Schwartz Stories

Jack at play

2012-02-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

Jack loves to dance. When we're putting away dishes, cooking, or doing whatever in the kitchen, we put on the dance music and party down. He won't stop. He likes anything with a distinct beat. Favorites on the iPod include "Sexy and I know it" by LMFAO, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, "Apache" by the Sugarhill Gang, "Lowrider" by War, and his all-time favorite is probably James Brown, particularly the song "Mother Popcorn."

We've cut back on James Brown recently because we've noticed he's saying "Good God" like him. Usually it's referring to something in his diaper.

Jack likes to get wild and crazy and like most little kids, loves to run around in the nude. We allow him to do this and we go on puddle patrol.

Jack likes to be bounced around and tossed in the air. He plays rough and jumps and trips and always has an "ow-ie" somewhere. He gets up and keeps going....from the time he gets up until he goes to bed at night.

We love this picture. Dave snapped it right after we put back up the mobile and the kids were basking in the awe of rainforest creatures spinning to Bach or Mozart. Jack sometimes pulls something out of his nose and proudly presents it to us, saying "big boo-ger."

At least he doesn't eat it.

Yet.

Evie at 3 months

2012-02-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

Since we're into month 4 of Evie, it's time to blog about her three month milestone.

Evelyn wasn't really into her photo session. She is usually a very jovial baby. She chatters and gurgles all the time. But when I pop out the camera on most occasions, she gives me a face like this. Solemn. Judgmental. Pondering. Who are you and what do you think you are doing?

Jack wanted to be in on the action, so I put him in the crib to give his sister a pep talk.

We think Evelyn is looking more and more like her pop-pop (Dave's dad) everyday. She has his eyes, for sure. She continues to be a very easy baby which we appreciate wholeheartedly. She eats. She sleeps. She chatters when she's well rested. We don't always appreciate the 6:45 am rants which always happen on weekends, but it is too adorable to be upsetting. She rolled over just after her four month mark. She loves water and kicks in the bathtub. As you can see, she still has peach fuzz and that's it.

Evelyn loves to look at her big brother, Jack. She tracks him like a dog watching a piece of food. Or at least be quite wary of where he is and what he's doing for her own safety. Of course, she recognizes us and always seems happy to see her family.

But not today.

These half smiles are about as good as I could possibly get on camera.

After awhile, she said 'enough already' and I did too.

Story of #jabs

2012-01-09T13:49:00.001-08:00

Hockey culture here is much like a close-knit family. You tease each other, compete fiercely against each other, and nobody better talk about anybody's team except the team members. There are fights. There are hugs. And when something big happens, everyone steps up to respond in a big way.

In the State of Hockey, people are reeling about Jack Jablonski. In a holiday tournament junior varsity game on December 30, two players checked Jablonski into the boards. He fell and didn't get back up. In what people describe as a freak accident, Jablonski's spinal cord was severed and doctors thought he'd be paralyzed from the neck down for life. After one surgery and prayers prompted by word of mouth and a big social media trend, Jablonski can move his arms. See what the hashtag #jabs generates-- everyone is talking about Jabby.Jack's story has been in the news up here everyday. The latest medical update. A team selling bracelets for a fundraiser. His team's return to the ice. People wearing #13 w/small patches. One team wearing mini-stop signs on their backs. Stories of what it's like to be paralyzed. Some of the angles are fresh and creative and interesting. Others are stupid. Since the incident, two other players have also been somewhat paralyzed in the game. This topic has sparked a tremendous amount of discussion and debate. Can hockey be regulated into a safer sport? Should it? Will this incident change the game forever? Dave and I have discussed this at length more than once and have even talked about if we'll be okay with our son Jack playing hockey. (which for Dave is a huge consideration) If Jack Jablonski's story is sparking debate in our hybrid household, there's no doubt it is generating discussion in those super hockey families too.

Our friends are one of those super-hockey families. Their son plays on four teams. Their four-year-old daughter plays on a team and played in a skills exercise this weekend at Mariucci Arena. On a break between games, they came home and slept for two hours and got up and went to play again. They go to Canada to play. They play all year. The kids aren't pressured to play. The parents aren't nuts. It's just what they do. And they all seem to enjoy it.

Hockey isn't just a sport; it's a way of life here. So the question as to how much the sport could change and will change is one that we're watching too.

Stamp this.

2011-12-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

When I get a package on my doorstep I know immediately if it was sent from Delight, Arkansas because it makes short work of a book of stamps.

It's a good thing they don't have to lick stamps any more.

Deep-fried Hanukkah

2011-12-28T09:34:00.001-08:00

It's the Jewish holiday that's after my own heart....because the mood is festive and the food is fried.

The stars aligned this year for the grandparents to be in town for Hanukkah. In the ten-plus years Dave and I have been dating, this is the first time I've celebrated the holiday with them.

(a little fyi: Hanukkah is not a big holiday on the Jewish calendar and is probably only more important because of the proximity and commercial nature of Christmas. People don't really go home for Hanukkah and some families only give it small glance.)

Dave grew up celebrating the holiday and we always observe it. It was a special treat, though, to have his mother in the kitchen frying up the traditional Latkes, fried chicken, and making homemade applesauce to go with it. Jack was being very picky that day, but he did eat a Latke. With fried potatoes and salt, what's not to like?

Holidays at home

2011-12-28T09:09:00.001-08:00

There's something inherently relaxing about spending the holidays at home.

The day might be relaxing, but leading up to it is generally anything but. My husband rolls his eyes at my self-induced stress around the holidays, but he knew about my Christmas addiction before he married me. Perhaps because he's Jewish, he didn't understand just how bad it could get...

100-plus Christmas cards, 35 dozen cookies, and four pie crusts later, he's closer to understanding. I've been patient with him in explaining why you let your kids open one gift early which are undoubtedly new pajamas to wear on Christmas morning, why you can't buy a huge tub of popcorn as a stocking stuffer because it won't fit in a stocking and therefore defeats the purpose of being a stocking stuffer, and why you shop for a new Christmas ornament every year for your kids so when they have their own tree 20 years from now they will also have a collection of ornaments to start their tree that tells their story. The madness continues, but it's the one time a year that I'm a certifiable nut so I embrace it. If I start hanging Easter eggs in trees, someone please commit me.

One set of parents/grandparents arrived on Christmas morning, so I had a brunch prepared. Jack thought it would be fun to break the pie crust (and it was the second I'd made), so our quiche had a bit of extra character. I was pleased with everything else. Our tables looked extra festive because of a florist giving Dave a tablescape he no longer after a segment. (which I included even though it was not in my color scheme)

Items on the menu: Bacon-Smoked Gouda quiche, Shrimp & homemade cocktail sauce (Ina Garten's) , Mini-bagels with lox and bruschetta, cranberry-walnut mini-muffins, sugared cranberries, fancy desserts that Dave also inherited from a TV segment, christmas cookies, coffee, and some excellent cranberry mimosas.

Between the meals, our living room resembled what a living room should on Christmas morning, even though we honestly didn't buy Jack much....everyone else did:For the meal between lunch and supper/dinner... Lupper?.....Linner?.... I set up a table that we noshed on when we were hungry. We had an antipasti platter with meats, olives, and cheeses, sausage balls, cornmeal biscuits baked as mini-muffins, apple pie, a pumpkin cheesecake from the neighbors, the christmas cookie platter, garden salad, and poblano pepper chicken chowder.

The January withdrawl period hasn't hit yet....

God Jul

2011-12-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

The amount of Swedish or even Scandinavian heritage in our bloodlines totals up a big fat zero.

So it makes perfect sense that I took Evelyn volunteering at the historic village as a pioneer baby and we volunteered with our favorite part-Swede, Queen P, in the Swedish house. Special thanks to Queen P who made Evelyn a hat for the big day.
As part of our demonstration, we made lefse--which was much easier than I anticipated.Evelyn was an absolute doll and a big hit. Although when she was asleep I was asked "Is she real?" over and over. One lady had the gall to nudge her to see.

Part of a day-in-the-life of a corn-fed kid

2011-12-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Since I've gone back to work part-time, coworkers tell me things like 'enjoy your four day weekend' or 'four days off--any plans?' as if it is a vacation opportunity that happens to me each week. If I was single or just without kids I would probably accomplish all sorts of exciting things with four days in a row off every week. Not so.
Now, I truly understand the exhaustion and concept of running after kids all day and accomplishing absolutely nothing. Special moments like cuddling and reading, baking cookies, playing cars, and tickling and laughing are interwoven with the much less exciting events like temper tantrums, wrestling to put on diapers, failing and then chasing kids, peeing on the carpet (again), crying, wanting more "drinking," and whatever else. At the end of the day, it's amazing how tired I am, how I forgot to eat (again), and how I look around and see the house is a wreck. (again)

I tried to keep my camera handy for a few days to capture some of Jack's recent fiascoes.

He's taken to chatting on the phone with relatives. In this conversation, he told his Grandy about spotting a spider in the kitchen and mom hitting it. It sounded like this: "Spy-dur" then "hit!"

Lately, Jack has started throwing food on the floor after meals (again). We were over this for a spell, but no more. After deciding he was done with part of his breakfast, he got on the floor and used one of his cars to grind pieces of cereal into powder before I discovered it.
A coloring activity ended when Jack started coloring on the floor.

Even though the Nativity Scene has been up for a few weeks, just recently Jack has discovered it. While it is out of his reach, he has decided it is a fun to see the pieces scatter when hit with a ball. I mean, why not? After this recent disaster, the a wiseman was under thetable, a shepherd had been decapitated and only Joseph and baby Jesus survived in their upright positions. A Christmas miracle.

He never has really taken a pacifier, unless he gets a wild hair and wants his sister's. During this trying morning, he decided to monopolize every one he could find....just so no one else could have it.

Diaper time. In an effort to exert his independence, Jack doesn't like to get his diaper changed. He'll squirm and fight and scream during the entire process because there are a zillion other things he'd rather do. Often the tantrum continues as he broods on a diaper-changing defeat:

So back to food. He doesn't have time to eat, but if anything can get him out of a foul-my-diaper-has-just-been-changed-and-I-didn't-like-it-mood, it's corn. Yes, this corn-fed baby would eat corn and raisins all day every day if allowed. Corn is good for the mood and good for the soul:

And most of the time, we manage to get it all in his mouth. Cause in this house, corn never goes on the floor.

Two month month-aversary

2011-12-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

Baby Evelyn is nearly three months old, so I know I'm working against the clock to get an update on the second month of her life.
When describing my life, I inevitably compare Evelyn to Jack and vice versa. I know this is a big parental no-no, but I figure we have a few years to weed that out of our conversations. But I am sure the comparisons will always continue in our thoughts.

Evelyn is an easy baby. She seems content to go with the flow of the Schwartz household, even if it is inevitably controlled by That Boy. She generally falls asleep very easily and only cries when 1) wet, 2) hungry, 3) burp-y, or 4) threatened by That Boy, which surprisingly isn't that often. If she cries and it isn't one of the four reasons listed above, you can just hold and talk to her and she'll stop crying and start looking at you in a very curious way.

