My Very Occassional Posts

Living in a hotel is supposed to be fun ... isn't it?

2011-01-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you: Eloise's mother didn't have to worry about whether or not her screaming child would wake up other hotel guests at 3 a.m. She let the nanny take care of it. Besides that, the Residence Inn isn't exactly the Plaza.

Don't get me wrong: our set up is a heck of a lot better than a single room. We have two separate bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, and a kitchen/dining/living room. Maddie gets one. Thomas, Aaron and I get the other. Thomas is fighting his relocation to the hotel and would NOT sleep in his pack-n-play last night. Now, in most cases, we would just let him figure it out. But, when the walls are paper thin, that's not really acceptable. He was sleeping JUST FINE at Aaron's parents and grandparents.

On the upside, we do have housekeeping. I just wish that would cancel out the cold pool. ;)

I dont think that works - and he's screaming his way through naptime today. I dont know what's going on!

Our closing date cant come soon enough: January 10. Our moving truck comes January 12. Thank God!

Happy Birthday, Thomas!

2010-06-20T17:28:00.003-04:00

We just wrapped up Thomas' first birthday party. He's still asleep. We ate cupcakes and ice cream and played in his new wading pool. I didn't get pictures of the pool - or many of the kiddos - I was having too much fun. Here is what I have to share:

2010-05-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

2010-05-05T21:44:00.000-04:00

2010-05-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

2010-05-05T18:53:00.002-04:00

Family Photos

2009-07-17T18:47:00.002-04:00

Our friend, Anne Anderson is a fabulous photographer and the talent behind FotoWonder. We were fortunate enough to get time with her last night. She offered us - and the Internet - a sneak peek at some of the images from our session. Take a look!

The Littlest One

2009-07-08T16:36:00.005-04:00

Thomas was born - two and a half weeks early - on June 18, 2009. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Since then, we have entertained lots of family and friends as they helped us with meals, laundry and much more. THANK YOU!

Thomas is a happy, sleepy baby who has nursed like a champ since day one. Suffice it to say, he's been growing a lot!

His sister (Maddie), Aaron and I are all completely in love.

Here's a recap of the last three weeks:

My water broke around midnight on June 17. I was in complete denial. Finally around 1 p.m. I told Aaron that I think my water broke. He told me to get some sleep. (He was right, I would need it and I should have gone back to sleep.) I simply couldn't fall asleep. I decided to assuage my concerns and call the doctor at 2 p.m. The on-call physician told me to go to the hospital, to which I replied, "We were really planning on staying home as long as possible and I have an eight year old asleep in the other room. Can I wait?" She said she didnt really recommend it, but she would let us stay home until 6 a.m. when my doctor would call. Like clockwork, the doctor called at 6 a.m. and told us to come to the hospital. By then, I was having some contractions, but nothing really productive.

The first thing my doctor said was, "You're still smiling." I agreed. That's when she said, we'll have to get you started on Pitocin. To someone who wanted a *natural* non-medicated child birth, that's really bad news. I managed to work through six and a half hours on Pitocin without pain relief. Then, the contractions started shooting down my legs ... Aaron and I talked at great length, asked a lot of questions and opted for an epidural. For a little while I was disappointed, but as my labor progressed I knew it was the right decision. I had only had about one and a half hours of sleep the night before and my labor lasted almost 24 hours. I dont think that I would look back on the process fondly, as I do now, had I not opted for the epidural.

Aaron and I cant say enough how impressed we were with each of our nurses and how each of them seemed like they were chosen for us at each moment in time as we needed them. The first nurse was very matter of fact and informative, but also very kind. She's the one who described *natural* childbirth as setting a concrete block on your foot. (The pain gradually becomes more intense over time.) She continued to describe childbirth with Potocin as dropping that concrete block on your foot. Our second nurse was very calm and quiet even when I reacted to the epidural with a REALLY low blood pressure. I was able to rest during that stage of my labor. Finally, my last nurse was a great cheerleader. She told me I was going to have the baby by 11 p.m. and I was up for the challenge. She encouraged me through the process. By that time, I had allowed the epidural to wear of enough that I could tell when I was contracting. Because of that, the doctor removed some of the monitors and allowed me to tell her when I was ready to push.

