We are heading to Cape Cod tonight as soon as my husband gets home from work. The kids are looking forward to seeing their cousin and playing in the ocean. I am looking forward to the ice cream and the pizza.
I don't know what it is about Massachusetts but the folks up there know a thing or two about pizza and ice cream.
It seems as if there is a little mom and pop pizza shop on every corner in every town. And the pizza is good. Very good. And I think it's the sauce that makes it so delicious. I am getting hungry just thinking about having a big slice, or two, or four.
And then there's the ice cream. Twin Acres Ice Cream Shoppe in Sandwich has some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted. It was at this little shop that I first had Raspberry Fudge Torte ice cream. I can't wait for a big cone of it. Or two. Or four.
And then there's Four Seas Ice Cream in Centerville. We usually go there twice while we are on the Cape. Every flavor I have ever had there has been delicious.
I've packed my running shoes to counteract all of the eating that I plan on doing. I'm laughing right now even as I typed that because we all know that packing running shoes and actually running in running shoes are two entirely different things. But it's the thought that counts. Right?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Dirty-house cleaning avoidance. Blog-post writing pursuance.
Just thought I'd swing by here this morning and let you guys know what I'm doing. I'm cleaning the house.
Well, I'm supposed to be cleaning the house but I can only take the dirt and dust in teeny weeny little bits so I had to take a break after about 3 minutes.
And the whole time I was cleaning...well, the whole three minutes anyway, I kept thinking about an advertisement for a cleaning company that I receive in the mail periodically.
The title on the front of the brochure says, "Is the wrong person cleaning your house?"
And every time* I get this brochure, I always say out loud*, "Yes! ME!"
And then I laugh hysterically until I realize that no, I'm not even cleaning my house so really to be a more effective or accurate advertisement perhaps it should say, "Is anyone cleaning your house?"
And every time I get this brochure, I look at it longingly. This company lists everything they do/clean each time they visit your house. They also have a separate list of the things they do/clean every other time they visit.
One of the items that they clean is baseboards! Baseboards?! Am I supposed to be cleaning my baseboards? Hmmmm...perhaps that explains all the dust, dirt and grime in my house. I'm supposed to be cleaning my baseboards.
And all this time I've been blaming the state of my house on my kids.
* Thank goodness for spell check because I consistently spell "every time" and "out loud" wrong. I always type "everytime" and "outloud". I swear I graduated from highschool.
Well, I'm supposed to be cleaning the house but I can only take the dirt and dust in teeny weeny little bits so I had to take a break after about 3 minutes.
And the whole time I was cleaning...well, the whole three minutes anyway, I kept thinking about an advertisement for a cleaning company that I receive in the mail periodically.
The title on the front of the brochure says, "Is the wrong person cleaning your house?"
And every time* I get this brochure, I always say out loud*, "Yes! ME!"
And then I laugh hysterically until I realize that no, I'm not even cleaning my house so really to be a more effective or accurate advertisement perhaps it should say, "Is anyone cleaning your house?"
And every time I get this brochure, I look at it longingly. This company lists everything they do/clean each time they visit your house. They also have a separate list of the things they do/clean every other time they visit.
One of the items that they clean is baseboards! Baseboards?! Am I supposed to be cleaning my baseboards? Hmmmm...perhaps that explains all the dust, dirt and grime in my house. I'm supposed to be cleaning my baseboards.
And all this time I've been blaming the state of my house on my kids.
* Thank goodness for spell check because I consistently spell "every time" and "out loud" wrong. I always type "everytime" and "outloud". I swear I graduated from highschool.
Monday, July 25, 2011
It's my blog and I'll brag if I want to, brag if I want to....
We survived the early wake-up call and the sweltering heat on Saturday. Our undefeated Ducks went into the Davidson County Aquatics Association County Swim Meet ready to win. And win we did! That's two in a row for the Arcadia Ducks!
Our whole team has worked so hard this season. And so have my kids. They have gone to daily morning practices and sometimes I even sent them to the evening practices as well. And all of their hard work finally paid off!
Peter came in THIRD in his age group in the 25 yard backstroke and SIXTH in his age group for 50 yard freestyle. Sarah came in FIRST in her age group for the 25 yard freestyle! She also came in SECOND in her age group for 25 yard backstroke. I am so proud of my kids.
But I don't think they can take all of the credit for winning. I splurged and had them take two lessons with one of the life guards at the pool. Tyler is currently on his college swim team (on scholarship). I really think those two lessons are what did the trick. I would love for the kids to take lessons with him at the beginning of next season.
When I think back to the beginning of last summer I am amazed at how far they have come in just two summers. At the beginning of last summer, Sarah was able to do a doggie paddle. Peter was a little better swimmer but couldn't do any real strokes.
Jennifer (all four of her kids did awesome in the swim meet as well!) convinced me that the swim team was just what they needed. And the swim coach assured me that it was o.k. that they weren't strong swimmers. So I put them on the swim team and crossed my fingers. I have been so pleased with the whole swim team experience and I can't speak highly enough of our coaches.
