The temps continue to plunge but just not enough to call off school today. Probably a good thing. I didn't really have work home with me to have a productive day in the confines of my computer room. I will be better prepared when I leave work today. Just in case.
When Carter and I had our usual morning phone chat at 7:45, I reminded him that he has to be sure to wear his boots, hat and gloves to the bus stop, "and don't forget your snow pants again at school."
"Should I just keep them at home?" he replies.
Well, I imagine in his mind, the easiest way not to forget something is to not have it with you in the first place. So I had to explain that even though they wouldn't have outside recess today, he still needed them with in case the bus breaks down and he needs to stay warm and blah, blah, blah parental advice.
He finally understood that. I think. So he is taking them with him -- plus the other stuff. "Good," I said. "I'm glad we're on the same page."
Without skipping a beat, he says, "OK then. Let's turn the page to chapter 4, entitled Nintendo DS."
Oh that schemer!
So I say, "Sorry folks, that's all the time we have for reading today."
And he continues, "We'll be back to chapter 4 on Thursday after these commercial messages."
"Ha! No," I say. "Sorry, buddy. That chapter is closed."
But we all know it probably isn't.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Arctic Blast
Temperatures in the Midwest are plummeting as an "Arctic Blast" from Canada comes swooping through the region. I think the weathermen just like saying: "Arctic Blast." It sounds like a cool new flavor of Mountain Dew. Or one of those new colognes that teens can't resist. Or a crazy ride at a water park.
Or, as many of us know, just another winter day in Wisconsin.
At work we talk on the phone to people from all over the place. A lot of warm places. They are always so sympathetic to our plight. And so grateful it is us and not them. Right now my parents are in that group.
As much as I miss my sister and brother-in-law in Texas, there are distinct advantages of having family in warmer climes. My parents, who have never had the luxury of wintering in the South, are now down in Pharr in their third stint as Winter Texans. They don't know what they're missing! Or they know -- and certainly don't miss it! Good for them.
Of course, there's already talk about how cold does it have to get for school to close. Apparently a minus-30 degree windchill is the threshold. I'll believe that when I see it. It's supposed to be an honest to goodness 22 below on Friday -- and that's without the windchill. I can't see them calling off school on Wednesday knowing the mercury will continue spiraling downward for at least two more days. But there are those (perhaps someone under this roof) who have hope.
I just can't believe how this deep freeze is helping my diet. For the first time since I don't when, I have no craving for ice cream tonight. When I tell you that there is still a little bit of eggnog-flavored ice cream in our freezer, then you know this is a serious turn-around.
Good thing this cold can't last forever. If I were a betting man, though, I'd wager Robyn caves to her ice cream craving long before warm temps return! If needed, I can always nuke it a little bit to soften it up, too. Oh yes, I am that desperate... and getting goose bumps right now just thinking about it! Time to get under that electric blanket...
Or, as many of us know, just another winter day in Wisconsin.
At work we talk on the phone to people from all over the place. A lot of warm places. They are always so sympathetic to our plight. And so grateful it is us and not them. Right now my parents are in that group.
As much as I miss my sister and brother-in-law in Texas, there are distinct advantages of having family in warmer climes. My parents, who have never had the luxury of wintering in the South, are now down in Pharr in their third stint as Winter Texans. They don't know what they're missing! Or they know -- and certainly don't miss it! Good for them.
Of course, there's already talk about how cold does it have to get for school to close. Apparently a minus-30 degree windchill is the threshold. I'll believe that when I see it. It's supposed to be an honest to goodness 22 below on Friday -- and that's without the windchill. I can't see them calling off school on Wednesday knowing the mercury will continue spiraling downward for at least two more days. But there are those (perhaps someone under this roof) who have hope.
I just can't believe how this deep freeze is helping my diet. For the first time since I don't when, I have no craving for ice cream tonight. When I tell you that there is still a little bit of eggnog-flavored ice cream in our freezer, then you know this is a serious turn-around.
Good thing this cold can't last forever. If I were a betting man, though, I'd wager Robyn caves to her ice cream craving long before warm temps return! If needed, I can always nuke it a little bit to soften it up, too. Oh yes, I am that desperate... and getting goose bumps right now just thinking about it! Time to get under that electric blanket...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pride Goeth Before the Fall
On our way home from picking up Carter at the sitter's, we asked him how his day went -- as usual. Then had to expand on that -- anything fun or interesting?
