On the Road

One episode of "Olivia" on iTunes? $1.99.

The peace and solitude that episode provides on long car rides? Priceless.

2009 in Review

Aside from the exciting events in August, 2009 was a year in which we celebrated the ordinary. Excitement can come in good ways and sorrowful ways so, for this year, I am thankful for the pedestrian everydayness of 2009.

January passed in a blur of morning sickness and fatigue. I have successfully blocked out memories of the month which I know entailed slogging through schoolwork with the kids and frantic phone calls to Joe around suppertime too many times to count since I often felt too awful to prepare any dinner.

February the fog lifted a bit or, more probably, I became more adept at dealing with the ever persistent early pregnancy symptoms. I know we made a trip to Door County and for the first time since I started my blog I went one whole month without one single post. Joe and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary on the 12th with a wonderful night out at our favorite restaurant with a steak I enjoyed more than I thought the in utero Caroline would allow and Madeleine participated in a piano competition.



March brought the delightful news that Elisabeth had been accepted into the Nature Preschool she now attends and also the now familiar end-of-winter blues where each day I hopefully search for signs of spring and the end of the ever-present glum, winter days. I don't exactly remember, but I do think I also started my second trimester of pregnancy which brought the stereotypical pep and energy I had so looked forward to since morning sickness (read: all day sickness) had set in early in my pregnancy.

April brought the news that Caroline was a Caroline and not a Charles. Elisabeth became officially potty trained and for the first time since Madeleine's birth our home was completely diaper free. We celebrated Easter with family and good friends.





I took time to relax and spend time with the soon-to-be usurped baby of the family.



May brought a weekend trip to Oshkosh for a home-schooling conference. We celebrated my birthday. We basked in the warm weather May brought and spent as much time outside as possible.

June brought rhubarb. Lots and lots of rhubarb. Rhubarb this, rhubarb that. It also brought the end of soccer season for Hank and the beginning of baseball. June also brought my iPhone, the single greatest electronic device I have ever owned.

July brought lazy days. Playing at the beach with friends.



Tennis lessons for Madeleine. Forming new friendships.



July also took Madeleine to a week away at camp, which was an adjustment for our whole family, especially the adults.

August was the highlight month of 2009, of course. The month began celebrating the ninth anniversary of the birth of one child and ended with the birth of another. Welcoming Caroline Marcelle into our family on the 29th was easily the most exciting time of the year.



September was easy and relaxing, as we took time to get to know Caroline. September was notable for the blessing of her baptism.



We also started school, Elisabeth started preschool and Joe, Hank, Caroline and I attended a Packer game at Lambeau. Elisabeth sprained her wrist and we celebrated Joe's birthday.

So I guess September wasn't relaxing at all, but it was fun.

October's highlight was a trip to Door County to celebrate Hank's 7th and Elisabeth's 4th birthdays. Towards the end of the month, we also captured one of Caroline's smiles for posterity.



November was notable, for me, for the improving play of the Packers and the thin whisper of hope that we might be playoff-bound. Hockey began.

And December. Busy, busy December. Still though, lots of good, everyday types of memories: baking cookies, visiting with friends, decorating our Christmas tree, our annual stomach viruses. That's December every year, and there is comfort in familiarity.

Happy New Year, one and all! I wish everyone a blessed 2010!

Leave Me Alone!

I've gotten into the habit over the summer of waking up either just before the kids or just as they're waking up. My kids are 8, 6 and 3 (and, since it's relevant to this post, close to being 9, 7 and 4) so I don't think it's too much to ask for them to leave me alone for thirty minutes while I drink my coffee and check my email, check bloglines and surf some news sites, etc.

Apparently, though, some mornings it seems it is too much to ask.

What are you doing, Mom? What's that say, Mom? Can I go on your computer? Mom, I spilled my juice! Mom, what's the weather supposed to be like today? Mom, Mom, MOM!!!!

Don't they realize by now how much calmer and relaxed their mother is when they just leave me alone for that thirty minutes or do they honestly enjoy being parented all day by a cranky mother?

iPhone

When my cell phone broke a few weeks ago I was perfectly content to renew our contract and get whatever free phone the company we went with had to give me. But Joe has wanted an iPhone for awhile. He has used a Blackberry for a few years now and he does need the email capabilities for work purposes and so last week he finally convinced me an iPhone was the way to go.

I sent him off to the AT&T store to figure it all out and bring home whatever for me. Imagine me surprise (and delight!) when he arrived home with not one, but two iPhones-- one for him and one for me.

I didn't ask for an iPhone and I didn't even think I particularly wanted one but, I have to say, it's really, really cool. It actually does a lot more than I thought it did and I am pretty excited to have it. So much for all my rants against technology, now I'm just as hyper-connected as everyone else. At least my hyper-connectivity comes in a pretty pink case.

