Toddler steps (frown)

It's official.  The crib has been taken out of Reagan's bedroom today.  He showed me how cool he though it was that he could hike his little leg over the side.  He also showed us that he can climb over child gates, particularly the one going into this sister's bedroom.  He thinks he's hot stuff now that he has complete access to all her prized possessions (minus the crayons, pens and markers).  Madison, on the other hand, does not think this is so great.  

I am excited that he is now sleeping in the big bed but I am also a little sad.  It just shows how big he is getting and how quickly he is growing into a big boy.  I did get to rock him to sleep tonight so that was wonderful, rocking my children to sleep is the best moment on earth for me.  

Dad spent the day putting the tv from our bathroom into his bedroom so that we can use movies to help him stay in bed.  Some people say that putting tvs in their children's bedrooms is a terrible "parenting technique."  These people must enjoy the hobby of spending 2 hours each night putting their screaming toddler back into their beds time after time.  I know Suppernanny would not approve but my theory is that as long as it isn't used every night and they aren't watching tv all day long, it's fine.  Children can also learn a lot from appropriate movies/tv as well.  

We still use the high chair, bottles and pacifiers so those are the next things to go.  I don't remember the move out of the crib being this hard for me with Madison but maybe it was because I knew I would get to do it again.  

Hello weekend

So I went to work this morning with high expectations of being very productive and getting a lot done.  I have many estates that are ready to be closed, a handful of new estates being opened and miscellaneous project in between.  Lets just say it was a crazy day and by the time I blinked it was already 12:00.  I stayed until 1:00 to get a little more done.  I guess I'll just have to try and relax over the weekend and go in on Monday with a clear head and a good to-do list.  I love being busy but not crazy busy.  I think if I get a good to-do list going and stick to it, it will be fine by Tuesday.

So, on the way home I decided to celebrate the end of the work week by eating a Whopper.  Yup, a whole one.  Don't know if I'll ever do that again but it was good.  I think my life is now a tish bit shorter by consuming that many calories in one sitting but I felt I deserved it today!  

Tonight Madison has a birthday party so Reagan and I will hang out in town for 2 hours.  Last night they went to a drop off daycare for a little over an hour so I could go to a reception for paralegals.  They loved the drop off daycare (who also fed them supper) and I won $50 at the reception!  I am one of the unlucky ones who never wins door prizes so I was pretty excited.

Ben is an usher in a wedding this weekend but I don't know that I'll have a chance to go with him.  Just some R&R and house cleaning for a few days.  

Sunny days...

sending the clouds away.  Hello summer.  

A special message to my co-workers....I just wanted to let you know that I missed you all dearly this afternoon.  My job as a mother is tough but someone has to do it.  This afternoon was awful, we were at the swimming pool and it was only 86 degrees and sunny :o)  

Oops!

Sorry all who read this - I normally don't go over a week between posts.  I guess we've been enjoying the sun and nice weather too much.  And honestly, not too much has been happening.  

I am an NBC victim these next few months.  I love Nashville Star, America's Got Talent and am looking forward to Celebrity Family Feud.  

My dirty children are in the tub and I just heard my son making it a jacuzzi, if you use your imagination you'll understand.  Don't know what he ate :o)  Needless to say, his sister is disgusted.  Early to bed for both of them, Madison's ears are in need of a tune up.  

We have a big change coming up in a few weeks.  Madison and Reagan will be moving to a christian daycare/preschool here in Horace.  And come September there will be a daycare bill for only one child :o)  Yeah!!!  Reagan's been at his current daycare for a little over a year and Madison at hers for 3 1/2 years.  It will be nice having Reagan close to Madison when she starts school this fall.  

Happy Birthday Madison!

My baby girl turned six today!  I can't believe how much she has grown up, especially in the past two years.  It is so much fun watching her discover how to handle situations on her own, play with her brother, help me around the house and just learn about life through the eyes of a six year old.  Her new challenge is learning how to golf.  Daddy got her a set just for her.  She's only been on the course two times but seems to like it.  

Yesterday we had a party at Skateland for her friends.  It was a lot of fun and great that I didn't have to cook or clean for it.  All the little girls loved it when Ben got on the rink in skates.  He had four to six girls hanging off his arms and falling on purpose.  And the best part was that my mom and I each got to eat two hot dogs - they are very good there.  She got many new barbies so she was very excited.  Tonight she is spending the night at Grandma Tammies so that made her day.  

Reagan on the other hand did not care for skating.  The second we put the skates on his shoes, he screamed.  That's probably ok, he goes fast enough without wheels on the bottom of his feet.  His other highlight this weekend was working our water machine.  Not quite sure how we'll handle that one yet.  

