I apologize to my loyal readers for not posting last week. I should probably apologize too for this post being so short. However, life is too overwhelmingly busy right now. Jack and I were both sick last week. I think we're getting over it. There's nothing like being sick to totally throw off every routine you have keeping your fragile existence going. We made it through though.
Steve started back to grad school last week too. He's taking a math class now. He seems to like his teacher a lot.
Let's see, what kind of cool things did we do last week? I took some of my students to U of I on Friday for a great journalism conference. Steve was white-water rafting last weekend, which was probably the coolest thing a Barrett has done lately. The video is even cool. Jack is almost crawling. I know I keep saying that, but it's true. This week he got up on his knees a lot and rocked back and forth. He also pushes himself up on his toes (straight legged) and then hops down to his knees. How he does that and isn't crawling is beyond me.
Okay, I think that's it for now. I'll try to be better next week.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I'm exhausted
It's been a very trying week. I went just about 3 days without seeing Jack awake, save a few moments in the morning before I left. It was hard.
He survived though. And so did Steve. It's not fun to be the single parent, especially for days on end. I really hope that we don't have to do this again anytime soon. This week will be hard too, but not to last week's extent. I won't be home until late on Tuesday and then I have grad class on Thursday. Steve is getting a little fun in though. he's leaving on Friday for Phil's bachelor party weekend. It promises to be lots of fun.
I really don't remember much of this week to be honest. It's been rainy and way too busy. We didn't get Jack's 8-month photos done because it was yucky outside, and that yuckiness meant bad lighting inside. I tried, but I'm not happy with the results.
I was also a pretty bad flybaby this week. I'm not stressing over it though. It was a bad week and I plan to get back on track this week with babysteps. This nice thing is that all of my hard flylady work in the past made it not a disaster this week. I was able to get the kitchen back in order with Steve's help. The laundry is back under control even without spending an entire day doing it. I'm feeling pretty good.
Alright, last week I didn't post any photos. I didn't get any up on Flickr this week, but I will still post a new one here because I don't think this blog is as much fun to read without the pics. So, here's one of the disappointing 8-month shots. Jack is still cute, so that's all that really matters!
He survived though. And so did Steve. It's not fun to be the single parent, especially for days on end. I really hope that we don't have to do this again anytime soon. This week will be hard too, but not to last week's extent. I won't be home until late on Tuesday and then I have grad class on Thursday. Steve is getting a little fun in though. he's leaving on Friday for Phil's bachelor party weekend. It promises to be lots of fun.
I really don't remember much of this week to be honest. It's been rainy and way too busy. We didn't get Jack's 8-month photos done because it was yucky outside, and that yuckiness meant bad lighting inside. I tried, but I'm not happy with the results.
I was also a pretty bad flybaby this week. I'm not stressing over it though. It was a bad week and I plan to get back on track this week with babysteps. This nice thing is that all of my hard flylady work in the past made it not a disaster this week. I was able to get the kitchen back in order with Steve's help. The laundry is back under control even without spending an entire day doing it. I'm feeling pretty good.
Alright, last week I didn't post any photos. I didn't get any up on Flickr this week, but I will still post a new one here because I don't think this blog is as much fun to read without the pics. So, here's one of the disappointing 8-month shots. Jack is still cute, so that's all that really matters!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Weekly update
I couldn't think of a better title, I'm sorry!
This week went by in a blur. I had my first day back at school when I didn't get to spend time with Jack while he was awake. On Thursday, I started my grad school photography class. I'm really excited about it. I'm going to do my project on Dundee. That's about as far as I am right now. But over the next couple of weeks, that should get more detailed.
We made it to Irish Fest on Friday night. Auntie Bubbles came over and we met up with the Carlsons and their friends, the DeMarsh's. We didn't stay for Brigid's Cross, which really is the entire reason to go, since Jack was sleeping and the boy needed his rest. The food was a little disappointing, but very delicious, this year. The only Irish food we could find was corned beef. Instead, we went with pupusas and funnel cake. I can't pass up funnel cake.
The most wonderful thing about this weekend was all of the rest that we got. I let Steve sleep in (somewhat) on Saturday. Breyer had a vet appointment at 8:40, so we had to wake him up at 7:30. But hey, it's better than getting up at 5:30 like he had to this morning. We all got naps today, which was nice. Jack's been off sleeping-wise lately. He doesn't nap like he used to while he's at school, so I think we spend the weekend "catching up". Today, he took a 2-hour nap this morning and an hour and a half nap at 3 p.m. He would have slept longer for the afternoon nap, but I wanted him to get to bed at his normal bedtime, so I woke him up.
We did take some photos this week, but I haven't downloaded them yet. So no photos on this post. I'll get some up next week!
This week went by in a blur. I had my first day back at school when I didn't get to spend time with Jack while he was awake. On Thursday, I started my grad school photography class. I'm really excited about it. I'm going to do my project on Dundee. That's about as far as I am right now. But over the next couple of weeks, that should get more detailed.
We made it to Irish Fest on Friday night. Auntie Bubbles came over and we met up with the Carlsons and their friends, the DeMarsh's. We didn't stay for Brigid's Cross, which really is the entire reason to go, since Jack was sleeping and the boy needed his rest. The food was a little disappointing, but very delicious, this year. The only Irish food we could find was corned beef. Instead, we went with pupusas and funnel cake. I can't pass up funnel cake.
