Long time...no post!

¹whirl·wind

noun \-ˌwind\

1: a small rotating windstorm of limited extent

2a : a confused rush : whirl <a whirlwind of meetings>

 b : a violent or destructive force or agency

 

When people say their day {er, weekend, month, life} was a "whirlwind," what do they mean exactly?

 

Allow me to enlighten you...

 

May 8 - Daddy arrives home with balloons for Miss L and a bottle of bubbly for mommy! Jeremy accepts a promotion to manage Hertz, Dollar & Thrifty Car Rental in Denver, Colorado {insert: tears of joy, laughter, excitement, nervousness and celebrations}

 
 



May 15- Daddy leaves for his new gig in DEN, not returning home until May 24th.
Mommy & Miss L sadly spend nearly every.single.day evening sulking, indoors, as Mother Nature "blesses" us Minnesotans with either rain, cold or BOTH, every single day. As if we didn't suffer enough with snow on the ground May 2nd??!

 

Insert Typical Day:

Mommy experiences the life of a single-working-mom...perhaps the only job more difficult than a stay at home mom {which I have tons of respect for}. I am thankful this is temporary and have a new found appreciation for those single parents that do not have a choice. Drop-off around 8am, countless meetings/phone calls/emails that must promptly end by 5:15pm to arrive at Daycare in the nick of time {6pm}. Dinner + playtime + Caillou on TV + bath {some days} round out the long day at 8:30pm...and off to bed, usually with a glass of wine or cocktail to relax myself to sleep.

 

May 24 - Memorial Day weekend - spent with Daddy and Grandma came to down {pre-planned prior to the "move}

 

We enjoyed visiting a local winery where mommy was able to taste ALL of their wines - as in, 14+, it was ridiculous - even for this wino!

 

We experienced mass at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis. Last time Grandma came to town, we attended mass at the Saint Paul Cathedral, so it was neat to see the Minneapolis "monument." It really is special having such amazing places to worship within 30 minutes of our home. On a different note: J felt "sick" again and turned white as a ghost..and felt like he was going to faint again...just 3 weeks after his ambulance ride to the ER. :( I'm growing anxious and worried - particularly as he is flying solo in a different state.

 

The other "big" excitement on Sunday was Miss L's first haircut. Her "homeless style hair style" was looking rather shaggy and in a desperate plea to encourage her hair to grow...we paid a visit to the Kids Cutters! They were great with her - bubbles, TV, sucker...soon her tears disappeared. Now, she has a cute lil' bob and it is all one length!

 

 

The long weekend finished with a visit to downtown Minneapolis to show Grandma the Stone Arch Bridges, the Mississippi River and the need to get out of the house, after all, it was cold and rainy all.weekend {which makes mommy very excited to move to a place with 300+ days of sunshine each year!!!}

This momma needs to hit the hay...that is, after a little Jimmy Fallon!

 

 

Hello, again!

Nearly 3 weeks has passed since I last logged on here...oh dear! It has been a busy {as usual}, snowy few weeks.

We were heading to Michigan after my last post on April 11th; that was fun...a separate post to follow.

Then the following weekend, after two consecutive weekends of travel...we decided to dig into a {small} bathroom renovation. {Note: we are still using our "guest bath" due to the renovation}

Last weekend, Mother Nature decided to reward us tease us with temperatures on Friday in the 60's, Saturday in the 70's and Sunday in the 80's. It was just a nice taste of summer. Grilling out with friends, runs outside and walks to the park. Unfortunately, it was without some drama...as Jeremy woke up Sunday feeling sick.

Jeremy was tied to the couch with a bit of the flu, most of the day. Late in the day, he decided to get up and go to sleep upstairs...and he didn't make it. He felt faint by the time he reached our kitchen and then decided to come back to the Living Room to tell me and instead, he fainted and fell down flat on his face. Fortunately, Miss L was napping at the time because it was really scary for me. I immediately thought he was having a seizure or something. I rolled him on his back and called 911. An ambulance ride to the ER was in order...followed by lots of blood work, x-rays, EKG...and it turns out he was probably just too dehydrated from the flu earlier. Our fabulous neighbors swept in to take care of Miss L, so we did not have to worry about her. By Wednesday, J was feeling more like himself and our home was back to normal.

