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There are so many things I am thankful for, but this week, I am MOST thankful that we all stayed healthy and were actually able to celebrate Thanksgiving. I think I took 8 covid tests over the course of the week. I covid tested both boys. I was holding my breath and sending all the healthy vibes out into the universe.

Early in the week, Nate surprised me with flowers, a cute card and rye bread and corned beef from Cecils as a “thank you” for taking good care of him while he was sick. Flowers are great and I love a pretty bouquet, but food is absolutely my love language, so he knows the way to make me feel most loved.

The boys had the entire week of school off- I was not thankful for that. School had conferences last Friday and Monday, so I guess they just figured they’d extend it? I did not need 2 excited little boys home for that amount of time, but it was a good week.

On Monday, they spent the day with Grandma Debbie and went to Skyzone. I was so grateful for her taking them as both Nate and I had busy days at work and then conferences for the boys. It was super great to talk to both of their teachers, both of whom I really like. They are in small classes with a lot of personal attention, which is very important for both, in different ways. Both boys are really smart and are doing well both academically and socially. Gussie has a LOT of energy and struggles to control his body and pay attention, but his teacher is not only working hard to help him, but also understands he is a sensitive kid. She is finding balance in re-directing him, without breaking his little spirit and I am grateful for her.

Tuesday the boys were home all day, they played, they traded Pokemon cards, they played outside. It was the good kind of boring where they were forced to entertain themselves.

Both Nate and I were on pto on Wednesday. Nate and the boys helped me carry crockpots, dishes and chairs from the basement. My mom came over and completely dismantled my refrigerator, cleaning it like it’s never been cleaned before. Nate took the boys to the Science Museum all afternoon so that I would have an empty house to clean, and uninterrupted time to food prep.

Thursday was the day! Everyone woke up feeling healthy. All of the guests who were scheduled to come woke up healthy. Everyone was in a good mood. It was a great day. I got tea, caramel popcorn and dishtowels as a hostess gift. I love hosting AND I get gifts?!?! Amazing. We had so much amazing food. Danny smoked a turkey and also bacon wrapped an additional turkey breast. There were beautiful appetizers. Incredible homemade breads. All the traditional Thanksgiving foods. So many pies. There were 15 of us total. I have a tiny house, but it worked.

I had written trivia- 5 rounds, 10 questions each, 3 all age rounds, one kids-only, one adult-only round. People yelled their name if they knew the answer and whoever had the most points at the end of the round won a prize. It was loud and chaotic and hilarious and I loved it.

We ate a lot, drank amazing cocktails. Eventually I sent all the kids to the basement where I had set up the projector and screen and they watched a movie quietly so we could hang out in peace. It was a perfect Thanksgiving.

I woke up on Friday with lots of energy- the four of us re-set the house, cleaning the rest of the mess and putting everything away. Shout out to Debbie King and Christine Nelson for doing ALL of the dishes and cleaning almost everything the night before, so the next day wasn’t bad. After cleaning up, I pulled out all of the Christmas decorations so we could put up the tree. This is a little earlier than usual, but we are traveling for Christmas this year. I don’t want to try to pack all the presents and stockings, and bring them with us- it seems like a nightmare. So we will be writing Santa a letter and asking him to come to our house a few days early.

Because our Christmas will be early, I wanted to make sure we had a full Christmas season- hence, day-after-Thanksgiving decorating, cocoa, and reading the Elf on the Shelf book. Once the tree is up, our elf comes the next day and we were all VERY excited.

After the tree was up, the last few days caught up with me and I hit a wall. I was so exhausted I felt like I could tip over. So it was a low key afternoon and evening for everyone. Staying up late also seemed to catch up with the boys because by the late afternoon, they were crabby. Gussie was in bed and asleep by 6:45, Xander soon after. We were partied out!

On Saturday morning, our elf arrived. He changed the clock (it says, “it’s Christmas TIME”) and brought chocolate countdown calendars. Our other favorite tradition is the countdown box that I fill. All of the drawers have special things for the boys. They were VERY excited for the holiday season to begin and were up sometime in the 5am hour. Nate and I made a rule that they had to stay in bed until 7am on Saturday, but at 5am, Gussie popped out of bed. Luckily, after some whisper yelling, he crawled into Xander’s bed and they both stayed there until 7am. This morning the box had a scavenger hunt and there were clues hidden all over our house. The boys ran around and found them all, working well together. They were very excited that the prize was pokemon cards and spent most of the morning organizing.

Tomorrow we are back to regular schedule and I am SO glad! Let’s get these kids back to school!

Thanksgiving Trivia-

Round 1- Miscellaneous

1. What kind of fish is Nemo?
2. What year was Taylor Swift born?
3. “Max said “BE STILL!” and tamed with the magic trick of staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once and they were frightened and called him the most wild thing of all and made him king of all wild things. “And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!” – What book does this quote come from?
4. Which mammal is known to have the most powerful bite in the world?
5. How old was Tiger Woods when he won the Masters?
6. What is the tallest mountain in the world?
7. What is a dried plum called?
8. What singer’s name is also a color?
9. In which city is the Liberty Bell found in?
10. Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless are characters in which animated film? ‘

Answers- Clownfish, 1989, Where the Wild Things Are, Hippopotamus, 21, Mount Everest, Prune, Pink, Philadelphia, How to Train Your Dragon

Round 2- Thanksgiving Knowledge

1. What year did “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” debut on television? 
2. Are pumpkins technically a fruit or a vegetable? 
3. An adult female turkey is called a hen, what is an adult male turkey called?
4. How long is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route? 
5. What is the busiest day of the year for plumbers?
6. How long can a turkey be stored in the freezer? 
7. What state produces the most turkeys in the United States?  
8. How many cranberries does it take to make up one pound-
9. Who was the first video game character to be featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade?
10. Other than the period of 1939-1944, due to World War II, this football team has played every Thanksgiving since 1934.

BONUS- This is a cooking technique involving pouring juices or melted fat over meat during cooking in order to keep it moist.  

Answers- 1973, Fruit, Tom, 2.5 miles, Black Friday, An unopened whole turkey can be frozen for up to two years, according to Butterball., Minnesota, 440, Sonic the Hedgehog in 1993, the Detroit Lions, Basting

Kids Only Round

1- What is the name of the pokemon shown?

2- This female villain is the sidekick and love interest of the Joker.

 3- “Night in the city, and a brave new band of heroes is ready to face fiendish villains to stop them from messing with your city.” What TV show is this quote from?

4- There are 10 puppies in Paw Patrol- Marshall, Chase, Rubble, Zuma, Rocky and Skye are the 6 main characters. Name 2 of the additional 4 pups.

5- What is the difference between a Blow Pop and a Tootsie Pop?  