The most wonderful thing about this weekend was all of the rest that we got. I let Steve sleep in (somewhat) on Saturday. Breyer had a vet appointment at 8:40, so we had to wake him up at 7:30. But hey, it's better than getting up at 5:30 like he had to this morning. We all got naps today, which was nice. Jack's been off sleeping-wise lately. He doesn't nap like he used to while he's at school, so I think we spend the weekend "catching up". Today, he took a 2-hour nap this morning and an hour and a half nap at 3 p.m. He would have slept longer for the afternoon nap, but I wanted him to get to bed at his normal bedtime, so I woke him up.
We did take some photos this week, but I haven't downloaded them yet. So no photos on this post. I'll get some up next week!
Monday, September 01, 2008
A wonderful end to summer
I figure Labor Day weekend is pretty much the official end of summer. We enjoyed every last second of it.
My cousin Rob married Vita on Saturday. It was a beautiful, and very fun, wedding. I'll post a photo of the cute couple below. You can check out some more on my Flickr site. I took over 300 between the rehearsal and the wedding, so there are plenty to look at. I will warn you though, I'm not posting all 300 as many of them are not publishable quality. I am so happy for these two. It's really fun to go to weddings of couples who are truly happy together. We've been really lucky this August to attend three such weddings.
After the partying, we decided to rest up. To be honest, after the first week of school and the wedding on Saturday, I couldn't keep my eyes open on Sunday. Poor Jack must have been so frustrated with his boring parents. We made it up to him though. We took him for a walk along the river and had lunch at Emmett's. Then today, Nanna came over and we played outside in the pool and went for a walk around the neighborhood. He's going to be pretty worn out for school tomorrow!
Speaking of my son, he's suffering from a pretty persistent diaper rash. So today, since we were playing outside, we figured we'd leave his diaper off to let him "air out" and rinse off in the pool. He loved it of course, he loves being naked. He then proceeded to pee on his Nanna, Breyer, the pool, and the grass. I like to think of it as marking his territory. He loves his Nanna, and his dog, and the pool, and the grass.
On another happy note, I made it through my first week of school with my flylady routines intact. So I'm going to keep this blog post short so I can get to my bedtime routine (it's the habit of the month, don't you know!)
Enjoy some photos!
My cousin Rob married Vita on Saturday. It was a beautiful, and very fun, wedding. I'll post a photo of the cute couple below. You can check out some more on my Flickr site. I took over 300 between the rehearsal and the wedding, so there are plenty to look at. I will warn you though, I'm not posting all 300 as many of them are not publishable quality. I am so happy for these two. It's really fun to go to weddings of couples who are truly happy together. We've been really lucky this August to attend three such weddings.
After the partying, we decided to rest up. To be honest, after the first week of school and the wedding on Saturday, I couldn't keep my eyes open on Sunday. Poor Jack must have been so frustrated with his boring parents. We made it up to him though. We took him for a walk along the river and had lunch at Emmett's. Then today, Nanna came over and we played outside in the pool and went for a walk around the neighborhood. He's going to be pretty worn out for school tomorrow!
Speaking of my son, he's suffering from a pretty persistent diaper rash. So today, since we were playing outside, we figured we'd leave his diaper off to let him "air out" and rinse off in the pool. He loved it of course, he loves being naked. He then proceeded to pee on his Nanna, Breyer, the pool, and the grass. I like to think of it as marking his territory. He loves his Nanna, and his dog, and the pool, and the grass.
On another happy note, I made it through my first week of school with my flylady routines intact. So I'm going to keep this blog post short so I can get to my bedtime routine (it's the habit of the month, don't you know!)
Enjoy some photos!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The most dreaded night of summer
So it's here... the night before school starts. Yes, I've been back at school every day this week, but it was of my own choosing and I wasn't on any one else's schedule but my own. Tomorrow that all changes. It's Institute Day.
For the first time in nine years, District 214 is having two institute days before the start of school. Why they choose to start on a Friday, I don't know. It will be interesting to see how it goes.
So, here are the new "initiatives" that I am imposing this year.
1. FlyLady routines at home and at school. The control journals are in place; keep your fingers crossed!
2. Sharing a room with my best bud and publications partner, Sandra.
3. Writing on my Spokesman blog once a week.
I think three initiatives are plenty to keep me busy. I will also be continuing my SCRUM sprinting that I started last spring. My bulletin board is up and ready for post-its.
Not only am I starting something new, but so are Jack and Steve. Jack started daycare on Monday and has done quite well. His teachers told me today that he's a smiley guy and very laid back. That made me happy since that is what he is like at home too. The big downside to daycare is that I am now boring to him. Apparently seven other children his age are way more exciting than mom singing Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Fire truck for the 8 bazillionth time.
Steve will be starting his second grad school class. Okay, so this is technically new since he's taken one class already. However, I am counting it as new since this summer the only thing we really had to work around was his class. I think it's going to be a little different with all of us on busy schedules.
Okay, I think that's all that I have for now. Blogging is part of my weekly routine, so hopefully this blog won't suffer as I start back to work!
For the first time in nine years, District 214 is having two institute days before the start of school. Why they choose to start on a Friday, I don't know. It will be interesting to see how it goes.
So, here are the new "initiatives" that I am imposing this year.
1. FlyLady routines at home and at school. The control journals are in place; keep your fingers crossed!
2. Sharing a room with my best bud and publications partner, Sandra.
3. Writing on my Spokesman blog once a week.
I think three initiatives are plenty to keep me busy. I will also be continuing my SCRUM sprinting that I started last spring. My bulletin board is up and ready for post-its.