My doctor was not on call that night, so another physician delivered Thomas. Because that physician was nine months pregnant, I got to have a very non-clinical birth. They never broke down the bed or pulled out the stirrups (yes, I did just put that in a blog post). I allowed my epidural to wear off quite a bit so that I could feel the contractions and better know when to push. Because of that, the doctor removed some of my monitors. Then, the doctor sat - as comfortably as she could - on the end of the bed and caught the baby there.

Aaron was there with me supporting me the whole time ... when he wasn't giving a PLAY BY PLAY ON FACEBOOK. OMG. I can't wait to print that off! It will be very telling of this time in history. :)

HOSPITAL STAY #2

On fathers day, a physician was sent to our home to tell us that we had to go back to the hospital because Thomas's bilirubin levels were elevated. I was totally over concerned because a doctor was on our doorstep. That must mean it's really serious ... or that ATT disconnected our phone while we were in the hospital EVEN THOUGH we had paid our bill. Short story: it's fixed, they apologized. Ridiculous!

Anyway, to treat his jaundice, had got to tan under the bilirubin lights for 24 hours.

HOSPITAL STAY #3

Then, to celebrate his due date, Thomas decided that he needed ANOTHER hospital stay. So, back to the hospital we traveled on Monday, July 6. I woke up that morning and thought he felt a little warm. I just figured that I had him dressed a little to warmly. So, I removed a couple pieces of his clothing, nursed him and went back to sleep. When we woke up a couple of hours later, he still felt warm. I tried to nurse him, but he wasnt interested. I decided to take his temperature: 100.5 F.

For an eight year old, I would prescribe some OJ and lots of rest. Maybe some Tylenol. But, I remembered the discharge orders to call with a fever over 100 F. I called. They told us to go to the emergency room. I was really irritated and confused because the story is so different for older kids.

When we arrived at the hospital they explained that an elevated temperature in a child under two months old can mean a simple infection of a slew of really horrible things like bacterial meningitis. That's not what you want to hear when you are holding your 17 day old child!

But what you REALLY dont want to hear are the words *spinal tap*. That's when I lost it. Thank goodness that my mom was in town visiting and with me at the hospital. (Aaron came as soon as he heard what was going on.) So, on Thomas's seventeenth day of life, he had a catheter, a blood draw, an IV and a spinal tap.

Then, we waited. We were admitted to the hospital for 48 hours ... to wait. While we were waiting on the cultures to grow, Thomas received three antibiotics and an antiviral ... just in case. I'm going to spare you the details. Basically, by Thursday afternoon the pediatricians narrowed down a lot of the big nasty illnesses and determined that a urinary tract infection was the most likely culprit. They took him off the antibiotics and antiviral and let him take one antibiotic orally. ** HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF! ** Then, we were given the choice of staying one more night or going home. Needless to say, we decided to go home! We will monitor him all weekend and have a follow up appointment on Monday morning.

The one thing that I can take away from my delivery and these two hospital stays is this: I AM REALLY REALLY NOT IN CONTROL. I get that. Hopefully, God and the universe know that now.

And, I can also say that we have the best friends and families! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

Front Room

2009-06-17T21:35:00.004-04:00

Dining Room

2009-06-17T21:30:00.003-04:00

We finally scored a *new* dining room table. This looks a lot more like us. (We'll update the place mats, don't worry.) The table was a Craigslist find (thanks for your sleuthing, mom) and is circa 1958. We love it!

front yard assignment

2009-06-17T21:08:00.005-04:00

Aaron has been working hard lately. Apparently, the *boys* have been giving him a hard time because his pregnant wife has a honey-do list for him ready when he comes home from his races.

I have to say, the list has been paying off. A couple of years ago, Aaron ripped out the yews in the front yard and got the gnarliest case of poison ivy I've ever seen. That area of the yard has been empty since then.

Before mulch and plants:

Midpoint (doesn't he look happy?):

(Rest assured: these plants get plenty of sun. These photos were taken later in the day.)

After: It's all mulched and lovely - plus some gigantic purple coneflower from another part of our yard.

Cravings...

2009-06-05T21:25:00.002-04:00

I think my husband may be pregnant. He has the weirdest food cravings!

The state road race is tomorrow, so Aaron is making his road fuel. He gave up bars some time ago for races like this and instead makes his own *delicacies* - like nutella and ham roll-ups. GROSS!