Go Ducks! QUACK!
Our whole team has worked so hard this season. And so have my kids. They have gone to daily morning practices and sometimes I even sent them to the evening practices as well. And all of their hard work finally paid off!
Peter came in THIRD in his age group in the 25 yard backstroke and SIXTH in his age group for 50 yard freestyle. Sarah came in FIRST in her age group for the 25 yard freestyle! She also came in SECOND in her age group for 25 yard backstroke. I am so proud of my kids.
But I don't think they can take all of the credit for winning. I splurged and had them take two lessons with one of the life guards at the pool. Tyler is currently on his college swim team (on scholarship). I really think those two lessons are what did the trick. I would love for the kids to take lessons with him at the beginning of next season.
When I think back to the beginning of last summer I am amazed at how far they have come in just two summers. At the beginning of last summer, Sarah was able to do a doggie paddle. Peter was a little better swimmer but couldn't do any real strokes.
Jennifer (all four of her kids did awesome in the swim meet as well!) convinced me that the swim team was just what they needed. And the swim coach assured me that it was o.k. that they weren't strong swimmers. So I put them on the swim team and crossed my fingers. I have been so pleased with the whole swim team experience and I can't speak highly enough of our coaches.
Go Ducks! QUACK!
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| First in his heat! Third overall! |
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| The less breaths you take, the faster you go! |
Friday, July 22, 2011
Seven Quick Takes Friday
2. Peter has been taking guitar lessons this summer. He loves it! He practices without complaining and he's actually GOOD! I was worried that he was going to have a hard time with it but his teacher says he's a natural and that he's very smart. (I knew the smart part already but it's nice to hear from someone else. Even if the someone else is a twenty-year-old kid!)
3. Sarah has been taking piano lessons this summer. She loves it! She practices without complaining and she's actually GOOD! She loves to show off her songs each week to Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa.
4. Dan has been traveling so much lately he has had to leave me in charge of the garden. That's unfortunate because I don't like to get hot and sweaty in the dirt. But even with me at the helm, we are still getting tomatos and cucumbers. The peppers are getting off to a very slow start this year. Not sure what's going on with them. We had good luck with the green beans but they are done now. We got a beet harvest in the late spring and have planted another round which are looking good. Not bad for someone who's never home and someone who doesn't really care one way or the other.
5. Peter and Sarah are starting a new school in the fall. Peter will be in third grade and Sarah will be in second. At the beginning of summer we got a packet of information in the fall from each of their teachers. The packaet contained summer homework. Yikes! The kids who aren't really excited about starting the new school were even less excited with this packet-o-summerfun. To make matters worse, Peter's homework needs to be completed in cursive. The new school teaches cursive in 2nd grade but our old school doesn't teach it until 3rd grade...which means Peter doesn't know cursive. So I've been trying to "teach" him myself. It is a slow and painful process.
He is a very unwilling learner and I am a very hesitant teacher. So that part of our summer has been rather yucky. I had been pretty stressed out about it all but at this point I have decided that I will "teach" him the best I can and if necessary he will have to stay after school in the fall and learn the rest. On a bright note, his cursive is actually pretty good (a lot better than his print).
6. Dan returns home from Germany tonight after being gone all week. Doing a little happy dance!
7. My parents are taking care of the kids tomorrow night so Dan and I can go out to dinner. Doing another happy dance!
And that's it for me. It's time to get ready for our last swim practice of the season.
To see what other people have to say, check out more Seven Quick Takes Friday at Conversion Diary.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
One Pot Spaghetti.
One of the dinners I make almost every week is spaghetti. I usually keep everything on hand so I can just throw it together whenever I need to and it is one of the few dinners I make that everyone will eat without complaining.
But I hate the clean up. I don't know why but it just seems like there are so many dishes to clean when you make spaghetti. There's the pot you use to boil the noodles. There's the strainer you use to strain the noodles. And there's the big pan you use to fry the beef and cook the sauce.
And I know you guys are probably thinking, um, that's only like three dishes. And that's what I think every time I make it until I go to actually wash those three dishes. I think part of the problem is that the noodle pot and the frying pan I use for the beef/sauce are just so big and the strainer is just annoying to wash. So even though it's only like three dishes, they are three very bulky and annoying dishes to wash, thus making it feel like six dishes. Or maybe seven.
So to solve this little conundrum, I have been making One Pot Spaghetti with greatsuccess. The spaghetti is good, my family loves it and there is only One Pot to wash.
So without further ado, here is how I make it.
Beth's One Pot Spaghetti
1 lb ground beef
32 oz of spaghetti sauce
spices to taste (salt, pepper, italian spices, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, minced onions, etc.)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 box of noodles, broken into thirds
For more great tips, visit Works For Me Wednesday hosted by Kristin at We Are THAT Family.
