Lucky Me

Lucky me. I have a dentist who works on Saturdays. And, I had an appointment today. And, one scheduled for next Saturday, too. : (

The "Wedding"

How many of you watched William and Kate's wedding? My thoughts:
What pomp and circumstance! (As if the royals would have it any other way)
What a gorgeous dress!
What stylish hats!
What a cutie Harry turned out to be (who knew?)!
What an expense!!!!! I heard that it cost approx. $65 million dollars!!!! (I wonder how many starving children that would feed.)

Another Quiz

Three is the answer. What is the question?

Going somewhere...

is a daily occurrence at my house. One or two (or all) of the big kids decide that they're going to go somewhere (i.e. the grocery store, Walmart, McDonalds, the park), so they put on (or try to put on) their coats, hats, shoes, etc. I won't help them for two reasons:
1) If I start doing that, I'll end up helping them get dressed a million times every day, and
2) I don't want to give the the false impression that we're actually going to go somewhere!
Today, Ty and D were my "big kids." They decided to go visit Guck and Manda (Derek and Amanda). They managed their coats, but D decided to forgo her shoes in order to help Ty with his. She never did manage to get them on, but it was fun watching her try. B, not to be outdone by the big kids, got her coat and carried it around for the rest of the day.

Last Class

Tonight was our last class in the four week FCCERS series. I now know that I know that I'm overwhelmed by all the expectations for best practice. Before class, Mary, the QRS specialist for CCRR, asked if she could bring a rating team into my home on the 13th. The team would rate my program in several areas and then compare their ratings. The purpose of their visit would be for their own practice as evaluators...not to critique my program. Wow, Mary, let me think about it and I'll get back to you...OK, I've thought about it...No way! : )
PS...Can you tell that I like initialisms?

Tutus and Tails

This morning, D and K pulled out the dress up clothes. K put on a cat costume complete with tail that she wore all day and home. D donned a pink and black frilly tutu which she wore for all of ten minutes. They tried to talk Ty into a red polka dot dress adorned with lace, ribbons, and sequins. He took one look and walked away.

Spring Fever

I think I must have a touch of spring fever. Tonight (around 7:30), I went outside to wash my front windows. And now, I just figured out how many days until the end of the school year for all of my families...the countdown begins!

Grocery Shopping

I waited until tonight to do my weekly grocery shopping and was surprised to find many of the store shelves almost bare (especially in the canned vegetable aisle). I didn't realize that people did so much cooking for Easter! Our plans? Aaron, Jaime, and Tyler will come over after church for brunch. Happy Easter, everyone!

Happy anniversary to Marco and Amy!!!

Water, Water, Everywhere

Tyler had fun playing in the water today. First at my house, where he washed his hands to the point of soaking his clothes. Then, after dinner at A and J's house, Ty asked Adam to help him wash his hands. He (Tyler, not Adam) ended up sitting on the vanity with his feet in the bathroom sink...soaked again! Speaking of water, the survey I sent should have listed "Lady of the Lake" instead of "The Spirit of Greene" as an option. If this isn't quite enough water news for you, then you should know that it was rainy here again today. By the time I get a chance to mow this spring, the grass in my yard will be ten feet high!

Lil' Helpers

This morning, D and K "read" several books to Baby O. I'm fairly sure that he liked it, even though he was sleeping while they read. This afternoon, K folded all of the clothes that I'd just taken out of the dryer. She was especially excited when she found a pair of my socks (evidently, she didn't realize that I have laundry, too).

On the Move

I got an update from Derek tonight. On Monday, after spending two nights in a cabin on post, Derek and Amanda rented a house about a mile from their apt. complex; they moved in yesterday. He said that their building...built in 2010...was condemned, so they had to move. It's a three bedroom two bath home with a "bonus" room above the garage (their roommate Jared will use that as his bedroom). Derek sounded anxious to start doing yard work...IS HE CRAZY??? Tomorrow, he'll get the verdict on his car. He has the rest of the week off, so they're looking forward to a quiet weekend. Hopefully, it will be.

Weather Permitting

During our class tonight, we talked about taking child care kids outdoors. Best practice is to take the kids outside every day for up to an hour unless the wind chill is 9 degrees or below or the heat index is 90 degrees or higher. So, despite the snow, thundersnow, sleet, and rain we had today, I should have taken the kids outside. With an eight-week-old baby in tow? I don't think so!!!

