School Year's Eve

 

Oh, Thank you, Jesus....school begins tomorrow!  

It's been a wonderful summer, and I am not complaining that CPS starts after Labor Day.  

 But I gotta say, after Kate's 13th whine today about not having anyone to play with, I felt SOOO ready for school to begin tomorrow.  

We ended summer with a long, easy and relaxed vacation at my in-laws home in Amelia Island, Florida.  

Friends joined us as we splashed in the pool... 

boogied in the waves....

played endless games of euchre and drank smoothies (pina coladas for the grown ups!) and even played "4th of July" on a rainy afternoon...

Nope, can't complain..... 

Our trip then took us to visit family in Rumson, NJ for Grandpa Jack's 90th young birthday.  

Doesn't he look spry?

 We had great time with the family and took in some great post Earl waves at the Sea Bright Beach Club, and cruised the Navasink River in Ben's boat.  

Life was good!  

Back to reality today as I washed loads of vacation clothes, organized school packs & lunches, bought groceries, filled out school forms, created new chore posters for the kids and mentally planned the month.  I needed to feel a teensy bit organized as we hit the ground running tomorrow.  

The kids were bored and picking at each other, Tom was tired and crabby, himself, so I put Kate in the bath for an early drift toward bed.  After I read her a book and tucked her in, Jack appeared, wet from the shower, wrapped in a towel.  

I bought him his first deodorant (some healthy one from Whole Foods), since his pits have started to emanate an odor not lovely.  He was quite excited to step into this new form of manliness and he asked me if it was okay to apply the deodorant if he was still wet.  

So cute!  

He left to dry his pits and reattempt the deodorant application & to put on jammies while I slipped down the hall to paint my nails and toes....a minor indulgence after a long day...  

I went downstairs, expecting him to be hanging with his dad, which he was not.  Tom found him, fast asleep in bed, at 7:30.  

Holy Crap!  

I was hoping for an early bedtime the night before school, but this was a full-on miracle!!  

Let's hope this extra sleep makes for happy kids in the morning.....  

Thank you, Summer....It was a blast!

Gratitude

This post has been completed with no photos, for pictures can't really describe the last two days.  I am about to fall into bed and fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.  However, I felt compelled to share the events of the last two days before said unconsciousness commences.

Yesterday was to be a big day...

American Girl day!!  

Kate was selected for a Winter photo shoot for their website.  We traversed to Madison, WI a few weeks ago for an audition, and by gum, she was chosen.  So, yesterday, we rose early and drove the 3 hours north to a photo studio in Madison.  

Kate was in a great mood on the way up and we practically skipped into the studio.  She has had a few other modeling gigs before and knows the score.  

We were met with the stylist who started the makeup hair portion of the deal.  I sat with other moms and waited.  

Soon, Kate appeared in a cute American Girl jammie set, but she looked wide eyed, 

in not a good way.  

The stylist gave me a warning look and all of a sudden Kate was in my arms, saying she was too shy to get in from of the camera.  

What?!  

The studio has a large, dark room, brightly lit in the center with the paper and a doll cradle with a baby wearing the same jammies.  Lots of people were in the periphery, so I can see where it might be a little intimidating.  

But this was AMERICAN GIRL...her break!  Girls who do well here come back.... a lot.  

Well, I pleaded, bribed, cajoled, you name it and NOPE, she was done.  I got that sick feeling in my stomach and there was nothing I could do to convince my 4 year old to do her job.  

Humiliated, we packed up and drove the 3 hours home.  So, I sucked it up, had a beer and got over it.  

Little did I know day 2 would challenge me even further....

We woke at 5:45 this am, all packed and ready to fly to Amelia Island, FL for a 2 week stay at my in-law's vacation home.  We have been so looking forward to an end of summer respite.  

Tom drove us to O'Hare and after a turtle's pace security line, we were at the gate.  

American changed the gates, but I was not privy and we MISSED the FLIGHT!  

Again, sickness at the pit of my stomach as I was told the next flight was 4 hours later on STANDBY.  

I did not pack enough food for these ravenous monkeys, how would I entertain them for THAT LONG??  I've got to hand it to my kids.. in time of crisis, they stepped up and were angels.  

We finally boarded the next plane and flew with a small delay to Jacksonville.  Headed to the American Baggage Claim office to be met with a laminated sign..."Gone, but back in 10 minutes".    

You have GOT to be kidding me!  

We finally retrieved our bag and found a kind taxi driver who drove us the hour toward Amelia.  

Oops, the main road is closed due to construction....  

So we get to the house after four wheeling it through a woods to find a passable road.  I get into the garage, but cannot, for the life of me get the combination lock to the house key open.  

Several swear words and two calls to Tom later, I get that thing open, unlock the house to find that the power is out.  In the miliseconds between opening the garage door the power went out due to the recent rain storm.    

I opened the garage fridge to find Sophia Coppola cans of champagne.  I chugged one before finding out Tom's aunt and uncle were also in town for the weekend.  

So there is a silver lining to this surreal day...dinner with family and a few drinks thrown in.  

I can only hope tomorrow is blessedly uneventful.....

