Bad Influence

Julia is extremely dramatic. When there is the slightest hint of something not going her way she falls out and screams and yells. Quite often runs out of the room, screaming, and flops down on the sofa. Now Jacqueline does her version. She screams and cries and runs out of the room to go climb on the bed or to go grap her beloved remote controls and push a bunch of buttons.

Little sister sees, little sister does.

Stratford HS football game

Last night we went to the football game at SHS. We had a blast!

A friend invited us to a tailgating party for the home opener in September. Even though I'm not a football fan, we planned to attend because we want to support our cluster, but we had stomach bug. : (

Another friend told me about efforts in neighborhood to build community involvement & plans for more tailgating at next home football game. However, it was the weekend we were going camping at Montgomery Bell State Park. Darn!

Then I looked at schedule when we returned from our fall break trips & saw there was another home game. The weather was getting cooler in evening, but we bundled up & headed over to the stadium. We arrived just in time to walk in ahead of the marching band - barely! We paid entrance fees - $6 a person. Luckily the girls were free since under 5 and so was I as an MNPS employee so only $6 for Jai. WOO HOO! : )

After pausing for the National Anthem, we climbed the bleacher steps to top area ... right next to band's area we discovered once they finished their procession. How cool! It was fun - more festive sitting near them. We cheered throughout the game as Stratford played Maplewood HS ... sometimes we wish he had been more. The quarterback is quite the renaissance player - he seemed to be everywhere!

At half time there was a presentation of students for Senior Recognition Night, 12th grade students walked with family and/or friends as their accomplishments were shared aloud. They are some busy sounding young people! Then the band performed a routine on the field. They were good.

This is last home football game, but we plan to attend a few basketball games in December and January hopefully. Even though we knew NO ONE, had a great time & hope to get to know others while attending games. At least basketball games are inside ... warmer! : )

FB2013 Sister Trip in Phoenix - Day 5 & Departure

Sun. 10/13  
1. We woke at 6:00am, tired, but knew we had to get up early for tennis. I called Jai as we needed to check-in for boarding passes. He said "what are you doing awake at 6am?"
2. We drove to a different local park (this one seemed closer, S said it was almost same distance!) to play tennis. Susie had found some new balls in garage so we played for about 45 minutes, even a few games. I had been winning for awhile, then we ended in tie. WOO HOO! That's good for me against the great Susie. It really was fun, I miss playing tennis and need to find a way to play more regularly. Hopefully when S comes home in December, we can play outside if not too cold and/or reserve an indoor court at Sportsplex.
3. Back home we cleaned & shredded old receipts for hours, taking breaks for breakfast (leftovers) & snacks & stretches, while watching 4 episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" on-line. We finally finished her desk area & relocated some papers to guest room in order to really clean her bedroom, sweeping & mopping after moving some furniture to create a better room flow. The feng shui chi/energy improved too. It looks like a new room! Seriously I am impressed by my work with great effort by Susie, too.
4. We took another break to shower & wash laundry since I have hardly any clean clothes left (I didn't bring much) & I'm leaving tomorrow.
5. Then we headed out for our final meal, dinner at The Yard (Culinary Dropout), a really cool space, known for fun games & people watching. We sat outside under this huge covered awning with couches & lots of TV with football games blasting. Again we enjoyed some happy hour specials - apps & alcohol, beers for both of us. I had a yummy blueberry beer ... you know I was buzzing so quickly AND I drank with food! Grilled cheese sliders, french fries, Korean chicken on stick, kale shrimp salad, then this delicious peanut butter chocolate tart.
I need to get home so I can return to my exercise routine & eating healthy! : )
6. I called Jai on way home - girls were in bed earlier tonight (he had a rough evening with yesterday's bedtime). First he said he could tell I'd been drinking by the way I was talking ... hmmm ... Then he said his hotel night isn't going to be enough compensation for 5 days with girls ... not sure what we can arrange, something to ponder. : )
7. Back at Susie's, we called mom on Skype to show her S's new bedroom - she was incredulous! I folded my laundry & packed bag, adding a few items gleaned from S's closet, also some books for Julia from S's reading storage. Susie has a ton of books she accumulated over first 5 years of teaching, many are chapter books at levels 2.0-4.0 so perfect for Julia to read. I packed a few in my luggage, most went in box to be mailed to Julia next week. Susie plans to take all of these books to school & distribute to students this next quarter as part of her continued efforts to clean out her house ... in anticipation of moving back to Nashville in next 1-2 years.
8. I updated posts on blog ... I will forget when I get home, likely attacked by my girls tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we also can plan our next trip to Chicago for June 2014 - I missed not seeing his cousins!

