Well, the time has come for my kids to visit Grandma and Grandpa by themselves. Amidst the tears they left this afternoon for a week of fun and games with Grandma and some evenings of fishing with Grandpa.
On Friday, after a wonderful meal, thank you Jeremy for grilling the meat and Anouk for making the beans and organizing everything, we took the family to our newly discovered spot to view the city's 4th of July fireworks. It was another great show and we did not have to pay a dime. Wonderful !!
Yesterday we went galavanting off to Chicago to give the parents the great Chicago train experience. Dad is not fond of big cities and hates driving through them, so we thought it might be nice to show them how wonderful the transporation system is and how great Chicago is once you learn the loops.
Jeremy, Anouk, our girls, us, the Grandparents, and Uncle Josh enjoyed the nice uneventful train ride, followed by a wonderful lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in downtown Chicago--actually in the basement of the John Hancock Center.
We then took a bus to the Lincoln Park Zoo, a FREE zoo right in the park district along Lake Michigan. We could not have asked for better weather. The beaches were crowded with half naked bodies worshipping the sun. We found it to be a wonderful zoo and look forward to going back and seeing more of it sometime soon.
After that we went back to Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile. It has all the upscale shops like American Girl, Bloomingdales, Macy's, 5th Avenue, Apple, Niketown, etc... , and walked a short distance on it.
Finally to top off the day we ended up at Navy Pier and had lunch and enjoyed the cool breeze off the lake for a little while.
We then hopped back on our bus, to get to our train, to get to our van, to get home, and in the end, I think it was a success.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones
That is actually the title of the book that the girls and I read this morning.
For some reason, my girls have been obsessed with dinosaurs lately and I really don't know why. We have never talked about them. I wonder if they are learning about them from the kids they play with.
We have been going to the library to get books/movies recently and I saw that book on the shelf and thought "we could read that book and then go to the local natural history museum and look at the real dinosaur bones on display.
So a couple of days ago I asked my husband if he could take half a day today so we could all go to the Burpee Museum of Natural History and enjoy their free day.
He did and we had a great time. They kept asking if everything was real. The common answer was, "they were once".
We saw Jane, our local baby t-rex, and Homer, the "new" dinosaur -- a juvenile triceratops. Here are a couple pictures of the kids at the museum. Both of them are of them standing in front of Jane, but you really can't see her.
For some reason, my girls have been obsessed with dinosaurs lately and I really don't know why. We have never talked about them. I wonder if they are learning about them from the kids they play with.
We have been going to the library to get books/movies recently and I saw that book on the shelf and thought "we could read that book and then go to the local natural history museum and look at the real dinosaur bones on display.
So a couple of days ago I asked my husband if he could take half a day today so we could all go to the Burpee Museum of Natural History and enjoy their free day.
He did and we had a great time. They kept asking if everything was real. The common answer was, "they were once".
We saw Jane, our local baby t-rex, and Homer, the "new" dinosaur -- a juvenile triceratops. Here are a couple pictures of the kids at the museum. Both of them are of them standing in front of Jane, but you really can't see her.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
American Girl doll pictures
I have been asked to post pictures from the girls trip to Chicago when they went to pick out their American Girl dolls. Here are pictures of them with the dolls.
The first picture is actually a mistake. It is of Brookelyn playing at the mall play area. I accidently put the wrong picture and don't know how to delet it.
It is an intimidating choice. You walk into the store and there are dolls everywhere (once you get on the doll floors). For a child picking out a doll, it is a very difficult choice, but they didmake their choices fairly quickly.
This is Bethany with her doll. She picked Kit Kitteredge -- from the historical doll collection. I believe she represents the 1930-1940 era.
This is Brianna with her doll. They don't have a doll with a missing tooth, but she picked out one close enough. She picked one of the "Just like me" dolls. Long blonde-brown hair and brown eyes. I really think she looks like her. She named her Mia (which is also the name of the doll of the year). She chose the name herself.
This is both girls later with their dolls in the pajamas that Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Anouk bought them for their bitrhday. It had been a long day and they were both struggling so hard to keep their eyes open long enough to open and change their dolls clothes.
The first picture is actually a mistake. It is of Brookelyn playing at the mall play area. I accidently put the wrong picture and don't know how to delet it.
It is an intimidating choice. You walk into the store and there are dolls everywhere (once you get on the doll floors). For a child picking out a doll, it is a very difficult choice, but they didmake their choices fairly quickly.This is Bethany with her doll. She picked Kit Kitteredge -- from the historical doll collection. I believe she represents the 1930-1940 era.