6- In the game Minecraft, what is terrified of Ocelots?

7- What is the collective name for a group of lions?

8- What board game features characters like Lord Licorice and Queen Frostine?

9- Name 4 fast food restaurants that serve chicken nuggets.

10-In what song does Taylor sing: “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play”?

Answers- Jigglypuff, Harley Quinn, PJ Masks, (Everest, Tracker, Rex,
Liberty), Center is gum vs tootsie roll, Creepers, Pride of lions, CandyLand,
(McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s Chick Filet, Cane’s Arby’s), Shake it Off

Adults Only Round

1. This athlete is the only player to ever be a part of three different World Cup winning teams. –
2. A Greek word, of the dip or sauce made of strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, and other seasonings.
3. In Texas Hold Em, what does the phrase, “Big Slick” refer to?
4. Deriving from a Hindi phrase meaning “learned one”, this word describes a broadcaster, commentator, or writer who specializes in analyzing politics? –
5. Helsinki is the capital city of which country?
6. Name that tune
7. The popularity of this type of exercises is on the rise. This type of training involves repeated bouts of extreme effort followed by varied recovery times.
8. Which child falls into the chocolate river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? –
9. Name the tv show this opening song comes from. –
10. Bourbon or rye whiskey, sugar cube, water, bitters, orange peel- these are the ingredients for what cocktail?

Answers- Pelé, Tzatziki, Having A-K hole cards, Pundit, Finland, Little Boo Thang, High Intensity Interval Training, Augustus Gloop, Ted Lasso, An Old Fashioned

The final round was “Name That Tune”- all songs that contain “thank you”. You’ll have to trust me, it was a banger of a round!

November is here. Time flies when you’re busy having fun. The days are long but the years fly by… I get it. I can’t believe it is already November.

Last week was a VERY regular week. I said it all week and celebrated our very normal, average, boring, easy going week. I love weeks where nothing is going on. It is the busiest time of the year for me at work- end of year giving time and also I am working on magazine #3, so I feel like a crazy woman. The boys had a regular week of school, swim practice and obsessing about pokemon cards. Nate is free from studying and preparing for the CFP exam, but also has a lot going on with his clients since it is nearly the end of the year.

Last weekend was all about date night/day for me and Nate. Grandma Debbie had the boys overnight on Saturday, so they got to swim, go to 5 Below, eat snacks, stay up late and have a great time. On Saturday night, Nate and I met up with his Edward Jones crew of friends to have drinks and celebrate the end of the CFP exam for a few of them. On Sunday, we met Danny and Heather for a Vikings game double date. Danny got tickets from a co-worker, so it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. It was an action-packed game, so even 3/4 though of us aren’t exactly football fans, it was still pretty exciting.

This week was SUPPOSED to be another normal week before the craziness of the holidays hitting, but alas, sometimes the universe does not cooperate.

Monday and Tuesday were normal- work, school, swimming. My neighbor Heather, who is an amazingly talented hair stylist offered to teach me to blow dry my hair (a skill I have not yet mastered at 41). So I spent a little time in her salon getting a tutorial.

On Tuesday night, Nate started feeling kind of crummy and Wednesday, he came home early feeling really awful. We decided to give him a covid test and it came back positive almost immediately. UGH. We got him settled into bed and then I started the anxiety math of, “ok, if I get sick tomorrow, here’s what will need to be moved around… if I get sick the next day, if I get sick the next day…” and so on.

Thursday and Friday were miserable days for poor Nate. He slept for the majority of the days, with short visits to our main floor for food. I felt so bad for him, but also wanted to keep him away from all of us as much as possible. I slept in the bottom bunk in Gussie’s room, and pretty much lysol-ed everything Nate touched.

Friday was pajama day in kindergarten, which was very exciting for Gussie. His class got to wear pjs and bring a stuffed animal. He said, “it’s a party all day!” When I asked if he was going to do any learning, he said, “yes, but it’s exciting because during math, we also get to have our stuffies out!” Sometimes I forget how little he is and how exciting even the little things like having pjs and a stuffed animal are.

Friday morning, I was doing the pack lunches/make breakfast/feed dogs/ wrangle kids marathon when I noticed our dining room window was broken! The 6 year old culprit will remain nameless, but there is a reason that my motto is, “it’s not IF everything in this house will break, it’s WHEN.” Luckily the glass didn’t actually break, it just got pushed out of the frame. I texted my neighbor Aaron- “I have 16 people coming for Thanksgiving in less than a week. Nate is dying of covid. I have dozens of cookie orders. I am on deadline for the magazine. I need to fix something quickly, not necessarily the right way. Give me your advice.” Not only did he give me advice, he had adhesive on hand, brought it over and managed to get the window back in place within minutes of me texting him. A true hero. We probably need new windows but for the time being, the glass is in place and the cold air is outside.

Friday was also exciting because Trolls 3 opened in theaters. Trolls was the first movie Xander watched on repeat and also one of my favorites. Trolls 2 came out in the pandemic and we paid $20 to rent it right away and hung up a sheet and projected in in our living room. So Trolls holds a special place in my heart. Grandma Debbie joined the boys and I for an afternoon showing. As far as kids movies goes, I can’t recommend highly enough!

Saturday was a day of rest for Nate, pokemon card organizing for the boys, and cookies/Thanksgiving prep/whatever else for me.

On Sunday Nate was feeling significantly better and was able to leave the house. We went to the Hot Wheels Glow Party, which is similar to Monster Jam. If you had told me I would be a monster truck enthusiast in my 40s, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are. It was a fun show.

I’ve taken 5 covid tests, tested the boys once each, and continue to lysol everything in sight, but so far, it seems that the rest of us may have avoided it. As we prepare to host Thanksgiving next week, I am crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, and begging the universe to please spare us. Send healthy thoughts our way for next week!!!

The last 2 weeks have been jam packed with Halloween fun. I am exhausted.

We got the boys’ school pictures back- it would be $160 to download the images below, so enjoy the screen shots I took, because we will not be purchasing these, even though the are pretty cute. Literally, everything in life is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive and every day I sound more and more like a crabby old guy saying things like, “back in my day, that thing cost a nickel…” But for real.

The week of the 23rd-27 was a pretty average week for us- swimming, school, work, etc. The boys get monthly kiwi co boxes, which are super fun activities. They go in spurts where they ignore them, and then all of a sudden can’t get enough. We were all about them this week. Gussie gets a cooking theme box and he made breakfast cocktails with homemade grenadine, and a lava cake that was AMAZING.

I’m still on a new recipe kick, experimenting with one new meal a week. I’m also still making their lunches every day, but have gotten a pretty good system that includes one million tiny tupperware, but makes planning and prep quite smooth.

