Sea of Red

via

To some, it may just be another typical Saturday morning.  Yet this Saturday marks the beginning of the Nebraska football season.  In addition, it is our first year in the Big Ten!

Yet let's be honest - when does the excitement begin?  For our family, I don't thing it ever really ends.  But I do know that once I start the fall semester I am happy to at least know that means that college football is coming soon!

via Husker Locker

When I lived in Nebraska, I remember the Friday night pep rallies.  Part of the marching band would come in and play There is No Place Like Nebraska...and everyone would clap or sway along.

Then early on Saturday morning you could go by the Student Union area of campus and have some hot dogs and pop as you were surrounded by other Husker fans.  Parts of the marching band and cheerleaders would be around the quad playing music and doing cheers.  You would see people (including young children, students, Larry the Cable Guy, elderly men) wearing their red proudly (some in more crazy fashion than others). 

via Husker Locker

via Google Images

via Google Images

via

Then you waited outside Memorial Stadium to get in (once the gates would open).  Surrounded by other dedicated fans who were the first to arrive in what once was a empty stadium that would soon be crammed with over 70,000 people.

via Huskers.com

via Huskers.com

It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. 

One thing I have always been certain of, Nebraska has the best and most loyal fans in all of college football.  We have had sold out home games since 1962 (we're approaching 50 years folks!).  We follow our team to support them for away games.  After the game, the fans try to be very gracious, whether we win or lose.  So here is to so many great seasons and to a great first year in the Big Ten Conference!

GOOOOOO BIGGGGGGGG REEEEDDDDDDD!!!!!  GO BIG RED!!

You know you're a mom when...

There have been quite a few instances in my life where I've thought to myself, you can tell I'm a Mom even when my kids are nowhere near me.  I'm sure all moms have those moments.  So I've decided to list (and share) about some of these experiences that I've encountered lately as well as ones that I recall from my Mom :).

You know you're a Mom when...

• you sign a check (front or back) with a crayon.  (I was waiting at the bank and needed to sign the back of a check to deposit.  Couldn't find a pen in my purse for the life of me.  I did, however, find a 4-pack of crayons that Owen begged me to bring home from a restaurant.  Little did I know that he had done me a favor!)
• you can eat a meal in under 5 minutes.  (It seems like I'm always busy trying to make sure Owen has something to eat or feeding Quinn (or trying to finish myself before feeding Quinn) that I can wolf down my meal in World Record Hot Dog eating speed if necessary!  I can unfortunately carry this mentality wherever I go.)
• the best idea for a vacation for yourself involves your husband taking the kids on vacation and you get the house to yourself!  (Ok, am I alone on this one?  The idea of getting the house all to myself for a day just sounds like the biggest treat!)
• your alarm is blaring so loud it could wake the house and you don't hear it, but if your child sniffles in the middle of the night you are awake in a second.  (Ok, so I can't sleep through the blaring alarm, but I can through a rain storm).
• the last time your FaceBook pic wasof you was...Hmm, don't remember when.
• your definition of "clean" would nowhere near pass the health inspector if they were to visit (organized clutter is close to my definition of clean anymore).
• when asked to sing a song the first thing that comes to your mind is "Fairytale Villiage"from The Backyardigans. (And there are so many more than I can sing as this is Quinnie's favorite show).
• you find yourself watching Sesame Street more than an hour after you have put the kids in bed (now this could be because I'm too lazy and tired to get up and get the remote.)
• when you put on make-up and your husband wonders what the special occasion is (anniversary? birthday?  what did I miss???)
• you consider catching your child's vomit as a victory (husband caught it on the plate the other night - good work Daddy!)
• even more sad, that you can witness your child throwing up and still continue eating (ok - please tell me I'm not the only one here!)

It is amazing that becoming a Mom can make a person a lot less modest (the way we have to be able to talk frankly and share our bodies when we have the baby!). 

I'm sure I'll do another post about this so feel free to share your favorite "you know you're a Mom when.." moment!

Back on the C25K wagon

C25K - Couch to 5K.  I had started this program back in May and had every intention of completing it.  Then something called summer classes started and I was a little busy (two 3-credit classes (one of which I was re-doing my entire notes for a book change) I was teaching, plus a 3-credit independent study and student research).  Ok, enough complaining.  I had gotten through only the first 3 weeks of the program (see here).

