Tonight Moco and I had a Girl Scouts troop event — bell-ringing for the Salvation Army at our local Kmart.
Bubba was incredibly upset that he couldn’t go to Girl Scouts, too, so he was acting up in protest. He didn’t want to stay with Auntie Mariah, and he was raising hell. So, I did what any good mother would do: I bribed him.
Before you gasp at the horror of my mad parenting skillz, hear me out.
I think I’ve posted about this before, but Bubba loves, loves, LOVES mail. He loves to write “letters”, stuff them in envelopes, seal them, address them, add a return label, and (most of all) stamp them. He could spend all day writing “letters” to Gamma, Grandma, Great Grandma, Sherry, and especially Papa. The letter content is consistent: recipient’s name, I LOVE YOU, Bubba’s name, and an occasional Mommy, Daddy, Moco, Mariah, or Deacon. I don’t usually get to see what he writes because he does it all so quickly, and usually I catch him at the envelope-licking part of the process.
Earlier this week, my box of (FREE!) holiday cards from Shutterfly arrived in the mail, so Bubba has been a *wee* bit jealous. He has begged me every day to let him send one to Sherry, but I just haven’t gotten around to working on them yet — and I really don’t want him messing with them right now. Once he starts, he won’t be able to stop. So I keep putting him off, encouraging him to make his own or draw a picture. He huffs and puffs and sighs and retreats from his request for a few minutes before starting all over again, but I have been able to keep his grubby fingers off my cards thus far.
Enter the bribe.
Bubba was flailing around, telling me I’m mean, and pouting about not getting to go to Girl Scouts. (I think there might have been a few statements about denying him access to opening Christmas presents as well.) So, I told him I would bring him back something from Kmart. He paused.
“If you are good for Mariah, I will bring you back your own box of Christmas cards. But if Mariah calls me or texts me to let me know that you are misbehaving, I will not bring you anything.”
I didn’t have to say any more. It was a deal — and he was on his best behavior for Auntie Mariah, who confirmed it when I called home after the meeting. Moco and I picked out a box for each of them (my kids are all about justice, equal opportunity, and equitable distribution of all purchases — as in, “How come SHE gets something, and I don’t?!?!”), and we headed home.
Bubba ripped into his box immediately. If only you could see the instant gratification on that child’s face as he set to work on his mailings for Great Grandma and Papa, complete with free, shiny holiday return address labels from one of those charitable organizations that sends you address labels and wants a donation in return. He was poking around for stamps, but I caught him before he could add enough postage to send it around the world a few times.
Please feel free to write a letter to Bubba. I can almost guarantee you can expect a prompt yet brief response from him!
It’s the month to give thanks! Each day this month, I posted about the things and people for which I’m thankful on Facebook. Here’s a recap (with a few modifications):
11/1 - Today I’m thankful for my other half, Daddy ♥, who is also celebrating his birthday today! 10 years, 2 kids, 1 dog, a new house, a bucket list, and still so many adventures ahead of us!
11/2 - Today I’m thankful for Moco and Bubba, and all the laughter, love and joy they bring to my life. I have learned a lot about fortitude, patience, courage, respect, responsibility, tolerance, flexibility, accountability, prudence, discipline, faith, hope, humility, justice, loyalty, selflessness, trust, trustworthiness, and (of course) love through my children. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be their mama!
11/3 - Today I am thankful for the random little moments in life that make me grin — like Bubba insisting that we raise our water bottles and say “cheers!” as we started supper or our Vizsla draped over Daddy’s lap and loving every minute of the attention…
11/4 - Even though it’s a 12 hour workday, today I am thankful for my job and my career in higher education. On this evening’s agenda: educating prospective students and their parents on the benefits of the community college experience! Go Hawks!
11/5 - Today I am thankful for the inevitability of change and the opportunity to take a deep breath, re-evaluate the landscape, and keep on keeping on.
“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.”
~John Kotter
11/6 - Today I’m thankful for the opportunity to sleep in! Woke up with curls in my nose, with my boy snuggled up next to me, while R, Moco & Deacon are pheasant hunting.
11/7 - Today I am thankful to be able to spoil my kids a little: cinnamon butterbraid for breakfast, Megamind in 3D, then trading in leftover Halloween candy for FREE Noodles (kids under 12 only). Trading candy for noodles is spoiling, right?!
