I Love Costco!

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here before, but I really love Costco. I mean I really, really love Costco. They have great produce, meat and bakery items. They also have great prices on their Kirkland brand of bottled water, toilet paper and paper towels.

I could waste an incredible amount of time shopping in this store. Books, household decor, huge packs of pens and post-it notes. Did you know I have a weakness for office supplies?

My favorite things that I seem to buy every time I'm there include:
Orange Chicken - I used to buy this at Trader Joes until I found them at Costco. Way better...you gotta try it! It's definitely a staple in our house.
Hormone-free skim milk - I switched to buying Hormone-free milk about a year ago after hearing a story of pre-teen girls and early breast development from my sister, Gina. In grocery stores, I usually pay about $4.50 for a gallon. Here, however, it is less than $3 a gallon. And my family easily drinks 3-4 gallons a week. That's a lot of money!
Hearts of romaine lettuce - 5 big clumps is way cheaper than 3 at Super Target
Giant boxes of Frosted Mini-Wheats - Will eats this like it's going out of style. Plus, I'm in a bit of a "cooking-rut" lately so it usually comes down to choosing between a can of soup or a bowl of cereal for dinner several nights a week. Does that make me a bad mom?
Huge jugs of Tropicana Orange Juice - for as much milk as we go through...we also consume OJ at a pretty fast rate as well.
Wine - they actually have a good wine selection at very reasonable prices. I usually don't spend more than $10 a bottle, and here there are lots of choices.

It's interesting, but I've found that my dear husband has a weakness for Costco as well. He loves to buy in bulk and he loves a good deal. Last time he went shopping with me, this is what ended up in the cart:

Do you have any idea how long it will take my family to eat 25 pounds of Jasmine rice???

Swimsuit retirement

Have you ever heard of a drag suit?? It is a swimsuit that increases the amount of water resistance and then in theory increases swimming speed and endurance. Basically, it is an old suit that is too thin, too droopy and too see-through to continue to wear. So, what the kids do is tie it in knots wherever they can and layer it on top of another suit. Voila...a drag suit!

This is Maddie's favorite practice suit that she finally "retired" last week. About time, huh? It's definitely seen better days.

And guess what's become of it now?

Nope...

No...

It's artwork! She's got it hanging by a couple tacks on her bedroom wall.

She's always had a flair for eccentric design.

FYI

Just so you all know:

It was -15.8 degrees when I left for work this morning.

Minnesota Winter Rant

Alright, alright….I’m still here. Today I’ve finally pulled myself out from under the covers. I’ve been hibernating for a couple days now; both due to the Packers tragic loss on Sunday and because Minnesota has been blanketed in frigid temperatures for far too many consecutive days. I really just can’t seem to get warm.

Sometimes I really wonder “Why the heck do I live in Minnesota??” That question usually runs through my mind twice daily from November to April: First, as I’m making a break to the shower from my warm, cozy bed each morning; and then again when I’m yelling at the kids to pick up their cold, wet, icy snow pants, snow boots, gloves, hats, scarves and coats from my hardwood floors every day after school.

It’s not the change in seasons. I think I could tolerate "Hot-Season" and "Not-So-Hot-Season" just fine. There is something about the combination of “beach” and “winter” in the same sentence that is very appealing. I seriously think that Florida is calling my name.

Listen…did you hear it?!?

It’s not my love of outdoor winter activities. I’d rather clean toilets than “play” in the snow. I don’t have the faintest idea of the rules for hockey, nor do I really care to. Snowmobiles scare the crap out of me. And my orthopedic surgeon told me to stay away from skis. Lord…like somebody actually had to tell me that one.

It’s not the new “finish” that accumulates on my car during these winter months. I really could do without the white-dusty-dirtiness that the sand and salt provide. And then, you have to wait to the right time to drive it through a car wash or you run the risk of the locks freezing. Who knows, you might even get frozen out until late April.

It's not the patchy ice-covered roads. It's not the chronic muddy puddles on my mud-room floor. It's not even the fashionable statement that turtlenecks and flannel can make.

I miss seeing my neighbors. I miss mowing my lawn. I miss outdoor walks. I miss green leaves on trees. I miss going outside without a coat (and hat, gloves, scarf, boots…).

I MISS MY FLIP FLOPS!!!

So – about why I live here…

Ummm…

Hmmm…

I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hey! There it was again. You had to hear it that time…

Happy Birthday, Jilly!

Happy Birthday little sis! Since I didn't call you yesterday on your actual birthday, I'm dedicating an entire blog entry to you!

Hope you had a great day! Love you lots!!

Now everyone else, go on over and wish her a Happy Birthday over at the Wonder Spot...

Wow, remember what a big "Planet of the Apes" fan you were at age 2??

My Book Club...and an injury

I've been in this really great book club with a group of friends for the past 4 1/2 years. We usually meet on Fridays about every 6 weeks. We have 11 girls in this club, give or take. The numbers have fluctuated a lot over the past years, but we have hung on to about 6 or 7 founding members.

It's a nice variety of girls from a variety of backgrounds. We all have kids. Most of us have husbands. Some work part-time, some full-time, some stay at home. Some live in the city, but most live in the 'burbs. Some like red wine, some like white. Some just prefer Bacardi and Diet Coke.

We've celebrated births, weight loss, promotions, and college degrees. We've cried over re-locations and deaths of family members. We've discussed our husbands (probably much more than they would ever approve of) and kids. We've talked politics, family, work, religion, decorating, and sex. But not necessarily in that order.

A few years ago, we even vacationed together. The weekend consisted of us watching episode after episode of Sex and the City in our pajamas, along with several bottles of wine. Oh, and just a bit of food as well. It was like girl-heaven.