He started talking about how he was helping a physically disabled girl from his class during gym. Their unit right now is gymnastics. I was curious where this story was going to go, but felt a warm spot in my heart at the prospect of hearing what a caring, helpful boy we have.
Then the plot took a turn when he talked about the girl's other assistants, including some college boy who could do back flips. "Then I did the Worm," Carter said proudly. The worm? Why? "Because they wanted us to showcase our talents!"
That's it. End of story. He only mentioned the girl so he could mention the assistant and get to the main point -- his talent for doing that obscure, not quite break-dancing move known as the Worm. Nice. We are too proud.
After supper, Carter was volunteering to clear the table, even wash it off, too. "See, I'm doing this and no one had to tell me," he said. I was getting suspicious. Was he trying to not be selfish because of the earlier story? Was he up to something? Or is he really just the good kid I hope he is?
When I heard him cleaning the litter box, the red flag went up. What is going on? What alien came in and switched places with our son?
Then I remembered a conversation from this weekend. He asked if he could take his Nintendo DS to school so he could play it on the bus -- since every other kid does that. I think my response was something like: "What happens if you lose it? You know, we're not replacing it. I just don't think you're responsible enough to keep track of it and keep track of getting off the bus in time. You don't do anything unless you're told or reminded." Like what? He asked. "Like we have to remind you every night to brush your teeth. And you never take a shower unless we order you. And when was the last time you cleaned the litter box?"
So this 10-year-old schemer has apparently been thinking about that all day. He cleared the table, washed it, cleaned the litter box, swept the floor in the bathroom, brushed his teeth and was in bed 5 minutes before bedtime.
Impressed? Don't be. When I went in to check on him, he relayed that list of accomplishments in short order, then asked, "Now can I take my DS on the bus?"
Sigh...
He started talking about how he was helping a physically disabled girl from his class during gym. Their unit right now is gymnastics. I was curious where this story was going to go, but felt a warm spot in my heart at the prospect of hearing what a caring, helpful boy we have.
Then the plot took a turn when he talked about the girl's other assistants, including some college boy who could do back flips. "Then I did the Worm," Carter said proudly. The worm? Why? "Because they wanted us to showcase our talents!"
That's it. End of story. He only mentioned the girl so he could mention the assistant and get to the main point -- his talent for doing that obscure, not quite break-dancing move known as the Worm. Nice. We are too proud.
After supper, Carter was volunteering to clear the table, even wash it off, too. "See, I'm doing this and no one had to tell me," he said. I was getting suspicious. Was he trying to not be selfish because of the earlier story? Was he up to something? Or is he really just the good kid I hope he is?
When I heard him cleaning the litter box, the red flag went up. What is going on? What alien came in and switched places with our son?
Then I remembered a conversation from this weekend. He asked if he could take his Nintendo DS to school so he could play it on the bus -- since every other kid does that. I think my response was something like: "What happens if you lose it? You know, we're not replacing it. I just don't think you're responsible enough to keep track of it and keep track of getting off the bus in time. You don't do anything unless you're told or reminded." Like what? He asked. "Like we have to remind you every night to brush your teeth. And you never take a shower unless we order you. And when was the last time you cleaned the litter box?"
So this 10-year-old schemer has apparently been thinking about that all day. He cleared the table, washed it, cleaned the litter box, swept the floor in the bathroom, brushed his teeth and was in bed 5 minutes before bedtime.
Impressed? Don't be. When I went in to check on him, he relayed that list of accomplishments in short order, then asked, "Now can I take my DS on the bus?"
Sigh...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Mrs. Potato Head
The commercial asks something like: "How are you going to get away with watching 9 hours of football this weekend?" The answer: "Skip the Saturday afternoon game."
If you're a fan of the game, like we are in our household, humor is not lost on you. We all know during playoff time, it's easy to watch a minimum of 12 hours of football in a weekend. It doesn't matter who is playing. We are couch potatoes and we are not ashamed.
This year -- yes, due in part to the need to lick my purple and yellow wounds -- my heart is just not into it. Sure, I watched parts of the games this weekend, but probably only 6 or 7 hours. That's certainly not the level to be Mrs. Potato Head. Not by our usual standards.
Today, hubby was off to work and Carter and I were off to church and Sunday School. We normally go to 8 a.m. church, but today he was singing at the second service so our routine was out of whack. That's weird getting home at noon practically. It feels like we're running behind.