11/8 - Today I am thankful for the influence of Auntie Mariah on my children. I think.
11/9 - Today I am thankful for my parents for more reasons than I could possibly list… and we’re looking forward to heading “home” to New Mexico for Xmas!!!
11/10 - Tonight Bubba said he wanted ‘the song about 2nd base’. We couldn’t figure it out, but then George Strait performed on CMAs: ”Life’s not the breaths you take/The breathing in and out/That gets you through the day/Ain’t what it’s all about/Ya just might miss the point/Try’n to win the race/Life’s not the breaths you take/But the moments that take your breath away”. Today I’m thankful for that reminder.
11/11 - Today I am thankful for the service men and women who serve and sacrifice for our country as well as the families and friends that love and support them!!!
11/12 - Today I am thankful for Sherry and all she has done for our family over the past 4+ years. She has helped shape Bubba’s sense of humor, his love for Troy Polamalu & the Steelers, and his attachment to a fringed piece of fleece named Boo. It’s hard to find people you can trust with your children, but we’re fortunate to have Sherry and her family in our lives!!!
11/13 - Today I am thankful for a final game win vs. EIU and a winning season for the Redbirds. I am also thankful for a full house with “Uncle” Tommy, Uncle Danny, Aunt Lisa, and Cousin Mattie this weekend!!!
11/14 - Today I am thankful for our new house and those who help us fill it with love and laughter. This weekend the table leaf came out… every bed and couch was claimed… wings, pizza, honey crisp apple cider, & Dunkin’ Donuts coffee were consumed in obscene amounts. My only complaint is that the weekend went by so quickly!!!
“The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it.”
~Author Unknown
11/15 - Today I am thankful for my brothers, Tío Javi and Tío Gabi. We have had a lot of fun times over the years, and some not-as-fun times (thank goodness they outgrew the pesky little brothers stage), but I’m very proud to be their sister… and I can’t wait to see them next month!!!
11/16 - Today I’m thankful to start my morning at 5:45am for a 35 minute walk with the dog. My cheeks are rosy and my thighs are numb, but I feel productive already…
11/17 - Today I am thankful for the funny things my kids say. This morning Moco told me, “Dinosaurs aren’t house broken, you know” while explaining a short play about cavemen. And Bubba told me, “You smell like beef and cheddar”… to which I conveniently replied, “You mean I don’t smell like Santa?”
11/18 - Today I am thankful for Unks, the sister-in-law otherwise known as Auntie Mariah. She took us up on an offer to live with us while she knocks out her first two years of college, and we’re glad she’s here… although she’s probably thinking “3 months down, 17 more before I can escape these fools!!!”
11/19 - Today I am thankful for the AAWCC Lunch & Learn with Terry Mullin… he made 12 different holiday hors d’oeuvres and and desserts in one hour in Heartland’s new demo kitchen. The baked brie and caramel pie were out of this world!
11/20 - Today I am thankful for a weekend with Papa! After a lazy morning at home, he took Moco & Bubba to the park. Auntie Mariah & I made homemade hibachi chicken & veggies with rice and a caramel pie. Papa and the kids are going to watch a movie OnDemand while Auntie Mariah & I see Harry Potter!!!
11/21 - Today I am thankful for the creativity and frugality that runs in our family… Moco saw a doll bunk bed she wanted, but Papa and I decided we could probably do something for cheaper. Two free boxes from Sam’s Club, four pieces of wood @ 97¢ each, a few minutes with a hot glue gun — and here it is! Still needs to be decorated and mattresses & bedding added, but it fits 2 American Girl dolls perfectly!
11/22 - Today I am thankful for the last couple hours of peace & quiet, just lounging in bed with the laptop. Kids are asleep, Daddy and Deacon are out of town… sometimes I just need some “me” time while still in the comfort of my own home, you know?
11/23 - Yesterday I was thankful that Daddy called to say he was headed back from Kansas. Except now it’s today and he won’t be home for several more hours… but at least he’s on the way!
11/24 - Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday bc it’s all about food, family & friends. Growing up, we spent many Thanksgivings with our Iowa State “family”. Today I am thankful for our spin on tradition: Daddy & I are also Iowa State grads and now spend turkey days with family in Iowa. We wish we could spend the day with all of our extended family & friends… much ♥ to each and every one of you!
