Sign of Endearment

The sign hanging in the garage reads:

$70 tickets

3 hour drive

1 argument

& we still made it on time

 Actually, that would be somewhat inaccurate (other than the ticket thing).

Jeff and I went to Chicago to see a White Sox game this weekend and I once again realized that couples who live and drive in Chicago together on a frequent basis must have VERY strong marriages prescription meds.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we don't have a great marriage (and we obviously aren't on strong meds), but I do find myself questioning every time we go to Chicago for "relaxation", we were on that lead us to think it was a good idea, and then I usually start calculating whether I could make it on one income.  We (he) NEVER take the right turns, we (he) ALWAYS end up sitting at a standstill on Lakeshore and we  (he) ALWAYS end up having to maneuver the masses on Michigan Ave.  To be fair, I hate driving in Chicago too, and it is much easier to ask, "Why did you listen to me?!" than to drive  and end up saying, "I took the wrong turn". This particular trip also had the joy of a nice quarrel over parking (so you see, the sign is a lie--there was way more than 1 argument in this three hour period!).

After a stressful trip there, however, I guess we got over it--or at least Jeff saw it as an opportunity to possibly get on t.v. at the game.  At the White Sox games you can make posters to confess your love to players and whatever else you feel the stadium of 400,000 people plus t.v. viewers need to know about you. You already saw what Jeff wrote,now proudly displayed in our garage for neighbors walking by to see--again, I find myself wondering...

Just kidding.

Thundersnow and Wintery Mixes

Okay...I really have no excuse for why I have so slacked off on this blog, but I am jumping back in the game (much unlike my commitment to do the same with going to the gym...I make that one every Sunday night and promptly break it by 5 a.m. Monday morning).  Anyway, this post isn't so much about the kids as it is about how much  I really, passionately, fiercely HATE Illinois weather!  I can probably count on my fingers the VERY few times I've said aloud, "Wow, today is a nice day!" Notice I didn't even say "great" or "fabulous"..."nice" seems to be the best anyone can hope for here in good ol' IL.  Sunday started off frigid (which was my excuse for not following through on the gym thing...) and ended with thundersnow.  Yeah, THUNDER and SNOW...TOGETHER.  Only in Illinois.  Monday is was fog like something out of one of those B class horror movies. Tuesday was torrential downpours (no thunder though, go figure). Today we had sleet/snow/wintery mix.  Wintery mix is apparently another word invented for Illinois weather because not even the meteorologists know what to predict around here..."today we will have some sleet, or maybe rain,  or thundersnow...let's just call it a wintery mix."

Not enough time in the day. . .

For anyone with kids or who has ever had kids, you know the "magic" happens when they go to bed.  By magic, I am referring to unloading the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, picking up little toys that stab your feet as you quickly try to stop toddlers from tossing Christmas ornaments from the tree (that you keep thinking you'll get put away soon), and doing anything remotely adultish - like reading books without pictures or watching movies that aren't rated 'G'...you get the idea.

The kids have been asleep now for about 2 hours and I have accomplished nothing -- except watching reruns of "What Not to Wear" and "House Hunters" simultaneously.  You know, I sometimes think that if I just had a bit more ambition left in me at this time of night, that I could really accomplish great things in life (at least those things I mentioned above), but I am seriously worn out by this point of the day and accomplishing anything at all seems just plain daunting.

So, what has been accomplished today?  Well, I managed to go to a dental appointment (sans kiddos!) where I learned my wisdom teeth must come out (that blew the excitement of being alone for an hour), went shopping with my sister, came home and played with the kids, went to my grandma's for our Friday night date while Jeff was at work, and did get Ella and Keeton in bed on time, complete with the bedtime story and snack.  Maybe watching HGTV/TLC reruns wasn't so undeserved after-all!

An Early New Year’s Resolution

 

For those of you who are reading this you are falling prey to one of my New Year’s Resolutions (along with losing five pounds and managing money better — the required ones). Anyway, I’ve really fallen off the good-mom horse when it comes to writing down the cute things the kids said, the dates their fifth and sixth teeth came in, what their favorite bath toys are, etc., so this is my attempt to easily document some of the quirkiness that regularly occurs in our house. Also, in this format my family can have easy access to the kids and perhaps even feel like they are in the very midst of all the chaos!

And, if the act of publicly telling people you are going to lose weight is supposed to make you more prone to success, then maybe this format of public sharing will do the same for my writing. Enjoy!

 

 

Why Tomorrowday?

Tomorrowday is a phrase that Ella uses frequently. She never says "tomorrow", as in, "I'm going to play tomorrow." It is always accompanied by "day", as in, "I'm going to play tomorrowday". I think it is cute and no matter how often I remind her that "day" is implied and not a required suffix, she doesn't care.