Lovely...

Gotta love Spring Weather in Chicago, but seriously 5 inches of snow!!

"A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 PM CDT SUNDAY.
RAIN WILL MOVE INTO NORTH CENTRAL... NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON. BY LATE AFTERNOON THE RAIN WILL BE MIXED WITH SLEET. THE RAIN AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TO BECOME SNOW TONIGHT. THE MAXIMUM SNOW FALL WILL BE BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6 AM CDT SUNDAY MORNING. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 5 INCHES AROUND CAROL STREAM ILLINOIS TO 2 INCHES IN VALPARAISO INDIANA. THE SNOW WILL BE WET AND HEAVY. "

Um, next year we will be going somewhere (far away and SOUTH!) for spring break...got it Spencer!! This dumb idea of "vacationing in your home town" just isn't working for me.

Flashback Friday

I found this video when I was looking for something else. I don't even remember this happening, but the video was so cute that I thought I'd "share".

We don't want to get sick!!!

Tomorrow is the last day of school before spring break. For 3 kids that have only missed a total of 2.5 days of school all year, we have had lousy luck with sicknesses over breaks. Remember the start of last spring break??? Really though, every time there are a bunch of days off of school, we get some icky virus and have to spend all of the "school holidays" at home, doing nothing. I really don't like doing nothing....probably because "doing nothing" is not really like "doing nothing" for me...staying home and "doing nothing" is exhausting and leaves my house looking like a tornado went through it.

I keep waiting to see some snot, or for someone to puke, or get a fever, or something else gross and yucky. Everyone around us is sick...we are completely surrounded by it. The other day, Ben came home from school and was telling me that at the beginning of the day 2 kids were absent, but then someone puked in art, and then someone else puked somewhere else, and then somebody else went home because they were sick. I almost didn't want to send the kids back to school for the rest of the week....we're all healthy and would really like to stay that way. Do you think that I scared Ben when I said "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING AT SCHOOL!!!".

We don't have really big plans for spring break, but there are a bunch of things that we would like to do. We are going to Key Lime Cove one night next week. The boys are so excited!!! They told me today that if they get sick, they are not going to tell me because they still want to go to Key Lime Cove. Hmmm....do you think I'll be able to figure out if someone is sick?

So, please wish us luck...one more day of fighting off tough 1st grade germs....I really hope we can do it.

Happy Spring Break!!

#1 Beatle's Fan!!!

My kids LOVE the Beatles...the "group", not the bugs.

Their love for the Beatles started innocently enough. The boys and I were driving around, doing errands one day. I was getting a little sick of listening to music from the Backyardigans and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cd's so, I found the Beatles "1" cd and threw it in. After thinking about what songs they might like, I skipped to the Yellow Submarine. They LOVED it. Over the next several weeks, we listened to that song and entire cd over and over again.

That was about 6 months ago. We all now know all of the words to all of the Beatles' #1 hits...even Charlie asks for the Beatles and "sings" along. We would all be so "cool", if it was, like, 1968.

Drew has gone especially nutso over the Beatles. He "studies" the cd cover, he has his favorite song, his "favorite Beatle", he studies the words to the songs, he writes about them in his journal at school, he talks about them all. of. the. time. He even googles "Beatles" on the computer any chance that he gets. He is just fascinated by them and knows way too much about them.

A few weeks ago, Spencer saw an advertisement for "Rain" (a Beatles tribute band), coming to the Auditorium Theatre. He knew that he HAD to get tickets for Drew. We have been meaning to start round 2 of "do something special with each of the kids, individually" and figured this would be the perfect way to start it up again.


So, on a rainy Sunday a few weeks ago, Spencer and Drew drove downtown to see "Rain".

Doesn't Drew look excited?? Drew, of course, was very excited when the big day arrived. He read the cd cover all the way downtown and listened to xm's "Paul McCartney" station. Of course Drew was one of the youngest fans at the show, but Spencer said that the people sitting around them were very impressed when Drew started getting most of the Beatles trivia questions correct during the pre-show entertainment. Apparently, the show was very good and Drew enjoyed it very much. I think he also really enjoyed his special time with dad doing something that was all about Drew.