That meant this past weekend was jam packed, making up for lost time. Lots of "Home Depot runs" and we even hired our neighbor girl to come "play" with Miss L while we worked furiously. It was sooo nice - to feel productive AND to hear the sweet sound of giggles from our lil' girl.

Pictures to come soon...but I just wanted to write to say I am still here! Should be a fun, exciting week ahead...lots to write about soon.

Make it a great week!

Charlotte Airport - CLT - Review

Last month, we had the great pleasure of two layovers to/from Mexico at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, the 8th largest airport in the U.S. This was not our first CLT experience and we quickly remembered how much we enjoy the airport (and Charlotte).

Aside from being beautiful and clean; the terminal is filled with great shops and cute eateries. The smell of slow-cooked, sweet carolina bbq pork fills the air and the large, sun-filled windows make it super bright and warm!

The biggest reason this airport is probably #2 on my list is due to the fact that we found this awesome "nook" to rest and relax chase Miss L around until we are beyond exhausted. Since airport terminals tend to be tight and mass chaos, it was refreshing to step out of traffic and enjoy some playtime free of getting run over by rushed passengers.

The space is on the 2nd floor, just steps from the passenger traffic and is complete with rocking chairs (as seen on a big southern porch south of the Ohio River) and a eye-level view of this rotating artwork of various flight inventions for Miss L to gaze at with excitement.

Rocking - which lasted just a few minutes

Birds eye view of the Terminal

Perhaps you can see the artwork

If your travel plans give you the option of a layover, I would highly suggest CLT if possible due to it's an option. If you are flying US Air, it is probably more than an option, it probably is a natural part of your flight plan.

20-months of Laughter!

Today, we celebrate 20 months of Miss L! Or in better words - 20 months of laughter, joy, giggles, smiles and fun!

It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital and yet today, she is busy climbing the mountains called couches and chasing Mr. Cole around our home.

Ironically, she had an impromptu visit with her pediatrician today as she has been fighting a cold the past week, which turned into a non-stop discharge in her bloodshot eyes. Poor thing looked miserable while we spent the recent weekend bouncing around Chicago.

Turns out she has her first ear infection, which also included an eye infection. We were thankful it wasn't pink eye and she is already looking much better after two doses of medication today.
Her weight check today: 25# 8oz - about 50th %tile

She surprises us daily with a new word learned or a new phrase exclaimed. I think her biggest "thing" right now is saying Please and Thank You! Her polite ways quickly extended far beyond retrieving/accepting food, and she correctly applies them to nearly everything. Tonight, she was sitting on the lap of J, so I threw her "silky" blanket to them and she responded naturally, "thank you, mommy."

She also understands and uses "hot" and "cold" correctly.

Our new favorite snack is a slightly thawed, frozen Go-Gurt {Yogurt on the Go!}. She'll almost always eat pasta, corn and anything with peanut butter.

Despite being sick, we managed to have some fun in Chi Town - see pics below...

Playing on the play-airplane at MSP Terminal 2.
Both MSP Terminals are well-equipped with kid-friendly activity centers.

Lunch at Tesori, while visiting my former boss



Visiting "The Bean" with Daddy! It was super windy! Surprise?

 

Too bad Miss L was sick...would've been a super cute photo!

Our lil' water bug

Riding the "moving walkway" at MDW...entertaining a 20-month old AND the rest of MDW passengers! :)

Goodnight, Chicago! (Oh, we bought that book to add to our collection)

Carrabba's Bread Dipping Mix

On a recent Italian dinner at home, I got ambitous while searching Pinterest for some inspiration and came across...a copycat recipe of Carrabba's Bread Dipping Mixture. Carrabba's is one restaurant we love and miss dearly as the closest one is likely hundreds of miles away!

I meticulously followed the directions from the recipe on Pinterest and the recipe was a huge hit! It really did taste like I was dipping bread while sitting at Carrabba's! I accompanied the dip (which is served with extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top), with a loaf of French Bread by Pillsbury. It is our favorite type of bread in the dairy fridge.