This is Brianna with her doll. They don't have a doll with a missing tooth, but she picked out one close enough. She picked one of the "Just like me" dolls. Long blonde-brown hair and brown eyes. I really think she looks like her. She named her Mia (which is also the name of the doll of the year). She chose the name herself.
This is both girls later with their dolls in the pajamas that Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Anouk bought them for their bitrhday. It had been a long day and they were both struggling so hard to keep their eyes open long enough to open and change their dolls clothes. 
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Chicago, Chicago, My Kind of town .....
It has been a very busy couple of weeks. We ended our time of busyness with a trip into Chicago. We have been looking forward to this trip for some time as we have been planning it for a couple of weeks. We wanted to take our kids in to the city to pick out their birthday gifts.
So, this morning we hopped into the van to catch an early afternoon train into the city, after picking up our brother and sister in law. This was an experience that we have not had the courage to do ourselves in the past 7 years that we have lived near Chicago. We have always taken our car in and paid for parking or something dumb like that.
We caught the train and had an enjoyable ride that included trains and buses and ended up downtown where we had to walk a few blocks to eat at a fabulous restaurant under the John Hancock building-- The Cheesecake factory. We had a delicious meal and followed it with a slice of cheesecake of course, white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake. yummy!
Then we made our way to our next stop, The American Girl Place to let the girls pick out their new dolls. Yes, we have officially entered the realm of the American girl, no turning back now. I had been putting off this adventure because of the fear of expensive teas and brunches that the future may hold, but I was looking forward to the experience of the rite of passage for most 5 year old girls -- a bright face of a new doll. A doll that they can cuddle, dress, and learn how to care for. The looks on their faces when we told them that they got to pick out their own new doll for their birthdays was priceless. It brought tears to the eyes of one mom who can't believe that her babies are 5. It was also overwhelming for the girls to pick out their own among so many. They also learned that they got to pick out one outfit for their new doll courtesy of Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Anouk. In less time than I thought it was going to take, we left with two brand new dolls, two new outfits, two happy children, and lighter wallets. Happiness on our children's faces was worth every penny.
After that we hopped on the city bus and went to Navy Pier -- a place of interest on the waterfront of Chicago. While there we watched a juggler, took a walk on the pier while enjoying the breeze on an otherwise hot day, and finally I enjoyed a carousel ride. As we were leaving the girls were entranced by the dancing fountain outside of Navy Pier and had to play in it and it being a hot day, we could not refuse. Thankfully, their clothes dried quickly.
The train was not as overwhelming as is seems and it is a journey that I would love to take every couple of months. There are so many things to do, museums, parks, shopping, beaches, etc.... I love living so close where we can enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, but far enough away where we don't deal with the traffic on a daily basis.
So, this morning we hopped into the van to catch an early afternoon train into the city, after picking up our brother and sister in law. This was an experience that we have not had the courage to do ourselves in the past 7 years that we have lived near Chicago. We have always taken our car in and paid for parking or something dumb like that.
We caught the train and had an enjoyable ride that included trains and buses and ended up downtown where we had to walk a few blocks to eat at a fabulous restaurant under the John Hancock building-- The Cheesecake factory. We had a delicious meal and followed it with a slice of cheesecake of course, white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake. yummy!
Then we made our way to our next stop, The American Girl Place to let the girls pick out their new dolls. Yes, we have officially entered the realm of the American girl, no turning back now. I had been putting off this adventure because of the fear of expensive teas and brunches that the future may hold, but I was looking forward to the experience of the rite of passage for most 5 year old girls -- a bright face of a new doll. A doll that they can cuddle, dress, and learn how to care for. The looks on their faces when we told them that they got to pick out their own new doll for their birthdays was priceless. It brought tears to the eyes of one mom who can't believe that her babies are 5. It was also overwhelming for the girls to pick out their own among so many. They also learned that they got to pick out one outfit for their new doll courtesy of Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Anouk. In less time than I thought it was going to take, we left with two brand new dolls, two new outfits, two happy children, and lighter wallets. Happiness on our children's faces was worth every penny.
After that we hopped on the city bus and went to Navy Pier -- a place of interest on the waterfront of Chicago. While there we watched a juggler, took a walk on the pier while enjoying the breeze on an otherwise hot day, and finally I enjoyed a carousel ride. As we were leaving the girls were entranced by the dancing fountain outside of Navy Pier and had to play in it and it being a hot day, we could not refuse. Thankfully, their clothes dried quickly.
