I typically do not put a lot of stock in 10-day forecasts, however, I was mildly giddy tonight (okay, maybe a tad more than "mildly") when I saw the highs for Anaheim, California, for the time period we are traveling there next week. And really, it is not simply the highs of Anaheim on their own, but the highs compared to the highs here in Pella.
In Pella next Wednesday through Sunday, the average temperature will be ~85 - 88 degrees.
Uh. YUCK.
In Anaheim, we are looking at highs of 76 degrees.
Is that angels I hear singing? I could shout from the rooftops with joy right now!
(Personally, I abhor summer and am so happy to get away from nasty and humid 80-some degree weather, if even only for five days. YAY!)
erin
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
An Added Note
I want to add this note to my latest blog post... I have to admit, regardless, this was one of the best car trips we have had with Julia. Seriously. It is easier and easier as she gets older, and the car trips are shorter and shorter. (Or, maybe I am more of a Speed Demon now than I was in the past.) For example, our normal 5.5 hour trip to Tomah only took us... 5.5 hours the other night. That was awesome! The main issue lies in the fact that the older she gets, the easier it seems for her to become bored of her books... and snacks... and drinks... and whatnot, because REALLY, she simply wants to be out and moving and physically play. I didn't regale you with our discussion of car seats and their evolution over the years, but I will also say that as Julia will be restrained for far more many years than Adam and I were, therein lies yet another reason for resorting to the use of electronic devices. If her body can't be active, we'll do as much as we can to keep her mind active in the car... even if that means singing "The Seven Days of the Week" song and hearing "We Want Cake! Where's our cake!?" and "Do the Double Dutch! Hula, hula!!!" in our sleep. Ha.
erin
erin
Riding in the Car: Soon to Become a 4-Letter Word
This week, Adam and I traveled to Wisconsin for my Grandpa Schroeder's funeral. He passed away this last Saturday, and the funeral was held yesterday in Mauston, Wisconsin. We are saddened by his passing, but rejoice in knowing he is now with the Lord! Also, we were blessed to know that he passed peacefully and quickly; his was not a drawn-out illness but rather a stroke resulting in a brain aneurysm, which led to him passing away by the next morning.
I was thankful that Adam was able to travel with me; he has a couple of gigs this weekend, which would have been rather tricky to work around, but he was willing, and I'd much rather have company than be alone on long trips.
We took Julia with us as well, and it has become increasingly difficult to entertain her while in the car.
This post is not meant as an disrespect to the death of my grandfather; his passing serves as an event which caused us to be in the car a lot the last few days, from which transpired quite a discussion on the way home today.
I have to admit, I was one of THOSE people who truly thought that I would manage traveling with my child without the aid of electronic devices geared towards kids (i.e., children's DVDs and hand-held video games). After all, Adam and I made it through our childhood without these things, and I had pleasant daydreams about singing in the car with my kids, pointing out trees and wildlife and such, and generally having being in the car a learning experience.
I thought all of these things BEFORE having a child, and having a child who, in the first 18 months of her life, has probably traveled more miles than I did in the first 18 YEARS of mine. Julia has already racked up quite a list of States Visited: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. This week she will add another: California. A trip to California will be a result of her First Plane Trip.
Suffice it to say, my kidlet has traveled long and hard already.
As Adam and I discussed traveling as youngsters and WITH youngsters, we also talked about the fact that hardly ever in our youth did we travel more than one to two hours away from home at a time. A two-hour drive from home may have even resulted in an Overnight Stay, whereas a one-hour drive away from home simply resulted in two painful one-hour drives in ONE DAY. Ack. And, we remember becoming bored in that one hour... or falling asleep... or playing about four or five different car games in that time frame.
If driving one hour can cause a child's head to nearly explode from the inanity of driving... then what, OH WHAT, does a six or seven hour trip do to a child???
Some possible conversation heard in our car today:
"She seems fine now."
"I think she just gave up whining because she is so bored." (Noting listless look on child's face.)
"Maybe she wants a snack."
"Maybe she wants a drink."
