What We do on Cold and Rainy Days

When the temperature can drop by 20 degrees in one day, you have to be good at coming up with things to do indoors.  I have to say the kids have gotten pretty good at that.

Here's what they came up with when Tia was sick last week and we couldn't go outside...

Crazy tea party

Sure, the family room was a total mess, but they kept themselves busy and entertained.  Best of all, I didn't have to hear the words "I'm bored".

Then there was this...

Our first time carving a pumpkin!

And when Tia has school, but Gia does not we usually go to the Parent-Tot center and do stuff like this...

With our friend Zara

Halloween crafts

The winters here are long and hard. Indoor activities are a must. I think we handle it pretty well.
Bring it on!

Read By Example

It was a little chilly out last evening and I couldn't convince either of the girls to go out with me.  They wanted to watch TV.  I decided to go out anyway and get into a new book.  I wasn't out there one minute and I was joined by my little book worm.

Lead by example, Read by example!

Who Do You Want to Be?

Gia came up to me a couple days ago and asked "What do you want to be?".  I wasn't sure where she was going with that question so I asked for some clarification.  She said "You know, like when you grow up, what's your job gonna' be?".  Hmmm, OK.  "I already am a grown up and I do sign language, that's my job".  Her response "No, you don't!".

Oh boy, how could my kids be 4 and 5 1/2 and they haven't a clue about my profession!  How did I  miss that one?  I was beating myself up about it for a few minutes then I realized something.  I am not defined (at all) by my career path.  What I do is not who I am.  I bet most of my friends who I met post-college don't even know what I do.  If I told them at some point, they've probably all forgotten by now. 

If someone were to write a story about you, how much of it would be about what you do for a living?
American's are commonly referred to by their profession.  "Hi...nice to meet you...what do you do?".  Or "that's my friend Dave, the doctor".  It just seems so important to us.  We even include career information in our obituaries!
Now, let me be clear that I do want my girls to know that I have a profession.  That I went to college and got a degree that is worth something, and that I gained knowledge that I use in my work.  I want them to know that they can have any career they want to have.  So, at some point I will talk to them in more detail about my job.  However, for now I'm pretty happy being their Mom.  That's the most important job I'll ever have.

Too Much Going On...No Time To Blog!

We really have been terribly busy around here, and I haven't written about any of it!  I used to be such a faithful blogger.  I better work on that.
So, here's a bunch of random stuff that's been going on in our family, just to get you all up to date...

The kids have been doing "swimmingly" in their swim lessons.  We all went to family swim over the weekend and D.R. was amazed at the change in both of them, especially Tia, as far as their confidence level.  What a difference a few weeks can make!  I'm proud that they will both be able to swim WAY better than me by this summer.

We're in another session of gymnastics and the kids are loving it.  They'll demonstrate their somersault to anyone who wants to see it.  It's amazing what these little bodies can do.

We finally bit the bullet and booked our vacation to Disney World.  We're going in September and made the mistake of telling the girls about it now.  Tia went right to her closet and got out her bright pink suitcase and announced she was ready to pack!  Oh, how to explain what "6 months away" means to small children.

Both girls are absolutely loving school.  It's so refreshing that they look forward to going, every day.  Gia is taking right after her Mommy with her desire and passion for reading.  She's not yet 4 but is sounding out words on her own, as well as spelling and writing.

Spring has sprung here in the mid west.  I'm happy that all the snow is gone and warmer weather is here.  However, Tia and I suffer miserably from seasonal allergies and the warmer weather means allergy season has begun!  I was on the ball this year and started the daily medicine at the first sing of sniffles and sneezes.  I learned my lesson the hard way from last year.  Other than that we're all healthy and seem to be (knock on wood) keeping all the school germs at bay. 
This probably helps...

They have both decided they like "Cuties", those super sweet and juicy mandarin oranges that have been advertised all over TV these days.  Yay for Vitamin C!

That's all for now.  I promise to be a better blogger from now on!

Family Date Night

 D.R. and I rarely go out on 'date nights' these days.  It's just not that practical with two little ones at home, and of course I don't like to spend the money because as most of you know, I'm CHEAP  When we do go out, it's usually with all 4 of us.  Our favorite place to go as a family is Benihana.
Did you know if you go to their website and become a member of "The Chef's Table", they will send you a $30 gift for your birthday?  I think that's a pretty cool deal, especially since we love Benihana, and would be going there anyway!  The deal was supposed to be 'up to' $30 off the birthday persons meal, however I ordered 3 things a la carte and our awesome server just took the entire amount off of our total bill.  That's my kind of deal.  We just ordered a whole bunch of stuff and shared. 
The girls got to try out training chopsticks, and had a blast.  They did very well, even with the little grains of rice.  It was fun to watch.

