A Gaggle O' Fun

Week in Review 6/05

gaggleofun — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:56:20 +0000

I think I am a fan of the week in review post. Quick snippets of the past week is about all I can handle and still live the future week with enough sleep.

Tuesday
As previously stated, it was Quinn’s birthday so the day was all about Quinn. We went to target got some popcorn to fuel him for picking out his present. It really amazes me how long little boys take to pick out something while shopping. About two hours later he picked out his desired gift and we picked up Ava to join in the rest of Quinn’s day. Next on the agenda was the rainbow car wash, the car wash that has multi-colored foam and smells like candy and charges $10. And that is the reason we only go on birthdays. I wonder how long it will be until Jacob and Alex realize they totally get gypped on car washes by sharing a birthday? After the car wash we met hubs and the g-parents at Chuck E. Cheese. You know as much as I would like to be opposed to the place everyone seems to have a good time. And since we can’t really eat any of their food other than the salad bar it’s only the kiddy gambling that is up for contention. Then we headed out for dessert, Quinn had requested we go to the new coffee/ice cream shop that labels their ice creams for gluten and has gluten free cones. Which was a double win for me as I didn’t have to bake a cake! Then it was off to bed for the little man on his big day.

Wednesday
Was a day that was very busy but hard to define any accomplishments. I assisted at Jacob and Alex’s preschool, had a playdate lunch, organized the shed, did some house cleaning, painted a wall in the house and put the kids to bed while Hubs was at kickball. It was a good/busy day!

Thursday
Another busy day of meal planning, baking, grocery shopping, more painting, weeding the garden and house cleaning. It was topped off though with a night out, including going to the movies to see Bridesmaids. Holy shka was that movie funny. I really didn’t expect to find it that funny but I definitely left with a movie glow. And I must admit Chris O’dowd was all types of yummy, he pulled off some kind of mottled accent very well. And we all know I am a sucker for an accent. Since the movie I have been enjoying him in the IT Crowd. Netflix has been recommending that show to me for a long time but I had brushed it off until now. They were spot on though!

Friday
Oh Friday…. Overall a good day. The hubs assisted at preschool this time and I went with Quinn for his 3 year well check. Then we visited the local GF coffee/ice cream shop because I really want to support them and keep them open and well they make an awesome chai latte. Then home for some power cleaning before company. While I was in a frenzy of power cleaning I was going too fast, ran into a low bench and kept-a-going while my toe stayed behind. I could barely look at the mangled, facing the wrong direction little thing. After Hubs turned down the offer to put it back the right way I conceded to head to urgent care. They x-rayed it, declared it broken, buddy taped it, said to stay off it all weekend and call a specialist on Monday. How they think staying off of it is feasible is beyond me but I did do my best taking it easy…

Saturday
Tried to take it easy, kept my foot up as much as possible and tried to let other people do things for me. It was handy that both sets of g-parents were over and i didn’t injure myself until almost all the house cleaning was done. We had a small family birthday party for Quinn and enjoyed an evening fire.

Sunday
Hubs let me sleep in both days this weekend to rest my foot, SO wonderful! Ava went to a birthday party, we walked (hobbled) around taste of Ann Arbor and survived the heat. Then tried to get everyone into bed early so we could just relax. The temps have been pretty high with high humidity and that always seems to take a lot out of us. Now off to watch some IT crowd and sleep….

Quinn

gaggleofun — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:01:36 +0000

Today Quinn is three, and in honor of this momentous event this post is all about him. The youngest of four I am sure isn’t easy but he always seems to have an opinion on something and do his best to make sure his opinion is heard. At just a couple days old showed a clear preference to being worn in the babyhawk carrier instead of the Moby wrap. These days he’s adamant about being worn in his silk sling instead of the nice, weight-distributing Ergo and even though it’s my shoulder he still manages to win the argument. In reality who could turn down the opportunity to snuggle face to face with this cute little boy in a never-ending sling hug. He certainly spends many an hour on my hip but these days he spends more and more time exploring the world around him. His siblings call for him more and more, inviting him into whatever game or story or project they are working on and he happily scampers away joining in the fun. A few weeks ago he started learning the potty, and I’ve been washing less and less diapers. It seems like just yesterday I had three boys in diapers and now ZERO! I can tell you that’s a change both I and my washing machine is loving! In a few months he will start preschool, the image of him hopping out of the car with his little school bag is one I can hardly wrap my head around. It just seems there can be no way that my baby, my teeny tiny, blue-eyed, blond-haired lil’ man who came splashing into our bathtub into daddy’s hands is three. And yet he is…

