Paint It Black

Typically I spend Thursday evening taking a peek at the ads for Black Friday shopping and watching Home Alone (love it!). Thanksgiving is a holiday that Kyra comes to our home after 8 or so and we keep her overnight. She spends the day at her mother's and gets to see her extended family there. We have come to the agreement that she stays by her mom for Thanksgiving and comes by us for Easter--- it works :) The other holidays we play more by ear and see where we end up. This year Thanksgiving was a little more complicated because as I was looking at the various flyers I noticed many of the stores open at 8pm. On Thursday!!! What the hell??? SO I had to talk Jade into letting me pick Kyra up at 7pm so that we could get to the first store and in the line before 8. There weren't many places I wanted to go this year (frankly there was very little I was interested in) but Miss Kyra and I managed to find ourselves a few deals. The first of these was at Kohls where were both picked up a pain of "fashion boots" (that's what Katie calls them) and she found some jeans and I found some leggings for Kate's Christmas dress. Saved 220.00 Spent 40.00 Awesome! We popped into Office Max to find Timmy a new computer chair (as he is working from home now) and I thought I had found the perfect one. That was until I realized that the giant sign said "save 99.99" not "SALE 99.99." Darnit! I may have just bought it anyway but it was two hundred and fifty bucks-- forget that! So after a short disappointment we stopped at the gas station and bought a lottery ticket whilst picking up a few coffees. It was game on at this point because Kyra somehow talked me into going to the Bay Park mall on the other side of town during the height of the madness. I always swore I would never cross the bridge on Black Friday. I like to experience the frenzied but slower pace of the east side. "But MOM!!! There are 10.00 T-shirts at Hot Topic!!!" How much is my sanity worth? I just cant say no to the adorable little face! I rationalized it as bonding time (which it was) and we hit the streets- literally. There were absolutely no parking spots and the mall (I know!!!) so we parked across the street at Hobby Lobby and hiked in. She was afraid to J-walk but peer pressure took care of that. We got into the store and she was just so darn happy. Which made me happy. SO happy in fact that I may have impulse bought 80.00 worth of T-shirts. Its only money :)  Kyra got some of her beloved Dr.Who and Nightmare Before Christmas shirts and I collected a few more bands to my collection. I even found one for Timmy. All in all it was a successful expedition. That was until I tried to go to sleep and realized I had consumed a metric ton of coffee and that wasn't going to happen any time so. So I started to read a book... that did the trick. I totally passed out. So hard in fact that I failed to get up at 545 so I could get to Home Depot for 6am to get my mother her poinsettias for a dollar (limit 12 per person). On no!!! Luckily I got a call at 8am and it was Karla asking where we were as we were expected at a hearty mid-shopping breakfast (another Thanksgiving tradition) at 8. We flew out of the that house (myself, Kyra and Via) and quick stopped at Home Depot. I knew I was pressing my luck and the chances there were still any plants left (let alone decent ones) was slim to none. Well good thing I bought a lottery ticket because guess who got her 12 poinsettias??? This girl. Thank God though... my mother would have killed me!

