Back At It

The Castle Garden


We went back to the Children's Museum this weekend. I should have known it was going to be a rocky day when Addie woke up cranky. However, there was a storyteller at the museum and I thought the girls would really like it. She was a great storyteller, very animated and fun to watch. Lily was enthralled! Addie on the other hand, got a little bored. She wanted to go find all of her friends. Unfortunately, despite the abundance of people under the age of 5 there, Addie didn't know anyone.


So we headed downstairs to check out the museum again. Things went OK in the castle. I did have to stop Addie from taking away a toy that a younger kid was playing with. I got "the Look" from a couple of other moms, so she obviously was being bossy in the kitchen. I probably deserved the look since I was sitting on one of the benches knitting while the girls were playing. It was a centrally located spot and I could see them at all times.

Lily crawling through the tunnel in the tree. See, she's not afraid!

The girls decided to go upstairs to check out the campsite. They had a great time there. Right up until Addie decided that she wanted to go back downstairs, "to look for her friends." Unfortunately because the Children's Museum was so busy, I didn't want the girls on 2 different levels where I couldn't watch both of them at the same time. Unfortunately, it was also lunch time and everyone in my house gets a little cranky when they're hungry. So

Lily practices being a Chicken Farmer.

She loves the chicken puppet at the museum.

Addie completely melted down when I told her that if she wasn't going to stay with Lily and I, then it was time to go home. I had to put her jacket on her while she kicked and screamed and threw the mother of all temper tantrums. It was lovely. It made me feel like I was the worst, meanest, most terrible Mommy in the whole world. But I still made them leave.

Once we got home and everyone was fed and naps were taken, the mood improved dramatically. It improved even more dramatically after the girls were in bed that night. I drank a beer and watched a movie that I would never be able to watch with the girls awake (Monguls) and knitted. Lots of knitting to soothe the Mommy spirit.

It's Here!

I feel like such a grown up! I bought my very first couch this week. It's our first piece of new furniture since we moved into our house and bought a bed 8 years ago.

It's just a nice simple couch. Nothing fancy. Not too flashy. I had to be in this particular furniture store several times over the last few weeks and each time I was drawn to this couch. When the price dropped, I knew it wouldn't last long. Probably the best, most empowering feeling is that I bought it with my own checking account.

It feels good to be an adult!

What I didn't realize when I bought it was how big it would look in our house! It dwarfs the other furniture. In fact, it downright crowds it out. I'm not sure how we're going to rearrange things, but it's clear that something will need to be done.

Be safe, have fun.

This weekend is the opener of Deer Hunting in Wisconsin. It's a state holiday at our house and in many houses near us. In the spirit of the season, I encourage you to read this article.

To anyone who is hunting,

Be Safe. Have Fun. And Bring Home a Big One.

Children's Museum

We finally made it to the local Children's Museum. Our friends have been telling us for a long time that we needed to go. Another friend was having their birthday party there, so we finally went. It was a huge hit with the girls. The main part of the museum is set up as a castle.


There were costumes to try on. (I swear I did not pose Addie like this, she did it all on her own. I have witnesses!)

There was a dragon to wake.

There were horses to shoe, meals to make in the medieval kitchen, and something that we called the Medieval Dance Dance Revolution.

There was a garden to plant and vegetables from. Lily's favorite part was the "Big Tree" - it was a spiral staircase and tunnel hidden within a big tree. She loved going into the tunnel. Every time she would come out saying, "I not scared. It not scary. The big tree not scary." The entire time she was holding a big chicken puppet like it was her lifeline.

Upstairs was a construction zone and a camp site complete with a miniature row boat to fish from. Addie and her friend Hanna disappeared for quite a while. When I found them, they were the only kids at the campsite, happily playing in the rowboat.

After cake and snacks, I took the girls to Cub Foods for groceries. I swear they ate half a bag of grapes (along with the free apple) and then tormented each other through half the store. Yes, my kids were the ones screaming at dinner time on Sunday night in Cub Foods. I hope you weren't there at the same time as us. The girls both fell asleep in the car on the way home and pretty much crashed on the couch afterwards.

