Water, Water, Everywhere

Last week, we had the worst bunch of rain that I have ever experienced.  It came down in buckets and lasted for days.  Last week, we found out that we don't have a sump pump.  Last week, my basement ceased to exist on the level that we had known it before.  Last week, my kiddos lost their playroom.  Last week, we lost a full bathroom.  Last week sucked.

This week, we have a dry basement, sans carpet and padding.  This week, I have my washer and dryer back.  This week, we have a guest room (although no guest bath right now).  This week is better than last week.

It appears that this blog may start to take on a home-improvement angle.  I will post photos soon.  It is not pretty.

Min

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Infertility's Common Thread

http://stirrup-queens.blogspot.com/2006/09/history-of-infertilitys-common-thread.html.

Having lost a few pregnancies myself, I thought this post was important to pass along.  I found it originally on my sister-in-law's blog www.OhAirBiscuits.blogspot.com.  She got it from another blog, and so on...

I will link it to here and paste for others to see. Thank you for helping to raise awareness.

The History of Infertility's Common Thread

by Lollipop Goldstein

For anyone who has experienced infertility or who is currently experiencing infertility. For anyone who has suffered through pregnancy loss. For those who have conceived naturally, utilized treatments, adopted, used third-party reproduction, or chose to live child-free: a movement.
It all began when Paz lamented that there should be a secret handshake for those who have experienced or are currently experiencing infertility. She was finally pregnant after multiple miscarriages and she wanted infertile women to know when looking at her pregnant belly that she was one of them still–in heart and mind. She was open to questions and to passing along any information she had obtained along the way.
This led to a lengthy discussion about a signal we could give one another as well as a tangible object that would invite questions and subsequently discussion about infertility. The conversation jumped from idea to idea–a pomegranate-shaped charm, a Livestrong-esque bracelet–until it finally settled on a simple thread.
With the idea being that it was an item that was easy to obtain no matter where you lived. It posed a minimal cost. It could be ornamented or braided any way the wearer chose. It could be sent through the mail. It was simple. It was discreet. We picked the embroidery floss #814 because it was the colour of pomegranates. Which was one of the fertility symbols considered along the way.
Royalyne stepped forward and got the ball rolling with a write up that we tweaked until it became this statement:
Pomegranates, a longstanding symbol of fertility, serve as a strong analogy to those suffering through infertility. Though each pomegranate skin is unique in colour and texture, the seeds inside are remarkably similar from fruit to fruit. Though our diagnosis is unique—endometriosis, low sperm count, luteal phase defect, or causes unknown—the emotions, those seeds on the inside, are the same from person to person. Infertility creates frustration, anger, depression, guilt, and loneliness. Compounding these emotions is the shame that drives people suffering from infertility to retreat into silence.
In addition, the seeds represent the multitude of ways one can build their family: natural conception, treatments, adoption, third-party reproduction, or even choosing to live child-free.
The pomegranate thread holds a two-fold purpose: to identify and create community between those experiencing infertility as well as create a starting point for a conversation. Women pregnant through A.R.T., families created through adoption, or couples trying to conceive during infertility can wear the thread, identifying themselves to others in this silent community. At the same time, the string serves as a gateway to conversations about infertility when people inquire about its purpose. These conversations are imperative if we are ever to remove the social stigma attached to infertility.Tie on the thread because you’re not alone. Wear to make aware.

Join us in starting this conversation about infertility by purchasing this pomegranate-coloured thread (#814 by DMC) at any craft, knitting, or variety store such as Walmart or Target. Tie it on your right wrist. Notice it on others.

Paz also created a write up that people could place on blogs, bulletin boards, and email forwards:
For anyone who has ever had a miscarriage, struggled with pregnancy, and all things infertile…there is a movement upon us that you might want to join. It’s rather simple actually: a discreet ribbon on your right wrist to signal to others that they are not alone in their struggles.

As someone who has had 5 m/c but am currently 5 months pregnant (YEAH), I wonder who looks at my big belly with sadness because they are in the month-to-month struggle. I mentioned to a friend that I wished there was some secret nod or international sign as if to say, this belly was hardwon. Well, she posted this quandary on her blog (http://www.stirrup-queens.blogspot.com/) and the response has been quite overwhelming…and a movement has been born!

