End of October...Already?

Where did the month of October go? It seems like yesterday was October 1. Starting tomorrow, we're back to our regular schedule at my house. I never know what kinds of adventures we'll have from day to day, but on Mondays the kids are usually tired and a little off routine. Hopefully, none of the kids ate too much candy this weekend!

Can you handle it?

Can you handle one more post about water? I think so! There's a boat tour in NE Iowa that will take a private group out on the Mississippi River. We'd be able to take our own food and beverages...the boat operator is willing to talk about wildlife, history, etc. of the region.
You have heard me say how much I like being on the water, so I'm looking forward to at least one "boating" adventure next June. If all else fails, I'll float a personal watercraft (aka one of Ty's inflatables) in my bathtub.
Last Thursday, when it was time to get dressed for our party, everyone gladly donned his or her costume. That is, with one exception...Ty.
(When and where did he learn how to use the word "No!"?)
So, this morning, I suggested that Aaron and Jaime try to "catch him off guard". When they arrived at Waterloo's Farmer's Market/ Halloween festival, Aaron took him out of his car seat. Jaime walked up behind him and said, "Tyler, it's cold. You need to wear your coat and hat". On went the costume...sneaky, but brilliant. It worked!!! : ) (It probably also helped that he didn't know that he was a dog. He thought he was a cow...currently, his favorite animal.)

See if you can handle this website:

www.maidenvoyagetours.com

Men in touch with their feminine side

Tonight, I spent a couple of hours with Tyler while Jaime and Aaron went to a birthday party.
My drives to and from Denver are usually interesting; tonight's drive was no exception. As I drove through downtown Waterloo, I spotted two men on a street corner. One was dressed like a fairy (complete with a wand). The other was wearing what looked like his mother's old nightgown. Halloween weekend and the crazies are out! Anyway, I think they were dressed up for Halloween (in downtown Waterloo, you never know!!!).

Response/Question for yesterday's Jeopardy clue:
What Halloween costumes showed up today for our Halloween party???

Jeopardy

I like to watch Jeopardy!, but I don't think I'd be a very good contestant. I can often figure out the correct response, but I know that I'd forget to answer in the form of a question. Let's see how you fare in my Jeopardy game. Here are the clues:

a shark, three puppies, Strawberry Shortcake, and a bumblebee

Stay tuned for the answer (in tomorrow night's post).

Mom's Birthday : )

Today is mom's birthday. Whenever I think about mom, two things pop into my mind right away. She often said "dishes smishes"...I find myself saying that to "my kids" whenever we have a lot of dishes. Funny how that momerism has become part of my vocabulary. I also think about the time we were visiting her in Anthon, and she was trying to place a long distance call (I think to Bev). She got really irritated at the operator...about as mad as I've ever seen her! It was funny! What funny "mom" memories to do have?

PS...Yes, I realize that I used the word "funny" three times in this post. I'm in a funny mood (just spent the last two hours shopping for our Halloween party tomorrow.)

PSS...Now I'm up to five! : )

Today's Highlights

1) Watching B (almost 8 months) maneuver her way around my house. She can't crawl yet, but she sure can get where she wants to go!
2) Overhearing K ask D (both age 2) to play with her:

"Come over to my house. I like you. I have ice cream."

3) Watching K put together a 28 piece floor puzzle all by herself!
4) Not currently living in North Dakota (Snow shovels, anyone?).

Multiple Choice

Over the next few months, I hope to become:
1) a pack rat
2) a rat fink
3) a gym rat
4) a muskrat
5) a chef like Ratatouille

Canoeing

Hi! I hope that you all had a great weekend! It was quiet here today; I feel like I accomplished a lot (meaning I got about half of my "to do" list done). There's a great canoeing place here in NE Iowa...the owners do all of the work...our only job would be to show up. Derek and his friends went canoeing at Chimney Rock a few summers ago...he said it was a great experience.
Here's to a wonderful week for everyone and the hope for a few funny stories from this location. Ciao!

Check it out:
www.chimneyrocks.com

White Water Rafting

As if you hadn't noticed, I've been spending my October weekend posts trying to appeal to the young and young at heart Grants. Thus...water and water adventures. Much to my surprise, a recent article in our local newspaper mentioned that a whitewater rafting park is being developed in Charles City. For those of you who experienced w.w. rafting in Colorado, I'm not sure that this will "measure up", but I have no doubt that it'd be a fun experience. I'll even promise to try it if someone else will...but, just keep in mind...I like to be ON the water, not IN the water.

