Which Princess are you?

I saw this on a friends blog and thought I would take the quiz for fun to see which Disney princess I am. Click on the link below and find out who you are and post it on your blog.

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354

Art appreciation day

Today we went to a free family fun day at the Rochester Art Center where the kids get to do an art project. We've done this twice before and it's always ended up being fun. I thought Brecklen would really enjoy today's theme of "steamroller art." We cut out shapes and stuck them to a square piece of cardboard. Then we painted over the shapes, stuck a piece of paper on top and a real steamroller rolled over the art. That was the best part. In the end the art was on the paper. They turned out really cool and I am even considering framing them. Brecklen's art titled "Fish" is an under the sea theme, and Hannah's is titled "Horsey" and has a horse and butterfly on it. It was actually very official. When Breck and Hannah's art was done being steamrolled, titled and signed, they put the Rochester art center stamp on it and this art organization put their official seal on it. Each kid's art got a number, Brecklen is 700, Hannah 701. They are officially part of the 1000 print summer steamroller project. They took a photo of each child with their finished product. I forgot to ask them about what they are actually going to do with all of the photographs.

Brecklen's Art- "Fish"

Hannah's Art- "Horsey"

After we were done were were allowed free admission into the Art center. I thought we might as well take advantage of this. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to be a great parent by "culturally educating" my children when I get the chance. I didn't know anything about the current exhibit, but really did it matter? Well, maybe. My first clue should have been when I walked in and sitting at the reception desk was a girl who looked like she would work in a New York City art center, or a cafe. Very cosmopolitan artsy cropped jet black hair, bangs cut straight across. She asked me if I had heard of Roman Signer. Ummm, that would be a no. Apparently he does sculptures. Well great. I guess I like sculptures. I am not really an art person. I don't quite understand the magnificence of modern art. I do appreciate it though, or at least try. I do enjoy beautiful art when it is pleasing to the eye, but don't understand why some people are highly regarded when they splatter paint on the canvas and call it "art." My kids can do that.

This exhibit was of Roman Signer's "art sculptures". He is apparently "regarded as one of the most important contemporary artists working in Europe today." We walk upstairs to see the exhibit, and Brecklen and Hannah start to go over to this pan sitting on something so it is off the ground, in the middle of the hallway. I don't have a clue as to why it's there, but wanted to leave it be incase the owner comes back. I told them not to touch it and escorted them into the exhibit room. So we walk into where I thought was the art and immediately think "oh no, kids, don't touch anything. Is THIS the art?" It was a mother's nightmare. Hazards everywhere. 6 shiny metal fans on high speed blowing air up toward the ceiling. Above each fan was a very large glass whiskey bottle hanging by string from the ceiling blowing around because of the fan below it. They wanted to touch everything. Brecklen started to grab one of the whiskey bottles (well within his reach might I add) and I asked him not to. I am really not a freak about child hazards, but we are in a museum and I wasn't exactly sure if this was the exhibit, but I certainly don't need my kids getting their fingers chopped off by sticking them in one of the many accessible fans, nor trip on one of the multiple cords lying everywhere, nor reach up to grab a very large and what would be heavy glass bottle of whiskey (for a child) hanging by string from the ceiling only to have to take them to the ER and explain why they smell like alcohol, have no fingertips, and have glass stuck in various parts of their body because of the glass shards that flew everywhere. Plus I didn't want to have to pay for breaking any part of an exhibit. Although I could just stop by Walmart and pick up a new exhibit and set it up myself.

Needless to say we weren't in that room for too long. We go back out in the hallway, past the pan on the ground. I still wonder why it is there. Then I know when I see the next "exhibit". It looks like someone is unpacking their stuff in a garage. There is random stuff everywhere. I wasn't sure if we are supposed to be there because it seems they are right in the middle of unpacking an exhibit. There are no signs anywhere to suggest what these things mean. I shoved all of the papers they gave me at the front in my bag as I chased my kids into the museum, so I didn't realize what all this stuff was, not until I got home and read it, and then it was more hilarious. Again I have the same feeling of panic as we entered this room. I Asked them not to touch anything. There is a riffle on the ground as soon as we enter the room, and Hannah runs right towards it ready to pick it up. I am freaking out. Don't need to test that to see if there's no bullets in it. So what we see is a riffle just laying on the ground with a long runner in front of it thats pushed up in the middle so that if you shot the gun the bullet would go through the "hole" under the carpet pushed off the ground and hit the target also just sitting on the ground. Hannah wanted to run on the carpet, which would completely ruin the "art sculpture." I couldn't believe this is what they were calling sculptures. None of this stuff he sculpted. These are things already in existence. For example. A bike. He is calling that his sculpture. No, that's quite offensive to the person who actually came up with the design of that bike. A solar-panelled suit case Again, not really a sculpture. My personal favorite was a large walk-in freezer just sitting in a random room. Brecklen asked what it was. I told him I didn't know (when we first saw it). He said that if you walk in it your brain will explode. The way he said it was so serious, like aliens sent it here as a device to kill mankind. It was very funny. Then I looked inside (it didn't open-thankfully) and there above all things beautiful and inspiring was a lone bicycle wheel stuck in a block of ice. I just started laughing and showed the kids what was inside. All I could envision was someone getting their bike wheel stuck in a Minnesota snowy winter. Hey, atleast it was true art though. Not some pot, or bike just sitting there.