Last Saturday was the kickoff to Halloween fun. The Highland Park Business Association hosts trick or treating around the businesses in the area. It was a very fun morning. Not only were businesses handing out candy, they were also handing out cocoa, chips and salsa, hot dogs, and more. It was quite a spread. And both boys ended up with full buckets of candy.

After a morning of festivities, we had a little bit of rest time at home, and then Saturday night was Heather and Andy’s annual neighborhood Halloween BASH. It is possibly my favorite neighborhood event of the year! First of all, everyone shows up looking their best! It is so exciting to see what kinds of costumes everyone comes up with. There were many other guests I didn’t get pictures of, but everyone looked awesome. Xander knew he wanted to be a ninja turtle weeks ago. Despite my convincing, Augustus was NOT interested in a family costume. He wanted to be a “Soul Slayer” which, is a phrase I am pretty sure he made up. He wanted to look scary. We compromised on a scary but not too scary costume.

Besides the costumes and amazing spread of food, this party has my favorite activity of all- the scavenger hunt. Heather makes a list of specific things around the neighborhood and pairs run around and have to take a photo with each item. First team back with all the photos wins.

Gussie and I were a pair this year and we ran so hard I was sweating. We kept yelling at each other to run faster and “come on come, we’re almost done!” It was so fun and our photos got progressively blurrier, but in the end, we were the winners!!!

After the scavenger hunt, there were other games to keep the kiddos busy while the backyard was set up for the candy hunt. Heather hides candy all over and the kids get to run around and collect it. Once again, we ended up with full bags of candy!

The kids ran around the yard all evening. The adults drank Heather’s signature cocktails and chatted. Eventually Nate took the boys home and put them to bed and I played flip cup until well past my normal bedtime. It was a fabulous day!

On Sunday, we had one of Gussie’s classmates over for a playdate. Gussie and this young man are, what I would call, “frien-enemies”- sometimes friend, sometimes arch nemesis. I’ve spoken to his teacher about this kid several times and while my little snowflake typically gets along with everyone, based on our conversations, I wanted to check this kid out. It was a fun afternoon and they played together nicely. I didn’t get any weird vibes from him and his mom was lovely too. I have a suspicion that both of these dudes have a lot of energy, sometimes struggle to control that energy, and sometimes their energy just clashes. When the playdate ended, I felt better about this situation and happy I got to see them play.

Speaking of Augustus and friends, last week, my sweet baby 6 year old and I had the following conversation-

Gussie- I have a crush on someone and she has a crush on me.
Me- oh?! And what does that mean?
G- we love each other
Me- what do you love about this young woman?
G- she’s smart and beautiful and good at athletics
Me- and what happens when you have a crush on someone?
G- we hold hands

Jesus take the wheel.

Later that evening, Xander was teasing him and Augustus said, “you have 10 seconds to laugh and then it’s done.” Xander laughed for 10 seconds and then he stopped.

I didn’t bring it up again, but Grandma Debbie was over a few days later and asked Augustus what was new. Matter-of-factly as he could, he said, “I’m in love.” Grandma asked him about this little girl and he said, “when we play kickball, she runs almost as fast as me and I’m the second fastest kid in our class.”

I like that he has found himself a strong, confident woman who isn’t holding back. But whoa buddy, I think this kid is going to give us a run for our money.

Last week was a busy one for us! Monday was PJ day at school for the boys. Xander said, “I think pajama day is dumb, I’m not doing that.” I like that he knows himself and does what is best for him.

Monday night we carved pumpkins. Well, Xander carved a pumpkin and Augustus painted his gourd (which is what he picked out instead of a pumpkin).

I made Halloween themed lunches for all 3 of my men. Nate has been studying for the Certified Financial Planner exam for a full year now. The test was Thursday and he was nervous and still working hard to prepare. So I offered to make him lunch all week. When he said yes, I am not sure if he expected the same lunches as the boys. I giggled when I thought about him in his beautiful fancy office opening his lunch box and being like, “why does everything have eyes and teeth?!” More professional business lunches should include hot dogs with eyes or bagels with teeth.

Tuesday was Halloween! The good thing about the weekend of trick or treating and partying is that there’s a little less pressure on actual Halloween. It’s a fun night, but also not that big of a deal.

We started out with pizza skull dinner for the entire neighborhood. Every year since my children have been alive, Halloween has been warm outside. This year was like Halloween of my youth- 30 degrees and snowy! So we jammed 26 people in my house to enjoy what has become a pre-trick or treating tradition. Everyone brought snacks and treats and salads to share. I made 36 pizza skulls. We ate, we laughed and we were out in about an hour. It’s a whirlwind of fun before we get out to our neighborhood.

We walked up and down our block- the highlight being our neighbor giving out packs of pokemon cards. The next street over is known as “Halloween Street” and houses were UNBELIEVABLE with their decorations. One house even had a photo booth. Even with the cold, everyone stands outside along the edge of their yard and so trick or treating is so easy. By the time we had gone up and down that block, both boys were ready to be done.

Xander and I spent about 30 minutes handing out candy, and both boys were showered and in bed only slightly later than usual.

On Wednesday, Nate and I went out to a special dinner while my mom had dinner with the boys. Our favorite sushi restaurant has been closed for over a year while the building it is in was under construction. We had dinner on their last night and on Wednesday, it was the re-opening night. It was also the night before Nate’s big CFP test. We ate ALL the sushi and had a nice night and pre-celebrated his success!

Thursday was Nate’s test and after of year of hard work and preparation, he passed! And in typical Nate fashion, he was as cool as can be- barely a reaction at all. I would have been shouting from the rooftop! Thursday for the boys was “dress like your class name day” so Augustus dressed as a sea turtle, and Xander (whose class is the Golden Retrievers), once again opted out.

When it was time for swim practice, Xander was NOT feeling it. He had been out of sorts from the time he got home from school. Nate and I are trying hard to teach the boys commitment and follow-through and responsibility, but also balance that with the understanding that they are still little. So Xander and I stayed home and he took a bath and then got into bed early. We snuggled and read books and he was asleep before Nate and Augustus even got home. I think Halloween fun had finally caught up to him.

On Friday, we road-tripped down to Des Moines to meet up with 2 of Nate’s high school friends and their families. We stayed in a hotel with a pool. One of the other kids also had pokemon cards, so there was some trading time. We went to a really cool nearby park. Xander and I made a special trip to a fabulous bakery that Christine loved when she lived in Iowa and that she and I went to every time I visited. It was a busy few days of fun.

And now it’s November, which means it’s almost time for our Elf to return!!

I was chatting with my brother today and I said, “we just got back from the cabin and the boys are playing with neighbors, and I’m going grocery shopping and we are going to an anniversary party at 4:30 this evening.” And Danny said, “Whoa! You guys do a lot.” I know man, I know. But there are a lot of fun things and I can’t seem to say no to anything.