Not only am I starting something new, but so are Jack and Steve. Jack started daycare on Monday and has done quite well. His teachers told me today that he's a smiley guy and very laid back. That made me happy since that is what he is like at home too. The big downside to daycare is that I am now boring to him. Apparently seven other children his age are way more exciting than mom singing Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Fire truck for the 8 bazillionth time.
Steve will be starting his second grad school class. Okay, so this is technically new since he's taken one class already. However, I am counting it as new since this summer the only thing we really had to work around was his class. I think it's going to be a little different with all of us on busy schedules.
Okay, I think that's all that I have for now. Blogging is part of my weekly routine, so hopefully this blog won't suffer as I start back to work!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Beer Update
The Beer has been opened! And the best part is, it's really good, and I'm not just saying that because I helped make it!
My cousin Kelly came over this past Wednesday to help me out by watching Jack and then stayed to play with us for the day. I promised her dinner, and we (Steve and I) decided to open the beer with her for dinner since it was time to try one out to see if it was done. I took some pictures to mark the occasion. Kelly liked it, so I feel justified in saying that it turned out well. I liked it so much that I am kind of excited about brewing again (look out Sam Adams!)
My cousin Kelly came over this past Wednesday to help me out by watching Jack and then stayed to play with us for the day. I promised her dinner, and we (Steve and I) decided to open the beer with her for dinner since it was time to try one out to see if it was done. I took some pictures to mark the occasion. Kelly liked it, so I feel justified in saying that it turned out well. I liked it so much that I am kind of excited about brewing again (look out Sam Adams!)
Yea for extended birthday celebrations!
For my birthday, Steve took our family to Chicago for the night. We had so much fun on our first overnight vacation (meaning getting away was not for some other reason).
We drove down yesterday after a fun-filled afternoon with Shane and Dick. Steve had been promising to take Shane ice skating and he was finally able to fulfill that promise. We got to the city around 6:30 or so, checked into the hotel, and then took off for dinner. Originally we were going to go some place nice, but we decided we would rather go somewhere family friendly. For those of you with infants, let me just warn you that city restaurants, no matter how informal, are not exactly family friendly. We thought pizza would be a good choice. Steve even indulged my love of deep dish. However, both Gino's and Giordanos would not allow strollers, even with sleeping babies that are cuter than any other baby in a 10-block radius. After waiting for a table and learning about the anti-stroller bias, we took our pizza back to the hotel.
Jack is a real party guy by the way. We kind of figured this out at Abby's wedding last weekend when he wouldn't sleep in the stroller. We confirmed it last night when he wouldn't go to sleep in the hotel room until we turned off the television, turned out all of the lights, stopped talking, and cuddled with him a bit to assure him we were going to sleep too. Then he woke up bright and early, 6 a.m., this morning.
Today, we met our friends Phil and Nikki for breakfast at Lou Mitchell's. Phil and I had never been. It was as good as its reputation. Jack even got to try some (see the pics below). After that, we walked around the city for a while. This is when we stopped at the camera store my photography professor recommended earlier this summer, Central Camera. What a great place. We ended up buying a zoom lens for the Nikon and you can see why the rest of the day was so much fun in the pictures below. After some good advice from the Central Camera guys, we bought the 70-300 Nikkor lens with vibration reduction. I could tell the difference between this very good lens and the kit lens right away! I think the best part about shopping at Central Camera, besides the good deal, was talking with all of the photographers. Every in the store had good things to say about this lens.
Anyway, after the camera store, we headed for the lakefront and the air show. We tired Jack out pretty well, so now that we are home, he's napping.
Overall, this was a wonderful trip to end the birthday celebration and summer vacation. Jack starts his new "school" on Monday and I head back as well to get the classroom ready for the following week. What a great summer!
Our newest Family Portrait (Thanks Kelly!)
Lou Mitchell's Orange
Street Photography with the new lens
Air Show - The power of a 300 mm zoom
More Air Show
Me and Jack as taken by Steve (with the new lens of course!)Check out Jack's teeth!
We drove down yesterday after a fun-filled afternoon with Shane and Dick. Steve had been promising to take Shane ice skating and he was finally able to fulfill that promise. We got to the city around 6:30 or so, checked into the hotel, and then took off for dinner. Originally we were going to go some place nice, but we decided we would rather go somewhere family friendly. For those of you with infants, let me just warn you that city restaurants, no matter how informal, are not exactly family friendly. We thought pizza would be a good choice. Steve even indulged my love of deep dish. However, both Gino's and Giordanos would not allow strollers, even with sleeping babies that are cuter than any other baby in a 10-block radius. After waiting for a table and learning about the anti-stroller bias, we took our pizza back to the hotel.
Jack is a real party guy by the way. We kind of figured this out at Abby's wedding last weekend when he wouldn't sleep in the stroller. We confirmed it last night when he wouldn't go to sleep in the hotel room until we turned off the television, turned out all of the lights, stopped talking, and cuddled with him a bit to assure him we were going to sleep too. Then he woke up bright and early, 6 a.m., this morning.
Today, we met our friends Phil and Nikki for breakfast at Lou Mitchell's. Phil and I had never been. It was as good as its reputation. Jack even got to try some (see the pics below). After that, we walked around the city for a while. This is when we stopped at the camera store my photography professor recommended earlier this summer, Central Camera. What a great place. We ended up buying a zoom lens for the Nikon and you can see why the rest of the day was so much fun in the pictures below. After some good advice from the Central Camera guys, we bought the 70-300 Nikkor lens with vibration reduction. I could tell the difference between this very good lens and the kit lens right away! I think the best part about shopping at Central Camera, besides the good deal, was talking with all of the photographers. Every in the store had good things to say about this lens.
