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Baby To-Do List

This week, I enter my third trimester, and with that, the to-do list has been weighing more heavily on my mind. I guess it’s true what they say about your second-born. We have been quite lax this time around. No baby magazine subscriptions, no intense Google searches (except for my heart palpitations), no rush to completely baby-proof every nook of our home. I’m even having a hard time getting interested in baby literature this time around. Certainly some things have changed in the last six years, but most of the baby guidelines are much the same. I’m excited–certainly! Just a little more lax. But, that to-do list is creeping up on me:

  1. Decide on a name. I’m already through the “K” baby names and have found absolutely nothing I’m happy with. Once we settle on a name, don’t ask what it is though. It’s our only secret:)
  2. Prepare and freeze extra meals for when the baby comes. Now’s the time to start clipping recipes that I can double or triple and freeze. Any good resources?
  3. Pick out a new car seat. Our old one is obviously expired by now, but I’m hoping to find one that’s compatible with our still-useful travel system stroller.
  4. Make a list of what to pack in my hospital bag. Then, eventually, pack it.
  5. Sew a baby bunting thing. I have a lot of sewing projects on my Pinterest board, but this is the only one that I’m hell-bent on finishing.
  6. Find furniture for Peanut. Poor boy has had a girl’s vanity dresser for far too long. We want to get him a new wardrobe and desk instead of the girly dresser and changing table-turned-bookshelf. Scouring Craiglist every day.
  7. Along with that, we really need to get a move on Baby Girl’s room soon. What was once our office will now be her nest. We need to get the old furniture out and move the new furniture in. It hurts thinking about it.
  8. Choose a new pediatrician. Our insurance has changed since news of our Baby Girl hit. Peanut and Baby Girl will both need new care.
  9. Journal for the baby. I kept a journal before Peanut was born about what I was thinking about, what was happening, current baby news, and how I felt about him. I remember all the news about BPA in polycarb bottles was just coming out and I’ve got a clip about that in there, along with our choice to use glass bottles. I want to do the same for Baby Girl. I think I only have one entry so far. Must. Get. On. That.
  10. Choose an easy scrapbook format and some simple embellishments for the baby. I don’t want to cheat my second-born of what I created for the first-born. I know I have to stay right on top of it or it will never happen, so purchasing the whole set-up now will save this project.
  11. Purge Peanut’s baby clothes. I no longer need any boy clothes. This is going to be so hard to do, parting with those little bitty outfits that bring back memories. However, we’re having a family rummage sale soon and it would be the perfect opportunity to clear the attic. Plus, I have friends and family with boys younger than Peanut that might enjoy some of our spoils.
  12. Figure out the whole breast pump thing with my insurance company.
  13. Film a prenatal workout video or 4. I likely won’t have anymore children, so I know right now is the ideal time to film a prenatal workout video. I really want to do this because there’s not a whole lot out there. It’s not just a “should do.” I’ve been jotting momma-friendly moves and hope to get something together really soon. Before I lose my baby belly in three months.
  14. Do some kind of maternity photo shoot.
  15. Pick up a few more baby girl clothes. This–and the car seat and diapers–are about the only things we need for baby #2. All the big stuff has just been patiently waiting for a new recipient in our attic for the past 6 years.
  16. Clean out the chest freezer. Gots to make some room for all the extra milk.

Oh geez. Just looking at this list is making me sleepy. Haha. I could literally nap just about anywhere right now. In fact, I’ve been known to steal away on my lunch break for a quick nap. Luckily, nothing will crumble if I don’t get to all of these things–or most of them really. I’m enjoying this time to take things a whole lot slower than my normal Type-A turbo pace, so I’m not as intensely focused on all of that right now. Just making it through a work day and dinner is enough for me. Ideally though, it would be nice to tackle most of them, or at least get a start on most of them. Baby steps (pun totally intended)!

Ticker Update

I am beyond thrilled to announce that my ticker is in fighting shape. Being a devoted runner and soon-to-be second time momma, I am very reassured by this. My echocardiogram came back completely normal. My pulse was a bit high, but that’s pretty normal for pregnancy. The Holter monitor caught in the 6,000 range!!!!! of PVC’s, or skipped heartbeats, over the 48 hr period I wore it (3,000-something per day). However, no arrhythmia was detected.

