Embracing Life

Tomorrow is my sixth wedding anniversary.  We had the chance to celebrate a little early this year.  A couple of weeks ago, when we were in Chicago for Keith, we stopped at Navy Pier for lunch at: We love this place because of New Orleans.  We spent our honeymoon in New Orleans in Oct/Nov. 2004.  (Side note: nothing beats Halloween on Bourbon Street!)  Anyflasher, we ate at Bubba Gumps three times while we were there.  It was awesome food and great service.  We had planned on going back for our first wedding anniversary, which took place weeks after Katrina hit.  So we had to improvise.  Keith remembered that there was a Bubba Gumps restaurant at Navy Pier, so we went there that day.  To celebrate not only our first year of marriage, but also the fact that I had taken a pregnancy test that morning and it was positive! ;) So now, five years later, we were back to celebrate six years of marriage.  This sign is no indication of h...

The kids have been reading all the new toy catalogs that seem to magically appear in our mailbox around this time of year.  Currently, they are carrying around one that is just brimming with toys they must have. Connor really really really wants Dance Star Mickey:   He comes with a price tag of $60.  I've tried explaining to Connor that we already have Mickey Hot Dog Dancer: but I was told that he only sings "Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog", therefore he is not good enough anymore. Connor also wants a new Buzz.  I reminded him that he got Buzz for his birthday and barely ever plays with him.  He responded with, "I play with him every day, just not today." Keira loves Dora.  She saw the ultimate Dora house for a grand total of $70.  Furniture, dolls, and accessories come separatly at $6 or $10 a pop.  She told me that Nana is buying it for her.  I said, "Sounds good to me!" She also said that she wants a Princess Belle ...

It's raining today - or it was when I left for work.  Which means I finally got to wear my new rain boots!!!

Your regularly scheduled blog post has been interrupted for this true scary story. Last night, Keith and I were watching TV last night, when the toilet in our bathroom flushed on its own.  Well it didn't really flush, more like gurgled, but I think it just sounds spookier saying it flushed on its own.  Keith went to investigate, while I stayed behind.  It did it again, only this time water spurted up.  Which reminded me of the scene towards the end of The Lost Boys where one of the vamps gets killed in the tub of Holy Water, then the sink and toilets start exploding... Turns out, it's the sewer line. Nothing says have a good night's sleep after calling Roto Router at 10 p.m. at night.  Here's where things get really scary: The guy's camera shows total blockage in our sewer line in the middle of our yard from tree roots.  (Our neighborhood is notorious for this.)  And the sewer line closest to our house is broken.  Which means:  our ...

I've said before that my kids are weird. Lately, after baths, I will take Colin into his room (he's usually the first one who wants to get out of the tub).  He is wrapped in a towel and has learned from his older brother that if he tells me he is cold, I will snuggle up with him to warm him up. Well now, he also says: "baby".  Which means, I get to hold him like a baby and rock him, while singing "Rock-a-bye Baby".  But instead of baby, I have to use his name.  And at the part of the song where the bough breaks and the cradle falls, I have to make a largely dramatic impression of me falling over on the "baby".  Odd, but he loves it.  And Keira and Connor line up patiently for their turns as well.  Of course, like a minute later, they stop being babies and start running around like naked, screaming banshees while I'm yelling at them to get back in the room and get some clothes on. However, for that one brief moment of time, I get to rock...

This past weekend, Keith took part in the Mens Health Urbanathlon. After he started the race, there wasn't much for me to do but walk around Chicago, waiting for him to come back my way.  But one of the fun things I did get to see was this: The "motivational" speaker for the race (basically the guy who said, "WAVE 6, GO!") was none other than AC Slater himself.  Now I always preferred Zach, but it was still fun to see Slater.  Kind of exciting to be up that close with a heartthrob from my past.

I read a blog recently that talked about food.  The mom was very careful to say she buys farm-fresh food, only organic fruits and veggies, blah blah blah.  Then she added how she fed her child a hot dog.  But she couldn't just say hot dog.  She had to specify it was nitrate free, turkey based, something or other. But why? Who cares? Is she so afraid of being judged for giving her child a real hot dog that she must waste precious words of her post making it damn clear that it was a super-healthy hot dog? Let me stand up and be the first to say I feed my kids real hot dogs.  Well all-beef ones, but still.  I didn't cloth diaper, not because I don't care about the environment, but because I'm lazy, and it's gross to me.  However, I am planning on buying some cloth pull-ups because it's cheaper......... I didn't exclusively breast-feed, and my kids turned out fine. My kids have ketchup almost every night at dinner. My kids eat McDonalds. ...