I don't hate Oprah!!!

It has come to my attention that I need to clarify my feelings about Oprah.

If you haven't been reading my blog for very long, you probably missed that several months ago, I had a little quote about Oprah on my sidebar. It said something to the effect that "I can vote without Oprah's help...thank you."

Since then, whenever Oprah comes up in a coversation with someone that reads my blog, they immediately say "well, I know that you hate Oprah, but...".

Ok, here is the thing...I don't *hate* Oprah.

Oprah is a wonderful person. I have so much respect for her because she seems to genuinely want to help people and do the right thing. There are just not that many people like that in the world. I really believe that this world would be a lot better off if we had more "Oprahs" in it.

Obviously, I disagreed with Oprah's choice for who to vote for in the most recent election. So, of course, I was really bummed that she chose to use her show to influence her fans to help *her* guy win. But, really, who wouldn't? I know that if I had a cool show and the ability to influence millions of people, I would totally do it. But, duh, I wanted the other guy to win...of course it didn't make me happy that she was using her show to persuade her "followers" to vote against my guy. I "get it", but I don't like it.

So, there you go, that's the whole story. I love Oprah...I'm just a little mad at her so, I'm pouting a bit by deleting her from my Tivo for a little while. Just kidding Oprah...keep up the good work, just pick a different candidate next time. ;)

Not Me! Monday

It's been a while for a "Not me!", but this is a good week to confess some things that I definitely did NOT do.

Here goes...

I did NOT squeeze a trip to Carson's for a new pair jeans when I had an extra 20 minutes last week on a busy St. Patrick's Day Tuesday.

Upon arriving at Carson's and discovering that they were having their "Goodwill Sale" (which means they will give you a 20% off coupon for every item that you donate), I did NOT do a quick assessment of what Charlie and I were wearing to determine if we were wearing any extra, clothes that would not be missed. When I determined that we did, in fact, need all of the clothes that we were wearing, I did NOT raid the diaper bag and found a pair of Charlie's jeans to "donate" so that I could get a new pair for myself at 20% off!! They are NOT very cute jeans and they were NOT perfect for my trip to Savannah! Yay me!!

After my *quick* trip to Carsons, I did NOT run over a stick, or branch, or something that destroyed the power steering in my van. Since I was so close to home, I did not discover the broken-ness of my van until all of the fluid leaked out and turning really, really hard. This discovery was NOT made on a trip, a few hours later, to McDonald's for lunch, with a cute little blonde boy. It couldn't have been a trip to McDonald's because in giving up Pepsi (pop) for Lent, I've also pretty much given up McDonalds because cheeseburgers are no good without pop. And, I would definitely NOT subscribe to that rule that St. Patrick's Day is really a day off of Lent. Hmmmm...

At that point, I did NOT call Spencer from McDonald's to tell him that my car was broken and
that I'd be taking it over to Firestone after lunch. I did NOT proceed to tell him that I was feeling lucky that my car had broken that day...after all how often is it 73 degrees in March...a nice day to have a broken car. He did NOT think that I was insane.

And, now here are a few things that I did NOT do on my trip...

I did NOT check email and Facebook a couple of times while on vacation, because even though I did not blog, that still would have been dorky.

I did NOT totally enjoy being in Charlotte's airport for a 2+ hour layover yesterday. It was so peaceful. I had lunch, read my book, played sudoku and watched people.

I did NOT spend most of the flight eavesdropping on the conversation between 2 strangers that were sitting behind me. This one woman's life is an absolute soap opera and she was telling a stranger, and everyone else within earshot, all of the crazy details...She is 32, recently divorced, with 2 kids. I think she said the divorce was the result of her realizing that she was not in love with her husband because she was in love with some other dude that doesn't have a job and is MARRIED! She was trying to decide if 6 months was a good amount of time to wait for her "boyfriend" to leave his wife because because that is the amount of time that he told her that he needed to pay off some debt before starting divorce proceedings. Hmmmm....good luck with that guy! Oh yea, and the woman doesn't believe in cooking. Not like she is a bad cook, she doesn't believe in it...as in, she believes that eating a diet that consists of only RAW foods is the way to go. YUCK!! It would NOT have been great if she was sitting next to someone that didn't hold back their real feelings...like if she was telling her whole life story to my dad. That would NOT have been excellent to listen to!!