Gender Stereotyping

2009-06-05T18:58:00.002-04:00

Several weeks ago, Aaron and I sucked it up and went to Babys R Us to create our baby registry. Aaron was lucky enough to be armed with a buzz from beer at dinner. We got most of the basics on the registry, but I know there are other things that we will need.

There are a lot of things that I would like to have, but you just can't get them at big box stores. So, I've been putting some of those things on MyRegistry.com.

The problem is, I would love to put bibs and clothes and other goodness on the registries too. But, I've decided I'm just not going to do it. I cannot stand the fact that I have to search for boy clothes or girl clothes!

It's really ridiculous that before our child even enters the world, I am expected to dress them according to gender stereotypes. Why isn't there a place where I can find cute, generic, gender neutral clothes?! I know I can search the Internet for fun stuff, but it makes it really hard for people who don't have access to my alternative registry to get ideas.

I would suggest just waiting to buy clothes until the baby gets here, but that AGAIN means that I will have to dress the baby according to cutesy gender stereotypes.

Ridiculous!

Day of Rest

2009-05-24T19:06:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow - I hope - will be a day of rest. At least, I don't have any work plans. We're going to go to the pool, eat ice cream and join the Doyle's for a little cook out. We've gotten a lot of work done this weekend while Aaron was working at the lake. But ... we really miss him.

Basement Reorganization

2009-05-24T18:43:00.005-04:00

I really should know better by now - before shots are really important! I missed out on the exterior of the house, the bathroom, the bedroom and now ... the basement. But, this time I actually decided not to take a picture because the mess was too embarrassing. I did, however, snap two in transition.

My friend, Jennifer, loves to organize and she offered to come help with the basement. She is awesome at organizing. She even thought that the shelves we were going to buy aren't necessary right now.

I couldn't have tackled this without her - in fact - she did most of the work (and heavy lifting).

Here are the transition photos:

Here are the after photos:

Nesting...I'm not nesting

2009-05-24T10:12:00.001-04:00

Next up - the basement reorganization...

Our little garden

2009-05-24T09:43:00.005-04:00

We got a really late start on our garden this year. Normally, we start from seeds. Not so this year. Maddie and I went to the Broadripple Farmers' Market yesterday and snatched up some plants. My dad came over and helped me clear the garden, which had been neglected since last summer. We find that the neglect actually seems to help the soil, which was loose and dark just the way it should be.

The garden was completely overgrown and we had a lot of weeding to do. My dad also tackled mowing the lawn and cutting down the honeysuckle that won't quit. Aaron's going to *take care of it* next week. I have only a couple of days to come up with a more delicate solution than killer herbicide (I don't want that in the soil).

Beefmeater tomatoes (3)

Cherry tomatoes (3, not pictured)

Green to red peppers (1, not pictured)

Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Cilantro (not pictured)

Pole beans (waiting on the trellis)

Zucchini (waiting on plants)

Maddie really wanted to have her own little plot. She chose some *hardy* plants. She helped weed her patch and plant and water each of these:

Garlic chives (apparently very prolific)

Rhubarb (self-propagating)

Yellow peppers

So, there you have it: our little garden. Hopefully, we'll have a lot of good food for the summer - in addition to our CSA share. We'll probably have too much!

I am really thankful for my dad's help. I'm incredibly happy to know that I won't be eight months pregnant this time next year. Planting a garden is pretty tough work when you aren't as nimble as normal.

Orchard's Spring Pageant

2009-05-24T09:28:00.008-04:00

The Orchard School's annual spring pageant was this past Friday, May 22. As a second grade student, Maddie got to participate in the Maypole dance with the eighth grade girls. Grandpa Marv got to go with me and experience pageants at Maddie's school.

Spring Break 2009...just a taste

2009-05-16T22:09:00.004-04:00

Where the h3ll did spring go?

2009-04-25T21:08:00.002-04:00

I really loved it when Indiana used to have seasonal weather, such as Spring. Last week we were forecast to have flurries, today it was mid-eighties. Don't get me wrong, I love warm weather, but I really love Spring.

And today, I found out that it's going to be a long 10 weeks if we stay in the eighties now. Let's just say, my little incubator really turned up the heat today and I actually felt seven months pregnant.

Daddy Daughter Date Night 2009

2009-02-25T19:24:00.004-05:00

Aaron treated Maddie to Daddy Daughter Date Night last Saturday night. She's grown up quite a bit in the last year.