My cardiologist said that they have patients with PVC’s in the 20-30,000 range, which is when they start having some concern. On a scale of 1 to 10, my benign “problem” ranks around a 1. However, she did offer a small dose of a beta blocker that’s safe for pregnancy. With her guidance though, I am not going to take them, at least not yet. I have them on standby in case the PVC’s really do become bothersome. Since the meds are not really medically necessary, they’re really only for my comfort, I’d rather wait this thing out and just tolerate it than medicate it.

My blood pressure this time was well back in the normal range–and actually a bit low for a preggo at 110/70. I was starting to worry that pre-eclampsia was sneaking up on me, but I think the higher readings were just because of nerves. Thank goodness. We pregnant ladies sure do worry a lot, don’t we?

It’s kind of neat to understand how my heart is working. I do get lightheaded once in awhile (though it’s a pregnancy-related symptom, not a heart problem-related one). The nurse practitioner explained that my heart is working fast right now, and she used a sponge analogy. If you were to squeeze a sponge long and hard, you’d get more water out of it. If you squeeze it fast and incompletely, not as much water will drain. That’s how the heart is working during pregnancy. It’s not as efficient at getting all that extra blood where it needs to go. Hence, the lightheadedness at times and the PVC’s. Beta blockers help smooth out that heartbeat, so the beats are good and hearty.

Well, I’m just so thankful that that’s out of the way and I’m doing fine. It was a few emotional days being hooked up to wires and waiting for those test results. Now that I know nothing is wrong, I’m not as anxious about or attuned to all the PVC’s I’ve been having. It has made a huge difference just knowing that I’m going to be fine.

Camping Collins Style

Since Hubster doesn’t work on Mondays, we considered Memorial Day weekend the ideal time to take a little mini vacation in our new camper. That way, no one had to miss work or school but we could get out in our new mini home away from home ASAP.

We stayed close to home for various reasons, which turned out to be helpful when Hubster had to run home for a few emergency items, like a cooler since our fridge didn’t work. We booked a reservation at Jellystone Park in Fremont, WI. It’s not the type of camping that’s real secluded and rustic. It’s very open and populated, but also very family-friendly and comfortable. By comfortable, I mean there are showers, a convenience store, and many other amenities that hardcore campers would snicker at. But pregnant ladies and high maintenance husbands need those things, right?
Hey there, Boo Boo
Saturday, we headed out after Hubster got home from work, which was after 4. Peanut and I had gotten everything packed and ready to go and were beginning to run out of patience, ha! We finally got on the road and enjoyed tacos and sunset-gazing before bedtime snuck up on us.
Sunday was full of swimming, hiking, s’more making and exploring. I just love all the mixtures of smells, experiences and sounds when you’re out camping. On Sunday, we also tried out the miniature golf course on-site. We even saw a hummingbird flitting around the bushes. I tried my darnedest to get a picture, but alas, the elusiveness of those birds is what makes them so hard to photograph and also what makes seeing one so special. We visited some cute shops in Weyauwega and went to a diner for dinner and an ice cream shop after. The very best part was lounging, chatting, reading and hanging out with our…um…lap dog?
Monday, we rented a pontoon boat for about an hour. It rained a little bit, but not enough to soak the skin, plus we had the canopy. Then, we rode the hay ride with all three Jellystone bears, Yogi, Boo Boo and Cindy Lou. Peanut thought that was extra special, since the previous days only had one or two of the bears. Then, we packed up and pulled out and made one last stop at one of the on-site playgrounds while Hubster took care of the septic drain.
I have had this insatiable itch to go camping that was finally pacified!!!! And lots of memories made with my three-person, soon-to-be-four-person family. We may not have many more opportunities to head out this summer what with baby coming and all, but we do have at least one long vacay planned for July. I can’t wait to go again! I have such great memories of camping as a kid, always in tents, and it’s so satisfying passing down this favorite pastime to my own son, and eventually my daughter too.
Do you have any favorite memories of camping as a child?