Here is the brief interview he would sit for:
Favorite food: Pizza and apples
Where do you like to go? To the mall

He almost sounds like a teenager…

Week in Review

gaggleofun — Mon, 16 May 2011 04:24:17 +0000

A quick highlight of this past week’s happenings…

Tuesday
Tuesday was poetry night in Ava’s class. The families of the first and second graders were invited to a potluck followed by an evening of impressive poetry. It was an event that really highlighted their hard work in this particular art medium. They each performed their own poem in front of a people-filled room. Our family (including Grandma and Grandpa) had the pleasure of attending and the boys made it through the whole thing despite it being late and past their bedtime. Yay!

Wednesday
My first stroll at the Farmer’s market for the season. I forget over the winter how much I enjoy it. I bought an Aloe houseplant for upcoming summer sunburns and Quinn and I split some gluten-free treats from a new local organic gluten-free baker. Very yummy! Wednesday night was the Hubs kickball game so hot dogs on the grill and an early bedtime for the wee ones.

Thursday
Oh Thursday you were not the best day of the week…. I have rejoined my good friends at WW for weekly meetings and we usually head out to dinner and/or drinks after (how appropriate right? ). I was enjoying a yummy middle eastern dinner (think lots of garlic) out when Hubs, who never calls when I am out, calls. Before I had time to say “hello” he tells me to come home with a screaming child in the background. I simply mouth ” I have to go” to my friend and hop in the car. It turns out poor Quinn had fallen out of the car and landed head first on to the driveway and got a very large gash, that bled immensely, on the top of his head. We meet near the ER to switch cars and kids around and Quinn requested that I go with him to the ER and we happily oblige. At this point the bleeding had greatly slowed and he was in just a super mood, joking, laughing, singing. He is so happy I begin to doubt his need to actually go to the ER. What sane person takes a happy kid to the ER past their bedtime? But after talking to Quinn about it, who assures me he needs a doctor and re-examining it myself we decide to go in. About four hours later, nearing midnight, we are discharged. He left mostly the same way he went in: happy and bubbly, but also with a staple in his head and his first ever immunization (tetanus). We were both so happy to get home and crawl in bed that night.

Speaking of crawling in bed, I don’t think I’ll make it much longer and will simply stop here for tonight. Maybe tomorrow I’ll fill in the rest…

Where we are now…

gaggleofun — Tue, 10 May 2011 05:17:32 +0000

It’s been quite a while but I thought I’d come back and update for all three of my followers in cyberspace So last June we found a house we loved, moved in in July, listed our old house in September and sold it in December. We had really gone back and forth on whether we wanted to live in the city or in the country. Both had benefits, in the city we could walk downtown, depend on our car less, and be in a close community. In the country we could have space for the kids to roam and a more private/laid back atmosphere. Both had downsides though: in the city we’d have a snug house and no yard while in the country we’d be a long drive from everything. When we least expected it we found an amazing hybrid of everything. Just a short drive from downtown we have a private setting with a couple of acres. An added bonus that we weren’t looking for but do appreciate is an in-law suite, perfect if either set of parents get to a point they would want or need to co-live with us. We have always been interested in the idea of co-living with family or friends to fully utilize time, money and resources. At this point we don’t have any takers but it comes in handy for holidays and visitors. While the idea of downsizing had appealed to me I can’t complain for one nanosecond. When we owned two houses we focused on getting the old house ready and sold so just now as spring begins to warm up have we started making this house our home. So far we have put in a chicken coop and filled it with nine chicks that we hand-raised. We added a fire pit and have enjoyed many an evening campfire complete with S’mores. As of today the garden has been planted. The kids really love the land; they walk the trails, ride bikes down the steep driveway, help herd chickens and dig in the garden with me. I look forward to the many memories we will create here. We finally found our home…

Let the games begin!