Shake Your Tailfeather

Thanksgiving is always an interesting time of year around our place. There is always such a hustle to get things done  and squared away for the holiday that it gets a little tense. Which when all is said and done- I love. When Tim and I did our birth planning I was gong-ho for having fall babies because that meant I would be off of work for the fall and into the holidays. In retrospect, that may have been a poor choice in the sense that it makes them late bloomers in terms of school attendance and man oh man are there presents around this joint. Via's birthday in September and Katie's in November followed by Christmas in December and January makes for a hoppin few months. Because Bella was born on the 25th of November we try to celebrate her birthday the weekend before Thanksgiving. This way Kyra is able to be there (which is important to both her and the girls). This year Bella was off school the Wednesday before Turkey Day so she opted to go over to Sparta to be with my parents and my Dad's family from the Western side of Wisconsin. Aj and Anna were there too so it made for some sweet one on one time for the group. (Sometimes having the girls together can be a little overwhelming. Its easier as the parent because you have to love them. Is it wrong to think this way? LOL) Anyhoo... We shipped Katie off with my parents Tuesday after school and kept Via home with Timmy. I had to work Wednesday night so Via went by Tim's parents for the day and got a little quality visiting time by herself. Previous to this I was able to get all our grocery shopping done (add matching at WalMart truly rocks my world) and so we were well stocked for the big celebration at our house. For the past few years we have hosted Thanksgiving at our home for the Bronanders (and various Herrmans) and it has been awesome. This way I still get to see family before I head off to work at the hospital. However this year I had the holiday off so I got to participate in all the fun. We started the day off with ginormous cinnamon rolls (a tradition) while we watched the parade and did food prep during commercials. I am sure you are asking why I don't just fast forward through the commercials (as technology would surely allow this practice) I just like what I like. And right now, I like to do it the same was as I have the last 30 years. Stuck in my old ways I guess. Tim got the turkey on the grill right quick and I started peeling roughly a million potatoes. I was lucky enough to only take the top layer of my fingertips off while peeling so not too bad. That was until I had to mash them and i burnt my fingers over and over... I am not the quickest learner. Well more the fact that I am lady and determined at the same time. It had to be done, Timmy was busy and I didn't want to get a new utensil. Burnt fingers it is. The meal was amazing and the company even better. I love how relaxed it is even though its at our home. The prep can be a pain and the fact that I have to clean before company and then again after, but its totally worth it. I love me some Turkey Day.

 

Happy 5th Birthday Miss Bella

Tell me Doctor... How bad is it???

The girls just both recently had their wellness checks done at our family clinic where the doctor checks them over (right around the time of their birthdays) and makes sure they are developing as they should be. It appears that our girls may be over-developing (lol) because check out these statistics:

Kaitlynn

height 3' 6" (40th percentile)

weight 51 lbs. (94th percentile)

Olivia

height 3' 1" (41st percentile)

weight 38 lbs (94th percentile)

It is almost eerie that they are just about two years apart and are developing at the same rate. Bizarre actually. Short and chubby. I guess thats how we grow em round here (yes that was an intended pun).

The girls were both due for some annual immunizations and a flu shot as well which is always fun. At home we do a lot of role playing with various medical equipment toys. The girls love to watch a show called Doc McStuffins where a young girl had the ability to bring her toys to life and fix all of their boo boos. And because I work in the medical field I am always encouraging them to learn how different injuries occur and how to fix them. Unfortunately for my pocketbook, the severe overuse of band aids in my house has created quite a dent. Al thought I have to say that I was lucky enough to come across a deal online where a woman was selling boxes of children's character themed band-aids for a buck a piece. SCORE! I bought 8. Now this was a few months back. Can you believe that they are almost gone??? I had to literally hide them from the girls so they would have a few when they really needed them. I betcha if we tipped the couch over and looked, there would be a literal pile of wrappers from these girls. What a bunch of goofballs. It is literally NEVER boring at my house.

Today however was filled with mixed feelings for all of us. Both girls were excited to get weighed and measured, have their ears, noses and throats examined but when it came time for shots their excitement turned to terror as they remembered just how much needles actually hurt. We pretend to give each other shots at home but its not like I am going to really inflict pain on them. So that was hard for Katie and Via and frankly me too because I had to restrain them to ensure proper placement. I never like to restrain my kids. Especially when it causes them pain. But if its for their own good I certainly can handle a few seconds of emotional discomfort... not to mention the awesome cuddles that follow the tears.

Let's Chat...