Carrabba’s Bread Dipping Spices
Source: www.recipelink.com
Makes 1/4 cup

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil (or 1 tbsp. fresh-if using fresh reduce parsley to 1 tbsp.)
1/8 tsp. dried rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Place all ingredients except olive oil & lemon in a blender or food processor and chop until all ingredients are similar in size. Stir in the olive oil & lemon juice.
For Serving:
In a small dish, place 1 1/2 tsp. spice mixture. Pour 3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil over top of the spice mixture. Serve with french bread for dipping.

 

 

 

 

Hoppy Easter

I hope everyone had a great Easter, celebrating our risen savior.

Our day started with an Easter Basket and indoor egg hunt.

After a nice church service, we had about 45 minutes to kill prior to our brunch reservation. With that said, Miss L fell fast asleep within 3 minutes of leaving church. So we stopped at home to grab a few things, make a grocery list and allow her to take a cat nap in her carseat.

We enjoyed brunch at the same restaurant as last year - Morgan's on Nicollet - as they had every item on their buffet we could ask for and then some!  Miss L sat in her high chair with the tulle from her dress overflowing! She ate very well and then also spent time playing, too!

 

 

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail...

 

Love List - March

Although we are not loving on long and snowy this winter has been...we definitely continue to enjoy life with Miss L.

This month's "Love List" includes:

Loving: seeing the snow melt! Slowly, but assuredly! Weekly Zumba class with my friend Kelly - such a great, fun workout. It just so happens to take place at a local dance studio and it makes me real excited for Miss L to participate in dance class...just as I did. Lastly, brown sugar in my coffee. I had this at a Wild NHL game last month and it was delicious. Now, it is my staple.

Below are some photos from our 8" of powder on March 5th, 2013. Notice the "spring" wreath on the door with the snow-covered spruce tip topairies next to the door. Oxymoron.

We concluded our shoveling with cocktails...phew!

Miss L is LOVING eating rice, and also these new mini-crackers with peanut butter from Target...or anything with peanut butter. She knows the difference between hot and cold, yes and no, and is quickly identifying Mr. Cole as her new bestie. He is so patient with her.

Watching: As always, Kim & Kourtney take Miami tops the list (any Kardashian show is a reminder that my family isn't "that" crazy!). We also recently re-negotiated our cable bill and rec'd HBO, Starz, Showtime, etc. free for a year. With that said, I am certain we will gain an addiction in some new series.

Miss L is watching Poppy Cat, Chica, Thomas and more - all on our favorite new TV channel Sprout!

Anticipating: Seeing my family next month when we make a trip to MI to visit.

Listening to: Justin Timberlake's new album The 20/20 Experience, is a bit jazzy-blues-ish and we are fixated on the song: Suit & Tie

Planning for: Preparing our taxes...yep this on my list LAST month! 15 more days...eek!

Working on: Planning a girls weekend away later in the year with my high school/middle school long-time girlfriends! It seems as if a trip to SW Michigan is in-store...so I'm researching wineries and spas...as well as cottages with a hot tub! It is a reminder of how wonderful that side of Michigan is and there is a reason they call it "Napa Valley of the Midwest."

Wishing for: warm weather soon! A new job for J!

Vacay Recap

After having experienced 3 all-inclusive resorts with the Sandals brand, we were a little cautious about trying a different brand of AI resorts. After our vacay, I can say Karisma Resorts delivered on many aspects of the AI experience, particularly the family-oriented aspect.

Resort: Azul Sensatori
Location: Puerto Morelos, Rivera Maya, Mexico

I'm going to spare you the details of sitting on the tarmac to be de-iced TWICE while Miss L screamed bloody murder...or her carry-on having to get gate-checked and then failed to arrive at Cancun Airport...but instead, focus on the fun things at the resort, like...

We arrive and receive glasses of bubbly and a fresh towel just inside the contemporary lobby. They upgraded us to the Premium Building, which was oceanview, of course! We had a large jacuzzi tub in the suite and a nice balcony which Miss L loved to play on.