"We've pulled out all of the stops in the last five minutes; let's give her a binky."
On Wednesday, as we were driving to Wisconsin, we finally did the one thing I never thought I would bring myself to do... we popped in a DVD of the They Might Be Giant's "Here Come the 123's" for Julia to watch. We waited in anticipation for about 30 seconds before we realized that SHE LOVED IT. LOVED. IT. And for 75 blissful minutes (you can sure bet that we had NO problem playing it TWICE), she was enthralled... HAPPY, even... and we drove on listening to TMBG songs and giggles from a toddler.
It felt like a "duh" moment at that point in time.
And, so, we talked about it today. And we realized, when you have a child and you have to travel for long periods of time (which is how it is with us, seeing as how we live 5.5 and 7 hours -- PRE-child -- away from our parents), there are only so many times you can sing "Old McDonald" or point out the window at objects ("Look! A truck! Look! A tree! And another tree! Oh, there's another one! Oh, and about 100,000,000 more trees! Oh, and LOOK! A sign for Cruisin' Chubbys and another sign for the Adult Superstore! Look, honey, look!!!") or listen to your husband say, "Water, water, water, water, waaa-aaaa-ttttteeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Adam provided the Quote of The Day with "something something something something before your child's head explodes from boredom". I heartily agreed, and we both agreed that the use of these electronic devices in the car aren't so terrible after all... it keeps Julia from wanting to learn how to unbuckle her car seat and jump out the window, and it provides her parents with a bit of sanity as well.
(When Julia gets tired of being in her car seat, she starts saying, "Owie, owie, owie, owie, owie!", which means, "I'm stuck! I'm stuck! I'm stuck! I'm stuck!" This is almost as painful to listen to as the Water Sequence shared above.)
I should probably add, Julia was not the only one sick and done from being in the car today. I about had my fill and was pretty glad to pull into our driveway this afternoon and be out of the vehicle for a time. I don't know if it has to do with being 26 weeks pregnant... or if it's simply just being in the car for such a long time... but I was done. And I drove most of the way, so I should have been the least bored of all of us, right? Because I was tasked with keeping us safe and alive and getting us home, right? So I can only imagine the pain shooting through Julia's brain as she tried to determine what next to do with herself, while being restrained from shoulder to crotch in her car seat.
Thank you, inventors of children's DVDs and portable DVD players. No, I don't see us resorting to sitting Julia in front of said DVDs in the house so that we can have more time to ourselves, but I am not above using them in the car from now on, either.
As mentioned above, Julia and I (and Adam as well, but he's off to a different city) are on our way to California this week. This will involve us driving to Omaha to the airport. Omaha is about two and a half hours away from us. Today, the mere thought of driving that distance ALONE with my child was enough to make me quiver and cry. I am hoping that I am recovered by Wednesday so that we can have a peaceful drive together, and fun navigating the airports and meeting our friends in California. Wish us well on our trip! :)
erin
I was thankful that Adam was able to travel with me; he has a couple of gigs this weekend, which would have been rather tricky to work around, but he was willing, and I'd much rather have company than be alone on long trips.
We took Julia with us as well, and it has become increasingly difficult to entertain her while in the car.
This post is not meant as an disrespect to the death of my grandfather; his passing serves as an event which caused us to be in the car a lot the last few days, from which transpired quite a discussion on the way home today.
I have to admit, I was one of THOSE people who truly thought that I would manage traveling with my child without the aid of electronic devices geared towards kids (i.e., children's DVDs and hand-held video games). After all, Adam and I made it through our childhood without these things, and I had pleasant daydreams about singing in the car with my kids, pointing out trees and wildlife and such, and generally having being in the car a learning experience.
I thought all of these things BEFORE having a child, and having a child who, in the first 18 months of her life, has probably traveled more miles than I did in the first 18 YEARS of mine. Julia has already racked up quite a list of States Visited: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. This week she will add another: California. A trip to California will be a result of her First Plane Trip.
Suffice it to say, my kidlet has traveled long and hard already.