gaggleofun — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 03:01:31 +0000

These are the areas to declutter:
master bedroom
master bath
master closet
upstairs hallway and stairs
linen closet
kids bathroom
Q’s room
big kids room
foyer and closet
downstairs hallway
downstairs bathroom
office
family room
dining room
kitchen
laundry room
garage (yikes)
basement (double yikes)
outside

The one that got away and the one to come?

gaggleofun — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:51:56 +0000

For the past nine years DH and I have been looking for the perfect house to move to and buy. In that time we have found a perfect house, we have bought a house, and we have moved. Unfortunately all of those things did not happen together. We have found many houses we really liked but in someway were impractical. Last year we found the perfect house. It was a total fluke, I was looking up a house I saw in the paper and instead of finding it I stumbled upon a unique house in Brighton. It was on 5 acres, had a chicken coop, a barn, horse corral, a stream and was completely in our price range. Usually this is when I say, “but the house had “. Instead, it was hand built by a monk, was totally unique and DH and I totally dug it. Which for us to agree on a house is unique in and of itself. But it was the beginning of our economy falling apart and we weren’t sure we could sell our house and no one was getting a second mortgage so that was that. Within four days it sold, it was a bargain, a truly amazing house like no other. Did I mention it had a chapel that was built by stones from around the world? It had an (almost) indoor pool. Amazing. It has been a year and a half and we still talk about that house and what could have been.
Since then we keep looking but it isn’t the same. No house seems to compare. How can they, it had everything. If we found the perfect house again we think we may be able to get a second mortgage now with the banks doing better. Every Sunday we look at houses. Every Sunday we are ready to move, not because we found the perfect house just because we know this house is not that. We are officially in a house funk. There is nothing wrong with this house per se it just isn’t the best fit. We have four kids and three bedrooms. Our oldest is sleeping in the family room so she can have her own space. Our neighborhood isn’t very friendly. In the spring, summer, fall and part of winter we are playing outside. The kids on their bikes, me tending my garden and we stick out like a sore thumb. Where are the other kids on bikes? Where are people just outside enjoying themselves? There are certainly walkers, and some much older kids playing basketball but that’s it. No friendly community, no neighbors outside chit chatting. Heck, I don’t even have a neighbor I am close enough to that I can borrow an egg from. How sad is that? I have had more than one pizza crust emergency that resulted in me hopping in the car to the (luckily) nearby store.
And so we have finally decided to change that. We have decided that in order to be open and ready to accept a new house we must sell this house. With four small children at home that sounds about as fun as a do-it-yourself hysterectomy. But I know how bummed we would be if another perfect house (or as close to that one can be) to come our way and have anything holding us back. So we have decided to go at it with full force and try to list in six weeks, Yowza! To do this I need a plan.
My plan so far is to:
1) declutter and organize
2) clean
3) repair/fix
4) repaint and new carpet
5) stage
6) live in a tent so I don’t go insane trying to keep this up? (optional)

I am going to do each step in all the rooms before moving on to the next step. So right now instead of blogging, I should be de-cluttering and organizing the whole house. And this is why I suddenly thought that I should tend to a blog I have neglected for months. I plan on posting updates here to keep me motivated and on track. Wish us luck!

Just another Manic Monday…

gaggleofun — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:49:14 +0000

Ahhh. It always seems like there is so much to do and so little time… There is a constant entry on my to-do list that says: “get organized”. It remains unchecked every week. So instead of trying to do everything at once, which is impossible, I focused on one thing for the week, which was meal planning. It is something that really adds to my calmness level for the week as I am never thinking, “hmm what can I make for dinner?” and it drastically reduces the amount of wasted food in my fridge. Always a good thing. I believe I read that the average American throws away 40% of groceries due to spoilage. I probably should double check that statistic but instead will put it out in blog world unvalidated.
So tonight we had ribs, and corn on the cob for dinner. It was ready early (a little before five) and Ava was so happy as it was a meal with her in mind. About a month ago we went to Lon’s work picnic and they had ribs which Ava devoured. I never even thought a 5 y.o. would go gaga for them but she did. So I had it in the back of my mind that I should try my hand at making them sometime for her and tonight was the night. We made our own BBQ sauce and everything in attempt to have a gluten-free high fructose corn syrup free sauce. Which almost worked. It turns out my Worcestershire sauce has HFCS in it so it was unavoidable this time but I like to console myself with the fact that it was just one ingredient in an ingredient and not the dominant ingredient in the whole sauce like the pre-bottleds. We baked the ribs in the oven for one hour than added corn with the husks still on to the bottom rack for an extra half hour. This was our first time baking corn on the cob and it was fantastic! Plus I didn’t have to dirty my steamer or a pot. All and all it turned out finger-licking good.

