Accidental carnival

Just like last year, we stumbled upon this cute little parking lot carnival at a local high school. Unlike last year, Harry could ride rides, and Jack could toddle around eating funnel cake and playing with outsized blow-up objects instead of enjoying the festivities strapped to my chest in his Bjorn cocoon.
Harry looked really chill the whole time on this dragon ride. I got exactly zero good pictures, though, because I forgot my camera and had to use my phone and am too short. (also, Harry has really cool hair right now. I kid you not, the last time we got it cut, I told his stylist we were working on a Zac Effron 'do, so she made it really piecey, assuring me it would look so cool when it got shaggy. And it DOES.)

Jack ate funnel cake with his fists, whined when he couldn't ride rides, and enjoyed carnival games and assorted total crap prizes.

At our favorite pizza place for dinner, Harry played with the restaurant-provided legos and had a major fantasy world built by the time the salad arrived-- he is deep in imagination play here.

Cutest picture of Jack ever, huh?

And then my dumb, dumb self let them take their blow up toys in the tub. It was all fun and games and near death drowning experiences until mean old mommy took the toys away, and both boys screamed so loud Ben came in from outside where he was diligently grilling turkey breast because he heard the commotion and thought a massacre was happening in the bathroom. Fun times.

Mah hair. Also, some cute pictures of mah babies. Also, also mah menu. And then I will stop saying "mah" for "my." I don't know why I'm doing that

We enjoyed fall preview weather yesterday at the farmer's market and zoo. I also realized poor Harry, he of the 3/4 length sweat shirt sleeves and unintentional manpris, needs some fall clothes, like, yesterday.
Jack, though? He's stocked. He also like to remove his left shoe and sock in the car and sniff his own toes. It's cute because he's still rear facing, so I can see his fat little bare foot and then his stubby little shoed foot when I look in the rear view mirror. and I always think about maybe pulling over to kiss his toes, but I usually don't.

So glad Harry had captive grandparents to ride the zoo train.

Ben and Jack and I checked out the porcupines and wallabies. Then we took Jack to the reptile house (which is where I went into labor with him, but not really a landmark place, since I ignored the contractions until almost 12 hours later), and Jack didn't realize that the burmese python was behind glass and he smacked into said glass after running full speed across the room chortling in delight at the snake and fell straight down on his butt. Like a dazed little birdie. We were too busy laughing to take a picture.

Here's Harry delightedly feeding the goats-- he was shrieking with pure joy in this picture.


After our morning outings, I had an appointment for a pre-semester cut and color. My super red hir was still kind of vibrant last week:

But by yesterday, it was an orange mess:

I went super light (for me), and I went back to last year's bob, with this years bangs:

When Harry saw me after the salon, he clasped his hands under his chin and said proudly, "Oh Mama! You don't look like a box elder bug anymore."

Here's our menu this week:
Monday:
Grilled turkey breast
wax beans from the farmer's market
strawberries

Tuesday:
Turkey sandwiches (with the leftover turkey breast)
Veggies and dip
tater tots because the boys LOVE THEM (and I'll have to remind them of this love when they start complaining about school lunches)

Wednesday:
Grilled chicken salads (a weekly staple)
sweet corn on the cob
pears

Thursday
the other white meat chops
roasted new potatoes (with garlic and olive oil unless anyone has other suggestions)
steamed broccoli

Friday
rigatoni casserole with ground turkey
steamed zucchini

Our food is simple and boring-- any great websites with more complex recipes you can point us toward? Especially since colder weather means we're less likely to just grill it and eat it.

Happy Saturday

We are about to take these clown to the farmers market to see Ben's parents and to buy as much organic produce as we can carry on our persons, since our new double stroller has no storage (except for a detachable fanny pack, which, really?).

It's really cold here today, which is delightful, but will really suck when it is really, really, really cold here in March.