Tim and I recently attended Bella's first parent teacher conferences. 4 K has been quite an eye opener as far as her development both socially and emotionally. We knew she was bright so we were not worried in that regard... just the listening and sharing. Two things she is really bad at. And not for any reason impartial... she just doesn't want to. Cant blame the girl I guess. Tim and I were nearing the end of our wits over the summer and I know we should not have put as much hope into her preschool but so far (knock on wood) its been going just swell. The meeting with her teacher was quite interesting though and an eye opener as to what they anticipate her to learn throughout the year. I had no idea that they expected so much from her and frankly... we gotta get on the ball. I am lucky enough to have both my parents ready and willing to help us with the at home education and both Karla (Tim's aunt) and Sharon (his mom) love to do fun activities with the girls. The alphabet was a given. I totally figured that. But not only the alphabet but identifying capital letters as well as smaller case letters. They had to explain how to read a book (left to right, top to bottom, left page to right page and the front and back covers). Also nursery rhymes and to explain the concept of rhyming. Lucky for them we at casa de Bronander have crazy rhyming skillz so that was a piece of cake for the Bella Bean. Her numbers on the other hand were not as impressive. I suppose if I took her shopping more often she may be able to count out the change for me... I guess I could. If it means I am improving my child's education. Force my hand why don't cha :)  Speaking of force... i have always felt that dressing the girls up in cute outfits and topping them off with bows made them look especially cute. SO much so that a person may be able to overlook their shiesty-ness and forgive the little sass-pots if the need would arise. Like at the park when they steal a swing or at the grocery store when they eat cherries without paying for them. That sort of thing. Well the only person I was fooling was obviously myself because as we entered the school there was a table of lost and found items. What did it mainly contain you ask??? Hair bows. All Bella's. That little stinker.

Under the Sea

Kyra had her school musical this past weekend. She has been practicing for months and frankly I am surprised the girl hasn't developed an ulcer from all the worrying she does. I suppose its easy for me to say as it literally had nothing to do with me but I am trying to be better at active listening. I can only handle so much of her complaining, trying to give her viable solutions to fix the problem and then realizing that all she wants to do is talk about it. Vocalizing her problems must be the way she digests and deals with issues; I on the other hand prefer to take action and not necessarily talk things to death. Mmmm? To each their own I guess. For example: Kyra has decided that she doesn't wasn't to participate in show choir this year. Which is fine. I get it. She doesn't like that all the popular girls get the solos and she has to be in the back. Well instead of taking an initiative and talking to her director about her concerns she just sits on it and stews never getting answers. Number one (I love her) but she is not a strong singer. She just isn't. SO thats why she does not have a solo assigned to her. I am sure had she mentioned an interest, the director would try to accommodate that. But she won't. So there she sits. Number two, she is the tallest girl in the group- so of course she will be in the back. Its not a personal thing, just logistics. But she doesn't acknowledged or understand that concept either. So she is going to quit. I informed her that there was a good chance she wouldn't make any performance group in high school if she dropped out of her middle school ensemble, but she just shook her head and walked away. I guess this is one of those times that kids need to learn from experience and not just take a parent's word for it. I just want whats best for her and I feel like sometimes it would just be so darn easy to help her fix things. But she wont let me. Ahhhhhh the teenage suffering continues for a few more years I suppose.

Anyhoo- As this was her last musical in middle school Kyra was stoked to try out. They planned to put on a production of The Little Mermaid and Kyra had her heart set on trying out for Ariel (the main character). Even at my gentlest prodding she refused to try out for a less prominent roll (like Sebastian who still had a solo) and in the end she was cast as a chorus fish- a jelly fish actually. I know it was disappointing for her but thats how things sometimes work in life. They just do. But in the end she was a super cute jellyfish (even though it took me half the show to even identify where she was). I was surprised though that she never even told us what her character was. Or when the show was... even how to get tickets. It seems more and more that Timmy and I are left in the dark on things with her. Unless she needs something... then we are best friends (for two seconds). We need to work on this because I don't want to continue to resent her and always question her intentions. Because in the end all it will do is alienate her and make us all miserable.