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.
Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”
~ Jane Howard
11/25 – Happy Thanksgiving! Today I continue to be thankful for everyone and everything I have posted about each day this month… Here’s to family, friends, food, health, happiness & love this holiday season and always!
11/26 - Today am I thankful for a dog who hardly ever barks. The guests across the hall went out for the evening and theirs won’t stop!!!
11/27 - Today I am thankful for another great day with my family. Sleeping in with Daddy & the kids, spending time with Grandma Lavera & Great Grandma, driving back in the crammed truck, grocery shopping and prepping meals with Auntie Mariah… I wish these long weekends didn’t have to come to an end!
11/28 - Today I am thankful for a second turkey dinner… but I’m thoroughly stuffed and ready to get back on track! Headed to bed so I can get up early for a workout!!!
11/29 - Today I am thankful for moments like these… I would have taken a picture of Moco, too, but her hygienist was lightning fast!
…for only spending $14 today. Take that, Black Friday!
I have been a little bummed all week because we were in Prairie du Chien for the morning of Black Friday shopping. The two major stores here are Cabela’s and WalMart. I wasn’t really interested in hitting up either, honestly.
Instead, we woke up in the hotel which has a continental breakfast, so we all enjoyed the make-your-own Belgian waffles. Daddy stopped at Cabela’s, which is a “must” for him when we’re in that area — especially because our hotel is right next to the store and warehouse! Then we packed up our stuff and headed out, but not before making our reservations at the same hotel for Christmas. We found out that the water park at the hotel will be open for Christmas (it wasn’t last year). It’s rare that one can say “don’t forget the swimsuits for Christmas in Iowa/Wisconsin!”, so we’re looking forward to enjoying that part of our Christmas break!
After we checked out, we stopped to visit with Daddy’s high school friend Carissa, her husband, and their two young daughters who were spending the holiday weekend with Carissa’s parents. It was a fun visit, though the start of Bubba’s full-day of naughtiness (ugh!). It was nice to see Carissa, as we haven’t seen her in years, and her beautiful daughters Kalini and Malia. Then we headed into Elkader and walked around downtown for a few minutes, then walked to Great Grandma’s house and visited with Grandma Lavera and Great Grandma for a short while before grabbing sandwiches at Subway and stopping to say “hello” to Mr. Carnes (Daddy’s best friend’s dad) in his music shop.
We drove pretty much straight home except for a short stop in Morton for gas. Daddy had to get ready for tonight’s men’s basketball game (we are hosting a tournament), so the kids and I unpacked and putted around the house. We headed over to the Dollar Tree to pick up some craft supplies to make our own ornament wreathes, then to the grocery store for a frozen pizza and ice cream but ended up coming back with a 20 pound fresh turkey (for $20), a couple bags of frozen fruit (for smoothies), three pints of Ben & Jerry’s, a gallon of milk and a half-gallon of orange pineapple juice. So much for spending just $14 on Black Friday…
The craft that we did was well worth it. I got the idea from a post on Crap I’ve Made about Eddie Ross wreaths. We picked up 9 tubes of red, green, and gold ornaments in three different sizes and a 12-pack of white wire hangers. I had hot glue gun and glue sticks at home… the only thing I need is some thick ribbon, which we’ll pick up tomorrow morning.
It’s an easy craft to do, but I highly recommend gluing the tops to all the ornaments before you get started. That part takes up the most time, but it’s worth it.
Basically, with the top hook still twisted, stretch out the wire hanger into a circle.
Then untwist the top of the hanger to slide the ornaments onto the wire. Move the ornaments around so they get the “layered” effect and so as many ornaments can fit on the wreath as possible. Then re-twist the hanger to close, and add the ribbon and bow for the final touch.
It took about 6 tubes (12-15 smaller ornaments in each tube) to fill one wreath. I was quite pleased with how the wreath turned out, although it took forever to glue the top onto each ornament. Moco is totally excited to do her own tomorrow. Since I depleted the stock (had no idea how many ornaments it would take!), we have to pick up more ornaments tomorrow.