So we watched the kickoff of the Giants-Eagles game and then took a time out. Carter had to get that book read -- with no interruptions or distractions -- so I shut the TV off, got some laundry going and hopped on the treadmill. One load and 3 miles later, Carter was just about done with his book. When I checked the score of the game on the Internet and it was 13-11, I urged him to finish those last pages quickly so we could see the rest of the game! Priorities, ya know.
I whipped through his book so I could quiz him on a few things, then we watched some of the second game. Jim went to a friend's house close to work to watch the games when his project was done. So he missed a visit from a high school friend of his who was in town from Colorado just for the weekend. Pete and his wife stopped by on their way to the airport and would have had only 5 minutes to visit (whether Jim was here or not). I think the last time we saw them was last year at this time, so of course they remarked at how tall Carter is getting -- and how short I'm getting! Hopefully next time our schedules will align better. They are neat people!
Jim got home for supper and the end of the Steelers-Chargers game, which isn't going to his liking but I'm OK with the Steel.
Now I am just waiting my turn to reclaim the couch so I can flip back and forth between the two-hour season premier of 24 and the Golden Globes. We'll see if either can hold Mrs. Potato Head's attention past 9 o'clock!
If you're a fan of the game, like we are in our household, humor is not lost on you. We all know during playoff time, it's easy to watch a minimum of 12 hours of football in a weekend. It doesn't matter who is playing. We are couch potatoes and we are not ashamed.
This year -- yes, due in part to the need to lick my purple and yellow wounds -- my heart is just not into it. Sure, I watched parts of the games this weekend, but probably only 6 or 7 hours. That's certainly not the level to be Mrs. Potato Head. Not by our usual standards.
Today, hubby was off to work and Carter and I were off to church and Sunday School. We normally go to 8 a.m. church, but today he was singing at the second service so our routine was out of whack. That's weird getting home at noon practically. It feels like we're running behind.
So we watched the kickoff of the Giants-Eagles game and then took a time out. Carter had to get that book read -- with no interruptions or distractions -- so I shut the TV off, got some laundry going and hopped on the treadmill. One load and 3 miles later, Carter was just about done with his book. When I checked the score of the game on the Internet and it was 13-11, I urged him to finish those last pages quickly so we could see the rest of the game! Priorities, ya know.
I whipped through his book so I could quiz him on a few things, then we watched some of the second game. Jim went to a friend's house close to work to watch the games when his project was done. So he missed a visit from a high school friend of his who was in town from Colorado just for the weekend. Pete and his wife stopped by on their way to the airport and would have had only 5 minutes to visit (whether Jim was here or not). I think the last time we saw them was last year at this time, so of course they remarked at how tall Carter is getting -- and how short I'm getting! Hopefully next time our schedules will align better. They are neat people!
Jim got home for supper and the end of the Steelers-Chargers game, which isn't going to his liking but I'm OK with the Steel.
Now I am just waiting my turn to reclaim the couch so I can flip back and forth between the two-hour season premier of 24 and the Golden Globes. We'll see if either can hold Mrs. Potato Head's attention past 9 o'clock!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
It's a Wrap
For a week filled with its share of stressful moments, it wrapped on a pretty good note.
When I find myself still in bed at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, then I know it's going to be a good day. Doesn't mean I'm going to get motivated any easier, but I can probably do it on a few less cups of coffee!
Our first objective for the day was to un-trim (or is it un-decorate) the tree and put away Christmas decorations. After bribing Carter with fresh out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls for breakfast, he was willing to help. We got that done, the living room dusted, the carpets vacuumed and floors swept -- all by noon. Whoo-hoo!
Our second objective was getting to Wal-Mart. (Oh twist my arm.) Carter has had a gift card burning a hole in his pocket since Christmas. He wanted to use it to buy a particular game for his new Nintendo DS. However, every time we've gone since Christmas, the game -- apparently quite popular -- has not been in stock. Today, thankfully, was our lucky day. They had it, he got it, bring on the smiles.
Now don't think he spent all day playing that game. Oh he wanted to. But we had another objective -- far more important than the other two. He has to get a book read so he can be tested on it Monday. He knew earlier in the week he'd have to invest enough time each night reading so it would get done. Since he blew off Friday night to go sledding (which was fine), he had to do twice as much today. Amazing how motivated he was to get that out of the way!
