Seriously

I should be able to post blog updates from my new technology aquisition!

Sent from iPod

Beat It

While getting ready at the gym today - "they" played "Beat It" and it took me back to my youth...staying up late to watch Friday Night Videos (before MTV). That Thriller was a great album. It was, in fact, the first album I bought with "my own money". And yes, it was the record. I had terrible luck with the records I bought...they always seemed to have a scratch on them. Michael Jackson is a freak show - no doubt, but that was a great album.

I returned to work Monday and went to get the mail from my box...along with the junk mail and the holiday cards from odd entities (departments on campus with which I work - which seem to have a budget that allows them to send cards?!?!?) was a hand-addressed envelope - ie "personal mail". I opened it to find a letter from a student I had in class 6 years ago. This student took 2 courses from me and earned a C and a D, but came to see me every semester after. We'd talk about what classes to take - what major he wanted - how things were going, in general...set some goals for the semester (he had a scholarship and needed to make certain grades to keep it or to get into a major). One semester, he made a 3.2 and was so happy about it. The last time I saw him, he was a senior and I assumed he'd graduated. He wasn't a very good student, but he managed to keep his overall GPA above the minimum. The letter told me that he did not graduate, he failed out the next semester - he went home and worked minimum wage for a year and then decided college wasn't so bad and ended up earning a degree from a college in his hometown. Then, he commissioned in the United States Army and he sent me a picture of him and his family at his commissioning ceremony. The picture almost made me cry. He wanted to thank me for helping him all those semesters and to let me know that all of that help was not "in vain" (to use his words).

These are the moments when I realize how much I potentially impact people's lives (in a positive way). For him to take the time to hand write a letter and send me a picture is very meaningful to me (and I wrote him a letter in return). I get e-mails sometimes - or students come by when they are in town sometimes, but this was very special to me.

Our Giant Children

LJ and PJ had their respective well-visits today.

LJ - 44 inches tall and 51 pounds.

PJ - 36.5 inches tall and 38 pounds.

For comparison sake - LJ was 34 inches and 35 pounds at his 18 month visit (granted - PJ is 20.5 months)

Help us when they are teenagers.

Productive Day...

Today has been pretty productive. I've settled on a routine to try out this semester and I have my "Fixed Commitment Calendar" (time management concept I teach in class) set-up. It shows how I have time to workout, go to work, clean my house, do laundry, go to the grocery store, and REST. I can be flexible with when I do these things, but if I find myself in "chaos" (a self-regulation concept I teach in class), I can go back to following my schedule verbatim and I should be able to get to "stability". It will do me good to practice these concepts so I can show my students how they really do work

So, after going to the gym at 5:00 and showering and getting ready - I was home by 7:15...in time to get the kids their breakfast and sit down with my coffee to make my specific to-do list for the day.

On it:
go to grocery store
de-clutter pantry
throw away 1/2 filled old soda bottles
de-clutter kids' play kitchen
put birthdays on 2009 calendar
make dentist and dr. appointments for family
laundry
start dinner at 4:45

I still need to:
throw away the soda bottles - that'll take like 5 minutes at the most
de-clutter kids' kitchen - hmm...
laundry - not gonna happen today, but I have Tues and Sat as laundry days on my calendar, so no biggie
start dinner - it is only 4:00

I made PJ's 18 month and LJs 4 year well-visit for Fri. PJ will get the DTaP vaccine and LJ will get no vaccines. If his pre-school requires he have his 2nd MMR and Varicella - I'll get the objection forms. I'm willing for him to get those vaccines when he is 5 - for Kindergarten. I also made dental appointments for LJ and PJ. It is with a highly-praised pediatric dentist, so I hope it all goes well. The appointments are fully covered by our dental insurance (which I pay a a freakin' lot for...all due to errors on my part (long story) and I'm kicking myself for it) - so I'm taking PJ too. I'm going to get my money out of this dental insurance!

Happy New Year!

I've finished the Twilight Saga, so I can now resume normal life, but what would a New Year be without a vow to do some things better? The same old things keep floating to the surface, but THIS year will be THE year that they happen - right?!

I can only speak for myself, but...

1. I will workout 240 minutes a week (this translates into 120 minutes of cardio and 120 minutes of strength training).
2. I will de-clutter the house - I have a plan.
3. I will keep the house out of CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome).