Cheating

2009-02-25T19:22:00.001-05:00

I haven't been faithful to this blog - that's no surprise. But, I've been cheating on it with another: my recipe blog! It seems to be much more useful. I'll still try to post photos when I can here though.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T13:54:00.003-05:00

Maddie was up and at 'em pretty early, but managed to stay in bed until 6:30 a.m. with the help of my mom (who shared her room at Maddie's request last night). This Christmas all Maddie asked Santa for was a Nintendo DS and a digital camera... well, she also asked for a laptop, but we explained that was a bit too much! She was pretty shocked when she opened her presents this morning.

The Cake...

2008-12-25T13:50:00.002-05:00

Here is the cake that we couldn't use.

Maddie's Birthday Party

2008-12-25T13:38:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful time at Maddie's birthday party. She invited eight other mostly high-strung eight year olds to go duck pin bowling. If you haven't done that, you need to! We werent allowed to bring her cake to the alley, so the girls enjoyed ice cream sundaes at the counter.

Maddie's Birthday

2008-11-20T17:50:00.000-05:00

Maddie's birthday started out pretty early. She woke up at 3 a.m. "D-a-a-a-d, it is time to get up yet?" "No. Go back to bed." 15 minutes later. "Da-a-a-d, is it time n-o-o-o-w?" "Go to SLEEP!" D-a-a-a-d..." "Maddie, GO TO SLEEP!" I think we know now how Christmas is going to go.

She finally went back to bed and woke up with a bloody nose at 6 a.m. Once that stopped, we opened some of her presents and ate hot, iced cinnamon rolls. YUM! She got a really cute outfit from us and a down vest from my mom this morning. (It came in the mail last night.) The outfit we gave her was from www.crazy8.com (she loved that because she was 8 and there is a big 8 on the box). Anyway, the outfit was a cute turquoise long sleeve shirt with a tree and the words "Hug Me," a pleated denim skirt with a turquoise belt, gray leggings and boots. Needless to say, she looked very cute this morning!

A must-read book

2008-11-19T20:59:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading "A Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the age of anxiety," by Judith Warner. This book is incredibly insightful. It's not a self-help book or a guide book of any kind. It is an exploration of what it means to be a mother (working or stay-at-home) in this day and age. It's a look at the feminist movement, politics, life and how it might all fit together.

Being a mom is great, but sometimes it's overwhelming: trying to balance my needs with my child's needs and those of my husband - and my friends, and my job, the list goes on. So, anyone who thinks I'm out of my mind for saying so is not being honest with themselves.

You already know I'm an analyst at heart, so this book really struck a chord with me. I recommend this to anyone who's interested in women's rights.

please read this

2008-11-07T12:27:00.000-05:00

Judith Warner is one of my favorite writers. She is able to capture the moment, analyze it briefly and put it into greater meaning for all of us. I hope you will take a moment to read her column in The New York Times.

The warm-your-soul outcome

2008-10-16T22:27:00.002-04:00

I managed to make my way through the day at work, although I'm not quite sure how after staying up too late. The next night I finished up a few steps for the soup and presented a warm cup of homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese to Maddie.

"M-o-o-o-m, I h-a-a-a-te tomato soup."

So, there you go folks.

I however loved it and Aaron and I are still eating it.

It better be good.

2008-10-12T23:27:00.002-04:00

So what do you do with a refrigerator full of unused produce? Make soup!

Again, we are up to our elbows in tomatoes. But, I'm out of canning jars. So this time, I decided to see what else we had that needed to be eaten - quickly.

But, there was nothing quick about this evening's culinary adventure.

I started cooking after Maddie went to sleep this evening. She hit the hay around 8:30 p.m. I just covered the soup at 11:20 p.m. (1 hour and 50 minutes later). Oh, and I still have to puree it tomorrow after work, before serving it.

What was this creation? Roasted red pepper and tomato soup.

If the time was worth it, which I've yet to decide, I'll post the recipe.

Good night.

Maddie's First Soccer Game

2008-10-01T21:26:00.004-04:00

So much to say, so little time.

2008-09-04T21:28:00.003-04:00

So, what's on my mind? Let me tell you first, that it should not surprise you to find out that I am a flaming liberal. It's genetic.

