Puddle Jumpers

 I have always loved the fall weather in Wisconsin especially when it gets just a bit cooler and you can wear long sleeves or in our case jackets. It hardly rained at all this summer and when it did there were torrential downpours. You would think that Spring would have brought some pretty wet weather too but no such luck. This year was super weird. However I must say that the past few days have totally made up for the dry summer cause man have we gotten dumped on. So much so that we needed to bust out the umbrellas and rain coats- which the girls were totally thrilled about. Especially Katie! She loved getting donned in her raingear and go play in the puddles while we waited for the school bus. One morning stands out in particular because that’s when she found her little buddy “midget.” Trust me- I didn’t pick the name… I try to be a little more sensitive that that and frankly- based on the shape of a worm I would have picked something totally different… like “Slim,” “George” or “MacGyver” but I will give her credit for even thinking of a name for her little guy. She wanted to take him to school with her to show her friends and assured me that he would be okay in her pocket. You would have thought I told her that there was no Christmas this year. She was beyond distraught. SO what is a parent to do? Do I let her take a worm to school and chance getting a phone call from her teacher “Katie is sure that you said it was okay.” Ya- awesome parenting Trina. Or do I take the strong-arm road and just tell her no. That sounds horrible. Especially when she is actually a reasonable child if you take the two seconds to explain “why.” I guess the combination of Tim’s brains and my tenacity will prove to be a challenge- for the REST OF MY LIFE. Case in point: Miss Olivia couldn’t wait to get her rain boots on. I have probably a bajillion pairs in all different sizes so we are always prepared for whatever mother nature throws at us. So she suited up and we headed out to run some errands. I turned my back for literally two seconds and there she was- jumping in the parking lot puddles soaked from head to toe. I wanted to scream at her but all I could do was laugh at how freeking adorable and happy she was. Who am I to wreck her childhood memories so early in life hahaha.

Purging the pad

I waffled over the entire supper as to whether I should have another rummage sale this fall. Not only are they a lot of work but they tend to be incredibly inconvenient to life as that it’s a full weekend commitment. And when its nice weather at the end of the summer, the last thing you want to do is miss enjoying those last perfect days. I usually try to have one in the spring and in the fall and sell clothing to fit the season. I literally did not want to store all those sweaters for another year and the whether was supposed to be in the 70s… it was a no brainer. And I am so glad that I did because we hit this baby out of the park. It is fun to have a rummage sale because I always feel like I am hosting a party. Its just a little ass backwards because instead of bringing something for the host, people are taking my crap away and leaving behind their money--- seems pretty awesome to me! This year Bella was at school in the morning which made running the sale a bit easier with only Via for the most part. Although in the afternoons it got a little more precarious. Timmy works from 10-7 or 1-10 so he was able to help intermittently but I was pretty much on my own. Which I knew ahead of time, and was still okay with it. My mom was a peach and watched the girls on Friday afternoon though so that was great. Thursday is definitely my best day for sales. You would probably think Saturday is the biggest sale day but nope- Thursday is the humdinger. In years past I have made more money in total but I think it’s because I have been selling items online throughout the year. I typically reserve my rummage sales for the things that are not worth my time and effort to list on Facebook Rummage groups. IE: a 50 cents book. Now granted you are probably saying why would you even go through the effort to sell something for only fifty cents. And honestly… the answer is bulk equals profit. More people stop at a sale that looks like there are a ton of items and you always want people walking away with bags. It gets the blood pumping in the people who are considering stopping. There is a total science to rummage sales I swear. I love them! (obviously) Even though I did not have any major treasures to sell we still sold over 500.00 and the group (including Tim’s parents, brother, aunt, my brother and sister in law and parents) cleared almost 1,000 smackers. That’s nothing to sneeze at huh? Viva La Rummage!!!