But I hate the clean up. I don't know why but it just seems like there are so many dishes to clean when you make spaghetti. There's the pot you use to boil the noodles. There's the strainer you use to strain the noodles. And there's the big pan you use to fry the beef and cook the sauce.
And I know you guys are probably thinking, um, that's only like three dishes. And that's what I think every time I make it until I go to actually wash those three dishes. I think part of the problem is that the noodle pot and the frying pan I use for the beef/sauce are just so big and the strainer is just annoying to wash. So even though it's only like three dishes, they are three very bulky and annoying dishes to wash, thus making it feel like six dishes. Or maybe seven.
So to solve this little conundrum, I have been making One Pot Spaghetti with greatsuccess. The spaghetti is good, my family loves it and there is only One Pot to wash.
So without further ado, here is how I make it.
Beth's One Pot Spaghetti
1 lb ground beef
32 oz of spaghetti sauce
spices to taste (salt, pepper, italian spices, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, minced onions, etc.)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 box of noodles, broken into thirds
- Brown the ground beef in a large pot. Add spaghetti sauce and spices. (I like my spaghetti sauce saucey so I use about 32 ounces. You can use less and it won't matter. I throw in whatever spice combination I can easily grab. My sauce is different every single time but it is always good!)
- Add 1 cup of broth and 2 cups of water and bring back up to a boil.
- Add noodles and turn heat to medium or medium low.
- Cook for about 17 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
And we were off! Just like turtles!
Jennifer decided two weeks ago that we should run the Beat the Heat 5k again this year. I wasn't sure that it was such a great idea since neither one of us had been "training". I use the term "training" loosely as my "training" basically consists of me slugging through the neighborhood at snail-like speeds for 6 months and then declaring myself "ready".
Jennifer felt like we needed a race ahead of us as a motivator. So I agreed and we ended up at the Beat the Heat 5k on Saturday evening with our families.
The Beat the Heat is an evening race which is nice. However it is held in July which makes it not so nice. It was so hot and humid last year that I declared, "never again"! Luckily a cold front moved through this weekend and the highs were in the upper 70s/lower 80s.
We started the race at the back of the pack like we normally do. This race isn't chip-timed and I forgot to look at the clock when we passed it so I know we can take at least 30 seconds or more off of our final time. (Not that it matters but every little bit helps!) We like to start at the back because, well, everyone is going to pass us anyway. No need to get trampled by all of the serious runners.
As we were running along during our first mile we were chatting about shopping. Jennifer had just taken her girls to Hip Chicks to use a gift certificate and then on to Goodwill. She was telling me all about the pile of clothes she got for her kids for $12 and then we started talking about Kohl's and the latest coupon.
Before we knew it, a mile had passed. However, it felt like we were going slow so I turned around to make sure we weren't the last people running. It was all good because there were still a lot of walkers behind us. We didn't let that get us down though and we kept trudging along.
We finally made it 3.1 miles. It was our worst time yet. I believe we added about 4 - 4 1/2 minutes to our previous 5k times but that's o.k. it was all good. At the end of the race they had subs and pizza. And then Dan and I took Peter and Sarah to DQ for Blizzards and Jennifer and Quinn took their kids to Krispy Kreme for donuts.
Yes. It was all good.
Jennifer felt like we needed a race ahead of us as a motivator. So I agreed and we ended up at the Beat the Heat 5k on Saturday evening with our families.
The Beat the Heat is an evening race which is nice. However it is held in July which makes it not so nice. It was so hot and humid last year that I declared, "never again"! Luckily a cold front moved through this weekend and the highs were in the upper 70s/lower 80s.
We started the race at the back of the pack like we normally do. This race isn't chip-timed and I forgot to look at the clock when we passed it so I know we can take at least 30 seconds or more off of our final time. (Not that it matters but every little bit helps!) We like to start at the back because, well, everyone is going to pass us anyway. No need to get trampled by all of the serious runners.
As we were running along during our first mile we were chatting about shopping. Jennifer had just taken her girls to Hip Chicks to use a gift certificate and then on to Goodwill. She was telling me all about the pile of clothes she got for her kids for $12 and then we started talking about Kohl's and the latest coupon.
Before we knew it, a mile had passed. However, it felt like we were going slow so I turned around to make sure we weren't the last people running. It was all good because there were still a lot of walkers behind us. We didn't let that get us down though and we kept trudging along.
We finally made it 3.1 miles. It was our worst time yet. I believe we added about 4 - 4 1/2 minutes to our previous 5k times but that's o.k. it was all good. At the end of the race they had subs and pizza. And then Dan and I took Peter and Sarah to DQ for Blizzards and Jennifer and Quinn took their kids to Krispy Kreme for donuts.
Yes. It was all good.
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| All smiles before the race. |
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| Love my sweet family! |
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| Don't even bother looking for us. |
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| Looks at us waving and happy to be done. I love that you can see my family in this picture too! |
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| And yes, that is a 90 year old man in front of us and an 8 year old boy behind us. |
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Beat the Heat Family Fun Run.