 

Gia is our adventurous eater.  She got her own sushi and a bowl of rice.  She ate my soup and some of her Dad's sushi too!  She loves trying new things and seems to really enjoy the whole culinary experience.  Tia on the other hand was happy with her bowl of rice and nothing more.  I'm surprised she didn't ask for peanut butter and jelly!  Not exactly a foodie.

It was a great experience to go to a nice restaurant as a family.  The girls call it "family date night" and we think that's cute.  We do these sorts of things with them for many reasons.  Of course we want them to grow up with fond memories of the time we spend together.  But we also think it's important that they experience different cultures and foods, as well as learning how to behave in a restaurant.  These are things that we didn't get to experience much as children, and now we can offer the experience to our kids.
Fun stuff!

Mommy Brain

I blame a lot of stuff on "Mommy Brain" lately. You know that condition which causes most mothers of small children to forget just about everything? It's what causes me to misplace my keys, sunglasses, wallet, and countless other things.
Well, last night I had a case of Mommy Brain again. The kids started their swim lessons. I was so proud of myself that I actually remembered to put the camera in my purse hours before were were to leave the house. I really wanted a picture of them on their first day of swim lessons without Mom or Dad. They've taken swimming before, but never without us in the pool with them. This was a big moment in Mommyhood.
We arrive at the lessons, meet the teacher, in they go, and out comes the camera. It would have been perfect if I had the memory card in the camera! I left it in the computer at home. So, no picture of the swim lessons this time. I guess there's always next week.

In short, Tia did great except for a few minutes when she was mortified because she got her face wet. Gia on the other hand was miserable just about the whole time and wouldn't participate. That's just the way it goes. All in a days work I guess.

Trying something new

I noticed there are new lay outs available at Blogger so I'm trying one out. Change is a good thing, right?

Go ahead and laugh

My Mother gave me these little cups ages ago. I wasn't sure what I would use them for, but I thought they were cute and she had two unopened packages of them. Since then I have used them for medication when we're going for an overnight. I also put the kids vitamins in them when we're going to be gone for just one night. They've come in handy.

Today I found a new use for these cute little containers. We were going to the movies to see Toy Story 2. I knew I'd have to pack lots of snacks to keep Gia occupied, since she's a little young to sit that long.
D.R. made some sort of promise regarding a 'treat', so I was forced to include one in our snack bag. We don't deprive our kids of treats and sweets, but we do try to limit them, especially since Gia would like to have treats all day and not eat any real food. I thought it would be a nice surprise for them to find a little container of M&M's in their bags. I had to laugh when I discovered that I could fit just 6 M&M's in each tiny container! Can you see it in there?

When we were home in Rochester last week, my mother in law sent us home with enough M&M's to last us about 3 years at this rate. Grandmother rules are so different than mommy rules.
Both girls liked having their special treat, and neither asked for more. My work here is done!

A New Member of the Family

When somebody says they have a new addition to their family, it usually means someone had a baby. Not so in this case.

Here's the abbreviated story...

In 1945, when my Mother was just 5 years old, her father walked out on their family. He left behind a wife and 6 children. He was never seen by his family again. No clues, no trail to follow, nothing. There were many assumptions and theories surrounding his mysterious disappearance, but no facts.

My Mother always yearned to know what happened to her father. It seemed that her brothers were all able to move on and leave the past alone, but she had a more difficult time of it. She searched for him numerous times, and even visited a psychic hoping for some answers. My family lived with this mystery until about a month ago.

A genealogist contacted a couple members of our family, searching for information about the father of her client. Long story short, this 'client' is the daughter of my long lost would be grandfather! We've since been piecing the story together, bit by bit. We now know that the man who was supposed to by my grandfather left his family and relocated to Indiana, remarried, and had another daughter. He led a pretty decent life and lived until 1991! Talk about a shocker.

Her name is Wendie. I call her my "new aunt". To say that she was shocked to discover the story of her father and the life he left behind, would be an understatement. She knew he was very secretive about his past, but she was raised to believe she was an only child. Imagine finding out you had a bunch of brothers and a sister and never had the opportunity to meet them. Not only that but several of her father's siblings are still alive and well. We have a huge extended family. It's all a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

The best part of this story (for me anyway) is that Wendie lives just 45 minutes away from me here in Illinois! Unreal.
My sister and I met Wendie for dinner last week. It seems surreal, even as I sit here and type the words, I find it difficult to absorb. We had a great time talking and sharing stories. We could have sat there all night. However, all the excitement is overshadowed by the sadness that my Mom never got a chance to hear the end of the story, or meet the sister she never knew she had. She would have loved to have a sister. Wendie has said the same.