Air & Water Show....

 

Maybe it's my optimistic, sometimes naive nature that makes me believe that an outing I find exciting will excite my kids, too.  I mean, Jack has been to the annual Chicago Air & Water Show every year since he was 2.  He loves jets and planes and stuff.  

My dad is an aviation buff; he had his pilot's license and recently did some aerobatics in a plane with an instructor.  He wanted to see the air show this year and I am all too eager to have some quality time with my pop.  

I figured a day at the lake with him and the kids should be fun, right?  

Well....it was fun, for the most part.  

I packed lots of water on ice, food, toys, chairs and an umbrella to make sure most complaints were arrested.  We needed a pack mule or camel to assist us with the load as we lumbered aboard the CTA bus headed east.  

What I sometimes forget is that little kids have no attention span.  

"Look at the cool F18 jet, kids"....  

"Cool, Mom....I'm hungry!"   

"Jack is bugging me!"  

"I'm tired and wanna go home!"  

"Honey, we have only been here 15 minutes..."  

"Grandpa, will you play catch with me?"  

They powered their way through the food I brought and then began whining for a sno-cone.  Those ice cream vendors with the jingly bells are out to get me.  They circled  like vultures and just sat there, jingling away, taunting me.  It's like a bad dream....they always show up at the worst times, like just as school is letting out for the day, or at the kid's baseball game.  If Dominick's would let them, they would  park right next to the candy at the checkout aisle!

My kids were about to lose their minds as crowds of people surrounded the vendors buying treats.  I finally gave in, dang it, but I held out for at least 8 minutes.  

"Kids, we are here to see the cool planes, not eat every last thing, spray each other with water and play hide and seek.  Grandpa and I want to see the planes, don't you?  

Silence (for the first time today).....  

Soon followed by, "When are we going to go HOME?!".  

So, in between dealing with the monkeys, Dad and I enjoyed seeing the jets and I enjoyed just hangin' with him.  

It wasn't quality time, but it was time, nonetheless. 

Five Things Not To Do When It's Hot....

Our relatively new air conditioner is going to kill me.  Or I am going to take a baseball bat to it....shortly.  The repairman has been to our house no less than 5 times this summer and it's still hotter than a steel playground at noon in our house.  

So, now that I am used to an 80 degree house when I get home from work everyday, I forget not to do things that make me even hotter, like:

1. Bake.  

I made peach cobbler, okay.....it doesn't look that good, but Sarah Moulton assured me in her recipe notes that it is dee-lish.  

We will see what the kids say...   

Then I made roasted tomatoes.  Hey, they were going bad in the fridge and I couldn't let 'em go to waste.  Now they will be aromatic, tasty morsels in future pastas, bruschettas, you name it!  

Don't they look tasty?

2.  Tidy.  

Nothing draws a sweat faster than picking up stinky socks, toys and your husband's shoes, tossed in the dining room.  Avoid this activity at all costs!

3. Cleaning.  

Similar to the 10 second tidy, but it involves Tilex, Windex or some other objectionable agent.  Don't do it!

4. Laundry:  

Are you kidding?  The dryer is the official "Heat Miser"  (Remember that Christmas story on TV?)  Turn on the dryer and you might as well have your own sauna and lose 5 lbs.......on second thought....

5. Discipline your kids.  

 All that shouting just makes you hot....Let them eat Twinkies and stay up watching "Everybody Hates Chris" for another hour.  

Pour yourself a glass of chilled something, preferably in a stemmed glass, have a seat, open up this month's Country Living, Garden & Gun or Vogue and keep your cool, Sistah!

The Real Birthday...

Today is Jack's real birthday, August 2nd.  

Our birthday tradition is breakfast in bed.  

Of course, he woke early and scared me as I was leaving the shower.  Before I would serve the boy, he had to shower himself, having skirted his cleanly duty the night before.  I declare, Jack's feet were blacker than a coal miner's face and he smelled like a rat's patootie to boot!  

So, in he went into the shower and I prepared french toast, scrambled eggs, decaf coffee and a fresh cut zinnia for his tray of happy.  

And boy, was he happy.  

What kid doesn't love a little personal attention?  

Kate was handling it pretty well at this point.  Downstairs Jack opened his presents and he happily received a RipStik skateboard, Cubs jammie pants, a book or two, Flick Trix mini model bikes, Deck Tech mini model skateboards, Spin Art (awesome classic toy) and his fave, a safe.  He is all about having his own safe.  Let's take bets on how long before he forgets the combination...... 

Then his dad told him a trip to Six Flags was in order and Kate lost it.  Poor little one is just too small for those crazy rides.  Oh the tears flowed!  Poor little thing... 

After camp and playing outdoors, we had his dinner of request; crispy tacos.  

His "cake" was a zucchini/chocolate chunk cupcake.  I found this cool sparkler #8 for his cupcake and the birthday closing ceremonies commenced.  

Happy Birthday, Big Man...

Hugs & Kisses: Mom.

"Gimmee a Piece of the Lake..."

How can it be that my first born is 8 years old tomorrow?  

He is so long, lean... 

and mouthy...  

