The two others appear to be too tight even though we went as far as to purchase a pair in wide. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Abby picked out the two pairs that she claims do not fit, mind you, she was properly fitted. If anyone has any suggestions for this one I am all ears!

Blah

As I write this I am fighting some unknown gastro-intestinal menace, so this will be short and sweet. Last night was sign-up time for dance class at our local studio. Classes do not begin until the end of October and they are on Saturday’s with Dad. As the year progresses there will be plenty of photos to follow with a recital in June.

The only other bit of excitement around here is Pumpkin Day, which is this weekend. Abby spent some time last week with G to help decorate around the house and the yard for the occasion. We checked out her hard work on Sunday. Have a great day!

It's Painting Time...Finally

Every morning after Abby wakes up and picks out her clothes and puts them on and...Oh, never mind. They call me, and we chat about her day. Prior to our goodbye, I always ask what she wants to do that day and yesterday it was paint. We are not talking about painting a picture on her easel but, painting hands and feet (I think I mentioned this).

So, this is how our afternoon went: lay out the plastic drop cloth (this is one of the messiest activities we do), squirt paint, every single color, onto the pallet. Reminders about not touching the cats or the furniture and then, roll out the paper to walk on with our hands and feet!

Here are the results of our afternoon endeavor, I omitted the paint stains that were quickly cleaned up ( I hope Ralph does not see this one). And, we took our bath at 4:30 p.m. for the night. Tuesday's activity is the park with Muriel and signing up for dance class...