The ornaments we used are plastic (shatterproof) ornaments, some were matte, others shiny, and some glittery. There weren’t many color options at the dollar store, so if you want to spend more money and have more options, you can certainly “upgrade” your ornament choices. Glass ornaments are probably the most beautiful to use, but if you’re doing this craft with kids, shatterproof are the way to go! Plus, you can’t beat the price — this craft was well under $10 for 6 tubes of ornaments, a wire hanger (12 for $1), plus glue, if you don’t have any. We still have to buy the ribbon, but it will still be under $10 with some nice (sale-priced) holiday ribbon!
Daddy, Moco, Bubba, Deacon and I drove up to Cedar Rapids after I got off work on Wednesday. We stayed with Auntie Therie for the night before heading out for Elkader the next morning — but not before we had a hearty Thanksgiving breakfast cooked by Auntie Therie. We feasted on scrambled eggs, sauteed onions, bacon, toast, cranberry bread, juice and coffee. Bubba exclaimed, “Auntie Therie is the BEST cook!” He was in heaven with that breakfast!
We stopped in Elkader to meet up with Grandma Lavera and Great Grandma, then we headed over to Uncle John’s house. We were not expecting to eat Thanksgiving dinner at Uncle John’s; in fact, we had planned on going out to eat! Uncle John invited us all over to eat when he heard we were in town — they had cooked three turkeys on the grill! We ate well there, too! It was nice to see Uncle John and his wife Kim and three of their five kids — Nikole, Kaycee, and Laine. It has been a few years since we have seen them, so it was nice to catch up with everyone. Uncle John took the kids out to see the horses and all the ‘coon dogs (at least a dozen); Bubba fired away a thousand and three questions and was stuck to Uncle John for a good part of the afternoon. We watched most of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. (I can’t believe we don’t have that book and/or the original movie! That might have to be a Christmas Eve gift for the kids — new pajamas, a book and a movie to enjoy in the hotel after Chinese food? Sounds like a fun night to me!)
In the late afternoon after the Thanksgiving meal, Daddy, Moco, Bubba, and I headed back to the hotel after helping Grandma and Great Grandma get settled at Great Grandma’s house. We just hung out, relaxed in the hotel, drank lots of water, and watched Horton Hears a Who before going to bed. That was our Thanksgiving — the driving was the hard part! It seemed to go by very quickly, but it was relaxing not to have to do much work and just enjoy good company!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!!!
…a Monday evening at home watching America’s Funniest Home Videos with my kids — their laughter is contagious!!!
Moco and Bubba are limited to watching TV on weekend mornings, so this was a rare treat for them. It is so nice to unwind with my family, cook a good meal, bake some cookies, and snuggle with my babes before they fall asleep.
Tonight we had salmon, using my homemade habanero jelly in a variation of the peach jalapeño salmon, and potatoes au gratin. I have never actually made potatoes au gratin before, and I was quite pleased. I didn’t have all the ingredients for any recipe that I found, so I made up my own version with what we had on hand: Yukon gold potatoes, shredded sharp cheddar, shredded Mexican blend cheese, heavy cream, 2% milk, nutmeg, paprika, salt and pepper. I was very pleased with the outcome, and the flavors blended really well with the salmon! I also baked a double batch of the big, soft ginger cookies. I made modifications to this recipe, and while they are still tasty, they aren’t as good as last time. I used half brown sugar and half white sugar and I didn’t use orange juice like I did the last time. I’m pretty sure that the white sugar and lack of orange juice are the culprits. Still soft and tasty but not quite as flavorful as the last time.
Can’t wait for this short work week to be done so we can enjoy our long weekend. Daddy is technically off this week (university is closed), but he is still working with men’s and women’s basketball. Moco has school tomorrow but will go to Sherry’s on Wednesday. I get off Wednesday at 5pm, then we will drive to Iowa for Thanksgiving Day with Grandma Lavera. We’ll visit with Great Grandma as well. Daddy has to work Friday afternoon or evening, so we’ll be on the road back to Iowa that morning instead of hitting the Black Friday sales (not like we ever do anyway)!
I’m going to pour myself another glass of milk and a couple warm cookies before bed… hasta mañana!
On Sunday morning we headed up to Northeast Iowa to visit family and friends and take the kids to a few places that we have been wanting to go to now that they’re old enough to enjoy them.