State of the Baby Address

I haven’t been saying much about my pregnancy other than making the announcement, but it’s so true what they say about each pregnancy being entirely different. This one has left me with a lot more worry and has felt like an entirely different experience than the first uneventful one. From morning sickness to anxiety flare-ups to weird heart behaviors to health scares, I’ve been trying to navigate waters that feel completely foreign to me.

First, we had a false positive reading for Down’s Syndrome which sent our world into a bit of a spin of waiting, testing, waiting some more. Everything came out “normal,” but the experience was kind of excruciating and full of questions. We just wanted to know what we had to prepare for and wrap our minds around it, but admittedly there were lots of tears and doubt.

In the last month, I’ve developed some pretty frequent heart palpitations. I had them during my last pregnancy, but they were very different. With Peanut, they only showed up around month 8 during exercise and exertion. They were pretty infrequent. This time, they happen all day, every day, whether I’m sitting in my chair or out hiking. I, of course, reported them to my baby doctor right away.

My OB was not too worried about them. She said they were pretty common in pregnancy considering the extra blood volume a pregnant woman has in her body. She said I could either monitor it for any changes, see my general practitioner about it, or she could refer me to a cardiologist. I chose the cardiologist because I just don’t want to mess around with my heart. And with my anxiety, I have a hard time with worst-case scenario thinking. I just want to be extra cautious and know for sure that everything is fine.

This past Friday, I saw the cardiologist. He told me not to worry about it, but that we were going to be extra cautious and a little more aggressive with testing since I’m pregnant. I appreciate the gesture! My blood pressure was reading pretty high that day, so I was suffering from nervous energy wondering if it was a sign of pre-eclampsia. However, my BP was back in the normal range at Monday’s appointment, so I’m hoping it was just a fluke because I was nervous.

So Monday, I got fitted for my electrodes. Cool, huh? How bionic-womanlike of me. I’m wearing a Holter monitor for 48 hours to detect any abnormalities. Then on Thursday I’m scheduled for an echo-cardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart. As frightening as heart conditions sound and these tests seem (I’ve never had to see so many doctors in my life!), I’m trying to stay positive and take everything in stride. After all, both my OB and cardiologist said everything is likely to be benign.

Despite these “setbacks,” everything is going relatively fine. I feel much better, but I still have no interest in cooking or any type of food prep and my energy wanes big time during the day. Peanut wants me to play the instant I get home from work, and it’s hard to deny him that. My pleading eyes just can’t convey to him the complete exhaustion I feel at the end of the day. I try to give him what I can, but many days are “lets watch a movie together” days. When I’m feeling truly energetic, I can muster a 6 mile bike ride with the family, but that’s only happened once, so…

Well, there are only about 3 months left until we meet our baby girl and I’m hoping things become a whole lot more uneventful really soon. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, would ya? I appreciate every one I can get.

Florida Trip Highlights Part Two

Check out Part One of our Florida trip here.

I have never been to Disney. Our family did quite a bit of travelling when we were younger, but generally the trips didn’t reach past the state lines. Peanut had obviously never been there either. So this time, we planned a trip into the Magical Kingdom. Although I couldn’t ride any of the rides in my condition and I’m not big on big touristy amusement parks, I had so much fun being there for the first time.

What struck me most was the overwhelming awe I have for Walt Disney himself. The dreams, visions and ambitions of one man have manifested in this larger-than-life empire right down to the tiniest detail. I remember reading about a woman who worked on a Disney cruise ship and the type of training and guidance every single Disney employee receives. It’s just beyond impressive how this entire place, not to mention the movies and merchandise and everything else Disney, originated in the mind of one ambitious man.

And ok, I already know these Disney people are brilliant, but putting activities for kids to follow all along the lines for the rides is just pure genius!

I’ve been hearing about the Small World ride for my entire life. I know what it is and everything about it, but I was finally able to experience it for the first time myself. I loved watching how Peanut took it all in and truly enjoyed it. We even used a handful of pennies to send our own wishes out into the world. Peanut wished for us to be able to stay in Florida. I did a little too:)
The only ride Peanut hated was the haunted house ride. He cried and closed his eyes the entire way through. I love how they make the ride very kid-friendly. No ghosts pop out to scare you or anything. However, the music and voices are a bit macabre, just creepy enough to make a Peanut uncomfortable.

Peanut recognized Rapunzel’s castle right away. Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair!