I survived my first 40 hour work week of the school year, which was especially brutal since it was an 8:30-5 kind of work week. The rest of the semester, while still very demanding, is a more flexible academic friendly schedule, so I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Also, I liked working full time outside my home. A lot.

Lots of preschool happenings on the horizon, as I am officially a room mom for one of Harry's classes and am ridiculously excited about it.

Not ridiculously exciting? The super scary pandemic emails I keep getting from the U about H1N1 and the potential for decimation. Bummer, dude.

Paint it black

Yesterday, I ran into Urban Outfitters over lunch to grab a pair of cheap and huge sunglasses. I stood in line behind a group of students just back to campus who were stocking up on poser hipster decor for their new apartments. While they waited on a price check on the clearance paper lantern they were buying, they complained about all the books they had to buy for class. One of them rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, and I probably have to buy even more because one of my Com Arts classes didn't have any book information posted."

And I had a mini heart attack right there in line, clutching my enormous black plastic glasses and feeling the burn of the 30 Day Shred every time I shifted my weight from exhausted leg to exhausted leg. Was she talking about my class? Did I forget to post my books and send my course reader to the coffee shop?

I really couldn't remember because since I had kids, I have totally lost the ability to remember events that happened last week. A shame, really, because I used to be so smart. I think.

In other news, Harry didn't go to bed until almost 10, and Ben and I had no idea what to do with him because we didn't want Jack to wake up, so we let him come downstairs and listened to him whine about T E and TELEVISION! for almost an hour, until he collapsed in a little puddle on the rug and allowed himself to be pottied and tucked back in bed.

I woke up in a foul mood and abandoned my diet in favor of Keebler graham sandwiches, Teddy Grahams, mini ice cream bars, and grilled cheese and fries from Mickey's Dairy Bar.

At Target today, I realized another expense working moms incur that SAHMs probably don't: extra midweek toys you buy your kids because you feel so damn guilty when they call you the baby sitter's name. So if you're thinking of quitting your job and wondering how much money you'll save at home, add that one in with dry cleaning, work clothes, lunches out, parking, gas, and childcare, m'kay?

A Triumphant (for now-- I fully expect future nights to end in disaster) Return to the Bedroom and a Pretty Sucky Weekly Menu

Last night, this guy

and his brother, this guy

SLEPT IN THE SAME ROOM ALL NIGHT LONG!!!

We gave Jack a bath at 7 (well, I did) while Harry helped Ben grill burgers for tonight (and they played golf with Harry's plastic clubs) and read to him like always. When I carried Jack to his new room, he pointed at his pack n play and asked "Nigh nigh?" When he saw the crib (where he happily naps) filled with is Ugly Dolls and his blue fleece blankie (Harry gave it to him the other night, and I never want to quash any generous impulse, so we went with it, and Jack seems to be pretty safe-- how old are they supposed to be before they get blankets anyway?), he smiled and cozied right in.

Harry helped us cook and chop our farmer's market veggies (and he made a sticky mess cutting strawberries with a butter knife) until 7:50, when Ben gave him a bath. Then Harry watched Wubbzy, and we read to him on our bed and helped him tiptoe into his own room at 8:30. It's dark now at 8:30 (which sucks), so we told Harry he was staying up super late and had an extra special big boy bedtime, and he ate it up.

We had a rough moment at 11-ish when Ben and I (giddy with the freedom of sleeping in our room, we dawdled over Monday-morning preparations that we could perform before bed instead of immediately following dinner with screamy kids "helping" us (ironing has never felt so clandestine)) went to bed. I checked on the boys like I always do, and when I was covering Jack back up, his eyes fluttered open, and he stared right at me. I fled the room, but he started wailing. Ben and I held our breath for a few minutes until his cries subsided, and then we all slept until a little after 6.

All of us woke up by hanging out in our bed drinking milk and coffee and watching our shockingly awful local news (where the lead anchor woman brought in a Bud Light coaster from a bar on which she had scribbled the names of her Saturday night drinking buddies so she could give them an on-air shout out), and Harry told us that he didn't sleep well because Jack screamed so much.