As Adam and I discussed traveling as youngsters and WITH youngsters, we also talked about the fact that hardly ever in our youth did we travel more than one to two hours away from home at a time. A two-hour drive from home may have even resulted in an Overnight Stay, whereas a one-hour drive away from home simply resulted in two painful one-hour drives in ONE DAY. Ack. And, we remember becoming bored in that one hour... or falling asleep... or playing about four or five different car games in that time frame.
If driving one hour can cause a child's head to nearly explode from the inanity of driving... then what, OH WHAT, does a six or seven hour trip do to a child???
Some possible conversation heard in our car today:
"She seems fine now."
"I think she just gave up whining because she is so bored." (Noting listless look on child's face.)
"Maybe she wants a snack."
"Maybe she wants a drink."
"We've pulled out all of the stops in the last five minutes; let's give her a binky."
On Wednesday, as we were driving to Wisconsin, we finally did the one thing I never thought I would bring myself to do... we popped in a DVD of the They Might Be Giant's "Here Come the 123's" for Julia to watch. We waited in anticipation for about 30 seconds before we realized that SHE LOVED IT. LOVED. IT. And for 75 blissful minutes (you can sure bet that we had NO problem playing it TWICE), she was enthralled... HAPPY, even... and we drove on listening to TMBG songs and giggles from a toddler.
It felt like a "duh" moment at that point in time.
And, so, we talked about it today. And we realized, when you have a child and you have to travel for long periods of time (which is how it is with us, seeing as how we live 5.5 and 7 hours -- PRE-child -- away from our parents), there are only so many times you can sing "Old McDonald" or point out the window at objects ("Look! A truck! Look! A tree! And another tree! Oh, there's another one! Oh, and about 100,000,000 more trees! Oh, and LOOK! A sign for Cruisin' Chubbys and another sign for the Adult Superstore! Look, honey, look!!!") or listen to your husband say, "Water, water, water, water, waaa-aaaa-ttttteeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" Adam provided the Quote of The Day with "something something something something before your child's head explodes from boredom". I heartily agreed, and we both agreed that the use of these electronic devices in the car aren't so terrible after all... it keeps Julia from wanting to learn how to unbuckle her car seat and jump out the window, and it provides her parents with a bit of sanity as well.
(When Julia gets tired of being in her car seat, she starts saying, "Owie, owie, owie, owie, owie!", which means, "I'm stuck! I'm stuck! I'm stuck! I'm stuck!" This is almost as painful to listen to as the Water Sequence shared above.)
I should probably add, Julia was not the only one sick and done from being in the car today. I about had my fill and was pretty glad to pull into our driveway this afternoon and be out of the vehicle for a time. I don't know if it has to do with being 26 weeks pregnant... or if it's simply just being in the car for such a long time... but I was done. And I drove most of the way, so I should have been the least bored of all of us, right? Because I was tasked with keeping us safe and alive and getting us home, right? So I can only imagine the pain shooting through Julia's brain as she tried to determine what next to do with herself, while being restrained from shoulder to crotch in her car seat.
Thank you, inventors of children's DVDs and portable DVD players. No, I don't see us resorting to sitting Julia in front of said DVDs in the house so that we can have more time to ourselves, but I am not above using them in the car from now on, either.
As mentioned above, Julia and I (and Adam as well, but he's off to a different city) are on our way to California this week. This will involve us driving to Omaha to the airport. Omaha is about two and a half hours away from us. Today, the mere thought of driving that distance ALONE with my child was enough to make me quiver and cry. I am hoping that I am recovered by Wednesday so that we can have a peaceful drive together, and fun navigating the airports and meeting our friends in California. Wish us well on our trip! :)
erin
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Postcards
You may or may not know this about me...
I collect postcards.
I am probably not a True Postcard Aficionado in that I do not keep them in binders, keep track of who gave them to me and when, or even take very good care of them. I have even been known to take a postcard from my collection and send it off to another person in the mail.
But, all the same, I love postcards and find that it is a fairly easy collection to maintain and all of my postcards are on a cork board in my office or in a drawer. (I would guess the cork board holds ~100 and the drawer contains ~300 or so.)
