Getaway!

Once in a while, my husband does something so sweet that it practically knocks my socks off.

If I were wearing socks, that is. (I've been a bit of a flip-flop girl this summer)

What did he do, you ask?

Well, alrighty then, I'll tell you.

He looked at my schedule and found that starting Monday, I have three days off in a row. On his own, he booked two nights at a bed and breakfast in Port Clinton, Ohio.



This is a photo of our suite:

We're going to spend one day exploring the little island of Put-in-Bay...

And another day riding as many roller coasters as we can at Cedar Point...

Mix all that fun with a couple of winery tours, good food and great company, and this promises to be a great get-away. Joe, you rock (even if you cannot seem to locate the laundry basket with your dirty clothes...). This more than makes up for it :)

A huge thank you to Kay, the best mother-in-law in the whole wide world, for watching the kids (and the dog and the cats) while we're gone. You are a marriage-saver, and we are so grateful for you.

Can't wait to share my pictures with y'all later this week!

Yard Sale!

Calling all yard sale lovers!

We are having a yard sale bright and early Saturday morning. If you know where we live, stop on by. If you need directions, give me a call.

Gabe is "so essighted (excited)" to sell his toys. Methinks he really has no idea what "yard sale" implies. I have tried to explain to him that people will (hopefully) give us money for our stuff, then take it to their homes.

He thinks it's gonna be one big party where everyone is just coming over to play.

Should be interesting.

If you hear screams of "Hey, that's mine!" coming from Ohio, that'll be Gabe...

A Funny and A Swap...

First, the funny.

My father-in-law sent me this in an email.

Do you think he's trying to tell me something?




Doesn't matter; I love it. If Ohio doesn't already have this vanity plate, I am so getting it!

Also, did a "Hometown swap" over at Shannon's Nuthouse (like, a month ago) and just realized I had not posted about it.

Jane from Jumpin' in the Jungle had my name, and sent me all kinds of goodies from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tennessee is one of my favorite states ever; I was so excited to see the return address! The best thing in the box: coffee from a local shop in Jane's hometown. Still drinking it, almost gone, need more...

Thanks, Jane! And Shannon, for hosting the swap!

Thanks, Caillou!

One of Gabe's favorite shows is PBS' "Caillou". Maybe 'cause he's four, like Gabe. And has a cat that looks like our Autumn. One of Gabe's wishes is that he could go into the TV and play at Caillou's house. I tell him maybe someday, if he's reeaall good :)

Anywho, thanks to Caillou, Gabe got the great idea of making a sailboat and sending it down the creek in our backyard.

Have you ever made a sail-able boat out of paper?

I hadn't.

But thanks to Google, I found a how-to video and we made an awesome sailboat, Gabe and I.

We went out back and put it to the test.

Gabe ran down the yard, next to his boat, giving it little words of encouragement as it bumped and sailed through the water...

"C'mon, little boat, you can do it! Watch out for that rock! There you go!"

I wish I had a video of that part; it was so stinkin' cute!

With some help from us, the little pink sailboat made it to the culvert. Gabe sat and watched it 'til he couldn't see it anymore, and I snapped away, capturing this little piece of summer magic, knowing we would both remember this day for a long time...

Birthdays, Bloggers and Bats, oh my!

What a busy week we've had around these parts!

Last Thursday was Elijah's 11th birthday. We celebrated with a Mom and me date at King's Island, and a new Nintendo DSi.

Perfect weather. Spending time with my oldest son. Riding rollercoasters and screaming our fool heads off. Getting soaked at the water park afterwards. Good times, folks...




Following in Disney's footsteps, KI has made a "single riders" line for their newest roller coaster. We waited only 3 minutes to get on, and even though we didn't sit right next to each other, we were able to ride at the same time. I LOVE that Elijah likes coasters as much as me!

Incredibly high hill with a 70 degree angle drop!

Coming in for a landing...

We rode it three times that day!

Joe brought Gabe and Isabel up to the waterpark later in the day for some family fun.

Gratuitous Gabe shot:

Kids + water (always) = fun.

Elijah was adamant about wanting a more expensive gift rather than a big party. On his actual birthday, I made him a white cake with white icing and no sprinkles (picky kid). Of course, I did not plan ahead, and only had ten candles. So I improvised.

5 + 4 + 2 = 11!

Get it?!

The whole fam (Joe's a bit sweaty from putting together the new basketball hoop from Mamaw and Papaw, in the 100 degree heat! Gabe was upset over not getting to blow out the candles for a third time).

Elijah had a baseball game against his best friend later that evening, and I had a date with some bloggers.

Catherine from HiHoOhio, Jennifer from Three Little Indians and their friend, Jeanne, came up to Lebanon for dinner. It was my first time ever meeting Jennifer in real life.

(A little background: When I started blogging two years ago, Jennifer was my first non-family commenter. She and Catherine were friends in Texas, and when Catherine moved to Ohio, we became friends, too.)