We’ve had 2 pretty typical weeks. We’re in a good daily and weekly routine. The boys are obsessed with Pokemon cards and pretty much start talking about them first thing in the morning, after school, until bedtime.

Nate is busy studying for the CFP exam (which is at the beginning of November). The boys are enjoying swim team and are both getting so fast! I’ve been making lots of cookies and recently got a very exciting surprise gift from my neighbor- a bulldog welcome mat!

In the morning, I make the boys breakfast, pack lunches and snacks. I make them an afternoon snack when they get home. I make dinner every night. I am pretty exhausted by the amount of cooking I am doing, but instead of trying to do less, I have found myself spending a lot of time with cook books and pinterest, looking up new recipes. I’m on a Julia Child kick, recently making potato leek soup, scalloped potatoes, and red wine braised short ribs over mushroom risotto. New recipes is helping me feel less stressed about being stuck in the kitchen.

Now instead of just meal planning dinners for the week, I am meal planning lunches too. The boys are not interested in taking school lunch and from the sound of it, it’s not great. I have thermos bowls that I fill with boiling water and let them sit. I make them lunch- something like chili, soup, mini corn dogs, pasta, chicken, pancakes, meatloaf, etc. I dump the water and dry the inside, sometimes add a paper towel to the bottom (to absorb the moisture and keep things crispy), and the boys tell me that lunch is still hot by lunchtime. So far, it’s going well and I’m figuring out what works well. But I am cooking nonstop.

This weekend was MEA break. Thursday was just a day of rest, pokemon cards, screen time, and me trying to both work from home and parent 2 children who were home. Those days are exhausting.

But Friday the boys and I packed up and went to my uncle and aunt’s cabin for the weekend with the Nelson crew. Nate opted out so he could study all weekend. Christine and I were very excited for a fun weekend and planned ALL the fun food, activities, and also a little time for relaxing.

We had festive Halloween-y snacks- caramel apples with crushed up candy, mummy brie, mummy stuffed peppers. We made a nacho table, which the children were a little apprehensive about (“no plates?!) at first, but it was a table covered in nachos, so they adapted quickly. We ate freshly baked cookies, hot apple cider, s’mores over the fire, and Derek went into town for fancy coffee drinks for Christine and I. We played a lot of games. The kids ran around outside, got wet and sandy at the beach, traded pokemon cards, and collected and smashed about a million acorns. It was so fun and also gave us a lot of time to relax.

On Friday night, Derek took all 5 kids to a nearby park while Christine and I prepped dinner. We had a ravioli tasting dinner extravaganza. Christine and I each prepared 3 different flavors of ravioli- I made sausage/mozzarella in a cream sauce, mushroom ravioli in a red sauce and butternut squash ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce. Christine made a lobster ravioli in lemon cream sauce, a burrata ravioli in red sauce, and a pumpkin ravioli in butter sauce with parmesan cheese. We served each type of ravioli on a small plate and then rated the texture, flavor and overall. We had a rule that everyone had to take at least a bite of each one. Butternut squash with brown butter and sage was 10s across the board for the grown ups and 1-3s for the kids (with a few bites getting spit into napkins), so it was both a clear winner and a clear loser. There were several requests for seconds on the sausage/mozzarella as well. After sampling 6 raviolis, we served more of each based on what everyone liked best and also had a charcuterie board with baked brie, cheese curds, chicken nuggets, and several fancy cheeses. It was a very fun meal.

On Saturday, we went to Pinehaven Farm for a day of fall festivity. There were literally one million activities to do- I think we could have spent about 12 hours there. There was a corn pit, a zipline, a very fun playground with giant slides, a corn shooter (you literally shot corn cobs across a field), an apple cannon (the apples exploded on impact, which was as spectacular as you might imagine), tug of war, a place to buy rubber ducks and race them, a big bounce area, and things to climb on everywhere. And so many more activities we didn’t even have time for. I highly recommend it and we will definitely go back in the future.

On both Friday and Saturday, I had special group pirate time activities for all the kids.

On Friday, I gave the kids a map of the cabin and yard that I had drawn (and also crumpled, burned to look authentic). There were 7 hidden scrolls and they had to run around and collect all of them (everyone also had to wear an eye patch for the whole activity). One the scrolls were collected, they opened them and had to complete 7 challenges- they had to use pool noodles to keep a balloon in the air for 20 hits, they used cups to build a tower, they unscrambled golden rocks to spell “pirates”, etc. Once all 7 challenges were complete, they earned a prize, which was a skull head pinata, which had lots of random prizes inside. The other kids did not enjoy the eye patches!

Day 2 pirate time, they had to use the map to find the hidden “elixer” which was buried on the beach. Using the dangerous chemical (vinegar), they dissolved the “bombs” (baking soda and water which hardened into a plaster like substance, inside of which were tiny skulls. Once they released the skulls, they had to go upstairs, which has a balcony overlooking the downstairs, where I had lined up buckets. Each kid had to sink a skull into a bucket. Once they did, they got to cut one of the “bars” blocking their prize. When all 5 bars were cut, they revealed the prize, which was all the toppings for ice cream sundaes.

We let the kids stay up way too late both nights. They watched movies and ate popcorn and played and laughed. Christine, Derek and I sat around the campfire, and played games and drank good wine and it was fantastic. A truly fabulous weekend.

Sunday morning, we had 5 very tired kids. We pretty much cleaned up and packed and headed home. Tired kids, how about tired parents?! It was a very busy, very fun MEA weekend!

Did I mention I was tired? Yeah, no time for being tired. The boys and I got home and unloaded the van, unpacked, and I started laundry while making lunch. I left the boys to go to the airport to pick up my brother. When I got home, the boys went outside to play with Sam and Abby (more pokemon trading time!) and I attempted to get organized for the week ahead. Then it was time to get the boys cleaned up and all of us into “snazzy outfits” for Sean and Rachel’s 10 year anniversary dinner party. Hosted at Mancini’s, it was fun to see the whole neighborhood (and MANY others) all dressed up. The happy couple renewed their wedding vows, we ate delicious food, and the kids drank ALL the kiddie cocktails. It was such a wonderful night.

By 7pm, I felt like I was going to fall over from exhaustion and the boys looked the same. We went home and while Nate handled bedtime, I ran to Target for a quick grocery pick up (I am so grateful for the ability to order groceries and just swing in to pick them up). I carried in groceries in my heals (that might have been the first time I’ve done that), snuggled 2 little boys, and then flopped onto the couch for the first time that day. Every day is like a marathon.

