What Lauren does when nobody's watching

She is so spiritual.

No Shave Mou-vember

Lauren, Macey (Lauren's cousin) and I did not shave our moustaches for the entire month of November to increase awareness for prostate cancer. We received many inquiries throughout the month into why we were growing our moustaches, and each time we had the opportunity to talk about men's health, which is now so close to our hearts after losing my dad this year. I doubt it made any significant impact, but it gave us an opportunity to grow out our facial hair, and helped us think about Dad in a number of ways: facial hair and men's cancer.

Of course there was another benefit - I got a free t-shirt at the Minnesota Wild hockey game.

Below is a pic of the three of us the day after Thanksgiving.




For more information regarding Mou-vember, here is a website that gives a very good explanation. http://us.movember.com/about/

Greening Up My Clean

My baby. Unrelated to this post.

Over the past couple of years, I have gotten rid of most traditional cleaning products and have switched to more "green" and natural cleaners. I am very pleased with the change. They work well, produce less waste and I don't have to worry about burning my lungs out when I clean the bathrooms. Plus, being green usually goes along with saving green - my main cleaning products now are borax, vinegar and baking soda, which are cheap and last a long time. Here's how I clean most of our home now.

Counters and sinks: I use Dr. Oz's safe cleanser recipe, which is as follows:

1 tbsp of Borax powder (find it in the laundry aisle of your supermarket)
3 tbsps of white vinegar
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon of dish soap (I use 7th Generation)
1 drop of essential oil such as peppermint for fragrance (optional, I opt not to since some scents bother me [and I don't want to spend the money on it] and I don't notice the vinegar scent at all)


Put everything in a spray bottle and shake it all up. I use a microfiber cloth I got at WalMart that is specifically for bathrooms and sinks. This spray really gets things clean and makes the metal very shiny. I will never go back to other cleaners.

Windows: I simply use a spray bottle of water and wipe down with a microfiber cloth specifically for glass (also found at WalMart)

Toilets: I sprinkle in some Borax, brush and let sit for a while.

Tubs and Showers: I make a paste out of baking soda and dish soap, then add vinegar to make it foamy. This works really well.

Couches: We have "Durapella" microsuede couches and I just discovered that spraying spots with vinegar works great to clean them. I also use vinegar to disinfect our cutting boards and to clean our humidifiers.

I have not tried making my own laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent. If anyone has, do share!

Obligatory Halloween Pics

Lauren got a Goldilocks and the Three Bears book a while back and she loves it, so we decided to be go as that for for the church party (you should try and get Lauren to say Goldilocks - it will make you smile). Here is Goldilocks. Please don't tell me she looks like Dorothy - she has black shoes, an apron, a basket, and her Goldilocks book in her hand.
Lauren and her friend checking out their stash. Lauren only got about 5-6 pieces of candy. We had practiced saying "trick or treat," so Lauren was really good at saying that, but then she wouldn't open up her bag to let anyone put candy in it. Then she would say "thank you" and run to the next car. The three bears.This is the costume Lauren wore to Halloween Storytime and to trick or treat in our building.This is what it looked like most of the time.

You may find this amusing

Here is a video of Lauren dancing at the Children's Museum. They have a room where you can choose music and dance on the stage and watch yourselves on a TV. Lauren of course jumps at any opportunity to dance (not sure where she got that from...). I think the video is kind of cute, but Lauren giggles like crazy every time she sees it. So at least your little girls might like it!

Masterpiece

The BBC sure does know how to do drama. I have spent many happy hours this year folding laundry and watching various BBC dramas. I've yet to be disappointed. Here are some of my favorites.

The BBC/A&E Pride and Prejudice was my first love. We watched the whole five hours in AP English my senior year (way to avoid a whole week's worth of lesson planning) and while most of the class complained, I secretly enjoyed it and have enjoyed it many times since.

All of the Elizabeth Gaskell movies: I first saw Wives and Daughters in college and thoroughly enjoyed it, then checked Cranford out of the library - it was delightful. Then I borrowed North and South from Joanna, watched the whole thing twice and the ending about eight times, then borrowed it and watched it again a few months later, and then was so pleased to get it for my birthday. I find it much deeper than Pride and Prejudice and the ending takes my breath away every single time.

Lark Rise to Candleford: Based on the books by Flora Thompson, which I hope to read someday, I had seen small bits of this on PBS, but checked out and watched the whole series early this year. I really enjoyed it and was so sad when it ended so abruptly.

Bleak House: I would think it would be difficult to make a film out of Dickens, but the BBC came through again with this one. I have a hard time saying it was enjoyable - there are plenty of seedy and sinister characters and most do not have a happy ending, but it certainly kept my interest, although I did find it a bit predictable.

Little Dorrit: Another Dickens. Another fine job. I thought the acting was perfect and loved the story. After watching I wanted to read the book and watch the movie again. There were a few parts I didn't quite understand and more than a few character I didn't like, but it is Dickens and I couldn't wait to see Arthur and Amy made happy.

I also recently finished watching Downton Abbey and am looking forward to the next season beginning in January.

If you have a few hours and are looking for something to watch I would recommend any of these. And if you have any suggestions for me, do let me know. I do a lot of laundry!

Rebel

Baggy pants? Check.

Beanie when it's 80 degrees outside? Check.Cell phone? Check.Attitude? Check.

Two-year-olds and teenagers have a lot in common.

Bike riding

So, lately I've been riding my bike... a lot. I ride to school pretty much everyday and I love it. I have the route down to about thirty minutes, and it takes me between 15-20 minutes to drive. There has been seldom bad weather this summer. So I've been enjoying the scenery as I ride around.