I thought to post about this, because as I was cleaning the dining room and the Horizontal Surfaces in the dining room (the clean of which is Long Overdue), I found a postcard that Adam (my husband) had brought home for me from his latest mission trip to Texas back in February. Adam tries very hard to find me a postcard from each trip he takes. One of the last mission trip postcards was of a bull of some sorts and the postcard was from Oklahoma. The postcards he finds for me on these trips have become a joke between us of sorts... I think that now in his quest, not only does he try to find me a postcard, but one that is... not necessarily of True Postcard Material. We have a good laugh when he brings home postcards.
I thought I would share with you the latest... and maybe you'll get a good laugh too when you realize why I say it is not of True Postcard Material. But, all the same, it is a postcard, and maybe one day it will make it on the board.
Maybe in the future I will post pictures of some of my favorite postcards. And, if you are ever on a trip and are near postcards or want to hunt and find me an obnoxious one, I'd be most grateful.
erin
I collect postcards.
I am probably not a True Postcard Aficionado in that I do not keep them in binders, keep track of who gave them to me and when, or even take very good care of them. I have even been known to take a postcard from my collection and send it off to another person in the mail.
But, all the same, I love postcards and find that it is a fairly easy collection to maintain and all of my postcards are on a cork board in my office or in a drawer. (I would guess the cork board holds ~100 and the drawer contains ~300 or so.)
I thought to post about this, because as I was cleaning the dining room and the Horizontal Surfaces in the dining room (the clean of which is Long Overdue), I found a postcard that Adam (my husband) had brought home for me from his latest mission trip to Texas back in February. Adam tries very hard to find me a postcard from each trip he takes. One of the last mission trip postcards was of a bull of some sorts and the postcard was from Oklahoma. The postcards he finds for me on these trips have become a joke between us of sorts... I think that now in his quest, not only does he try to find me a postcard, but one that is... not necessarily of True Postcard Material. We have a good laugh when he brings home postcards.
I thought I would share with you the latest... and maybe you'll get a good laugh too when you realize why I say it is not of True Postcard Material. But, all the same, it is a postcard, and maybe one day it will make it on the board.
Maybe in the future I will post pictures of some of my favorite postcards. And, if you are ever on a trip and are near postcards or want to hunt and find me an obnoxious one, I'd be most grateful.
erin
Saturday, March 21, 2009
On My List
I have decided that my blog needs a banner. What's that you say? Well, it's the pretty or cute or neat or awesome or whatever piece stretched across the top of the blog site. Mine is pretty Boring right now... it simply contains the title of my blog.
So, that is now on the list of Things to Do... create a cool banner for my blog site.
I'm projecting completion round about August 2011. I suppose it's the thought that counts for now, though.
(P.S. If anyone is interested in helping me create a banner, as I really don't know How to go about creating one, I would appreciate any insight. Or, if you just want to do it for me, that's cool too.)
erin
So, that is now on the list of Things to Do... create a cool banner for my blog site.
I'm projecting completion round about August 2011. I suppose it's the thought that counts for now, though.
(P.S. If anyone is interested in helping me create a banner, as I really don't know How to go about creating one, I would appreciate any insight. Or, if you just want to do it for me, that's cool too.)
erin
Seeing Red
For you Men of the World, this blog entry will probably make no sense to you.
For the Rest of You... here's hoping for a good laugh or at the very least, a little sympathetic nod of the head.
A few weeks ago I decided to start couponing. Not in a Big Bad Couponing Way -- I have no intention of stocking my shelves until they are overflowing with Things We Have Never Used In Our Lives on the off chance that we might use them -- but, I am willing to try new brands of products we always use -- Charmin is on sale? Sure, we can use Charmin. Dove Body Wash? Sounds like a winner. Huggies instead of Pampers and I can get those Huggies at 1/3 the cost of the Pampers? Sold.
So far, I'm pretty happy with some of the deals I've gotten. Relatively "good" shampoo for $0.99. A big bottle of Dawn dish soap for $0.99. A bottle of Spray 'n Wash for $1.00. These are all things I love and my goodness, have been spending on the order of $2.50 - 3.50 per bottle for the last X years... ludicrous!