The pomegranate-colored thread holds a two-fold purpose: to identify and create community between those experiencing infertility as well as create a starting point for a conversation. Women pregnant through any means, natural or A.R.T., families created through adoption or surrogacy, or couples trying to conceive during infertility or secondary infertility can wear the thread, identifying themselves to others in this silent community. At the same time, the string serves as a gateway to conversations about infertility when people inquire about its purpose. These conversations are imperative if we are ever to remove the social stigma attached to infertility.Tie on the thread because you’re not alone. Wear to make aware. Join us in starting this conversation about infertility by purchasingthis pomegranate-coloured thread (#814 by DMC) at any craft, knitting, or variety store such as Walmart or Target. Tie it on your right wrist. Notice it on others. Just thought I would pass the word along!

Lastly, we have a graphic people can add to their side bars in order to get the word out (and create a link to this post or a similar one so people understand what Infertility’s Common Thread is about). Feel free to take and place on your blog or create your own in order to get the word out to others:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4171/3241/200/Thread.2.jpg
and please add a link back to this post: http://stirrup-queens.blogspot.com/2006/09/history-of-infertilitys-common-thread.html.

Catching Up

Things have gotten pretty hectic here as of late.  The substitute jobs have started to pour in and I have even been specially requested for a few.  I have cut my shifts at Barnes and Noble down to two or three per week.  While I miss working there more often, I am enjoying the time at home with Dan and the girls.

Recently, we have had some visitors.  Kylie came in for her birthday and St. Patrick's Day weekend.  She got to ride the Metra by herself for the first time.  This was an adventure for her, and Dan was there to put her on the train.  He is a good host.

Then, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Liz and Max came in for a visit. 

Jeff playing mandolin and Max playing fiddle while Liz watches and listens

Max (Matt) is a great fiddle player.

They were really here for a bluegrass festival, but the girls would like to thing that they solely came to see them.  We went to the festival to see what all the fuss is about and found it mesmorizing.

Jeff has a soft spot for our girls, I think...

So does Liz!

Bluegrass music just makes Abby want to dance!

Then, Dan, the girls and I took Max to Legoland for the afternoon.  I don't care how old you are, everyone loves to sit down and play with Legos.  Seriously.

Juli is tickled pink by this Lego man.

Dan, Max and the girls.

Max loves Star Wars, so we had to take his picture with R2D2.

Ok, I might like Star Wars, too.

Could not pass up the chance to have my picture taken with one of my favorite literary characters.  Do you know which one he is?

Daddy playing with our not-so-little girl.

In homeschooling, we have been focusing on science.  The girls have been learning about the human body.  This has been fascinating for them and I really think they like it.  Juli has been taking the book to bed with her each evening and lifting the flaps to look at all of the parts.

Samara is coming this weekend and next week Aunt DeDe and Uncle Craig will be here, too.  Fun!!

Family Movie Night #3

This past weekend, we had our third family movie night.  As a recap, we try to watch a movie that does not cost us anything and it has to be kid-appropriate and it has to be new to at least one of the kids, if not both.

We watched this:

Kung Fu Panda 2

Great movie for kids.  Entertaining and funny for adults.  A winner all around.  The message here seems to be to find your inner peace - meaning be content with where you are and who you are with.  Your family is not necessarily confined to those who bore you, but also includes those who raised you and loved you.  Finally, loyalty to your friends is important.

If you have not seen this with your kids, do so.  If you don't have kids, see it anyway.  You will get a chuckle out of it.

Min

Snow Day

We are having our first snow day of Winter 2012/2013 here in Chicagoland.  I was actually shocked that they called it last night when it had not even started snowing yet.  However, since the chance of snow was predicted at 100%, I am guessing they felt pretty secure in this decision.  Sitting here looking out the window, I can see how parents who are fortunate enough to have a bus pick their children up (we live too close to the school for this at .8 of a mile) would feel antsy about having the kiddos come home on such slippery streets.

Soooo, we have had our own version of school here.  We studied Samuel in the Bible and then started our science lesson in this book.

Usborne Flip Flap Body Book by Alistair Smith

Sorry about the really small picture, but as I tried to make it bigger, it became really distorted.  I really like Usborne books - they are high quality in terms of materials and they are straightforward with regard to science.  Today we learned about where our food goes.  As you can imagine, when we got to the part where food exits the body, there was some giggling.  Aaaand the girls learned a new word for that body part.  We had always called it the "pooper" or "butt" before, but now they know the proper name.  Not sure if this is a good thing or not...

