general musings

Weekend Recap (Late Edition)

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Yes, I know it’s Friday. Am I the only one who has to play catch-up all week after a 3-day weekend? I’m not complaining at all. But damn, this week has gone by quickly. This past weekend was one of this tales of parenthood that makes you wonder how we survive it all. I like to call this one Traveling with a Sick Toddler in a Single-Bed Hotel Room. Or How Not to Do It.

I have to preface this recap of the weekend with the tale of the sick toddler. Last Wednesday I got the dreaded “daycare call” and was told that Madman had a low fever and had crawled onto his cot 45 minutes early then promptly passed out. He hadn’t eaten and had acted dazed all morning. I picked him up after nap and he was just a cuddly, tired lump all afternoon. On Thursday Mark and I tag-teamed staying at home with him and by that evening he had still not eaten and broken out in a rash. A trip to Urgent Care later and we had a raging double ear infection (yikes! that wasn’t even on our radar) and either strep or Hand, Foot & Mouth. The CNP who checked him didn’t bother to get a throat culture since she was going to prescribe antibiotics for his ears anyway so if it was strep we were covered. If it was Hand, Foot & Mouth that’s just a waiting game. As Friday progressed we were pretty sure it was Hand, Foot & Mouth and the poor boy was miserable and looked diseased.

So! Saturday was my cousin’s wedding in Columbus – an event my entire dad’s side of the family would be at, including my brother and nephew from Florida. So we headed down to the hotel with Sir Coxsackie and his sister, leaving at nap time in the hopes that someone would get at least 2 hours of sleep in the car. He fell sleep right on cue (with snacks in hnad, watching Clifford). All was going according to plan. That is until he woke up 20 minutes later. And never fell back asleep. Oh boy…

 

Too bad he didn’t stay like this

We arrived at our hotel which was full to the brim of sports teams – apparently there were both soccer and baseball tournaments in the area over the weekend. Yippee. We got the early check-in we asked for but we had single king room, not the double queen we wanted. Turns out ALL the double queen rooms had been booked by the sports teams. Fantastic. We get to the room and throw the girl in her swimsuit and I took her to the pool – we had been promising it the whole day. Mark stayed in the room with Madman, hoping that maybe he’d doze off. After a swim and visiting with some of the family we headed up to get wedding-ready only to find out that Madman had refused to sleep. Yikes.

We arrive at the church literally 2 minutes before the 4:00 PM wedding started … oops! … and I ended up hanging out in the vestibule with Madman who just wanted to run around. He was getting more and more clingy and whiny by the moment but he did have a chance to play with my cousin’s kid for a bit (I was told he wasn’t contagious anymore and I hope that was right). After the pretty and short ceremony we did family photos and more chatting before we headed to the reception. We drove the long way, once again going that Madman would close his eyes for just a few minutes with no luck. At the reception Madman wanted nothing to do with anyone but me. He wanted to be held at all times and was super cranky. In the meantime Matilda was super-excited to see all of her cousins. She was bouncing around like a pinball from one to another and back. She couldn’t wait to dance and see the bride again. Madman held out as long as he could but by 7 Mark took a very tired and cranky boy back to the hotel.

Matilda & her cousin B, my brother with Matilda,
Matilda’s reaction when the bride and groom entered the reception

Matilda and I stayed and she was thrilled that we were seated right where the wedding party came in. She was so attentive to every detail and tradition and LOVED to clink the glasses to get the bride and groom to kiss. Finally, around 8:30 the dancing started. Matilda shook her groove thing for about 3 songs until she declared herself DONE and wanted to go back to the hotel. Apparently the crash after her 1st Shirley Temple was a hard one.

My parents, married 45 years this fall, were one of the last 2 couples dancing during the anniversary dance,
Matilda and the drink of red dye and sugary doom,
Stephen (my cousin) and Sara – the happy couple

Now, remember we are all in a single-king room with a pack n’ play for Madman. Matilda and wade through the packs of 8-9 year old boys roaming the hotel halls with no parental supervision (OMG) and tip-toe into the room at about 10 PM to find the boys wide awake. Madman had not had a single moment of sleep since about 11 AM. Matilda crawled into bed and quickly fell asleep but Madman was running laps in his crib. At one point I saw him try and nearly succeed at climbing out. He FINALLY crashed around 11. Then for the rest of the night I had a 5 year old who thought she was a barnacle attached to my back. That is until she woke up at 2:30 crying about her ear hurting. I corralled her in the bathroom where she cried and screamed refused to take any medicine for a good 20 minutes. I finally got her to take some motrin and she quickly fell back asleep. Of course, even after all of this Madman was up at 7 AM so Matilda got another round of swimming in as Madman and I toured the halls of the hotel.