So, heres to the start of a quiet week.  No parties or big events so this mommy is excited to spend time at home with the kids and getting caught up on the cleaning and laundry.  

Relaxation

6:30 am - wake up with kids and head to work by 7:30

1:00 pm - pick up both kids and be to the clinic by 1:20

1:20 pm - Madison's checkup, keep her from crying about her finger poke, chase Reagan around the clinic, keep Reagan from eating chalk

2:40 pm - race bad storm home, run in the house and sit in the basement for 20 minutes

3:00 pm - spend 30 minutes getting Madison to get ready for swimming lessons and get Reagan out of bed just as he is falling asleep for his nap

4:00 pm - drop off Madison at swimming lessons

4:10 pm - drop off Madisons potty sample at the clinic

4:20 pm - return to swimming lessons to watch Madison for 10 minutes

4:30 pm - swimming is done, try to keep Reagan out of pool and showers while trying to convince Madison to get dressed for gymnastics

4:45 pm - stop at McDonalds for a Happy Meal

5:15 pm - register Madison and Reagan for gymnastics, yes, both of them

5:30-6:30 pm - Boot camp for moms, chasing toddlers around the gym for an hour, jumping on the trampoline with them, jumping in a very large foam pit after them, chase them around some more, jump on another trampoline, run back to the foam pit as many times as it takes to catch Reagan, prove to self how honestly out of shape I am, wish chiropractor wasn't on vacation!

7:00 pm - arrive home and feed children second dinner of the night, waffles and ice cream

7:30 pm - bath time

Now to fit in bed time, ironing Madison's T-Ball shirt for tomorrow, pick up the house for tomorrow's baby shower, make shopping list for baby shower and Madison's birthday party on Saturday

I am used to coming home from work at 1:30 and spending the afternoon/evening at home with the kids.  Today was a little much.  Did I mention it has been raining cats and dogs and blowing cows and semis all afternoon?  

Congratulations Ben!

He kicked butt in the election!  Not once did he fall from the number 1 spot.  Three people all went on the same yard signs campaigning together (which I don't necessarily agree with) and he was able to come out on top of them.  The apples did the trick!  And of course my husband's wisdom and charm didn't hurt any :o)  He put a lot of effort in this campaign and it proves that hard work and determination really does pay off.  

Here's the final results:

Ben Koppelman 2,800+ votes (21% of the vote)

Next board member (18% of the vote)

Last board member (16% of the vote)

There were seven people running for three seats including two incumbents.   The majority of our community is upset at how things have been handled in the past and so we were not too surprised that there are new faces on the board.  

Congratulations Ben!  I'm happy for you and welcome to politics.  

Criminal charges

So, my son is a criminal.  We were eating at Perkins this morning before church.  Because he doesn't sit down, he was standing in the booth.  He had previously made toddler conversation with the two men in the booth behind us.  Before I know it Reagan had turned around again but wasn't talking.  Instead he took his fork and jabbed it into the man's shoulder.  Needless to say I was embarrassed.  All was fine but I would file that under simple assault with a fork by a toddler.  Sorry to the stranger in the Roseville Perkins!  

While we were in Mpls for Caleb's dedication, Reagan decided he would feel under the weather.  Looking back it has proven that every time we plan to go out of town, one of the kids gets sick.    Last night I put him to bed around 10:00.  I had no sooner fallen asleep and I heard Reagan cry.  Ok, it was a scream and it continued for over 2 hours, no break.  Not just a cry, but an all out scream/howl/yell.  About six hours worth and in a hotel to top it off.  I was pretty sure the hotel security was  going to knock on the door to see if anything was wrong.  The good thing was that we had a suite so the living room was separate from the bedroom.  Reagan and I camped out in the living room so Ben and Madison could sleep.  He would not let me put him down.  Holding him did not calm him and laying him down wasn't any better.  I finally pushed all the furniture out of the way and laid pillows on the floor.  He rolled around crying on and off for the rest of the night.  It was awful and I felt so terrible that I couldn't help him.  

We left Mpls early and I was able to get him to the clinic thinking that his ear tubes were blocked.  They weren't.  Ears are clear, throat is clear, nose is clear, chest sounds great.  Dr said it's probably a bug or a touch of the flu since all of my family has had it in the past two weeks.  Poor babe.  Of course when we got home from the clinic he decided he was going to eat and perk up a bit.  One of those doctor visits that you realize was a complete waste of time and money.  I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't something wrong that I could help him with.  He's in bed now and I am praying I can get at least 6 hours of sleep tonight.  3 hours, on and off, most of it lying on a hard hotel floor with a thrashing toddler just doesn't cut it for me.   Sleep number here I come.  