Now, I would like to get back to it.  I have found a 5K to register for (November 19th) to keep me motivated.  A friend is even willing to do it with me! Now that I have put it in writing that should give me more motivation. 

The program is literally designed to take you from the couch to running a 5K in 9 weeks (I have about 12 weeks to get ready!).  With as much as I want to do this to show everyone that I can do it, I really want to show myself that I can do it.  Running is one thing I just chalked myself up to not being good at and have continuously used it as an excuse.  So now, I hope to prove myself wrong and do it!  Please keep me honest and give me encouragement through the program.  I'll try to post about it once a week to see how it is going for me!


Oh, and in completely unrelated news, I got those shoes I wanted :)

Honesty about Kids, Part 2

Recently, I published a post with some of the issues we are having with Quinnie.  I know that each child has their struggles, and Owen is having some too.

As most of you know, Owen has glasses.  I have no problem with the fact that he wears glasses, I just didn't realize how much that could impact things.  I worry about how other children treat him because of it (especially as he has just  started kindergarten and a new daycare.)  I worry about how that will affect things when he really starts wanting to play sports.  When we go swimming and he takes his glasses off, I don't know how/what he sees.

From Owen's point of view, he is having a hard time making friends at his new school and daycare.  He keeps telling me that he doesn't have friends and that "they" don't like him.  This just breaks my heart and I don't know what to do.  He is a pretty outgoing little guy who will introduce himself to you so I don't believe that he isn't somewhat trying.

But outside of this, our biggest struggle is his pickiness and general pain-in-the-butt behavior with food.  If he hasn't already had it, he says he "doesn't like it."  We've tried a reward system for trying new food (if he marked off 10, he got to do something extra fun like go to the zoo or pick out a toy) and this worked through his first trip to the zoo.  We don't give him special treats/snacks if he won't eat supper.  I don't want the dinner table to be a battle zone, I want it to be a place where our family comes together to share in each other's company and to talk about our day while enjoying our meal.  So, anyone out there have some good (non-battle zone) ideas?

Here are some pics of Owen growing up...

Summer Nebraska Trip - Part I

Back in the middle of July, we made a trip out to Nebraska to visit family for vacation.  Now, by we I mean the kids and me.  Brandon didn't have vacation time to be able to take off. 

How did we get there you may ask - we drove.  How far:  790 miles one way.  Estimated time (MapQuest) was 11 hr 12 minutes.  Actual time (with 3 stops):  14 hrs 15 minutes (or so).  Now traveling with two kids deserves its own post, and I will at a later date!

We got to stay with my parents.  They have recently finished their basement which gives us a lot of room; in addition, they have a crib for Quinnie to use.  Being there has other advantages too - my Dad doesn't go to work until 12:45 (ish) so we were able to spend a lot of time with him and then my Mom would get home around 3.

We got to spend a lot of time with family (both sides) including my nieces and nephew.  But for this post, I'm going to talk about the two "vacation-y" things that we did.  I wanted to get the kids out and doing something and since they haven't been around Nebraska much, it could be like a real vacation.  We went to Lincoln Children's Museum - and this was our first experience there.  They happened to have a special exhibit, "Ballworks", that involved many different things that you could put golfballs on and see what happened.  There was even a place to build your own ramp.  We spent the majority of the time there. 

Quinnie even got to play. 

We went to the "Prairie" for awhile too. 

We ended our day on the top floor which involved airplane stuff.  Owen loves airplanes and can't wait to fly in one!

We also went to Ager play center (close to the zoo).  We went there on a rainy day and my Dad came with.  There was a great play area for Owen.  Ironically, when we walked in, it said that you needed to be at least 4 and no taller than "this" (animal holding out hand) to play in the big area.  Owen is 4 and was only 3" short enough! 

Quinnie played with "papa" and I

until...

We had a pretty good time.  Stay tuned for the family/friends part of the trip!

Technology: Friend or Foe

Through the years, there have been some great strides in technology.  I think back to being in my first years of college and how much has changed.  Many times, this technology has made things so much easier and nicer.  So I have compiled my list of good and bad experiences with technology for you to make your decision - friend or foe.