Checking out the fort on the island. We found a little girl who was inconsolable after losing her family. I sat with her until her brothers ran back to find her. I’m not sure if she even spoke English. Later, we spotted another boy who had gotten misplaced. The workers tell us they have family reuniting down to a science.

Peanut was overjoyed that he finally got to drive a go-kart. This kind stayed on a track, so there wasn’t much room for error. 

Haha!

We caught Disney shows at the castle, watched a 3D movie, rode some rides, explored some islands, met some Disney characters and ate all kinds of overpriced food. Peanut even rode a little roller coaster, which I was so proud of him for attempting. Grandma pointed out all the Disney movies that Peanut hasn’t seen yet. When we got home, we immediately rented Planes so at least Peanut knows who is who in the little airplane pack he bought at the souvenir shop.

We stayed until after the nightly parade and fireworks, of course. Tinkerbell stuck her tongue out at Peanut when he got shy and wouldn’t wave back to her. We got a good laugh out of that. I captured most of the castle entertainment on my camcorder, but we weren’t in a great position to see the full effect of the fireworks.

After the shows, we headed to the car, which is quite the process. We took the ferry across the water and Peanut immediately fell asleep on the floor of the vessel. Then, we had to wait for a trolley to make the hike to the car. We had another 2-hour ride after that in which Peanut slept the entire way. We were completely spent, but happy. Thank goodness Thursday was a sleep-in casual day.

What about you? Is there some major place that you haven’t been to yet? What are some of your favorite Disney memories?

Florida Trip Highlights Part One

There’s something magical about the air in Florida that makes a girl forget about her morning sickness. I’m not sure if it was the warm air on dried out Wisconsin bones, the factor of distraction, or something else, but never in the past few weeks have I felt as good as I did in the Sunshine State.

We began our trip with travels late on a Monday afternoon that got us into Orlando at the bewitching hour. We spotted a wild raccoon in some brush under a bush at the airport. Couldn’t get my camera out fast enough though. The warm humid air and light rain that greeted us excited me from the moment we walked out of the airport. We picked out our rental and drove a few hours to our host’s house in Bradenton.

We were immediately greeted by two crazy beautiful German shepherds that invited us in like they’d always known us.

Our hosts were the best hosts ever, fixing a room for all three of us and tending to our needs like family. We hadn’t met them in person, but Hubster had known them for quite a long time. The fact that they invited us into their home so graciously and enthusiastically still makes me smile. 
Tuesday was a day spent playing with those sprightly pups (Peanut’s favorite part of the whole trip) and visiting family in Sun City Center. I found this amazing Goodwill bookstore that I easily could’ve gotten lost in. I had to make it quick though, and all I really wanted a frothy chick novel that was made for tropical vacations. I can’t be expected to always read heavy, academic novels can I? 
Wednesday was dedicated entirely to Disney, but I’ll save that post for “Part Two” since it requires its own story. Thursday was probably my favorite day of the trip. We did a bit of sightseeing that was a bit more wild and natural and a little less tourist-driven.
We started out at Myakka State Park in Sarasota. Originally we planned a trip into Clearwater to do some miniature golf/feeding of alligators. But our hosts pointed us in the direction of a more natural gator habitat less than 30 minutes from their house. Yes! We pulled up to the first little river and spotted two gators right off the bat. Peanut was afraid to approach, but once he saw the gators were pretty distant, he got really into it. He’s a huge Gator Boys fan, so gators are his thing right now.

The park was just beautiful. As we passed the campground, we thought about how much Florida camping is different than Wisconsin camping. In Wisconsin, your biggest fears might be about bears in the northern part of the state and ticks. In Florida, you are likely to come across snakes and potentially gators. Geckos are everywhere in Florida. Mosquitoes are everywhere up here. In Wisconsin, state parks are filled with pines, oaks, and maples. And in FL, the forest looks a bit different peppered with palm trees. In Wisconsin, you can freely swim in most waterways without fear of any kind of big creature biting off a limb. In Florida, not so much.