Where do I even begin. I'm fired up. John McCain and Sarah Palin cannot be elected to hold the highest executive positions in our country. I cannot think of a worse decision for our children, our environment, our health and our future.

What makes me mad at the present moment is the addition of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. Why does that make me mad? Because her chromosomes are the focus and not her politics.

She is a pawn in the game of politics. She was selected because she was a woman and McCain wanted to capitalize on the women who felt disenfranchised when Hillary was not nominated as the democratic candidate for the presidency. That disappoints me because I think women are smarter than that, though it seems that McCain and his advisers think not. I do know that is narrowing her reach - but I am not going to focus on conservative evangelicals, that's a topic for another day.

The debate has been pitting women against women in a social debate about feminism that is important, but must not be the present focus. We need to focus on the immediate pressing danger that is her political record and her political vision. It is frightening.

I will post information/supporting evidence tomorrow.

Update

2008-07-12T20:16:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time. Changed jobs: no access to blogspot or gmail during the day. So, I havent blogged in a month or longer. I am going to figure out what to do with this blog...we'll see.

Zion National Park: scenic drive

2008-05-20T22:00:00.001-04:00

Zion National Park

2008-05-20T21:26:00.005-04:00

I highly recommend visiting Zion National Park! The last photo is looking out from (almost) Angels Landing. Aaron, Maddie and I hiked this trail the final day we were at the park. We did not want Maddie to climb to the top - it requires skill and attention. The height of the trail and the fact that you had to hold onto a chain the whole climb up the final half mile did not deter her desire. So, we had to deter her and stop at the *almost* top. This was about a six mile hike - round-trip.

Horseback Riding

2008-05-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Snow Basin State Park

2008-05-20T21:13:00.003-04:00

The Ghost Town

2008-05-20T20:48:00.003-04:00

These first photos were taken at a ghost town on the way to St. George, UT.

Utah

2008-04-14T21:40:00.002-04:00

We got back from Utah yesterday - man are we still wiped out! I will post pictures soon!

Pastiche

2008-04-04T09:17:00.003-04:00

I think this word is a fitting description of my tendencies. My love of modern and antiques - the hodge-podge collection of items in our home... (For me, only the positive connotations of the word are relevant.)

For my disgust with the way builder-designed homes rob historical features for disingenuous style, the negative connotations may be used.

Excitement

2008-04-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

Excitement is getting the best of me.

Moving Forward

2008-03-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

You probably knew that I was dissatisfied with my job. You may or may not have known it was, in large part, because I felt I had no control of my future with the organization. I was shifted willy-nilly when they felt like it. I can wear a lot of hats -- and I wear them well. However, they continually shifted me away from my skill set. That made me feel like they were purposefully trying to grind me down. It was working.

NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS!

I was offered a job as a copy editor! It is a good fit and I think it will help me advance my skill set. Besides that, the people I will work with seem normal. It's hard to tell from an interview, so we'll see. I think it will be challenging. My last day with the [above described employer] is Friday!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2008-03-21T12:00:00.008-04:00

The Jewish Community Center holds a Daddy Daughter Date Night every winter. This is the second year that Maddie and Aaron have attended. They both put on their best to go dine and dance. Yes, that is my husband wearing a suit. No, he wouldn't even wear one for our wedding. Maddie definitely has him wrapped around her little finger -- and he loves being there. :) Maddie, of course, looks as adorable as usual. Inside sources told me that they enjoyed dancing the Macerena and doing the electric slide.

This pose is titled "Hong Kong People," and dedicated to Aunt Becky.

"Fairies and Princesses," an original screenplay

2008-03-21T10:00:00.006-04:00

Maddie and her friend, Maggie, acting out their original screenplay "Fairies and Princesses." Script forthcoming. The girls spent two hours writing the script and rehearsing for their performance. They had a great time!

Fettuccine with Grated Beets and Cheese

2008-03-09T20:56:00.007-04:00

This recipe was given to me by our wonderful, Kathleen. We had many conversations during our Christmas visit about the benefits of root vegetables. We love them all -- squash of all kinds, potatoes, beets and more!

Anyway, this is a very easy meal to cook and incredibly enjoyable to eat! We loved it so much that I thought I would share.

