Sunday, October 19, 2008

Advice on Winter please...

So I'm looking for recomendations on snow pants (preferably bibs) and boots. For Julia I'm looking for a little more rugged pants and boots since she will wear them practically everyday for 6 months.

For the little un's I just need warm and dry pants... and warm, dry and easy on/off for boots.

Also - I'd love info on how you store your coats/jackets/pants/boots/shoes. Our entry way is just packed with 5 people's coats and winter accessories. Right now we have a peg board down low so the girls can hang their jackets up, and one up high for other stuff. I have a hanging basket with 4 pockets for gloves, hats, scarves, etc.

I did just see an awesome idea in Family Fun magazine for storing/drying gloves, etc. It's a heavy cord or string you hang from the ceiling and then knot clothespins to it going down the string so you can attach your gloves, hats, etc and they they have room to dry. Not sure if it would work in our current set up - but it looked like a good idea.

So... what do you do?

Trunk or Treat




Halloween starts early around the Dough house...

Here are some pictures of the girls in their "practice" costumes. Not one of them wants to wear these costumes on Halloween - but for the party they went to today they worked out fine.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Krogers

When I was growing up, my mom was the lady at the grocery store everyone knew. The other shoppers, the people at the deli, the check out people. In fact when my mom had her last hemoragghic stroke (aneurysm rupture) one of her daily visitors was the woman who checked her out at the grocery store everyday. That says a lot about both my mom - and June, the check out lady.

Dan is now that person. Whenever he goes to the store he runs into people he knows - and the grocery store people know him. The best part of this is that the sushi guy loves him. So much that we got a big platter of sushi and rolls tonight.

Awesome huh?

Even more awesome is that I barely had any because my 2 year old was devouring it. Why can't my kids be repulsed by sushi like normal kids - and leave more for us???

Darn kids....

Have I mentioned that my children don't like me much?

Emma was just sitting next to me on the couch, sort of cuddling in her winding down for bed kind of mood. I'm half paying attention to her and half watching Life on the DVR.

She starts rubbing my leg - and says "Mom it's lotion, I rub it for you"

That got my attention since there is nothing even resembling lotion around us - and I realize perhaps I should be paying closer attention to the 2 year old.

Is it bad that I was relieved to find out she was only spitting in her hand and wiping it on me?

yeah - my kids don't like me much...

Noggin says it all...




Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Doom on you...

Well, I'm alive.

Whoo hoo!!!!!!!

For those of you nice enough to email me to find out if I fell off the face of the Earth - well - I sort of did.

As I mentioned - we have been sick. Two and a half weeks ago I came down with the scary 105 degree fever - vomiting - chills, etc.

Tuesday it was Anna's turn at the doctor - nasty ear infection. Antibiotics (the fun orangy bubble gum tasting stuff)

By Wednesday I was feeling somewhat human again and didn't call the doctor.

Thursday night the 105 degree fevers returned and I couldn't breathe. On Friday - Dan literally drove me to the doctor where I was promptly diagnosed with pneumonia.

Did I fail to mention that Dan was flying out Saturday afternoon for 8 days??? Oh... well he was. Dan dropped me off at home, and ran out to pick up the Big Boy Antibiotic - the antibiotic that was going to kick the infection out of my body quickly so that I could be conscious and care for my children in his absence. Apparently I'm not quite man enough for the Big Boy and promptly had a fun little allergic reaction to it - and violently removed it from my system.

Then Dan ran Emma to the doctor where she could be diagnosed with her own nasty ear infection. More antibiotics.

Here is where my Mom called and asked if we wanted her to fly out and watch the children while I huddled in bed with fever.

We quickly conferred and agreed that having Mom traipse across the country was much preferable to having our children fend for themselves like wolves, or paying the $2K change in fare for Dan to leave Monday.

This brings us to Saturday - more fun fevers - Dan to the airport to fly out, Mom to the airport flying in. I had 6 hours alone with the kids and I thought I'd never make it. Mom arrives to the rescue.

Three nasty days of fevers and breathing issues ensued and then magically I began to feel better (ok - so not so much magic as modern day science and lots of antibiotics... but hey, it's sort of like magic). Now - another week later I feel about 60% better. I am still exhausted, still coughing and can't breathe but I can function. Anna and Emma are also doing much better.

So - now that you have had a full blow by blow re-enactment of my illness you may carry on. I'm sure that your life is now complete and full of meaning now that you wasted 2 minutes on reading this drivel.

Oh yes - and a huge, gigantic shout out to my mom (and my Dad for flying her out here!) for being there for us. You would be short at least one grandkid if I had been left to care for them. So thank you. We love you!!

October 15, 2008


MB


I just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you today. If you peek your beautiful head out of your shell I want you to know how much we love you and your three boys.


I will pray for you today - for the strength to get through this day and for some healing for your heart.


Thursday, October 02, 2008

Smell this...

That is one of the first things that would be in the parenting book - don't ever smell what they want you to smell.

Last night in my semi-conscious medicated state Julia was sitting next to me on the bed, cuddling.

"Mom, smell this?" she said with a quizzical look on her face, holding out her hand in front of my face.

Not thinking twice in my dazed state, I smelled her hand.

It smelled terrible - terrible isn't even really the word.

Pulling my head back into the pillow as far away as I could from her hand, "What is that??"

"Oh, I farted on my hand."

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Happy Halloween Month!

Seriously I so love October. I love May... and Fall... and the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas... but I really enjoy October.

Oh yeah - and Happy Birthday month to my Mom!

We are thinking of having a Halloween Open House this year. We don't have room to have a party - but we really like doing something for Halloween. So I was thinking of having an Open House type of get together from 4-6p or 430-530p before Trick or Treating. We have amassed quite a collection of Halloween decorations over the years and it's easy to go dramatic on decorating the front of our townhouse.

So - we were thinking of just having a couple of tables set out front with my semi-famous snake sandwiches, veggies and dip, some other snacks and drinks. Nothing too crazy but something for the kids to do before it's trick or treating time. Maybe some unattended games that the kids can do. I'm guessing they'll be able to occupy an hour...

What do you think? Is that time too crazy for parents on Halloween? It's a Friday this year so I'm hoping it might be a good time.