Jennifer coerced me into running the Beat the Heat 5k. We weren't planning on doing this one again because the one last year was so hot. I would say the heat beat us last year.
But she thought we needed to have a 5k ahead of us so that we would be motivated to run...otherwise it's easy to say no to a run and yes to the couch, the tv and the bonbons.
The Beat the Heat is run in the evening, I guess in an effort to "beat the heat". My husband decided on Friday night that he and the kids were going to run in the 1 mile Family Fun run right before the 5k race. Jennifer's kids decided they wanted to do it too.
And I am so glad they all did it. I was a little worried that my kids wouldn't be able to run a mile without stopping because they had never tried it before. But I guess swim practice four or five times a week since the middle of May helped them.
The kids had a great time. And now, I think they may be hooked on running or at least running Family Fun runs with their friends. Sarah asked if she could go running with me some time to get ready for the next one!
But she thought we needed to have a 5k ahead of us so that we would be motivated to run...otherwise it's easy to say no to a run and yes to the couch, the tv and the bonbons.
The Beat the Heat is run in the evening, I guess in an effort to "beat the heat". My husband decided on Friday night that he and the kids were going to run in the 1 mile Family Fun run right before the 5k race. Jennifer's kids decided they wanted to do it too.
And I am so glad they all did it. I was a little worried that my kids wouldn't be able to run a mile without stopping because they had never tried it before. But I guess swim practice four or five times a week since the middle of May helped them.
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| Peter and Sarah posing before the race. Sarah insisted on wearing the official race tee shirt even though it was a tad large. And she's striking a pose like she's about to go on the runway! |
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| Sarah, Caity and Cheyanne before the race. |
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| Colton and Peter getting ready to race! |
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| And they are off! Can you spot my kids and husband? |
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| Cody was the first of our kids to cross the finish line. |
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| Here comes Caity! |
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| Here comes Colton! |
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| It's Peter! |
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| 10:22! Not bad for his first miler! |
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| Here comes Chey, Sarah and Dan! |
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| Go baby girl! |
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| 11:41! Good job! |
The kids had a great time. And now, I think they may be hooked on running or at least running Family Fun runs with their friends. Sarah asked if she could go running with me some time to get ready for the next one!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Order has been restored!
Rest easy folks! I didn't have to wait until Monday morning to get my cable fixed after all.
In a stroke of good fortune, the friendly folks from Time Warner Cable happened to be at my parent's house yesterday morning and in another stroke of good fortune, we live right next door to each other.
My dad's internet service was out so they were out to help him with that. Turns out there is an "on/off" switch on my dad's cable modem box and it just so happened to be in the "off" position. So no internet.
I think my dad felt silly about that but in his defense, I didn't know that a cable modem box could have an "on/off" switch either (mine doesn't, that I'm aware of and why would they anyway? It's like your phone, why would it need an "on/off' switch. It should always be ready to receive a call.) and the TWC repair guy said that there's a chance the storms we had last Friday could have turned it off. He also said that many of the TWC customer service representatives aren't aware of the switch either so that's why the one he spoke to didn't ask him to check it. (Looks like they would want to put that one in the training manual.)
Anyway, back to my Time Warner problem. Since the "repair" of my dad's internet connection took all of 2 seconds, he asked the repairman if he would mind taking a look at my problem. The guy said he would so they came over and he got to work.
Apparently my brand new box was bad so he had to replace the box and now everything is hunky dory! And I didn't have to wait until Monday morning! And I got to watch The Next Food Network Star last night. Sorry Orchid, it was time for you to go. You will not be The Next Food Network Star.
This morning, Peter had an appointment with his allergist. Why is it that all nurses will ask, "What are you here for?" That drives me crazy. They are usually holding the patient's chart when they are asking this question. Couldn't they open the chart before they get the patient from the waiting room and answer this question for themselves? I am sure it says in there somewhere: follow-up visit, patient is complaining of breathing problems, patient is scheduled for a prick test, or you name it. And if it doesn't say that, then WHY NOT!?
This nurse also asked when we were in the office last. I don't know, why don't you check the chart?! Because I am certain that the answer to that question is most certainly in the chart.
Anyway, I feel better now that I got that off my chest! Have a great weekend y'all and be sure to check back here later this weekend for pictures of me and Jennifer. We are running in another 5k together. This is our first one since November and we are both out of shape. Hopefully we can make it across the finish line before they take it down!
In a stroke of good fortune, the friendly folks from Time Warner Cable happened to be at my parent's house yesterday morning and in another stroke of good fortune, we live right next door to each other.
My dad's internet service was out so they were out to help him with that. Turns out there is an "on/off" switch on my dad's cable modem box and it just so happened to be in the "off" position. So no internet.
