Consequences

The other day, Carter and Cooper decided to get off the bus at their friend Trevor's house. About the time their bus was due to drop them off at home, I got a sheepish phone call from Carter letting me know where he was. Obviously, both boys new they shouldn't have done it, and knew they would get in trouble, but chose to do it anyway. So, mom and dad had to sit down with them and have a talk about what the appropriate consequence would be for their actions. Their choice was to never be allowed to have a friend over, or go to a friend's house ever again. That seemed perfectly acceptable to them. Mom and dad suggested perhaps they should be grounded for one night. They would have to go to their room after school, only coming down to eat supper. Just the mention of being grounded made the tears start rolling. This was the worst possible consequence in their mind. So last night, they spent the night in their rooms. Not much of a punishment when you have your brother to talk to if you ask me. However, from now on, I don't think they will choose to get off the bus anywhere but home.

Go Gophers!

The boys got to get out of school early today to head to Grand Forks for the West Regional hockey tournaments. The Gophers play at 5:30 tonight at Ralph Englestad Arena. These little boys will be heartbroken if the Sioux come out on top this weekend... According to them, the Sioux STINK!

Ice Show 2006

All four kids are performing in this year's Ice Show. Katelyn is Kim Possible, Kennedy is a Cavegirl, and Carter and Cooper are Vikings! Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm at the Moorhead Sports Center. 

Like Mother...Like Daughter

Today Katelyn had the day off from school and got together with her scrapbooking group to work on their books! 

My Late Night Date with the Inside of My Computer

Have you ever seen the inside of your computer? Not a friendly looking place. Last night at approximately 2am with the encouragement of the knowledgable Dell online customer service representative, I was learning how to remove the system tower cover and reseat my IEEE 1394 card. When she typed "Now go get a screwdriver" I was scared. But I did it! I was determined to transfer video from my digital video camera to my new Pinnacle software editing program, but somehow my capture card had come loose and it was up to me to get it back in the slot correctly, which I successfully accomplished with only a few beads of sweat on my brow. Home free...so I thought. Now if I could just get my software program to work!

Something's Missing

Cooper lost his top tooth yesterday...he will never look the same! 

WHAT???

Out of the blue last night Cooper said, "But mom, I don't like Cucumber Day. You know, when all those green guys come to our house."

$1.00 to the first person who can figure out what he was talking about!

Rookies No More

Today was the last game of the Season for these Rookies. Next year they will move on to Mites.


Oh, that's right, silly me thinking hockey is over until next year...next WEEK they will move on to Mites when three on three league starts! You've got a week to rest up boys...enjoy it! 

Only in Minnesota

The Dairy Queen in Moorhead opened today...signaling that spring is on its way. We stood in line in the sleet and snow to get our first treats of the season. Worth the wait!!

It doesn't get any cheaper...

I always thought that once the kids stopped drinking formula and wearing diapers, they would be more affordable. That notion has passed. I just finished signing the kids up for a portion of their summer activities: hockey camp, golf, baseball, and volleyball camp. These carry a price tag of over $700.00, which doesn't include bible camp, swimming lessons and Penny & Pals day camp for which registration still needs to be completed. Ouch. I have a sinking feeling that this is only the beginning.

My Cup is Full

I have returned...as promised. I had a fabulous time on my solo vacation. I'm sure people thought I was crazy for wanting to be completely alone, my husband included (thanks for the support anyway Tim), but sometimes you just have to get away to hear yourself think, before you forget what you think! It is a continuous journey to remain interesting. I stayed at the Graves 601 across from the Target Center. Everything about it was fantastic, especially the massage at the spa! I spent 12 hours of my time (almost consecutive) reading The Da Vince Code. I enjoy history (makes me wish I had paid more attention in high school), especially religious history, so this book was beyond interesting to me. It is fiction, but laced with enough truth to make you question whether the story could have some validity. I can't wait until the movie comes out this spring.

So I am back....to work, to family, and to responsibility, with hopefully a little bit more of myself to offer. 

A Weekend For Rejuvination

I am doing something totally selfish and just for me this weekend. I am going to the cities...by myself...to spend time with myself. I have a reservation at a fancy hotel, an appointment for a full-body massage, three books and seven movies. I haven't been this excited for something in a long time (sad, but true). Dad will be on kid, house, and everything else duty and I will return to reality on Monday night!

One hundred and three

What is 103 you ask? It is the number of Valentines prepared by our household this year. It was Build-a-Bears for Katelyn, Batman for Carter, Scooby for Cooper and Hello Kitty for Kennedy. We hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day! 