Part of the reason I am enjoying biking so much is because of all of the time I get to spend outside. I get to look at the St. Paul skyline as I go over the 35E Mississippi Bridge: the cathedral sticking out amongst sky scrappers, and barges shuttling up and down the river. I also get to see a lot of wildlife: deer, eagles, cardinals, falcons, racoons, and dogs off leashes. I also get to see a lot canadian geese, mallard ducks, and some great egrets.

I've been watching the egrets for a while now, and they have hung out around the same sandbar for almost all summer undisturbed except for the few homeless guys that build fires on the shoreline (don't worry, I'm observing all this from atop a bridge). Anyways, about a month ago I noticed some mallards started hanging out on the sandbar as well, but the two species would stand on opposite sides and avoid interacting. After about two weeks of this segregated living, some canadian geese also arrived on their way down south, and wanted to enjoy the sandbar. For a couple of days the three species were all together, but eventually the sandbar became overrun with the common goose, and I have not seen the crane or the mallards since.

The geese are loud, but I love watching them land in the water. They fly in a V-formation as we all know, but when the land, they land in the water at the same time, and then swim behind each other.

Part of spring, summer, and fall, is taking the advantage of getting outside. I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to ride my bike a little more, so that I can enjoy the world around me... even in the middle of St. Paul.

Helmet On?

A while ago, a friend gave us a bike seat that we have used quite a bit this summer to go on some fun outings. Lauren loves riding bikes and especially loves her helmet. When she wants to go for a ride, she gets her helmet out of the closet, brings it to me, and says "Helmet on?"

Fort Snelling State Park.

Minnehaha Falls

Problem

Lauren swallowed a plum pit yesterday.

Guess who gets to go digging for buried treasure?

Cousin Fun

Lauren and Annie holding "Zeet", Emily and Jude

Haiku for You

Here are a few haiku I composed on our drive home from Utah last week.

A barren wasteland

Miles and miles of nothingness

I hate Wyoming

A speeding ticket

Just four over the limit

I hate Nebraska

(Note: I didn't actually have to use that last one, but I composed it just in case)

We are home sweet home

Eighty-nine point five inside

Hooray for AC

Four days in a car

One year old mostly pleasant

I love my Lauren

Nice double chin :)

Then and Now

This picture was taken a year ago:
This picture was taken yesterday:

Sad face. I know where Lauren is, but where's my baby?

Virtual Book Club

Hello readers. You are officially invited to join me in a virtual book club for the month of July (and possibly following months, depending on the response). All you have to do is read the book and make a comment or two on your thoughts. For July, I have chosen Jane Austen's Emma, which I have somehow never read.

Image courtesy of amazon.com. Could you tell?

I know the basic story (from Wishbone), but I think the Gwyneth Paltrow movie version turned me off from reading the book. I'd like to make my own judgment, though, so I plan to read it.

To start the discussion, here's a simple question: How does Emma compare to Jane Austen's other novels? Is it better, worse, more boring, more entertaining, etc. Does it deserve more attention than it gets?


If you've already read Emma, you can just leave your comment now, or read it again and bring back fond memories. If you've watched the movie you could compare the book to the movie. Or, if you have no intention of reading it, just tell me what you are reading now!


And if you have no intention of reading whatsoever, here's a picture of Lauren sleeping for you to enjoy.

Untitled

Somebody thinks she is ready to wear lipstick to church. Wait about 15 years, missy.
Lauren has taken a fancy to the camera and likes taking pictures now. Here are a few samples of her best work. She may have a budding talent!

Geography

Poesia

April is National Poetry Month, but I'm just getting around to celebrating now. My celebration consists of sharing some of my favorite verse with you and telling myself I should read more poetry and maybe even memorize some. Feel free to share your favorite poems with me!

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust.
He know no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book; what liberty
A loosened spirit brings!
--Emily Dickinson


Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou are, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
--"Psalm of Life," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


Therefore am I still
A lover of the meadows and the woods,
And mountains; and of all that we behold
From this green earth.
-- From Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey"


Happy Poetry Month!

Dying Easter Eggs

Lauren and I dyed eggs this morning.

We also dyed fingers and thumbs.

Candy Jar

After searching the newspaper ads for a nice spring outfit, Lauren decided that she wanted a treat. So she found the candy jar which is filled with jelly beans and easter egg chocolates; moved her chair so she can reach on top of the counter; and, took the jar to the table where she could eat in comfort.

Lauren Update

Lauren is now 19.5 months old. She is learning new things every day and surprises us constantly with the things she says and does. She knows the following body parts: nose, eyes, ears, mouth, chin, head, arms, elbow, foot, toes, and of course, belly.

She LOVES pens and pencils and writing.

She can be quite the stinker. We have two rules at our house: no climbing on the table, and no throwing food. She disrespects both of them on a regular basis.

She counts like this: one, six, seben, eight, nine, six, seben! Sometimes she throws a ten in there. And sometimes after the ten, she throws in a "toes."

She likes nursery most weeks. She still cries when we separate at ECFE, but only for a couple of minutes, then she's happy the rest of the time. She loves to snuggle and give kisses, even to people she doesn't know. She loves to sing and dance. Favorite songs include the ABC song; Twinkle Twinkle; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Wheels on the Bus; Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes; Three Little Fish, Clap Your Hands, and more.

A year ago she did tricks like this.Now she does tricks like this.

I love my baby.

No Housework Day

My calendar tells me that today is officially "No Housework Day," so instead of cleaning the bathrooms, I will update the blog.

Here are some pictures from our most recent trip out West. They include Lauren getting to know cousin Zeke, playing with her cousins, sitting at the kids' table (which she loved, by the way - the other kids would take a few bites, then get up and wander off - Lauren cleaned her plate, then moved on to everyone else's), performing her favorite past time of sucking her thumb and rubbing her belly button, and visiting Sunshine at the Ranch.