That's all. I have a plan all mapped out. I start hard-core on Monday, Jan 5th - which is tomorrow.

The kids are fine, RJ is fine (he's putting a new fuel pump in the Tahoe) - looking forward to finishing the driveway this month...

Sam's To the Rescue

Sam's Wholesale Club - my hero! I decided on the way there (to buy diapers) that if they have Eclipse and it is less than $14, I'd buy it. They had it and it was $12.06...so I bought it. I started it last night. So far, it is ok - nothing much happening, but at least I'm not angry!

My Twilight Agony - as it unfolded SPOILER ALERT

If you have not read the first two books in the Twilight series and you think you might want to one day - don't read this...if you want to be surprised by the books!

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Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008 - (nap time)

Ok, here is my emotional and cognitive experience with these books thus far. Through most of Twilight, I was slightly amused by the love story - I could totally see why teenage girls would like it. I was most interested in the vampire parts. Then, it got super-interesting for me when James entered the picture and I got to know Alice, Jasper, Emmett, etc. I liked it and I was excited to start New Moon. I was majorly peeved at the beginning of New Moon. I did not like Edward leaving - just going away.The.End. Leaving Bella like that. I was pretty mad. I mean come on - from where I stand - he was Mr. Confident and pretty much making her emotionally dependent on him and then BAM. Gone. Then I had to read through (and it was starting to drone) Bella's agony at having to get past Edward. All the while I was pretty mad at the author. Then, I realized that I have to hand it to the author because I think she did a great job of making ME, the reader, feel the agony that Bella was feeling. I mean, I was mad because I feel like I go to know Alice, Carlisle, etc. now I am alone and isolated and I don't know what they are doing - and I have to get to know some new people...it is like I'm having to start all over again and that feels so frustrating to me.

At this point, I was only half-way through New Moon - Jacob and Bella are driving to ride the motorcycles for the first time...and I'm sure I'm being set-up (by the author) to like Jacob as he will help me get over the Cullens. I'm sure that just as soon as I feel like I can live with Jacob and forget about the Cullens...the Cullens will re-enter my life and I'll have turmoil again!

My problem is this - I just don't think that the Edward that the author created would just up and leave Bella. That is the problem I'm having and why I think I'm so crazy-obsessed with figuring out my emotion!

I'm not sure if I'll be Team Edward or Team Jacob yet. I'm pretty angry at Edward and I don't know if I can forgive him for leaving. So far, Jacob is a likable guy, but I don't know if he is charismatic enough for me to rally around. We'll see.


Saturday, December 20, 2008 (end of nap time)

I've finished New Moon and somehow the author made me love Edward again. Kudos to her because I thought it not possible for me to forgive him for leaving. I feel silly at how my heart aches with the descriptions - I absolutely cannot believe that this author can tug at my emotions. So, for now - I'm Team Edward. It seems you have to pick a team - as a topic of conversation, if nothing else.

For the record, I totally knew that Jacob was going to be "something"...AND I figured it would be whatever was the natural enemy of vampires...now I know what he is, but I saw that one coming. But, I also predicted that Edward would get some destruction started in Italy and that he would get into some kind of fight that would leave him drained and needing to eat - and Bella would be there, so she would turn into a vampire to save Edward. That didn't happen - so, I'm 1 for 1 in my predictions. Predicting what will happen is the only way I can detach myself enough (emotionally) so as not to get so mad/sad/forlorn, etc....yesterday and today were tough days for me! I have book #4 (on loan from Jfer), but not #3, so I'm off to the library to check it out just as soon as the kids are up from their nap. I am relieved to know there are only 4 books in the series, so I will have ultimate resolution to this saga.


Saturday, December 20, 2008 (bedtime)

Oh no! So I went to the library (the college library, mind you - because the city library has #3 checked out for the next decade)...the online card cat. said they have it...and It.Wasn't.On.The.Shelf. Horror. (Not unusual though...how many times was I confronted with the message "at the binder" when I finally found the perfect reference in college???) So, we head to 1/2 Price Books. Finding a specific book in that place is impossible...and I admit - I did not want to ask because I am sure I would blush a thousand capillaries to ask for a Young Adult book...although I could play it off that I was buying it as a gift, but I couldn't do it. So, we went to B&N where I discovered Eclipse is only in hardback and I could not bring myself to spend $20. I came home and e-requested it from the library (let them track it down/recall it from some other addict) and I'm waiting to be told that is is being held for me at the circulation desk. How will I survive???

