A Day In The Life...

Ramblings.....

2009-11-10T20:54:00.002-06:00

I'm beat and my creative juices are not flowing, so here's just a few random thoughts I've had over the past few weeks.

I bought $76 dollars worth of M&Ms tonight. Why must people make a comment when you buy a lot of one item? Things like, "oooohhhh, you must really like M&Ms" or "you must not be a dentist" or "you must have a daycare". Really? I just didn't have the energy to explain to them that I'm making 100 cookie jars to raise money for breast cancer awareness. I just smiled and said, "yep."
I've done the math and the average age of those that have the same color and make of my car is 61. Perhaps it's time for an upgrade or maybe just some spinners.

That's all I've got people. That's all I've got.

Monday Memories.....

2009-11-09T18:49:00.003-06:00

This is a memory of all those Christmas Card photos we had to do as a kid. Believe it or not, I remember taking this picture I was 2. I remember my pink Snoopy sweater I was wearing. I remember how annoyed I was that my brother had to have his arms around me. I remember so many years later, my brother and me, in our snowsuits - his blue with gray and mine gray with red leaning against a fence post while my dad took no less than 172 pictures trying to get one that was just right. I laugh at this now as I put my kids through the same torment. Ahhhh, it's fun having the roles reversed isn't it? This one wasn't a Christmas picture, but I just couldn't resist. Every body I show this to is shocked how much Brett and I look alike. I was 3 in this picture. I was Red Riding Hood for the next 2 or 3 years after this too. Not sure if it was because I loved the costume or because my mom (her words not mine) wasn't real creative when it came to costumes back in the day.

Just a reminder to those that don't know, double click on the picture to make it larger.

Bring on Monday.....

2009-11-08T17:51:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. The kids have tested my patience today and I'm counting down the moments until I can send them off to bed without feeling too guilty. Seriously.

2009-11-07T17:20:00.003-06:00

It 's deer season. That means I'm a single parent for the next two weekends. I decided to brave the odds and bring the two boys out in public. Together. The deal was, we'd go to IKEA so that I could look for a few things and if they were good, we'd go to Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America. The trip through IKEA was fairly uneventful. That is until Brett was sitting in a kid's egg chair and Colton spun the chair around so hard that it flipped over. That was a real treat. But, the boys managed to behave themselves for the hour we cruised through the store which was pretty darn good since these two can't seem to be nice to each other for more than 8 seconds at a time.
Here's the boys checking out the turtles. Brett was so confused. He truly thought we were going to go into the water and not just underneath. He kept asking, "when do we go in the water?" Here's a picture of some creepy looking fish.

There were tons of big stingrays swimming all around us. I love those things.

These little dudes were probably my favorite.

The hit of the day though was touching the star fish. Brett had to be reminded that these were alive and that he need to be gentle. He was caught tossing one across the little open aquarium.

Both the boys zonked out on the ride home which was great. We had a good day on single mom day one.

Friday Feature......

2009-11-06T07:15:00.002-06:00

During the month of November, on Fridays I plan to post something (or somethings) that I enjoy.

Today, I'm featuring two blogs that I frequently visit. I'm not sure about blog etiquette. Was I suppose to ask permission of these people first? Oh well, guess I'll find out sooner or later.

The first one is All & Sundry. This gal is hilarious! She has two young boys, is a fabulous writer and just tells it like it is. I've laughed out loud several times reading her posts.

The second is Free Sample Freak. Who doesn't like to get free stuff? I have received free granola bars, cereal, chapstick, energy drink coupons, magazines....all kinds of good stuff.

Thoughts for Thursday.......

2009-11-05T07:33:00.002-06:00

This week's thought is about household chores and who does what.

I'm curious to know if you have a spouse or roommate if you each have specific chores that you do. At our house we kind of do.

We've never sat down and wrote a list of who does what because from what I hear, that doesn't add a lot of positive energy to your marriage and besides, I know that my list would be a lot longer than by dear hubby's.