She is putting on adorable chunky baby pounds and starting to develop a quick grin. She is starting to coo and giggle and gurgle and entertain us immensely with baby sounds. Evelyn is happiest first thing in the morning or late at night before she conks out for five hours or so. (Worth noting, her brother didn't sleep in stretches like that until nearly a year old.)

Evelyn's wardrobe is ever-expanding and we're all guilty of buying cute stuff just to see it on her. She still has no hair, but so far she's never been accused of being a boy.

She's discovering who we all are and I think so far she likes us just fine. She's always followed me around the room, but her head and eyes will visibly turn to her father's voice when he comes on TV. She watches That Boy and smiles and coos at him. Once we had to take the pacifier away from Jack because he was jamming it in her mouth a bit too hard. She didn't mind. She was just smiling adoringly at her brother.

Open season for baking!

2011-12-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. The time of year when my beloved red KitchenAid is frequently spotted on the kitchen counter.

Sprinkles, nonpareils, and chips perch on my refrigerator.

And I have a freezer that would make Paula Deen proud.It's open season for baking.

One of the reasons why I love Christmas is that it is perfectly acceptable to bake or make ridiculous batches of cookies and candy and pass them out in the name of peace and goodwill. Calories for everyone! I used to frequently pass out batches of baked goods to folks in my neighborhood when I moved in, but then I learned most were diabetics. Major bummer.
Since my Bree Van de Kamp days are over, I focus my inner Martha on the holiday season. I used to bake an assortment of breads and coat everything from nuts to Nutter Butters in chocolate. Now, I focus on creating cookie boxes that might resemble boxes of chocolate. A box of yummy variety where you never quite know what you are going to get. I started planning my Cookie Assault in October and started baking and freezing the day afterHalloween. I mailed out eight boxes to people living in four states, gave out eight boxes to neighbors and friends, and handed out six boxes to coworkers. Plus, we have a tray of our own.

So far, I think the perfect Christmas cookie box must have 1) Cutout cookies w/icing 2) chocolate 3) a traditional, homemade cookie 4) something with nuts 5) Something with a holiday flavor, like peppermint, gingerbread, cranberry, or pumpkin.

This year, I went with a Christmas Tree motif for my cut-outs. I have it on good authority that this recipe came from someone who worked in the Dayton's bakery and yearsago, brought home (or stole?) the famous Sugar Bears recipe. Who knows? It's a wonderful recipe. I found a fabulous icing recipe that makes an icing like play-doh so you can shape it with your hands. I put sprinkles on one tree, peppermint flavored icing on another, and made the other one like a Charlie Brown Tree.

Then, I strayed from the popular Kellerwoman favorite, Andes Mint Cookies, for a Double Chocolate Cookie w/M & Ms recipe that I ripped out of a magazine. It had a complex flavor, but perhaps it was a miss...the Andes Mint Cookies have been missed and mentioned.

This year I made Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies, published in a Little Rock Junior League cookbook when Hillary was still Hillary Rodham. (At the time I was so excited about my Hillary cookies, I tried Bill's enchilada recipe which was also in the cookbook. Ick.) So, I used Hillary's for the favorite cookie.

For the nuts, I begged my coworker to teach me how to make her family's peanut brittle. She says the recipe goes back more than three generations and I can understand why. Previously I have failed miserably at making candy, but this year after my tutorial I made three more batches AND got brave enough to make a batch of English Toffee. All worked very well and all were accomplished during the kids nap time.

For the holiday flavor, I experimented with a cookie to make a Cranberry-Walnut-Orange Sandwich cookie. It's a cut-out with orange zest and orange juice in the dough, a cranberry-walnut mixture inside topped with an orange icing. It's good, but it requires a lot of steps.
I also added a favorite shortbread Corduroy Cookies that require dipping in chocolate and nonpareils. They are delicious, but so delicate that I'm afraid most will be BOA--broken on arrival. (Even though I froze them ahead of time for more successful shipping).
This totals more than 430 cookies or about 36 dozen.

And it means I'm taking January off.

But I've already found a caramel cookie called "Arkansas Travellers" that looks appealing...

Breakfast at the country club

2011-12-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

We are not country club people.

But there's generally a few events each where where we inevitably find ourselves at a country club. The Junior League's Breakfast with Santa is one such event, so early on the first Saturday of the month, we put the kids in their Christmas outfits...the clothes that happened to be purchased by their Jewish grandmother.....and set out for the country club.

While we were walking up the hill to the entrance, my heel broke. See, I told you we weren't country club people.

Since we arrived during the latter part of the starting time and the room was a rather tight squeeze, we had to search around for a table. We squeezed into one. Jack ate. Evie slept. As we ate, Jack grew bored. We ate faster. Then, we got in line to see Santa.

Jack could've cared less. When we reached Santa, Jack was more concerned with walking around and not with sitting on anybody's lap. As he struggled against containment, he got mad and started rolling around at Santa's feet. The person who I asked to take a picture of us, asked me what to do...I said go ahead and start snapping.We released Jack and he kept walking around and looking at things. We gathered our gear and ushered him toward the door. As we left, another friend offered to snap a family picture by a Christmas tree. Jack didn't want to be contained here, either.After paying for an overpriced breakfast, we left hungry. We scrambled to the car, broken heel and all, driving away with a sigh of relief and affirmation of why we don't really belong at a country club.

Proud sis

2011-12-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

I have a million and one things to do right now, but I have to pause a minute to brag on my brother Luke. I have phenomenal siblings who are each unique in his or her own right, but Luke was in the news today on all three stations in his area talking about a hospital program he's helping develop that will help military veterans. So, it's my turn to brag on them.

CNY or YNN

Like many in the military, my brother isn't one to talk much about what he has and hasn't done. I was more than a bit impressed to read an online bio for him and find out all sorts of jargon and stats. (I had to paste it below) I doubt many--if any--members of my family know the facts listed in there. Generally a conversation with either one of my brothers is generally one-sided and more than a little frustrating. They do what they do, you know?

Besides excelling in infantry, he's super smart and I'm so very glad he's putting his smarts to good use. (And I hope you don't get mad at me for posting any of this, bro :)

LS is an infantry officer in the US Army and an Army Ranger with significant combat experience. Luke spent more than 27 months deployed in support of the Global War on Terror (OIF/OEF). He has conducted combined arms combat operations with every branch of the military, and conducted operations with both foreign and domestic Private Military/Security Companies. Luke is a subject matter expert on small unit tactics and combined arms integration, with a focus on military operations in urban terrain (MOUT).

In conjunction with his experience as a combat leader, Luke spent more than a year as a training officer for an Airborne Infantry Battalion, where he developed training plans and doctrine. Luke has planned and executed countless small arms densities, live fire exercises, shoot-houses, and stress shoots; incorporating every weapon system from 9mm to .50 Cal. In addition, Luke has conducted joint training exercises with numerous foreign forces including, Thailand, Korea, Australia, and the UK. Luke is also a certified trainer of Modern Army Combatives.

Luke holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a Master’s Degree from Utica College. He is an instructor and training officer for Syracuse University ROTC, and lectures on International Humanitarian Law and Rules of Engagement for a graduate-level seminar. Luke is currently the military/veteran liaison for the Sitrin Health Care Center, helping to develop a state-of-the-art Veterans’ Rehabilitation Program.

Jake's big day

2011-11-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

Right now, we have only one special nephew in our life and his name is Jacob, better known as Jake.

For the past several years, he's been studying Hebrew, attending sunday school, and preparing for his bar mitzvah. Technically, this is the day when he is called to read and interpret a portion of the Torah. The serious, nerve-wracking service is then followed by a fun party full of 13-year-olds and pre-teens.

You think Catholic weddings with complete two-hour full masses are long? Try a four hour service spoken almost completely in another language. That's long.

I carried my camera inside to snap some pictures, but found out that's against the rules because it could be interpreted as working on the Sabbath. So, I respectfully didn't take any pictures. However, someone did snap a picture and posted it to facebook before the service was out. A sign of the times, right?

By all accounts, Jake did a fantastic job and nailed his haftorah portion. His Hebrew was impeccable and he was comfortable in front of the big crowd.

His mother, Jen, did a fabulous job planning and designing the party.

Since this life cycle event is generally a big deal, some had new clothes, some had new shoes, others had shoes polished, suits pressed, and everything in order for an event where the family would be on full display.
Since we stayed at a hotel, Dave and I were up extra early to get our kids to Temple on time. Evie got a bath in the sink and Jack in the big walk-in shower. We arrived on time and Jack was ready to go until we had to walk by a playground to go in the door. We wound up picking him up while he was flopping and crying "play" to get inside the building.

Once on the FRONT ROW of the event, Dave and I were on our toes to keep the kids occupied. We used everything in our bag of tricks, reading and playing with trucks while Jack rolled and played in between the front row and the bimah (stage up front, basically the same as the altar/pulpit area in church). We fed him raisins and snacks and essentially had a picnic in the front row. But after a bit, Jack was tired and looking for new fun. He took a car and ran it up and down the air conditioning/heating vent, making a loud sound. When he ran across the building and tried to go up on the bimah, Dave took him out of the sanctuary kicking and screaming. We switched roles keeping him outside.

But Dave had a Torah portion to read. I was *supposed* to read a prayer. But, Jack and I found a nursery area and didn't come out. I left the baby with family and my phone on mute in the front row. No amount of texting or calling let me know it was my turn to read, which was okay. But I am very disappointed that I missed Jake's entire event. When Evie started making noise and we were all outside, we decided to just leave.

We weren't the only ones who did that. We caught up with a few sets of friends and family members at the Dunkin' Donuts next door. Several family members assured us that we thought we were a bigger distraction than we really were. I certainly hope so.

But at the reception, it was time to "par-tee" as Jack says. We drove around in the car until Jack finished his nap, and he was ready to keep the dance floor hopping.

Jack ran back and forth in-between the line dancers. The man of honor, Jake, was also out there...always surrounded by girls. He might be a head shorter than all of them, but that doesn't seem to matter in the least.

Besides the dancing, the reception was full of traditions. The meal started with Dave's father leading prayer and cutting the challah, which Sheila baked for the occasion. Dave led the prayer over the wine.

You either loved the reception theme or you hated it--New York Yankees. Reception attendees signed a big poster of Derek Jeter. Each table was numbered a Yankee player, complete with confetti of the player.

The cake was a replica of Yankee Stadium.

After the dinner, Jake lit 13 candles on his cake and used each candle to represent a friend or family member who is special to Jake. Dave, Evie, Jack and I got to light a candle with Jake.

The event had a few small bumps like any big event, but overall everyone had fun. I'm sure the party will be the talk of eighth grade this week and generate a bit of facebook chatter. We were happy to be a part of the fun and support a nephew that we love. Jack and Evie will most likely remember the event only in photos... but it was an experience Jack will hear about in the years to come.