Mon. 10/14  
Early morning rise as I depart sunny Phoenix, hoping to arrive in pleasant Nashville. 10 weeks until Winter Break when sisters will meet again. Hopefully successful in reaching personal & physical goals - each of us wanting to lose 10 more pounds of weight, probably 10 more pounds of stuff out of Susie's house! : )

FB2013 Sister Trip in Phoenix - Days 3 & 4

Fri. 10/11 
1. Again I woke up early at 5am, read & finished Wellesley magazine (Spring 2013); Susie woke up soon & got ready for her PT appt.
2. We drank breakfast smoothie again on our way to spa appointments in Tempe.
3. Back treatment & facials - ahh, vacation! : )
4. As we traveled back to Phoenix proper, hunger motivated us to stop sooner than planned. We found an Indian place near ASU - fast & yummy & hopes of meat.  Much more affordable & delish.

Side Note - funny story about Indian restaurant experience
1 of the employees REALLY liked Susie. If I'd cared I might have felt slighted ... especially since my 15 pound weight loss, I am definitely a MILF. Come on!
It was serious full court press & I was slightly annoyed as I didn't really want to chit chat.
He's lucky there was buffet so I got food & ate while he asked a gazillion questions. After 1 trip to & from buffet, I said "someone likes you" in a sing-songy voice & Susie said "be quiet, I have more to tell you" ... intriguing, what happened while I was gone. Then the air chilled, barely came to our table, maybe cleared a plate, but no convo ... what had happened since the previous visit to buffet. Later Susie told me he asked her if she was single & could they be Facebook friends??!! Seriously! Come on! We should have complained to manager. Your employee sucks!

5. We didn't work on Susie's clutter today.

6. Back home for rest time - Susie was studying for her other class, the on-line one. I read "Eleanor & Park", still loving it! Again I fell asleep for another long nap, about 3 hours. : )
7. We were still stuffed from lunch so dinner food was leftovers & snacks.
8. We watched TV again - Netflix DVD "Helena from the Wedding", an indie film Susie had gotten, interesting look at marriage, friendships, parenthood ... my life! : )
9. We stayed up late again talking, eating mocha ice cream, also watched "Blue Bloods" (episode 4 actually though I haven't watched 1-3 yet; surprisingly I didn't feel lost or confused) on TV.
10. I read more of "Eleanor & Park" - it is so good! : )

Sat. 10/12  
1. We woke at 6:30am. I don't know why I'm awake so early when I'm going to sleep after 11pm. It must be because I'm getting uninterrupted sleep without being responsible for anyone other than myself. It is so nice, such a treat! Even though I really need 7+ hours of sleep, I've been functioning on 5-6 hours, usually interrupted at least once for middle of night bathroom break, if not call from a small child, that I feel refreshed by 6 good hours of sleep.
2. We drove to a local park (everything seems SO far away yet Susie says it is "close") to play tennis FINALLY. Sadly the balls are too used, quite flat so we only play for 15-20 minutes before deciding no more, we'll try again tomorrow with some new balls. It was fun, really miss playing tennis.
3. Back home we showered/dressed before heading to Phoenix Public Market, local farmers' market. We went with Susie when we visited in March. I enjoyed many samples ... time for a real meal.
4. Soon we had produce (and I got some beef jerky!) and drove to Windsor, another hip neighborhood restaurant, with a short menu, for brunch. I got something called "The Matador" - eggs over cheesy potatoes with crispy tortilla strips, salsa verde & avocado relish. Really yummy, little spicy. Susie got vegetable frittata with English muffin. Luckily S always brings her to go containers so she makes sure we save some for later & don't eat too much now. I almost forgot we indulged in a fun adult beverage, a pitcher of Pimms, in honor of Wimbledon. Whew, it doesn't take much for me to be lit. It was yummy, mint, cucumber, limes plus ginger beer & some kind of alcohol.
5. Back home we continued cleaning, cleaning more in S's bedroom, a little in closet, filled another bag.  Later we focused on stacks of receipts from past 7-8 years, I shredded them while Susie cleaned out old papers in file cabinet. In the evening we shredded more documents while watching TV - we picked up a DVD from Red Box after dinner.
6. We ate out a 2nd meal, dinner at The Parlor, another funky hipster place, known for its pizza. We enjoyed some happy hour specials - apps & alcohol (only Susie), including a BBQ chicken pizza for me.
7. We picked up "Broken City" - Mark Wahlberg, doesn't matter what movie is about. It actually was pretty good, good company as we continued to shred years of receipts. Thank goodness today we mostly are paperless for most accounts/transactions. We agreed to stop at 9pm so we could watch rest of movie & eat some ice cream from another fun place called Churn. I had cookies & mint, yum; S had vanilla/chocolate.