I did NOT try to sneak a subtle peek back at this crazy lady behind me on the way off the plane. I do NOT suck at subtle.

I did NOT eat clams for 3 meals, in one day, while I was in Savannah...lunch I, lunch II and dinner. I guess that I should add that I did NOT eat 2 really yummy lunches in one day...that would have been a little much.

I did NOT completely drop my yummy "something sweet with rum" drink (like it fell right out of my hand and landed on the floor, and splashed the feet of my friends) in a bar while we were on a "haunted pub crawl" of Savannah. And, if I had, one of my friend surely would NOT have been nice enough to blame it on the ghost residing in that particular bar.

That's all that I've got and I'm running out of time before this turns into a Not Me! Tueday. What did you NOT do last week???

Yikes!!!

It's almost been a week since my last blog. I think that is a new record. I hope that I don't lose both of my readers...again. :(

I actually have a great excuse for not writing the last 4 days....Girls' Weekend!!! And, if you follow my blog, you will notice that I don't have any girls, so, I had to find some girl-friends! Woo Hoo...girlfriends are awesome!!! And, for this girl's weekend, we went all the way to Savannah, Georgia. I left Thursday morning for the "weekend" and came back last night. It was awesome...what a great place to visit and what a great group to travel with. The group meshed really well and really enjoyed all of the food, drinks, entertainment and relaxation that Savannah had to offer. I hope I'm invited back next year. ;)

I feel totally invigorated and ready to tackle my week. I'm going to be so productive!!! :) I hope this vacation "high" lasts for weeks...I guess that I should say that I *need* this "vacation high" to last for weeks. My to-do list has gotten a little out of hand. Wish me luck.

I'd love to post some pictures, but you'll have to wait...I accidentally left my camera in Georgia. Oops, but luckily it was found and is being sent back to me.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

We hope you had a wonderful St. Paddy's Day and had lots o'luck.

Hide the Tupperware...

Spencer is an A+ plumber....for an actuary. My only complaint is that when he does plumbing work around the house, I typically end up missing a piece of Tupperware. Hmmmm.......

This post has been approved by 'Spence the plumber'.

Flashback Friday...

How well do you know our boys??? Can *you* tell who is who??

February 2003

Poor Timing...

So, Jack says to me this morning...


"Mom, did you notice that the laundry basket is REALLY full?!?!"


Ok, questioning the frequency of when mom does the laundry is soooo not a goo idea, when your room looks like THIS!!!

And THIS!!

Just for the record, their room is not usually *this* bad. Someone "lost" something and this mess is the result of the search. Unfortunately, I did not discover this mess until bedtime and when given the choice, I picked "bedtime" over making them clean it all up....I know..selfish on my part.

Oh yea, and all of the laundry was done on Monday and will be all done again tomorrow. The fact that Jack discovered (for the first time) that he, and his brothers, have made a lot of laundry since Monday is not going to change that.

Octomom Humor...

You HAVE to watch this clip from Jimmy Kimmel. It is only 50 seconds long...you'll love it.

Click here.

Whatcha Readin'???

I've read some pretty good books lately. I finished The Pact, by Jodi Picoult a couple of nights ago. I liked it and it kept me up late several evenings. It was the kind of book that starts with "main event" and then you go back in time to see how everyone got to that point, and then it concludes with what happens after the event. I've read 2 other of her books (My Sister's Keeper and Nineteen Minutes) so, I was aware that she generally throws a pretty big twist in at the end of the book. Also, when I was about 1/2 way through the book, I admitted on fb that I was considering skipping to the end because I was dying to find out what really happened....holy cow, the "comments" from my "friends" started flying in about not doing that and how reading the end would "ruin it". So, I listened and didn't skip to the end, but my anticipation was way up....probably too high....because, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the end. Overall, it was a great book and I highly recommend it, but just enjoy it, don't expect an amazing ending....it was just an ending, IMO.