Pico Pico Pico

Its that time of year for our annual Pico De Gallo marathon. Every August/ September Timmy and I sit down and make a bucket (and I mean literally bucket) of Pico to share with all of our family. This year though we may have gotten a bit overzealous with the veggies and literally had to use a Rubbermaid storage bin to mix it all in. But honestly it worked out great so I think we will be using it from now on. Not to mention that everything I put in that bin for the next few weeks is going to smell awesome! We are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where people will actually put vegetables out to the curb for sale, so all you have to do is swing by and pay on good faith. It is one of the areas I am most proud of myself. Not to toot my own horn—but I am pretty honest when it comes to these stands. I just can’t see ripping some poor grandma off for 50 cents. This is not to say that if they are asking ridiculous prices I won’t maximize my choices but that’s neither here nor there. Anyhoo- there were a few ingredients that we were not able to get from the neighbors so the girls and I hit the local farmer’s market. Argh… it always seems so appealing and awesome until I get there and have to try and manage through the crowd with two excitable girls who want to touch everything and meet every single overdressed and adorable puppy. Which by the way said pups are usually accompanied by an uptight owner who doesn’t like children- hence the pampered pup. So after trying to keep my girls on their “leash” I finally got through the super cramped parking lot and gathered all the things I still needed for our recipe. There was also a super cute apple orchard vendor that gave us all free apples to snack on during our stay. Um yum! (the apples and the 20 something hot body. Now I get why my mother was such a creeper when I was young hahaha). This year we decided to make refrigerator pickles in addition to the Pico (some people call them freezer pickles.  Tomato/ tomato…  although this example doesn’t really work unless you are saying it out loud whoops!). My girlfriend at work brought some in to try that were not only sweet little pickles but they were dill-y at the same time. Can you say heaven!?! She assured me that even I could make them and so we are going to give it a go. The art about making all the fresh yummies is the ginormous amount of preparation. We are talking hours here people. Argh- is it worth it? Probably not. The whole instant gratification thing is definitely not happening right now. But my family bonded… and I think that may be a million times more important that me feeling immediate satiation. The girls both wanted to help cut the veggies which I was okay with as long as Timmy was there to watch them. I had no interest in witnessing them cutting off a finger so I worked on washing pickles while they took their little knives and mangled the tomatoes. Those are the times you never forget. I love my life.

PS- my pickles turned out awesome!!!

Time to Party

Time for another Birthday in the park. I hope the family is not getting sick of this yet. I know its probably not as comfortable as if we did it at our home but frankly I don’t want to have to clean just to clean after people leave. Argh… as is life I guess. So Miss Olivia Rosemarie turned three on the 18^th of September and is totally loving it. She was happy to see that her cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters and grandparents were all able to make it to her party. And the best part was that we all played on the park equipment. Guests over 50 let their hair down and has some fun. I myself, made the choice to climb up to the big slide and give er a whirl. Bad idea. How did I not consider how fast the girls come clipping down that thing and then add 150 pounds to that? Um duh! I came flying down that slide at a tremendous rate. Good thing there were no small children at the bottom cause they would have been history. I got control by the end but it was pretty scary. Which makes you think I only did it once right? Hell no- I mastered that thing hahaha.  Olivia was seriously interested in the cake and ice cream this time as opposed to the last party. I must say that if there were such a thing as a cake made strictly from frosting she would be all about it. That girl loves her some frosting. I was proud of Bella for not blowing out Via’s birthday candles even though I know she was desperate to do so. The present opening could have been a little smoother but it’s always hard to be that other sibling (around the same age) and see tons of awesomeness that is not yours. Although in our house the girls always share their toys so there really isn’t a “hers” or “mine” unless it’s something pretty special. Which at this party was the fish stuffed animal from Nana and Papa (Tim’s parents). Oh my good golly. She LOVES it! I never would have guess a blue fish would be the toy she attached to but this isn’t the first time the girls through me for a loop.

Birthday Breakfast

Its official now… We have a three year old on our hands. I always swore I wasn’t going to call them the “Terrible Twos” and honestly we didn't. However, I should not have been so naive to think that age three was going to be anything less than a challenge. So what shall we call them? The “Tremendous Threes” The Tumultuous Threes” I am not so sure. The one thing I am certain of is that Timmy and I better be on our toes because these girls are going to be a handful. I always scoffed when mothers would ooh and ahh about how fast their children were growing up. But now I get it. The time really does fly. I guess I have to eat my words, which is a hard pill to swallow. Sheesh- had enough catchy euphemisms? I am full of em today. High’ya! Anyways, Via went out to breakfast with her “mother” and “father” (it never gets un-creepy) at of all places McDonalds- her favorite. Usually I would get a big breakfast for her and Bella to share, which is more than enough food for the pair of them. On this particular occasion I told Olivia that she could have anything she wanted. Not thinking- duh Trina- she is going to want to eat it all. Now this brings us to the dreaded parenting challenge of whether you let the kid eat whatever she wants because it’s her birthday? Or do you prevent a ridiculous bellyache and certain tantrum by cutting her breakfast in half… so that’s what I did. I gave her half of everything so her tummy didn’t explode and conceded to the princesses pleas for ice cream… ahhh why not? You only turn three once right? Lol