2 Days Away

RJ and I were supposed to go to Memphis with M and B on Monday and come home on Thursday, but B had a family emergency and they were unable to go. RJ and I decided to go away for Monday night since Jfer was all lined up to stay with the kids. So, I booked a hotel room - at a new "aloft" hotel - that just opened 10 days earlier - and we headed out around 10 on Monday morning. It was cold everywhere - and I mean in the 20s and 30s cold...which is cold for us! We got to our hotel, checked in and headed to the super mall right nearby. We shopped a little, ate lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, and settled on seeing Four Christmases (don't bother), then met up with some friends for dinner. Meanwhile, it started sleeting.

We woke up Tuesday morning to school closings and reports of ice and accidents. So, we decided it not worth it to try to drive home in these conditions - with all of the overpasses on the interstate and all. We called Jfer and she said she could stay one more night. Since we are one of like 4 people staying at the hotel - no problem getting another night. We went to Dunkin Donuts because we don't have one at home and I LOVE their coffee... Then, we went in search of a fiber optic Christmas tree to put in LJ's room because I knew he'd love it. I figure CVS is probably the best place to get it, so we go in search of one. We do, indeed, find one at CVS, but we head to Target to look too. At Target we finish up shopping for the kids, but decide to buy the tree at CVS. Then, we head to La Madeline for mushroom soup and quiche for lunch. After an hour and a half browsing Ikea we head to the mall to read magazines at Barnes and Noble before our 5:20 showing of Quantum of Solace (don't bother). I also ran down to Gymboree to buy some tractor socks and into the Disney store to buy a t-shirt (for $5). After the movie, we went to Buca di Beppo for dinner...Chicken Saltimboca - soooo goooood! And back to the hotel room where we watched a House re-run.

Tuesday, we got out of bed and headed back to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and to get the cutest little donuts decorated like snowmen to take to the kids and then head home. We stopped to visit some family on the way home.

We were happy to see the kids and I think Jfer was happy we got home. LJ has been a bit of a menace since we got home. Lots of talking back and saying NO. He is currently in behavior boot camp.


Yesterday, we got the Christmas cards in the mail (if you don't get one and you are reading this - it is because I don't have your address!) and RJ put the lights on the house.

Today has been gym, grocery store, random cleaning and reading...I'm on book #2 of the Twilight series...I can see why teenage girls would like it.

December Catch Up...

LJ...

...is a fiend for Starfall.com - I am too amazed at how quickly he took to using the computer.

...is in sass-pot mode...which means it is time for boot camp!

...has taken to "sleeping like daddy" - which means in his underwear...no pajamas. This is fine except he doesn't like to sleep under the covers in his bed...so he is probably very cold. When I go to bed, I put a blanket over him, but I now he'd be more comfortable if he'd actually get in his bed!

PJ...

...was waking up from his naps crying his head off...and nothing would make him stop. I'm decided to put him down earlier and see if that helps...it had been like 2 weeks of this and I got tired of it.

...had been napping for an hour and a half...that, plus 10-11 hours at night is only 11.5 - 12.5 hours of sleep and Ferber and I agree that he should be getting 13.5 - 14. So, we decided to move lunch up to 11:30 and put him down for his nap at noon instead of 1:00...worked perfectly...he began napping for 3 hours and ceased to wake up in a terrible mood, BUT...he began waking FOR THE DAY at 4:40 AM. This was completely unacceptable.

...on day 2 of waking in the 4:00 am hour, we let him cry for 3 minutes, then RJ went in and patted him on the back, cry 4 minutes, patting, etc...and he went back to sleep until 7:30. According to Ferber - he is in an "early sleep cycle"...which means we keep his daytime routine the way we adjusted it and just treat the 4:40 wake up the way we would treat a night waking and do the cry/pat and it should work itself out within a week or two...amazing we knew what to do - pretty much.

