Monthly Archives: November 2023

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!!