Anyway, after the camera store, we headed for the lakefront and the air show. We tired Jack out pretty well, so now that we are home, he's napping.
Overall, this was a wonderful trip to end the birthday celebration and summer vacation. Jack starts his new "school" on Monday and I head back as well to get the classroom ready for the following week. What a great summer!
Our newest Family Portrait (Thanks Kelly!)
Lou Mitchell's Orange
Street Photography with the new lens
Air Show - The power of a 300 mm zoom
More Air Show
Me and Jack as taken by Steve (with the new lens of course!)Check out Jack's teeth!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Too close for comfort
I realize that I haven't updated in a while. With school starting so soon (the first institute day is a week from Friday), I've been very busy getting my Flylady routines in place. It's working pretty well too as my house is still clean!
We've also been busy with weddings. Steve's cousin Joey married Jen August 2 and my friend Abby married Tony this past Saturday.
Oh, and Jack's got teeth now too! He cut those the night of my birthday. He's now still teething and trying to crawl like a madman.
I've been taking tons of photos. There is no way I could post even half of them here, so check out the Flickr site to see them.
I will post a few photos though. Jack is now 7 months old. Can you believe it? I know, where does the time go! He's eating baby food now (green beans and sweet potatoes are the favorite so far). He'll even drink from a real glass if you hold it and tip it for him. Yesterday, I took his 7-month photos out in our backyard. Enjoy!
P.S. Flickr is irritating me tonight. I just spent an hour trying to upload all of my recent photos and it seems to not have worked. I think some photos made it, just not all of them. Hopefully I'll find a few minutes in the next few days to try to figure it out. Right now, I'm tired and I have a basket of laundry to fold. I'm done!
We've also been busy with weddings. Steve's cousin Joey married Jen August 2 and my friend Abby married Tony this past Saturday.
Oh, and Jack's got teeth now too! He cut those the night of my birthday. He's now still teething and trying to crawl like a madman.
I've been taking tons of photos. There is no way I could post even half of them here, so check out the Flickr site to see them.
I will post a few photos though. Jack is now 7 months old. Can you believe it? I know, where does the time go! He's eating baby food now (green beans and sweet potatoes are the favorite so far). He'll even drink from a real glass if you hold it and tip it for him. Yesterday, I took his 7-month photos out in our backyard. Enjoy!
P.S. Flickr is irritating me tonight. I just spent an hour trying to upload all of my recent photos and it seems to not have worked. I think some photos made it, just not all of them. Hopefully I'll find a few minutes in the next few days to try to figure it out. Right now, I'm tired and I have a basket of laundry to fold. I'm done!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Another year older
Today was my birthday, and it was a wonderful day. I'm not going to dwell too much on it since we didn't take any pictures and since I'm getting older, it's really not as exciting as the younger years (hehe.. that evens sounds old!). I will tell you that my boys let me sleep in until 8:30 (when I woke up on my own!). Steve made me chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Jack pushed up into a sit (supported with his hands) for the first time today too! (Dad helped him practice before I woke up). My family came over for bbq and dessert in the afternoon. We actually got to enjoy the yard, which was awesome! The yard fogger works pretty well.
Now, on to some other fun news. First up, Jack. So last week I was holding him and drinking water at the same time. He started grabbing for the glass. So, I thought I would let him try to drink from it to show him what he was grabbing for. Much to my surprise, he drank from the glass! He actually drank a few sips from the glass; he also dribbled water down his front, but that's all I expected to happen! So tomorrow, when we go on our Target trip, we're picking up a sippy cup for fun. Since that first time, he's taken sips from cups at least three other times, so I don't think it's a fluke.
In the meantime, Steve and I, along with our friends Kurt and Amanda, are really getting started on The Summer of Jeff. I haven't written about this before, and I probably won't go into all of the details in this post, but this is something we've been trying to get started since May. The Summer of Jeff is a list of activities we are trying to accomplish this summer in honor of our friend Jeff Lollar. Jeff passed away unexpectedly in May. Steve, Kurt and Amanda made a list of things Jeff did, liked to do, etc. There are about 30 things on the list. These things include playing Crazy Taxi (a video game), taking a road trip based on a coin toss, going to a Cub's game, and brewing beer. Last weekend, we started the beer brewing. Oh, and I should mention that we are doing all of the Summer of Jeff activities dressed in our Lollar shirts. You'll see what I mean when you see the pictures. Jeff liked these shirts, along with jean jackets, but we all have our limits.
Tonight, Steve and I (mostly Steve) siphoned the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary fermenter. We're brewing and IPA, and the liquid we siphoned actually smelled like beer, so I think we're on the right track. Our beer will be ready to drink in about 2 more weeks, so look for the update on taste then. Now when Jeff did this, he had about 50/50 success. The guys describe it as Russian Roulette; you opened the bottle and hoped it was a good one. You knew pretty quick if you got lucky or not. I'm hoping we have better luck with this batch. I think not using a bathtub and not brewing in a basement in DeKalb might bode well for us.