Here's an abbreviated breakdown of who does what at our house - oh and let's not call this a list either. Oh, and let's go ahead and agree not to tell Mike that this exists. Deal? Deal.

I take care of all the bills. Not that Mike hasn't offered to do it. I kind of have a wee bit of a control issue and need to remain in charge of this. This did come back to bite me when I spent two weeks in the hospital and Mike had to take over. He was a bit overwhelmed and didn't realize that people actually pay bills online.

I do the grocery shopping. Mike also has offered to do this, but I prefer that he stays home with the kids so I can have a mental break and compare spiral noodles to penne noodles. Oh and I always love to see my % saved at the bottom of the receipt.

I make 90% of the dinners and Mike does 90% of the dishes. I hate doing dishes. He doesn't really know how to cook (other than grilling, so that is his 10% contribution to making dinner), so this works out great for us.

Mike does most of the outside the house work. You know, mowing, weed whipping, shoveling, that kind of stuff. I like to mow, but apparently, don't do it as good as he does. Whatevs.

I also do the laundry which I don't mind doing. Mike's bright enough to offer to help fold when I drop the basket down in front of him while he is watching baseball. He's such a smart man.

Mike is the picker upper and I'm the duster.

OK, my list that isn't a list is long enough.

Care to share how it works in your household?

Wildcard Wednesday.......

2009-11-04T11:32:00.005-06:00

I couldn't come up with a fun, entertaining or educational post so instead, here are some random bullets.

I am hosting Thanksgiving this year. I love it. Actually, I think I enjoy the planning part the best. I'm so type A. I've got my spreadsheet started. It includes the invite list, the menu, the need to buy list, the what in the world ingredient is that list, and the need to clean list.
I heart Kemps pomegranate and vanilla swirl frozen yogurt. Delish.
I am glad that I found Paul Newman's southwestern salad dressing at Super Target yesterday. Now, that's some good stuff.
Am I embarrassed that my first three bullets are about food? Not so much.
I found out that my oldest child has been asked to practice respectful listening at school. We've got a plan in place to nip that in the bud. Let's just see if he can remember it.
I ordered Pioneer Woman's cookbook and it's scheduled to arrive on November 9th.
Marilyn and I have 61 cookie jars to get crackin' on for our Christmas pre-orders. There's still time to order yours if you are interested - just shoot me an email at leahk2121@yahoo.com
I need to get my window coverings ordered. Our basement is open for any and all to catch a glimpse of our wild and crazy life.
This 30 posts in 30 day thing is going to be a lot harder than I ever imagined. It's only day four. Ugh.

Interview with a 3 year old

2009-11-02T19:16:00.005-06:00

Monday was Brett's first day at his new daycare. I thought it would be fun to interview him and he was game - you know, because he knows exactly what an interview is.

Me: Did you have fun at Tami's?
B: Yes

Me: What did you do?
B: I don't know.

Me: Did you make some new friends?
B: Yes. Five.

Me: What are their names?
B: Scooper (Cooper) and little Josh.

Me: Was there any girls there?
B: Yes

Me: What are their names?
B: I don't remember.

Me: Did you learn about colors today?
B: Yes. Purple. Daddy's favorite color.

Me: Did you have a snack today?
B: Yes. Crackers.

Me: Did you play with the puppy?
B: YEAH!! I ran round and round and round with the puppy and then bonked heads (he just laughed and laughed about this one.)

Me: Do you want to go to Tami's tomorrow?
B: YEAH!

The kid almost fell asleep during dinner. He. Was. Exhausted. I consider this a successful day at a new daycare.

Monday Memories.....

2009-11-01T13:55:00.003-06:00

If I am going to be posting everyday for 30 days, I'm going to have to pull some topics out of nowhere because quiet frankly, my life isn't full of wild and crazy stories, which by the way I am completely okay with.

For my Monday Memories, we going to take a trip back to fall of 1996 - my senior year.