What 1st Grade Boys are Talking About at Recess These Days

This was part of our conversation at the dinner table last night.
Cooper: I got a new student teacher today.
Carter: Yah, I got one too.
Katelyn: Does she have blonde hair?
Carter: Yah.
Katelyn: Oh, I saw her today, she's pretty.
Carter: Noah says she's hot.
Mom: WHAT???? What does that mean if she's hot?
Cooper: (without looking up from his plate) That means he thinks she's sexy.
Mom: (Shrieks)
Carter: Yah, Noah says he wants to make out with her.
Mom: (Shrieks louder) What does that mean?
Cooper: I think that means he wants to marry her.

Side note: Mom wants to know who this Noah kid is...and is very curious to see this blonde student teacher who has the 1st grade boys buzzing!

My Favorite Things

Since I have had nothing interesting to write about for the last week, (life has been refreshingly boring) I thought I'd list some of my favorite cleaning products. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a daycare provider's best friend...it gets crayon off floors, walls, and tables! It is also great for getting scuff marks off of floors. My Dyson vacuum....LOVE IT! Steep price tag but worth every penny. And I just discovered this new product by Clorox...a sanitizing spray that promises to kill 99.9% of bacteria on hard surfaces without needing to rinse, or leaving a harmful residue. Good for toys, door knobs, faucets, telephones, eating surfaces etc.

I got my ears pierced!

Yesterday my mom took me to the mall to get my ears pierced. I was very brave and smiled the whole time. It only hurt a little bit. My friend Gracie came with me to watch and then we went shopping afterward and I got new sunglasses and a skirt. Everybody says I look beautiful in these things and I agree with them! 

The Flu Blues

A little humor to get us through a week of children puking. Photo by Dad. 

Friday Night Alone

The kids have been sick all week and Tim is leaving for a fishing trip next weekend so I was given the green light last night to take the night off and do anything I wanted to. I went to the mall and did some shopping and then I did something I've never done in my 29 years of life...I went to a movie by myself. At first I thought I'd be self-conscious and it would bother me, but it really didn't. It was actually a freeing experience; just sitting there enjoying the movie by myself with my popcorn. I saw Walk the Line with Joaquin Phoenix and Reece Witherspoon...excellent movie. Since the Christmas season, I have seen the following movies in the theatre: The Family Stone, Rumor Has It, Brokeback Mountain, Glory Road, Just Friends and now Walk the Line. By far the best movie out of those in my opinion was Brokeback Mountain. Like the trailer says, it stays with you long after you leave the theatre. Go see it...it's not what you think it will be. I also encourage you to try going to a movie by yourself sometime...it's not so bad!

"How Are You?"

On one of my visits to my mom's this month, she was telling me about the chiropractic office where she works and what a positive environment it is. They typically do not ask patients the question "How are you?" because the doctor does not want people complaining and saying negative comments. The employees are encouraged to always respond positively if the question is asked of them. To which I questioned, isn't that being fake or not genuine? My mom told me to think of it more as a choice...to put yourself in that state of mind. The more you say how great your day is, the better you are going to feel about it. So this past week I have been paying more attention to my response when people ask me how I am. My natural tendency, or perhaps a habit I have created, is to respond with I'm tired, or crabby, or rushed, or busy. All negative responses. From now on, I'm going to make an effort to find something positive to say when people ask me how I am and see if it makes a difference in how I feel! So..."How are you?"

Grocery Shopping with your Spouse

Grandma and Grandpa took the kids to a hotel last night because there is no school today. So Tim and I went out for a nice dinner together and then went to the grocery store. This is something that we NEVER do together...mostly because we've always had young kids so one person stays home. It is interesting to see the differences in what each of us sees as worthy of spending a little extra money. Ria to Tim..."Do we really need to spend $6.00 on four cans of Mountain Dew 'Amp'?"Tim to Ria..."Do we really need to spend $4.00 on that People magazine to read about your close friends, Brad and Angelina"? Tim insists that we should buy only name brand products regardless of whether or not he will be consuming the product. I say buy the generic cheaper stuff for the daycare kids (though we both agreed that the Flavorite graham crackers taste like cardboard and even at $.99 they are not worth the money.) So we compromised on some things and agreed on others, and learned a little about each other along the way. Just in case you are wondering who did most of the compromising...we did NOT purchase the overpriced Mountain Dew, but I did come home and catch up on the romance of Brangelina in my magazine!