Taking the same highway we got to Myakka on, we passed to the opposite side of the freeway to visit Siesta Key Beaches, the #1 rated beaches in the US. White sand stretched as far as we could see. This was the part of the trip I couldn’t wait for! Although between getting there and leaving, it felt like we were only there for about 15 minutes. I certainly could’ve used more time there. It was therapeutic. 
Peanut was karate-chopping all the waves.
We had him taste the saltwater on his hand
too, because we so rarely experience saltwater.

Last time we came to Florida, Peanut was only a year old and he was terrified of the sand. It took awhile for Hubster and I to get him away from the comfort of his towel. After some crying and apprehension, he finally took his first few steps in the sand and eventually ventured out. It just brought back so many memories seeing Peanut playing in the sand four years and many inches later.

Notice “Snapper,” Peanut’s new gator friend
from the Myakka souvenir shop.
For us northern birds, no Florida trip is complete without a gecko hunting excursion or five. We never get to see any kind of lizards outside of commercial pet stores up here. The fact that they’re as common as cats in WI is completely novel to us.

Our trip was way to short, as trips to the southern region often are for those who suffer through relentless winters. I seriously considered checking our itinerary to see how much it would cost to transfer our tickets from Friday to Monday, but I relented. I know we won’t get around to those parts for another few years, but I’m taking my sunburn and memories back to Wisconsin to try and pretend like summer isn’t that far away.

Check back for Part Two of our Florida expedition, the Disney files, later this week. I’m finally starting to actually feel better as I move deeper into the second trimester. I am hoping for the stamina and wherewithal to continue with a regular posting schedule.

News to Share

Photo: This week we have some better news to share. John Collins and I are expecting baby #2, due in September.

Our little family of three is expecting a new little visitor to this Earth in about 6 months. We couldn’t be any more thrilled to be adding to our family, our family story, our traditions, our memories, our hearts.

It took us a full 5 years to be at a point where we felt semi-ready (you’re never fully ready, right?) to go through babyhood again. On the other hand, the older and more self-managed Peanut gets, the harder it seems to be starting over with a fully-reliant infant. It’s so easy to do most things with a well-disciplined 5-year-old. With a baby, I know it will be a monumental task just to go across town. And potty training again? Oy. But really, in the big picture of “family,” those things mean nothing. When it comes to everything from day-to-day life to celebrating Christmases at home to taking family vacations, all of our lives will be enriched by the incorporation of our new family member.

Peanut is beyond excited about “his” new baby. He’s already taking ownership with his big brother status. He kisses my belly and gives the baby hugs all the time and I can already see his little heart making room for this new sibling of his. He wants the baby to sleep in his room and he says he’ll take care of everything. His well-meaning words are enough to warm a mother’s heart. We know that having a sibling will be good for him.

We got to see the baby last week at our first OB appointment. Doc couldn’t find the heartbeat, which is normal this early in pregnancy, so they did a quick scan. The baby was moving around so much that it was no wonder the doc couldn’t nail down a heartbeat. In the ultrasound, we could actually see the heartbeat, not just hear it. At just 1.5 inches, it’s amazing how human-like this tiny little bean already is! I keep those pictures with me at all times. When I start to feel defeated by sickness, I just peek at the pictures and reflect on what this is all for.

It hasn’t all been pretty pink and blue roses though. For one, I’ve been pretty darn sick. In fact, last week, I was so sick to the point of tears. I know I don’t have it as bad as some women, but still, feeling like you have the flu or an awful hangover all day every day for days on end does begin to wear a person down, even a person with a pretty high threshold for pain/discomfort.

With the morning all day sickness and fatigue, I haven’t been very active. Pregnancy is a time where you must listen to your body. Mine is saying rest and I’m more than willing to listen. I’ve really been taking this time to sloooow down. For the most part, I’ve put my ambitious to-do lists away in favor of just the must-get-dones like paying bills and even doing dishes. My eating habits have been much different than they were pre-pregnancy. Simple carbs are sometimes the only things I can keep down, and I’m not ashamed that there have been Pop-Tarts and granola bars involved.

In the midst of the pregnancy news, we’ve also taken some hard hits in our family recently. After one little trip to the ER, my dad learned he had cancer and in a whirlwind of activity had tons of tests and surgery all within one week. He’s starting chemo today, and I still don’t think this diagnosis has quite sunk in for any of us. If you’d like to follow along with his story or show your support, check out our fundraising page.