Snow days...gotta love them.

Min

Another Good One...

Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






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Move over, Picasso!

Proud mom post coming up!

Abby was one of seven students from her school (and the only first grader) to showcase her art at the David Adler Music and Arts Center during the month of March for Youth Art Month.  Here is the picture she painted.

(Sorry about the angle - it was hung at about 8 feet high.)  It is a cardinal sitting on a branch on a snowy day.  She. is. seven. years. old.  WOW!!

Ok, ok, I may be biased.  But still.  Wow!!

Here is the corsage that her daddy bought her for her special night (and thanks for the fancy dresses, Ya Ya!)

Here is her sister, trying to escape the event.

Thanks to Mrs. Sartain - quite possibly the best art teacher ever.  You have brought out a talent in our child that only we knew existed and made it a joy for others to share. 

Min

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Family Movie Night #2

Tonight, we had our second family movie night.  We had the first one a few weeks ago, and I honestly did not think about blogging it.  That night, we watched "Harry and the Hendersons".  Do you remember that movie?  It came out in 1987!  Dan is the only one of us who had seen it before and, since it had been so long since he first saw it, he didn't mind seeing it again.  It was a funny family movie about...well...Bigfoot.  It is a typical 80's movie in that it is a simple "feel good" film.  Not a lot of thinking has to go on to enjoy it and there is no complex plot here.  The theme is that we have a tendency to fear (and sometimes persecute) whom or what we are not familiar with, and we need to learn to give things a chance before we judge or act.  Hmmm...this is certainly a lesson that we still have not learned, isn't it?  Good, wholesome fun, this movie.  Only PG for foul language and minor guns/fighting violence.  Both girls liked this one.

Harry and the Hendersons

Anyway, tonight's movie was "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules", rated PG for rude humor.  This is a fairly tame movie that centers around the main character, Greg, and his older brother, Rodrick.  It is another "feel good" movie, but it is also quite funny at times.  The humor is on a middle-school level (thus the "rude humor" comment) and the theme is that family is always there for you at the end.  Abby really liked it, but Juli fell asleep about halfway through, as did Dan.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

I think we are going to try to make this a weekly, or at least bi-weekly, event.  We really enjoy popping popcorn (tonight's was drizzled in dark chocolate) and snuggling under blankets as a family while watching a movie.

Unspoken rules for movie night:

has to be kid-friendly
has to be new to at least one of us
ideally free (i.e. on cable or tv)

Any suggestions?

Min

Book Review

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I am not normally a mystery/murder/whodunit gal, but this book had me from page one.  I work in a bookstore, so after selling so many of them, I felt compelled to see what all of the fuss was about.  I am glad I did.  You should, too.



View all my reviews

Social Studies Unit

WOW!  Let me just start by saying, holy totsicles, it is cold in Lake County, Illinois!  I have not experienced this kind of cold before.  I love it, though.  Never have been a summer gal... I prefer wearing warm sweaters and snuggling under blankets to sweating and stinking any day.

We are just starting our new social studies unit.  Again - this is for the younger kiddos, ages three to four and we are using Sonlight core curriculum.  We are reading this book:

What Do People Do All Day by Richard Scarry

Richard Scarry is a classic artist and author.  This book helps to give youngsters an overview on careers, how a house runs, and mailing a letter, among other things.  It also gives children a better perspective of the world around them and how they fit into it.

We started out by talking about a typical town and the careers that are a part of it.  It was just a few pages, but it got her thinking - I could see the wheels turning.  Then we asked her what she thought  she wanted to be when she grew up.  She does not know what she wants to be, but she knows she does NOT want to be a teacher.  If I had to predict, I would say that Jules will be in some sort of law enforcement or leadership position.  Abby wants to be a teacher like Mommy - that apple does not fall far from the tree in many respects.

Next time, we will explore a home and what makes it run.  It will be fun to walk her around our own house and show her things like the water heater, plumbing, etc.

We are at Mom's in Virginia for the long weekend, so there is fun to be had.

Laters.