Our room was stocked with a real crib, toys from the toy lending library, a stroller, baby monitor and a few other baby goods such as a baby bottle warmer, bottle sterilizer, and baby bath tub. It was so nice knowing we didn't have to pack a ton of things, especially a stroller!

After day 2, we quickly realized we had been excpecting so much of an 18-month old - things out of her element that she wasn't used to; so we decided to sample the childcare on-site. The resort partners with Fisher Price to outfit a clubhouse called Azulitos House with a Doll Room, Theater, Arts & Crafts area, sports items and plenty of Fisher Price toys.

Miss L loved the Doll Room - it was her heaven on earth!

We could accompany her to the Azulitos House anytime to play, but we also began arrangements for "childcare." Just $15/hour to let her have a blast doing kid things and mommy & daddy walked on the beach and escaped to the adults-only swim-up bar. We really had her there for an hour every day and then also one evening while we dined at a 13-course French restaurant {adults-only of course}. The staff could not have been more attentive with her, acknowledging her by name as we saw them around the resort. Without a doubt, it was the best money spent on our vacation.

One day of the week they hosted a huge Kid's Fiesta Breakfast with the Little People {I don't know names, but the Fisher-Price Little People}...dancing, balloons, face painting and more! It was a zoo, but Miss L loved it!

With the help of this childcare arrangement, we created quite the vacation "routine." As we are not a family big on "schedules," this was an easy thing for all of us to adjust.

Daily Routine:

8am wakeup, most days

Breakfast in one of 3 restaurants offering breakfast - my favorite was the Carribbean restaurant and Jeremy enjoyed it too, as they had Eggs Benedict {his fave}. I became particularly fond of Baileys in my coffee and of course Malibu & pineapple juice.

Stroller walk around the resort followed by playtime on these large queen size beds suspended by a rope in a huge thatched-roof gazebo which contained a coffee bar, soft-serve ice cream and cookies!

Miss L goes to Azulitos House, Mommy & Daddy have fun

Lunchtime, followed by naptime {2-3 hours} for Miss L...and sometimes also for Mommy & Daddy
   *She would usually nap in the stroller under a nearby tree or umbrella

Pooltime or time spent on the beach...Miss L did not like the sand at first...let's say it was an acquired feeling on her feet!

Dinner was at one of the seven restaurants, we found ourselves going back to the Carribbean restaurant most often.

After dinner each night, we would head up to the rooftop garden to see the scheduled entertainment. It was a week full of great performers - from a "Lion King-style" theatrical dance show to a Michael Jackson Tribute - everything was impressive and very entertaining. Below is Miss L playing with her laptop at the rooftop garden.

Mommy & Daddy "powered-off" but Miss L needed to update her Facebook status!

Mommy & baby dancing on stage!

The restaurants were all pretty good and the bars offered top shelf liqours. The housekeeper was very attentive to our needs and made all of the fun "towel-art" to entertain Miss L. A few of the staff members made our trips to the swim-up bars really special by offering a serving of apple juice disbursed in a shot glass...thus, looking like tequila! It was quite the site, even random strangers at the Bar flipped out their cameras to take photos of Miss L casually sipping her juice with one hand, as she was belly up to the bar! "Raymundo" was awesome and helped to create memories forever embedded in our minds.

Another bartender made her a "Senor Pina" - aka Mr. Pineapplehead

 
Our vacation with a toddler was noticably different than past trips to an all-inclusive. We both felt that Miss L forced us to Sllloooowww down, relax more and do absolutely nothing...which is practically our idea vacation.

 Adios!

March Sadness

I must apologize...it has been nearly 6 weeks since my last post. Wow!

February, a short month, flew by as expected with us dashing off to warmth and sunshine in the Rivera Maya for a week {posts to follow, I promise!}.

Thus far, March has been filled with sickness {like every other household}...and loads of work and even more loads of snow. The white stuff just keeps on falling. For an entire week, we had just an inch every day. An inch doesn't sound like much...but it sure adds up.