At the same time, my grandma was navigating her way through the end stages of cancer. With our religious family background and strong faith, her passing was more peaceful than I would ever have imagined. She’s in heaven with grandpa, there’s no doubt in my mind, and what’s better than that? We got to say our goodbyes, which is a blessing in itself. I just melted under the last long hug she gave me, the “I love you’s” and the sweetest, most precious prayer in my ear for me and the baby.

I think it’s safe to say that I am pretty much off-the-hook for being MIA. So much is happening and all my energies have been focused on family in various ways with little room for anything, let alone a blog post here and there. I’m pretty sure my lack of posting even affected my application to be a FitFluential Ambassador, but I shall just try again next time they open applications up.

I will be back to posting again soon, though probably not as predictably. I’ve got some projects and posts up my sleeve already. I’ve been itching to get at the sewing machine. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to Baby Fever that I have been keeping secret for months. Now, I’m finally pulling up my sleeves and ready to start sourcing some fabric. I can’t wait to share what I’m up to on here. And if I get really ambitious and start feeling better, I may even post a prenatal workout or two, who knows?

Visit to the Oshkosh EAA Museum

Our town has absolutely nothing for a small child to do in the winter, indoors, unless you are a YMCA member. Even our McDonald’s Playland went away during the last round of renovations and a close-by kid-friendly cafe disappeared. We run out of ideas for keeping Peanut entertained in the cooler months sometimes. That is, until we stumbled upon the children’s museum inside the EAA museum in Oshkosh.

You see, Oshkosh hosts the biggest aircraft convention in the world every year and so the aircraft museum is a signature part of our city. Since we live here though, we are all too used to that one week in July where our city is completely descended upon and consumed for the love of airplanes. Many of us try to get out of the city and rent our homes out to avoid the hubub of tourism.

Sure, we’d been to the museum before, but not in a long time. One day Hubster decided to take Peanut there for a visit just for something to do. Then, we happened upon the kid’s section of the airport. And we discovered that the interactive play area beats out the Mickey D’s Playland any day of the week! We immediately purchased a family membership and now enjoy the place as often as we’d like.

Since I’ve been off of work for about a week and a half with Peanut this Christmas vacation, mostly cooped up in the house with all our new Christmas paraphernalia, we decided to take a day out to the museum to burn off some accumulating steam.

Check this place out.

Test how many pounds of thrust you can generate on this mother of all exercise bikes.

Use this robotic arm to build and move around blocks.

Watch flight simulators

Sit inside a real cockpit with tons of controls and buttons and pretend you’re a pilot.

Tilt and lean to maneuver a hang glider, and just across the way, a hot air balloon.

Sit in one of the rows of flight simulators and actually give your flying skills a try.

Then, sit in the viewing tower and see if you can see any action with the provided binoculars.

This place is awesome. It’s like science and physical education and math all got together and made this awesome place. An interactive learning experience and boredom buster all in one.

All you adults out there, the regular museum is definitely worth the admission. There are several hangars’ worth of aircraft to see and learn about, even for the person who isn’t entranced by planes. Hubster and I like to peruse the exhibits once in awhile too and always learn something. If you’re ever in Oshkosh, WI, you need to check this place out. And if you live here, especially if you have children, you’ll be doing everyone a favor by purchasing a membership and enjoying the exhibits.

Headaches and Christmas Trees and Shopping, Oh My!

These past four days off were such a thrill ride. I started with not feeling too well and ended up with some great memories.

My head felt weird on Thursday night and Friday. I even tried to run on my treadmill, and my brain felt like it was bouncing and made me kinda dizzy. I was having some anxiety about it, debating about visiting the walk-in or not, but sometimes a headache is just a headache. A few Tylenol later, and we were bowling at the local lanes. My FIL is in a bowling league, and we’ve had the pleasure to help him get his practice in. We’ve gone bowling probably 4 times in the last 3 weeks. Such a fun, active experience for the entire family.

Thursday was all about turkey, pecan pie and being thankful for our family. I hope yours was too!