Before that, I read DaVinci Code. I thought that was excellent. I know as a Catholic, I'm supposed to think that it was an awful book, but I really didn't think so. I thought the story was so clever and the symbolism stuff was so interesting. It did not make me doubt my faith, but it was really interesting. I think that I have a pretty good grasp of which parts were real and which parts were fiction, but I would really like to get a hold of a book with the Catholic church's rebuttal to what was presented in the book.




Before that, I read Escape by Carolyn Jessop. It was about an polygamist wife that escaped from the FLDS cult with her 8 children. Her husband is a big-wig in that group from Texas that had all of those kids removed last year by DCFS. He's got like 6 or 7 wives and about 60 kids. Carolyn Jessop was married to him when she was 18 and he was 50...yuck! It is crazy to think people are living like that today, in this country. But, the book was very interesting!




I'm always looking for books that have the right balance of juiciness and actually learning something. Up until last year, my reading mostly consisted of magazines. I feel like I've been missing out on some really good and interesting books. I'm now trying to catch up...much to the chagrin of Spencer who does not enjoy sleeping with my reading light on, late into the night. :)

My dilemma is now what I should read next. I got Three Cups of Tea, from Amazon, which is supposed to be very good. I also will be receiving Pandora Prescription today or tomorrow. I don't know anything about it, but my cousin raved about it so, I thought I'd give it a try. I am also considering reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Spencer and I actually started to watch the movie a few years ago and couldn't get into it. We shut it off pretty quickly. The only reason that I want to read it is because I am going to Savannah next weekend for a girls' weekend. I have never been to Savannah before and the extent of my knowledge of Savannah is that it is in Georgia.....it is warmer there than it is here.....and,, the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was set there. I'm thinking that reading the book might be a good idea. Did you read it? Is it good? I know it won awards and stuff, but I don't always see eye-to-eye with those people that hand out art awards. What do you think??

Nothin' but the truth...

A friend forwarded these mom/kid interview questions on FB. So, of course, I had to do it. I interviewed each of the boys. Here is what they had to say. My comments are in italics.

Enjoy!!

Jack...

1. What is something mom always says to you? You don't have to whine.
2. What makes mom happy? when I do my homework without whining
3. What makes mom sad? when she has to get up in the morning
4. How does your mom make you laugh? by tickling
5. What was your mom like as a child? she liked jumproping (I have no idea what he is talking about)
6. How old is your mom? 37
7. How tall is your mom? 5.6
8. What is her favorite thing to do? play with Charlie
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? youuuu play with charlie
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Rock Star (LOL...except that I can't dance, or sing)
11. What is your mom really good at? taking care of us.
12. What is your mom not very good at? singing (see!!)
13. What does your mom do for her job? you don't have a job
14. What is your mom's favorite food? cookies
15. What makes you proud of your mom? making breakfast (frozen pancakes in the microwave)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Mickey Mouse
17. What do you and your mom do together? sometimes I bake treats with you
18. How are you and your mom the same? we almost have the same initials, just one letter away
19. How are you and your mom different? our age
20. How do you know your mom loves you? you always kiss me good night (awww)
21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? I think, the mall

Ben...

1. What is something mom always says to you? Do your homework
2. What makes mom happy? when I do jobs without asking
3. What makes mom sad? when our room is a mess
4. How does your mom make you laugh? when I say funny things
5. What was your mom like as a child? like, a little bit smart
6. How old is your mom? 37
7. How tall is your mom? 110 inches, or centimeters
8. What is her favorite thing to do? go on your computer
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? go shopping
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? cleaning (I'm as good at cleaning as I am singing)
11. What is your mom really good at? opening cans (a talent that not everyone has?)
12. What is your mom not very good at? parking in a straight line in the car
13. What does your mom do for her job? you don't do work
14. What is your mom's favorite food? pop
15. What makes you proud of your mom? that you're my mom
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Mickey Mouse, no way, Minnie, because you're a girl.
17. What do you and your mom do together? puzzles (Ben is my puzzling buddy)
18. How are you and your mom the same? we both have light skin.
19. How are you and your mom different? I'm a boy and you're a girl
20. How do you know your mom loves you? you do nice things
21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Target

And, Drew....