Last week I decided I was going to scour the ads for coupons for razors -- yes, the razors you use to shave hair off one's body. I had run out, and while I had been using the Rather Expensive Variety, I was willing to sacrifice and try something new for the sake of the budget.
Now whether you know much about razors or not, they have come a long way, baby. And while I sometimes think the general public is fooled by how great the swiveling head and multiple blades must be, I have to admit, the better the razor, the better the shave AND the longer the razor lasts. So, you really DO need to compare quality vs. cost in this case.
BUT... I had a $2.00 off coupon for the Bic Soleil , and based on the original price, one had to imagine they were relatively okay razors. Imagine my surprise when I found they were ON CLEARANCE at Wal-Mart, so with my coupon, I was able to buy these razors at 1/4 the original cost! Oh, joy! Oh, rapture! I had just saved our family money on something I desperately needed!
And then I shaved.
Ladies, I am proof that the swivel or tilting head DOES do wonders for ones lumpy and bumpy legs. Little did I know that the lack of this razors mobility would cause it to not just remove the hair from my legs, but also level each and every tiny little bump, resulting in a Spot of Red Otherwise Known as Blood. I can't say that it hurt very much, but you all know what a pain in the behind it is to deal with bleeding legs after a shower. At any rate, it was not a overly fun experience, though the shave WAS relatively smooth.
Now, this will not deter me from buying the razors that are a good deal. Saving money is more important right now than worrying about a few nicks here and there. But just know, in the world of razors, you ARE getting what you pay for.
erin
For the Rest of You... here's hoping for a good laugh or at the very least, a little sympathetic nod of the head.
A few weeks ago I decided to start couponing. Not in a Big Bad Couponing Way -- I have no intention of stocking my shelves until they are overflowing with Things We Have Never Used In Our Lives on the off chance that we might use them -- but, I am willing to try new brands of products we always use -- Charmin is on sale? Sure, we can use Charmin. Dove Body Wash? Sounds like a winner. Huggies instead of Pampers and I can get those Huggies at 1/3 the cost of the Pampers? Sold.
So far, I'm pretty happy with some of the deals I've gotten. Relatively "good" shampoo for $0.99. A big bottle of Dawn dish soap for $0.99. A bottle of Spray 'n Wash for $1.00. These are all things I love and my goodness, have been spending on the order of $2.50 - 3.50 per bottle for the last X years... ludicrous!
Last week I decided I was going to scour the ads for coupons for razors -- yes, the razors you use to shave hair off one's body. I had run out, and while I had been using the Rather Expensive Variety, I was willing to sacrifice and try something new for the sake of the budget.
Now whether you know much about razors or not, they have come a long way, baby. And while I sometimes think the general public is fooled by how great the swiveling head and multiple blades must be, I have to admit, the better the razor, the better the shave AND the longer the razor lasts. So, you really DO need to compare quality vs. cost in this case.
BUT... I had a $2.00 off coupon for the Bic Soleil , and based on the original price, one had to imagine they were relatively okay razors. Imagine my surprise when I found they were ON CLEARANCE at Wal-Mart, so with my coupon, I was able to buy these razors at 1/4 the original cost! Oh, joy! Oh, rapture! I had just saved our family money on something I desperately needed!
And then I shaved.
Ladies, I am proof that the swivel or tilting head DOES do wonders for ones lumpy and bumpy legs. Little did I know that the lack of this razors mobility would cause it to not just remove the hair from my legs, but also level each and every tiny little bump, resulting in a Spot of Red Otherwise Known as Blood. I can't say that it hurt very much, but you all know what a pain in the behind it is to deal with bleeding legs after a shower. At any rate, it was not a overly fun experience, though the shave WAS relatively smooth.
Now, this will not deter me from buying the razors that are a good deal. Saving money is more important right now than worrying about a few nicks here and there. But just know, in the world of razors, you ARE getting what you pay for.
erin
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