In an attempt to practice what I teach, I'm going to end this post back where I began - my birthday. On Friday night, the Unger women descended on Ravinia Festival to celebrate my birthday and Vita's birthday. Hootie and the Blowfish was playing. It was such a fabulous time. There was plenty of wine, food, and foolishness to keep us the hit of the lawn all night long. I have plenty of photos, some appropriate for the net, some not (Auntie Smegma?). Look for the appropriate ones in the next post!
Now, on to some other fun news. First up, Jack. So last week I was holding him and drinking water at the same time. He started grabbing for the glass. So, I thought I would let him try to drink from it to show him what he was grabbing for. Much to my surprise, he drank from the glass! He actually drank a few sips from the glass; he also dribbled water down his front, but that's all I expected to happen! So tomorrow, when we go on our Target trip, we're picking up a sippy cup for fun. Since that first time, he's taken sips from cups at least three other times, so I don't think it's a fluke.
In the meantime, Steve and I, along with our friends Kurt and Amanda, are really getting started on The Summer of Jeff. I haven't written about this before, and I probably won't go into all of the details in this post, but this is something we've been trying to get started since May. The Summer of Jeff is a list of activities we are trying to accomplish this summer in honor of our friend Jeff Lollar. Jeff passed away unexpectedly in May. Steve, Kurt and Amanda made a list of things Jeff did, liked to do, etc. There are about 30 things on the list. These things include playing Crazy Taxi (a video game), taking a road trip based on a coin toss, going to a Cub's game, and brewing beer. Last weekend, we started the beer brewing. Oh, and I should mention that we are doing all of the Summer of Jeff activities dressed in our Lollar shirts. You'll see what I mean when you see the pictures. Jeff liked these shirts, along with jean jackets, but we all have our limits.
Tonight, Steve and I (mostly Steve) siphoned the beer from the primary fermenter to the secondary fermenter. We're brewing and IPA, and the liquid we siphoned actually smelled like beer, so I think we're on the right track. Our beer will be ready to drink in about 2 more weeks, so look for the update on taste then. Now when Jeff did this, he had about 50/50 success. The guys describe it as Russian Roulette; you opened the bottle and hoped it was a good one. You knew pretty quick if you got lucky or not. I'm hoping we have better luck with this batch. I think not using a bathtub and not brewing in a basement in DeKalb might bode well for us.
In an attempt to practice what I teach, I'm going to end this post back where I began - my birthday. On Friday night, the Unger women descended on Ravinia Festival to celebrate my birthday and Vita's birthday. Hootie and the Blowfish was playing. It was such a fabulous time. There was plenty of wine, food, and foolishness to keep us the hit of the lawn all night long. I have plenty of photos, some appropriate for the net, some not (Auntie Smegma?). Look for the appropriate ones in the next post!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Almost Past my bedtime
Okay, it's almost my bedtime, but I haven't posted pictures in a while and I wanted to get these 6 month photos up before he's seven months old! Enjoy! I tried this last night and failed. So tonight, here they are!
Seriously... this is my favorite!
Look at how big he is getting!
Just a happy guy
Yum, Carrots!
I'm ready for my close-up!
My favorite Mommy/Son photo
Seriously... this is my favorite!
Look at how big he is getting!
Just a happy guy
Yum, Carrots!
I'm ready for my close-up!
My favorite Mommy/Son photo
Monday, July 14, 2008
Whirlwind
I feel like I am caught in a whirlwind. This past Friday morning, I flew to Kansas to take part in a 3-day planning session for a journalism teaching group I'm going to be part of this school year. We worked all day, and well into the evening, Friday and Saturday. Then we worked Sunday until we had to leave to catch our flights home. It was very invigorating, but also very fast.
Then, today was the start of my journalism teacher workshop for D214. That goes on pretty much all week. So I woke up bright and early to get myself and Jack ready and out the door by 8 a.m. (I did not wear the green shirt, so we did make it).
We got home around 4 this afternoon and I was exhausted. Jack wanted to play. So we played.
I think this must be how Steve felt this weekend while I was gone. He was helping a friend move, taking care of the house, taking care of the dog and Jack, and trying to work on grad school. He's pretty amazing.
Anyway, our whirlwind is not letting up. Tomorrow after the workshop we are heading to the pediatrician for Jack's 6-month appointment. I'm excited to see how much he weighs and how long he is. I swear he grew a ton while I was gone this weekend.
I'm also going to try something new this week. I'm going to try to take Jack to get his 6-month picture taken at Sears or Babies R Us. I think it might be fun to see what someone else does to photograph him. Don't worry, I'll be taking my own too!
On that note, I'm going to go finish my bedtime routine and hit the hay. 6 a.m. comes awfully quickly!
Then, today was the start of my journalism teacher workshop for D214. That goes on pretty much all week. So I woke up bright and early to get myself and Jack ready and out the door by 8 a.m. (I did not wear the green shirt, so we did make it).
We got home around 4 this afternoon and I was exhausted. Jack wanted to play. So we played.
I think this must be how Steve felt this weekend while I was gone. He was helping a friend move, taking care of the house, taking care of the dog and Jack, and trying to work on grad school. He's pretty amazing.
Anyway, our whirlwind is not letting up. Tomorrow after the workshop we are heading to the pediatrician for Jack's 6-month appointment. I'm excited to see how much he weighs and how long he is. I swear he grew a ton while I was gone this weekend.
I'm also going to try something new this week. I'm going to try to take Jack to get his 6-month picture taken at Sears or Babies R Us. I think it might be fun to see what someone else does to photograph him. Don't worry, I'll be taking my own too!