Good news...if you are tiring of my water posts, never fear...the November weekend posts will be devoted to FOOD!!!!!!! : )

So Sorry...

Hello! I'm so sorry that I haven't had any "cute kid" stories this week. Lots of tantrums and toilet training drama...hardly the things that dream blogs are made of! Anyway, it's Friday night...another weekend is awaiting...yea!!!!!!

Beauty Sleep

I consider myself lucky...I can virtually fall asleep anywhere at anytime. (ie...Flying is a breeze...I sometimes fall asleep before the plane takes off and wake up to the sound of the pilot's "descending" announcement.) Every once in awhile I can successfully function with only four hours of sleep. (Hard to do that two nights in a row, though.) The longest sleep that I remember was last fall when I had H1N1; I slept 18 hours without waking up. Crazy. Today, the girls were out the door before 5 PM, so I stretched out on the couch and slept for a couple of hours. Now, I'm making up for that little siesta by rushing around, trying to get ready for tomorrow.
Sleep...It's a beautiful thing!!

Who says?

Who says that kids need expensive toys? Not needed at my house. Here's what the two-year-olds "played with" today:
.a plant stand (great for standing on top of to get into things on top of the TV
.a table (also great to stand on to reach the light switches)
.an empty box (to sit in)
.a basket (nice hat)
.my television screen (fun to lick)
.a baby crib (for diving into off the arm chair)
.small kids' chairs (when lined up, they make a terrific train)
.computer discs (how far can they roll?)
.kitchen counter (better than a Slip 'n Slide)
.my purse (any money or makeup in there?)

This list could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Besides, I'd be up all night "posting" and let's face it, after today, I need plenty of sleep so I can be prepared for whatever tomorrow brings!

PS...Just in case you're wondering about the plant that's supposed to be on the plant stand... no worries. That was taken care of months ago by a little guy who pulled the leaves off, one by one.

Job Security

Today, one of my families informed me that they are considering having a baby. We checked my childcare guidelines to see if I could care for another baby next year (I can). Does anyone know if there's a bonus for not claiming social security benefits until age ninety???!!! : )

Nugent Family Photos

Last week, Aaron, Jaime, and Tyler went to Cedar Rapids to have family pictures taken. The proofs were posted on-line today and will only be available until this Friday. We have been studying the proofs, trying to decide which we like best...impossible decision. Feel free to visit the site and let us know which ones to choose. We need some help in narrowing down our choices. Thanks! : )
PS...Speaking of pictures, I'm already dreading the TOO MANY family photos that will be taken next June. (You know how much I love getting my picture taken...not!!!)

To view A,J, and T's photos...
Go to: www.kliks.biz
Click on: click here to enter
Click on: on-line proofing
Enter password: tyler

Happy 41st Anniversary, Karel and Nancy!!!

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season to visit a pumpkin farm. Today (another beautiful fall day), I went to Pumpkin Paradise (NE of Waverly) with Aaron, Jaime, and Tyler. Besides pumpkins, there was a petting zoo, a boat full of shelled corn and digging tools, riding toys (Ty rode a little tractor), swings, slides, a haunted forest, inflatables for photo ops, small wagons for hauling kids and pumpkins, and a hay ride. Also...a little shop selling homemade cookies, caramel apples, hot chocolate, etc. The farm is family owned and operated (grandma bakes the cookies). Ty's favorite part was the animals. He called the mini horses "cows", chased a cat, and took home a pumpkin that had a few nibble marks (compliments of the llama). I took a few pics and will try to post a couple this week. All in all, a very quintessential fall day in Iowa. : )

You've Probably Noticed...

that my weekend posts this month have all mentioned water. I love being on the water (notice that I didn't say "in" the water). I've got a lot of "on the water" stories so, if you're in Iowa next June, you might hear a few. Tonight, I spent some time looking for a boat ride called "The Spirit of Greene". This ride no longer exists (perhaps because of major flooding in Greene in '08), but I did find another possibility. Clear Lake, Iowa (approx. 1 hour northwest of Waverly) has a riverboat called "Lady of the Lake" which features public excursions. In addition, Clear Lake Boats rents boats by the hour, including a two-level pontoon with a slide (great fun for kids of all ages)! Clear Lake also has a nice tea room where we ladies could have lunch. Am going to keep throwing ideas your way...bet you didn't know that NE Iowa had so much to offer!