Wendie will have an opportunity next month to meet her new extended family. She will be celebrating her 60th birthday in Rochester, which was planned before she knew about all of us! I'm happy for her, and happy to finally have some answers to the great family mystery.

So much to say...

so little time.

My readers will have to wait to get updates on all the happenings over the last week. We're in NY visiting family and have been very busy. I've taken tons of pictures but don't have the ability to upload and edit them from here. You know I like to add pictures to my posts!

Just a sneak peak:
My sister flew to Chicago and stayed with us for two days. We met up with an aunt we never knew we had! We did the drive back to NY together, and she was great company.
We did a 5K walk in honor of our mother and the one year anniversary of her death.
Took the kids to the Strong National Museum of Play!
This weekend is our big family reunion and we have cousins coming from several states!

So, be forewarned, I'll have a lot to say and many pictures to post once we get back home. Until then, enjoy life and be well.

Bon Voyage Nilu

Shortly after Gia was born, I met two wonderful ladies at play group. For some reason Nilu, Anna, and I just hit it off. We still get together even though the play group has since disbanded.
Recently Nilu informed us that she would be spending the ENTIRE Summer in India! My first thought was "how could she do this to us!?". Once I got over the initial shock, I decided that we must get our families together for a picnic, and that the ladies had to have a night out. Not that these things will make me miss her any less, but at least we got to send her off in style!
Unfortunately I didn't take a single picture at our picnic. We all had such a wonderful time but the camera never came out. Of course I thought about it after everyone left.
Last night was our girls night out. We went to a very nice restaurant in town. The food was fantastic, but the company was even better. We realized it had been more than a year since we had gotten together without our kids. Nilu was pregnant with her daughter at the time and we went out for coffee. That was TOO long ago!
So, our sweet Nilu leaves tomorrow for the very long journey to India, with two small children in tow. I'll miss her dearly, even though she assures me we'll be in touch via email and facebook!

Safe travels Nilu. Have fun and we'll be waiting for our next girls night out as soon as you return!

Happy Birthday to my Mom

Today would have been my Mom's 70th birthday. She fought really hard to make it to her 69th, but sadly she couldn't make it to this one. I have to smile when I think back to when the doctor told her how much time she had left and her response (after she had some time to think about it) was "Nope, I have to be here for my birthday". She was one stubborn woman, and she sure did what she set out to do. I won't even bother posting pictures here of her at her 69th birthday party because honestly, she was REALLY sick and didn't look like the Mom I want to remember.

Instead, I'll share with you her most favorite picture, taken at one of the happiest times in her life. Here she is with all 5 of her brothers at my wedding. What a handsome bunch of guys they are! When we found out that they would all be there, I made sure to tell the photographer that it was very important to get a good shot of all of them together. You have to understand that this was the one and only time that they had been photographed together. They had a tough childhood and bounced around a lot. They weren't very often all in the same place at the same time. It turned out to be the last opportunity for a shot like this because less than 2 years later, her oldest brother Doug (blue blazer) passed away. This picture meant the world to her.

After our Mom got sick, she told us she didn't see the point in funerals, and that we should have the party while the person is still living so they can enjoy it too! A little unconventional, but it makes a lot of sense. So, my sister and brother in law invited our entire extended family over to celebrate our Mom's life. Of course she had a fantastic time and nobody sat around thinking about her illness, they just enjoyed her company.
Here she is with her 4 remaining brothers. It couldn't compare to the one they had 5 years before, but the important thing is that they were there for each other. She really loved her brothers.

Then somebody at the party had the great idea to get all the bald people together for a picture. How funny to see her surrounded by her bald supporters. Strength in numbers I say!

So, there's just a tiny glimpse into the life of my mother. She was an amazing woman. I'm sure she's having a fabulous party today up in heaven!