Min

Our Fairy Tale Unit

We have spent the majority of January and the first part of February studying fairy tales - what a fun unit this has been!  As I wrote before, we started by reading Thumbelina, Dan the Dunce, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Ducking and The Nightengale.  These are such fun stories to read and we did cute activities with each of them, too.  We are reading them from this book:

A First Book of Fairy Tales by Mary Hoffman

We continued our fairy tale unit by reading The Selfish Giant first.  The moral of this one is to share, because it makes everyone happier in the end, including you!  Then we practiced caring for our plants by watering the ones in the house.  Here is a link to where you can by this book, if you just want this particular story.  It is never too early to introduce a child to Oscar Wilde!

The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde

The next story we read was Jack and the Beanstalk.  Again, we read the version in A First Book of Fairy Tales, but here is a link to an individual version.  A really great story about a boy who uses his quick wits to improve his family's life.  After we read this, we planted more seeds to see what else we could grow...this time, it was corn.

Jack and the Beanstalk retold by Steven Kellogg

Then we moved on to this story:

Sleeping Beauty by Brothers Grimm, illustrated by K.Y. Craft

We did not read the Brothers Grimm version (we are not ready for Grimm yet, but I look forward to those days!) but this is the version that I would buy if it weren't already in our book.  After this, we cut an apple in half sideways so that the girls could see the star inside.  I showed them how this would be a great stamper!  We enjoyed the apple for a snack.

A few days later, we moved on to The Frog Prince.

The Frog Prince by Brothers Grimm, retold by Edith Tarcov

After reading this book, what else could we do but hop around like frogs?

We then read a story I had never even heard of before - but I love it!

Diamonds and Toads - a Russian fairy tale

This is a great story about not coveting what someone else has.  Kind of a biblical moral, but told in a Cinderella-esque way.

Have you ever read The Fisherman and His Wife?  What a great tale!

The Fisherman and His Wife retold by Rachel Isadora

This is also a fairy tale about greed and how being greedy can cause you more trouble than it is worth.  The reason I recommend this version is because I enjoy the art of Rachel Isadora, who has won the Caldecott medal before.

We read one of my favorites - The Princess and the Pea.  I really relish the knowledge that I am introducing Juliana to these fairy tales.  I want her to hear them in their non-Barbie, non-Disney form before seeing them all commercialized.  I have nothing against Barbie and Disney (in fact, I wish I had stock in them), but it is important for kids to know that these stories have been around a lot longer than their favorite toys and movies have been.

The Princess and the Pea - a Little Golden Book!

I love that this is available as a Little Golden Book!

The last fairy tale that we read (and it will be the last one for a little while, as we are heading in to our social studies unit) is The Snow Queen - another one that I was not familiar with, but certainly a great one!

The Snow Queen by Susan Jeffers

Loving the art in this version of the story!  The fact that it encourages friendship between boys and girls is just the icing on top!

We are, of course, continuing with our bible stories, too.  We have moved into Judges and the story of Joshua.  Next, we will move onto Samson and Delilah - one of my favorites.

Soon, we will be learning about working, keeping house, and mailing a letter.  That's it for now!

Mindi

A Note to Teachers

I am in the position where I can view the classroom from a visitor's eye - as a guest teacher (commonly referred to as a substitute).  Over the years, I have come up with a list of suggestions (pleas, really) for classroom teachers.  And I know of what I speak - I am a teacher myself.  I am simply a "homeless" one at this point.

If you are going to have a substitute in your room...please:

1.  These people are not substitutes.  They are guest-teachers.  They are doing your job for the day (or week, or three-month maternity leave).  They deserve the respect of being called guest-teacher.  Not sub.

2.  When you see them in the hallways, don't ask them, "Who are you today?"  They are themselves - everyday.  They are not morphing into the teacher for whom they are guest-teaching.  My standard (read "cranky") answer to that is, "I am Mindi (everyday).  I am guest-teaching in Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So's room."  Nothing makes a guest-teacher feel lower than not being called by their own name.

3.  Overplan.  Have more plans than what the school day can hold.  You never know when the Promethian Board won't come on, or the school will have a fire drill, or the sub can't find the materials for science.  Give them other options from which to choose.  The worst thing that can happen is that the guest-teacher has to come up with something for the kids to do.  That is your job.  It is their job to make sure that it gets done.

4.   Leave a class list and a seating chart, for pity's sake!!

5.  Leave detailed instructions on how to call the office and/or the teacher next door.

6.  Leave them an hour-by-hour schedule of your day.  They need to know if they have time to use the restroom between classes or if they have a break at some point during the day.