I think my dad felt silly about that but in his defense, I didn't know that a cable modem box could have an "on/off" switch either (mine doesn't, that I'm aware of and why would they anyway? It's like your phone, why would it need an "on/off' switch. It should always be ready to receive a call.) and the TWC repair guy said that there's a chance the storms we had last Friday could have turned it off. He also said that many of the TWC customer service representatives aren't aware of the switch either so that's why the one he spoke to didn't ask him to check it. (Looks like they would want to put that one in the training manual.)
Anyway, back to my Time Warner problem. Since the "repair" of my dad's internet connection took all of 2 seconds, he asked the repairman if he would mind taking a look at my problem. The guy said he would so they came over and he got to work.
Apparently my brand new box was bad so he had to replace the box and now everything is hunky dory! And I didn't have to wait until Monday morning! And I got to watch The Next Food Network Star last night. Sorry Orchid, it was time for you to go. You will not be The Next Food Network Star.
This morning, Peter had an appointment with his allergist. Why is it that all nurses will ask, "What are you here for?" That drives me crazy. They are usually holding the patient's chart when they are asking this question. Couldn't they open the chart before they get the patient from the waiting room and answer this question for themselves? I am sure it says in there somewhere: follow-up visit, patient is complaining of breathing problems, patient is scheduled for a prick test, or you name it. And if it doesn't say that, then WHY NOT!?
This nurse also asked when we were in the office last. I don't know, why don't you check the chart?! Because I am certain that the answer to that question is most certainly in the chart.
Anyway, I feel better now that I got that off my chest! Have a great weekend y'all and be sure to check back here later this weekend for pictures of me and Jennifer. We are running in another 5k together. This is our first one since November and we are both out of shape. Hopefully we can make it across the finish line before they take it down!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Books are good but no one gets fired, dismissed, chopped or asked to put out their torch.
I know you were all worried but have no fear! I have a new cable box!
The kids and I went Tuesday morning to pick it up. I immediately came home and hooked up the three cords that needed to be hooked up. My husband showed me what to do before he left on a business trip Sunday afternoon.
But there is a lot of time between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning and all these cords and cables were very cord-y and cable-y and very electric looking. So I got them hooked up to the best of my ability, called the cable company so they could send the box a signal and then crossed my fingers.
And nothing.
I uncrossed my fingers, started unhooking and rehooking and crossed my fingers again.
And nothing.
So I did what any completely self-sufficient yet totally untechnical woman does. I said, "Kids, we'll just have to wait until your daddy gets home tonight to look at this."
But my poor husband didn't get home from the airport until 12:20 am and the last thing he wanted to do was look at the cable box. So I stopped snoring long enough to tell him, "Don't worry about it. You can look at it tomorrow morning before you leave for work.
But alas, he had not time before he left for work on Wednesday morning so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I looked at the TV and declared, " I can do this!" And then I began to hum, "I can bring home the bacon (from the grocery store), fry it up in a pan (in the microwave) and never ever let you forget you're a man (because I need you to mow the grass.)
Anywho, I unplugged and replugged and finally decided to call the cable company.
I was on the phone for 30 minutes with the nicest customer service person from Time Warner Cable. She was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. And finally after she tried everything she knew, she said, "Do you mind if I put you on hold while I research some other options?"
While I was on hold, I decided to unhook the HDMI cord from the HDMI1 slot on the back of the tv and plug it into the HDMI4 slot on the side of the TV. And I waited.
And it worked!!
I was so excited but I felt horrible for the nice customer service lady. I apologized for taking up her time and merrily went on my way.
I didn't turn the TV on again until after the kids went to bed. Dan and I decided to watch The Next Food Network Star (my poor husband will watch this with me only because there is absolutely nothing else on and he is just nice like that). We didn't have it recorded on the DVR because this is a new DVR and nothing was recorded on it yet. But the episode we wanted to watch was available On Demand. So we pulled it up and then...
Nothing!
Gah! We tried several other On Demand shows and channels and the same thing...
Nothing!
In my great annoyance I called Time Warner Cable. I spoke to a different customer service representative. This guy was nice enough and he tried to send the box a new signal. When that didn't work, he put me on hold so he could talk to his supervisor. They tried to send it a new signal. And when that didn't work he said, "We can have someone out to your house on Monday morning."
To which I replied, "All right. How about taking something off my bill to make up for the fact that I won't have On Demand for 6 days."
And he replied, "O.k." And after a couple of minutes he reduced next month's bill by $15.74.
So if you know which chef got the ax on The Next Food Network Star, keep it to yourself.
I guess I really should look into taking up reading again.
The kids and I went Tuesday morning to pick it up. I immediately came home and hooked up the three cords that needed to be hooked up. My husband showed me what to do before he left on a business trip Sunday afternoon.
But there is a lot of time between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning and all these cords and cables were very cord-y and cable-y and very electric looking. So I got them hooked up to the best of my ability, called the cable company so they could send the box a signal and then crossed my fingers.
And nothing.
I uncrossed my fingers, started unhooking and rehooking and crossed my fingers again.