1. What is something mom always says to you? That I'm cute (he is!)
2. What makes mom happy? when I come back to mom after I do something
3. What makes mom sad? when I do something wrong
4. How does your mom make you laugh? by asking me questions (I was laughing when I asked him these questions)
5. What was your mom like as a child? just liked having fun
6. How old is your mom? 37
7. How tall is your mom? 5, 1/2 feet
8. What is her favorite thing to do? play sudoku
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? I think you work...going to stores with Charlie
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? math (because I can beat *him* at Otter Creek ;) )
11. What is your mom really good at? remembering stuff (like coats, shoes and backpacks)
12. What is your mom not very good at? sometimes you get sudoku wrong (NOT!)
13. What does your mom do for her job? you get stuff from stores and stuff
14. What is your mom's favorite food? swedish fish
15. What makes you proud of your mom? when you do something that I really like and I don't expect it.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Mrs. Pickles
17. What do you and your mom do together? sudoku
18. How are you and your mom the same? we're in the same family
19. How are you and your mom different? I'm a boy and you're a girl
20. How do you know your mom loves you? you smile a lot at me
21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Target and the beach

How Cute is He!!!

And, doesn't he look so grown up! Of course, I think that all of my future daughters-in-law are lucky ladies, but with Ben, the thought that he is going to make someone a great husband pops into my head quite often. It must be a combination of his overall thoughfulness, the love and patience that he shows toward Charlie, the way he likes to help me in the kitchen, especially when I am making salsa, his silly sense of humor and his dashing good looks. But, mark my slightly biased words, the girls are going to be lined up to be Mrs. Ben.

Deep Thoughts...

Why is it that I have spent hours and hours teaching my kids how to button their own shirts, tie their own shoes, brush their own teeth and wipe their own bottoms, yet, they some how managed to master the complexities of the tv, internet, dvd player, and dvr in spite of me?

Flashback Friday

A rare "Charlie Edition" of Flashback Friday. This picture always makes me smile. He couldn't even walk yet, but he managed to climb into the bathtub while I was filling it up. He looks quite proud of himself too.

September 2007

Happy Birthday Liam, Aidan & Connor!!

Here's a little sneak peak of part of your present.

I know they'll look way cuter on you guys, than on the floor.

We hope that you had a wonderful day. We are really looking forward to your 1st birthday party on Saturday. Congrats to Mom and Dad too!! What a happy day!!


Love,

Uncle Spencer, Aunt Kelly, Ben, Jack, Drew & Charlie too....

P.S. Here is a link to your "year of firsts" from your mom's blog...in case you missed it. ;)

If Kids were on Facebook...

Status updates on Facebook crack me up. I love to see what people are doing. Some people are creative, some funny, some interesting, some really aren't. :) Last night, the boys were being....well....themselves. I was making dinner and everyone was doing something different. It made me think about what the boys would post on Facebook, at that moment, if that was their

"thing".

"Drew...is vegging with the Beatles."

"Charlie....thinks the world would be a lot more fun if he could just poop."

"Jack....thinks it is a great evening to be a Bumble Bee".

"Ben....hmmmm....Mr. Superman/Hulk/Woody/PowerRanger is going to have to speak for himself". I have no idea...sorry Ben. ;)

Octomom...

So, what do I think about the octomom???

Besides OUCH!!

Obviously, the woman is a self-centered nut-job. How's that?


I actually haven't been following the stories too closely, haven't seen any of her interviews and actually care very little about the actual family. Of course, I hope and pray that those beautiful babies are healthy and well taken care of and I find it heartbreaking that those 14 children are growing up without a father and with a lousy excuse for a mother.


Although I couldn't bring myself to actually watch any of the interviews with this woman, or other members of her family, I've been very interested in reading and watching the editorials and hearing/reading what other people are saying *about* them. Everyone is so outraged and I'm trying to figure out why...specifically. Of course, I am also outraged, but I'm outraged about a lot of things that don't seem to phase everyone else. So, what do you think it is, specifically, about this crazy woman that has everyone so upset.