FB2013 Sister Trip in Phoenix - Days 1 & 2

Wed. 10/9 Departure from Nashville/Arrival in Phoenix
1. hug & kiss Julia & Jai (Jacqueline was napping) good-bye
Bonnie was my ride to airport, nice visit with my mom : )
2. Get boarding pass, check bag, only have back pack, easily go through security
3. Go to nail place near gate - get a pedicure (I have 1 hour before plane leaves!) - awesome!
Feet need some attention! : )
4. Listen to audiobook - "Five Days at Memorial"
5. Board plane - B35 (no early boarding without kids!), get seat near front ... on aisle! Nice seat mate!
Have LONG convo with Scott, no interruptions, so unusual, got great list of restaurants to try with Susie
6. Wait for bag while Susie arrives, listening to audiobook
7. Home - quick shower, so lovely, while Susie cooks pasta with veggies & sauce
8. Watched TV for a bit while playing phone tag with Jai - sleepy so early to bed around 8:30pm

Thurs. 10/10 
1. I woke up early at 5am, read Wellesley magazine (Spring 2013) until Susie awoke around 6am.
2. We drank breakfast smoothie & watched morning TV - ahh, vacation!
3. Raining so no tennis as planned ... hopefully tomorrow.
4. Tackled Susie's closet - organized it a bit, cleaned out a ton of OLD clothes, most for Goodwill, some went to trash, also started a "Julia box" to be mailed to her. It also will be addressed to her. Recently she said this to me about last box Susie mailed to our house. "Aunt Susie wrote your name on outside, but it really was for me." Really? Umph!
5. Hunger motivated us to stop so we loaded S's car (back seat since trunk doesn't work anymore) & dropped stuff at Goodwill. There is more for sure, but this is a great start!
6. Lunch at Barrio Cafe in downtown area, yummy local Mexican food, cool decor, not too crowded at 1pm. OMG, the guacamole was delish, it had pomegranates in it! Overall food priced a little too expensive for me, but we ordered cheapest items - "tres tacos" with pescado. I have got to get some meat!
7. Back home for rest time - Susie was studying for her mid-term tonight. I read "Eleanor & Park" my latest YA book from NPL, loving it! Fell asleep. : )
8. I woke 4 hours later to darkness - outside & inside house as Susie had left hours before to attend her community college nutrition class. Groggy, slightly disoriented, little hungry. I drank water & ate rest of my nut butter/jelly sandwich from home. I checked messages, 1 from Susie; I called Jai, but got voicemail so left another message for him.
9. I watched TV - whatever came on as I couldn't figure out S's instructions. Joel called, he was having similar issues with our new TV though Jai hadn't left directions. : )
10. Susie got home around 9pm, we watched "Scandal" & talked for awhile before going to bed at 11pm.
11. I read more of "Eleanor & Park" - it is so good! I love a good book. : )

Crib Climber ... Toddler Bed?

Over the less few days of September & into October, Ms. Jacqueline tested her mettle. First she started climbing out of the Pack N Play during/after nap - suddenly she appeared in living room or bathroom. Then at bedtime, we'd hear a thunk & then Jac appeared at the top of stairs, saying "Mommy" or "Daddy." This also means that she is not sleeping as long as she normally does ... might not be related. However, we think Jac is thrilled by this new ability ... hopefully it will even itself out.

With trips planned during Fall Break & routines jumbled up, we know it will be a little crazy for a few more days/weeks. Thinking about whether it's time for Jacqueline to have a big girl bed ... seems too young. Julia was over 2 before she had mattress on floor, 3 when she got the big bed. We have the 2nd bed frame in basement so really we just have to get the mattress ... money needed for that.

Also there's the freedom factor. I'm not concerned about Jac getting in or out of bed, she'll be fine.
NO - it's the freedom of getting out of bed whenever she's awake. I don't like that factor at all. : )

"I ungry"

This is Jacqueline's favorite phrase lately - it means "I'm hungry. "This girl eats all day!
When we wake up, when it's snack time, really anytime. Jac LOVES to eat.
It's a new delay tactic at bedtime ... I don't think Julia tried this technique until much older.
OMG! Another smart one! : )

Weaning Completed

It started about 2 weeks ago, just changed the bed time routine a bit, see how Jacqueline dealt with not nursing at bedtime. Jai & I switched so he took Jac upstairs & rocked her to sleep. I worked with Julia to get ready for bed, change into pajamas, brush teeth, read some books. It worked like a charm, no pushback or tears from Jacqueline. It probably helps that she started saying "night night" & thinks it is like a game or something so it's fun.

Am I sad? Hmmm ... not really. Probably a really small part as this is it, not going to breastfeed another baby. However, there are so many other wonderful activities I get to do with my kids. Jac is really getting into reading more which is a HUGE relief so that's being incorporated more into her bedtime routine too.

Baby is growing up ... not really a baby anymore. Yeah, more independence is on its way!!!! : )

Reading at level 24

Today I get a call from Julia's teacher.
Nothing's wrong."
"Julia wanted me to call to tell you she tested today at a level 24."

I had to sit down, seriously having a hard time processing this information.
know that seems goofy, but students should be at 24 at end of 3rd grade.
Obviously some/many students can be or are at level higher than 24 before 3rd grade.
However, not at 4 years old (5 in 3 months), but barely in Kindergarten.
Tomorrow is last day of Quarter 1.

Amazing Julia! She truly is a "special" child.
I mean that in the nicest way! : )