And nothing.
So I did what any completely self-sufficient yet totally untechnical woman does. I said, "Kids, we'll just have to wait until your daddy gets home tonight to look at this."
But my poor husband didn't get home from the airport until 12:20 am and the last thing he wanted to do was look at the cable box. So I stopped snoring long enough to tell him, "Don't worry about it. You can look at it tomorrow morning before you leave for work.
But alas, he had not time before he left for work on Wednesday morning so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I looked at the TV and declared, " I can do this!" And then I began to hum, "I can bring home the bacon (from the grocery store), fry it up in a pan (in the microwave) and never ever let you forget you're a man (because I need you to mow the grass.)
Anywho, I unplugged and replugged and finally decided to call the cable company.
I was on the phone for 30 minutes with the nicest customer service person from Time Warner Cable. She was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. And finally after she tried everything she knew, she said, "Do you mind if I put you on hold while I research some other options?"
While I was on hold, I decided to unhook the HDMI cord from the HDMI1 slot on the back of the tv and plug it into the HDMI4 slot on the side of the TV. And I waited.
And it worked!!
I was so excited but I felt horrible for the nice customer service lady. I apologized for taking up her time and merrily went on my way.
I didn't turn the TV on again until after the kids went to bed. Dan and I decided to watch The Next Food Network Star (my poor husband will watch this with me only because there is absolutely nothing else on and he is just nice like that). We didn't have it recorded on the DVR because this is a new DVR and nothing was recorded on it yet. But the episode we wanted to watch was available On Demand. So we pulled it up and then...
Nothing!
Gah! We tried several other On Demand shows and channels and the same thing...
Nothing!
In my great annoyance I called Time Warner Cable. I spoke to a different customer service representative. This guy was nice enough and he tried to send the box a new signal. When that didn't work, he put me on hold so he could talk to his supervisor. They tried to send it a new signal. And when that didn't work he said, "We can have someone out to your house on Monday morning."
To which I replied, "All right. How about taking something off my bill to make up for the fact that I won't have On Demand for 6 days."
And he replied, "O.k." And after a couple of minutes he reduced next month's bill by $15.74.
So if you know which chef got the ax on The Next Food Network Star, keep it to yourself.
I guess I really should look into taking up reading again.
Monday, July 11, 2011
I've lost the Office, the Middle and a Modern Family! The horror!
We had a bad thunderstorm on Friday night. We were all sitting on the couch watching Wipeout which we had DVR'd. The cable went out so we sent the kids upstairs to brush their teeth to choruses of "Ohhh! No fair! We didn't get to see the end!"
Dan and I had just settled back down and were trying to figure out what we were going to do without cable. Should we read? Should we talk? To one another?
And then it happened.
A loud clap of thunder and a flash of bright lightening happened simultaneously. Baby kitty jumped at least 4 feet straight up into the air and let out a loud, "MEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!"
I almost wet myself the clap was so loud and so close. The kids came running downstairs screaming. It took a minute to calm the kids and the cat.
Long story (very long, very boring story involving technical electrical terms) short - our cable box is friend, the power cord to the Wii is fried and the circuit board to the downstairs garage door opener is fried. $125 later, (along with lots of switch flipping, phone calls to service centers/repair departments and much annoyance) and we are almost good as new.
I did not want to wait at home between the hours of 8 AM and 9 PM for the cable guy (that's 13 hours!!) so I told the helpful Time Warner Customer Service person that I would pick up the box myself at the service center. Because they were closed on Saturday and Sunday and we had a busy day today and couldn't make it to the conveniently located service center, we are currently boxless.
gasp
I tried to watch regular cable TV last night without the DVR and became highly annoyed.
Apparently I have become very spoiled as I found myself saying things like, "Where's the INFO button? How am I supposed to know what show this is without the INFO button?" and "Wait! Without a box there's no On Demand! I can't watch regular programming! I wanted to watch last week's The Next Food Network Star right now!" and "Oh no! We had some Modern Family's recorded that we hadn't watched yet! What are we going to do? Are supposed to wait until the end of summer when they replay them?"
Yes. Momma has become very spoiled.
But don't worry. It will be all right. And no, I'm not going to say that we have rediscovered our passion for good books and lively conversation. Nope. I'll be heading to the conveniently located cable service center bright and early tomorrow morning to get a new box. Order will be restored.
Dan and I had just settled back down and were trying to figure out what we were going to do without cable. Should we read? Should we talk? To one another?
And then it happened.
A loud clap of thunder and a flash of bright lightening happened simultaneously. Baby kitty jumped at least 4 feet straight up into the air and let out a loud, "MEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!"
I almost wet myself the clap was so loud and so close. The kids came running downstairs screaming. It took a minute to calm the kids and the cat.
Long story (very long, very boring story involving technical electrical terms) short - our cable box is friend, the power cord to the Wii is fried and the circuit board to the downstairs garage door opener is fried. $125 later, (along with lots of switch flipping, phone calls to service centers/repair departments and much annoyance) and we are almost good as new.