Busy week this week, election on Tuesday, Madison's six year check up on Wednesday, Madison's first filling on Thursday, baby shower on Thursday night, Madison's birthday party Friday night, Madison's Skateland party for her friends on Saturday and Madison's real birthday and Father's Day on Sunday.  I was supposed to be at a seminar these next two nights in Mpls for work but Ben couldn't watch the kids with the election on Tuesday.  Looking at this schedule I am glad that I had to stay behind.  

We had a great time seeing baby Caleb for the first time.  I only wish we had a little more time but it was a hectic weekend.  How awesome it is to hold a newborn again!  We are trying to soak in as much Grandma Lois as we can before she has to go back to Indiana on Saturday.  

A new day

Now that I have gotten over my Travelocity mess, we're off to the hotel tomorrow.  I actually found a better price on Priceline and then Travelocity matched it which was good considering the prior mess.  

Tonight we are celebrating Madison's birthday early with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Bill at Space Aliens.  She will be six next Sunday.  However at this particular moment in time she is having a crying tantrum next to me because she is absolutely convinced that the wind is going to blow over one of our little trees and ruin her swing set.  I don't know how her brother is sleeping through it.  Aargh.  Eventually she'll cry herself to sleep because one can't reason with her and get her to settle down when she is like this.  I could threaten no Space Aliens but then she'd only cry more.  It is a rare occasion she is like this, I think that she is short on sleep and missing the routine of school.  

The big election is next week.  Don't forget to vote!  They ran an article in our paper today and Ben's apple yard signs got the thumbs up.

Oh, and after three months of trying to get away for 30 minutes by myself - I got my hair cut!  Little things make me happy!  

Congratulations Andrea on your new job!

Enjoy your vacation Darrin and Kristina!  

Deal?

Have you used Travelocity?  If you haven't - don't.  It is a big joke and the majority of their room rates aren't any less than what you can get directly from the hotel.  And the best part is that if you have to call customer service you get transferred half way around the world to someone who doesn't understand you and you can't understand a word they are staying.  It is the most awful experience I have ever had when making any hotel reservation - EVER EVER EVER.  And be careful of travel agents, but that's a whole separate post for a separate day.  Let's just say the one we used is being charged with eight counts of theft of property for charging people's credit cards and not making reservations for them. 

Ok, I'm done venting.

Diet, me?

Yup.  What do you get when you cut out high fructose corn syrup from a diet (or at least drastically reduce the amount of intake) - my new diet.  What does that mean?  Pop, processed foods, much of fast food, hamburger helper, frozen dinners - bye bye.  What can I eat since all those are basically my normal meals?  I don't know yet but I'm working on it.   I grew up on meals in a box so thinking outside the box and not being too boring is challenging.  Any recipes would be greatly appreciated!  I have always been proud of the fact that I can eat whatever I want and still weigh about the same but in my upper 20s, weight isn't everything.  I need to be healthy too.  I must thank my mom for my current meal plan.  When she was pregnant with the twins, we would eat at Taco Bell at 9:00 am.  When I was pregnant with Reagan, I would get a hot dog from the gas station at 9:00 am.  Now 9:00 am?  Fruit.  

And for those of you who know me well, know that I HATE fish (and wild game).  Not just a dislike but I don't cook it, I don't smell it and I certainly don't entertain the idea of eating it.  But on the agenda to help with this change in diet is (yuck) fish oil pills (gross).  Dr. Gillette, I know you are the expert but fish oil pills?  Aren't there things like chicken oil pills or soy bean oil pills?  Anything but fish!  I'm willing to try it but the first taste of fish I am afraid it's over.  

But really, this should be a good thing and will help keep me healthier and hopefully feeling better and less sore.  Anytime I sleep anywhere other than my bed or if one of the kids sleeps with us, I feel awful the next day.  I am excited to see what this does for the last few baby pounds as well.  

Keep you posted!

New tricks

So I spent my day off cleaning and watching Food Network.  Did you know that:

1.  Many of the cling wrap and foil boxes have little tabs at the end that you can push in to keep the rolls from jumping out of the box when you use them?  Check it out, even the store brands have them.  

2.  Cooking bacon in the oven is the best.  In a 375 oven, on a broiler pan try it - it is the best.  Less mess than frying it and more healthy too.  I used a thin sliced bacon, not sure how well it would work with a thick slice.  

Back to work tomorrow.  Reagan's daycare was closed today so it was a day off for mom.  Good thing because either Madison or my mom gave me the flu yesterday.  Thanks for sharing!