...a couple of nights ago - PJ woke up crying at 11:30 -RJ went in there and patted him on the back and left. 10 minutes later - crying. After a couple of minutes, RJ went in, patted him and left. After 10 minutes - crying. (Each time, when RJ opened the door - PJ would stop crying) RJ went in and told him to lay down and go to sleep...PJ stopped crying and laid down. I was amazed that this worked...but, alas - 15 minutes later - crying. This cycle continued until 12:40. RJ never got him out of the crib and never stayed in his room for more than 15 seconds...it was actually kind of interesting. Then, PJ slept until 7:00. All in all, it was a pretty good night - compared to what had been the norm this week.

...did not take a very long nap yesterday - about and hour and a half, but he wasn't cranky when he woke up or up until bed time, so I was not too miffed about it. And - get this...he did not cry out AT ALL last night...and slept until 7:00. Hooray! Of course, I'll need a couple of nights to feel like all is right again.

...has grown 5" since March...oh my.

RJ...

...has concrete on the brain.

I...

...am a loser. I got out of my routine and I must get back into it. Since classes are over, I felt that I could "sleep-in" and go to the gym when I wake up...around 6 or 7, instead of 5. Clearly, I cannot do this or I don't end up going at all. Oddly, when I do go later - I feel kind of out of it because it isn't the regular people around...it is the 7:00 am people and I don't recognize them.

...went to the gym this morning - as a part of my fresh start.

...am addressing Christmas cards and making peanut brittle.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving 2008 - major enjoyment and major success.

Everyone (my brother and his family - including his son and his wife who live in London, my sister and her family and my mom - total of 19 people) began arriving Wednesday night - we went to Pei Wei for dinner. I had the Asian Chop Chicken Salad and it was sooo good, but I had odd dreams that night…one which involved a tornado that lifted the house up, spun it around and set it back down in the original place…but I remember thinking that the electricity would not work.

My alarm went off at 5:30 and I got up to meet my trainer at 6:00…yes, I worked out with my trainer at 6:00. There were about 5 people at the gym at that time. We worked arms and abs. I took my shower and got dressed and ready for the day – and home by 8:15. I consulted my very well-planned and very structured “to-do” list and schedule and got started on the day’s preparations.

Family began arriving around 10:00 am. Kids began playing and I was able to visit until 11:00 when my SIL and I headed to the store to pick up the deli trays (for a light lunch), drinks, ice and various other miscellaneous items. Once we got it all set up, it was buffet style for the light lunch of deli meats and cheeses, veggies and dip, chips and dip, cheese ball and super-yummy brownies and bar cookies that my niece brought. This year we set up to rented round tables in the living room and one kids’ table on the play porch – this allowed everyone to have a comfortable seat.

After lunch, PJ went down for his nap, but LJ stayed up and played with his cousins for a little while. Everyone just played so nicely and enjoyed each other’s company. I started the Thanksgiving dinner preparations and my sister and SIL pretty much did whatever I asked them to do. We made sweet potato casserole, dressing, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and croissants. RJ “cooked” the turkeys on the grill…they were pre-cooked turkeys, so we just had to warm them up for about 3 hours. Having them on the grill is such a great thing because it leaves my oven open! Much less to coordinate.

My plan was to have the croissants rising at 3:30 so we could play Turkey Bowl 2008 from 3:30 – 4:30. I ran about 20 minutes behind, so the game started late. For 5 years, we have played a family football game on Thanksgiving Day. The teams get divided up with people with my maiden name vs. people without my maiden name. This works because my brother has 6 kids; however, we have one of his kids and her husband on my team now! This year, in true fashion, was more elaborate than the year before…this is what happens every year. We now have a field painted on the grass, cones to mark the end-zones and team t-shirts. It was a hard-fought game – with much running back into the house to check the things in the oven, but for the first time, my team did not win. I have to hand it to my brother’s family – they really brought their A game (and their son and his wife from London).

After team photos, it was back to getting dinner on the table – which was planned for 5:00, but happened at 5:40…which is totally within tolerances for such a big feast! Everything was super-delicious (if I do say so myself)…we ate a leisurely dinner and then cleaned up (with lots of help) and prepared the home-made whipped cream to slather on our pumpkin and pecan pies – which my SIL brought. The kids continued to play, while the adults watched football and visited. Everyone was out the door to their respective sleeping locations (somehow, we ended up with no overnight house guests) and RJ and I watched a House on the DVR.

Friday morning, everyone arrived for brunch at 9:30 – yummy egg casserole, bacon (lots of bacon) and butter braids (my sister brought). We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and visiting as family began departing for home or other adventures for the day. We put the kids down for an early nap so that we could meet up with people for lunch at 2:00 and I put on the turkey remains to make stock.