I did not want to wait at home between the hours of 8 AM and 9 PM for the cable guy (that's 13 hours!!) so I told the helpful Time Warner Customer Service person that I would pick up the box myself at the service center. Because they were closed on Saturday and Sunday and we had a busy day today and couldn't make it to the conveniently located service center, we are currently boxless.
gasp
I tried to watch regular cable TV last night without the DVR and became highly annoyed.
Apparently I have become very spoiled as I found myself saying things like, "Where's the INFO button? How am I supposed to know what show this is without the INFO button?" and "Wait! Without a box there's no On Demand! I can't watch regular programming! I wanted to watch last week's The Next Food Network Star right now!" and "Oh no! We had some Modern Family's recorded that we hadn't watched yet! What are we going to do? Are supposed to wait until the end of summer when they replay them?"
Yes. Momma has become very spoiled.
But don't worry. It will be all right. And no, I'm not going to say that we have rediscovered our passion for good books and lively conversation. Nope. I'll be heading to the conveniently located cable service center bright and early tomorrow morning to get a new box. Order will be restored.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a COW!
We participated in Chick-Fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day on Friday!
Every year, on the first Friday in July, if you dress like a cow and head to Chick-Fil-A, they will give you a free meal!
Jennifer and her family have done it 4 years in a row now. Since we weren't on vacation like we typically are this time of year, we decided we would do it too.
I painted cow spots on old tee-shirts and my kids, along with Jennifer's kids, made cow masks.
Dan was an old fuddy-duddy and didn't want to risk his pride to save $5.86 so he went dressed as a grumpy old man. I don't have a picture of that but here is what the kids and I looked like:
We had a great time checking out everyone else's version of a cow. I thought we looked pretty good. If we are around next year on Cow Appreciation Day, I think instead of making masks, I will just paint a couple of black spots on our faces and call it good. (I've saved our shirts just in case.) The masks took a lot of energy...a little black paint would have been quicker and cuter.
Check out Jennifer's family here. And just so you know, her husband was a fuddy-duddy too and went dressed as a grumpy old man!
Hope everyone had a great Cow Appreciation Day!
Every year, on the first Friday in July, if you dress like a cow and head to Chick-Fil-A, they will give you a free meal!
Jennifer and her family have done it 4 years in a row now. Since we weren't on vacation like we typically are this time of year, we decided we would do it too.
I painted cow spots on old tee-shirts and my kids, along with Jennifer's kids, made cow masks.
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| The girls had fun making their masks! |
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| The boys had more fun than they will admit making their masks. |
Dan was an old fuddy-duddy and didn't want to risk his pride to save $5.86 so he went dressed as a grumpy old man. I don't have a picture of that but here is what the kids and I looked like:
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| Without our masks. |
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| With our masks. |
We had a great time checking out everyone else's version of a cow. I thought we looked pretty good. If we are around next year on Cow Appreciation Day, I think instead of making masks, I will just paint a couple of black spots on our faces and call it good. (I've saved our shirts just in case.) The masks took a lot of energy...a little black paint would have been quicker and cuter.
Check out Jennifer's family here. And just so you know, her husband was a fuddy-duddy too and went dressed as a grumpy old man!
Hope everyone had a great Cow Appreciation Day!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Take us out to the ballgame. Take us out to the crowd. Buy us some...well, you know the rest!
This was the first time since Sarah was an infant that we were not at the Cape visiting Dan's family for the 4th of July. For various reasons (mostly related to Dan's work schedule) we decided to postpone our trip until later in the summer - which meant we were home to celebrate the 4th!
And celebrate we did! We ate hot dogs and hamburgers at not one but two cookouts. We went to the pool. We went to a baseball game and we saw two fireworks displays. All I needed was an apple pie and this weekend would have been textbook Fourth of July.
We had a great time at the Dash baseball game. We ate pizza, hot dogs and ice cream.
Sarah and Peter have always ridden the carousel when we take them to see the Dash play. Sarah wanted to ride it this year and Peter reluctantly told Sarah he would ride with her - I guess he's getting a little too old for that now.
Sarah was a little bummed out because the carousel was full and instead of a pony or a dragon or even a giraffe, she had to ride a bench with two other girls that she didn't even know. And on top of that, I couldn't get a good picture. But I'm going to share the blurry ones anyway...
Here we are during the game:
After the game and the fireworks show, they announced that they were going to let the kids run the bases. Peter and Sarah both asked if they could do it so we agreed. They lined up with about 100 other kids at the first base entrance and then finally, they opened the gate and let them go a couple at a time. And yes, these are blurry as well. Grrrrr.....I think it's time for a new camera.
And now I'm off to research cameras. I think I need a grown-up camera that can take more than just a quick snapshot in the sunlight. All these ghostly images are giving me a headache!