On that note, I'm going to go finish my bedtime routine and hit the hay. 6 a.m. comes awfully quickly!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
No pictures, just some ramblings
So Jack is down for his afternoon nap and I have a few minutes. I seem to be forgetting my camera a lot lately, so I don't have any new pictures for you. This might be a good thing though. Forgetting my camera means that I am spending more time focused on the things we are doing instead of looking for the best angle to shoot from.
Anyway, Jack is a rolling maniac now. It's very fun to watch him roll over to try to reach his toys. I think he really wants to crawl too. He just has to figure out those arms first. The legs are ready.
One of my two favorite things of late are how he smiles at me or Steve when we go to pick him up from his crib after he's been sleeping (nap or night). The look in his eyes is that look you give someone when you haven't seen them for a long time. It makes me feel pretty special. My second favorite thing is the way he looks at Breyer now. He thinks she is just the coolest toy. When she walks into the room, he looks at her and smiles this huge grin. Then he'll just watch her as she walks around the room. If she comes by us, he'll reach out his hands to grab her. I'm trying to teach him how to pet her, but so far we're really only grasping at her hair. All in due time I guess.
So we're having a pretty good week here at the Barrett compound. I hope I'm not jinxing it by saying that! Steve's settling into a routine for grad school. I'm settling into my flylady routines. Jack is adjusting his sleeping routines to keep me on my toes. Breyer is getting to go outside without it being too hot.
Today, Jack and I met Auntie K, Katie and Kelly for brunch at Burnt Toast. We did this once before while I was on maternity leave and it was so much fun. My aunt and cousins are always a hoot, and today was no exception. Jack was a little standoffish at first (I think we might be developing stranger anxiety), but he warmed up pretty quickly. He was smiling and giggling at everyone. We also tried out our booster seat for the first time today. It was pretty nice to be able to have him sit at the table with us and play with his toys. The booster doesn't support him as well as the high chair does, so he was leaning every now and then. But I figure that's a good way to build up the sitting muscles.
Oh, so I'm really liking Flylady. The hardest part so far is trying to not do too much. I'm working on my morning and night routines, which I am finding to be comforting and a struggle at the same time. The night time routine is a little easier since Jack is already asleep. The morning routine is tough since I get up when Jack gets up. I'm thinking I'll just wait until his morning nap and do it then. When I go back to work it will probably be easier because I will be getting up before him. However, the one thing I love about summer is not having to wake up at the crack of dawn, and I'm not willing to give that up for a routine.
Update on the dinners
So the calzones were a hit, although I think Steve would have liked them better with pepperoni instead of so much ricotta and spinach. The Gnocchi with cinnamon butter was also delicious, however I think it is a serious risk to my heart since the sauce is just butter with cinnamon. I melted a stick and half of butter and then drowned the gnocchi in it. How could it not be delicious? I think this recipe is definitely worth making again, just not very often... like once or twice a year.
Anyway, Jack is a rolling maniac now. It's very fun to watch him roll over to try to reach his toys. I think he really wants to crawl too. He just has to figure out those arms first. The legs are ready.
One of my two favorite things of late are how he smiles at me or Steve when we go to pick him up from his crib after he's been sleeping (nap or night). The look in his eyes is that look you give someone when you haven't seen them for a long time. It makes me feel pretty special. My second favorite thing is the way he looks at Breyer now. He thinks she is just the coolest toy. When she walks into the room, he looks at her and smiles this huge grin. Then he'll just watch her as she walks around the room. If she comes by us, he'll reach out his hands to grab her. I'm trying to teach him how to pet her, but so far we're really only grasping at her hair. All in due time I guess.
So we're having a pretty good week here at the Barrett compound. I hope I'm not jinxing it by saying that! Steve's settling into a routine for grad school. I'm settling into my flylady routines. Jack is adjusting his sleeping routines to keep me on my toes. Breyer is getting to go outside without it being too hot.
Today, Jack and I met Auntie K, Katie and Kelly for brunch at Burnt Toast. We did this once before while I was on maternity leave and it was so much fun. My aunt and cousins are always a hoot, and today was no exception. Jack was a little standoffish at first (I think we might be developing stranger anxiety), but he warmed up pretty quickly. He was smiling and giggling at everyone. We also tried out our booster seat for the first time today. It was pretty nice to be able to have him sit at the table with us and play with his toys. The booster doesn't support him as well as the high chair does, so he was leaning every now and then. But I figure that's a good way to build up the sitting muscles.
Oh, so I'm really liking Flylady. The hardest part so far is trying to not do too much. I'm working on my morning and night routines, which I am finding to be comforting and a struggle at the same time. The night time routine is a little easier since Jack is already asleep. The morning routine is tough since I get up when Jack gets up. I'm thinking I'll just wait until his morning nap and do it then. When I go back to work it will probably be easier because I will be getting up before him. However, the one thing I love about summer is not having to wake up at the crack of dawn, and I'm not willing to give that up for a routine.
Update on the dinners
So the calzones were a hit, although I think Steve would have liked them better with pepperoni instead of so much ricotta and spinach. The Gnocchi with cinnamon butter was also delicious, however I think it is a serious risk to my heart since the sauce is just butter with cinnamon. I melted a stick and half of butter and then drowned the gnocchi in it. How could it not be delicious? I think this recipe is definitely worth making again, just not very often... like once or twice a year.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Garden Update
I know these are a lot of posts for one day. But I have a lot to say.