Sunday morning we spent at my aunt’s house in Columbus for breakfast and more family time before we hit the road back to Cleveland. This time Madman was asleep within minutes and actually slept most of the time, thank goodness. When we got home we did fun things like make a meal plan for the week and go grocery shopping. We did, however, check out Old Carolina BBQ for dinner and it was delicious.

Monday was spent installing our air conditioners to ward off the 95 degree heat, sprinklers and then Mark and Matilda went to a cook out with friends why Madman and I stayed home and watched way too much TV. Then, since Matilda got the sprinkler I pulled out all the sandbox buckets and a big plastic tub onto the drive way and let Madman go to town in the water. Of course, the night ended with 3 window AC units blasting in the bedrooms which meant we were in for a game of “electricity roulette”. If you don’t know the rules you’ve probably never lived in an old house. The game is where you ask yourself “If I turn this on, will it blow a fuse?” Turns out when the item in question is a tiny nightlight the answer is yes. Ahhh – I love old houses. Good thing we keep a stash of a few dozen fuses around. Once that was fixed we all fell into bed for the night.

Hope your holiday weekend was good to you and that your week has gone as fast as mine. TGIF – time to do it all again!

 

Weekend Recap

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I had so much fun doing last week’s weekend recap, I thought I’d do it again. This weekend was much more tame as we stayed closer to home.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early, as usual, and headed to the Farmer’s Market. Arriving at 8:15 didn’t mean we beat the crowds – the place was, happily, packed. We loaded up our bags with chicken and eggs from New Creation Farms (jumbo eggs, because by 8:30 EVERYONE was out of regular – wow), asparagus, tomatoes, bread from Zoss and a Gray House Pie. We stopped to get some breakfast – a breakfast slider from NCF (I highly recommend) and a strawberry crepe.

Then it was back to the house where Madman helped Mark mow and Matilda ran around like a madwoman. Then, while Madman napped, Matilda and I tackled the weedy front beds. Well, she made mud pies while I worked. I have no idea what the plant below is, but I’ve declared it my nemesis. They always been in the gardens and lawn since we moved in and they grow so fast. I declared war on them and spent a few hours digging up every last one, trying to make sure I got all the roots.

After nap we headed over to one of our favorite spots for an afternoon – the Cleveland Botanical Gardens – where we romped around the Children’s Garden, checked out the new kitchen garden and ran over the paths and bridges. We have a family membership there and we get more than our money’s worth, year round.

Later in the evening we had an impromptu meet up with the Classy Chaos crew at out South Chagrin Reservation. What a wonderful evening. We hiked through the river and played in a clearing. They had been there all day, which is something we need to do soon. We are frequent river waders there in the summer, but a day in the park and a picnic dinner sounds like a perfect early summer activity. Cleveland is incredibly lucky to have our incredible Metroparks – they are just beautiful.

Today I slept in for Mother’s Day today and woke up to 2 snuggly kids along with french toast, bacon and local(!) strawberries. The rest of the day was somewhat lazy with t-ball in the yard, nap time snuggles, more weeding, meal planning for the week and solo grocery shopping. I know, it sounds lame, but I actually like grocery shopping and going by myself is something I enjoy. More time outside, more weeding and a delicious dinner using our farmer’s market buys: roast chicken, roasted asparagus and mashed potatoes with strawberry-rhurbarb pie for dessert. Overall, a great day.

How was your weekend?

Festivals and Tribe Games and Carousels, oh my!

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Like other CLE bloggers I thought I’d do a weekend wrap-up. It has a lot less brunching and drinking, but it was busy and fun just the same. Here’s my weekend recap, parent-style.