Computers for All

The other day I signed Madeleine up for her first email account*. I had been meaning to for awhile; it provides a good opportunity for her to practice typing and improve her spelling, writing and the formation of a proper letter (well, a proper e-letter, as it is, I guess).

After getting it all set up and sending out a few test emails I sat her down in front of my Mac, showed her where to go, told her what her password was, etc., etc. and walked her through checking her account for the first time. She was giddy with excitement to see two unread messages in her box and promptly read them and replied. After finishing with her task she set the computer to the side, folded her arms, looked at me and said, "Well Mom, I guess I'll need my own computer now."

Keep dreamin', kid.

*For obvious reasons I am not going to post it on my blog, but if you want to email Madeleine feel free to email me and ask for her address.

Newseum

A few weeks ago my dad sent me this link to a site called Newseum. Ever since I have been completely addicted to it. I check it daily, and not only do I now know what the newspaper headlines are across Wisconsin, I know what the papers look like too. And I've had loads of fun reading the headlines in cities across the country where I know friends and family reside; it's fun to see what's going on in their neck of the woods.

Peaceful Day

I came here to post about what a wonderful, peaceful day we are having. Everything that could go right has. The snow is falling gently outside, the kids and I are at home, safely, wrapped in our pajamas, bathrobes and slippers (and this at 11:28 a.m.!) yet we've had an amazingly successful day schooling already: catechism, math, spelling, reading, grammar, Latin, piano, handwriting; whatever was on my to-do list for school today is done.

And yet...

And yet I can't write the joyful post I had intended. When I checked my email moments ago I came across something that changed my mood entirely. I learned that somewhere out there a family I don't even know just lost their son, a newborn baby whose name is the same as my own son. I don't know the family; I don't even really know the family who posted the message from my dear list-serve of Lutheran home-schoolers, but I do know that somewhere out there a family has just lost their new son. And while I am still thankful for the wonderful day we've had and while I know that bad things happen every day in many different ways, I also know that some things touch us different days more than others and, today, this news touched me.

Today I will enjoy the peaceful day we're having, but I'm also reminded to hug my children a bit closer and to remember a grieving family out there-- somewhere-- who needs some extra prayers.

Elf Yourself

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

So, it turns out this Elf Yourself site is just as much fun as it was last year. More, in fact, since now you can add up to five elves and choose different dances and things. Fun!

Birthday Preparations

I said I would be blogging more regularly. Well, I meant it. It's just that a certain seven-year-old little girl in our house has a birthday on Sunday and I've been busy getting ready for the arrival and hosting of family for the event.

Oh, and I've also been busy setting up my new Lexmark printer/scanner/copier. I haven't had a printer for years and Joe and I have both gotten sick of me emailing him things I needed printed. Plus, Madeleine's Latin workbook for the fall only has one page of a drill she needs to repeat frequently, so we decided we a copy machine could be really, really handy.

And, yeah, I've been doing a fair amount of head shaking over the Brewer/Cubs games. I actually sat through the entire game last night. It was like driving past a car accident; it was so horrific I just wanted to look away, but just couldn't.

And speaking of birthday girls (which I was just a few, short paragraphs ago, remember?), do you know what she asked for this year? Guess. You'll never guess. No, not more things for her American Girl dolls, nor were books a noted request. No, Madeleine asked for a rug. A rug! She was leafing through a Pottery Barn Kids catalog and decided she wanted to change her room, so she asked for a new pink, white, and red polka dot rug. Who is this girl and what has she done with my daughter?

MacBook

Here it is, our new addition!

I just couldn't wait until Monday, so on our Saturday morning of errands we zipped down to FedEx's distribution center and picked it up.

There is still a lot to learn.  It's just different enough from my Dell to make a few things frustrating, but I can already tell how some things are going to be so much easier.

What made me change loyalties?  I was never unhappy with my Dell, but I was never thrilled with it either.  I've heard so from so many people who clearly love their Macs for various reasons that I thought I'd make the switch and see what I thought.  

Anyway, here I sit with a pretty zippy little MacBook which, I don't end up loving for its performance (which I think I will), I'll sure end up loving how cute and compact it is.

Excuse any errors as I get used to the new machine (which I'm composing this post on-- we'll see how it looks!).

Coming Soon...

The Super family is expecting an exciting new addition! It's being delivered by FedEx though, not the stork, so nobody get too excited.

I was hoping to share pictures of it shortly after its arrival, but this morning I missed the FedEx man while dropping Hank off at school. They will redeliver Monday, but I may drive to the FedEx office tonight to pick it up before then.

What is it?

Some hints: the delivery came from Shanghai, China, it weighs about four kilograms and the contents are MacCool.

Stay tuned...