So it's been a few weeks since we ventured into the yard and started cleaning it up. Good news... the flowers are growing! I almost killed the ones in the window boxes, but they are coming back. The porch flowers are looking pretty good if I do say so myself. My only issue with those is that it appears that some sort of bug is eating at the leaves.
Steve also got out there this week and cleaned up the ridiculous weeds in the front flower bed. To be honest, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I was pretty happy when I got home and saw all of his hard work.
Here are some update photos:
So it's been a few weeks since we ventured into the yard and started cleaning it up. Good news... the flowers are growing! I almost killed the ones in the window boxes, but they are coming back. The porch flowers are looking pretty good if I do say so myself. My only issue with those is that it appears that some sort of bug is eating at the leaves.
Steve also got out there this week and cleaned up the ridiculous weeds in the front flower bed. To be honest, that was the last thing I wanted to do. I was pretty happy when I got home and saw all of his hard work.
Here are some update photos:
My newest "revolutionary" ideas
Okay, so in my constant attempt to better myself and make my life better, here are the newest things I'm trying.
First up.. to clean my house. My mother has raved about FlyLady forever, and I've even tried it a few times. Now, however, I am getting serious. Flylady.net is a system for those of us who are neat impaired. It helps you set up a series of habits to help you keep your house in order. I'm on day two, and so far, things are going swimmingly. I have a clean sink and I got dressed today. That's how easy it is to get started. Anyway, I'm always up; for starting new good habits, so I figure this could be fun, in a limited definition of the word.
Next, cooking. Well, this isn't really new. Since Jack was born I have found a love for cooking (not just baking). In addition to finding my new favorite grocery store, Angelo Caputo's in South Elgin, I am having a lot of fun researching recipes from Food Network and Epicurious. This is the new part... I'm trying to be good about planning out meals for the week. This week's menu:
Tonight - Mahi Mahi lettuce wraps. They were pretty good overall. Althought next time we will not be using the jalepenos.
Monday - Spinach Calzones
Tuesday - Gnocchi with Cinnamon Butter Sauce - Steve has grad school, so I'm alone on this one.
Wednesday - Chicken Tacos
Thursday - Lasagna Rolls
I'll be traveling Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so the boys are on their own for food then. Although I can take a pretty good guess as to what they each will be eating: Burritos and Rice Cereal/Forumla.
My last new thing is related to the cooking. I'm trying to use coupons for at least one thing every time I shop, anywhere. It's been interesting trying to find coupons. I should just buy the paper. Formula coupons and diaper coupons are pretty easy to come by. It's the other stuff that's a little more difficult.
First up.. to clean my house. My mother has raved about FlyLady forever, and I've even tried it a few times. Now, however, I am getting serious. Flylady.net is a system for those of us who are neat impaired. It helps you set up a series of habits to help you keep your house in order. I'm on day two, and so far, things are going swimmingly. I have a clean sink and I got dressed today. That's how easy it is to get started. Anyway, I'm always up; for starting new good habits, so I figure this could be fun, in a limited definition of the word.
Next, cooking. Well, this isn't really new. Since Jack was born I have found a love for cooking (not just baking). In addition to finding my new favorite grocery store, Angelo Caputo's in South Elgin, I am having a lot of fun researching recipes from Food Network and Epicurious. This is the new part... I'm trying to be good about planning out meals for the week. This week's menu:
Tonight - Mahi Mahi lettuce wraps. They were pretty good overall. Althought next time we will not be using the jalepenos.
Monday - Spinach Calzones
Tuesday - Gnocchi with Cinnamon Butter Sauce - Steve has grad school, so I'm alone on this one.
Wednesday - Chicken Tacos
Thursday - Lasagna Rolls
I'll be traveling Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so the boys are on their own for food then. Although I can take a pretty good guess as to what they each will be eating: Burritos and Rice Cereal/Forumla.
My last new thing is related to the cooking. I'm trying to use coupons for at least one thing every time I shop, anywhere. It's been interesting trying to find coupons. I should just buy the paper. Formula coupons and diaper coupons are pretty easy to come by. It's the other stuff that's a little more difficult.
More pictures that I just like
There were so many photos from July 4th that I just really like. Here are a few more candids.
Sitting High
My newest nephew
Mom and her boy
Teaching Jack to Pogo
Okay, that's it from the holiday!
Sitting High
My newest nephew
Mom and her boy
Teaching Jack to Pogo
Okay, that's it from the holiday!
I love July 4th
It's been a few days and there is so much to blog about!
First up... July 4th. I love July 4th. We have been going to parents' house now for several years, and each year it gets better and better (and it was pretty darn fun to start with). This year, there was a bona fide baby pool ready for the boys and Steve. Auntie Bubbles made sure there were plenty of glow sticks so we could keep track of Shane and Grandma Sue as the sun went down. The food was incredible. We even made it to the parade and didn't pass out from the heat. Of course, this year the weather was much more tolerable than last year.
I have tons of fun photos from the event. Check them out on the slideshow or on my Flickr photostream. I'll post a few here just for fun.
Pogo Champ
Bubbles and the boys
Waiting for the parade
Shane waiting for the candy
Enjoying Jack's 1st Parade
Pretty Fireworks
Snuggled in for the night
A comment on this last one. I am in love with the Baby Bjorn again. It was so nice to be able to snuggle Jack into this during the fireworks, and he didn't seem to mind it too much (and actually was pretty happy once he was tired). The only downside to it is trying to eat. After the fireworks, we go back to my parents' backyard and make s'mores. I love s'mores. Steve was kind enough to make them for me so that I didn't have to get so close to the fire. However, he couldn't help me get them into my mouth. Poor Jack ended up with marshmallow in his hair. Don't worry, he slept right through it. And marshmallow comes out the next day in the bath, no problem!