Friday night, as soon as Matilda got home from school, I whisked her downtown to Playhouse Square for a performance at the International Children’s Festival. I’m so in awe of our theater district. It was humming with activity on Friday and Matilda was just SO! EXCITED! to go into the buildings with the lit-up marquees over them. We saw World of Rhythm in the glorious State Theater. She LOVED the show and was dancing in the aisle by the end. She’s been talking about it non-stop and drumming on everything in sight. After the show, we walked around the theater and she posed “like a princess” on one of the grand staircases. Then we walked down to Noodlecat, her favorite CLE restaurant, for some ramen and steam buns. The kid loves her ramen.

Our date continued with a long walk back to the car as we admired the buildings (as-seen in The Avengers), laughed at our matching silver shoes and imagined that a bank was actually a giant robot.

Saturday had us at a friend’s First Communion where Matilda peppered me with questions throughout the Mass. She asked everything from why the girls were in veils and the priests were in robes to asking me if they were talking about zombies after John 6:53 was read. Oy, I think it’s time to start looking for a church. She has so many questions. After the ceremony we headed to the party where there was photo booth – BEST IDEA EVER. We had a great time hamming it up for the camera.


Saturday night the Indians had invited us to check out their new Kids Clubhouse. Since it was an evening game, I stayed home with the Madman while Mark took Matilda and her buddy and his dad to to check it out. Mark was floored with how well the Clubhouse was done and of all the amenities they thought of. Biggest bonus points goes to the wealth of family bathrooms available in the space. Matilda is just starting to use the public bathrooms on her own and I was worried about her in the often crowed and chaotic restrooms at the ballpark. Problem solved. They also have cheaper food options (think Uncrustables and organic milk) and, hooray! nice, private, clean nursing rooms for moms of infants. Mark even took a snapshot of the nursing room to text me, knowing how grateful I was when I found nursing rooms when I was still breastfeeding. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a quiet place to nurse and I want to give the Indians a big high-five for thinking of that. Both kids (ages 5 & 6) love the outing – the Kids Clubhouse is perfect for little kids who just can’t sit through 9 innings. Parents can watch the game while the kids play. Kudos to the Indians for adding this area, they really did their homework. Matilda has already asked when she can go to another game.

Playing in the new space, private nursing room,
view of the filed, Mark and Matilda after the game

On Sunday we had our traditional breakfast of buttermilk pancakes. We take our pancakes seriously around here and I’ve perfected the perfect fluffy pancake using this recipe (my tips: beat the egg whites to almost soft peaks. Then fold everything very gently, don’t over mix).

That afternoon I took both kids with me to Mansfield (my hometown) to meet up with my parents for the afternoon. They have been “snow birding” in South Carolina for 4 months and we haven’t seen them since Christmas. We meet them at Kingwood Center, a beautiful garden estate, were the kids could run around and feed the ducks. Then we went over to the Mansfield Carousel for a few spins. It was the Madman’s first time on a merry-go-round and he seemed suspicious of the whole endeavor. Later rides on a bench were enjoyed a bit more. Matilda, the girl who rides actual horses, assumed a stance of holding on for dear life as she rode. My kids are weird.

We got home just in time for bedtime. While we were gone Mark mowed the yard, did ALL the laundry, did dishes and went grocery shopping. Color me impressed.

This week is busy with work stuff and planning for next weekend. How was your weekend?

Cujo in the ’Hood

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Ahhhh – life in the suburbs: Tree-lined streets, kids playing in the yards, people waving as they take their evening stroll, dogs attacking your car as you drive home from work….

First up – I LOVE dogs, adore them and when it comes to dogs I think that bigger is better. We have a dog – a large, old mutt named Mac. I’m also a fastidious dog-owner. Even though he hardly ever leaves our yard I keep him leashed when we’re not in the backyard because that’s the right thing to do (my husband – notsomuch. We argue over this all the time). Mac hardly barks and if he does when he’s outside we are quick to shush him. We are never caught without a waste bag when we are out on walks.

However, we have this neighbor on our street who is a terrible dog owner… let’s call her Miss Cray. She has a large lab and we have suffered many, many nights of Blackie  (the dog’s real name) barking non-stop for hours. Some of these nights have been bitterly cold and my heart breaks for him out there in the cold at 2AM. I have, on one occasion, called the non-emergency police line to report a noise disturbance. About a year ago Blackie started getting out of his fenced yard to roam (and crap in) the yards on our street. Tensions on the street escalated last summer when Blackie got loose then charged and bit a neighbor. He was quarantined and his owner was cited but he was given back.