We’ve pretty much been relaxing, cleaning up, and doing laundry ever since. All-in-all, I think this Thanksgiving has been the best yet! The food was good and I felt very organized…no new recipes…this menu is THE Thanksgiving Menu – this is what Thanksgiving at our house will be…food-wise. I enjoyed seeing everyone and I know LJ and PJ had a TERRIFIC time playing with their cousins.

Driveway Update

As of 7:45 Monday morning - no cement has been poured. Due to over-estimation of what could be accomplished by when, a bit of rain, etc. things have not gone according to plan (I, for one, am not surprised!). The hope is to get this one section formed up and level so that one truck can show up today and the workers can see how it goes. You know - how long it takes, how much attention the concrete needs, how often the concrete needs attention, etc. An experiment, really. This will only have a hope of happening if it doesn't rain anymore.

Driveway

So, you might remember that this time last year, RJ put a new garage in our backyard. Now, he is pouring the new driveway and parking area. This will be fantastic when it is finished, but RJ is doing this himself (with help this weekend from Grandpa and Uncle Bobby). Most people would hire someone to pour concrete - which I somehow convinced RJ to do with the slab for the garage. Watching that process only solidified RJ's conviction that he can sooo do this himself...and, of course, do a better job. Which, I have to admit - he probably can, but it makes everything take soooo muuuuch looooonger. It is MUCH less expensive though.

I now know more about concrete than I care to know. The hideous and tedious part of this process, from my perspective, is building the forms and laying the rebar...but, RJ has decided to use fiber reinforced concrete which means he does not have to use rebar - he can just build the forms out of wood. His main concern is...he has never worked with cement on such a large scale (it will take 6 cement trucks to carry all of the cement needed), so his is unsure if 3 people (RJ, Grandpa and Uncle Bobby) will be enough to work with everything in the time-sensitive time that things need to be done.

He is gathering supplies, renting tools, and rigging up tools (I think there is something being fashioned with the motor to the power washer), etc. They are going to finish the tractor work - leveling the base - and build and set-up the forms today and tomorrow (40% chance of rain tomorrow, but we're ignoring that) and pour the cement on Monday. RJ has even decided he is going to stamp a pattern into the driveway portion (not the parking portion - it will be smooth for basketball, bikes, remote-control cars, etc) and will apply a stain after it is all dried (a charcoal color) - fancy!

Here is the pattern we've decided to use (we were somewhat limited with which patterns the store has to rent). It is a slate pattern, which is kind of weird because you'd never use slate on something you were going to drive on - it isn't strong enough, but...

Happy Birthday LJ!

By this time 4 years ago - LJ had arrived!

Today has been a fun day. The boys went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast and then played in the Tahoe until I got home from work. I put LJ's birthday surprise together while the kids busied themselves with something. Then, we led LJ into his room to see his surprise...the queen-sized bed in his room is now HIS bed and it has a quilt with different kinds of trucks on it - with pillow shams to match. He is pretty excited about it. He was happy to open the birthday mail he received yesterday while sitting on his new bed.

After lunch, he wanted to help me make his cupcakes and then he was excited to get to take a nap in his new bed.

We are meeting up with Jfer and Mawmaw at 5:00 to celebrate Jfer getting her ring and then LJ and I are going to help 2 of his babysitters celebrate getting their rings. LJ gets to stay up late for this - he is most excited.

Tomorrow is a big day as we prepare for his party. We also have a tailgate party to attend before his birthday party, so tomorrow will be another fun-filled day for LJ.

Preparing

We are preparing for LJ's birthday - I can't believe my baby is going to be 4 this Friday. How is this possible? He requested a Mickey Mouse theme and when I've asked again, just to be sure he doesn't think he said something else, he says, "I already told you, Mickey Mouse". So, there you go. (He does seem to have a bit of an attitude lately - I can only begin to imagine what 7th grade will be like if this is the attitude he's giving at age "almost 4")

It is not as easy to find Mickey Mouse party supplies as you might think. Minnie Mouse - not so much of a problem, but Mickey - a bit on the tough side. For example, the bakery has no Mickey Mouse cake themes, so we are going to have to do it on our own. RJ and I settled on cupcakes with some frosted in chocolate and some in cream cheese so we can arrange theme into a Mickey face. I did find plates, napkins, and goody bags in a Mickey theme and the kids can wear their Mickey Mouse ears from Disney World. There are just a few family members coming over, which is all LJ needs to have the time on his life.