Ingredients
3 Tbs poppy seeds
6 Tbs butter
1.5 lbs beets, grated (I used a food processor to make the job easier.)
salt and pepper
1 lb pasta (fettuccine works well)
2/3C Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4C chives, minced

Directions
Toast poppy seeds in large, dry pan (use cast iron or another pan without Teflon) for approximately 2 minutes. Do this over medium high heat while stirring regularly so they will not burn. Transfer the seeds to a small bowl and set aside.

Bring the water for the pasta to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. The rest of the meal will be prepared while the pasta is cooking.

Add 5 Tbs butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add the grated beets with a little salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta and put it into a large serving bowl. Toss the pasta with 1 Tbs butter and the grated cheese.

Add the cooked beets to the pasta and stir to combine. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, vinegar and chives.

As Kathleen says, "Eat and be merry!"

Today's Daydream

2008-03-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

Many of you probably dont know that I obsess about fabric and furniture. You probably dont know that because I still havent figured out how to sew and make anything. But, watch out!

This couch SCREAMS potential!

With a facelift, I think this could be grand! Here are some fabrics that I think would work fabulously!

Take a deep breath, Aaron. I know you would hate it.

Sweet Cousins

2008-03-05T13:39:00.004-05:00

Bed Time Stories

2008-03-04T20:43:00.004-05:00

Boy can she tell some good ones...to try to delay bed time. Tonight, less than five minutes after we kissed her good night:

"Mooommy."

I wait to see if she calls again.

This time a little longer, "Moooommy."

When I go in to check on her, she pleads with me, "My eyelids feel like they have five thousand pound weights in them and my eyes keep rolling back in my head."

I reply, "Sounds like you really do need to go to sleep. I love you, good night." I place a kiss on her forehead.

Then, we sit and chuckle about the visual Maddie painted for us about sleep tonight.

Sweet dreams.

Genuine Pleasure

2008-03-04T12:25:00.003-05:00

Celebrating Poppa's Birthday

2008-03-04T12:04:00.003-05:00

"Miss Hubbell Lauria," the snowwoman

2008-03-04T11:52:00.006-05:00

Winter Hiking in Indiana

2008-03-04T11:39:00.008-05:00

In December, we decided to take Maddie and Fitz (our dog) to Eagle Creek Park. We hiked for a while, enjoyed cocoa and then headed home. (Notice there is no snow.) At this point in the winter, we all need a reminder that we actually looked forward to winter. I guess that is the benefit of living in a place that experiences all four seasons; we really look forward to the changes in the weather. (I will leave out my global warming comments for now.)

He let it slip...

2008-03-04T11:31:00.004-05:00

I guess I need to post something because my dear husband, ah, finally let the blog name slip and I havent posted anything since Christmas. So, the pressure is on to add some photos.

So Lame

2008-02-19T15:11:00.001-05:00

Both my brother and husband can keep a blog, but I have been lame. I'll see if I can update this evening.

A Wolf Named Diamond.

2008-01-10T11:17:00.000-05:00

There was a wolf her name was diamond. She was white. When her mom called her she would run into her den. She was the youngest puppy. Their names were crystal, pansy, Poinsettia, lavender, snow flake, and who do you think it is? Diamond. One day diamond saw a moose. Diamond was scared. She ran back home. She lay down with the other puppies. Then she went to sleep. The other puppies were asleep to. Then it was the morning. They had breakfast and played some games. They played tic-tac-toe, connect four, tag, and tug of war. Then they had lunch. After lunch they played games again and had fun. Then diamond has her birthday party and turns one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Maddie Hubbell

We hope olive you had a Merry Christmas, too!

2008-01-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

Christmas at Sunnywood

2008-01-08T10:50:00.001-05:00

All I want for Christmas...

2007-12-19T14:07:00.000-05:00

Well, since I got my two front teeth this summer... I guess I can sit on your lap and tell you. Afterall, you did give me candy. I want an iPod, a Webkinz and... Out of nowhere Santa asked me if I liked black olives! I am, of course, completely shocked that he knew that!

This photo was taken at the shops near our home (camera phone photo because Mom forgot her camera). They organized a great community event for the neighborhood that paired open houses for the stores and restaurants with goodies for children of all ages (including mini-cupcakes from the Flying Cupcake, and appetizers and hot cocoa on the sidewalk near Kids Ink and Oh Yum! Bistro.)