Dueling Dells

Gotta love Webkinz World. Ugh.

Stupid Google

I mean, I don't really think it's stupid, you know, having been smart enough to basically take over the internet and everything, but this is stupid.

Web Browsers

I switched web browsers a year or more ago per the advice of Quantum Void, and have never looked back; Mozilla Firefox has just been that much better than Explorer.

Now my neighbor, a huge Apple guy, insists that I try out Safari and is adamant that I will love it and never want for another browser (until, of course, something greater is created).

So, I'm going to give it a whirl; a test drive if you will. What will I think of it? Any input?

Seven Years

I'm not a meme type of gal (if you don't know what a "meme" is please follow the link; it will lend understanding to the rest of this entry). I apologize to all my blogger buddies who have "tagged" me in the past; I don't mean to ignore you, but I just enjoy reading memes more than I do writing them.

However, a fellow blogger, Purple Valley, altered a popular meme currently dashing about the blogosphere, and I rather liked the creativity her version allowed. I'm going to participate. My first meme!

Seven Years, Seven Events

2000: Oh, what a year! I got married in February and had Madeleine in August. Superdad started law school in September. A great, great year!

Cutting our cake

2001: Superdad received an invitation to summer (i.e. spend the summer interning, basically) at his first choice law firm. Generally, provided they do a decent job, law students end up working at the law firm they summer with once they graduate. This is the same law firm he's with now, and the same one he identified early in law school as the firm he wanted to work with once he graduated.

2002: In July I quit my job to stay home with Madeleine, and soon to be Hank, after two years of wanting to do so.

In October, Hank is born.

Superdad and his new son

Hank, just hours old, with my mom and dad

2003: Superdad graduates from law school in May and begins work the same firm he summered with the previous summer.

Madeleine and Superdad

We packed up our meager belongings from our apartment in Janesville and moved east, into the house we're in now.

The front porch of our "new" house (the ugly black railing is now gone)

2004: Superdad and I, plus the two kids crammed into a minivan with my mom and stepdad and drove out to New Jersey for my cousin's wedding. The affair was small and intimate and allowed a new generation, my children's generation, an opportunity to get to know each other. Madeleine was also quite impressed with New York City (though you can't tell it from this pathetic picture in which she's slouched over, asleep).

l-r Madeleine, me, Superdad, Quantum Void and Bob (I apologize for the lameness of this picture; the ones I wanted to share I apparently don't have electronic versions of, so I'm stuck with this).

2005: October is the defining month in 2005. Elisabeth is born and, days later, my mother passes away.

Superdad, Elisabeth Jane and me in the recovery room, just following Elisabeth's birth

My two girls: Madeleine and Elisabeth

2006: My dad, Elisabeth and I make one last trip to Minnesota, to see my grandfather, in June. He dies a few week later at the age of ninety-two. While there we tour rural southwestern Minnesota and see where my dad was born, visit with various cousins and stop at cemetery after cemetery confirming birth dates and death dates of generations of relatives (I love genealogy; this is neither boring nor morbid to me).

Dad and Elisabeth overlooking the fields my dad farmed as a boy.

2007: With seven months still to go, I suppose it's possible this entry might change. But I can't imagine many things more life altering will happen to us than making the decision to home school Madeleine.

There you have it. My first meme. I know it's the meme tradition to "tag" other bloggers, but I won't do that because I don't know who's interested in memes and who is not. So, if you want to copy, let me know; I'd love to read your entry.

Personality DNA

I thought this was kind of fun. It told me that I'm just as odd as I thought (my selections were consistently among what only about 1-5% other people chose).

It also told me I'm hip and sophisticated. And we all know how true that is, so how could I not share this accurate, personality decoding gem with other self-seekers?

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Top Yahoo Searches

The number one most searched person on Yahoo this year was Britney Spears.

All I can ask is why???

Explorer Versus Mozilla

I have been, until this point, composing all my entries on my Mozilla browser. Joe arrived home tonight and asked me why I had weird html text all over my blog.

I told him there was no such thing. I pulled up Mozilla and pointed to my error-free blog.

He shrugged. "I dunno, it looked pretty messed up while I was at work."

I began to grow suspicious. I clicked on my rarely used Internet Explorer icon and I began to feel an impending sense of dread. I entered my blog's URL and there, sure enough, was weird html text infecting many of my posts. Some were fine, some weren't, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason connecting the affected versus the non-affected.

I still don't get it so, if anyone does, I'd love some input. I hate Explorer and already am finding it really annoying inputting my blog with it versus the ease of composing, adding pictures and posting my blog with my Mozilla browser.

Anyway, it should all be fixed now (fingers and toes crossed) and I really hope whatever glitch exists within Mozilla creating weird errors when composed within its browser yet viewed with Explorer get fixed soon.