For some reason, we always had to take a picture of our team in a pyramid form. We did this for basketball, cheerleading and volleyball. Weird, but apparently we thought it was the thing to do.
I'm the gal on the top with the sweet bangs and the ribbons in my hair.
I'm hoping the girls on the bottom are laughing and aren't really screaming in pain.
Go Mariners!

Trick or Treat.....

2009-11-01T06:17:00.003-06:00

The boys were so excited for Halloween. They kept asking me if it was time to trick-or-treat. I made them pose for a few pictures first. Colton as Darth Vader and Brett as a "firefighter man."

We went over to Judy's for our first stop. She was so happy to see the boys and our neighbor who also use to go to Judy's.

Here they are in action. I cannot believe how much candy they got. After about 10 houses, Brett got tired so he and I went home while Mike and the older kids kept on going. It was a great night.

Annual Pumpkin Carving/Painting.....

2009-10-29T20:00:00.003-05:00

I have to admit it, I'm not a big fan of pumpkin carving. It's messy and slimy and just kind of gross. Last year I was able to talk the kids into painting the pumpkins. This year that only worked for one kid. The older wanted to carve and he wanted to carve it by himself.
I've never allowed Colton to use a knife before. I was a nervous wreck and managed to quickly snap one photo of him cutting out the mouth of his pumpkin. The rest of the time I was closely observing, sweating and hoping he wouldn't cut off any phalanges. Success. Brett chose to paint again this year. Pretty sure we went through a gallon of paint. He was very serious during this project. He didn't say a word until he was completely done.

See that concentration? Tongue out and all.

Here's Colton's final product. Pretty darn good for using a knife for the first time in his life.

Brett's words when he decided is pumpkin was finished were, "isn't it beautiful?"

NaBloPoMo

2009-10-29T13:48:00.002-05:00

I'm giving it a go. 30 posts in 30 days....yikes.

New Chapter......

2009-10-25T12:15:00.002-05:00

Life is full of tough decisions. Mike and I had to make one last week. I have heard horror stories from friends about their daycare situations. Luckily for me, I cannot relate. Colton has had two daycare providers from the time he was 2 1/2 months old until second grade. Brett has had one.

Judy has been such a big part of our lives and our children's lives. Since Colton was 1 1/2 years old, he's been going to Judy's. It was like going to grandma's house and seeing your cousins every day. There was a house full of boys to play with and just not enough time in the day to do it all.

Fast forward a few years, Brett is born and it was a given that we were going to continue going there. Colton and all his buddies were old enough to do their own thing and Brett got lots of one on one attention which he needed. It was great.

Fast forward another few years and Colton is in school all day, but doesn't get to go to Judy's on school days because we live in a different boundary than she does. He's bummed, but loves that he goes there on non-school days. Brett on the other hand is still loving it at Judy's. He's now got two other little dudes to play with.

Now it's today. Colton is in a before and after school program that is fantastic. Brett is still at Judy's but all by himself. Over the past few weeks when we've asked him what he did today, he struggles to think of something. I ask if he played with anybody and his response is, "I don't have any friends to play with today." Talk about breaking your heart! While he adores Judy as do we, there's just something about a 3 year old not having anybody to play with during the day when I know he's such an active little boy.

We got lucky again. Brett is going to start going to Tami's house the first week of November. He'll be with 4 other 2-3 year old kids. Brett is excited, as are we. The other night he said "thanks for finding me some friends." That's seals the deal that we made the right decision.

That didn't make things any easier when I had to drop the bomb to Judy on Friday. I was a ball of nerves that whole day. All I had to say was that I had a tough message and didn't know how to say it - Judy jumped in and knew exactly what I was going to tell her. She totally understood. "I'm a mom too and realize that kids need to be around other kids." Her comment made me feel so much better.

Here's to another great daycare experience!

Pumpkin Patch.....

2009-10-18T08:40:00.003-05:00

It's official. My kids refuse to let me take their pictures so I have to take side shots and sneak pictures when they aren't looking. My next investment will be a zoom lens. Then I can sit far away and they won't have a clue that I'm actually taking pictures of them.
We met my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and my niece and nephew for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day - the air was crisp and the sun was shining.