Every commercial he sees and every circular that comes in the mail - if it advertises a toy, LJ asks if he can have it for his birthday...to which I reply, we already have something for you for your birthday. I think he'll like it too - I'll wait until after his birthday to tell you about it - that way, I can include his reaction.

PJ is talking more and more. When he falls down he says, "I ok" - if he doesn't say it, we ask, "are you ok?" to which he replies, "Yase" (he says yes, with a bit of a long "a" sound). He is very interested in pointing out your nose, eyes, hair, and teeth. If he does not want something he shakes his head and says "No". He opens the refrigerator and gets things out - usually his milk cup, but sometimes salad dressing or jello. He and LJ love to chase each other around the house - and this gets very noisy. I am trying to let them have fun without getting onto them all the time, but that is a struggle for me...I prefer less acting crazy, but they are kids and they are playing nicely.

Three Evil Words

Daylight
Saving(s)
Time

I think it has ended and we are back on Standard Time? - whatever, it doesn't really matter if we are on it or off of it...either way has evil issues. Clearly, Benjamin Franklin did not have young children when he conceived this idea. Needless to say, there is early morning rising and it is not making RJ happy. I am out of the house by 5:20, so I'm not bothered by the waking, but I find that I am ready for bed at 7:30 - yet LJ seems to never tire.

I.Don't.Like.It.

Halloween Recap

Wednesday night, there was a Halloween party on campus, so we dressed the kids in their costumes. LJ was a cowboy and PJ was a train engineer. They were so cute and so excited about the party. Of course, parking was a bear, but we found a spot and saw tons of kids in costumes on our way to the building. LJ demanded to be held because there was a skeleton costume that scared him.

He is just like his mother - I can remember screaming and screaming and crying because of this one kid in a scary mask who was trick-or-treating on our block...I was probably about 4. The thing I did not realize is that *I* was wearing that same mask! One of my sisters took great joy in torturing me by placing that mask around the house for weeks after Halloween. I'd innocently walk into the living room and look up to see the mask sitting on top of the lamp - and scream my head off. I still do not like scary movies or costumes. Who knew it was genetic?

We were at the party for about 10 minutes when the fire alarm went off and we had to leave the building. This happens frequently - enough that no one ever really thinks there is a fire. You know, students have exams and they can get out of it by pulling the alarm. Or, a balloon gets in front of the sensor, so the alarm goes off. So, the party was over for us, but we got to see a fire truck! Thursday night we had 10 students over for dinner. I dreaded it, but I as always ended up enjoying it. Plus, we got a clean house out of the deal. It seems impossible to keep up with everything one wants to keep up with in life.

Friday, once again, we dressed the kids in their costumes and went to campus as there are several residence halls (dorms, but the university doesn't want to call them that anymore) that were hosting trick-or-treaters. The best was a dorm that RJ lived in during college. If a room was participating, there was an orange paper on the door - the kids knocked and a student answered and said, "Ohhhh - they are so cute." - If they were girls, they would make these remarks. And students give tons of candy - good candy too. Add that to the candy I bought for trick-or-treaters (not thinking that we wouldn't be home to answer the door) and we have way more candy than is possible to eat.

I went to the gym 5 days last week...thank goodness.

Back to Normal?

This week, we are hoping to be back to normal. I am going to resume my 5:00 am daily trip to the gym and the boys are going to resume their nap schedules...today they were quiet (and asleep, I think) from 1:00 - 4:00, so this is a good start.

This past weekend, LJ and I went on a little trip all by ourselves - to visit with my message board moms. One mom, who lives in Australia, came over on "holiday" with her family. She and her family have spent almost 3 weeks in various parts of the country - mostly staying with moms from the board. This past weekend - we had a play date and LJ and I picked up one mom at the airport and then stayed at a hotel. LJ had a blast and it was great fun to have a special trip together. He was super well-behaved and had so much fun playing with the other 15 or so kids.

I think we are all at the tail-end of sickness. LJ still coughs as do I, but PJ seems cured. RJ is at the start of his coughing, but he doesn't seem to have been as hard hit as I was.