It is no secret that I dislike winter. I admit I can appreciate it on occassion about 4-5 times per season and the special occasion of having a "White Christmas" or playing in it on a warm{er} day with Miss L...but for the most part, I would be a happy camper without the white stuff at all.

I think this never-ending-winter has really got me feeling blue, despite the carnival of green this past holiday weekend. Between the single-digit temperatures, constant snowfall, overflowing inbox{es}, taxes, housework and intense work load...I am spent!

We are also trying to decide how to give our Master Bathroom a facelift - enough to enhance the home for"resale value" but not enough to loose our shorts on the job. If this was our forever home, we would have our way with it with lots of fun, modern enhancements...which always = $$$.

Being the optimist, I am trying to combat the sadness with plans for a exciting and positive things:

• Short trips to Chicago and Detroit in the near future
• A Girls-weekend with friends from high school to celebrate our big 3-0 milestone year
• I started taking a weekly Zumba class with a friend - 60 minutes of pure "me time" and joy!
• I still LOVE my job...which feels so great.
• I need to work on the following: blogposts {lots of vacay photos and recipes to share}, staying hydrated, maintaining my workout regimine at the gym and maintaining Miss L's baby book. 
• Happy thoughts about relocating somewhere warm...crossing my fingers for anywhere but here {Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful here (6 months of the year) and the Cities have a lot going for them...but we agree this is not where we wish to live the rest of our lives.}

As Miss L would say: "Night, Night!"

Love List - February

Happy February! Man, that January was a loonnnnggg month! I welcome the shorter month ahead and getting just a tad closer to Spring!!

Another blogger that I follow at Macaroni & Cheesecake started a monthly "Currently Loving" post outlining what she is "loving" at this moment. I thought I would follow suit, afterall, this blog serves as my "back-up" for the baby book and helps me keep track of a lot of things in this household.

Right now...

Loving: My new dry erase board at work. I already made mention in a previous post about how I created this...but it definitely makes my chaotic work world just a little more enjoyable.

Watching: J and I are enjoying The League (a semi-improv sitcom based in Chitown surrounding a Fantasy Football League), Kim & Kourtney take Miami (any Kardashian show is a reminder that my family's crazy factor could be worse!!) and the Wedding Band on TBS (which is a funny Brian Austin Green sitcom about...you guessed it, a wedding band). Miss L is starting to love some shows on Sprout TV.

Anticipating: Vacay!! We are heading to Azul Sensatori in Rivera Maya in the near future. It is ultra-modern, is considered a gourmet all-inclusive and has partnered with Fisher Price to offer a "Toy Library." This uber-family-oriented resorts boasts cribs, baby monitors, step stools and baby bath robes...to name a few!!

Listening to: Red Hands by Walk off the Earth, all of the Of Monsters & Men album and most anything on Alt Nation radio station.

Planning for: Preparing our taxes

Working on: getting fit - hit the gym at least 5x this week!

Wishing for: an early spring
 

Happy Birthday Sis!

Twenty years ago today, our family grew from 5 to 6, as we welcomed my youngest sister - Jener Delane Katherine. Then, I was ready to continue my role as "big sister-caretaker-2nd mother."

Growing up, Jener was always my "baby sister," and being ten years my junior will make that happen naturally. However, in the past five years, the 10-year gap has felt much more narrow and the "caretaker" role has been replaced with friendship.





This transition has happened overnight, or so it seems. Jener has grown into one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and generous people I know. She also is a wonderful Godmother to Miss L and serves as a great role model being one of the most mature and responsible 20-year olds around. Regardless of her Godmother role, she is a wonderful Auntie to Miss L - spoiling her with love and encouragement, teaching her and guiding her to grow and have fun!



As a typical "under-funded college student" - she somehow finds a way to work hard for the money to send Miss L gifts, cards and buy her fun things like snow boots for sledding and a tent from IKEA for which she can run around or just sending her care packages, just because.




As she exudes passion in her education, community involvement and her future career path, I know she is on track for great success and to ultimately leave a legacy here. All of it makes me so proud to call her my sister and my friend and excited to see what the coming years have in store...

Cheers!



You might say she is my "mini-me!"