Wrapping Paper Finds

2007-12-16T21:27:00.000-05:00

The Chilly dogs wrapping paper is too cute - and it is 100% post consumer, printed with soy-based ink and made in the states.

Another shop that appears to have a good selection is Fish Lips Paper Designs.

What have you found?

Wrapping Paper

2007-12-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

If anyone knows where I can find wrapping paper that is made from all or at least SOME post-consumer recycled paper, PLEASE let me know. I am so troubled by the amount of paper that will be wasted this holiday season.

Merry Christmas - Happy Hanukkah, celebrate love and life, oh - and lets just forget about the health of the planet.

We are wrapping a lot of presents in interesting ways, but I don't think my daughter should have to feel left out of the shiny-wrapping paper fun that Christmas brings. She didn't ask to be a hippie.

Plus, I love paper. That's all there is to it. I should be able to wrap presents without a guilty conscience.

Thanks.

Motherly Love

2007-12-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

I feel so lucky to be a mom. Sometimes, Maddie's face will alight and she will say out of nowhere, "I love you." Then, she will say, "I just can't stop saying I love you. I love you." Tonight, as we were brushing her teeth, she said to me, "Is it OK if I love you more than my kids?" I told her that she would love us differently. She didn't thinks so. Then she told me that she wished we could stay the same age forever. She is such a sweet girl.

Years ago, when I thought of where I would be at my age, I didn't anticipate having a daughter at this point in my life. I couldn't be happier - in fact - I think I would be miserable without her. She challenges me and makes me want to be a better person, too. My hope is that we can continue to grow our love and our mother-daughter relationship so we can be close as we both mature through the years.

p.s. Mom, I love you. You've set the bar pretty high.

We love snow!

2007-12-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

We do. We love snow. It seems to bring out the best in us: curiosity, joy, playfulness and excitement. So, while most of the city seems to go about dreading the weather. We had so much fun this weekend building snowmen with friends. Remi and Maddie built a great snowman - I even got to help a little. They named him Frosty Lauria Hubbell. All this was happening while Aaron proceeded to go out for his long Saturday bike ride south of the city. Yep. He rode 80 miles during the first leg of the snow storm. I called my family. For the record, they said they werent surprised.

Today, we all strapped on our skis and traveled around the neighborhood and into the gardens nearby. I went home to get mittens and traded skis for boots. I grabbed the dog and we met Aaron and Maddie. Fitz LOVES the snow. He ran off-leash in the garden running sprints between me and Aaron and Maddie. He spent most of the day outside.

I don't know how much we ended up getting, but it was great! I will upload some photos tonight.

Absences Unexcused

2007-11-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

So, no posts for months. I have no acceptable excuse. Except...I think I may have killed our home computer. I am trying to pull photos off of the harddrive so that the thing will run again. Once it is easier to post, I will start posting again.

Joy of Webkinz

2007-11-20T14:49:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard of Webkinz, Maddie can tell you all about them. These creatures are cute and cuddly. And, they are interactive. You can log on to your Webkinz account and "play" with your avatar (little computer graphic that looks like your stuffed doll).

We haven't figured out what we think of them, yet. But they do require kids to play math, reading and other educational games.

Back to basics: Maddie loves them!

Maddie's Birthday Party

2007-11-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

Maddie wanted a slumber party for her seventh birthday. Aaron and I, for reasons we questioned later, thought that would be great fun. So, we started planning the party.

On November 17 at 5:30 p.m. four of Maddie's friends appeared at our door: Lily, Shawn Margaret, Riley and Mackenzie. Most parents thought we were insane - some still do - but we had reinforcements. Aaron's parents (Pete/Poppa and Jeannie/Mamu) were in town from New York for the fun! Adults=4; children=5. Much more acceptable ratio.

We had pizza, we had cake, we saw Bee Movie and ate popcorn, we played flashlight tag, we had trouble sleeping (Maddie ended up in our bed all night), but the most fun was...leaf jumping!

More Party

2007-11-17T20:59:00.000-05:00

Gone Fishin'

2007-09-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

I have been hoping to go fishing with my dad all summer. I have great memories of family fishing trips when I was younger. So, I really wanted to take Maddie and Aaron, too. We finally picked a day - Saturday, September 15.