And Baby Makes Ten

Tomorrow, we'll be adding an eight-week-old baby to our group. His parents have child care lined up for fall, but their provider had no room for him now. So I...being the crazy person that I am...said I'd take him. His dad's a teacher (mom works at Deere's), so he'll be full time for the next seven weeks until school is out. I have no doubt that it'll be a hectic seven weeks, so I'm already counting the days!!!!!!!
PS...Did I mention that I'm crazy???!!!

Weekend Update

In between all the phone calls and texts between Iowa and North Carolina, Jaime and I took Tyler to have his Easter pictures taken (if you have Facebook, you can see them on Aaron or Jaime's page), bought a bike helmet for Tyler, had lunch at Applebee's yesterday and Wendy's today (unfortunately, the Waterloo Wendy's, not the Bismarck Wendy's), and went to church.
NC news...Derek said that at midnight last night they were notified that they had to evacuate immediately (it had been determined that the foundation of their building was unstable). He called his boss and was told to head out to the campgrounds where someone with a key would meet them in 15 minutes. Derek said that she finally showed up at 2 AM and then realized that all of the cabins had been rented for the weekend. So, they slept in the car. They were able to get into a cabin today; this afternoon, electricity was restored to post. Tomorrow, they have appointments to look at other rental properties and plan to move their things as soon as possible (the guys in Amanda's unit have volunteered to help them move). Derek's been driving his car even though the windows are broken out. I feel especially bad for Amanda. She had surgery on her knee last Wednesday and is on medical leave. D said that her knee has been really bothering her...I'm sure that crawling across the living room floor, crouching in the bathroom, and sleeping in the car, etc. didn't help.

Tornados in NC

Derek called this afternoon to let me know that their apartment complex had been hit by one of the many tornados that went through North Carolina today. He said that they were in the living room, heard it coming, and crawled to the bathroom. He sent pictures of the damage to their apartment...a large hole going from outside through their bedroom wall (a chunk of the dry wall is embedded in another wall). Their patio was ripped apart, and the trees behind the apartment were down and/or snapped in half. Some of Amanda and Derek's car and truck windows were broken. Based on the videos I've seen of the widespread damage that occurred, they were lucky. Fayetteville has been declared a disaster area and, since they're without power, Derek said his boss told them they could stay at the cabins at Fort Bragg. Will keep you posted!

It's Spring?

It was SO cold, rainy, and windy here today. And dark. This afternoon, my house was so dark inside that it seemed like it was nighttime. I'm sure that's why the kids napped so well (even those who don't usually). The good news is that we didn't get any snow (sorry, North Dakotans)!

Surveys Part Two

Hi! I just finished the rough draft of the surveys. I'll have Jaime proofread them tomorrow, and then I'll send them on their merry way. Happy Friday, everyone! : )

Mixing

I spent time today...
a. mixing music
b. mixing cookie dough
c. mixing tempera paint
The answer is...
c. mixing paint.
We are painting flowers. This afternoon, I tried to make purple paint, but it turned out really dark (almost brown). Tonight I discovered that I didn't have any green paint in the house and didn't want to go to the store, so I mixed blue and yellow. Still pretty dark, but I'm almost out of yellow. The good news is that the kids don't really care about the colors; they're just happy to be painting!!

Homework

I'm enrolled in a four week child care class. The class involves homework... I don't remember the last time I had homework (probably when I was in college).

Two's Company

Just had two kids today...Tyler and K. It was a nice change of pace. We actually got to spend some time outside (which we never get to do) and went for a wagon ride. Will just have the two of them again tomorrow, so I hope that we can do an art project and bake some cookies. There was a great picture and article in today's newspaper of Ms. Wheelchair Iowa! You can check it out by visiting the following website:
WCFcourier.com
(When you get to the website, you'll see a picture with numbers 1-5 above it. Click on the numbers until you see Jenn's pic. Then, you can click on the article to read it in its entirety.
Way to go, Jenn!

Errands

Errands are on my "I don't really like doing this" list. They are, however, a necessary part of life. And so, today, I ran errands for four hours...seven stores and one library. Do you like running errands?