• I can type this blog for you all to see.  Share my thoughts with you and you can comment back (again, this is encouraged folks!)
• However, when I have a typo on this blog, it is also out there for all to see (thank heavens I haven't left an s off in the word assess yet!)
• I can chat with my students to help them study for a test.
• Students can email me at the end of the semester to whine about their grade.
• I can play online games with my friends that are not geographically capable of playing a game in person.
• I can plan online games with my friends when I'm avoiding doing something else (that I probably should be doing).
• I can have a video chat with my family who is not close to me.
• I can connect with people on FaceBook that I had lost touch with.
• Students and old frenemies can try to friend me on FaceBook.
• We can have internet access everywhere (to do our job or waste time on FB)  (Note - I don't have a phone with a data plan intentionally!)
• If my car breaks down, I have my cell phone to call AAA.
• Other drivers have their cell phone in their car too, that they talk/text on during rush-hour traffic with construction zones.
• I can use online homework for my students to complete (no more "my dog ate it" excuses).
• The online homework system that the students use may crash or have an "internal error".

Ok, so maybe I might be playing one side more than the other here.  I know that technology has made our lives "easier" in so many ways.  However, it can also cause many headaches for all that use it.  Here is one story of my day at work yesterday:

I had decided that I didn't like the due date I had given my students for an assignment.  So, I edited the homework to change the due date and went to go re-post it to Blackboard.  I go in to edit the homework.  I ask for the current file to be removed and to attach the new file with the new due date.  I hit submit and get the following "$message Error$".  Of course, it had no problem removing the old file but didn't attach the new one.  I try to attach it again and get the following:  "Either you are not logged in or you are not authorized to perform this operation."  WTH?  Now I had to log back in.  I tried, and tried,...and tried - no success.  Now, I had to go down to teach.

(We are in new rooms this year and I just want to assure everyone that I went down to all my rooms last week to make sure I wouldn't have a technology snafu.)

First class of the day.  Computer is already on, monitor is not on.  I try to turn on the monitor mulitple times with no success.  So, I turn on the projector so that I may see what is going on.  I can now see (from the projection in front of the entire class) Windows has encountered an error - would you like to shut down?.  I click ok.  Now when I say I clicked ok keep in mind that I am having to look at the projection to see where the mouse is located to click ok.  Once the computer restarts, the monitor starts to work and the computer says "configuring computer for first use" - what?  It has already been used!  Anyone know how long it takes to do this - I found out it took 22 minutes for this computer.  So, considering I had planned to go over the electronic syllabus and show Blackboard and the Online Homework System, this sort of threw a wrench into things.  Once I finally got on, things worked ok and we were able to do everything I wanted to do.

When I got done teaching, I had emails from students saying that they couldn't get registered for the Online Homework System because they kept getting error messages.  I still couldn't upload my file that I wanted to.  Then to put the cherry on top, my computer appeared to not like me and shut off in the middle of me working on a new set of notes.  Luckily I didn't lose too much (as I learned to save often.)

Hopefully, today will go with minor technology hiccups.

Parents Smoke Free for 1 Year

 I was lucky enough to grow up with some of the best parents ever.  They were/are very understanding, patient, loving, encouraging, and just great people in general.  Their only downfall - they smoked!

My parents were smokers for over 30 years.  No matter how much my brother and I (or other family/friends for that matter) pestered or pleaded, they smoked. When they moved to their new house, they were still smokers, but they started smoking in the garage. 

In December 2009, my Dad retired from his job (so he was no longer smoking on his route).  They both, at this time, weren't smoking as much as they used to, but nonetheless, they were still smoking.

In June 2010, they came out to see us as I was having a baby girl - they stayed with us and helped me through the first 10 or so days of being a Mommy to two kiddos.  Still smoking, still outside (garage).

However, when they left, they took an unexpected gift with them - illness.  My husband had been sick right when I had Quinnie, and my Mom got pneumonia when she got back to Nebraska.  She ended up in the hospital.  Many complications later, she made it through.  The doctor told her she really needed to quit.  But she wasn't quite ready yet.  She and my Dad both got prescriptions to Chantix (see here).  Luckily, it worked for both of them. 