A normal, responsible dog-owner would have worked on this issue…training classes, no unsupervised yard-time, etc. But not this lady. Miss Cray did nothing and Blackie continued to escape; he also got more aggressive. About a month ago I noticed a neighbor walking down our street while I was out front with Mac. He and his kid crossed to the other side before they got to our house – in talking to him he thought Mac was the aggressive dog! Mac, the 14 year old lazy mutt who has barely every growled at anyone in his life, was getting a bad rap because of Miss Cray and her lack of dog owning skills!

Fast forward to last night. I was driving down the street and noticed that Blackie was out in his front yard and Miss Cray was there, too. When I got near their house Blackie ran out into the street and I slammed on my breaks – coming inches from hitting him. Miss Cray was standing in her yard, watching and picking up sticks, and had no reaction. Blackie was at my front bumper barking and snarling so I rolled down my window and shouted at her to come get her dog. She stayed in her yard, calmly calling “Blackie, come here”. When the dog saw my window down he came towards it, still growling and barking. I tried to go forward and he lunged towards my wheel. I slammed on my breaks and shouted “Come get your dog! I don’t want to hit it!” She stayed in her yard, continued to pick up sticks and casually told me to just go “he’ll be fine!”. Every time I tried to move, Blackie would either lunge at my tire or jump in front of the car. Miss Cray did nothing…NOTHING! She stood 20 feet away from my car, watching her dog aggressively try to attack my car and kept telling me to “just go…he’s fine!” I shouted “I’m not going to hit your dog! Come get him out of the street!” This back and forth went on for about 6 minutes when a car came from the other direction and Blackie turned his aggressions on it.

I took my opening and moved forward only for Blackie to chase down my car. I didn’t want to turn into my driveway, not knowing if the kids were in the backyard, I didn’t want this Cujo to follow me onto my property. After a few minutes of him lunging and barking at my door as I stayed on the street in front of our house, he finally got distracted and trotted off. This whole time Miss Cray watched from her yard across the street.

I went inside, shaking from the encounter, and told Mark what happened while I called the non-emergency police line to report a loose and aggressive dog. The dispatcher told me “we know that dog – I’ll send a patrol car over.”

I watched as Blackie went from yard to yard, up and down driveways and slipping into backyards across the street. I watched as he got right up to my neighbor’s window and barked at their cat inside. I watched as he crapped in someone’s yard. I lost sight of him so I went outside on our driveway– when the police got here I wanted to be able to tell them where he was. The second Blackie saw me he charged. Luckily he was far enough away for me to get inside before he got to our yard. Remember: Miss Cray is still in her front yard, witnessing all this and doing nothing to get Blackie under control.

I have never, ever been afraid of a dog in my life, but seeing that 70 lb. lab charge at me while snarling terrified me.

Fed up, Mark went outside to confront Miss Cray and help her catch Blackie. The kids were all riled up and watching from the front window. As he walked down the street calling for to get control of her dog Blackie shot down a neighboring driveway towards Mark. Miss Cray slowly walked over and told Mark to calm down because he was scaring her dog, that Blackie was being aggressive because Mark was shouting. Miss Cray, once again, didn’t make a single move to grab Blackie’s collar to get any control over him. He was growling and lunging towards Mark – cornering him against our neighbor’s house. Miss Cray refused to get within arms-reach of Blackie; she was afraid of her own dog! We were all watching as Blackie lashed out and bit Mark in the leg.

Mark kicked at the dog (he didn’t make contact) and Blackie ran off, away from their house; Miss Cray walked off after him. I called the police back to tell them that the loose dog had bitten Mark but he wasn’t injured (Blackie had gotten a mouthful of khaki; luckily he didn’t break Mark’s skin). A patrol car rolled up after Mark came in the house. I went out to tell them what happened and they said they had 5 calls about the dog just that evening. Other neighbors came pouring out of their houses to tell what they had experienced with Blackie.

Then a fire engine, lights on, pulled up. I looked at the cops “do you know what that’s here for?” I asked and they shrugged. Turns out they were there for Mark. Apparently, they had gotten the report of a dog bite. I was mortified! I felt awful as I watched those guys pile out of the truck with their medical gear and walk towards our house. I explained what happened, that the dog got Mark’s pants but not his skin…they were so nice as they took down the report, checked out Mark’s teeth-punctured and torn pants then graciously showed Madman their truck.