Big Deal

It seems like there is so much more time in my day with Bella off at school. I realize that may sound like a horrible thing to say but it’s totally true. Maybe it’s because I don’t always have to stop whatever I am doing every three seconds to break up a fight or play referee between who gets the pink babydoll and who gets the purple one. No matter what, all I know is that I am totally accomplishing more. And it’s all the little things, like errands or cleaning out boxes I have always meant to get to or the little (ok maybe giant) piles of paper on the counters. I feel good. The house looks good. Or at least it’s on the way there-ha! Its funny how when you are “cleaning” or “organizing” things always seem to get worse before they get better. As is the case in the loft above our garage. Most of you know that it’s a pretty tight fit in the Bronander house. And as my rummaging hobby continues I need to stay on top of all the treasures I acquire, namely the clothing for the girls. Its just so nice to get a pair of pants for 50 cents instead of 5.00 The trouble is going through all the items in the fall and spring trying to sort them by season and size. THAT is a bit challenging. Although with Bella off at school from 8am-11am I get a few hours where I can get right down to it. And I have. Little Via plays in the back yard (the sandbox is all hers!!!) and I plow through the piles. (I am NOT a hoarder) (OK maybe a highly functioning Hoarder--- argh).

At any rate… when we have a few hours in the morning to run said errands it is definitely easier with just one bambino instead of the two. One of our newly found favorites is to pop into Cabella’s which is a hunting/sporting store that was just built in Green Bay… It’s a big deal. Especially if you ask AJ. Its like if they built a Cracker Barrel attached to an IKEA (my heart would literally explode from happiness)… that’s how thrilled AJ is… its his candy store. Via (and my mom) love to walk around and scope out all the animals. Well, previously living and now dead animals… game? I am not sure of the technical terms. All I know is that she could spend hours there. Grandma AND granddaughter.

Last Call for a Pony Ride

It appears that there will no longer be pony rides at Bay Beach. It makes me sad. especially because the girls are finally old enough to enjoy them and now they are probably going to retire. hmmm... sad face. I am sure there is some legal thing that the city doesn't want to have to deal with. And I always thought they were a little pricy for a two second pony ride but darnit... they are taking a Green Bay staple away. Alright, so I am exaggerating there, but that's what it feels like and I don't even like horses, not even a little tiny bit. So before the park closed for the season I took the girls for their first (and potentially last) pony ride at Bay Beach. And they loved it. So we went twice.

4K drama...