Here are the boys watching a huge pig that just wandered around eating whatever he could.
Before we got to the pumpkin patch, I told the boys they could each pick out a pumpkin. The only rule was they had to be able to lift it.

We went on a hayride through the cow pastures and pumpkin fields. These cows are not afraid o anything. This one walked right up to us and started eating the hay we were sitting on!

See, when my kids refuse to let me take pictures of them, I have to resort to creatures that will. Here are two bull cows fighting over something - perhaps that pumpkin sitting there that the bright female cow is about to eat while the two manly cows duke it out.

The boys and I arrived to the pumpkin patch first. We sat and watched the peacocks and turkeys for about 10 minutes. Personally I think birds are nasty, but the bright colors on the peacocks were beautiful.

We had a great time. Came home with four pumpkins, some gourds and very tired kids.

Weekend Review......

2009-10-11T18:18:00.002-05:00

I am happy to say that I had quite a productive weekend. It started with grocery shopping on Friday evening - don't be jealous, really. Then I attempted to stay up to watch my cousin and his band play on Jimmy Fallon. Turns out, this gal doesn't see that time of the evening all to often and I ended up having to set my alarm for 11:30 p.m. It was so cool to see him playing on national TV! Way to go Cory!
Saturday was spent doing some much needed deep cleaning around the house. We're talking floor boards and everything! Now the goal is to keep it clean for longer than 2 days. Wish me luck.
Sunday Marilyn came over and we recreated Bakerella's cookie jars. We figured these would be perfect to sell at our upcoming fund raiser. We made them with a Halloween theme. If they sell well, we'll give it another whirl for Christmas. Didn't they turn out cute?

Awareness......

2009-10-07T17:55:00.002-05:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Unfortunately, breast cancer is all too familiar in my family. My great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, cousin and aunt-in-law all battled this horrible disease. What is very fortune is that they all fought tough battles and are cancer free. That isn't the case for so many women.
I'm trying to make a difference one step at a time. I'll be walking 60 miles in 3 days in August of 2010. Right now I'm raising money to participate in that walk. Each walker needs to raise $2300.
My teammate and I have ordered t-shirts for a fundraiser. Here's what they look like:

If you are interested in purchasing one, send me an email at leahk2121@yahoo.com. Please put T-Shirt in the subject line so that I don't miss it. We are selling them for $15 or 2/$25.

Boys Will Be Boys.......

2009-09-30T20:24:00.002-05:00

I always wonder what the boys do when they have their "boys weekend." I mean, I have an idea - candy, hot dogs, late bed times, donuts for breakfast, not washing hands for 3 days straight, but when they come home I just get a high level recap of the weekend - oh, we had fun is typically what I get.
Now, however, I know. I love when I have an "insider" who is willing to share the evidence - thanks Nancy!

Apparently, they practice peeing outdoors.

Walk through creeks that are deeper than their rubber boots.

Catch frogs....or is it a toad? I don't know.

Catch snakes and take turns holding it and getting bit, but don't worry "it really doesn't hurt mom."

Perhaps I was better off just having an idea rather than knowing what really happens!

Livin' Life.....

2009-09-22T20:02:00.004-05:00

We've been busy just living life and loving it! On the 13th, it was the first day of Sunday School and the first day of any type of school for Brett. Mike and I had been hyping it up for a good week to get him excited. We were a little nervous as our child is very stubborn and if you don't understand him within the first two times of him telling you he loses all self control and gets so upset. He woke himself up at about 7:00am asking Mike if it was "time to go to school yet?" He was only 2 hours early! He got himself "all handsome" and told me we needed to take pictures like we did for his brother. Outside we went.Mike brought the boys and said it was just adorable. Brett went in and sat in a teeny tiny chair, put his hands on his lap and waited. Colton said he sat by him in group so that he wouldn't be scared. When I picked him up, I peeked in the window to see how he was doing. He was sitting very nicely smiling and looking at the teacher. When the door opened, he continued to sit there just waiting as though he didn't want it to be over. Adorable. He saw me and immediately asked me if I liked his crown.......the crown he didn't take off all day. However, this past Sunday, he wasn't quite as excited. He thought it was a one time deal. His exact phrase was, "I don't have to go, I went yesterday." Everything is yesterday in his world. In the end, he went and loved it.