Now that we’ve successfully executed Xander’s birthday and MEA, it’s time to get focused on Halloween! Andy and Heather’s annual neighborhood Halloween bash is next Saturday and we need to be ready!!! I can only focus on one fun thing at a time, but I am ready for costumes, parties, trick or treating, pre-Halloween and pizza skull dinner. It should be a busy week!

Every night, this incredibly needy dog wants his face as close to mine as he can possibly get.

On Monday, our sweet little baby turned 8 years old! Time flies and we have a big kid! I didn’t mean to pump him full of sugar, but it was a day of treats! I asked what he wanted for a special birthday breakfast and he said chocolate croissants. We made a quick run to Bread & Chocolate for exceptional pastries to start the day! On Sunday night, I went went to Kowalski’s for sushi to pack in his lunch, and they have such beautiful tiny desserts. I bought chocolate dipped brownies for both boys as a fun lunch surprise. I had NOT realized that we were sending birthday treats for his class. That was not allowed at our old school, so when Xander casually mentioned that he was bringing treats on Sunday night, I was like, “wait, what now?” I quickly emailed his teacher for clarification and bless her heart for responding within minutes on a Sunday night! “No allergies! 20 kids in class.” Ok. Luckily I had made “worms and dirt” macarons earlier in the week- without actually having a plan for them, so I sent those and all was well.

For dinner, Xander requested Dominos pizza and a french silk pie. At that point in the day, I was afraid his day of treats was going to make him sick, but he was happy as could be. 8 years old!

Gussie is the most handsome 6 year old I’ve ever seen and his teeth are popping out nonstop. This is the face of a dude who is going to use this kindergarten year to learn how to sit still, which is proving to be the hardest part of school thus far. He’s so smart- he’s reading 4-5 word sentences/page books every night. He is curious and creative and so bright. But his body moves nonstop, sometimes without any connection to his brain. He is so so wiggly. And so he’s had a few tough days as he adjusts to the demands of sitting on the carpet without flipping, standing on his head, spinning, or turtling his entire body into his shirt.

On Thursday night, Nate took Xander to swim team practice and Gussie and I stayed at home. He wasn’t in a great mood during dinner and was not prepared to go swim for an hour. I managed to get him calmed down and after eating a quesadilla on the couch and snuggling for a bit, we talked about his day at school and how challenging it is to sit still. I am determined to help him figure out how to succeed in school without breaking his spirit. Luckily his teacher is really great and I think we will be able to partner to help him harness that energy.

Friday was cold and rainy and everyone was tired. So we had special dinner on the couch/family movie night. We wanted “Little Giants” from 1994 and the boys belly-laughed through the whole movie. It was so fun. Afterwards, we did showers, bedtime reading and had the boys in bed (and asleep) by 7:30!

After early bedtime on Friday night, we were refreshed and ready for a fun day on Saturday. Camp St. Croix had a Harvest Festival event. I thought we would be there for an hour- I figured we’d put in an appearance, grab a snack and head home. The boys were feeling very so so about going. So my expectations were low.

We had the BEST time. We were there for almost 4 hours and could have stayed longer except that I was freezing cold and couldn’t be outside any longer. We did all the autumn things. We haven’t been to a corn pit since they were toddlers and I didn’t think they would even want to go in it, but they were obsessed. I had to drag them out! We held chickens. They learned to lasso. We took a hay ride. We climbed on tractors. They played gaga. We made out own pizza. We got giant donuts. We drank hot chocolate and hot apple cider. We had so much fun!

On our way home, I got a text from my neighbor Melissa inviting me to “ladies sauna night” next door. Her timing couldn’t have been better- I was frozen to the bone! It was the perfect way to end a very fun day.

Today has been another beautiful fall day outside. We invited Xander’s class for a birthday playdate in the park. Low key- just cupcakes and hot apple cider (a last minute addition after really enjoying it the day before at the Harvest Fest) and playing. It was really nice to meet lots of parents and see the kids he’s been talking about. He smiled and played the whole time. The weather cooperated and it was sunny and warm. At one point, we watched as about 10 little boys ran wild with giant sticks in their hands. I was 100% prepared for the birthday party to end in tears, but somehow, they continued their “Lord of the Flies” esque game for a long time and no one cried, got mad or got smacked in the head. It was fun to watch them be creative and a little feral. It was a very fun day and I was happy to see him with his new classmates.

We’ve got a normal week ahead.

I thought I would have oodles of photos since I haven’t updated in 2 weeks, but we’ve had 2 super normal, laid back weeks. The boys are enjoying school and swim team. I think I can say we’ve fully adjusted to our new school-year routine.

Last weekend, the boys spent the night at Grandma Debbie’s on Friday night and then had a playdate with new school friends on Sunday.

I think if every week was like the last 2, I probably couldn’t find things to regularly write about. But I am also happy with the low key nature of the last few weeks!

But it couldn’t all be low key, so Friday morning, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of eating breakfast, getting kids ready, packing lunches and trying to get everyone out the door, I looked down to see a large puddle of blood on the floor. “Everyone freeze” I shouted, trying to figure out which kid/dog/me? was bleeding. Hudson. Blood- gushing out of his bottom. Ok….. He was happily running around, being his normal obnoxious self, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was leaving puddles of blood all over the floor. I managed to wrestle him into a choke hold to clean him up and try to access what was happening. It appeared to be pretty swollen next to his butt hole and gushing blood.

I called the vet who said it sounded like a ruptured anal gland. I quickly googled while still on the phone and once I confirmed it wasn’t life threatening, I calmed down a bit. The boys went to school. Hudson continued to bleed all over the floor until we got into my van (where he bled all over that floor) and we went to the vet.

He had not had any issues, showed no signs of discomfort, and we’ve never had any problems before. Apparently anal glands can just rupture. Great. So there’s nothing we did to cause it and nothing I could have done to prevent it. The vet did an antibiotic infusion into the gland and now he has 2 weeks of antibiotics. He appears to still feel 100% fine and the vet was very casual about the whole thing. So… I guess we’re fine after a whirlwind of bloody excitement on a Friday morning.

Sunday was a day of excitement as it was the first (of several) celebrations for Xander’s birthday! My tiny little baby is 8 years old!! How did that happen?!

Xander’s bestie from MPA is Sammy. We’ve been trying to schedule a playdate for weeks and I sent a bunch of dates to his mom. Sunday was the day that worked best. I realized it was the day before Xander’s birthday and that he wasn’t overly excited about a birthday party this year because he is still getting to know the kids in his class. So we decided to turn the playdate into a birthday celebration and so Nate and I took the boys to Mall of America for a day of rides and fun.

Xander was thrilled to have time with his dear friend. They were just glowing with happiness and having the cutest conversations. They rode ride after ride and ran all around. They were excited and happy and it was a perfect day. We stopped for a pizza break and later for an ice cream break, but really, they rode rides most of the day! We have more celebrating to do this week, but kick-off to being 8 years old was a huge success.