Our first stop was to Great Grandma’s house. We had 2Mit burgers for lunch – can’t beat the onions and honey mustard – before heading out to Big Springs Trout Hatchery. The kids loved feeding the trout (who loved being fed – jumping out of the water to get the pellets!), and they are looking forward to coming back to try their hand in the kid’s fishing pond. Great Grandma has requested that we take her with us; she wants to go fishing too!
From the hatchery we went to Cabela’s in Prairie du Chien, WI, because Daddy needed to pick up a replacement shotgun barrel he ordered. (I’m sure my mom is rolling her eyes right now.) Daddy said he was going to “be really quick”, but that is never the case when we go there (which is every time we’re in the area), so the kids and I went in to use the restroom and find Cabela’s S’mores bars, which I saw on an episode of Food Network’s Unwrapped last week. These were a handy bribe for the rest of the trip — if they were good, then maybe, just maybe, the kids could have their S’mores for snacks.
After Cabela’s, we made a stop for a quick visit with one of Daddy’s high school coaches and his family. We also got to meet Samson the English mastiff. Daddy wanted to see how the kids would react to such a large dog because he swears he’s going to buy one for Moco. We’ll see about that.
Next, we met up with Grandma, Auntie Mariah, and Auntie Therie at Effigy Mounds for a quick late afternoon hike on the Fire Point Trail. Moco loved seeing the Indian burial mounds and learning a little about the local history as well as the local fauna. Grandma Lavera is an awesome resource when it comes to identifying plants, animals, and bird calls, so she showed us different plants and trees along the way. We also found a nest that had fallen out of a tree!
The overlook view is gorgeous – that’s the Mississippi River between Wisconsin (on the left) and Iowa (right) in the picture of all of us with Auntie Mariah, who took a break from studying for finals to hike with us. The picture of Daddy and the kids is from the trout hatchery; that’s the Turkey River in the background.
We hiked back to the cars and headed to supper at Old Man River in McGregor. It’s a new brewery in the area. They have a delicious home-brewed root beer and a nice beer sampler. For dessert Daddy had the root beer cheesecake, and I had the root beer creme brulee – delightful! And instead of after-dinner mints, you get A&W root beer candy barrels!
Sunday night we stayed up in Decorah, which is one of our favorite places to visit. The kids were asleep by the time we got to the hotel, and in the morning they tried to get Daddy to try on Auntie Therie’s wig (he refused). Moco put it on instead, and now we know what Bubba will look like at age seven:
On Monday, we attended the Memorial Day ceremony and parade. Bubba loved seeing the military vehicles and fire and rescue trucks. We also got to visit with our friends Fish and Kristin, Lorraine, and John. Fish has been a great friend to Daddy over the years. He has a great house and is always such a great host when we’re in the area. Kristin is the co-director of the Art Haus in Decorah, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of her productions and maybe even sending the kids to some of the arts camps/classes that are offered through their Little Masters program. John is Daddy’s hunting buddy when he’s up there. His daughter Sonja and Memphis can spend hours together and not get sick of each other – they are so similar in personality and temperment. The people we know in that area are a major reason why we love visiting!
After the ceremony and parade, we headed to Burr Oak to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum. This visit was a dream come true for both me and Moco. Auntie Therie also really enjoyed it, and Daddy was excited to see Moco totally into the guided tour, but he spent more time wrangling Bubba who was not quite as excited to see things that he couldn’t touch in an old house that he couldn’t run through. He did ham it up for the pictures, though, so you would never know that he was repeating “I wanna go home!” and “Can we go now?” over and over again. Moco absolutely loved the tour and was soooo excited to see what it was like to live like Laura and her family did. It was a great history lesson for all of us! We have decided that we are going to have a Laura Ingalls Wilder themed birthday party next year for Moco’s 8th birthday. (Lindsay laughed when I told her this; 10 months to plan the birthday party of my dreams – yes!). Despite my desire to buy rag and yarn doll kits and a calico dress with matching bonnet ($60 – yikes!), the only purchase we made was a Little House cookbook. The first thing Moco looked up? The recipe for jonnycakes. That’s my girl!
At the end of the visit, the kids were allowed to climb up on the replica covered wagon. Bubba was thrilled to finally get to climb on something and not be told that he couldn’t.
We stopped in to see Great Grandma one last time before we headed home. I told the kids if they continued to behave well, they could enjoy their S’mores on the back step at Great Grandma’s house:
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