Websites to check out:
cruiseclearlake.com
clearlakeboat.com

Wiped Out

Hi there! Friday night here. I still feel "wiped out". (It's a good thing that those bonfire nights don't happen very often.) I'm planning to go to bed early again tonight because I have a very busy weekend ahead! Talk to you tomorrow!!!

Writer's Block

I feel like I have writer's block tonight...I can't think of a thing to write about. (Could it be because I didn't go to bed until 1:00 this morning?!?) I did go to C's preschool open house tonight. He was VERY excited to have mom, dad, sister, grandma, grandpa, and me in attendance. He took us on a thorough tour of his classroom, the hallway, and even the bathroom. His teacher remarked that he's always so quiet at school, and that he rarely talks. His family and I are all accustomed to his "other" side...the one that never stops talking! Friday tomorrow...I am ready for a weekend! TTYL : )

A Busy Night

A busy night...
5:30 PM
-My Durango's still not running, so Adam picked me up for dinner.
-We stopped at his house to search for his wallet (didn't find it).
-We stopped at HyVee so I could cash a check.
-We met Aaron, Nathan, Jaime, and Tyler at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.
-I drove Jaime and Tyler back to Denver (in Aaron's car).
-Aaron and Nathan rode with Adam back to his house.
-J and I played with Ty for a while and then put him in bed.
-I stopped at HyVee to get groceries (not the same store that we went to earlier).
-I stopped at home to put away the groceries.
-Then I went to Walgreens to buy the garbage bags that I forgot to get at the grocery store.
-Next, I dropped off some paperwork at the childcare office.
-I drove to Adam's house and sat around the bonfire with Adam, Nathan, Aaron, and Sarah.
-Nathan and Aaron gave me a ride home.
-NOW, I get to start prepping my house for kids tomorrow! : )
11:30 PM

Impulsivity

First of all, I had to google the spelling of the "title" word; then I checked the definition. Yes, it's the word I wanted..."impulsive" describes my two-year-olds. Today's lunchtime provided a perfect example. Midway through lunch, K leapt out of her chair, shouted "Clothes off!" and proceeded to do just that. Quickly, D followed suit. At that same time, K must have noticed the dumbfounded look on my face, because she said, "Yogurt". Of course. It all made sense. Both girls had spilled a miniscule amount of yogurt on their clothes and felt the immediate need to be rid of the mess. And they were. After undressing, both girls sat back down in their chairs and finished their meals. These girls never cease to amuse me! : )

If At First We Don't Succeed...

For the next three weeks, with the exception of a couple of days, I will have just three of my kiddos. SO...in my infinite wisdom... I decided that this might be a great time to "revisit" toilet training with my 2 two-year-old girls. Accompanied by stickers, M&Ms, a chart, a pen, and a timer, we spent a good portion of today in the bathroom. I am proud to announce that there IS learning taking place. Yea!!!
1) I am learning that two-year-olds have bladders the size of the head of a stick pin.
2) I am learning that aforementioned bladders contain liquids of oceanic proportions.
3) I am learning that Cinderella underpants are "cooler" than Dora underpants.
4) I am learning that shiny shamrock stickers are a big hit (even in October).
5) I am learning that I have a lot to learn.

Good news for Aaron and Jaime...By the time Ty is ready for toilet training, I should be a pro.

Sunday Night ( Already?)

Another weekend just flew by...I barely put a dent in my weekend list of "what to do". (Oh, well, there's always next weekend!) I spent 2 more hours in the yard today, putting my total to 6 hours of outside work this weekend. I have the front yard pretty well taken care of with the exception of some piles of leaves, branches, etc. that still need to be cleaned up. The maple tree in my front yard drops its leaves LATE in the fall (sometime in November), so I'll still need to rake those. I hope that next weekend will be nice too...the backyard needs attention as well. Jaime and Aaron's friend, Nathan, (from California) is visiting this week. (His wife, Amanda, graduated from high school with Jaime.) Amanda was home just a few weeks ago for their class reunion; she decided that Nathan should take a little vacation before she deploys to Afghanistan. Aaron had police training today, so J, Ty, and Nathan stopped over and we went out for lunch.