October

October has been a rough month at the J house. It started with such positive energy as I bit the bullet and joined a gym. My master plan is to get up at 5:00 am and get to the gym by 5:30 - work out for an hour and then shower and head to work. This worked super-well on T Sept 30 and W Oct 1. Throughout the day on W Oct 1 - I developed a sore throat and started to feel worse and worse. Oh, and DOMS set in - delayed onset muscle soreness. So, I felt I should take is easy and not workout on R Oct 2. I figured I just has a cold and it would pass quickly if I gave myself some rest.

F Oct 3 - S Oct 5 was the annual Pokerpalooza and, while I was sick, I had a great time. I really enjoyed that people brought their kids - it was nice to interact as families. I had a babysitter both nights, so RJ and I could play poker and hang out until 1:00 - which was not good for my resting plan. I developed a cough...no congestion, no runny nose - just a cough.

M Oct 6 - now I had congestion and a hacking cough. I was not feeling better, so I stuck with the resting. Plus, I had a workout with my personal trainer on Tuesday (3 sessions came with the fee to join) and I wanted to be rested for that. I was not feeling particularly well, but I went to meet Brandi Tuesday afternoon anyway. She worked me out pretty hard - I felt like throwing up...she told me this is actually normal and that many men actually do throw up during her sessions. Who knew this was normal? I suppose people who work out know this.

As the week progressed - I kept getting a little more sick and not much better...and now the kids are sick.

So, this has been October at the J house.

Ross "Chest"

When I got home from work this morning, LJ and RJ had the checkers/chess/backgammon box out. RJ had been trying - with some success - to teach LJ how to play checkers. So, I sat down with LJ while RJ went to get ready for work. LJ wanted to play "the other game" - which I discovered is chess and not backgammon. LJ told me, "Ross likes to play chest" and that he wanted to play "chest" too. I showed him how to set up the pieces, but I told him that I think chess is a bit complicated for a 3-year-old...maybe we could play "LJ chess"? He said, "no, I want to play "Ross 'Chest'". So, I attempted to show him how the difference pieces are allowed to move and then LJ agreed 'chest' is too much for a 3-year old, "but maybe I can play 'chest' when I'm 4"?!

Weekend Recap:

Saturday night: I’ll spare you the details, but I left the garage door open. When RJ went to "lock down the house" and checked to make sure the garage door was down, well…he opened the door from the kitchen to the garage to find a possum in our garage. Sick out. Our garage is FULL of stuff - no car could park there, so this possum has plenty of places to hide without leaving. RJ tried to chase him out, but the possum crawled behind some stuff. In the end, RJ opened the garage door just a bit, to give the possum a way to get out and that was that. Let me just say that I will not be going in the garage EVER again.

Sunday: I decided that I'm fairly certain that it is time to start moving PJ toward 1 nap a day. He takes the morning nap with zero problems, but the afternoon nap is becoming a rarity - I'd say he's taken one for me about 25% of the time in the past 2 weeks. So, I'm ready to intervene and start moving his morning nap back by 10-15 minutes every couple of days until he's napping at around 11:30. He'll probably need an earlier bedtime too, but he has been getting that lately - considering he has been up from about 11:30 am until bedtime for the past 2 weeks. Of course, Sunday morning, he woke up at 6:15 and was a crank-pot all morning. In his defense, he is sprouting his bottom molars, so I suppose that is a reason for crankiness. I thought, "There is no way we were even going to make it to his normal nap time of between 9:30 and 10:00, but we went outside and helped RJ clean up his garage. PJ was covered in dirt and chalk, so I gave him a bath before I put him down at 10:15. He slept until noon and did not take an afternoon nap. I still tried, but he didn’t sleep.

We bought the kids new shoes for the colder months. LJ's are a size 12 and they look so big. This is the part that is hard for me...seeing the shoes get bigger. It is just such a sign they are growing up. PJ’s are a size 8 super-wide…for reference, LJ wore a 6.5 at PJ’s age. They do both seem to love their new shoes.

After shoe shopping, we went out to lunch and the boys got haircuts before their naps. Neither of them slept. RJ then took LJ to the hardware store and LJ fell asleep in the car. So, RJ drove around for about 20 minutes to let LJ get a little cat-nap in. The boys went to bed at 7:30.