My anxieties are at their peek right now when I think about Katie starting school. Its not that I am not confidant in her ability to go to school and do well, its just that I am nervous not to have her here with me at home in the morning. Although it will be nice for her to socialize with kids her own age and give Via a break from the incessant directions. It will be interesting to see how Olivia fairs without her big sister around to play with. The few times Bella has stayed out at my parents Via LOVED having the house and toys to herself but was constantly looking around for her sister… so it should be interesting. Katie will be at 4K Mondays through Thursdays from 8 until 11. We live super close (lke within a block) from what could have been her school but based on the side of the road our house is seated on she was sent to a school where she needs to get bussed out of town. Its sorta weird but the concept is growing on us. It seems that Green Bay public schools are becoming quite populated, so much so that they are finding the new addition of mandatory 4K to be pushing their occupancy limits. SO they city created a school on the edge of town where they teach only 4K students from the area. Bella is in a class of 20 and the building has four classrooms at this point. The nice thing is that she will get to ride the bus this year but when she starts Kindergarten she will go to her permanent school. And speaking of rising the bus I have to tell you about the first day craziness at the Bronander house. So as you all know I am a bit of a control freak—I know… not me right? SO the communication from the school district over the summer indicated that children will be picked up in front of their residence and dropped off there as well. Katie is the only student on our street but when the mailing came from the bus company it listed her as getting picked up on the corner. Now, I am not sure if y’all know our street but its super busy. Its an emergency artery on the east side for cripes sake so yah, there are a few cars zooming by. Not only did they want to her to get picked up on the corner (no sidewalks to get there and a ginormous hill so she would have to walk in the street) but they alsp wanted her to cross the street. Ahhh- hells no. So after a few phone calls to the bus company (at the last minute because the pickup assignment came a few days before school started) I thought we were all set. Nope… I was very wrong. On the first day Katie was super excited to go to school- like crazy excited. And so were Tim and I. WE did a special first day breakfast and got her all dolled up for some pictures (that’s a surprise right?) So we followed the directions of the bus company and were outside 15 minutes early and waited for the bus. And waited. And waited. NO bus. It was now 10 minutes before school was supposed to start and she was still waiting. So Timmy drove her there and everything was okay. Until she was due to get off the bus that is. That stinkin bus was two hours late. 2 HOURS!!! I pretty much flipped a lid and the only thing they could tell me was that the bus in the morning broke down but this one was just running late. Really? Her school is like 2 miles away. Argh. So Timmy and I had a good chat at the end of the driveway and the bus pulled up. On the other side of the street and let her off to cross by herself. WTF!!! Timmy ran out into the street and grabbed (trying to stay calm so as not to freak out the babes) but he totally laid into that bus driver. I felt so bad. I was nervous he was going to create some drama that could not be resolved. I get that he was nervous for his child’s safety. That’s reasonable. But there I am up at the house screaming for him to stop swearing… classy living I tell you. In the end it was all good and they started to pick her up and drop her off right at our driveway but these first few weeks were hell. Literal hell. The upside- I get to stay in my sweatpants while we get her ready for school and then just walk her out. Pretty decent trade-off in the end.

Last Hoorah

Here we are again. Except this year is different because its Kyra’s last year of middle school. It went way to fast if you ask me. Although I know she is super stoked that it is over because she hates it there. Well depending on the day I guess. Sometimes she is all about it and her friends are the best thing in the whole universe and then next you hear that everyone hates her and she is going to become a hermit. I never know with this one. I have however had a bit of a revelation when it comes to Miss Kyra Jean. Its taken a lot of effort on my part but its such a relief. I just let it go. I cant control her world anymore than she can control mine. It just won’t happen. I explained to her that I am willing to help her be the best she can be and assist in finding her as many opportunities in life as possible to do that. But when it all boils down… she needs to do the work. Case in point. Next summer she will be taking a trip to New York City and Washington DC with a group of kids from school. Awesome experience right! Well it costs 1700 smackers (which is is bit much if you ask me). Her mom and dad are going to split the bill (which is a bonus) but we still need to come up with like 850 bucks. She has opportunities through school to do some fundraising but she feels so defeated she doesn’t even want to start. “How will I raise that much selling candy bars?” Well you cant make money if you don’t start working for it. She just has no concept of work and payoff. Which is partially my fault I know. I was always so worried she didn’t have what she needed I may have overcompensated. Eesshhh. Slap my fingers. So I explained to her that she needed to work smarter, not harder and get creative about fundraising. We shall see what she comes up with. Essentially if it were me I would write a bajillion letters to various local companies and hope someone would float part of my bill. However Kyra may be a little less forward than I (which is probably a good thing) and is nervous about essays. I honestly just want to write it for her and gibe it a try seeing it would save me a crap-ton of money… but we shall see what happens. I think she is going to be baby sitting for the rest of her natural life.

Kyra’s favorite part of going back to school??? New folders and notebooks. (I cant blame her seeing I was that kid that had her lists organized and ready for the next school year starting in July). She was surprised that I let her pick out “fancy” designs for her folders but I figure a little splurge is okay. I explained to her that because I pinch pennies elsewhere I am able to spend some on the specials things sometimes. She just looked at me blankly and said thank you…which is better than nothing.  I am going to work on this though because I really don’t want her to have such a skewed sense of the value of money. I work hard for my dollar (well usually) and I want her to have that same sense of accomplishment and self worth when she can save some of that hard earned moolah… work in progress.