So here is to my amazing parents who continue to be understanding, patient, loving, encouraging, and just great people in general!  One year smoke free and many more years to come!  Love you both!

Just like riding a bike...

So most of us have heard the phrase "it's just like riding a bike."  Of course, what we mean when we say this phrase is that this is something that you will never forget and will come back quickly once you try it again.  Now most people use this phrase as a chiche and never take it literally.  Well my friends, yesterday I took this phrase literally!

I had been wanting to get a bike for a few different reasons but the main two were:

1. To excercise (and get healthy)
2. To be able to ride a bike with Owen (and Quinnie once she gets older).

So when I think about what it will look like when I ride my bike, here is what I imagined:

Ok, maybe imagining that I'm Pam Anderson is a little too far of a stretch.  Let's go for something a bit more classy.  So imagine a nice spring day where you are meeting a friend to go sip some (adult) lemonade and you get:

Cute, balnced, still lady like.

So yesterday I got on a bike for the first time in about 8 years.  Let's set the scene:

I am inside wearing jeans and a t-shirt.  Brandon says he got the brakes put on so I can take it for a spin and he asks Owen if he wants to see Mommy ride her bike.  Of course he says "Yeah!"  So I put on my bright pink flip-flops (I know, I know - great role model here) and head outside.  I crawl on my bike which has its seat lowered as far as it can be and I can tippy-toe touch the ground. 

Ok, you can picture it, right?  No?  Well here are a couple better images of what I may have really looked like:

Now for the ride.

I take off and I am a little unstable.  I make my first turn and I have my one leg out just in case I'm going to go down (which Brandon believes is about to happen).  Yet, I make it without a problem.  I now know that my biggest issues with this bike is finally remembering that it is NOT like a car.  When you turn the wheel of a car, you gradually start moving to the left or right.  You turn the handlebars of a bike, there is nothing gradual about it.  The other big thing I forgot - there is not a brake pedal!  Who designed these bikes?  Wouldn't a brake pedal be so much easier than these dang hand brakes?  The good news is that both of these realizations were when I was out of family sight! 

I make my way back to the house and I began to wonder, how did I ever ride this thing with no hands?  What are the hand signals for turning again?  So my experience with "its just like riding a bike" was that some things we remember (balance), but other things (important things like turning and braking) take a bit longer to come back!

Oh, and one last thought about my biking experience - my butt must not have remembered as I am feeling the bike seat today :)

Baby Gear

For those that know me, they know that I'm a thrifty (ok, cheap) person and that I like to get my money's worth out of the things I buy.  So, I've compiled a list of things that we had for Quinn (and some even for Owen) that were definitiely worth the money.  (I'll do a later post about those that were NOT worth it).  Please note that these are just my honest opinions and I'm not being compensated to endorse any of these products.

Bouncy Seat - I believe that a bouncy seat is a must.  When the kids were just beginning to eat cereal and baby food, this worked very well for feeding them.  In addition, it is great to get a baby sitting up for part of the day soon after they are born.  In addition, this was great to use when I needed to take a shower and wanted to keep an eye on my child so this allowed me to take them right into the bathroom with me!  The one here in the picture with Quinnie was actually given to me by a friend when I had Owen, so this one stood up to 3 babies and it got a lot of use.  This one doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles (but does have a little vibrating feature for soothing).  (You can find a pretty nice and sufficient one here)

Hammer:  This Little Tykes Hammer we got as a gift (and retails for about $15).  This one has an on/off switch.  I've never replaced the battery through two kids.  The head part of the hammer is soft(er) and when you hit it against something it lights up and makes hammer (and sawing) noises.  Great toy to take with you too!



Learn and Groove table (Leap Frog):  We got this table for Quinnie for Christmas (she was about 6 months).  What is really great about this table is that all of the legs are removable so before your baby is even standing, they can play with all of the different aspects.  Quinnie loves this table and plays with it daily.