We are settling into being back to school and re-establishing our routines. This week was our 2nd week of school and swimming, and we are all adjusting to being back to “normal”. As expected with back to school, Gussie brought home the sniffles, which I caught, and then by the end of the week passed onto Xander. Gussie was over them quickly, I had 2 days of not feeling great, Xander stayed home from school on Friday. Hopefully that’s it for sickness for a while. Years of being sick from daycare should have bought our family some health at this age….

Gussie has been wearing his patch regularly- with or without special pirate activities. We did have a special pirate dinner on night- I used food coloring markers to draw pirate maps on quesadillas, gold luster dust to make golden oreos and special skull shaped cups.

The boys tried taking school lunch on Tuesday and it didn’t go very well. They were very spoiled last year and it’s a hard change. I actually think once they settle into school and are more comfortable, school lunch might not be such a big deal. But for now, I’ve been making their lunch every day. We tried french toast sticks, eggs, sausage and fruit- “breakfast for lunch”, chicken nuggets, sushi, and mini-meatloafs. The containers I bought work pretty well at keeping food warm. I fill them with boiling water for about 10 minutes, dry them out and put the hot food in them. The boys tell me their lunch is hot, so I will continue to experiment.

The boys had swim practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights. They both really enjoy it and they are getting faster and faster. It’s really fun to watch them grow every week.

On Friday, Nate went golfing at a course he has wanted to play on for a long time. He played well and despite a rainy morning, the weather cooperated. He had a great day. Xander stayed home from school sick and spent the whole day resting. Unfortunately that meant he didn’t get to take part in the mini meet for swimming that evening. They swam relays and it was a really fun, causal event. Augustus swam with the other little ones and then there was a relay with 2 little guys and 2 big kids (15 or 16 year olds). At the end of the event, there were just teens left- a bunch of big boys and Gussie hanging out with them chatting away. All of a sudden, it looked like he was going to jump in the pool during the relay. But it was all teenagers, so of course not…. but this is Augustus we are talking about, so he jumped in and swam in a relay with 3 16 year olds. When he finished, we said, “what happened?!” He said, “oh, one of the guys forgot his goggles, so they said I should fill in.” I don’t know where this little baby gets his confidence, but he is unstoppable.

On Saturday, we woke up and got ready for our camping trip!

One of the articles I wrote for the upcoming magazine (dropping Oct 2!) was about Camp Icaghowan’s treehouses and I found out that not only do camper groups stay overnight in them, but other people can rent them out! I wanted to sleep in a treehouse! We didn’t tell the boys we were going to a treehouse, just that we were going to go camping for a night at a camp.

me- “On Saturday, we are going camping! It is going to be so fun! We’re going to cook over the fire and run around the woods!”

X- “Why?” (teenage angsty face)

me- “Because it’s fun!”

X- “Maybe you should go with some of your buds.”

Gus- “Is there wifi there?”

me- “You’re my best buds and we’re going as a family and it’s gonna be awesome.”

X- (under his breath) “this doesn’t sound fun.”

When we arrived at camp, we checked in and followed the director through the woods, driving past the other treehouse. Both boys were so excited and said, “OH! A treehouse! Can we go in it?!” Nate and I both said, “no, I don’t think so” and we kept driving (it was so mean). But one minute later, we arrived at the bigger treehouse and oh! Their faces were amazing. Did I have my camera ready? No. I was swept into the moment of Xander’s face lighting up, and Gussie yelling “whoa!” and both of them losing their minds when I said, “here’s where we are going to stay!” They jumped out of the van and ran to the treehouse, climbing the rope and jumping and exploring their whole thing. It was so fun and so exciting! Xander kept saying, “I can’t believe this!”

We got the air mattresses blown up and beds made, unpacked and set up. I handed the boys swords and let them go free in the woods. I sat quietly and relaxed and played with my watercolors. Nate took a nap. It was so relaxing.

Then it was time for exploring. We walked all over camp, stopping every time the boys said, “I want to climb on top of those logs” or “oh look, a mushroom” or “can I throw a rock at that tree?” We found the archery range and used rocks and sticks for target practice. We played basketball. We climbed on the bouldering wall. We spent a lot of time in the skychairs- Nate and I relaxing, the boys spinning and swinging and kicking each other. We explored the other treehouse and walked all around camp.

When we got back to the treehouse, we ate snacks and played in the woods. Xander claims he’s an indoor kid, but he was so content to climb up and down the rope on the treehouse, explore, get very dirty, pee in the woods, and help with the fire, so maybe there’s a little outdoorsman in him after all.

The boys spent about 45 minutes collecting and smashing acorns, organizing them, peeling them apart. It was one of those magical kid activities that makes no sense and wasn’t planned, but is, for some reason, captivating. I love to plan activities for my kids, but whenever they find something to entertain themselves with, I am careful to stay out of their way. Nate and I were both sitting around the campfire chatting and chatting with them. But they were completely engrossed in their activity without any guidance or intervention from us. I love to watch them create and explore and work together and come up with ideas.

Dinner was hot dogs over the fire- Xander claimed they were the best hot dogs he’d ever had. We had fruit and veggies and snacks and afterwards, made cherry pies. Nate was skeptical, but they were delicious!

We played yahzee by headlamp and then snuggled into our beds. The treehouse didn’t have electricity, but we had a very bright lantern and lots of flashlights. The enclosed part of the treehouse was small, but still, at bedtime, the boys were a little nervous. So instead of sleeping next to Nate in our very comfortable queen sized bed, I pushed the two twin mattresses together and slept on the edge of Augustus’s air mattress, part of my butt on Xander’s mattress, with my arm over Xander. Luckily I only needed the 6 inches of space I had to squeeze into for a snuggly night of sleep.

We were up with the sun this morning. Xander helped me re-start the fire and then we cooked french toast and sausage for breakfast. We went back to main camp for more bouldering and sky chair time. I had a chance to chat with the executive director and 2 of the camp board members who were with her. They have a lot of exciting plans for the months ahead and I’m excited to be involved!

We packed up our gear and headed home- Nate and Xander both rated the overnight a 7, I gave it an 8, Augustus gave it a 10. It was a really fantastic little getaway.

Week #3 of school and swimming are ahead!

It was the first week of school and we are off and running!

Xander started 2nd grade and Augustus started in kindergarten! We took photos at home and then I attempted to take a photo in front of the school sign and my 6-going-on-16 year old said, “we already did this!” …Ok cool kid.