Home Away From Home

Our family is originally from Rochester, NY, which is knows as "The Flower City". Long story short, it's because of our annual Lilac Festival. People come from all over the world to see the thousands of Lilac trees that are in bloom in early May. After 3 1/2 years of being away, I think I'm pretty well adjusted. However, there are a couple times a year that I REALLY miss 'home'. This is one of those times.
I've planted 3 Lilac's in our yard here in Huntley. I didn't know it when I planted them, but it seems I've got 3 different varieties which produce 3 different colors! It's so exciting to see them blossom. They're beautiful, and the scent is indescribable. The slightest whiff of a Lilac brings me back home for just a moment.
So even though I can't be in Rochester for the festival, at least I can look out my window and smile at this little piece of 'home.

What Will They Be?

You know how sometimes parents of accomplished musicians or athletes often say "I knew he was going to be a .....from the minute he could talk"? Well D.R. and I often look at our kids with an inquiring eye, trying to see what they will be when they grow up.

We already know Tia is very into fashion for a child her age. Every day she gets excited about picking out her clothes for the day, and needs to make sure everything matches. Her favorite show to watch is "What Not To Wear", where they take an unsuspecting fashion disaster and give her a total make over. She watches every minute of the show from beginning to end.
However, because she has exemplary small motor skills and is quite a perfectionist, D.R. is convinced she will be a surgeon or architect. At any rate, she'll be a well dressed surgeon or architect!


And for Gia. Well, this girl has an ear for music like I've never seen before. We call her the music director in the car. She dictates what we can listen to, calling out "Harry music!" or "I want James Taylor". Not only that, but she knows the words of most of the songs and likes to sing along. Keep in mind she just turned 3! During each song she'll say "I hear the piano, do you hear it Mom?" or "There's the trumpet, I hear the trumpet!". I don't know how she knows these things. D.R. and I really have no musical talent to speak of. How can a child of 3 know the sounds of different instruments without someone teaching her? It's a mystery to me.
Gia also loves babies, and taking care of them. Whenever there's a new baby at our play group, she'd much rather sit next to the baby and watch than play with any of the toys in the room. She will talk for days about how cute the baby was that she met. Here's a short clip of her from when she was 2, taking care of her baby doll. Maybe she'll be a pediatrician, or maybe she'll just be a great Mom (who plays in a band on the side?)!



It will be interesting in 20 years to look back and say "you know, I really thought she would be a ________, but she surprised us by becoming a _________________."
Oh the things to look forward to!

Thank you Marc Brown

Tia and I both enjoy watching "Arthur" on PBS. It's a great show for kids, and I personally think its' creator Marc Brown in a genius.
Yesterday during our quiet time we watched a new Arthur episode together. I was blown away at how plainly and tactfully they addressed the subject of cancer. I sat there thinking "Oh my God, they're saying the word right there, out in the open!". You see, when my Mom was sick with cancer, my kids knew she was sick. I often talked about how she was not feeling well, or in the hospital, and that she was getting special medicine to help her. I NEVER used the word cancer. I'm not sure why. Maybe I thought the kids were too young to handle it, or maybe I just didn't want to say that word out loud.
I hadn't thought about that again until watching Arthur. The show taught the kids in a gentle way that people with cancer are still the same person, that you don't have to be afraid of them when their hair falls out, and that cancer is not contagious. Tia watched intently. It gave me the opportunity to discuss my Mom's illness openly and honestly. Tia and I FINALLY talked about how Mema had cancer, just like the lady on the show.
I wonder why as adults, we don't give children the credit they deserve. They're usually smarter than we think.
So, I say Hooray for Public Television and Thank You Marc Brown!

A Few of my Favorite Things

My friend recently published this on her blog, so I stole it from her and changed the answers to suit me! I'm quite sure she won't mind at all.

A place you'd like to travel to:
Right now I'm thinking about Hawaii. I've been all over the world, on many adventures, but Hawaii always brings me back. We were there on our honeymoon and 1 year anniversary (with Tia). It's warm, the sun always shines, and the people really know how to relax. My kind of place. It may soon be time to show Gia our favorite place!

Your Favorite place at home:
The couch! I love to cuddle with my sweet girls on the couch (D.R. prefers the floor!). It's also where I sit to read lots and lots of books. Very cozy.

Your favorite TV show:
Well, it depends. Right now I'm really into "Rescue Me". I didn't watch it while it was actually running on TV, we get it on Netflix and watch several episodes in one night. A few months ago we did that with "The Tudors". We find a good show and get hooked. The only problem is we go through the episodes too fast, and are sad when the series is finished.

Your favorite food/drink:
I think I could eat cereal every day of the week and never get sick of it. I love Honey Nut Cheerios right now. I am also a pretty big fan of pizza if it's done right (the NY way!).
As far as drinks go, I like water and Diet 7-up. I rarely drink alcohol but when I do I like Kahlua in my coffee.