Yummy birthday

2011-11-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is what I look like most days while trying to keep up with my little live wire. He likes to try absolutely everything and you never know what he will do next.

On the night before my birthday, he wanted to stay up, play, and then watch Thomas the train around two a.m.

He got up later and threw his breakfast across the room. And later ate part of it off the floor. When he decided to take a bath, he pooped in the bathtub.

And that was before 10 a.m. Happy Birthday to me. I spent the day packing, keeping kids, baking for the trip, and fielding happy birthday phone calls and texts, which I really enjoyed. Dave gave me something off my kitchen wish list. At some point in the middle of laundry, I reminded myself it was my birthday.

I got a fabulous birthday cake--which I don't get every year--when I got to New York. (and presents too :) Jack tested out the candles and then helped blow them out. Perhaps as you age the small things like phone calls and cakes mean the most.

Jack wouldn't slow down to eat cake, but he did coined a new phrase on my birthday which I love. "Yum-my Mom-ee"

the "Hallmark" thanksgiving

2011-11-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

What makes up a Hallmark thanksgiving?

For the Schwartz family, it requires a ridiculous amount of food and family members flying in from around the country. The travel was mandatory for another reason too....Jake's bar mitzvah would take place on Saturday.

Traveling with two children under two on the busiest traveling day of the year could definitely be fodder for a sitcom. When we left our house at 4:45 in the morning, we had one of those last minute crisis when the last things to go in our suitcases just wouldn't fit. So, we left the house with four suitcases, a backpack carrier, a stroller, a carseat, and three carry-ons. Packed in the middle of casual clothes, dressy clothes, diapers, and christmas gifts, I stashed homemade cranberry relish, cranberry bars, and cookies. We were most worried about Jack being a docile lap-child on a packed flight, which seemed like a recipe for disaster, but thankfully he fell asleep. The fact that the first leg of the trip was only sparsely seated helped too. The worst moment definitely came waiting through the long lines at security which tested Jack's patience. We made a game out of looking at other people's clothes. See that shirt, Jack? What color is that? "Lel-low" Yes, that's right yellow. What about the dinosaurs on the little boy's pants? "Pur-pel" Good. Those are purple. But the game wore out as we neared the security checkpoint. He melted down right as we were trying to speedily move through the x-ray line. He did not want his stuff to go through the x-ray machine, and as the guard waved him through the walk-through x-ray machine, he flopped on the floor with his high-pitched scream. Interestingly, we weren't detained and questioned. But they did take his sippy cup for extra testing, which meant we had to wait and try to pacify the screaming.

But we made it and the family brought two rides to the airport to pick us and all of our junk up.
Cousin Jesse flew in from Florida at the same time too.

That night, Dad Bill made his signature hot wings and Mom Sheila made her "garbage bread" (stromboli).

The family met Evelyn. Dave's friend Johnny came down to visit. The next day, we enjoyed a nice, traditional Thanksgiving meal with friends and family...which made the hassle very worthwhile.

OTG: Off the Grid

2011-11-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

I've been off the grid for the past few weeks.... I've learned how to adjust to life with two under two, I've made a 16-plus hour drive with the two under two to Arkansas, visited family, drove back, and am currently preparing for another trip.

We're settling into our new normal and I have a few blog posts planned to document our eventful internet absence.

The kiddos were lucky enough to trick-or-treat in both Arkansas and Minnesota.

In Minnesota, we went out to the Landing where Jack was much more interested in the rocks in the road than he was the candy. I enjoy going back out to the park and seeing friends.

In Arkansas, we had plans to go to a local trunk-or-treat event with family and friends. I came down with a ferocious headache on Halloween, so Jack went with my Aunt and a friend. From what I was told, he wound up being carried kicking and screaming through the event because he wouldn't hold anyone's hand. He does like his freedom.

Evie slept through both events.

Month One

2011-10-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? When you have two under two, I sometimes wonder how I get anything accomplished between duel diaper changes.

As Evelyn approached one month old, I wanted to copy the idea of one of my crafty friends and snap pictures of her in numbered onesies. I had the fabric,the onesies, the fusible web,but what I didn't have is time.

I hastily ironed on the number one the night before her one-month birthday and in the process got some gunky residue all over outfit.

Then I didn't make time to snap a picture until really late

in the evening and I tried to cram in a photo session before Jack's bedtime.

The result? Some lousy pics of the baby, but some great pictures and dialogue with the 19-month-old who will never pose for a picture but wanted to be in on the action.Apparently Jack also wanted to use the opportunity for pictures to lay down some ground rules to the newest member of the household.

Pink invasion

2011-10-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

In designing my layette for my first child, I kept everything in muted, bright neutrals. I couldn't imagine being doused with all of the pink or blue that you get when you get a new baby. I couldn't imagine liking it. The blue with Jack never really came. But now, we have plenty o pink stuff that arrived shortly after our 6 pound 2 ounce baby girl.

And we couldn't be happier with the baby or with all of the pink.

It didn't take long to fall in love with Evelyn Rhea, who so far likes to sleep, eat, and poop. Not always in that order.

My family arrived bearing two boxes of pink clothes and bags of gifts from friends and family. We've gotten stuff in the mail and thoughtful gifts from friends. And I haven't minded the pink at all. Honestly, it's so much more exciting to shop for stuff for girls than boys.

Fingers crossed, Evie Rhea is much easier baby than Jack was. She acutally sleeps. The only issue is that she wants to be held all the time. It's not like we made her that way, either. Even in the hospital, she'd fuss in the bassinet until someone picked her up.

We didn't know what we were having until the birth, and we really didn't have any secret desires for the child to be a boy or a girl. But we couldn't be happier with our lady in pink.

Waiting...

2011-09-14T12:33:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if this baby is super stubborn and not wanting to be born or just being uber-polite and giving us plenty of family time before the big arrival. Either way, it's been a waiting game in the Schwartz household as baby continues to incubate past his or her due date.

Right after I finished up work, I went into hyperdrive trying to get all the loose ends tied up. I'd spent the majority of my pregnancy focused on living a busy life and not preparing for the new one, so the week of preparation was much needed. I finished up the nursery, finished up Jack's new room, transitioned Jack to his

new room, finished up craft projects, completed and handed off nonprofit work, packed for the hospital, baked goodies, and tried to keep the house immaculate.

I found time to do small things I'd been meaning to do... small things like super-glue a bit of trim back on a curtain, clean off the top of the dryer, and finish Jack's one year photo book. I decided to weed every flower bed in the yard....something that hasn't been done since early July and weeds were so tall in places they'd smothered one small tomato plant. But baby didn't come and the doctor told us to stay active.

So we did. We cleaned out the basement. We cleaned out the garden shed. We cleaned up the foyer. We cleaned out toolboxes and our tool closet. In-between projects, we tackled area parks and hiking trails sometimes trekking three to five miles a day in two separate walks. We took Jack to the park, to the apple orchard, and on his first trip to the zoo. We've watched our share of TV and played a few games of Scrabble. I'm eyeing cleaning out the garage for another project; Dave...not so much.

We also bought into the old wives tale that eating spicy food helps induce labor. I made supreme nachos that had no less than a half-jar of my grandmother's hot sauce and a half-jar of home-canned hot jalapenos. Our noses and eyes watered even more the next day when Dave made his father's spicy buffalo wings more spicy than normal. I made a dynamite Shrimp Etouffee, but I decided to double the amount of cayenne pepper. It was good, but it was definitely too hot to truly enjoy like we wanted.

Our baby-induced stay-cation has been so far a productive and enjoyable one where we've completed household projects and enjoyed some pre-expansion family time. But like all good vacations, we're somewhat ready for this one to come to an end so we can adjust to a new normal that always seems just a few days?....hours?....away.

A family on the verge

2011-09-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's presumably the last week the Schwartz household will be a family of three. To document this, we had family pictures taken by one of our favorite photographers and even though Jack was being a tad cantankerous, she captured some beautiful images.

Speaking of cantankerous, that is Jack. The almost 18-month-old has a mind of his own and he doesn't hesitate in letting everyone know it. Currently every morning we have quite a fight on our hands getting him to take off his pajamas. Why? Because his pajamas have his favorite thing on them--Cars. He will hold the pants and pull as you are trying to pull them off while yelling "no!" "cars!" "cars!" "nooooo!" I've resorted to going through all of his clothes trying to find something with cars or the only available substitute, balls. This is hard because I've shied away from the cars-balls-construction equipment wordy t-shirts.

It's tougher when we don't know what he wants, and that's often the biggest source of conflict. He'll scream and cry "no" and some other sounds when we're trying to figure out what it is that he's trying to communicate so vehemently. A fit could commence where there's more screaming and gesturing and unintelligible words. That's when we try to distract him with, of course, cars or balls. Of course, we know some fits Jack thr

ows he knows exactly what he can't have and that makes him plenty mad.

Jack's best friend is his Daddy. From the moment he gets up until he goes to bed, Daddy is frequently mentioned, asked for, and cheered. When we go to get him up in the morning, Jack runs to the side of the bed, yelling "Dad-dee!" When Dave comes in the door from work, Jack is waiting and doing his happy dance while yelling "Dad-dee!" Today as I put him down for a nap, I asked Jack, "You know who loves you, Jack? Mama loves you." To which he replied "Dad-dee!" Right now, the boundaries are Dad-dee is for all fun and Mama is for everything else, which includes taking off those beloved car pajamas.

While he might look like an angel, Jack has a curious nature that often shows up in a destructive way. Yesterday he took his goldfish crackers and ground them into the freshly-cleaned carpet with his hands. The day before he dumped them in the bathtub before climbing into the tub to stop them into bits. The day before that, he was practicing nosediving on our bed and nose-dived right into the footboard and busted his nose. I'll come into the kitchen to discover he's quite proud that he's standing on top of the table. It's not unusual to see him dragging things places just to see how it works there--like moving his rocking horse into the bathroom or trying to climb up in his Little Tykes car that had been moved to a chair for vacuuming.

If there's one thing Jack loves better than cars, it's balls. We no longer allow throwing balls in the house because of too many close calls with a real baseball. Sometimes when the TV is off, he'll stand in front and point "ball" "ball" wanting to find a ball game. He has a hockey stick that he walks around with hitting balls and yelling "goal!" With just about anything Jack has in his hand, there's probably an 80 percent chance it will be airborne when it leaves his hands.

Currently, we've been transitioning Jack to his new bed and his new bedroom and talking about the new baby. We practice holding the baby, putting it in the bassinet, and above all being "nice" and "gentle" with the baby. After a week, he's sleeping in his new bed but he's still throwing the baby around. We're working on it. And we have to. We only have a few more days to go.

Why didn't I think of that?

2011-08-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

I've thought before if I could just think of an idea to break into the Minnesota State Fair then I could work for 12 days a year.... perhaps a few more with preps.... and be done. FOR the year. People love to come here, love to work here, and LOVE to spend money here.