We also had a psychic join our meeting once. She tried to explain her "powers", did short readings on all of us, and saw several ghosts beside us in the room that night. Needless to say, that was very cool. In an eerie, creepy kind of way...

The book that is chosen each meeting is picked by the hosting member. I'm sure you can imagine the variety that we've had. Our literary docket has included everything from "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, to "Dude, Where's My Country" by Michael Moore, and everything in between. I'll reluctantly admit, the Michael Moore book was my choice. I must have been feeling disgruntled and confrontational at the time.

And I love to collect books. I haven't collected anything for years - ever since I quit my collection of Precious Moments figurines in 7th grade. But I do collect these books. I usually try to get the hard cover edition, usually from Amazon.com. I think it just feels better to read a sturdy hardcover book versus a floppy paperback. But I'm not too picky - I read them regardless. Used or new. Hardcover or paperback. Some of the girls in book club listen to the Audio Books. I've never tried that. Not that I wouldn't, but I just like that feel and sound of turning pages.

Our next book is "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. I just got it in the mail yesterday. Have you ever seen this book?? By God, it measures over 3 inches thick, has just under 1,000 pages, and is filled with itsy, bitsy microscopic font. Talk about intimidating!

And the worst part is that I'm not sure I can read this book in bed anymore. Last night as I was lying on my back and holding the book up to read with my left hand, was adjusting the blanket with by right hand, I lost control while flipping to page 23. The book came crashing down on my face. Thank God for my glasses...I could have lost an eye. But I think I may have broken by nose.

This might be a good story to share for our next book club. I know my girls will appreciate it.

My guy Brett

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year...albeit a little late!

Thought I'd share some random pictures of our annual New Year's celebration. This is absolutely my favorite place to be as we start the new year - at home, surrounded by family and friends. We had a really, really fun night. And again this year, I was reminded how incredibly lucky we are to have such great friends that just happen to be our neighbors!

Ringing in 2008: Me and Bill; Candace and Brad; Heather and Mike

...and Wes and Stacy. They still have babies - so we had to toast them from our laundry room window at midnight!
Here are the girls. I don't have a picture of the boys...probably wouldn't stay in one place long enough.

We had quite the cup-stacking competition going...

Babes...

Dorks...

...and then the fireworks broke out.

...and then we saw red, flashing lights outside. A brief moment of panic happened until we figured out they weren't here to bust us on the explosives. Just a regular mid-suburban DWI and marijuana possession arrest.

It was amazing to see the excitement a police car brought to our quiet little street!

I'll leave this one up to your imagination...

And a fun time was had by all...

the end...

Do you see a resemblance?

Hottie??

Hottie.

Fast pool? Thin water?

The kids had another swim meet this past weekend. They called it a "fast" pool since they both dropped quite a bit of time in several events.

The other day at practice, Maddie said that the water felt "thin" and she wasn't able to swim very fast. What do you mean by thin? I asked. She quickly replied that thin water doesn't give you as much to hold onto, so you don't go as fast. Something about traction and "grabbing on" to the water.

Huh???

Bill took these photos of the kids using a borrowed Tamron 70-300 lens from Will's coach Michelle. It's amazing how close-up he was able to get...he was sitting up in the middle of the bleachers.

I've also been trying to learn more about the new PhotoShop Elements program I recently got. I haven't had time to go through the tutorial yet. Maybe once I do that I'll figure out what all those terms, slides and buttons mean.

And then maybe I'll even figure out how to get the water the same color.

Maybe...

That's My Girl

I love this picture.

That's my girl.

I gave birth to her. I rocked her to sleep as a baby. I still cuddle her every night.

Poised.
Strong.
Confident.
Graceful.
Determined.

Yep...that's my girl.

The Process of a Family Photo

One of the things I really wanted to get done while we were on vacation was to get a nice family photo on the beach to send out for Christmas/New Year cards.

Here is how one of these little photo sessions went.

In reverse...




Hmmm...sometimes all you can do is laugh.

2007 Wrap-up

So, it's already January 4. It's not too late to wrap up the old year, is it? I thought I'd model this after last years post and do a little family interview again.

Here, once again, are the questions you've all been anxiously awaiting:
1. What was your favorite movie of 2007?
2. What was your favorite book of 2007?
3. What was your favorite TV show of 2007?
4. What was your favorite memory of 2007?
5. What was your favorite song of 2007?
6. What was your favorite part of the holidays?
7. What is your New Year's resolution?
8. What are your predictions for 2008?

And here are the panelists you've all be dying to hear from:

1. Shrek III
2. "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
3. Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and Kid Nation
4. Going to Florida
5. "All For One" from High School Musical II
6. Being with family in Florida
7. Improve all my swim times and get straight A's
8. I'll get an "A" time in the 100 Breaststroke





1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I know - don't ask...)
2. "Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke
3. Man vs. Wild
4. Looking for seashells and creatures in Florida
5. "I Found a Way" by Drake Bell
6. The fireworks at Disney World
7. Read the last and biggest Harry Potter book.
8. I'll play first base in baseball and get all A's.



1. Beowulf and 300
2. "The Kite Runner"
3. The Office
4. Our Florida vacation
5. "Wonder Boy" by Jack Black (again - don't ask)
6. Being with family
7. To lose 40 lbs
8. I'll lose 40 lbs






1. 300
2. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
3. Brothers & Sisters, The Office, LOST, ER
4. Florida vacation
5. "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White T's
6. Spending time with my family and going straight from pajamas to swimsuit sans shower, hair and makeup. It was heaven...
7. I will really, really try not to complain or say negative things.
8. I'll walk in the 3-Day again this year...maybe.