We had to document our exciting first get-together (with our blogs in mind, of course! Thanks to Catherine for capturing the moment with my camera.)

We ate dinner at the historic Golden Lamb Inn in downtown Lebanon. The food was decent, the wine was good, but the company was the best! We laughed 'til we cried over Jeanne's fake southern Steel Magnolian accent, the offer of a lap dance from the busboy, and the swooping "historic" bat that decided to join us for dinner. It was a fabulous evening, and I was sorry to see it end. Someday I am flying to Texas to visit, Jennifer, I'm telling you!

(See, meeting other bloggers IRL isn't so scary, is it?)

Although we were crazy busy with work, baseball and kids, this last week has been a blast! I love summer!

Winner winner chicken dinner times two!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:22 9
Timestamp: 2009-06-19 01:52:37 UTC

And the winners of my favorite summer things 400 post extravaganza are:

Carabee and The Queen in Residence.

Email me your addresses so I can mail you your gifts, girls!

Thanks to everyone for your great comments. Clearly, we are a summer-lovin' kind of group! I loved reading about all of your favorite things about summer!

Number 400!!

(Drum roll, please...)

Here it is, my 400th post!

I was racking my brain, trying to come up with something witty, something to make you laugh, or heck, something to make you cry (seems I'm pretty good at that, too; I am the queen of sap).

But when I try to write a post like that on purpose, the words just won't come.

Instead, I'm having a contest.

It's my 400th post Heather's favorite summer things contest.

I'm gonna pick two winners. On Friday. No special rules, just leave a comment about your favorite thing about summer, and I'll use the random integer thing to pick two lucky people.

What will you win?

Well, I love The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. And I love Target, especially Target gift cards. OPI nailpolish in bright colors. Rain gum by Extra. Yankee candles in summer fragrances. Starbucks coffee. Shopping at Kohl's. Making handmade cards with pretty new paper from Hobby Lobby.

Get the idea?

Here's to 400 more!

Date Night

There are a couple of things you can tell about me by this post.

1. Joe and I don't have "date nights" nearly often enough.

2. I care not what other people think about me, as evidenced by the fact that I carried my camera and took many pictures of the two of us on our date night, expressly for the purpose of blogging about it later.

3. I can still have a great time with my husband, even after fourteen years of togetherness.

Saturday night was a rather impromptu date night.

Kay came to our rescue, agreeing to babysit.

We needed to get some shopping done, so this was a dual-purpose date. One of our favorite restaurants is near Ikea, so we headed there first.

Before leaving a very sad Gabe with his Mamaw ("I just want to be with you, Mommmmy!"), Kay took a picture of the two of us.

We jammed to some BEP "Boom Boom Pow" and "Party All Night" on the way to West Chester. Joe was feeling pretty cool by this point:

I was just having a great time...

The BEST cornbread I have ever tasted. Should be dessert. Honey-pecan buttery goodness waiting to be slathered on top.

Yum!

Joe cracking up at one of the silly pictures I took of him...

Hand-pulled pork with our choice of bbq sauce, fire-roasted corn, mashed tatoes and gravy, baked beans and garlic bread. Jeez, I'm hungry again just telling y'all about it!

Sharing Joe's (second) frozen Cosmo. Maybe just a little tiny bit tipsy now.

Okay, maybe a LOT tipsy...

Next stop, Ikea, the mecca of organization tools for your home, and styin' Swedish furniture.

See? Look at that stylish ensemble. Not really my style, but fun to look at all the same. I love the way Ikea has little apartments all set up throughout the store.

Stopped for a brief makeout session in the shower...

picked out our bookcase for the living room and headed out the door. No trip to Ikea is complete without their delish (and cheap) cinnamon rolls, though.

Only 8pm. We were NOT ready to go home, so we cruised around until we found a cool little pub in Mason, where we drank a bit...

and played some pool...

I won the first game, Joe won the second...

I'm sure people were laughing at us while we acted the fools and took a gazillion pictures of each other, but you know what? I truly don't care. We had a great time together, and I have the photographic proof!

Man, we need date night more often! Already planning our next one...

Stay tuned...

It's almost here.

My 400th post!

Stay tuned early next week for a contest!

And prizes!

Wow...

Not sure how many of you were following the blog about April Rose.

I only started about a month ago.

It has come to light that the blog was a hoax.

I am so naive, I usually take what people say at face value. I have met several bloggers in real life, and they were everything they seemed to be on their blog.

It's so sad and such a shame that there are dishonest folks out there. My naivete just took a hit.

If you want to read more, go here.

Also, MckMama from mycharmingkids did a few posts about the situation.

Although it was a scam, and many people were emotionally invested and then exploited by this girl, I do pray that she gets the help she so obviously needs in her life.

Wow...

Another Gabe story

Yes, I am a mommy blogger.

I admit it.