This past Friday we hit up the hometown football game with a few of our neighbors. I just couldn't resist this photo....the neighbor boy, Brett and Colton walking down the street in their football jerseys holding hands.

Second Grade.....

2009-09-10T19:49:00.002-05:00

Here's my handsome 2nd grader. He was very excited to get his day started. Here's my handsome 3 year-old. He was not excited to get this day started. He wanted his "bra-bra" to go to Judy's with him or he wanted to go on the school bus.

From what I can get out of Colton, second grade is pretty cool. He really likes his teacher. The only downfall so far? The fact that second graders eat last. Life is so unfair isn't it?

Mighty Fisherman.....

2009-09-10T19:43:00.002-05:00

Mike asks if I ever blog about him. My answer is usually no. So this one is for you dear!
He went out fishing the other night with a friend. He was so excited to show me his fish that he must have jumped out of his truck and ran up to the window telling me to grab my camera before the truck was in park! Nice work babe. Looks like we'll be able to eat this weekend. ;)

Hopper.....

2009-09-06T21:06:00.003-05:00

My little guy has a new obsession - grasshoppers. He just can't get enough of them. Whenever he spots one, his first words are "I want to touch it." Saturday after his nap, he and I went grasshopper hunting in our yard. We hit the mother load. These poor green guys had no clue what hit them! The kid talks to them as if they were soft, fluffy kitty-cats. "Oh, come here little grasshopper, you are so nice, I won't hurt you, I want to hold you."

Just imagine his excitement when this big ol' hopper jumped right onto his ankle! He couldn't even believe it.

He told me that after all this work, he was hungry and was happy that the grasshopper jumped away to go find his dad, mom and brother.

Committed......

2009-08-28T19:19:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend, Marilyn, asked me if I wanted to do the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk in 2010. I didn't hesitate and said yes. I officially registered earlier this week. Then I had flashbacks from 2005. In 2005 I walked 60 miles in three days to raise awareness for breast cancer. It was an amazing event and something I will never forget.
I was flipping through my scrapbook looking at the 2005 walk and came across the letter I wrote the day after and wanted to share some of it with you all.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day/60 Mile walk has now come and gone. How was it? Hard. Very hard, but well worth every step. It was an amazing journey! I cried a lot, laughed a lot, learned a lot and walked a lot.
We started the journey at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning. The first day was the easiest - imagine that. We walked about 23 miles that first day - through the zoo and the beautiful trails in Eagan. Along the route we are inspired by the people cheering on the sidelines. They bring us popsicles and treats and thank us over and over for walking. Some are survivors. They follow us from cheer station to cheer station to keep us motivated. Incredible!
They did a revised opening ceremony that evening due to the rain in the morning. How emotional! Some of the walkers got up on stage to say why they walk. Some walk because they are survivors, some walk because they have lost somebody they love and some walk because they have been told they can no longer be treated and most likely won't be at the 2006 Breast Cancer Walk. Makes you feel guilty about complaining about the newest blister you realized you've gotten.
Day 2 - ugh, my feet are a little swollen and I've realized that I have a blister between by big toe and my second toe on each foot. My team (Fight Like A Girl) is off to a little slower start today. The pain and my emotions get the best of me. I broke down in tears thinking that I wouldn't be able to walk the remaining 10 miles of the day because of the blisters. My team swooped me up, found me some different band-aides, gave me some Motrin and I finished the day.
Day 3 - My feet feel pretty good and it's hard to believe it's day 3. We're all feeling pretty good and make it lunch at the 12.7 mile marker. We know we only have 5 miles left for the day before we reach the end. The balls of our feet are on fire, blisters start to hurt and your calf muscles are so tight, they've become numb. Be we've made it 55 miles. We cross the finish line to see the smiling faces of our friends and families. We just broke down in tears - so happy to see everybody, so happy, yet so sad to be done.
People have asked me - how do you keep walking? Why not jump into the sweep van to the next pit stop if you hurt so bad or get tired? Here are my reasons to keep walking when I could have given in:
*You look next to you and there is a elderly lady walking right next to you
*You look over and see somebody who has jut finished chemo treatment
*You look at the back of a walker's shirt and there is a picture of somebody that they are walking in memory for
*You look over and there is a girl who is 7 months pregnant walking with her mom who is now cancer free
*You walk because you have amazing teammates who you keep you motivated
*You walk because your Great-Grandmother, Grandmother and Aunt-In-Law are all survivors
*You walk because the 3 sisters on your team lost their mother to breast cancer 3 years ago
*You walk because you believe in a world without breast cancer