When we got to school, we dropped Augustus off at his classroom first. I said, “give me a hug and a kiss” and he gave me a LOOK. So I said, “or a high five” and he high fived me and went into his classroom without a second look! We dropped off Xander and as we were walking out, there was a mom sobbing in the hallway. I thought, “kindergarten mom!” and then I thought, “wait, I’m a kindergarten mom! Am I supposed to be crying?!” I was imagining spraying champagne bottles everywhere like a winning race car driver.

The boys are at a new school this year. MPA was a great school and had a great 2 years. But the drive got to be a lot and the tuition was outrageous and while there was a lot of good, the vibe wasn’t quite us. It just didn’t feel like the right fit. We found a school that is 5 minutes away from our house. The class sizes are small and tuition is FREE. This is an outdoor education focused charter school- kids have one hour per day of outdoor ed, plus recess. The curriculum is play-based and child-led and so very in line with summer camp. I could talk for hours about how much I believe in this type of learning style. I didn’t the boys to have to change schools and leave their friends, but I think this is such a good switch. I am very hopeful about the change.

The first day was ok. Both boys came home complaining about the school lunch. “The chef is awful“. Well sweet boys, that is because there is not a chef- the lunches are catered and re-heated. I was very excited about free school lunch, but thus far, I’ve been packing lunches each day.

They are adjusting and exhausted and we’re easing in. Week 1= pretty much how I expected.

Tuesday night was our first swim practice. I was not thrilled that the first day of school and the first day of swim practice were the same day- that felt like a LOT, but the boys were amazing. They went to school and after dinner were ready to swim hard! The boys will swim Tuesdays and Thursdays and it’s a lot and I’m a little nervous about it, but they both seem to like it so far. So we’ll see how it goes.

On Wednesday, Gussie’s new glasses arrived. He was very excited to pick them up and very impressed by the “fancy” case. Together, Gussie’s eyes work great- his vision is clear. It is only the left eye that is an issue. So whether he has the glasses on or not, he sees the same. Which means that once the novelty wore off (after a day), convincing him to wear the glasses has been tricky. In the long run, wearing the glasses (plus patching) should make his left eye stronger, but right now, the glasses have been a bit of a battle.

Pirate time began on Monday (as I described in the last blog). He needs to wear the patch for 30 minutes a day to exercise his optic nerve. I am trying to make it fun. Every time he completes pirate time, he gets a piece of treasure that he can use to buy prizes from my prize box.

The patch annoys him, his glasses annoy him. Xander is jealous of pirate time and thinks it’s unfair Gussie gets to earn prizes. Gussie is obsessed with the rewards attached to pirate time. I am concerned that I am somehow messing both boys up. Am I supposed to shake my fist at him and tell him, “wear the patch… or else!…” That’s not exactly my style of parenting. Thus far, I am hustling to create daily “pirate time” activities that are fun, but not too fun, include both kids, and keep him busy while he wears the patch. It’s going to be a journey. We played pirate bingo with Sam and Abby (winner of each round got a skull shaped ring pop). We had tv time and “walk the plank” after school snack- graham cracker planks, swedish fish swimming in blue jello, and plank-walking pirates made of (the target was a ship wheel surrounded by pirate swords). We played pirate themed memory.

He is getting more and more used to wearing the patch and his glasses. So hopefully it will get a little easier as we continue. That, or I will need to have 360 more pirate-themed activities up my sleeve…

On Friday, we had a neighborhood pizza party to celebrate the first week of school. Melissa and Kelly are both teachers, so we had a lot of back to schoolers! We gathered in Melissa and Aaron’s backyard for pizza, drinks, kids playing, grown ups relaxing and gorgeous weather. What a way to end the week!

On Saturday, we slept late and relaxed all morning. Then we headed to Sarah and Grayson’s house for the Iowa/Iowa State game. There were SO many amazing snacks and good food. There was a kids vs. dads dodgeball game. The kids played incredibly nicely. The weather was gorgeous. Iowa won. We laughed nonstop. It was a perfect day. I wish we could get together with this group more often- it was just so wonderful.

Today was a low-key day. The boys played. I grocery shopped. Nate did so much laundry. We are rested and ready for week #2!

And that, my friends, concludes 12 weeks of summer fun. I am wiped out. It’s been a blast. I love the summer so much and I don’t want it to be over. But also, we need to get back into a routine, our children need to socialize with other kids and adults, they need to be challenged in different ways and it is time for school!

This final week of summer wasn’t exceptional, but it was a respectable final week of a summer of nonstop fun. On Monday, Nanny Shyanna was out of town, so I took them to a nearby park that had 2 entirely separate playgrounds with a wading pool in between. We were there the entire morning. The weather was lovely and Gussie made severarl friends that kept him busy the whole time.

On Wednesday, Shyanna took them back to the skate park, which they loved. In the afternoon, Augustus and I went to the ophthalmologist to have his eyes tested. We’ve never noticed an issue before, but the early childhood screening, and a second screening at the State Fair both indicated that he needed to be checked out.

On Thursday, Grandma Debbie took the boys to Como Town where they rode unlimited rides and ate a lot of snacks. One of these days, I’m going to leave them at home and go in their place, because Grandma knows how to have a good time!

Thursday night was back to school night where we got to meet the boys’ teachers and see their classrooms. On Friday, we had one on one meetings with the teachers. Both boys are very excited for school to start and their teachers both seem awesome!

On Friday afternoon, my CYC camp besties Shayla, Meghan, Abby, and Abby’s friend Sarah all traveled (Indiana, Illinois and Iowa) to my house to load up in the party van and head to Unglued Summer Camp. Unglued is one of my most favorite weekends of every year!

Friday-Sunday, it is an intense weekend of crafting, relaxing, reminiscing about our days together at camp, a fierce color war camp battle, a rocking dance party, 4 different specific craft sessions, cabin life (top bunk for me every year), swimming, laughing, amazing food, fancy drinks with every meal, snacks, and so much camp swag. It is amazing. I am counting down until next year already.

Random story from on the way- I’ve been known to have a little bit of a lead foot, so it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when I got pulled over. The officer was very nice, but was absolutely about to lecture me when he stopped mid sentence, stuck his head all the way inside my window and said, “what… what is happening in here?” Apparently he wasn’t expecting a van load of moms with a lot of luggage. My party van passengers all helpfully yelled, “grown up craft camp! Moms’ weekend!” He said, “ooooookkkk?…” And walked back to his car. He returned a few minutes later with just a warning and a short lecture to do better. Yes sir. But seriously, who can drive slowly when you’re trying to get to craft camp?!

While I was away, Nate took the boys for back to school haircuts, and then the boys had a slumber party with Grandma on Saturday night. Nate had a night to himself and golf on Sunday morning. So really, all of us had a great weekend!