The last days of my pregnancy I looked like the Sta-Puff Marshmallow man.  

At night I soaked my swollen, malformed feet in buckets of ice water.  Tom would grasp my leg and his hand print would stay...  Talk about cankles!  

Then, 19 hours after a midnight run to the hospital, my little boy entered the world and the rest is history.  Here he is (3 1/2), holding Kate as a newborn.  Can't seem to find his newborn shots tonight.....

A mom can relish the memories now and then, can't we?


Anyway.....

To celebrate his 8th, we headed over to a local Chicago treasure, Novelty Games.  It is the putt-putt golf destination, with batting cages and video games thrown in.  

Jack and 7 of his buddies played 18 holes with Tom supervising and keeping the high sticking in check.  

Kate and I catered the event via the adjacent Bunny Hutch....the local food shack.  The  old guy cook was a whirling dervish, making multitudes of burgers and dogs on the fly (all tasty, mind you).  I heard that he normally works with an oxygen tank in tow, even during smoke breaks in the parking lot.  A large explosion in the Bunny Hutch cannot be out of the question, one has to think.  The rest of the ice cream duties, cashiering and general grunt work was being performed by a boy who looked no older than 12.  He was a serious and hardworking lad.  

"Uh, that's not a Baby Ruth...."

Yep, in all my years, this was a first.  

It happened yesterday, a cloudy, but warm and humid day in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  The pool at the lovely Oneida Country Club was virtually empty, with maybe a handful of kids splashing around.  Nearby, white skirted little girls took tennis lessons from the club pro and boys practiced their soccer skills on the lush, green grass adjacent to the pool.  We had just finished a wonderful grilled asparagus salad with balsamic vinagrette and a glass of wine.  

All was right with the world... 

Kate begged me to join her in the pool and Jack wanted to show me the flips he learned while having the time of his life with his grandparents this week.  Tennis lessons, golf lessons, swim lessons, trail riding with Gramp on his new dirt bike, treats, movies, picnics....

yeah, it is very good to be Jack!  

So, I resisted the urge to deny her pleas for the water and donned my old, red swimsuit.  Never thought I'd get to the age where I dislike wearing a swimsuit, but I am so there!  Maybe I need a new suit....one with super magical fat disappearing armor!  

If there is one like that out there, let me know... 

Anyway, I emerged from the womens locker room, just as a lithe 15 year old glided by, holding her boyfriend's hand.  Both were perfectly tanned, she in a shiny pink bikini with long brunette hair that she tossed in that perfectly practiced motion.  She WAS Phoebe Cates from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".  

It was not an ego boosting moment, by any means.  

So I headed over to the diving boards to witness Jack's aerial skills.  He is a headlong into the water guy and the two nimble gymnast friends he was playing with were twisting and flying off the boards like the Flying Walenda's.    

I stepped onto the board, ran the length and made a clumsy, unceremonious (notice NO photos of that!) leap into the water.  We splashed and played for about ten minutes when a sheepish looking lifeguard asked us to leave the water, due to an unknown object in the pool.  

Yes, it was what you are thinking....  After finally relenting to my kids, I get into a cesspool....literally!  

They shocked the pool and 30 minutes later, the kids were back in the water. 

 

Me, not so much.....

The Original Blizzard...

I am so tired I can hardly believe I am sitting in front of this tired old laptop.  This was a day that felt long enough to be two.  Woke at 5 am, was on the road by 6, headed to the Quad Cities, to meet with the fine folks at Lavender Crest Winery about my parent's 50th wedding anniversary party this fall.  Driving Interstate 88 is uneventful at best, but it's a long day in the car 7+ hours looking at corn and a few wind turbines.

After the meeting at Lavender Crest, I headed near the airport to scope out the available hotel accommodations for out of town guests.  I was getting closer to Moline proper and although, sadly, I did not have time to check out my favorite places nor to see some dear old friends, I did have time to swing by the local shopping center, Southpark Mall.  All I had on my mind was obtaining a Whitey's shake.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this local delicacy, all I can say is that you will gladly forfeit all further caloric intake for the day to taste the best milkshake known to human kind.  

Let's go back in time, shall we, say to the mid 1980's when candy bar shakes were in their infancy.  The Tunberg family and owner's of Whiteys concocted the Butterfinger shake long before Dairy Queen had even conceived of the idea.  In 1982 I was a soda jerk, working at the 41rst street Whitey's location.  It was my first real job and I was psyched to make $2.65 per hour, slinging milkshakes, bostons and banana splits.  My dad prayed I'd make mistakes that I'd have to pay for and bring home to him.  Our uniforms were basically nurse dresses and shoes with red and white striped pinafores....sexy!  I'd hop in the 1972 Pinto wagon and cruise over with my learner's permit to work the long hours all summer.

A Whitey's milkshake is thick, creamy and pure dreaminess, chock full of Butterfingers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups or whatever your little dairy loving heart desires.  It has literally been a couple of years since opportunity has availed me to enjoy a Whitey's and I jumped at the chance.  

Tomorrow I may have to run an extra mile or two, but it was SO worth it.  I love you Whitey's!