We are not fooled by the smoothness of this first night and fully expect our night life to totally suck for a few weeks. Also, holy hell is our mattress uncomfortable and we are soooo buying a new one as soon as sleeping in our bed is a habit again).
Here we are at Harry's end-of-summer school picnic. it rained, so we had to wedge ourselves into tiny chairs

But it was really fun, and Harry's class made ice cream that they proudly served us. (And now just as I am starting school, Harry has a 2-week break. Awesome sauce).


So, I am working like extra super full time this week, so our menu SUCKS:
Today: Burgers, corn, and snap peas from the farmers market
Tuesday: Panera
Wednesday: Grilled chicken salads with twee heirloom tomatoes, green beans, and fruit salad
Thursday: Noodles & Company
Friday: BBQ chicken sandwiches, Jack's favorite steamed carrots, and corn again.

I'll keep you posted on the sleep sitch because I know you are all riveted.

Things are looking up

The highlight of my day yesterday was opening a box of public speaking textbooks I planned to give to my TAs on Monday and finding the box filled with tomes titled Tonal Harmony. I'm sure this is a lovely text. But it's not the lovely book I need first thing Monday morning, you know?

So, I new today HAD to be better than yesterday.

And so far it is exceeding my modest expectations.

We went downtown this morning and pushed our way through the crowds at the farmers market in search of organic produce and chocolate croissants

We also enjoyed the terrace one more time before the students descend next weekend.

Here's Jack's fat fist waving hello (or maybe goodbye) to the duckies

Harry and Ben did some serious kite flying




Moments after this idyllic shot, because we were at the student union, Ben and I reminisced about the time Ben was building manager of the Ball State student center to supplement his grad student income of $436 a month and the building caught on fire and Ben was supposed to be the last man out, but he so resented helming that sinking ship that he never went back to work there. Also, since the building burned down on his watch, he was taken off the schedule. And then Harry asked seven million questions about the fire, and kept asking the same questions even after we answered them several times, and we had to gouge our ears out with knitting needles we borrowed from an old lady pulling a wagon full of sweet corn and tissue box cozies. The end.

Jack Jack: The Follow-Up

No H1N1.

Good thing, too, because we had been dosing him up with Tylenol and/or Motrin and dragging him pretty much everywhere.

We saw the other pediatrician at our pediatrician's office, and she said he had the remains of healing sores in his mouth and throat and that he probably had hand, foot, and mouth which has been going around like crazy. How she saw anything through the Veggie Booty crumbs is beyond me, but she seemed pretty sure.

I was actually a little bummed that it wasn't swine flu because he was already on the mend, and if he got it now, maybe he won't get really sick this winter. Speaking of? I think I'll be avoiding the gym daycare like, um, the plague during cold and flu season. And giving Harry a Silkwood shower everyday after preschool.

But seriously, assholes like us are the reason for pandemics. On Saturday, we masked Jack's fever and took the kids to a fantastic brunch at a cute local organic cafe-- the kind of place with a kickass bakery, cozy benches and armchairs, and an extensive wine list. Ben and I both had wine with our food (vanilla french toast for him and a grilled veggie pita for me), and children were the only patrons NOT imbibing in the whole place.
Jack mostly smeared himself with cupcake and ignored his grilled cheese (a little too sophisticated for a toddler, with pesto and aged cheddar)

Harry snarfed some of Jack's infected sandwich, my mozzarella covered zucchini slices, and Ben's french toast and berries in addition to his own scrambled eggs and fruit cup, and he practiced turning into the Incredible Hulk

We haven't paid as much attention as we usually do to Harry because Jack's been sick, but he managed to occupy his time

Ben tok this picture of me chasing Harry on the playground, and it cracked me up-- look at my legs all flopping to the sides while I run. Once a waddling fat kid always a waddling fat kid. At least I have finally learned how to dance like no one's watching.