A nice brother and sister team from our viewing area came up with the idea. Actually, the family which has a local diner says it was always their dream to have a booth at the state fair. It took them three years of small carnivals, other fairs, and even getting a contract to sell their product at Target Field before they got the green light to sell "Deep Fried Pies" at the State Fair. While people somehow think fried pies are a new concept here, I've laughed because you can buy these at most any mom & pop diner down south. I used to stop in Lewisville and buy a hot peach fried pie at Burge's for a buck.

They are called Minneapple Pies and have cinnamon and apples and are served with ice cream and they are a big hit. Many people I interviewed had a list of all of the new foods at the fair and were going around testing out each one. This one was a hit and even the Food Network's Andrew Zimmern stopped by the fair to sign off on them.

My state fair standby so far has been cheese curds... not any stand, but the original one on the south side of Dan Patch between Underwood and Nelson. They are yummy and not greasy.

But my coworker turned me onto a new favorite-- a turkey sandwich that's the best I've ever eaten in my life. Juicy with great flavor. I could've eaten two. Sold, of course, right across from the Poultry building.

Ma Schwartz came to visit and we spent 4 hours walking around the East side of the fair. We drove by fiddle contests, Spamville, Alphabet Junction, and the Creative Arts buildings and didn't get to stop.... but we did eat some state fair faves like the Oklahoma Cinnamon Roll (my request), Lefse, mini-donuts, nachoes from a stand that's been selling them since 1940-something, german root beer, and fresh french fries from THE fresh french fry stand. There are so many things I would still love to see...or eat.... but we snacked and left when Jack went to sleep and crowds got too think....and ate salads for dinner.

The great (Sweet Martha's) cookie caper

2011-08-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

I was not a very popular person at the station after the first day of covering the Minnesota State Fair. It's somewhat of a tradition for the first team covering the fair to bring back a bucket of Sweet Martha's Cookies.

Since 1979, this St Paul company has mixed and baked up thousands if not millions of cookies at the state fair. You buy them piping hot by cone or bucket and then rush over a few blocks to the $1 All-You-Can-Drink-Milk stand and eat them. They melt in your mouth and are truly delicious.
I set out good-naturedly to the fair to bring back a bucket of cookies. We went out of our way to get to the cookie stand. As I was about to get in line, I spotted the price. $15 a bucket. Wow. Granted, it's always a heaping bucket, but still. I didn't have the cash or frankly the inclination to buy a $15 bucket of cookies for the breakroom. So I left.

And I'll be darned if every. single. person. didn't ask me when I got back in the station where the cookies were. I finally told the Cookie Ringleader that you don't send the girl that does the "money saver" segment to the fair and expect her to fork out $15 for a bucket of cookies and if they wanted some, they could pitch in because guess what I'm going next week for another story. Most were flabbergasted to learn the cookies cost that much, but they weren't above clammoring for what was, in their mind, state fair cookie justice. The day of the next story, the Cookie Ringleader offered to buy the bucket. I had pity on him, so I pitched in and my photographer pitched in and we came back to cheers because we were bearing a bucket of Sweet Martha's.

But before we made it back, we grabbed our ice cold milk and decided to level off the bucket before walking outside the fairgrounds. You know, commission and all.

Babies and crafts

2011-08-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've had several friends have (or are in the process of having) new babies recently. And with new babies, comes new crafts. My crafty friend Laura made this cake for her daughter's christening. That stuff on the top isn't lace my friends. It's something edible that looks like lace. Since I'm not good with small and intricate stuff that require careful precision, I'm totally impressed with this. I would never be able to pull this off.

Since my plate is full, I've also committed to allowing myself not to be overly crafty for everyone. Oh sure, I have ideas for each friend and new baby. But I make myself have an out so if I don't have time to be crafty and produce the present in a polite time frame, I order something online. And that's plenty okay.

But I did crank out this gift this past week for a co-worker who is the biggest out-of-the-closet New Kids on the Block fan I've ever met: It's a onesie and matching pink tutu for her future little girl...complete with a butt patch. Finding a retro logo to print out and adhere was the hardest part of the process. But seeing her reaction at the shower was priceless. She started doing the NKOTB dance moves.

the Kitchen game

2011-08-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't had many successes in the kitchen lately. For the most part, I've been extremely uninspired. My cookbook reading has been random and unfocused. My online snooping for appetizing recipes has been aimless and fruitless. My planning and ideas have been lackluster. I like to be in the kitchen, but I haven't been inspired to be there lately..

I hate it when a recipe doesn't turn out like I think it should. I had some veggies that needed to be cooked, so I took a stab at a simple veggie lasagna with loads of cheese. Yuck. There's still half of it in the freezer. Then, I attempted a baked chicken dish that involved stuffing proscuitto, fresh basil, and mozzarella in split, marinated chicken breasts. Double Yuck. The sauce and cheese all melted together and I had one big blob of chicken surrounded by a white watery liquid. I made some chicken enchilada pasta that was mediocre.

So, I've resorted to my favorite part of kitchen life: baking. I love to bake pretty, yummy things. I like to use the rolling pin, cut, and ice cookies. I like to flip through cookie recipes and try something new. Most of the cookies I've made lately have been test-drive cookies....cookies you make once, but you aren't going to make again. I made Lemon Spice Cookies, which seemed to be a good, light summer cookie. They were neither lemony nor nutmegy, but they were pretty. I sent them to Dave's work and Jack enjoyed them:

I've made a chocolate cookie concoction that involved a cocoa dough, melted marshmellows, and chocolate frosting. It was good and looked impressive, but not fantastic enough to make again.

So, Jack and I have cooked from the garden. We've had success with gazpacho and pickles. We've got a salsa contest to prepare for. At least Jack is learning to cook in the kitchen and clean up afterward.

x

Life with Jack

2011-07-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Jack keeps us busier than we ever thought possible. People frequently tell me when the baby sequel arrives that I'll be busy. I'm sure life will reach a new level of craziness, but until then we're busy enough running after a 16-month-old who never fails to make us laugh.

Due to his penchant for throwing food, I have to mop the floor a few times a week. At least. We try to vacuum at least once a week too, but sometimes even that gets tough. I sometimes think I'm raising a hoarder. When I'm running late getting ready for work, I'll give him dry Cheerios and turn on Sesame Street while I dash around. The Cheerios inevitably wind up all over the living room. Then, he'll move them around. He'll stash them under his car. He'll stash them in the bookshelf. He'll put a few in his toy box. Then, Jack treats the entire living room like a cruise ship buffet that he can snack on whenever he wants. He'll start nibbling and I'll have to look around to discover where it's coming from this time.

Jack is a waver. Whether walking through daycare, an airplane, or the grocery store, he greets his adoring public like a consummate politician. It's always interesting to see who waves back. Sometimes the most intimidating people break character and coo. Sometimes people look the other way. I thought my Aunt was going to take out someone's jugular for not waving back at Jack while we were visiting Duluth.

We've currently been trying to explain to Jack how he will be a big brother soon. We point to my belly and say "baby." He sometimes says "no" which his one of his favorite words. I honestly thought he somewhat understood the concept when he pointed to my belly one day at dinner and said unprompted "baby." But then, he pointed to his belly and said "baby." When I said no, he pouted.

Daycare has recently been very challenging. Jack moved up to the Toddler room which thrilled his parents because it was a nearly $400 price break a month. But Jack has recently started the separation anxiety business and crying like a banshee when we leave. Dave usually makes the drop, but one morning he just couldn't go through the flailing and whaling again, so I went. We talked about daycare and our friends all the way there and as Jack walked to the door he seemed excited. Then the door opened. Jack looked around and immediately started backing up, reaching for me, and letting out a blood curdling scream. It's one of those things that's just so hard. I can hear him yelling down the hall and when I exit the front door. But, when I go to pick him up, he's happy and content and playing and he always runs with a smile to see me. That's the best.

Georgia on my Mind

2011-07-19T12:38:00.001-07:00

What does one do at a sorority's national convention?

I heard this question quite frequently before I attended my first national convention, and I really didn't know how to answer. After attending Alpha Xi Delta's convention in Atlanta at the beginning of July, I think I know.

You hang out. With people you know and some you meet for the first time. And you laugh. A lot. We stayed up each night laughing and telling stories and getting up early the next day to do it all again.

Going in, I knew I was attending with a phenomenal group of women who all met (and mostly live) in Minneapolis-St Paul. We are quite a mix. We are from five states and attended five different colleges (more if you count graduate degrees). No shop talk here... we represent a variety of careers--a cancer research doctor at St Jude, a teacher on her way to being a school administrator, a marketing and business guru, a news reporter, and an events planner at what could arguably be the most upscale hotel in the Twin Cities.

But, we are all sorority sisters who have connected in the alumnae world. We pledged to uphold the same ideals back in college and we now volunteer to help women and give back to our fraternity. Throughout the convention, we heard updates of what the national organization is doing and we attended other meetings on how to better network and help our collegiate chapters. Aside from meetings, there were plenty of networking opportunities--I met a variety of people from a pageant queen to a girl who just shaved her head and donated all of her hair to Locks of Love.

I also met a few girls from southwest Arkansas, who are from my collegiate chapter. Upon meeting me, one said, 'of course you are from Delight, you have blond hair." I'm not sure what to think about that, but together we did make up a blond tri-fecta...apparently they have blonds (or at least blond hair dye) in Hot Springs and Nashville too.
There were plenty of opportunities to sight-see Atlanta. I have to say I'm not impressed with the city. It was dirty with plenty of panhandlers around. I wouldn't have gone walking downtown--even through the tourist areas--alone. Not to mention it being unbearably hot, but it's July so we expected it.
Centennial Park which commemorates the Olympics was a hot and disappointing venue. It was a large park with fountains for the kids. A few signs mentioned the Olympic games. The Olympic flag flew.

We skipped CNN and Coca-cola and I wouldn't have minded seeing those...but we did see the Georgia Aquarium, which was extremely impressive. It's the largest in North America and it has WHALES inside. You know a whale is the largest mammal in the world and I've seen them in the ocean, but there's something special about seeing them up close. The Aquarium is spectacular and worth a visit should you go to Atlanta.

And if you do, I wouldn't recommend going in July. Have I mentioned it's really hot?

Out of curiosity we visited Georgia State and the chapter houses there. They were small townhouses housing about 15 women, but together they made up their own Greek community. My campus didn't have chapter houses, but a concept like this would work well there.

We have a sister in Minneapolis who routinely attends convention to catch up with women she knows in the Maryland-Chesapeake Alumnae Association. She couldn't attend, but we met these women to swap "Pam" stories and they are a hoot--someday I hope I can be just like them. They road-trip to convention and back and you can tell they have a great time with plenty of laughter around. It was a picture of how sisterhood doesn't end w/college, but how it can continue to grow.