7.  Leave them a list of students with allergies or behavior/medical problems.  This is necessary.  Really.

8.  Leave them a map of the school with pertinent places (office, restrooms, lounge, playground, fire exit) highlighted.  It is a courtesy, and a greatly appreciated one.

9.  Don't leave them a movie to watch unless it is part of your actual curriculum.  Kids choose this time to misbehave - believe me.  If you do leave a movie, provide an assignment to go along with it so that the students are forced to pay attention.

10.  Leave out the materials that the guest-teacher will need in nice, neat piles.  Don't make them take their eyes off the class so they can hunt for something you could have left out for them.

11.  If at all possible, schedule tests for the days that the guest-teacher is there.  This makes their job slightly easier.  You can even leave an answer key and I bet they will grade them for you!

12.  If they did a good job for you, request them again.  They do not have job security like you do.  They get jobs based on their performance.  Many of them are licensed teachers (like me).

That's all, folks!

Mindi

Really??

Last week, I had a double ear infection and a sinus infection.  A month before that, I had a virus on the nerve in my BRAIN that goes from the inner ear to the brainstem.  Just as I start to round the corner, Juli gets sick.  Stayed home with her today.  Tonight, Abby comes home from school with a fever.  Now Dan is sneezing.  ((Grumble))

So Far, So Good

I have a confession to make.  I do not believe in New Year's resolutions.  I am not saying they aren't for anyone - they are just not for me.  Each year, for many, I would make a short list of things I wanted to do, be, and not do for that year.  Each year, I would fail at one or more of these promises to myself.  This did not make me feel good.  As a girl of...varied interests, it is hard for me to promise to do anything for one month, let alone twelve.  So, now I just sit myself down with me and I say, "Self, do your best this year."  Myself responds, "Okie dokie."  This makes us much happier overall.

That being said, I have lost seven pounds.  Not because I made a resolution to lose a certain amount of weight, but because I am trying something new - with no promises or official commitments made.

Shred: The Revolutionary Diet by Ian Smith, M.D.

This is a six week plan.  Now I know I said I can't commit to anything for even a month, but I am taking this one day at a time.  So far, so good.  Dr. Smith outlines exactly what you should be eating and doing each day.  It is like "Getting Healthy for Dummies" - seriously.  Those of you who know me know that I do NOT like to sweat.  Dr. Smith feels that we should exercise five days out of seven.  I have not done this and I have still lost seven pounds.  That being said, I am following the meal plans fairly closely with the exception of one thing - I cannot eat all of the food he wants me to!  He says we should be eating anywhere from three to four meals per day and then three to four snacks - and that we should be eating something every two to three hours.  I can't eat that much in volume, but I have changed how often I eat and what I put in my body.  Here is a typical day of eating that he recommends:

Meal 1:
     a piece of fruit
     cereal/oatmeal/omelette/yogurt
     juice
     a piece of whole wheat bread

Snack 1:
     100 calories or less

Meal 2:
     smoothie/protein shake/soup
     fruit or veggies
     diet soda/water/lemonade/juice/unsweetened tea/low-fat milk

Snack 2:
     150 calories or next

Meal 3:
     salad
     fruit
     one of the above drinks (but it can't be the same one as meal 2)

Snack 3:
     100 calories or less

Meal 4:
     chicken, fish or turkey
     2 veggies
     one of the above drinks, but it can't be the same as meal 2 or meal 3

exercise for anywhere from 20-40 minutes

Again, this is a typical day during week one.  This is how my day *actually* goes:

Meal 1:
     as directed

Snack 1:
     as directed

Meal 2:
     smoothie or shake
     diet soda
   
Snack 2:
     as directed

Meal 3:
    I make a dinner from The Six O' Clock Scramble and we eat it

Snack 3:
     only sometimes

No exercise if I can help it.

Seven pounds.  S.E.V.E.N. (in two weeks)

This has been a public service announcement.

Mindi

We Are Reading...

We are back on track with the homeschooling at night.  For Juli, we are simply reading our bible stories and, lately, focusing on fairy tales.  For Abby, we are working on comprehension.  Her reading fluency and accuracy are very high, but her comprehension is at a "basic" level, so we are buckling down on it.