Gerber diaper bag:  This diaper bag worked very well for long trips where I needed more than just a couple hours worth of stuff.  It comes with a diaper changing pad, two side bottle holders and some nice inside smaller mesh pockets to hold things like spoons, toothpaste, medicine, etc.  I got mine for $20 (at Meijer)



Playtex Vent Aire bottles:  We got these bottles when we had Owen (and thus the pre "Advanced" stage).  They held up through both children.  Things I loved about these bottles:  They are bent to help not only the person feeding the baby, it also is helpful for when the baby learns to hold it themselves.  Neither of our children were "spitter-uppers" and I believe I can contribute a lot of that to the usage of these bottles.  They were a bit pricier upfront, but they were worth it!  Here is what Playtex says (more eloquently):  "Promotes semi upright feeding position recommended by pediatricians to help prevent ear infections. Plus, micro-channel vents create a consistent flow of liquid to minimize pressure on your baby’s ear canals and helps protect against gas, colic and spit-up"  (view their webpage here)

What great products did you have for your child?  Or, are there other products you want recommendations on?

Owen's First Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday was Owen't first day of kindergarten.  We had gone school shopping with his supply list awhile before.  Of course, the most important thing was the backpack! He wanted a Cars Backpack and we got him this one:

About everything else had a Cars theme to it as well (folders, notebooks, pencils).  The one thing we got him that had a different theme was a Marvels lunch box (with Spiderman on it).

So on Tuesday night when he went to bed, we got out clothes for the morning - he wanted to wear his blue Diary of a Wimpy Kid shirt and "hook" blue jeans.  Of course right before I go to bed is when I realize that I better put his name on everything.  I got his bag packed and ready to go in the morning.

We got up in the morning around 7 and were ready to all leave the house around 7:30 but of course, I needed a few "first day" pics:

In addition we left early enough as I wanted to take him out for donuts to show him that this was a very special day:

He seemed to enjoy the special treat and managed to keep himself clean :)  I then took him to his new daycare (which starts a Kindergarten program in September).  He didn't seem to be nervous at all - "bye Mom" - I have to admit I was a little sad that he wasn't more sad, but that's a Mom for you!

I called daycare after he got on the bus to ensure that the morning had gone ok, which it had.  Dad picked him up from daycare and they went out for ice cream (he doesn't need treats for a long time now!).  He wasn't overly talkative but he said that he had a good day, he had made friends (but didn't remember their names), there are two other Owens at daycare so he is now Owen W. (boo - I really didn't want him to have an initial!).  He was excited this morning about going and wanted to make sure he got to ride the bus again!

So we'll see how today goes.  Do you remember anything from your first day?

Popular Toys (early 80s)

Now that my son is starting Kindergarten (today actually - see tomorrow's post!), I was thinking back to when I was a kindergartner and the things that I liked a lot back in those early school years.  So I have compiled a list with some images to bring back the memories:

1.  Rainbow Brite - this was one of my favorite dolls.  I even had Starlite (the unicorn) to go with her!  Do you also remember the Sprites that velcroed to her hand? 

2.  Shrinky Dinks - I loved these - do you remember these?  You colored a larger version (generally with colored pencils) and then Mom baked them in the oven and they got smaller and hard so that they could stand up on their little pedestal.  My favorite were the Smurf ones.

3.  Adjustable Roller Skates - I remember having ones that had blue wheels and my brother and I would take turns putting these on (with your tennis shoes on too, of course).  I guess at least it took much longer to outgrow the skates!

4.  Popples - I guess we could call these the prior "pillow pets" - when you got your Popple into a ball, heck, it made a pretty good pillow!  I actually had the little white one from this picture; my brother had an orange on and one that looked like a soccer ball when you balled it up!

5.  Peaches N Cream Barbie - I loved Barbies in general; but I had a peach room when I was little so as you can imagine, I was pretty excited by a peaches Barbie!

6.  Muppet Babies - Loved owning these dolls, but especially loved the show!  Here is a baby Animal!

7.  Choose Your Own Adventure Books - I of coures liked these more when I was in about 3rd or 4th grade.  I really think that they should come out with movies that do this.  If you would like the boy to chase after the girl, click 1.  If you would like the boy to run screaming in the oppposite direction, press 2, ...

8.  Super Mario Bros - the original!  Ah, the Nintendo.  Think of how advanced graphics we thought this had at the time.  I remember the "warps" that you could find to make the game shorter and how teenie Mario would get when you lost your "power up mushroom" :)

What exciting toys of the 80's were your favorites?