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

If you want to join our team, we would love to have you! Just leave me a message (as well as a way to contact you) in the comment section and I can fill you in with the details.

It's Been Awhile.....

2009-08-23T18:50:00.004-05:00

It's been over a month since my last post. What can I say other than I've been busy enjoying life.

Towards the end of July, we took a little family trip to the Dells. We had a great time although the weather wasn't fabulous. We learned that our kids enjoyed our hotel pool just as much as the water parks. Colton had a first - he rode a roller coaster. This is my child who prefers to keep his feet on the ground. Mike was itching to go and Colton said he'd go with. Colton kept his eyes closed for all but 2 seconds of the ride. He was proud that he did it, but that was the end of the rides on that trip! I took only about 8 pictures that whole trip. I wanted to put the camera down and enjoy the company of my family - it was wonderful!
Mike and I headed down to Missouri for his cousin's wedding. He sang a solo and did a fabulous job. Meanwhile, the boys headed north to my mom's. They were there for 8 days! I missed those little buggers, but they really enjoyed some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa.

I have been so far behind on ordering pictures. Yesterday I ordered 321 photos from July 2008 through August 2009. Eeks.

This morning at about 7:30 while I was getting into the shower, I heard little footsteps coming down the stairs. When I got out of the shower and back into my room, I found that my three-year old got up and dressed himself before coming down to snuggle. His outfit even matched, but his shorts were on backwards. Now, if only he could get himself breakfast.Tomorrow is my first day back to work in over a week. It's been lovely having the time off and it will be a rude awakening when my alarm clock starts blaring at 5am!

Family Reunion

2009-07-21T18:13:00.002-05:00

Last weekend was our family reunion. Other than the weather being cold, it was a fabulous time! My grandparents had 8 kids over the course of almost twenty years (side note: how the heck did she do it?). We had a great turnout too, perhaps about 75% of the Ward crew pulled out their sweatshirts and jeans in July for some food, some visiting and games.

So glad we were able to grab a shot of the family that was there. I will treasure the memories and the photo forever!

I'm A Model If You Know What I Mean.....

2009-07-13T20:26:00.005-05:00

I wanted to take Brett out and attempt to take some pictures of him for his 3 year old photo. Ever since Colton was born, I've gone to JCP's to do birthday photos up until he hit school age and then I'll let those be their annual photos.
I prepped Brett and told him that we needed new pictures of him to put in the frame because he' not 2 anymore and if he's good, I'd take him to the park and he can have a sucker. We had a deal. I brought along my little assitant (aka Colton) to help make him smile.....just incase.
He did so good. He was very patient with me as I was with him. We actually had a lot of fun. Below are just a few of the pictures - including some outtakes.

This is after he really got the hang of it. I thought we were done - Brett had other ideas. He said to me, "I want to sit here and then you take a picture." Ok.

I followed through on my promises. I played the safe mom and didn't let him have his sucker until after he played at the park.