Hmmm....is it the fertility treatments, or all of the other crazy (no father, no income, 14 kids) stuff?

I have so many thoughts and opinions about this mom that I don't even know where to begin. I actually find myself a little happy that people *are* outraged. It is good for people to get mad and maybe that will cause people to want to make things better. Our society is so screwed up. Apparently, we are financially bankrupt, but in addition to that, we are also morally bankrupt. Our priorities are all out of whack and we are breeding lazy, greedy, selfish, ignorant people. This Octomom whack-job is the product of our society...our laws and programs create people like her. She, as well as millions of other people, feel entitled to their every whim and it is hurting them as well as all of the rest of us.


Now that I've got that out of the way, who wants to talk about the infertility aspect of this???? I've got lots of opinions about that too. Want to know what I think??? I'd love to know what *you* think....seriously, I wouldn't be offended. ;)

Facebook Fun!!

Are you on Facebook yet??? I have to admit that I like it, I wouldn't say that I am addicted to it(other than that small Sudoku addiction), but I really do enjoy it to see some old faces and keep tabs on everyone.

A few weeks ago, this "25 Random Things" note was going around Facebook. I did it on Facebook, but forgot to put it on here for those of you that are not my "friends"....Facebook friends of course, if you read my blog, you are a real friend. :) Enjoy.

BTW, if you blog, consider yourself tagged and leave me a comment so that I can read all about you too!!

1. I am totally addicted to McDonald's chocolate chip cookies.
2. I hate getting up in the morning....always have and probably always will.
3. I love Disney World. Spencer and I took a trip there last year, just the 2 of us, for a long weekend. It was the best trip ever...we rode the Aerosmith roller coaster like 8 times. :)
4. I met my husband (Spencer) when we ended up on the same Co-ed Football team for the Chicago Sport and Social Club. My sister wanted to play and convinced me to sign up with her. Thanks Jen!!
5. I spent 48 days in the hospital when I was pregnant with my triplets.
6. I've hitch-hiked.
7. I played on a softball team called the "Carnations" when I was growing up. Don't laugh, we were good....well, not all of us, but as a whole team the Carnations did very well. ;) I was also on the "Petunias". The Petunias, unfortunately, were not very good.
8. When I was 9, I went on a hot air ballon ride.
9. I don't drink much alcohol, but that is just because Pepsi tastes so good to me.
10. I'm really a dork.
11. I used to be an Irish Dancer.
12. My kids and I listen to Abba every morning while we are getting ready for school...I discovered they drink their milk faster when they are jamming to goofy 70's music. And Charlie singing Dancing Queen is a great way to start the day.
13. I was listening to Cher's eulogy of Sonny when I received my last speeding ticket.
14. I'm a CPA...and a proud member of the 300 club...which means that I scored a 75 (the minimum passing score) on all 4 parts...which also means that I studied the exact right amount!!15. I enjoy socializing and meeting new people. But, I do better in small groups, big groups intimidate me, especially when I don't know anyone.
16. My first job was a paper route that I shared with my sister. We made $3.30/week...to split...free paper, no tips. It seemed like a good deal at the time.
17. I played tennis in high school and college. I think that I've only picked up my racket once in the last 12 years...because I now SUCK and it is just way too frustrating to suck, when I used to be good! :(
18. I spent a college semester in Tully Cross, Ireland.
19. My sister also has triplet boys.
20. I get way too much enjoyment out of my own blog and I'm embarassed to say how big my ego gets when other people tell me that they read it and like it too.
21. I had to "assume the crash position" to prepare for an emergency landing on a flight one time. I now hate flying.
22. If you didn't know me before I got married, you would probably mis-pronounce my maiden name.
23. All of my report cards from grammar school said that I was shy.
24. I did not vote for Obama.
25. Every summer, we load up the mini-van and drive 1/2 way across the country to go to......NEW JERSEY!! Really!! We have a blast for a week at "the shore" in OC, NJ. The awesome friends, relaxation time, food, games, rides, adventures and fun family time make up for all of that yucky sand!

Whew...DONE!