Did you try my Burn the Bird challenge? This li’l workout burned me some 262 calories in just 18 minutes. And I had some achy muscles to contend with the next day. Hurt so good. And it hardly felt like 18 minutes!

  photo 489129b2-17a4-40cb-a999-b4f1c564a84a_zps0b21259a.jpg

Friday, with a revisiting headache, I laid low, read through some of my South Beach Diet books and hung out with my nephews. My sister dropped them off amidst the Black Friday shopping so I could spend some quality time especially with the youngest one, who usually runs away from me. Without his mom there, I finally got some good solid snuggle time with him. I just love those boys!

Saturday, I had had it with sitting home, so Peanut called grandma up to see if she wanted to go shopping, because Hubster had put in two long days and he just wanted to relax. We hit the mall the day after Black Friday, and I have to say, it wasn’t that bad. Peanut was an angel child. We broke up bits of shopping with a Build-a-Bear run and a stop at the indoor play area. We just had such a good time. Knocked off some Christmas shopping and even made a refresh to momma’s wardrobe just a little.

Sunday, we made a trip to cut down our Christmas tree. The place we usually go to has gotten quite picked over in the last few years, but we managed to find this gem in the jumble of half-dying, balding and Charlie Brown trees. The experience is always complete with a tractor ride and apple cider and popcorn afterward. We took my FIL along for the trip too. The weather was perfect for tree-cutting. Some years we have to trudge through a foot of snow and face sub-zero temps. This year, it was mild and snow-less. Perfect!

On our way home, I saw some odd things in people’s yards. Don’t know if I just never paid attention before, but only in Wisconsin… Remember those old Burger King playgrounds with the hamburger jailhouse? Totally saw one in someone’s yard. Hubster thought I was crazy to want to stop, so I don’t have pictures, but I totally remember hiding in these back when I could fit, circa the 1980s. Such great memories!

Another yard had an actual Ferris Wheel in it! Again, asking Hubster to pull over was futile, but I’ll get that picture someday. I mean, a Ferris Wheel! That’s like a grown-up kid’s dream backyard right? Cue Phineas and Ferb music. Haha!
What a fun few days off!
I have a longer stretch of days off coming up real soon that I’m really excited about planning, the days around Christmas. I’m going to start my to-do list now, so that I’ll be prepared and ready to take on new projects and memories when the 23rd rolls around. Right now, I’m dreaming up Advent calendar activities. I realize it’s already December 2, so I need to get on that already. We might have a 15-day countdown to Christmas instead of the standard 25, but that’s ok with me:)
What are you planning to do on your holiday vacation?

Fall Family Traditions

It’s important to me that our little family establishes memorable traditions that extend our love for one another and our desire to make meaningful connections throughout our sometimes harried days. I like to pull out small little things that we can together enjoy either once a year, once in awhile or once per season. One day, I hope my son will remember some of these with fondness when he’s all big and grown and perhaps even carry some of them on.

Whenever someone completes an accomplishment in our house, we make it a point to celebrate that person. It’s not enough to just “high five” and “atta boy” each other. This past week, by some foreign-to-us luck, Hubster landed the position at work that he’s been hoping for for over a year and a half. It was quite by miracle that he got it, but I can just see on his face how happy it makes him. So, we had a lunch date at one of his favorite Chinese restaurants. I think he liked it:)

Aside from that lunch, Hubster and I have made a concerted effort lately to have more date nights. We’ve had a few celebratory gift cards come our way that make it possible without the guilt. It’s imperative to keep connecting on just a you/him level because it’s way too easy to become two separate people with two separate lives. We want a partnership, so we choose actions that hold us true to that partnership.

Halloween harbors some other fun traditions for our family. On this holiday, I always bust out an Edgar Allan Poe tale or poem. Sure, the stories may be a little sinister at times, but I think it’s a fun, intelligent way to end the night. Plus, I was an English major, so I thinks it’s neat that we can slip some classic literature into our family traditions.

Aside from that, we also do the whole trick-or-treating thang too. Even in the rain, as we did this year. We grabbed a giant umbrella and hit the streets shortly after sundown. My feet were utterly soaked by the time we made it home, but you absolutely can’t steal this tradition from a kid. Even one who’s scared of trick or treating;)
Costume #1: pirate for Boo Fest
Costume #2: Batman for school
What are your favorite family fall traditions?