Diane, thanks for the info. Your house sounds perfect...SIGN ME UP!!!!!! : )

Have a good week, everyone. : ) : ) : )

Housing in Waverly

Thanks Sheryl for the early morning lesson! We have given our bedroom to the C Wolffs but have the downstairs open. One bedroom with full size bed, one bathroom with shower, a full size couch, a two-seater couch, a recliner, a king size air mattress, and lots of tiled floor. I checked on a retreat house in Waverly with bedrooms upstairs but cost was same or more than the motels and no breakfast or pool, and use of the downstairs/kitchen would cost extra! The Comfort Inn prices are from $89.95-$69.95 depending on how many people and beds. The manager gave me a card that says he would give 10% off that if more than 10 nights were booked. They have breakfast bar with a hot item each day and a pool. The Super 8 manager gave me a card that says 1 or 2 queen beds $70.88, 1 king bed $75.88, suites with king bed $85.88-119.88, 5% discount for 3 rooms, 10% discount for 5 rooms. I think I could get the 10% for 3 rooms if I tell him that is what the CI is offering. They have a breakfast bar, too. We do have a third motel but no one speaks favorably about it. I will go there to have a look, Dave and Nancy stayed there 3 yrs ago when they came to help us move and didn't think badly of it at that time. We'll see! We will be the base house, someone always home and will have Sheryl (pretty-blonde-young-energetic) be the hostess on the move. Oh, the managers said the bookings would have to be made through me with the card, so when you all have decided what to do, be it Waverly or Waterloo, let me know. Phone numbers for the motels in case you would want to call and firm up the accommodations before I would book them are: CI 319-352-0399/800-424-6423 Super 8 319-352-0888. I will check on the 3rd motel this week. Hope everyone is well!

PDA

What a gorgeous day! I don't remember the last time that we had such a long string of nice fall days. I could live with this kind of weather year round!

PDA (Pools, Diane, & Alligators)

Pools...Last weekend, I mentioned the water park in Waterloo. I also want to mention that Waverly, Waterloo, and Cedar Falls all have nice public swimming pools if anyone is interested. I'm sure that the hotels/motels that Diane has been investigating have pools, too.

Diane...Diane plans to post some info about places to stay. Thanks for doing the research, Diane!

Alligators...I DID NOT see any alligators in my front yard today (nor did I expect to). What I did see was a lot of progress! So here's the score so far:
Halftime (Saturday night)
Me 4 (the number of hours I worked in my front yard today)
Front Yard 0

Not too shabby for someone who really doesn't like yard work! Will post final score tomorrow night. Until then...

Four Letter Words

This blog is usually "G" rated but, tonight, I'm thinking of a couple of four letter words to describe my weekend plans. Are you ready? Are you sure? Here goes. Yard Work. Neal and I had been married for eleven years before we purchased a house with a yard. It was only then that I learned that he really didn't like doing yard work. And, to make matters worse, it was about that same time that I discovered that I really didn't like it either! Fast forward to tonight, facing a gorgeous October weekend with a front yard chalk full of stuff that needs to be taken care of. Wish me luck...

Is It Friday Yet?

I don't know why, but this has seemed like a LONG week! The weather has been great, and the kids have been good, so I can't complain. Wait a minute...I can complain! Last night, I needed to run an errand and my Durango wouldn't start!!! Adam came over today and tried to jump start it...no luck. So, after a quick trip to Lowes to buy a socket wrench set, he removed the battery. We'll take the battery to Advance Auto Parts tomorrow to exchange it for a new one. Then, I need to take the D to Best Buy to have them work on the remote starter (I think that's what drained the battery). At least I'm two for two on the picture front! Yea!

Happy Anniversary, Kelley and Kyle! Congratulations... Has it really been sixteen years?!? Hope you're planning a fun celebration!