And here’s what we’ll be eating for the rest of the week:
Tuesday:veggie lasagna (kale and whatever else I can squeeze in there)

Wednesday: Blackened red peppers, black beans, and grilled halloumi cheese mixed with brown rice with broccoli.

Thursday: meatballs with noodles

Friday: might be fresh baked mini loaves of bread with leftover meatballs for Stromboli sandwiches for the kids and hubby to take on the road up north.

Come Friday afternoon Lon will hop in the car with the kids for a weekend up north. And I will stay back and work on the “get organized” entry. Although I have a feeling that it still won’t be checked off when he gets home..

Rained out…

gaggleofun — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:05:18 +0000

My goal for today was to take Bessie (the big blue bike) out for a spin so I could give it a proper review and to take pics with me riding on it. However mother nature is not cooperating with my mission. It is raining, nay, I say pouring right now. Ugh. So I will instead give my first impression from the quick spins we took yesterday.

1) She is a beaut.

2) I am way more out of shape than I thought. While I would like to blame the bike it is indeed me. On flat surface I can actually not tell the difference between a load or an empty basket when riding it.

3) When first starting off (prior to actually pedaling and going) it is a bit more tipsy with a load.

4) I am thoroughly impressed that I can put 4 children comfortably in the basket and still have some storage room by their feet. Probably enough room for a few groceries or supplies for a picnic.

5) I will need to get an ibert for Quinn to ride in as he does have trouble sitting on the bench seat by himself. I could try him next to Ava to see if she could offer him enough support to stay on the bench.

6)The seatbelts are nice and the kids don’t mind them at all nor can they unbuckle themselves, for now I will say that is a plus.

7) I am not a fan of inclines. I had two kids in the bucket when I tried going up a slight incline in my subdivision, it was not so good. Again I do not believe this is a flaw with a bike but rather that pesky gravity thing combined with lacking leg muscles…

And finally I must give credit where credit is due… The box that it was shipped in is worth nearly the price of the bike. The kids have played with it nonstop since it arrived… Which may be the only thing that will distract them from a bike ride in the rain.

I am the proud owner of…

gaggleofun — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:54:27 +0000

Click to find out more!

Today it finally came only a week to the day after I ordered it, so truly very timely. I had stalked our street for two days in hopes of a freight truck. We now have a cargo bike of our very own. For quite a while now I have wanted a cargo bike, I dreamed of a bakfeit but couldn’t quite justify that kind of money (over $3,200 + shipping) then we found a Chinese knock-off for about $1900 shipped, but still… And then a good friend of mine introduced me to the Madsen.. Ahh it was love at first sight. It was cute, and didn’t have a price tag that made me wheeze. Plus free shipping (with code FREESHIP). They have a contest going on to get their name out. Get people to click on their link and you get an entry into their contest to win a free bike. I was so torn, do I wait to try and win one or do I buy one? Well, they thought of that. There is a clause in their contest which says if you happen to buy a bike before the contest is over and then win one not only will they refund your purchase price they will ALSO give you another new bike. Seriously how cool? If you want to win a bike of your own by all means spread around a link of your own, if not feel free to spread around a link to my blog.

Interested in buying a bike of your own? Included in my (huge) shipping box were some discount cards to save 25% on a madsen cargo bike with discount code FRIENDS. There is an asterick on it which only says that it expires on June 15th, 2009. Nowhere does it say you may not combine codes, so if you could get 25% off and free shipping… Wowza that is a heck of a deal for a bike that can move 5 people around!

A happy reminder…

gaggleofun — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:15:19 +0000

A happy reminder...

It was one of those nights… The kids weren’t going to sleep, I was exhausted and just wanted to relax. I go upstairs to enforce our bedtime rules when I nearly trip over this plate. Looking up at me was a friendly reminder (constructed out of gouda cheese rind) to breathe, smile and remember how fun these little ones are. So with a similar grin on my face and mist in my eye I retuck everyone in bed, give them big hugs and kisses and they go to sleep