We have just entered Exodus in this book:

Family-Time Bible in Pictures by Kenneth Taylor

If you have a youngster between the ages of 3 and 5 years, I would recommend this as a first bible.  The pictures are colorful and the stories are short.  Both of these are important when it comes to kiddos.  Additionally, there are questions at the end of each story for you to ask the kids - questions that increase their understanding of the story and help them to make text-to-self connections.

On the lighter side, we read this book:

Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang

This is a great book to read at bedtime.  It is about a little girl who is getting ready for bed and, as she does so, is playing a rhyming game with her Daddy and also counting objects.  Great for reinforcing these math and language skills.  Not on that, but the main character is African American, which is a rarity.  I love exposing the kids to people of other races and cultures as often as I can - it is a big world out there, people, and we need to be sure that our children accept everyone in it equally and respectfully.

The next book we read was this one

I am a Bunny by Ole Risom

I am a Bunny by Ole Risom, with pictures by Richard Scarry.  LOVE the art in this book.  This was originally a Little Golden Book (I believe) and is difficult to get ahold of anymore.  It is about a bunny named Nicholas who goes through the four seasons in a charming and sweet way.  It highlights his activities throughout the year and is done in such a colorful and enchanting way.  A great book for teaching seasons to young children, for sure.

Then we started in on this one

Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, retold and illustrated by Val Biro

Again, this is another book that is difficult to get hold of, but if you can, it is worth it.  While it only contains 11 of his stories, and not necessarily all of the well-known ones either, the drawings are wonderful.  The characters have....well, character.  I really like the way the people in this book are drawn.  The first fairy tale we read was Thumbelina.  Does it get any cuter than Thumbelina?  Juli must be able to relate to her (she is a small kid).  Anyway, this story, if you did not know, is great for girls in that it is about a girl who does not take the first offer to come along and waits for the right guy for her.  (Maybe I should have read this more as a child - oh well, third time's a charm, right?)

Then we switched books - don't fret, we'll go back to Hans in a minute - to this one

Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus

This book is about a little mouse who saves his mother, his father and his baby brother from various dangers.  He is a hero.  Doesn't everyone need a hero?

Then we went back to Hans and read Dan the Dunce.  This is a little-known story by Andersen and cannot be found (to my knowledge) as a solo story, although it is told in this video on YouTube.  It is about a man who is quite the underdog in his town.  It is surprising to me, that someone so lazy and filthy could actually accomplish anything, but he does.  Teaches the kiddos not to judge books by their cover.  Good read.

Next, we read this

The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christan Andersen

This teaches kids about self-awareness, surrounding yourself with the right (honest) people, and how NOT to jump on the bandwagon or succumb to peer pressure, along with lessons against vanity and selfishness.

I know this seems like a reading marathon, but this is the stuff we have read for all of January.  Next, we enjoyed this one by Andersen:

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

 This is another "don't judge a book by its cover" book.  I love this moral.  The story also teaches young people to be proud of themselves.  Both valuable lessons, indeed.

Finally, we read this tonight

The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen

 This has always been one of my favorite fairy tales.  The moral is the same, about looks not being everything and beauty on the inside being more valuable than beauty on the outside.  I wonder why ole Hans used this moral so much?  Does anybody know?  I mean, was he ugly?  Anyway, Juli liked this one so much that she asked me to read it to her again - immediately.

For the next few weeks, we will be focusing on fairy tales, just so ya know.

Thought I would throw in a pic of the two youngest girls.  Guess who the cheeser is??

Laters.

Min

Remembering 2012

I thought it would be a good idea to recap 2012's major events before we get too far into 2013.  So, here we go...

In January, we did not do much, but our good friends Christopher and Heather came out for a visit, which is always fun!  We played Dance Party on the Wii and Heather surprised us by kicking our butts!  Dan was living in a hotel in Chicago at the time, and coming home on the weekends to visit.

In February, Dan took the girls (all three of them!) to Ohio for a visit and Mommy took a break (being a single-ish mom five days per week can wear on a person, especially while they are working on their masters degree and teaching kindergarten.

In March, we took the girls to see Disney Princesses at IU.  Also, we visited Daddy in Chicago and went to the zoo and celebrated St. Patrick's Day by viewing the green river and the St. Patrick's Day parade!  There were sooooo many people there that we all got a bit hot (believe it or not, it was 75 degrees!) and cranky.