Tell Me Somethin Good

I wish I would have taken more pictures for such a momentous occasion because today is the day. We have been waiting to hear these words for two and a half years. Miss Olivia RoseMarie is now ready to come off her seizure medicine. After a much anticipated visit with her pediatric neurologist (Dr. Edgar-- a literal God send) he cleared her to discontinue them. Kepra has been a daily staple in her life since the age of six months and for the next six weeks or so we will be gradually weaning her off it. I have mixed feelings of course with stopping the medicine as I am sure all parents would. What if the seizures come back? What if I don't notice it happening (as they were silent seizures to being with)? What if she stops breathing again??? And then I took a step back and thought... Man, I am so ready for this. I can't change what is meant to happen and if this angel really belongs in heaven... thats where she will go. So knock on wood y'all cause I surely look forward to decades of awesome with this little firecracker. Oh and guess what!!! It seems that a side effect of Kepra is irritability... so there is a chance that her occasional grumpiness (and by that i mean frequent) may be in part due to the meds. Time will only tell but here's hopin we have even more sunshine and sweetness from the littlest Bronander babe.

Its a little corny

One of my favorite things to do is to find new places that feel like home. For the past few years I have been exploring north-eastern Wisconsin during the various seasons and looking for hidden treasures. It used to be that between my mother’s teaching schedule and my work schedule the only time I really saw my parents was on the weekend. Since their retirement though, I have been able to spend A LOT of time with them, especially my mom. It’s great! She not only watches my children on Mondays (and the odd day of work) but we will run errands together and recently we have paired up attempting to work out at the gym… its something we are easing into. During these last beautiful (albeit a bit chilly) days of Fall we decided to head up to Door County and check out a corn maze she had read about in the newspaper (yes they still get the paper delivered everyday—how fancy!). We made the 1 hour drive to the absolutely free corn maze (which actually turned out to be more of a tall grass maze). But it didn’t matter what we were walking through because the girls had an awesome time running around pretending to be explorers! I had to walk at a pretty brisk pace myself to keep up with the little monsters but it kept me warm so in the end it worked out perfectly. When the girls had had enough, we went into the general store right next door and perused the various items for sale. Tons of apples (as it is fall) and apple cider (the girl’s favorite---even free samples and frozen cider pops!). I took a million pictures of what inspired me to use for later. We shall see what happens there. It was funny because at one point Miss Bella was taste testing the different types of dips and instead of using the knife she dipped her cracker into the container instead. A woman slapped her hand (not hard) but it was funny how quickly I went into protective mother bear mode. I didn’t freak out, or even have to say anything. I just looked at her in disbelief and corrected my child. I reminded Kaitlynn that we always need to use the knives so as not to spread germs to fellow samplers. I assured her that she was not in trouble this time but that she needed to be mindful if she was to continue sampling the snack foods. Then I had her turn to the woman that hit her and apologize for making her uncomfortable in any way. The woman was speechless--- and that was my point. I am not above letting other people correct my children, I actually invite it. But nobody hits my kid. Nobody. As soon as my mother saw that I was okay (and not going to verbally attack this woman) she took Via out to the bike track in the parking lot to wear off some sugar. Bella and I joined them shortly and the girls had fun racing in the little cars. But at this point I had had enough. I was cold and crabby… it was time to go. Winter is just around the corner… and I can feel it!

 

Its days like this that I miss my Aunt Mary from Texas... And it just so happens to be her Birthday...

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!!!

Spoooooky House

One of my mom’s favorite activities in retirement has got to be baking--- hands down. Well that and running around like a teenager with her girlfriends. Little Bella and Via are loving her success with the culinary arts and eat any mistakes she makes along the way. The holidays only make this perpetual sugar intake rise for the little minions and reaches sky high limits. My poor mother just doesn’t understand why they run around like crazy people all day. Um… really mom? After last Halloween we found this gingerbread house in the clearance isle at the Wally World. Expiration date 1/1/14. Sweeeet. So it has lived in mom’s deep freeze for the past few months and has now emerged proudly and ready to be decorate at the kitchen table. The funny thing about frosting is the fact that the more vibrant it is, the more dye it takes to make it that way. Long story short… frosting stains your skin (face included). So those little black mustaches we thought were so funny… not so much for the next 24 hours… we looked insane for sure.