Mustard

Adam and I had dinner together tonight, and then he stopped over to show me how to upload photos from my camera for my Blog. And so, thanks to Adam, you can now see my first photo! The real test will come tomorrow night when I try to add another; we'll see if I remember how to do it.
Lunchtime today...We had fish, sweet potato fries, and lettuce salads. I had given the kids a little ketchup, and D asked me for some mustard. About 30 seconds after hearing that I had no mustard, D and K both stood up at the same time and said that they needed to go potty. Now, I'm not one to tell two two-year olds whom I've been trying to get into the bathroom all morning that the middle of lunch isn't the best time to need to go, so I watched them race down the hall. Not thirty seconds later, they came running back down the hall with a toy plastic bottle of mustard!
(And no, they had not been anywhere near the bathroom!!!) I pride myself in staying one step ahead of the kids but, every once in awhile, I don't "cut the mustard"!!! Ha ha!

7 Bad Habits...Chapter III (Three)

Time for a habit update! I'm still working on the family room mess! Will I EVER get it cleaned out? Good news...I am doing well on my eating late at night habit. I've only eaten after 7 on three nights...all because I was with other people. (I've actually been surprised at how easy it is to get through an evening at home without snacking!) And so... moving right along to bad habit #3, which is eating WAY TOO MUCH JUNK. My plan is to "clean" up my diet one day a week at a time. I'm going to start with Thursdays...being really careful what I eat that day. (Will keep you "posted".) Hope you're having a great night! : )

Cheers!

There are many explanations for the origin of saying cheers followed by the touching or clinking of glasses. At my house, it started a few weeks ago with the arrival of our newest "two". At his first meal here, he raised his sippy cup, said "Cheers", and clinked D's sippy cup. Now, everyone is getting in on "Cheers". Kids sure like to overgeneralize, so they're not only clinking their sippys...they are clinking spoons, cereal, chicken nuggets, yogurt cups, bananas, bread sticks...you get the picture. Goofy kids. : )

Lost Island

Good evening. I cannot believe that it's Sunday night already! Where do the weekends go? I'm all in favor of a flip (two day work week/five day weekend). Is that what retirement is like?
Before I talk about "The Island", I want to apologize to anyone who is not getting the fall leaf background on the blog. (Diane said that her background is white, so I can only assume that this is true for others as well.) I'm not sure why...different computers, older computers,etc.
I think that the water park would be a terrific way to spend a hot summer day; fun for kids as well as for the adults who want to accompany them. I could go on and on about the park, but instead, I'll give you their website address. It is:

www.thelostisland.com

Don't worry about the cost...we can get a better deal. The food at the park is good, but if you'd rather, we can pack a picnic lunch for everyone. Rob (Bob and Ginny Knepper's son), his wife Tracey, and their three sons have come to the water park, and they brought a picnic lunch. The park is not too far from my house, so anyone who wants to go later, leave early, or wants to shower is welcome to come here. I'll even be glad to shuttle! Diane and I will keep tossing out ideas...as June gets closer, we can decide how we want to spend our time. Until tomorrow...

Water Fun

It was a beautiful fall day here...great football weather! Diane, Jenn, Jaime, Ty and I took a little road trip to Cedar Rapids. We had brunch at Granite City, shopped at the mall, picked up a "Kathy's Pies" chocolate pie and some monster cookies, and bought donuts at Donutland. And, Jaime purchased a huge caramel apple at HyVee, which we ate with our leftover Chinese for dinner. A delicious day! Ty didn't nap all day (he was having too much fun) and fell asleep at my house at 4:45 PM. He's still sleeping, so J left him for the night with a promise that he'd stay asleep until at least 6 AM. Think I'll go to bed early just in case he doesn't!
Back to next June...Waterloo has an amazing water park. I'm planning to organize a "water park day" for anyone and everyone who wants to go. The park has something for everyone, even if you just want to go and watch others have fun. I'll talk in more detail about the park in tomorrow night's post. Until then...

Happy Me!

It doesn't take much to make me happy...car keys (I found them this morning...right where Tyler had left them), curly ribbon (which I needed yesterday to repair the helium balloons that survived the ceiling fan fiasco, Ty's little voice that woke me up this morning at 5:40 (he spent the night; I went to bed at 1:00). Figuring out how to change my blog background and text ranks right up there. A few days ago, Jaime and I tried to change it but couldn't figure out how. Tonight, I just started searching and, voila, a new look! Welcome, October!