There's something special about sorority and sisterhood and I've experienced that on a whole new level in Minneapolis. Not only through the alumnae, but through the collegiates. I'm involved with the chapter at the Univ of Wisconsin Eau Claire and I am constantly impressed by their commitment. Together they raise a substantial amount of money for our philanthropic partner, Autism Speaks, and collectively, they have a very high campus GPA. On awards night, they were absolutely dejected not to win the highest honor in the fraternity, but instead settle for the second highest....and a renewed commitment to win the big award next year. Here we are with our group of overachievers and the new national president:

To sum it up....at convention, I could see all ages of women each interacting and working together in a way I've never really seen anywhere else. We're committed to the same ideals and committed to helping women reach their potential, no matter the phase of life. That's a nice place to be.

The Great Race

2011-07-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures of Jack in the grocery store because we don't sit still in the store long enough to get one. We move with a mission, not unlike the contestants on those old shopping spree shows on Nickelodeon.

This is because now that Jack is on the move, a store isn't a fun or safe place to be.

A few weeks ago, I was shopping for a dress and made the very seldom-done shopping stop for a few minutes. Jack wandered the aisles contentedly for a few minutes. Then, he started walking toward the door saying "All done! All done!" When I didn't comply, he came up to me and yelled "All done!" with his eyebrows raised along with the accompanying sign, since apparently mama didn't get it.

Last week at the grocery store, I snagged one of those great shopping carts with a car in front of it. Even though you practically have to have a CDL to drive it, those are generally good for 10 or so minutes. We made it though produce, meat, and to the canned goods before Jack yelled "all done" and proceeded to get out of the buckled safety belt. So, I moved him to the top of the cart and started feeding him Cheerios. That lasted through the middle aisles and paper products to the dairy section. "All done!" Then, he tried to stand up in the cart. So, I took him out and let him wander around me while I quickly made it through the cheese and frozen foods...past the balls, which are an object of fascination right now and require pointing and identification..."ball. ball."

Then, the checkout line. On double coupon days, the grocery store is chaotic and the long lines make you think the checkers are giving something away instead of taking your money. By the time Jack and I got closer to the front of the line, I coulda stuck a fork in him because Jack was truly "all done." The Woman of Disdain ahead of us in line kept frowning at us. Jack was thrashing and screaming. Jack was pulling magazines out of the rack. As I tried to put him in the buggy again, I accidentally bumped the Woman of Disdain again with my extra long kiddie cart. Jack was hitting me and yelling "all done." I put Jack in the big part of the cart with the groceries and hoped he didn't throw out the eggs like he was trying to do everything else. It was not fun.

By the time the cashier went through my coupons, she quickly gave me credit for everything--even those pesky coupons that require a beep and a double check, "do you have this item?" Yes, lady. "All done! Waaaah!" Sure thing. "All done!" Despite the fact people were backed all the way into aisles, checkers and even a few shoppers gathered round to help me bag groceries in an effort to get this kid outta here. "All done!"

I have plenty of excuses for my 15-month-old. It was an hour before bedtime. We grocery-shopped right after daycare, through his regular dinnertime and all he got was Cheerios. Shortly after we get home, he's happy, fed, and giving me the sleep sign while sitting at the bottom of the stairs, holding his worn dog pillow pet, and pointing upwards to his bed.

In the future, I'm going to try being at the store when doors open at 6am to grab groceries, when Jack is asleep at home with his father. Other than after work, I really don't have another time to go and I'm not sure the great race is worth it. Maybe we'll just do take-out from now on.

breaking the social media news

2011-06-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

When do you break big news over social media?

This has been something I've thought about for awhile. I'm not one of those attention-hungry people who post sicknesses or grievances on Facebook. I don't use it as a political or spiritual platform. I don't post much personal business on there. I keep it fairly benign. I keep my private life, for the most part, private. Even since I've started this blog, I've become even more private about what is posted on the internet about me and about my friends.

As ironic as it may sound, I've never been a big newsy "guess what" person. I think I've been overly cautious about being perceived as a braggart or self-absorbed person. Even when I won awards, I didn't necessarily run around telling everyone. Instead, I generally only told a select few that I knew would be genuinely happy.

But I have big news. Dave and I are expecting the sequel baby around, ironically, Labor Day. We've told our bosses. My coworkers found out at happy hour when I wasn't drinking. We've told our families. They found out in mother's day cards. We've told the close friends that we routinely associate with. Well, Dave mostly took care of that.

But we haven't broken the news to friends, family, and acquaintances on the social media circuit. How do you even do that? Throw out a small comment and see how many people "Like" it? Do we wait until the sequel baby arrives and then post pictures and let everyone wonder? Give a few people the heads-up so no one gets miffed they didn't get a personal update? Think about a creative status update that reveals the big news? Post a random blog entry like this one?

Cutting back

2011-06-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

I admit it. I'm a chronic joiner. Always have been. Look at my resume' from high school to college to afterward, and you can see that I've joined a variety of organizations. Since I went to school in rural areas, clubs gave me the an outlet to travel, compete, and see places. It helped me earn scholarships. It padded my early resume' with honors and awards, and it kept me out of trouble. I don't regret it.

I didn't enjoy my first two years of college because I wasn't involved. I worked. I studied. And, I got another job and worked more. I thought college was supposed to be more exciting than this...so as I researched other colleges to transfer, I also tried out the campus television station. The baptist student union. A sorority. The debate team. And by my junior year, I started enjoying college as I added more clubs and organizations to the list. I got to know people at my small campus fairly quickly and I threw my transfer papers in the trash.

I followed the same pattern in my adult life. I get interested in a club. I join. I'm dependable, responsible, and helpful by nature so I generally wind up in a leadership position in three years or less. Then, I get overbooked. Stressed. Getting out of bed too early on a Saturday morning and wondering why in the heck I'm doing this.

Every so often, I'd realize I wasn't living my life. My life was living me.

As my family changes and expands, I've realized this can't go on. Something has got to go. So, I've cut back my extracurricular activities dramatically. I've given up board positions. I've cut back on volunteering. I've carefully examined what I get out of clubs and what I don't. I've made new rules about my involvement....such as aside from religious organizations, I refuse to join an organization with a weekly commitment. I look for flexibility and the benefit of networking. Does something cause me stress? Do I really enjoy being with everyone here? Aside from one organization that where I'm fulfilling a leadership obligation, I've culled back my involvement to it's lowest point that it's been since about the fourth grade.

And, as life has slowed down and I sometimes have weekends with zero commitments and instead projects I can complete and days I can spend at the park or cook my family dinner, I've loved the transition. Who knew?

Sweet Surprise for Dessert

2011-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

While writing about our adventure up North, it's impossible not to write about the food. There's a reason why food is missing from the other blogs.

Because it was basically terrible.

Either I got some rotten recommendations or people just don't know what good food is. Dave and I mapped out our route and our plans and we decided to stick to the classic restaurants the North Shore is known for.

In Grand Marais, we shunned popular destination (and bumper sticker generator) Sven & Ole's for the Blue Water Grill. Big mistake. Sven & Ole's is a destination sort of place that serves up interesting pizza. Well, no one in our group was really in the mood for pizza. So, we went to the Blue Water Grill. Not that great of an experience. Scant portions and substandard diner fare all the way around. The only bright spot was my Aunt's Walleye sandwich which was as big as her plate....which reinforces the rule to always eat what the place is known for. After all, that's the area where they excel.

We stopped and ate at Betty's Pies, which is right on 61 and a local legend for pies and pasties. A pastie is like a turnover or meat pie stuffed full of beef or chicken with a carrot, rutabaga, onion, and potato mixture baked inside. It was bland to say the least. My broasted chicken wasn't bad, but it's not what I would've expected--broiled and roasted. Instead, it was fried, served with fake mashed potatoes, but a decent biscuit.

But stick to what one is known for, and in a place like Betty's Pies, one must try the pie.

We did. Four different pieces at our table and they were all good. We tried strawberry-rhubarb, coconut, banana cream, and blueberry. Yum.

But the sweetest surprise came from something we didn't even order. Since we were back in a porch area by ourselves, we let Jack roam around the dining room. At one point, he started walking. He would take 3-4 steps on his own without holding onto an adult's hand. Of course, this got us very excited.

In the future, we might stop again at Betty's Pies and skip the meal, but stop for a piece of pie and to remember when our toddler finally started toddling.

North Shore Flavor

2011-06-03T14:25:00.001-07:00

When you venture out of the metro area, you truly start to experience Minnesota. I firmly believe there are rednecks and country folk just about everywhere, and this state is no exception. Most everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful.

We stopped at a Scandinavian shop that was full of interesting arts and crafts. Thanks to my lovely Swedish and Norwegian friends, I can tell a Dalla horse from a julebakka...but maybe not a tomte from a nissa.

There are also several smoked fish and cheese stores along the trek North. Dave and I brought some some yummy smoked havarti cheese and Dave grabbed some smoked trout that I think his parents would like too.

Grand Marais is full of cute shops. We stopped in several small stores, but I think everyone's favorite was either the old fashioned Ben Frankin's or the World's Best Donut Shop, which did have some fantastic fresh donuts. There was a line continually outside of their door. While we were in Grand Marais, the lake was lapping up on the beach just like the ocean would have. A thick fog kept us from seeing that far away from shore. I found it ironic that my Aunt, who counts collecting seashells on the beach as one of her favorite vacation hobbies, collected smooth, interesting stones from the shores of the Lake. This is agate country, but we didn't find any--at least that we could tell.

Of course, Canal Park in Duluth is a destination for browsing too. Several antique stores, shops, and fish & cheese stores are spread out in a small area near the bridge. There weren't that many people around this weekend, so we got to look around minus the crowds. I asked one clerk when the place got really busy and he told me, "When summer begins. You know, at the end of July."

The Trip North

2011-06-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

When you drive out of 90 degree heat, it's hard to fathom you'll be shivering in just a few hours. I contemplated this as I packed my bags to go to the North Shore over Memorial Day weekend. I stuck in a sweater, but only after going back and forth on whether I *really* needed that sweater.

I did.My family came to visit over Memorial Day weekend and we headed to the North Shore for a site-seeing trip. The weather left much to be desired. Most of our views of Lake Superior were shrouded in fog and sometimes rain. We drove up to Duluth and stayed in a place called the Inn on Gitchee Gumee, which means "big lake." The place was full of Big Woods kitsch, with birch bark beds and North Woods decor. The innkeepers were charming and made us breakfast one morning. While the first night was rather cramped because of space (all 7 of us in one small cabin) I am proud to say we all made the best of it and took it in stride.

The area is truly beautiful. State Parks dot scenic Hwy 61 all the way to Canada. Since the weather was crummy, we wound up staying in the car more than we would've liked....and we wound up driving all the way to the Canadian border. My grandparents are the rest-stopping-est people I know, so we stopped at Visitor Centers and Rest Stops along the way. When we got to the Visitor Center at the border, the clouds parted and the sun shone. Two bald eagles flew across the river overlook and landed in a big tree to just chirp at each other. It was a nice moment.