That was it for objectives. Since we had permission to relax, I got some scrapbooking done, baked a turkey breast for supper and wrapped a birthday present for my sister-in-law Sherry.
This evening, we went over to her place for some cake (yummy carrot cake, I might add) and ice cream. The big boys showed up, too -- Casey with his shy but cute girlfriend (who stayed only a minute) and Clay with a fresh Mohawk (just rolling my eyes). Had a nice visit.
We're home at a reasonable hour and now I am just waiting for my side of the bed to warm up. Too bad they don't make remote starters for electric blankets. I could of hit that button on the way home and I wouldn't have to wait. Of course, hubby says, "Now we'll just have to snuggle." Well that's not a bad way to wrap up the week either ;)
When I find myself still in bed at 8 a.m. on a Saturday, then I know it's going to be a good day. Doesn't mean I'm going to get motivated any easier, but I can probably do it on a few less cups of coffee!
Our first objective for the day was to un-trim (or is it un-decorate) the tree and put away Christmas decorations. After bribing Carter with fresh out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls for breakfast, he was willing to help. We got that done, the living room dusted, the carpets vacuumed and floors swept -- all by noon. Whoo-hoo!
Our second objective was getting to Wal-Mart. (Oh twist my arm.) Carter has had a gift card burning a hole in his pocket since Christmas. He wanted to use it to buy a particular game for his new Nintendo DS. However, every time we've gone since Christmas, the game -- apparently quite popular -- has not been in stock. Today, thankfully, was our lucky day. They had it, he got it, bring on the smiles.
Now don't think he spent all day playing that game. Oh he wanted to. But we had another objective -- far more important than the other two. He has to get a book read so he can be tested on it Monday. He knew earlier in the week he'd have to invest enough time each night reading so it would get done. Since he blew off Friday night to go sledding (which was fine), he had to do twice as much today. Amazing how motivated he was to get that out of the way!
That was it for objectives. Since we had permission to relax, I got some scrapbooking done, baked a turkey breast for supper and wrapped a birthday present for my sister-in-law Sherry.
This evening, we went over to her place for some cake (yummy carrot cake, I might add) and ice cream. The big boys showed up, too -- Casey with his shy but cute girlfriend (who stayed only a minute) and Clay with a fresh Mohawk (just rolling my eyes). Had a nice visit.
We're home at a reasonable hour and now I am just waiting for my side of the bed to warm up. Too bad they don't make remote starters for electric blankets. I could of hit that button on the way home and I wouldn't have to wait. Of course, hubby says, "Now we'll just have to snuggle." Well that's not a bad way to wrap up the week either ;)
Friday, January 9, 2009
Stretching the Dollar
As the chief cook and bottle washer for 8 kids, my mom knew a thing or two about innovation.
She could stretch a dollar farther than most NFL QBs can toss the pigskin. In a pinch, she could make a sustainable meal with a handful (or less) of ingredients -- something akin to that fella who did the magic trick with the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.
Thankfully, in a dual-income household, we have not faced those same challenges (yet). But once in awhile I get thrown for a loop and I have to think on my feet like all mothers apparently have the innate ability to do.
When I pulled out the jug of milk this morning, I was dismayed to discover it was close to empty. Apparently in all our running around putting out fires this week, grocery shopping slipped off the radar.
So I wondered how I was going to stretch this milk over the three bowls of cereal normally consumed in our household each morning. I decided I would be the martyr (another innate maternal trait) and I would put a little milk in my bowl and add water. Well that's all fine and good when you add water to whole milk to essentially create skim milk. But when you start with skim milk and add water... eww. Oh well, at least there was just enough milk for everyone.
In today's economy, with layoffs at our workplace (and lots of workplaces) and gas prices creeping back up, hubby and and I will be taking a hard look at ways to stretch the almighty dollar. Maybe we'll start clipping coupons or, at a minimum, reconsider some of our so-called "luxury" spending.
I do know that no matter what, we are going to have milk on hand. And toilet paper. I may have some of my mother's creative genes, but I don't even want to think about applying them there.
She could stretch a dollar farther than most NFL QBs can toss the pigskin. In a pinch, she could make a sustainable meal with a handful (or less) of ingredients -- something akin to that fella who did the magic trick with the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.
Thankfully, in a dual-income household, we have not faced those same challenges (yet). But once in awhile I get thrown for a loop and I have to think on my feet like all mothers apparently have the innate ability to do.