First up... July 4th. I love July 4th. We have been going to parents' house now for several years, and each year it gets better and better (and it was pretty darn fun to start with). This year, there was a bona fide baby pool ready for the boys and Steve. Auntie Bubbles made sure there were plenty of glow sticks so we could keep track of Shane and Grandma Sue as the sun went down. The food was incredible. We even made it to the parade and didn't pass out from the heat. Of course, this year the weather was much more tolerable than last year.
I have tons of fun photos from the event. Check them out on the slideshow or on my Flickr photostream. I'll post a few here just for fun.
Pogo Champ
Bubbles and the boys
Waiting for the parade
Shane waiting for the candy
Enjoying Jack's 1st Parade
Pretty Fireworks
Snuggled in for the night
A comment on this last one. I am in love with the Baby Bjorn again. It was so nice to be able to snuggle Jack into this during the fireworks, and he didn't seem to mind it too much (and actually was pretty happy once he was tired). The only downside to it is trying to eat. After the fireworks, we go back to my parents' backyard and make s'mores. I love s'mores. Steve was kind enough to make them for me so that I didn't have to get so close to the fire. However, he couldn't help me get them into my mouth. Poor Jack ended up with marshmallow in his hair. Don't worry, he slept right through it. And marshmallow comes out the next day in the bath, no problem!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
It might be the green shirt
We had a great day yesterday. Jack went with me to the dentist, which wasn't that horrible of a visit. Then, the whole family went to dinner with our friends Cindy, Brian and Olivia. We tried out the new restaurant, Rookies, by our house. We sat outside and had a great time. We had so much fun, I didn't realize it was 8 p.m. when we left!
Then, we got home. We had decided earlier that I would put Jack to bed and take care of the night feeding so Steve could get his grad school homework done. So Steve grabbed his book and sat in the office to get reading. I took Jack into his room to get him ready for bed. He had already eaten, so I thought this was going to be easy.
I stripped him down and started changing his diaper. It turns out, he wasn't done with it yet. However, he didn't get me the first time, or the second time. Nope, as per our usual in this situation, he got himself and the changing table. The second spraying was pretty good though, and I needed Steve's help to get him cleaned up and the changing pad cleaned. Jack had gotten even the back of his head wet. So, I picked him up, still naked since I was confident that he was finished after two episodes. He was not finished. Before Steve could get across the hall, Jack had wetted me down.
Now, interestingly, I was wearing the same outfit that I had worn on the giant spit-up, can't get out of the house day. I'm thinking Jack doesn't like the green shirt with sparklies on it.
Anyway, my dear husband, who has been begging Jack to pee on me for months, came running when I called for help. He came running with the camera. I actually thought about posting the photo here. However, there are certain parts of my son's body that I would prefer never appear on the internet, and those parts are clear in this photograph. So, I am sorry, but you will have to use your imagination on this one.
We ended up giving Jack a bath, and he went soundly to sleep right after that, all snug in his jammies. A good ending to his good day.
Brian, this post is for you. I think Jack might have overheard our conversation about the wipes warmer and got the grand idea that this might be the way to get one.
Then, we got home. We had decided earlier that I would put Jack to bed and take care of the night feeding so Steve could get his grad school homework done. So Steve grabbed his book and sat in the office to get reading. I took Jack into his room to get him ready for bed. He had already eaten, so I thought this was going to be easy.
I stripped him down and started changing his diaper. It turns out, he wasn't done with it yet. However, he didn't get me the first time, or the second time. Nope, as per our usual in this situation, he got himself and the changing table. The second spraying was pretty good though, and I needed Steve's help to get him cleaned up and the changing pad cleaned. Jack had gotten even the back of his head wet. So, I picked him up, still naked since I was confident that he was finished after two episodes. He was not finished. Before Steve could get across the hall, Jack had wetted me down.
Now, interestingly, I was wearing the same outfit that I had worn on the giant spit-up, can't get out of the house day. I'm thinking Jack doesn't like the green shirt with sparklies on it.
Anyway, my dear husband, who has been begging Jack to pee on me for months, came running when I called for help. He came running with the camera. I actually thought about posting the photo here. However, there are certain parts of my son's body that I would prefer never appear on the internet, and those parts are clear in this photograph. So, I am sorry, but you will have to use your imagination on this one.
We ended up giving Jack a bath, and he went soundly to sleep right after that, all snug in his jammies. A good ending to his good day.
Brian, this post is for you. I think Jack might have overheard our conversation about the wipes warmer and got the grand idea that this might be the way to get one.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Out of the state
Jack took his first out-of-state trip yesterday. We drove up to Milwaukee to meet our friends Kurt and Amanda for a day at Summerfest. Despite a pretty weak musical lineup for a Sunday (the highlights include Stukenberg and a rock band with a Hasidic Jewish guitarist) and a pretty big downpour, we had fun.
Here are some photos for you. The last one is one of the many Mullets the guys photographed during the day. There was a contest, but I think the rain might have ruined it. More on that later.
Here are some photos for you. The last one is one of the many Mullets the guys photographed during the day. There was a contest, but I think the rain might have ruined it. More on that later.
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