Besides taking in the foggy scenery, we stopped at shops along the way and went on a lake cruise to see the Duluth Harbor and Lake Superior. Jack was very well behaved, despite the long time we spent in the car. The one time we ventured out to check out a lighthouse, by the time Dave and I had Jack bundled up.... the rest of the crew was climbing back into the car, declaring it too cold and windy to be outside. That's what happens when you expose Arkansans to a cold, wet 40-degrees and windy kind of day.

I didn't bat an eye when I learned they'd also packed an electric blanket for the trip.

If a picture is worth a thousand words....

2011-05-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Mice chewed through something important, so the family portrait had to be hauled across town. It's more than a little laughable, and this is now the front page for our intranet at work. It's good to be able to laugh at yourself. Especially when everyone else is.

In the tornado zone

2011-05-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's not exactly Joplin or Alabama, but Minneapolis residents had a tangle with a tornado on Sunday that left several neighborhoods in disarray.

It's been awhile since I've covered a storm of this magnitude. When you are ultra-local and your coverage area is small, you miss several of the big stories and working in a bubble is sometimes extremely frustrating. Even though the neighborhood was technically not in our viewing area, it was close enough for our residents and agencies to be impacted.

The disaster zone had many of the same characteristics that you will see in any disaster area: people gawking, lawmakers touring, chainsaws buzzing, police manning barricades, media crews swarming, and news choppers circling. Many people still seemed dazed. Lawmakers pledged to help. Good Samaritans arrived with water, food, muscle, and helpful attitudes. There will have been cleanup for days to come.

Thankfully in our small town, we are fine. We got hail and wind, but that's it.

The Real Soul Daddy

2011-05-19T14:42:00.001-07:00

After writing about one Soul Daddy, I feel compelled to write about a Soul Daddy who can truly cook FRIED CHICKEN.

Here's chef Bill in the kitchen, cooking up a Friday night favorite, wings. This is a belated blog post from the last time we were home visiting, and I'm sure he's been looking for this post. (haven't you?)

Buffalo Wings originated in Buffalo, New York, but they are a staple in bars and restaurants all over the state. Dave has several fond memories of Friday nights with his friends and his Dad frying up all the wings they could eat in the deep fryer. So, when Dave goes home "wing night" is a frequent request and a friend or two usually comes over to relive the memories and the taste of something delicious.

And the wings are most certainly tasty, but we expected no less from a real SOUL DADDY.

Soul Daddy's....or Yuppie Soul Food

2011-05-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Dave and I got hooked on watching America's Next Great Restaurant on NBC simply because they were opening a restaurant in Minneapolis. Being the foodies that we are, we wanted to follow the path of this predicted great eat place.

While I cheered for the grilled cheese guy, (because I love a good grilled cheese and not everyone can make them folks. Turns out, the contestant couldn't either.), we quickly switched our allegiance to Jaman from Detroit who could cook up mean waffles and fried chicken. While the investors kept pushing for Jaman to make soul food healthy, we thought he got a unjustly raked over the coals a few times for trying to turn soul food into something it's not. I mean, there's only so much you can do before you change the food to fit another genre. (which is what the Indian food guy did.)

Dave got the assignment to be an iPhone foodie for his station, and we tagged along to test Soul Daddy's wares. I grew up eating soul food before I knew that's what it was even called. So to say the standards were rather high would be an understatement. I thought the food was fine and some dishes were tasty, but it wasn't any kind of soul food I've ever eaten....and something tells me Jaman would agree. THEY WOULDN'T LET HIM KEEP FRIED CHICKEN ON THE MENU. The ridiculousness of not having fried chicken in a soul food restaurant is probably the equivalent of McDonalds not serving big macs. Sure, there's other foods that are soul food, but fried chicken is the soul daddy of them all.

I told my friends here the place is a lot like, no surprise, Chipotle...which are on every corner in Minneapolis. Sure, you'll check out the place on your lunch hour....but you aren't going to drive out of your way to go to one.

PS...Jack did not like Soul Daddy's. He ate raisins and left a good portion of them all over the floor. My apologies to the staff.

Soul Daddy’s at the Mall of America is billed as healthy soul food and if one can truly make soul food appeal to the masses in Minnesota while keeping it relatively healthy, Soul Daddy’s manages to pull it off.

If you’re looking for finger-licking, button-popping, “leave me alone with my plate”, soul food, this is not the place for you. But if you want a good meal, fast, with pleasant (but not too strong) flavors, Soul Daddy’s is a great choice.

Let’s first start with the service. When we got there at 5:30pm on a Saturday the line was just almost out the door. We were moved through quickly, greeted by a very warm and helpful service staff and found a seat (table for two with child) within 15 minutes.

I had the ribs with black-eyed pea salad, corn bread waffle and cheesy grits. The ribs had a nice crust and still managed to be juicy on the inside. They were seasoned on the outside, but certainly not overpowering so you could really taste the good smoky flavor that slow cooked ribs should have.

While the ribs were palate-pleasing by themselves, you have your choice of three sauces; (and can sample all three) ‘Soul Daddy BBQ’, ‘Molasses Mustard’ and ‘Jamawn’s Hot Sauce’. I found all three very good although the hot sauce was not particularly hot.

The cheesy grits were fantastic. They had a wonderful cheese and butter flavor, had great texture and were not gummy—and I should add that I am not usually a fan of grits. My wife (who is a true southerner, from Arkansas) also liked them.

If you know a southerner, you know they are very picky about three things: grits, cornbread and sweet tea. She loved all three at Soul Daddy’s.

The cornbread waffle was the understated contributor to this meal and was AWESOME. If you’re used to very sweet corn bread (almost like a dessert bread) then you haven’t really had good corn bread. Real “southern” corn bread is not sweet, but rather a little bland and designed to help soak of the flavor of the meal. Soul Daddy’s nailed this side perfectly.

My wife had the baked chicken with sweet potato salad the whole grain biscuit and we shared the wild rice salad.

The baked chicken was solid. The skin had a rosemary herb mixture and was very juicy. As Bobby Flay said in the America’s Next Great Restaurant finale; if you’re not going to fry the chicken make sure it’s the best baked chicken ever.

He also said he was disappointed that Jamawn Woods’ menu didn’t have fried chicken. I was too.

The two salads, like the rest of the meal, had very mild flavors; easy to like, but not necessarily memorable enough to ‘have’ to come back for.

Soul Daddy’s is to soul food what Chipotle is to Mexican; not authentic but a great alternative that will allow you to leave happy and full.

It's good food, fast. And because of that, it will likely live up to its billing as America’s next great restaurant.

Foodies Unite

2011-05-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

During our annual Passover Pilgrimage to New York, my MIL, one of the cousins, and I journeyed down to New York City for our own version of a food tour. We got a late start, but we packed a lot of sights and smells into the day.

Our first stop was the Chelsea Market. The food-themed concourse and television studio is located in the old National Biscuit Company building in Manhattan. In the space where bakers used to churn out Oreos and saltines crackers, foodies now browse through a unique collection of restaurants and food stores. One of Dave's relatives operates a kitchen supply store there.

You can find shops with interesting names like the Fat Witch Bakery, Lucy's Whey, and the Cleaver Company. You can eat gelato, thai food, soups in a soup-only restaurant, and what I did--a bacon sandwich in a Jewish deli. The Food Network and a few other cable shows tape segments in the spaces above the shops and restaurants, which only makes the place a bit more interesting.

I walked away from a few hours there with a few poster prints that I bought at a rock-bottom price, and plan to frame for the house. I also picked up some gourmet olive oil as a gift in an Italian grocery.

Little did we know, we were only a few blocks away from an Italian food-lovers delight. Eataly is a european open-air market and food concept operated by an italian and promoted by some of the biggest names in America's Italian Cuisine business. Mario Batali and Linda & Joe Bastianich have cookbooks offered in several corners of the huge complex.

We watched this fellow make fresh mozzarella. One of the reasons why he was wearing gloves is because the water was so hot it was steaming. He pinched off a small piece for us to eat and it was the best mozzarella I've ever tasted. You could taste the milk in the cheese, and it had a smooth and creamy taste that lingered on the tongue. My MIL was going to buy one a container for us to share, but after actually finding the end of the line and realizing it snaked all the way around the building, we decided having a bit of cheese wasn't worth waiting in line for an hour.

In the marketplace, you could buy fresh pasta, cheese & sausage, coffee, bakery items, fish....you name it. All had gourmet prices to go with the fancy names, but it was enjoyable to look while elbowing through the crowds. And we weren't the only tourists scoping out the area....on the way out, we maneuvered around a group of women hauling trash bags filled with big items around. One explained to me they had watched the Nate Berkus show that morning and been surprised to win a vacuum cleaner and several cleaning products. They didn't let that stand in the way of a day touring the city, vacuum cleaners and all. The women had just gotten through the line, so obviously some people deemed it mandatory to buy some cheese...... to go with their Windex.

Stroller Envy

2011-05-04T13:51:00.001-07:00

The Schwartz family just returned from another plane trip to visit a family branch and once again, our most frequent talking point in the airport came back to our awesome stroller.

We've been asked by passengers, pilots, TSA screeners, you name it, we've been stopped and asked, "where did you get that stroller? I've never seen anything like it before."This stroller converts to a backpack and it looks so different that I can understand why it catches quite a bit of attention. We'vebeen stopped many, many times and asked about it outside of the airport too. It's become quite a joke and we have our canned response ready when asked.

We bought the Kelty Kids stroller/backpack months ago at a second hand store. We actually debated on whether or not to buy it, when inretrospect it's been one of the best baby purchases we have made. The contraption allows Jack to stand or at least sit upright instead of reclining, which for an active baby is a much more attractive option. During busy travel and in tight spaces, we fold the handle down and let Dave carry Jack on his back. This was very, very helpful getting through crowds during the holiday season in the busy airport, and Jack loves the view from up top. It only weighs 9.5 pounds.

While this isn't a baby equipment review blog and I realize that this post totally shows how my life has changed, our stroller has become something that makes us cool....at least in some circles.

Dueling media personalities?

2011-04-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

When I go out on stories, there's always a considerable amount of small talk. Somewhere in the conversation, I might slip a drawl in or a reference and then the question, 'where are you from?' pops up.
Which is always followed by, 'How did you get to be up here?' Never mind that the state is home to several Fortune 500 companies, medical device and science technology industries, and educational research facilities that inevitably draw a host of smart people from around the country to call Minnesota home. But, my answer is always....'my husband's job'.....followup question: where does your husband work?....My answer: big media outlet that everyone watches. Follow-up question: Which one is he?....My answer: Dave, the sports guy.

Eyes light up. I know him! or my personal favorite, 'YOU are DAVE's wife? Really?!' or even one once that was followed by a phone call, 'Honey, I was just interviewed by Dave Schwartz's wife!'

To which my response is, 'yep and I wash his dirty underwear too.' It's not always that glamorous, folks.

This market follows their media personalities and everyone who has been on that station for two minutes is immediately recognizable and "just so nice." I've even heard this from contributors to the station who do one interview and are then stopped in the grocery store aisles afterward. Many remember when I was on his channel after the birth of Jack and immediately ask how my baby is. However, the fact that I'm this so-nice man's husband seems to make me more credible in my job and probably 'so-nice' too. People feel like they have a 'scoop' or an inside track.