A moment later an ambulance rolled up. Again, I was horrified that all these 1st responders were on our street! They conferred with the firemen and decided not to take another report. We were chatting about all the craziness of the evening when one of them looked over my shoulder and said “is that the dog?” Miss Cray was strolling down the street with Blackie finally on a leash like nothing had happened.

As the cops talked with her she denied that Blackie ever got out,  saying that this was the 1st time and that it was only because her landscapers left the fence gate open. Too bad there are dozens of calls to the contrary. Oh yeah, and that bite last summer.

The cops cited her and called the Animal Warden. As of today, Blackie was still at the house (unsupervised in their back yard, of course). As a dog lover I’m torn about the idea that might be put down. I’m angry at Miss Cray for letting this happen. Dogs aren’t like that by nature, they get aggressive due to negligent dog-owners. But I also hate feeling trapped in my house because I’m worried about Blackie getting out and ending up in our back yard with my kids.

Road Rage

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I hate to come back with a complain-y post but I’m feeling a bit blog-blocked right now. New job has me timid about what I say online. Also new job for me + new job for husband = no time for anything else right now. So, forgive me as I rant a bit about drivers in the CLE suburbs and issue some reminders.

1. A 4-way stop at a boulevard is still a 4-way stop. The divider of grass in the middle doesn’t mean you can ignore what’s coming from the left and right.

2. A 4-way stop at a wide intersection (*cough* South Park & Eaton *cough*) still means you have to stop. All the way. If you try to roll your way through I WILL creep and crawl my way through the intersection, forcing you to stop. And no, just because you stopped when the car in front of you stopped, does not mean you are next in line to go through. You still have to pull up to the stop sign and not just sit 2 car-lengths back.

3. If you are dropping your kid off at a preschool that has room for 5-6 cars parallel parked in front, DO NOT leave 9 feet of space between your car and the one in front of you! Likewise, if you are in the front spot, pull all the way up for the love of god. Those 4 feet of space you left in front means one less car can park there and I now have to drive around to the other parking lot. Common sense, courtesy, things you should have learned in driver’s ed – use them!

4. Being allowed to turn on red does not mean you can turn right in front of someone (I’m looking at you, ladies in SUVs leaving the JCC).

5. My dear westsiders, I know that the whole traffic circle thing is confusing. Circles are round; there are no comforting, pointy corners or stop signs for you. Infinity scares you. But please, please pick a side and stick with it – drive on the inside or outside – NOT in the middle of the 2 lanes. When all else fails, just drive around the circle again. Bonus points for saying “Look kids! Big Ben…House of Parliament!” as you do. We won’t laugh at you too much. (Note: perhaps it’s the traffic circles that make people bad at rolling stop signs as mentioned in #2. Hmmm.)

6. If you drive 45 MPH on my one-block, residential street you are an awful driver and, most likely, an awful person.

7. If you are crossing the street at a busy intersection, I would suggest you do so at a decent clip and not while checking your phone.

8. If you ride your bike to work I will think you are an awesome person who is fit! and environmentally friendly! And I will fist bump your hipster self. That is until I see you flagrantly ignore a stop sign or red light and I have to slam on my breaks because you think you don’t have to follow the rules. Then I will have fantasies of you and your raggedy beard meeting the grill of my car.

I think that’s all for today. What are your biggest road rants?

 

Ski Bunny

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One of the best things about being a parent is introducing some of your favorite things to your kids, right? This is why I’m SO! EXCITED! that Matilda started ski lessons.

I grew up skiing. From age 5 (4?) through age 13 I spent just about every winter Saturday at the local ski hill. It was a family affair – we’d pack up a picnic basket for dinner, load our ski-swap-purchased skis in the station wagon and spend 6+ hours there. We met families from church on the hills and the kids would take lessons or split off to do their own thing, then meet up for dinner in the lodge, followed by more skiing and warming up while playing Miss Pac Man in the lodge. A childhood full of memories was created at that ski resort. We’d go home rosy-cheeked and tired.

I started getting really exited as I read Angella’s tweets and instagrams from her family’s ski vacation. Her Emily and my Matilda are nearly the same age and Emily was learning to ski, too. Knowing that Matilda can get anxious about new situations I asked Angella if Emily had any advice for another 5 year old skier.