Today was the last official day of summer. It was a low key day and that’s and ok way to end. It is ridiculously hot outside, so we stayed in most of the day. The boys had screen time, organized pokemon cards, played with Sam and Abby, and we went out for after-dinner ice cream. We laid out backpacks and water bottles and new shoes. We’re ready for tomorrow.

We also had our first “pirate time” and it was a success. At the ophthalmologist, we discovered that Augustus’s right eye is basically normal vision, but his left eye is BAD. Like, the letters were about 6 inches before he could make them out. And so our baby is getting glasses (they have been ordered and we are waiting for them to come). But glasses are not enough, we need to strengthen his left optic nerve, and so for 30 minutes a day, he has to wear a patch over his good eye.

I immediately decided we were going to call this time of day Pirate Time and it was going to be fun and exciting. He was excited about the new patches and this morning, he said, “let’s do pirate time!” But, as I 100% knew the moment the doctor told us about the patching, when I attempted to put it on his face, he burst into tears and refused… Way ahead of you dude, I was already expecting that reaction. I let the issue drop and said we’d try again later. That was first thing in the morning and I needed a little time to prepare.

I have been pinning pirate themed activities and figure I just need 365 unique fun pirate themed activities to get us though the year. No problem. This is gonna be fun and magical and we’re gonna get that eye strong and everyone is going to be happy.

Pirate time #1- I printed out 24 small pirate symbols and attached them to bright post its and hid them all over the house. I introduced the activity and for each completed activity (and 30 minutes of patch time), he will earn a gold coin. He will get to use the gold coins to “purchase” prizes from my prize bucket.

He was very excited once he knew the activity and about the prizes. He let me put them patch on him and he was excited to hunt for symbols. I was a little disheartened to see that it was NOT easy for him to see with just that eye, but he was a trooper and enjoyed himself and made it the 30 minutes. One down, 364 to go.

And that concludes summer 2023. Bring on the school year. Kindergarten and 2nd grade here we come!

The summer is almost over and I feel both sad because I love the summer and we’ve had so much fun, but also happy because these kids need to get back to the routine of school! It’s not over yet though…

The boys were busy this week with lots of summer fun. Shyanna took them to the skatepark and to the library. Grandma Debbie took them to the Eagle’s Nest indoor play place. They got new kiwi co kits and played with Sam and Abby a lot.

On Wednesday, we finally had Gussie’s 6th birthday party! Our calendar was so full and so were all of our friends’ calendars, so we were a few weeks past his actual birthday. Augustus has been very patiently waiting for this day to come! We had a Pokemon themed party. I had planned the activities like I was making a camp program. So when the weather said it was going to be 95 degrees and humid, I was very crabby. One might think that 20 years of running summer programming outside, in the heat, or being flexible because of weather would have prepared me, but no, I was just really crabby that morning.

By the time the party started, I put on my new “poke-MOM” shirt and had a good attitude and everything was awesome. We started with a game of “keepy-uppy” with a custom-made pokeball beachball (which I colored with sharpie). The whole group had to keep in it the air for 10 hits. I made all of the games team events so that it was fun, rather than competitive. By completing the challenge, they earned colored headbands. Then we went inside (to cool down) for the next game, which was like hopscotch- you had to touch your feet and hand in different placements. When they all completed that, they got light up, spinning bracelets.

Once they completed their first 2 challenges, they were officially on the pokemon trainer team. The next challenge was to go outside and collect 40 hidden pokeballs. Gussie loves an easter egg hunt, so this was a little like that. After collecting the pokeballs, we evenly distributed them to each kid and they had to stand in a line and throw the pokeballs at the “pokemon” which were paper balls I had glued pictures of pokemon to.

In Pokemon Go, you throw balls at the pokemon and then collect them in your Pokedex, so once they collected the balls, they brought them to the pokedex station. If they ran out of balls, just like in the video game, they could go to a pokestop, spin around 3 times and get more pokeballs.

Once all pokemon had been captured, the team earned the pinata, which was the ultimate prize.

Did you know that a pokeball pinata is $50?! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw that. My reaction was to immediately plan to make my own. When my financially conservative, financial advisor husband said, “are you sure your time isn’t maybe worth $50?” and then my crafty nanny said, “oh, yeah, that’s a big project” I took both of those as personal challenges! I would make a pinata!

I had all of the supplies on hand and actually, it wasn’t difficult at all. Guess who is buying herself a $50 gift as a reward for making a pinata?! The pinata was strong enough that each kid got 2 hits in the air, 2 hits once it hit the ground, and while they dented and cracked it, it didn’t fully explode. In the end, I stood on the deck above them and sprinkled candy and toys evenly around them so it wasn’t a mob scene. Pinata success!

We came inside to cool down, sing and have ice cream cake, and the kids spent some time trading pokemon cards and playing in the playroom.

I wasn’t originally planning to have a pool party (our pool is not a 9 kid pool), but it was HOT and HUMID and so I’d texted the moms that morning to have them bring suits. The kids swam and cooled down and it was super fun.

My original plan was to get fresh pizzas at Costco and add pepperoni and olives to make pokeball pizzas. But with the temperature as high as it was, I decided that morning that I couldn’t turn the oven on. I ordered pizzas from Dominoes and then at the last minute, I called and asked if they could turn one small pizza into a pokeball. The manager was SO nice and agreed they could do that and so Gussie got his own special pizza and he was thrilled! We had all of the parents over for pizza and the kids played and went back to the pool until nearly 7pm and then we handed out treat bags and sent everyone on their way. It was a super fun party and Augustus was happy and I was thrilled he could have a special day!

On Friday night, I headed to Maple Grove for a slumber party with Danny and Heather. I’ve been training all summer and Saturday was finally the day of the triathlon. If you had told me in my teens, twenties, or 30s that I would someday participate in a triathlon- SWIM, BIKE, RUN- I would have laughed you out of the room. But on Saturday, I competed in my first triathlon, alongside my brother and sister-in-law and all of their ridiculously impressive muscles.

At 41, I am calmer and more self confident than ever before. I didn’t feel intimidated or insecure compared to Danny and Heather or any other competitor. I felt genuinely proud of myself for showing up and doing it! I wasn’t the fastest or best and I was very ok with that. I was the fastest and best version of myself and I was really happy I did it.

After the race, I came home to flowers and lots of love. I ate, showered and napped. Then we met up with our neighbors for pickleball and out to dinner afterwards. It was a very busy Saturday!

Sunday was a slow morning. I felt pretty good, despite the crazy day before. The boys played with Sam and Abby. Then around lunch time, we headed to the State Fair. We ate a lot of good things, went down the giant yellow slide, and walked until the boys claimed they were going to die. Success.

When we got home, Gussie’s tooth (which has been VERY loose for days) finally fell out! A tooth fairy visit to end to a busy weekend! Yay!

The week ahead is our LAST week of the summer. Here we go!