Your favorite piece of clothing:
Pajama pants and t-shirt. I love comfort more than style!

The season I love the most:
Fall! I enjoy the crisp air, the changing colors and the lack of humidity. I don't do well with extreme temperatures, too hot or too cold. Fall seems to be just right.

Something I look forward to everyday:
When Tia wakes up and comes bounding down the stairs to say good morning to me. She is always wearing her biggest smile, crazy curls, and rosy cheeks. We should all wake up looking and feeling so good.

That's it for now!

Absent Due to Illness

I remember back in my High School days, if ever I missed a day of school, my Mom would write a note "Ronda was absent due to illness". That's it, short and simple. Well, that's my excuse for not blogging in the past week. I've been absent due to illness!
First, Tia got sick with a hacking cough. Then, because I'm the Mom, she coughed directly in my face on several occasions. Of course I was next in line for the cough. Gia and D.R. didn't get sick. D.R. has never been sick, even once, since I've known him. I think that's just ridiculous, but that's a different story.

So, we've been laying low, staying home, and doing a lot of cuddling. Yesterday I mustered up the energy to paint the girls' nails. Today we baked cupcakes. That's about it. No special projects or trips. I haven't even taken one picture of these girls in a week!

It seems we're all on the mend now. Every day is a little better than the day before. I'm sure our adventures will resume in a day or two!

Time flies!

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of us moving to Illinois and into this house together. D.R. had come a couple weeks earlier, but we all made this our home 3 years ago today. WOW, it truly seems like just yesterday. A lot has changed in those 3 years.
Tia was just a baby and I was pregnant with Gia. I didn't know a single soul. It was a hard transition for sure. We now have more friends than we can count, and are busier than ever. The kids have settled into a nice routine with preschool, dance and play dates. We really love it here, except for one thing. The winters. I've never felt anything like the bitter, bone chilling temperatures that go along with a Chicago winter. Man, it's brutal!

D.R. and I had a big decision to make. Did we want to stay here for the next 15 years, and see the kids through to high school graduation? Could we bare 15 more winters here? We both quickly answered no to that question. So, we decided that a big, and more permanent move is likely in our future. We want to move to a place with a warmer climate, and stay put in that place for a long, long time. We would like to do this before our kids are in the school system here, to make it a less dramatic move (if there is such a thing). I think it would be easier that way.

Will D.R. be able to find a job? When will this happen? Will we be able to sell our house? Where will we end up? These questions remain unanswered. We just know that we want it to happen, and we're ready for the adventure.

Until then, we continue to enjoy life here in the mid-west, taking it one day at a time. Life is good.

Happy Birthday Thomas

Today is my nephew Thomas' birthday. He's 29 years old today! I still can't believe I'm old enough to have a nephew who is 29, or that my sister is old enough to be his Mom!


Thomas is a pretty amazing guy. He makes friends where ever he goes, loves to crack a joke or two, is always ready and willing to help others, has a radiant smile, and loves his family. He is wonderful with my kids and they love him for it. When ever his name comes up Tia will smile wide and say "Mom, Thomas always plays silly with me!". We are lucky to have this gem in our family.

I could go on and on but I'll stop here and just say Happy Birthday Thomas! We love you.

The inevitable has happened

Months ago, my friend Nilu told me about a website that her son, who is about the same age as Tia, really enjoyed and was using often. It's geared toward teaching preschoolers to read.
I hesitated to introduce Tia to the computer for two reasons. First, she is not exactly a very patient kid. I didn't want to deal with her fits of frustration if she couldn't figure out how to work the mouse. The other reason being, I figured once I let her use the computer, I'd never get to use it myself!
Well, I finally relented, and showed Tia the site. My predictions were sort of right. She did need me to be there with her, helping her with every move. She couldn't get the hang of clicking the mouse, and got very frustrated. After she got a little more comfortable, I told her I had a couple things to do and that she could continue playing for a few minutes. Sure enough, when I came back she was playing the game all by herself, using the mouse perfectly! I can't believe how quickly she caught on.
Today, she asked to play it again. I was able to prepare our entire dinner while she played independently. Even though I know she'll be on the computer more and more as she learns to use it, I have learned to accept this as a good thing. Most of Tia's peers are familiar with computers by now. And I know they use computers in Kindergarten, so Tia was sort of behind in that respect. I held off as long as possible, wanting her to remain little and untouched by all the technology we encounter every day.
The time has come to let her have a taste of technology, and learn to read in the process. My little girl is growing up!