When I pulled out the jug of milk this morning, I was dismayed to discover it was close to empty. Apparently in all our running around putting out fires this week, grocery shopping slipped off the radar.
So I wondered how I was going to stretch this milk over the three bowls of cereal normally consumed in our household each morning. I decided I would be the martyr (another innate maternal trait) and I would put a little milk in my bowl and add water. Well that's all fine and good when you add water to whole milk to essentially create skim milk. But when you start with skim milk and add water... eww. Oh well, at least there was just enough milk for everyone.
In today's economy, with layoffs at our workplace (and lots of workplaces) and gas prices creeping back up, hubby and and I will be taking a hard look at ways to stretch the almighty dollar. Maybe we'll start clipping coupons or, at a minimum, reconsider some of our so-called "luxury" spending.
I do know that no matter what, we are going to have milk on hand. And toilet paper. I may have some of my mother's creative genes, but I don't even want to think about applying them there.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Weight Clause :: Conclusion
Since the stress level has maintained itself in 2009, I figured I was due for some good news one of these days. It wasn't looking good to start (more deadlines at work and somebody didn't make it to school again), but then I decided I wasn't going to let today get any worse. (Who knew I had such control?)
I decided no matter how my day was going, I was going to make time to get over to the fitness center and burn off some stress. My workout partner Sue and I both agreed that even if we couldn't escape work until 1 p.m., we were getting over there today. And by gosh we did.
I had all but forgotten that this week is the "weigh out" for The Weight Clause program. If you recall, we weighed in back in November and participants were required to attend 8 classes (yay, Zumba!) and then try their darnedest not to gain weight over the holidays. The reward is that if you didn't gain anything, you'd earn a $20 class punchcard for just $5 (and it could be a dollar less for each pound you lost, too. But who actually LOSES weight over the holidays?)
I knew my scale at home had shown an increase. So I indicated to Cheryl (my fitness center mentor and chief overseer of the weigh-ins) that I was going to hit the elliptical machine first, then weigh in -- just in case I could sweat something off.
Now this is where it got interesting. As I step on the machine, who should be working out next to me but "Sam I Am" -- Carter's college girlfriend (from summer Kidz Camp) home on Christmas break. I said, "Oh boy, Carter would be jealous if he knew I saw you today!" (And I was right. When I told him later, he said, "What?! No fair!")
After sweating my way through 3 miles, I got on the scale and was surprised (pleasantly so) to learn I didn't gain weight after all. Whoo-hoo! I have to celebrate the little accomplishments, right?
I told Cheryl that the reason I maintained was probably because I only had 2 eggnog shakes over the holidays -- when I really wanted 10! But that doesn't mean I'm not already thinking about Shamrock Shakes! M-m-m...
I know, I'm hopeless. (But I'm smiling.)
I decided no matter how my day was going, I was going to make time to get over to the fitness center and burn off some stress. My workout partner Sue and I both agreed that even if we couldn't escape work until 1 p.m., we were getting over there today. And by gosh we did.
I had all but forgotten that this week is the "weigh out" for The Weight Clause program. If you recall, we weighed in back in November and participants were required to attend 8 classes (yay, Zumba!) and then try their darnedest not to gain weight over the holidays. The reward is that if you didn't gain anything, you'd earn a $20 class punchcard for just $5 (and it could be a dollar less for each pound you lost, too. But who actually LOSES weight over the holidays?)
I knew my scale at home had shown an increase. So I indicated to Cheryl (my fitness center mentor and chief overseer of the weigh-ins) that I was going to hit the elliptical machine first, then weigh in -- just in case I could sweat something off.
Now this is where it got interesting. As I step on the machine, who should be working out next to me but "Sam I Am" -- Carter's college girlfriend (from summer Kidz Camp) home on Christmas break. I said, "Oh boy, Carter would be jealous if he knew I saw you today!" (And I was right. When I told him later, he said, "What?! No fair!")
After sweating my way through 3 miles, I got on the scale and was surprised (pleasantly so) to learn I didn't gain weight after all. Whoo-hoo! I have to celebrate the little accomplishments, right?
I told Cheryl that the reason I maintained was probably because I only had 2 eggnog shakes over the holidays -- when I really wanted 10! But that doesn't mean I'm not already thinking about Shamrock Shakes! M-m-m...
I know, I'm hopeless. (But I'm smiling.)
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