The train was not as overwhelming as is seems and it is a journey that I would love to take every couple of months. There are so many things to do, museums, parks, shopping, beaches, etc.... I love living so close where we can enjoy the sights and sounds of the city, but far enough away where we don't deal with the traffic on a daily basis.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Globalization
There has been this talk in political America about a word called Globalization.
Here is a definition that I received from that same neighbor that sent me all that other good stuff that I included here the past few days.
Question: What is the truest definition of globalization?
Answer:
Princess Diana's Death
Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky (check the bottle before you change the spelling) (emphasis not mine as I am not touching a bottle of Scottish whisky. I will take the writer's word for it). followed closely by Italian paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor using Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by an American using Bill Gates' technology, and you're probably reading this on your computer, that uses Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangledeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked by you by Mexican illegals. ... .
That my friends, is globalization.
Here is a definition that I received from that same neighbor that sent me all that other good stuff that I included here the past few days.
Question: What is the truest definition of globalization?
Answer:
Princess Diana's Death
Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky (check the bottle before you change the spelling) (emphasis not mine as I am not touching a bottle of Scottish whisky. I will take the writer's word for it). followed closely by Italian paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor using Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by an American using Bill Gates' technology, and you're probably reading this on your computer, that uses Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangledeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked by you by Mexican illegals. ... .
That my friends, is globalization.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Father-Daughter Talk
This is another one of those papers that were given to me by my neighbor. She works for a local Conservative Republican Congressman.
A young woman was about to finish her first year at college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words, redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.
One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth as she indicated so to her father.
Her father responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?" She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she does not even show up to classes because she is too hung over."
Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1. 0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. Taht way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades? I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next nothing toward her degree. She played while worked my tail off!"
The father slowly smiled, winked, and said gently, "Welcome to the Republican party."
If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Republican and Democrat I'm all ears.
(However, lately, they are closer to one and the same. November will be interesting. There will be a lot of holding of noses on the side of the Republicans who do not care too much for the candidate. I do hope, however, that unless an alternative comes up, that the majority of the Conservative Republicans --like myself-- will choose the lesser of two evils and vote for the Republican. John McCain beats a Barack Obama any old day.)
A young woman was about to finish her first year at college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words, redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.
One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth as she indicated so to her father.
Her father responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?" She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she does not even show up to classes because she is too hung over."
Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1. 0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. Taht way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades? I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next nothing toward her degree. She played while worked my tail off!"
The father slowly smiled, winked, and said gently, "Welcome to the Republican party."
If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Republican and Democrat I'm all ears.
(However, lately, they are closer to one and the same. November will be interesting. There will be a lot of holding of noses on the side of the Republicans who do not care too much for the candidate. I do hope, however, that unless an alternative comes up, that the majority of the Conservative Republicans --like myself-- will choose the lesser of two evils and vote for the Republican. John McCain beats a Barack Obama any old day.)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Rules
This was attached to the application for dating.
Daddy's rules for Dating
Your dad's rules for your boyfriend (or for you if you are a guy).
Rule 1: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.
Rule 2: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off my daughter's body, I will remove them.
Rule 3: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants 10 sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely to your waist.
Rule 4: I'm sure you hve been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.
Rule 5: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and the other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information that I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need to hear from you on this issue is: "early".
Rule 6: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.
Rule 7: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process than can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?
Rule 8: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, mid riffs, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong sexual or romantic themes are to be avoided; movies which feature chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.
Rule 9: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a pot bellied, balding, middle aged dimwitted has been; but on issues related to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.
Rule 10: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daugher home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face in the window is mine.
Daddy's rules for Dating
Your dad's rules for your boyfriend (or for you if you are a guy).
Rule 1: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.
Rule 2: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off my daughter's body, I will remove them.
Rule 3: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants 10 sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely to your waist.
Rule 4: I'm sure you hve been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a "barrier method" of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.
Rule 5: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and the other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information that I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need to hear from you on this issue is: "early".
Rule 6: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.
Rule 7: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process than can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?
Rule 8: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, mid riffs, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong sexual or romantic themes are to be avoided; movies which feature chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.
Rule 9: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a pot bellied, balding, middle aged dimwitted has been; but on issues related to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.
Rule 10: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daugher home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face in the window is mine.
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