And celebrate we did! We ate hot dogs and hamburgers at not one but two cookouts. We went to the pool. We went to a baseball game and we saw two fireworks displays. All I needed was an apple pie and this weekend would have been textbook Fourth of July.
We had a great time at the Dash baseball game. We ate pizza, hot dogs and ice cream.
Sarah and Peter have always ridden the carousel when we take them to see the Dash play. Sarah wanted to ride it this year and Peter reluctantly told Sarah he would ride with her - I guess he's getting a little too old for that now.
Sarah was a little bummed out because the carousel was full and instead of a pony or a dragon or even a giraffe, she had to ride a bench with two other girls that she didn't even know. And on top of that, I couldn't get a good picture. But I'm going to share the blurry ones anyway...
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| Sarah is the ghostly image wearing a white shirt looking very forlorn sitting behind the woman holding the baby. |
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| Peter is the embarrassed big kid sitting beside the woman and the 1 year old. |
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| Peter and Dan (Aren't they handsome?) |
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| Sarah and Me (Aren't we adorable?) |
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| Sarah and Peter sporting their Dash caps and their Red, White and Blue |
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| The first white blur is Peter and the blur behind him is Sarah. |
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| Sarah better speed up - a blue blur is about to overtake her. |
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
All she wanted was a long playdate but I threw in a pedi/mani. It was way easier than a treat bag!
We typically do two birthday parties each year for our kids. (I know. Spoiled.) One party is what we call "the family party" and the other party is "the friend party".
"The family party" consists of dinner and cake with the family. (We are super creative with our party names). And "the friend party" consists of whatever the kids want to do (within reason) with their friends. (Super. Creative.)
We don't have big friend parties. Usually the kids just want to have a sleep over with their friends. And usually it's with Jennifer's kids. This year, however, Peter wanted to take Colton to Washington, D.C. That worked out great because we wanted to take the kids there anyway and Dan's sister lives there.
This year for her friend party, all Sarah wanted to do was have "all day to play with Tori." Tori is Sarah's BFF from school. They have been BFF's since kindergarten - two whole years. Which when you are only seven is more than 1/3 of your life so I guess that's a big deal.
So finally, this past Friday, after having to reschedule twice due to Sarah's case of summer strep throat and an impromptu beach trip for Tori, Sarah had "all day to play with Tori."
We picked Tori up at 9:15. They played at our house for a little and then I took the girls to have a mini pedicure/manicure. They were so excited!
After the mini mani/pedi's, the girls and I dined at Chick-Fil-A. Peter was spending the morning with my parents because he did. not. want to go to the nail salon. (What 8 1/2 year old boy would??)
When we came home, they played and played and played some more. Not exactly sure what they did other than play Sing-It on the Wii but there was lots and lots of giggling and shrieking. (Seven year old girls really know how to do that!)
Sarah did request a little cake for her play date because we were celebrating her birthday after all (even though it was 1 month past the date.) Here they are eating the little cake straight from the cake plate - another request by Sarah. "Can we eat it right off this plate without cutting it? Please!!!)
This was the easiest and cheapest friend party yet. I love easy and Dan loves cheap so it was the best of both worlds for us.
"The family party" consists of dinner and cake with the family. (We are super creative with our party names). And "the friend party" consists of whatever the kids want to do (within reason) with their friends. (Super. Creative.)
We don't have big friend parties. Usually the kids just want to have a sleep over with their friends. And usually it's with Jennifer's kids. This year, however, Peter wanted to take Colton to Washington, D.C. That worked out great because we wanted to take the kids there anyway and Dan's sister lives there.
This year for her friend party, all Sarah wanted to do was have "all day to play with Tori." Tori is Sarah's BFF from school. They have been BFF's since kindergarten - two whole years. Which when you are only seven is more than 1/3 of your life so I guess that's a big deal.
So finally, this past Friday, after having to reschedule twice due to Sarah's case of summer strep throat and an impromptu beach trip for Tori, Sarah had "all day to play with Tori."
We picked Tori up at 9:15. They played at our house for a little and then I took the girls to have a mini pedicure/manicure. They were so excited!
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| Tori in the chair! |
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| Sarah in the chair! |
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| Aren't the cute? |
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| The finished product! (And note all the bling on the shoes!) |
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| The nails! |
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| Wearing their matching BFF necklaces! (Because everyone knows that you aren't real BFF's until you have jewelry to prove it!) |
After the mini mani/pedi's, the girls and I dined at Chick-Fil-A. Peter was spending the morning with my parents because he did. not. want to go to the nail salon. (What 8 1/2 year old boy would??)
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| Happy with their nuggets! |
Sarah did request a little cake for her play date because we were celebrating her birthday after all (even though it was 1 month past the date.) Here they are eating the little cake straight from the cake plate - another request by Sarah. "Can we eat it right off this plate without cutting it? Please!!!)
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Peter didn't want to have anything to do with the mani/pedi but he came around when he heard the word "cake"!
Happy 7th Birthday Sarah - again !
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