Aaron, Maddie, Cristian (her brother) and I drove out to Grandpa Marvin's house to go fishing. We stopped at a doughnut shop in Pendleton for a quick breakfast. Cheap and Good: four doughnuts + three glasses of milk = $4.35. When we arrived at Grandpa Marvin's, we hopped back into the car and drove into the middle of nowhere, eastern indiana. There, we were able to fish at the home of a friend (who has a beautiful home on 88 family acres, pond and stream). I am going to let the pictures do the talking:

Family Artifact

2007-09-17T12:01:00.000-04:00

The instructions: "Send something to school that is not from your child's generation that is a family artifact - an heirloom, but not breakable or extremely valuable." Yeah, right.

Now, Aaron and I are fortunate enough to have a good number of family heirlooms, but not very many that we are willing to send to school. So, we had to think hard - not just to find one that met the criteria, but one that met Maddie's interests.

So, although it is breakable (we packaged it up well to get it to school), Maddie chose Nana Janet's piggy bank. P.S. Nana is my mom.

What's so intriguing about this Piggy Bank? Well, there is no hole in the bottom and it's nearly empty. I asked Maddie how she thought the money got out. She was really surprised to find out just how sneaky Nana and her "mom" are...we used a butter knife to wiggle the money out!

When I was little, my friend Amanda and I sat down for nearly two hours to get the cash out - we found "lots" of money and an old note that belonged to my mom and a plastic doll's fork. Maddie thought that was really cool.

I talked to my mom (Nana) about the bank and the fork and note. She laughed and said, "you know I put those in there to make noise so my mom didn't know I took money out, don't you?" I didn't know that.

We agreed that it would be fun to put notes in the bank for people in the future who might be as ambitious as we were. Hopefully we won't break the bank!

Taking the Bus

2007-09-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

When I woke up Maddie this morning, I told her that she was going to get to take the bus to school. To most kids, this is probably an everyday occurrence. But, because Maddie's school doesn't offer a bus service in our neighborhood, this is a very fun and very big deal. And something we had not done before.

Needless to say, she flew through our morning to-do list. Clothes were on, hair combed, teeth brushed, shoes on and backpack ready in less than 30 minutes. Anyone who has a six year old can understand that I was floored by her speed!

Out the door we flew. Forgetting to give the dog a toy - sorry Fitz, please dont chew on anything nice.

We walked two and a half blocks to the nearest bus stop. Two minutes later (thank God I was able to convince her to jog half a block), we boarded an IndyGo bus.

Maddie timidly hopped on and paid for her ticket herself. I love the way it sounds when quarters are dropped in the slot - tink, crunch, tick, crunch, tick, crunch - 75 cents. Maddie found her seat as I paid for my own ticket.

Seven minutes later, we arrived at Maddie's school. IndyGo recently added a stop at the drive - yipee! I told the bus driver that it was our way of getting to ride the school bus. She smiled and gave Maddie a giant wave and told her to have a good day.

We waited for the road to clear. Then, holding hands, we ran across the road as we yelled, "Move with a sense of purpose!" We slowed and giggled as we headed towards school.

After I dropped her off at before-school care, I walked back to the stop so I could catch the bus to work. I had to wait for a while so I will mozy next time.

From doorstep to desktop, it took me one and half hours to get to work. But that was calm, low-impact time that I could spend with Maddie, reading a book and walking outside. No road-rage. No Radio Disney DJs.

All in all, I think it was a very successful commute to school and work.

So, why take the bus?

Aaron is lucky enough to get to ride his bike to work and does so nearly every day. I could, but it would mean driving to school, riding from there to work and then finding a place to get dressed. And, I'm not a cold-weather, rainy-day cyclist.

I sat at the intersection of 38th and Illinois yesterday. Idling. Exhaust filled my lungs and sinuses. No-zone action day - glad to see so many cars (sarcasm). Then, it hit me. Duh, I'm just as guilty. If I want to make a difference, I can't just talk about it. I need to do something.

So, it is my hope that taking the bus will become an everyday occurence, but remain very fun and a very big deal.

First Night

2007-08-22T21:24:00.000-04:00

A lot can be said about "first nights." Fortunately, most are more noteworthy than this! This is my first night to post on the PH Report. What's in a name? Well - is it Pribble or is it Hubbell? Again, I couldnt decide so it is the PH Report. Acidic comments may not frequent the site, unless we are motivated to talk politics.