Angella went on to add…

We have 2 local ski hills and we chose the smaller of the 2 – hearing that they are better for younger skiers. Plus the lesson price was much cheaper. Because of my lack of calling early in the season we ended up purchasing a private lesson package (group lessons were sold out) and they cut is a great deal on a rental package. We had the lessons, we had the advice, we had the excitement. All we needed was snow.

We finally got some snow and her lessons started a week ago.

Matilda and I got there way too early and she was anxious to try on her skis so I let her get a feel for them outside the lodge. She did pretty well navigating in the bulky equipment. When her lesson time came she scooted off without any hesitation. She spent the hour mostly upright and had a blast.

She told me later that “it was hard, mama, but Emily and her mama said it would be so I didn’t cry. I kept my legs wide. And it did get better! I love skiing!”

Yesterday, her 2nd lesson, she was much more confident … almost cocky. She just wanted to put her feet “in french fries and go fast!” I skied, too and she had fun watching me on skis. (Sidenote: OHMYHOLYHECK I am sore today.) She’s mastered the J-bar but our attempt at the rope-tow was comical. Next time, if she masters her “pizza” maybe I’ll be brave enough to take her on the chair lift with me.

I hope she continues to like it and that she forms her own fond memories of skiing. Of watching the snow swirl in the spotlights as she rides the chair lift. Of feeling the freedom of finally being able to ski on her own. Of feeling the thrill of controlling the speed that is skiing.

 

*I am linking to Alpine Valley because they really are great for young/beginner skiers. I’ve been impressed with the lessons so far and it’s really laid-back. The terrain is all very tame but enjoyable. I’m posting about my own, paid-for experience. I got nothing from them – they don’t even know I’m posting this. 

Siblings

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I always wanted 2 kids. Once I had my first child I knew right away I wanted my sweet, spunky Matilda to have a sibling in her life. I have 2 siblings and I know for a fact that growing up without them would have sucked. They taught me how to argue, were my defenders on the playground and may or may not have gotten me into bars when I was a teenager (ahem). To this day my sister is one of the first calls I make when something happens in my life. I’m lucky to have them in my life.

Ever since the Madman was born Matilda has taken her big sister job very seriously. She’s always been one to sing or dance to entertain him, let me know about his cries or fetch a toy or bottle for him.

But now, at 21 months and just over 5,  their relationship is really blossoming.  I’m a total cliché of parenting mush whenever I see their affection for each other.

 Each morning Matilda likes to climb in the Madman’s crib and they get all crazy together – laughter shattering the early-morning quiet. Yesterday when Matilda zipped her winter coat without any help (finally! That coat has been giving her trouble for months) and I praised her, the Madman ran over and gave her a big hug and clapped.

When the (still mostly non-verbal) Madman is trying to tell us he wants something Matilda is right there to interpret his needs. The end of the day at preschool pick up usually has the two running to each other for hugs. He wants to do what ever she is doing and she is generally more than happy to teach him. She willfully acts as his guardian – taking his hand while we’re out or helping him navigate a playground.

There is some rivalry, that’s for sure. One can’t sit on my lap without the other jockeying for lap space, too. Treats must be shared evenly and heaven forbid if one gets more mommy/daddy time than the other.

But oh man, I’m so happy to see this combination of affection, competition and loyalty between the two of them. They love each other fiercely and that makes me so happy. My siblings were a big part of my childhood and they helped me become the person I am now. I’m so grateful I have been able to provide that same relationship to my kids.

(Pardon the iPhone-flash glowing eyes)

(And just an FYI – there will be no 3rd child. The mere thought of 3 exhausts me.)

 

Looking back on 2011

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I just read through my 2011 archive. Literally – I read the whole thing because there are only a handful of posts. I realize that I have been a terrible blogger this past year. If you can even call me a blogger anymore. Yikes. I’m not making any promises for 2012 but hopefully I’ll be able to carve out some more time to write in this space. This is truly an online journal of our lives and I value it; however this year seemed to be archived more via Twitpics & instagrams than words.

In the meantime I feel like I need to get an end-of-the-year post up, even if it is a few days late. (Read others here: 2008, 2009, 2010). So, here is a review of 2011 in no particular order:

Cheered on Mark as he ran his 1st marathon just days after turning 39.