Lights Out

We had a power outage this week. We had just gotten home from swimming when the power went out. The girls were unsure about whether or not this was a good thing. Adam thought it was great, he decided this was going to be the official start to Pioneer Night at our house.

(Pioneer Night is Adam's idea of how to save on electricity. We turn off all the appliances, lights and junk for one night a month. That night we use candles and cook out on the grill. We can play board games or read or tell stories, anything that doesn't take electricity.)

Addie, The Dramatic One, decided that she was afraid of the dark. She really didn't think too highly of Pioneer Night.

Gather 'round the candlefire girls and we'll tell you a story. In order to distract the girls, Adam started telling the girls about the Great Pumpkin that lives in the mountains. The story featured two girls (a big sister and a leedle sister) and their mommy and daddy. The family went up into the woods and set up camp on the edge of a pumpkin field. The Mommy made a delicious dinner of pumpkin soup, pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin pie. The girls then cuddle up in their sleeping bags and go to sleep. During the night, the Great Pumpkin comes to the family and shares his secrets for growing big pumpkins. He gives the girls seeds which they bring home and plant. The girls are then able to share pumpkins with everyone they know.

Lily is on the edge of her seat listening to the story.

Daddy Jobs

In our house, there are certain jobs that are "Daddy Jobs" and certain jobs that are "Mommy Jobs." Anything not specified is a shared responsibility and can be done by anyone in the household. Mommy is in charge of cooking, most any thing to do with the computer and is definitely the chief purchasing officer for the household. Daddy is in charge of fixing things and carving pumpkins.
It's not that I don't like carving pumpkins, it's just that it's not my favorite activity. I either try to do damage control (putting down newspapers, cleaning the pumpkin guts that get flung everywhere, cleaning off hands and faces, etc.) or I just try to get out of the way. Adam loves pumpkin carving.

Lily loves pumpkin carving. She likes separating out the guts from the pumpkin seeds. She was the best little seed picker I have ever seen. She wasn't fast, but she was accurate. There is such determination on her face!

Addie is very proud of her littlest pumpkin. This is one that was grown in our own garden (One of 4). Addie got to draw out her pumpkin face with magic marker this year for Daddy to carve. She also tried giving inspiration to me as I half-heartedly carved ears out using a carving tool. We tried to make a pretty sparkly pumpkin with jewels in it, but I was having trouble getting the jewels to stick.

Adam finished up with the girls that night, then came back for more the next morning. He carved a "fairy" pumpkin complete with flowers and one little fairy.

What a Long Strange Week

Is the week over yet?

First, I had a sales crisis at work. I sold something, was told I couldn't sell that the way it was done and since the business didn't have the budget to do a larger number of inserts, lost the sale. Then I was told I could sell it that way after all. It's my largest sale at this company so far.

Then, the election. Will it have ramifications for Adam's job? Probably. Will it have ramifications for mine? Most definitely. I'm quietly freaking out.

I also modelled in my first ad this week. I was walking out of the office when 2 of our artists asked me to put on some ski clothes. I was in a suit at the time and I questioned whether they really wanted me to be wearing ski clothes with a button down shirt. "Oh, no problem. Everything will be cropped out except the featured clothes." So my disembodied legs and body are in an ad.

And now, I get a call from my Dad saying that someone at my alma mater wants to use an essay that I wrote in 1998 in an online publication. I have no idea what this essay was about other than it was a pedigogical essay. It's very weird. It's an essay that I wrote as part of a class to become a tutor in the tutoring center. I'm fairly certain that it was a benign essay, but I'd sure like to read it before I give my permission for them to publish it. I'll throw up a link if I decide to have it published.

On Halloween Night

When one Fairy meets

One Princess to go trick or treating,

There are two Trick or Treaters in the dark on Halloween night.

When two trick or treaters meet one tall Prince, there are three trick or treaters in the dark on Halloween night.

When three trick or treaters meet one Mummy, there are four trick or treaters with sugar rushes in the dark on Halloween night.

The girls came away with quite a haul of candy even though we only went to houses on our block. A good time was had by all.