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Surveys

Hello everyone! Diane and I have talked a lot about our get-together in June. It looks like we'll have lots of people coming and going at different times. That works for us, but we do want to make the most of your time while you're in WaWa. Later next week, you'll receive a survey from us, the purpose of which will be twofold. We'll ask for arrival and departure dates (sounds like we're running an airport) and will ask you to prioritize the activities you'd like to do while here. If you have questions after seeing the survey, please call or e-mail me. Thanks! : )

Happy Birthday, Alex!!!

Just read that a tornado hit Mapleton earlier this evening. From what little information I've read, it sounds like there was a lot of damage.

Tots and Towels

As K was leaving today, she turned and said, "Thanks for watching me."

Tonight, Adam and I had dinner at Tony's, a new pizzeria in Cedar Falls. I ducked into the restroom to wash and, instead of the usual paper towel dispenser or hand dryer, there was a basket of white cotton hand towels. Very upscale for a pizza place!

P's and Q's Part 2

There are many ideas about the origin of the term "minding your p's and q's". Lucille mentioned one of them. Here are other possibilities...all involving old British pubs:
The barkeeps had to keep track of their p's and q's (pints and quarts).
The waitresses were also expected to keep a tally of the p's and q's that were sold.
If people started arguing, the bartender reminded them to mind their own drinks...their p's and q's.
Today, minding your p's and q's means to be on your best behavior. Ironic, considering the bad behavior that must have resulted from all that drinking!!!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Amy, Marco, Nancy, and Dave! Jaime mentioned that there's a picture of Sofia on Facebook; she also said that she's really cute..of course!! In his e-mail, Dave mentioned being tired. Dave, chances are, you'll have many nights of little sleep! After Tyler was born, there were several nights that Aaron, Jaime, and I took turns. In fact, a couple of nights, in order to catch up on sleep, Aaron slept at home, Jaime and Tyler slept here, and I was the one who got up in the night with Tyler. More than once, I fell asleep while holding him...on the couch or in the recliner. Seems like yesterday.

P's and Q's

Today, D and Tyler spent some time playing with our magnetic alphabet letters. Tyler searched for all of the O's (his favorite letter). Whenever he found a blue O, he was pretty psyched since blue is his favorite color. D was looking for all of the M's. She called the capital M's "the big M's"; D and Ty called the little m's "the baby m's". I was observing all of this when D spotted a letter still in the box and said, "Tyler, an O". He took one look and replied, "That's a Q." I had no idea that he knew what a Q looks like!

Pop Quiz: Who knows what it means to "Mind your P's and Q's"?

Playing Dress-Up

Today my three "big" kids played dress-up. D started out as a jack-o-lantern but then changed into a mail carrier. K went from being a ballerina to a bride and then finally to the Statue of Liberty. Tyler? He decided that he liked being a chef. Every time I asked him if he wanted to take his apron off he said, "Not yet".

Decorah Eagles

In an e-mail he recently sent, Darold mentioned the livestream of the eagles nesting at Decorah, Iowa. I've visited the website several times this weekend. This afternoon, I watched as the parent eagles fed their two babies...fascinating. There were over 120,000 other people watching at the same time! If you'd like to see the eagles and their eaglets (two of the three eggs have hatched), go to the following website and scroll down to "Decorah Eagle cam". Have a great week!
KWWL.com

Bicycle Weather

The weather here is finally starting to become "spring-like", so I've been anxious to start riding my bike again. Unfortunately, as of last week, it had two flat tires. Adam was able to get the front tire to hold air but not the back. Lucky for me, B and D's dad is a bicycle expert; he offered to fix it for me. He took it home last night, replaced the tube in the back tire, tuned it up, tested it out by taking it for a spin, and had it back this morning at 9 AM! It was nice here today, so I was able to get in a short ride...five miles. Hopefully, I'll get back on the trails again this summer. I'll have to see if I can work up to riding from Aaron and Jaime's house to Waverly and back..J and I did it a few summers ago...maybe we can do it again!

Feedback Please

Hi everyone! I've "wasted" a lot of time tonight, playing with the text for the blog. I've tried white, blue, and now yellow. Please let me know if the blog is difficult to read, and I'll be glad to change it. (My computer screen has gotten so full of banding, that everything is difficult for me to read.!) Have a great weekend!