But this doesn't bother me. I'm confident enough in my own ability to think this is actually quite comical.

It's even better when I get a nice note following the interview about my husband doing something I'm even more proud of:

Also, I wanted to tell you that I mentioned to my boyfriend that your husband is Dave Schwartz. My boyfriend was quick to remind me how nice Dave was to him and his son at a Twins' game last June. My boyfriend was at a game with his son, celebrating his son's birthday. They had seats close to where Dave was. Dave took pictures of Scotty and Tweeted about Scotty celebrating his birthday. Mark had mentioned at the time how nice Dave was to them. And of course Scotty was so excited that his picture was taken and shared on Twitter. Just thought you might like to hear a "feel good" story about your husband. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that he was nice to a little boy at a baseball game. :-)

the babies turn one

2011-04-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

After Jack was born, I had the opportunity to get together with a new mom & baby group from my hospital. We met for six weeks and talked all things baby. We've stayed in touch over the year and we all celebrated our babies first birthday this past Saturday. With six little boys all around 12 months old, we caused quite a stir in the restaurant!

Jack was the only one on the verge of walking. Everyone else was already there.

But he was the only baby who ate his food, then his friend Thomas' food, and then he threw the food, then his drink on the floor. We left shortly thereafter while everyone else in the place still thought we were charming.

The world is a flood

2011-03-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

The great flood of 2011 is here. The bridge is closed. Pedestrians are taking Sunday strolls with babies and cameras to capture the fun of another swollen-water spring. Shops are having 'floodwatch 2011' sales. The corner malt shop is hoppin'--why? Because that's what you do, grab a malt and watch the flood.

I entered the paper's contest to correctly guess when the bridge would close/reopen. I missed it by 6 hours! The winner gets a year's subscription to the paper. When I saw the live trucks lined up around 5:30, I knew my prediction was doomed.

Actually, all signs so far this year say the flood is going to be less than epic, and that is good. The forecasters definitely scared us with this one. Back during the wet fall and snowy December, they started talking about the spring flood. It *was* predicted to be as bad as it was in 1965, when water was actually up to the second floor of my house and someone used dynamite to blast away a part of downtown in an effort to channel the waters away from the majority of houses. Like good Minnesotans, everyone rebuilt exactly where they were before and they built up the flood control system.

We started actually getting concerned when the city sent us a letter outlining the flood plan and updating citizens on diversion channels and how great our levee is. The letter went into great detail about how our levee could withstand a 100 year flood and even a 500 year flood. (How do they even know that?) Then, they'd point out on the bottom that if you wanted flood insurance, this is what you need to do.... And above all, don't panic. We asked ourselves, should we be panicking? We asked our neighbors, are you panicking? We called our insurance agent, should we be panicking?

Then, the next town over, who I guess doesn't have an awesome levee, started raising their levee by three feet. Two towns over, they started sandbagging. Another town put out a call for sandbaggers. Everyone waited and watched with fingers poised above the proverbial panic button.

Then, a slow thaw. Forecasters say it's the perfect thaw for a spring flood. Warm during the day, freezing at night. The end of March might have a hint of spring, but don't let those robins fool you. It's still 30-something or 40-something during the day and in the teens at night. You still need those wool socks and long underwear.

Our sump pump hasn't kicked on yet. As we checked out the flood on our Sunday stroll with baby and camera in tow, we noted water was going down instead of continuing to rise. The expected crest is this week, and people are hoping we don't get another snow.

We still aren't panicking, but this might warrant a trip to the malt shop anyway.

What's the deal with cancer?

2011-03-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

As a reporter, I routinely run across a variety of people. Some impressions are fleeting; some wind up being Christmas-card-worthy. I am always touched to get a follow-up note after a story. I still keep up with a few story subjects who have become friends over the years.

Earlier this year, I covered the annual State of the Cities address where four local cities gave speeches. A short time later I went to city hall to cover an event and was shocked to see the newly re-elected third term mayor could barely walk up the stairs. He'd noticeably lost weight. The next day the city confirmed he had cancer. I got to interview him once more, when he graciously allowed a two-camera, multi-light-kit, five-person crew inside his house for an interview about his cancer. He told me he discovered cancer on January 21. He died on February 26.

From a media standpoint, he was easy to work with. He returned calls in a timely manner. He was congenial. He was patient and answered questions even when it was one of those loosely connected what-if stories that the media often uses to fill time. If the gatherings at the funeral and memorials were any indication, he will be missed. Even the Liberian ambassador to the US flew here to attend the service.

This past weekend, I lost another professional contact after a long and brave battle with cancer. She was a volunteer with area schools, and we've done several stories on how she helped develop an Autism resource library. She was a fierce advocate for her autistic son. She went to the doctor for a cough and got a diagnosis for stage 4 lung cancer, even though she claimed she never smoked. (This happens more frequently than you might think in Minnesota, I'm told, because of high radon levels in homes.)

When we found out she had cancer, I went to interview her about it in her home. So hard. She had a husband and three children--one isn't even in preschool. She flew to cancer centers and tried regular, then experimental drugs...everything to stop the spread of the disease. But, in her battle, she was gracious. She sent me a card when she found out I was expecting Jack. She called me later and asked me to drop by her house for a picture that would go in her "victory scrapbook" that she was making to remember her cancer battle. She wanted copies and scripts of the stories for that victory scrapbook.

I got the Caring Bridge update that she was going into hospice two weekends ago. The next weekend, I got another one saying she had passed away. Such a loss for the family and the community.

I am tired of cancer. Such losses.... and such a startling reminder of the brevity of life.

Year One

2011-03-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Jack,
You are one.

It is so hard to believe the sleepless nights, the smiles, the crying because you hate to be in a car seat, the growth spurts, the chattering, flinging food, first holidays, and the crawling have all added up to be a year. In Year One, each day's challenges seemed sufficient for the day. In the hustle of bedtimes, bathtimes, mealtimes, storytimes, and what-do-I-do-now-times, it's often hard to take in the wonder of parenthood until you look back in retrospect.

Even though we have been as busy as ever, I think we've stopped to treasure the small things along the way. And I don't just mean on those random mornings when we realized, 'he actually slept through the night.' Your father and I have frequently stopped in the middle of one of your gummy smiles to look at each other and smile ourselves. Since I'm at home every night, I treasure bathtime and storytime.....Goodnight Moon, On the night you were born, and your favorite--Wheels on the Bus--complete with movable parts. You don't tolerate longer books yet, but you do pick one up while playing and flip through the pages like you are reading. The first time I saw you do this, it was probably my proudest parent moment yet. While I get nights, your dad gets the mornings. This is when you are in your best mood and you like to laugh when I put you in bed with him to wake him up. You know hours of playtime are ahead.

You are a happy baby, and I'm fortunate for that. You love music and when a dancing tune comes on, you start bouncing and moving. You especially like James Brown and every morning, your dad makes sure you hear some jazz or soul. You never meet a stranger and go to nearly everyone willingly. Actually, you most enjoy going from one person's arms to the next....always looking for a place to go and a new person to meet.

You have a best friend at daycare and his name is Zach. Your teachers say you are always playing together, sharing toys, and trying to go down the play area stairs head-first. When Zach moved to the playroom a few days ahead of you, you each sat on either side of the plastic fence and just looked at each other. I'd imagine the conversation went like this, 'You still in there, man?' 'yeah, they won't let me out.' 'How much time ya got left?' Your friendship quickly rekindled when you moved up.

You are developing a temper, which you get honestly. Now, when you don't get something you want, youcan let out a wail that will shake the windowpanes before you put your head down and cry. When you are hurt or scared, you let out a 'silent scream' before the accompanying glass-shaking wail. You do have a mind of your own and we have to keep the staircase continually gated to keep you from climbing up them yourself, which you can do in under a minute. If you see us gating off the staircase, we'll hear the cry. Something also fascinates you about throwing things in the bathtub. When you find the bathroom door open, you will inevitably carry a small toy in there and throw it in the tub. We've found several missing items there. When I shut the door so you can't get in the bathroom, we hear another wail. You do like your freedom.

I'm looking forward to the changes we'll see this next year. I'm curious to know if you will be as adventurous as a walker as you are as a crawler. I'm wondering if you will start appreciating gravity or will continue to try to hurl yourself off changing tables, beds, couches, etc. I'm wondering when your chattering will become more words. I'm wondering if you will continue to shun sugar. I'm wondering if you'll ever like the car seat.

But I know Year Two will move just as fast too.

Jack's first birthday party

2011-03-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

I realize the first birthday party is actually more about the parents rather than the kiddo. Jack won't remember his first birthday party, but I think he'll enjoy the pictures someday. Or maybe.

In honor of Jack's birthday, we built a birthday around a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" theme in honor of a book that we read quite frequently during Year One.

Jack's friends and family came over to celebrate on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. This party has been feeding my addiction to party blogs for the past several months, and I put quite a bit of effort into planning everything just right. For the most part, I was very pleased with how everything turned out--except I forgot to get a wide shot of the party table so you can't see the fabulous banner I made. I also made a great door decoration, but I didn't want to include it here since it had our address posted on it. (and I didn't want to go to the trouble to blur it out)

Jack didn't seem to care so much about the cake. We've done the strict no-sugar during year one policy, and he ate more fruit than he did cake. We'll see how long this continues. Even as the cake sits in our fridge, we've ate more of it than Jack.

I also don't have pictures on here of the nice caterpillar cupcake cake that the guests ate. That will come later. The gals at Cupcake Tuesday did a wonderful job.

For games, we played pin the head on the caterpillar, a bean-bag toss, and a memory game that the older kids seemed to enjoy. They also helped Jack open his gifts. Our friends are generous and we appreciate them.

Dave's family also flew to Minneapolis to be in on the fun. It was nice having them here and a prolonged birthday celebration. I have a feeling Jack might be bored when this birthday week is over.

Tonight we'll go eat something I know Jack likes: Steak!

Jack's first First Birthday

2011-03-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

When you have family planted in several locations, sometimes you are lucky to have more than one birthday celebration. When I made a quick weekend trip home over President's Day weekend, Jack celebrated his first birthday with his great-grandmother, who was having an actual birthday on that day.
Usually trips home involve quite a bit of planning....texting and calling people to let them know when I'm coming home. I had a very busy few weeks leading up to the visit, so I made zero plans. However, a few family members and close friends decided to make all the arrangements for a party. I was very touched by the decorations and the overall effort.

The party was fun, the food was good, and we got some nice gifts. Jack didn't seem that interested in the cake, but he was very interested in all of the other kids and a few of the noise-making toys.

I won a party...

2011-02-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can win a party and host one every week?

As a consumer reporter, I've seen these promotional parties mentioned on coupon blogs and money saving websites rather frequently. I've even applied to win a few of them. You can check out www.houseparty.com to sign up to host a party featuring DiGiorno pizza or Charmin toliet paper. Zattarans is hosting a big one right now for Mardi Gras.