Contributed to my daughter’s horse obsession by throwing her a pony party at a stable for her 5th birthday.

Everyone stayed more or less healthy for the entire year (despite 2 trips to the Pediatric ER and one overnight hospital stay with Madman).

Weaned my son at 16 months.

Moved Madman to a new daycare. Both kids are finally at the same place, at least for a little while.

Painted the dining room. You might think this would be an easy task, but then you don’t know old houses.

Had our first kidless night in over 2 years.

Got my first ticket in years.

Celebrated the last 1st birthday this family will see.

Watched Matilda perform on stage for the 1st time.

Mark started a new job even closer to home (and my office). We get to have lunch together once in awhile.

Found some gnomes in a garden.

Lived without a dishwasher (again) since the one we got 2 years ago broke big-time AND was recalled. Hopefully this won’t last much longer.

Made Halloween costumes for both kids.

Had some amazing conversations with my girl. That girl is smart, funny and opinionated.

Took 2 awesome trips to Hilton Head.

Discoverd that Mark isn’t the only runner in the family.

Went primal for a few months (I really, really need to hop back on this train).

Screwed up RITA (Regional Income Tax Authority) again. I’m not stupid, why does this always go wrong? (“I hate RITA” remians one of the top searches to this blog!)

Went to New York (work trip) for the 1st time since 7th grade.

Got rid of all the baby stuff.

Celebrated the 11 years of marriage.

Relished everything about having a 1 ½ year old. I love this age so much.

Started and quit running. Turns out my hate for running is stronger than the elusive runners high.

After 4 years of living in Cleveland, finally feel like this is home.

2011 was a pretty boring year as nothing major happened to any of us. I’m think I’m officially at an age that I think boring is good.

Happy 2012 everyone!

Photo Journal – Christmas 2011

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This holiday season has been so much fun. I swear 5 years old it the exact perfect age for Christmas. Matilda has just been so wrapped up in everything and it’s so amazing to see her experience it all. I’ve teared up more than once over the past few weeks. Madman is 20 months with is just when they start to get into the groove of the holiday thing.
 

Decorating the tree was a big deal this year, as was attending a breakfast with Santa. While the Madman is just fine with Santa Matilda is not; she prefers the company of reindeer.

 

She likes the idea of him but she wants nothing to do with him. She didn’t even really want him to come to our house and told him to take her toys elsewhere. While this seems very sweet, I think it has more to do with her general fear of anyone in costume then it does with selflessness.

 
The weekend before Christmas we celebrated with the extended family. The kids got dressed up in their Sunday best and then I died from the cute because my baby was in a coat and tie!

Matilda, being all about the horses these days, was thrilled with her Jessie outfit and dolls from my sister’s family. It was a wonderful weekend of family (and tons of food).

This year we started the tradition of allowing the kids to open their sibling gifts on Christmas Eve. Matilda was so proud to have picked out a rescue helicopter for Madman and he earned his place as best little brother ever when she opened his gift to her: 3 horseback riding lessons! She knocked him over with her hug. (It’s a good thing Madman has @elauer watching Groupon for him… she helped him find the discounted lessons).


Christmas day was spent relaxing at home, even if they kids did wake us up before 6:30. Santa brought Disney on Ice tickets and the Lion King for Matilda while Madman got books and a letter toy.

Under the tree were a scooter and Leapster Explorer for Matilda along with trucks and cars for Madman. Some games and a car ramp from my brother rounded out a very fun day.

 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday, too.

All the Kids are Doing It

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I’m such a lemming. Some of my favorite people on Twitter have been posting this “Accent Vlog” thing and I have LOVED(!) watching them.  Seriously – isn’t Sara about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? And I totally want to be able to have hair and makeup like Christina’s when I grow up. And Sam, well I just want to sit and have a drink with that girl. So, to be fair I’m finally adding my own voice. Mama’s very first (and probably last) vlog:

Kate’s Accent Vlog from kate davis on Vimeo.

(good god my forehead is huge. perhaps it’s time to consider bangs)

Be gentle – this took 3 takes (the first one being indoors at night and holy hell that was some bad lighting). If you want to play along here’s what you’re supposed to do:
Say the following words:
Aunt, route, wash, oil, theatre, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, New Orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, Alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that curls into a ball when you touch it?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?