I love to blog about my kids; especially, it seems, about Gabe. He is such a character, is at a great age, and says the funniest things every.single.day.

Like today.

Unbeknownst to me, Joe had already given Gabe one full cup of cranberry-pomegranate juice. When I woke up this afternoon, I gave him one, too. Then another (the boy was thirsty).

I was tired. Not thinking clearly. He asked for "red juice", and I gave it to him.

About thirty minutes later, Gabe says:

"Mommy, will you come in the baffroom with me and help me get a tiny fart out? I can't get it out...will you be wiff me?"

Now, I know mommies have lots of special powers, but this one? Umm...I told him I would come in with him, and we would see.

(A little background here: Gabe eats about a pound of cheese a day. He NEVER has loose poop. Quite the opposite, actually. I know, I know, a bit TMI, but you'll appreciate it in a minute.)

As Gabe sat down on the toilet and worked on his plumbing problem, I heard a horrible rumbling sound (remember the pie scene from Stand by Me? Yeah, it was kinda like that.)

Explosive cranberry-pomegranate diarrhea poop. Definitely NOT a tiny fart.

The utterly horrified expression on Gabe's face made me drop to my knees in laughter.

"WHAT WAS THAT??!! WAS THAT DIARREAR??!!"

I laughed 'til I cried...

Yep, Gabe, that was definitely "diarrear".

Goodbye school year, hello summer!

Finally, it's here.

The last day of school aka the first day of summer.

Are we ready?


Why, yes, yes we are...

We had a great school year. Elijah had a terrific fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Linsley (who also happens to be our neighbor). Gabe was pretty much an honorary member of both Elijah and Isabel's classes...he went to almost every party and event, and fit right in.



Isabel's third grade teacher, Mrs. Francis, survived her first year of teaching with flying colors. We'll be missing her!

To help kick off summer vacation, Gabe and I filled up a bunch of "cherry bomb" water balloons.

Gabe was pretty pumped up about this.

We had a great idea to ambush Isabel and Elijah when they got off of their school buses. Gabe hid behind a bush, and waited for my signal...

Got her!

Now for Elijah's turn!

Five minutes later, all the balloons were gone and we were soaked. Totally worth the thirty minutes I spent filling the little suckers up (really, totally worth it).

Now I feel that summer is truly here!

An excerpt from my local newscast:

The headline: Woman Still Works at Age of 90!

A special milestone was marked at Mcauley High School.
Sister Michaeleen Keane celebrated her 90th birthday Sunday.
School staff held a special mass in her honor at the school's performing arts center.
Sister Michaeleen still works every afternoon in the school library which bears her name.
She has given 42 of her 66 years with the archdiocese to thousands of students and alumni at Mcauley through the years.

God love her.

As much as I truly love being a nurse, please to GOD, I do not want to still be working at the age of 90.

Just sayin'.

Success

Determination.

Passion.

Success.

Usually, these three are inseparable. As in,

Determination + passion = success.

However, the following quote I received in a funny email has nothing to do with the first part of the equation. It may make you piddle in your pants, though. (Don't say I didn't warn you.)

At age 4 success is . . . . not piddling in your pants.

At age 12 success is . . . having friends.

At age 17 success is . . having a driver's license.

At age 35 success is . . . .having money.

At age 50 success is . . . having money.

At age 70 success is . . . having a drivers license.

At age 75 success is . .. . having friends.

At age 80 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.

Hope you're successful, no matter your age!

Have a great weekend, all!

Passion

No, no...not that kind of passion.

I'm talking about finding something in your life to be passionate about.

Like your career. Or art. Maybe a sport.

I am pretty passionate about a lot of things.

My children. God. Scrapbooking. My career as a nurse.

And most recently? Running.

One of our jobs as parents is to help foster this ability to be passionate in our kids.

Gabe is passionate about many things (Hot Wheels, roller coasters, Legos). I will try to give him a way to focus these passions later...

Elijah is passionate about sports. During baseball season, he is all about baseball. Not just his team, but the Major Leagues, the Minor Leagues, even college ball. During football season, his focus changes again.

Isabel is passionate about art, and reading, and God. She is not so much into sports (kinda like me at that age). I played softball for four years, but I was not all that good, and I was definitely not passionate about it.

So when a friend told me about a program called "Girls on the Run", I was interested.

It is a program for preteen girls, starting at the third grade level, in which they train for a 5K race and learn how to feel empowered. Confident. Good about themselves. And get into shape in the process.

They are mainly located in the greater Cincinnati area, but I think the idea will quickly spread all over. Even if you weren't a runner yesterday, you could be one today. All you need is a pair of shoes and some motivation.

Isabel loves to run with me. And I love to run with her. I can't wait to help coach her team this fall, and help her develop a passion for herself!

If you're interested, here is the link:

http://www.gotrcincinnati.org/about/index.asp

What do you want your kids to be passionate about? What are you passionate about? I wanna know!