Well, I won one. A Coffeemate party. When I found out I won, I had to email invitations within three days, I had to host a party on Free Flavor Friday and and I had to hand out free Coffeemate coupons. Since I won a bistro baking party, I had to bake something too. I got loot like a free silicone pan to make heart-shaped muffins, a Coffeemate apron, a nice leather recipe binder, recipe cards, instant coffee, powdered Coffeemate, and of course coupons for free Coffeemate. We drink A LOT of Coffeemate in our house and considering I won't have to buy it for another 6 months...that's pretty cool.

Why do companies do this? It's an interesting marketing technique that tries to take advantage of word of mouth. If you invite some friends over and share your experience with a particular brand, that message will probably mean a bit more than a random television commercial or magazine ad.

My coworkers sure appreciated the early morning breakfast, coffee, and break.... I got to bring in a local expert and talk about promotional parties.... and we got free stuff. What's not to like?

The ice dams cometh...and bringeth Minnesota Nice

2011-02-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a bizarre winter. We've gotten our fair share of snow and ice. We've had quite a stretch of sub-zero temperatures. We've also had our first encounter with ice dams.

At first we thought the icicles were beautiful and fun. They kept growing until they looked like something out of a Dr Seuss book. But then, I felt wet carpet and they didn't look so fun anymore.

It was a normal night and I was bathing Jack. I happened to look outside of the bathroom for no particular reason and I spotted a brown spot on the ceiling. The carpet below was a bit wet. Uh-oh. I finished bathing Jack and getting him into his pajamas and every time I passed by the brown spot would grow larger. As I got Jack down for the night, the spots grew before my worried eyes.

I put down towels. I called Dave. I started looking everywhere for more brown spots. Our foyer ceiling was becoming a dripping bowl.

That's when the best rendition of Minnesota Nice I've ever seen stepped in. At 10:30pm, our neighbor had just got home from his son's hockey game and came over with a roof rake to get the snow and ice off our roof. A roof rake is exactly what it sounds like.... a rake with a super-long handle so you can pull the snow off your roof while your feet are on the ground. Our trusty neighbor did a pretty good job of raking while wading through the four foot-plus drifts of snow that surround our house.

The next morning a father-in-law of a co-worker showed up and got his crew on our roof to get all the ice off. They had another job but stopped by before and after to clean off our roof. For free.

An ice dam happens when heat escapes from your house and melts the snow on top of it. The runoff forms an icicle coming off your roof, but eventually freezes, and dams up....until the melting snow has no where to fall. So the water seeps under your shingles and into your house.

I've done stories on the ice dam companies. This year they are raking it in... not just ice, but cash. One company I called said they weren't answering the phone anymore because they were too busy. If they do come out, it's 400-bucks an hour. And a minimum 2-3 hour job.

Now, our ceilings have dried and we now own a roof rake that Dave regularly uses. We will wait and cross our fingers until spring to see if there's any permanent damage. The best part of this experience was the genuine concern and help from our friends and neighbors. It was so nice... I guess.... Minnesota nice.

Remembering the joy of snow days

2011-02-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

We don't get snow days here. When it snowed 16 inches in a blizzard, several things got canceled. But normally, we don our wool socks, our hand warmers, our long underwear, and inch to work in a snow-induced traffic jam anyway.

A friend of mine posted this great video on her blog. It reminds me of the joy snow days used to hold.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video.

Parents of Jack

2011-01-27T08:17:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe we're only about a month away from hitting the completion of Year One.

The time that seemed to eek by in the form of sleepless nights and groggy days seems long ago. Now, Jack's changes seem more visible, vibrant, and rapid as he shows his personality more and more each day. Here are some tidbits of life with Jack:

I'm not a morning person, but it truly warms my heart to hear his jabbering in the morning. When I say 'good morning' and he turns to see me, he has a huge smile and lately, starts clapping. Usually, this good mood only surfaces after 7 am, and I'm ready to start clapping too that he's slept that long and is in good spirits. He is his happiest in the mornings.

Jack is leading his own boycott against baby spoons. Anything off of a baby spoon he will not eat, but instead turn his head and put his hand to his mouth to refuse it. In moments when I am more persistent, he'll give a little yell and complete the look with a grimace on his face. I usually eat my sorry excuse for a dinner sitting right beside him at the table. If I try to feel him whatever he's eating off of my fork, the morsel amazingly becomes appealing and he can't gobble it up fast enough.

Jack is starting to eat bits of food with his fingers and he does enjoy feeding himself. When he doesn't want to feed himself, he enjoys throwing it on the floor. When Jack's finished drinking or eating whatever, the sippy cup or whatever goes straight to the floor. If he doesn't want something, he does a roundhouse on his high chair and it all goes on the floor.

In a similar fashion, items on Jack's changing table seem to offend him. It's hard to get through one diaper change without at least the tub of wipes going to the floor. Usually the hand sanitizer and maybe the diaper I'm trying to put on him goes too. After he's accomplished squirming and making sure everything is off the table, I'm generally holding him down for a diaper change. Lately, he's enjoyed crawling to the edge to poke his head and shoulders off the table and gaze at whatever he's knocked off.

Our next challenge at our house is to install baby gates. He's a lot like a puppy in that he gnaws on table legs, our legs, and whatever might be within reach. He's discovered he can pull himself up on the staircase. Anything that's on a shelf within reaching distance offends him and must be knocked off. When it's in the floor, Jack does enjoy banging the objects together and chanting "la-la-ba-dah-la!" or some combination. He's making his own music.

And Music, he loves. When music comes on, he starts squirming or bobbing his head. Lately when I've tried working out at home to DVDs, he bops to the music before thoroughly taking in whatever I'm doing. He'll try to pull himself up on my leg, or crawl under my squats, anything to follow me around while I'm doing sets to the music. So far, I've only tripped on him once, and he let me know it.

My addiction to party blogs is being ratcheted up as I plan Jack's one year party. It will be simple, fun and offer plenty of opportunity to get crafty. I figure I only have a few chances to design a party for him before he gets old enough to want a sports or action figure themed party or party at a hockey rink or pool....one that becomes completely boring and uncreative.

I was going to post come cute pictures to this, but I figure I better post while I can.

Busy

2011-01-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

Why was I under the misconception life would slow down in January?

If anything, it's sped up.

I'm in the third week of a self-inflicted series that airs Tuesdays at 4pm. It's one of those great ideas that you think is awesome, and it is awesome, but it takes a boatload of work to get the end product there. I am working with a local nonprofit to showcase the struggles and issues that teens face today that are new or on the rise. I'm trying to go beyond the typical alcohol, drugs, and sex to talk about issues that parents might not understand or know how to deal with.

What I have found is enough to make me run home and hug my little boy every night.

The toughest part of telling a story like this is finding the person who personifies the issue. The nonprofit has been excellent in connecting the dots. They've found some great teenagers willing to be very candid with me. The good news is the teens are all on the other side of their problem--meaning they've found help and are on their way to becoming productive citizens.

My story from last week, on the changing nature of gangs, struck a nerve with a local City Council. A council person brought it up last week during the meeting and this week, my topic was on the agenda. The City Council called in the police to talk about the issue, all prompted by my story. As a journalist, instigating this type of feedback is an unspoken compliment. After all, it is what we seek to do.

Here's a few points that have surprised me so far:

--More troubled teens are from broken families and families are more broken that you might think. While poverty-stricken areas usually breed violence and always have, more single parents are becoming disengaged with children because they are too busy working to transport kids to activities and such. What happens to those kids? usually trouble.

--Gangs are much different than they were in the 1980s and 1990s. They are no longer big names who are territorial, but instead "cliques" who are not organized and change leadership and allegiance frequently. One person can be a part of several gangs. They commit crimes of opportunity--stealing identities and committing mortgage fraud are new ones. The most common age to join a gang? 12, 13, or 14.

--Self harm or "cutting" is on the rise. It's not something that is done to commit suicide or attract attention (as most cutters hide their habit) but instead something that is a coping mechanism. Girls do this more than boys. But the age to start? 12.

I'm only halfway through it. The series should be finished up and in a special by president's day. You can catch a look at the series here.

Break a leg, Bobby!

2011-01-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

I still remember Bobby Bones as the class clown.

But tomorrow he'll be on national TV hosting the Regis & Kelly show!

Since my college alma mater in southern Arkansas was small and the mass media department even smaller, Bobby and I shared many classes. I remember him most as a class clown who really, really knew what was funny. He would inevitably crack a joke that everyone in the class would roar over, but the teacher would just stare and try not to smile until we returned to topic. In my first broadcast journalism class, our assignment was to write out and correctly time a short radio broadcast. Then, deliver it. Bobby did his reporter portions as a helicopter reporter, beating on his chest the entire time...so he actually sounded like he was in a helicopter. Our teacher didn't really think that was funny, but we did...and that was what was really important.

Bobby started out on our very small campus radio station and later moved to the popular central Arkansas station, KLAZ, hosting the evening show. It was always interesting to see what pranks he would pull. He'd get a code and call and change an answering machine at a bank...live on air. I can't remember many of them, but it was always something.....my personal favorite was when he sent another classmate to a humane society adopt-a-dog event, and had him release a stuffed dog tied to a balloon into the air. The balloon floated right over the event and over the interstate where people flooded the police with calls. He got in a bit of trouble over that one.

I sometimes was his unofficial news reporter. He'd called me to get updates on numbers in the presidential election, and I did a few phoners with him from my dorm room. He introduced me with something like "my classmate Shannon who is smart" so you can understand how 'official' it really was! I called and reported campus news like who finaled in the homecoming court. I remember most of our conversations centering around me setting him up with a certain sorority sister. I don't think that ever happened.

Bobby graduated and left Arkansas. He's now got a syndicated show that is out of Austin, Texas and is carried on five stations. And now, he will get to fill in for Regis. Somewhere along the way he grew quite a mop of hair.

Good luck Bobby. We're "reddie" to root for you!

Good Minnesota BBQ....it's possible!

2011-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

I have found good BBQ and it is in Champlin.

Word got around among fellow work foodies that a BBQ place in Champlin was really tasty....so tasty that it was going to be featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

We knew we had to get there before the episode aired, because after DDD hits a place, it usually gets way too busy.

So, we set out to meet up with the crew in the far, far North Metro. The food did not disappoint. There was a line at the counter from the time we got there to right before we left. The owner smokes the meat out back and claims to have inspiration and experience from Memphis and Kansas City. You can pick different kinds of sauces which range from Espresso to very Vinegar-y. I would have this BBQ pegged for more of the North Carolina/Tennessee type than KC... but it was definitely worth coming back for more.

My only complaint is they hid the tea in the back of the joint. So if you wanted a refill, you had to ask, they took your cup, and they had this long process of bringing it back out to you. I like tea and I generally like a lot of it... so I thought this was rather bizarre....the episode on DDD was rather short, but I'm sure they've got all the biz they can handle.