In April, we had a tornado in Bloomington.  Luckily, it did not come near our house, but we were hiding out in the basement for a few hours.  Wow.  Scary.  Abigail got her ears pierced, which was a dramatic experience for all of us.  A word of advice, when getting a child's ears pierced, find a way to get them both done at the same time, instead of one after the other.  Some children might want to stop after the first one.  Ugh.  DeDe and Craig came out for a visit - they were also attending a wedding nearby.  It was wonderful to spend time with them and for them to see where we lived before we had to leave.

In May, we packed up and left Bloomington, Indiana for good.  Daddy was still living in Chicago, and the girls and I headed to Virginia for the summer.  What a surprise it was for YaYa to find out that we were not staying for two weeks, rather four months!  Surprise!!!  We also managed another trip to Ohio to see Grandma and Grandpa, Mike, Loren and all of the other fabulous folk along the way.  Oh yes, Abigail graduated from kindergarten - I cannot believe how big she is getting!

In June, Samara, Abigail, Juliana and I settled in for the summer and YaYa became a prime investor in Excedrin.

In July, Daddy came to visit and took the girls to D.C. for two days.  They toured the Smithsonian and walked around the city.  Another break for Mommy - I love that man.

In August, we went on a two week vacation to give YaYa a break.  We started out at Brian and Andrea's place in Towson, MD.  The girls had so much fun visiting with Ella, Paige and Madison.  We sure do miss our old neighbors!  Then, we headed north to Manasquan, New Jersey to visit Auntie Jenny and Uncle Ed.  We have been friends with them for nine years and it feels like we met them yesterday - two couples were never better matched!  After that, we went to Christine and Mike's and relaxed on their resort-like estate in Maryland for a few days.  I overcame my fear of chickens and we spent a lot of time in their pool.  Lovely to swim whilst surrounded by blooms and butterflies.  Abigail started first grade in Petersburg, Virginia - we figured it was best to get her in school for the month that we would still be there.

In September, we packed up and headed to Libertyville.  Actually, we headed to the northern suburbs and stayed in a hotel for a few weeks while we waited for our closing date and the truck to arrive.  It sure was nice to have our little family back together under one roof, even if it was a rented one.



In October, we moved into our (((little))) house and stood there scratching our heads, wondering how the heck we were going to be able to get all of our stuff into this space.  The answer - multiple trips to Goodwill. Abby joined a first grade class at Rockland Elementary School and Juli started in a preschool class at Goddard School.  We. love. Goddard. School.  She learns everything in English, Spanish and ASL and they practice yoga everyday.  Really???  I want to go there!  We also ventured into the city to take the girls to the planetarium - we rode the Metra, which was an adventure for the kiddos for sure!  We raked leaves.  Mommy turned 41.  We raked leaves.  Juli turned 4.  We raked leaves.  Trick or treat!  Aaaaand, we raked leaves.  When I say "we", I mean Dan.  I hate raking leaves, and I am allergic to them.  Poor guy.

In November, Abigail turned 7.  I can't believe she is that old.  Wow.  Her top two teeth are coming in and her hair is down to her waist.  Samara came for Thanksgiving and so did Kylie.  Fun was had by all and the tree was put up and decorated.

In December, Grandma and Grandpa St. Peter came for a visit.  Jingle (our elf on the shelf) came for the month and we started a new tradition.  At the beginning of the month, I wrapped 24 Christmas/winter books individually and placed them under the tree.  These are books that we borrowed from the library or that we already had and had packed away last year, so no money spent.  Each night, the girls would pick a book, open it, and we would read it to them.  They REALLY enjoyed this, so we will do it again next year for sure.  We also made several crafts over the span of the month - homemade ornaments, wrapping paper, Christmas cards, gingerbread houses, etc.  Fun!  We finished up the month with a trip to Missouri.  We stayed with DeDe and Craig and made rounds visiting Uncle Jeff and Aunt Liz, Dillon, Matthew and Kassidy, Uncle Greg and Roberta, Aunt Marsha and Uncle Steve, Daddy's grave, Uncle Ron and Aunt Linda, and Alicia, Brian, Afton, Wilson and Emmalin.  It was wonderful to see everyone and to spend time in Parkville.

All in all, not a bad year, eh?