Far off in a field, in central Illinois, there lies a patch of pumpkins of the magical kind.    No one knows where they come from; they appear every October, yet no one ever plants a seed. Rare in nature is the person who finds this field.  It is said that only those with a touch of magick in their hearts can find this place.  As you walks delicately through the vines, you cannot help but feel a slight tremor upon nearing this particular pumpkin:  Stooping down to take a peek, you hear the faint humming of a song... What could that be? A party? A celebration? A wedding! The guests are arriving: The bouquet is prepared: Guests are seated: The "best men" take their places:  And now, the moment they've all been waiting for.... Let the celebration begin! But first, a wedding blessing: Deep peace of the running wave to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. Deep peace of the ...

I haven't been a good blogger this week - I was lucky enough to catch the stomach flu earlier this week.  But here are a few random things from the past couple of weeks: Colin, my little non-speaker, said "Wub you" to me recently.  So sweet. Keira, my little chatter-box, now tells her brother to "Go Away", when he bothers her. Connor has apparently lost his hearing.  It comes and goes though. If you tell him to stop doing something, he can't hear you and continues to do it.  If you whisper, "who wants a donut?", suddenly it's a miracle and his ears work again. Last night, I went to Party City and got Connor his Buzz Lightyear costume for Halloween.  For weeks, he had been saying he wanted to be Curious George (that's what he was last year).  Then suddenly on Tuesday night, he said he just HAD to be Buzz.  Luckily PC still had costumes in stock.  Unfortunately, the jet pack is sold separately.  My justification for spending $...

I've never played along with Thankful Thursday , but I thought I'd give it a try.  Especially since today has turned into one of those days I'd like to start over and it's not even 9 a.m. Today I am thankful for: 3 healthy kids who went to daycare/school (don't jinx, don't jinx, don't jinx). a husband who is a wonderful father. the crisp Autumn breeze that greeted me this morning. the cafe in my building makes an awesome pumpkin pie latte.  being able to take a sick day on Tuesday when I really needed it. great weather last weekend that allowed us to play outside literally all day Saturday. the great forecast for Saturday, because I'm going to Chicago to support Keith in the Men's Health Urbanathlon .  (Although for the record, I think he's nuts for doing it. *smile*) ***EDIT - about 10 minutes after posting, daycare called to say...... Keira fell down the stairs and landed on a bench.  So let's add one more to the list.  I'm so...

I went on my first-ever cemetery walk on Wednesday night.  It a local cemetery, and as we walked around, we were greeted by four "dead" people who gave us a history lesson on the town.  It was a lot of fun.  This isn't the first cemetery I've visited for fun, but this is the first time I've felt so at peace in one.  Obviously this one wasn't truly haunted.  Years ago, I was able to visit a haunted cemetery.  It's located outside of Chicago, and is called Bachelors Grove Cemetery.  http://www.bachelors-grove.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor's_Grove_Cemetery I've never scanned my pictures (I visited before the days of digital cameras), but there were some weird things on the pictures.  There were glowing balls on some of my pictures.  Whether or not it was ghosts or just a trick of the setting sun, you cannot help but feel unsettled as you roam through the cemetery.  This amazing photograph was taken at Bachelo...

Now that it actually feels like fall (a couple of weeks ago, it was still in the 80-degree area), I'm just so darn happy. ;)  Autumn is my favorite time of year.  Here are 10 reasons why: Pumpkin spice latte Beautifully colored leaves  Rocket Dog Sweater Boots - but mine are brown.  Sooooo comfy!  Pumpkins! And of course - pumpkin pie! Decorating the house Our wedding anniversary is the day before Halloween   Our wedding cake toppers - I put them out every year  Halloween   Dressing up (Halloween 2009)  Can you see why this is my most favorite time of year? This post was brought to you by Working Mommy Wednesday's prompt to list your Top Ten anything!