As I read a little more about him, he really shouldn't have been in a museum. He does things with these props he is calling "sculptures." He really needs a Vegas show instead. On the way out we saw a few clips of what he is renowned for. Riding in a kayak on a gravel road being pulled along to me isn't really art, that's science. Or sitting in a chair with a rocket strapped to his arm making him go in circles isn't exactly fascinating or artsy either. Well, Kudos for something, but I'm not sure what. These things never had any explanation behind it. Now I know he probably used the bike for something, but to call that his "sculpture" is just not right to me. It was just poorly done. It just seems to me that any 15 year old boy could have his own exhibit if he video tapes himself on a skateboard, and then puts his mom's pot on the ground alongside his own fan with his stash of beer he has in his room.

So, if your not bored already, and have actually gotten this far, this prompted me to reach deep down and find my inner artist that has just been waiting to be unleashed. I would like you to check out my first ever attempt at art, inspired by Signer. Now I would like to hear comments back from you like "truly amazing", "one of a kind", and "humorous, yet innovative."

"Superheros"

"Potty in the Kitchen"- my personal favorite

"Chair"

"Bear with ears "

"Shoes as they lay "

"Quiet and Efficient" AC that cost so much it just deserves to be here.

"Bike on lawn"

"Weedwaker in neighbor's yard"


"Light "


"Babies"

"Pile of Shoes"

"Monster trucks"

http://rochesterartcenter.org/

Mommy and daughter day

I have just been the blogging fool lately. Aric has been gone alot for work since we've been back from vacation so I've been spending more time at night blogging instead of cleaning my house, like I should be. No jury duty today, yeah!!! One week over with, and one week to go.

Today Brecklen was going to play at a friend's house for much of the day, and I didn't have to do any errands for once, so I decided to take Hannah out to do something fun. She always gets dragged around on my errands, and she takes the brunt of it because I always try to do errands when Brecklen is gone playing at a friend's house. So I realized that I don't think that Hannah and I have ever really had "fun" together. Yes we've been to the park and so on, but not really any set aside bonding time out of the house, just the two of us alone. I go out with both kids all the time to do fun little things, but never with just Hannah. I thought that was kinda sad, but then I realized that she's barely two, and wouldn't have really comprehended the idea of a mommy and me day. This was last minute, so I decided we would go to a storytime at a bookstore that I thought she would enjoy. I know, fancy huh? She was really excited though and kept calling it "party time." Sadly enough we arrived and no storytime today. So we played around the toy store with all the puzzles and dollhouses around. She had so much fun playing with the dolls and the dollhouse that I was tempted to get it for her. A little too pricey to buy on a whim, but I'll keep that in mind. We had alot of fun playing in the toy store, and when I said it was time to go so we can get lunch she just stopped and came with me. I was so proud of her. I was expecting a huge fight. I have to say Brecklen was never good at that, it was always a struggle to get him to leave the fun. So I learned that Hannah is a really good listener. And then I realized that she has always been this way. So we both left happily out of the toy store.

Next to do was to eat. I asked her if she wanted McDonalds or go to the mall and find something there. McD's was right across the street from us, which she noticed, so wanted to go there. I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. So she got her fancy happy meal with the polly pockets toy and was very happy. We parked in the parking lot of McD's and Hannah got to sit in the front seat to eat with me. She never gets to do this, I am sure Brecklen would have snaked that spot, so it was special for her. She got to play with all the controls in the front, play with the windshield wipers, and honk the horn. She was having the time of her life. She sat on my lap and we snuggled for a bit and I told her I loved her and she got a big smile on her face and snuggled into me. She felt special, she had such a sweet look on her face. So then we went to Barnes and Nobles at the mall and read lots of books there. Then topped it off with some ice cream of her choice at Coldstone, our favorite. I think my kids could find that place with their eyes closed. Then she got to play at our little play area in the mall. That was our fun and exciting adventure. By that time it was past three, and we had been out partying all day. So she fell asleep in the car on the way home.

We both just had the best day and I am so glad we had the opportunity to do this. I think I will make time to do something special with my kids alot more often. It was easy with Brecklen, when he was an only child. We would have lots of fun together, and when Hannah's napping we get to spend time together then reading or playing a game, but I guess I didn't realize how little quality time I actually get to spend with Hannah alone (doing something other than the dreaded shopping and other errands). She is such a sweetheart and is different alone, and I didn't realize how much she craves my attention. We have no exactly been getting along lately and she has often been saying "I don't like you" since I was sick back in May and June. And even though I know she doesn't mean it, it is still not fun to hear. I think what she has been trying to say is "I need you" but didn't know how to say it.

It wasn't like I planned anything fancy, but it didn't matter to her, she just wanted to do something that was just for her. I look forward to doing this again in the near future.

Colorado 2006

I am trying to figure out how to upload my pictures of our vacation onto my computer. We got a new camera and I have only uploaded pictures once. Aric always does this, so our pics are still sitting on our camera. I spent about 5 min. trying and have given up because I am impatient. But I have some pictures of our Colorado trip two years ago that we never really got to share since I just started this blogging thing, so I will share now. Some of these are my favorite pics because they are so beautiful, and others because they are so funny. Namely the one of Brecklen peeing in the lake on our beautiful hike. Classic. This will be the picture that I will always want to bring out to show people and he will hate me for it. Also a favorite moment from this trip two years ago is when I asked Brecklen what he wanted for his 3rd birthday. "To smoke" he says. I will never forget it. Aric and I started laughing immediately because we had no idea what he was talking about. It took us many months to figure out that he must really have meant to say, to smoke, as in cigarettes. He must have seen grandpa smoking on this vacation and was curious.

After this initial trip to Colorado two years ago, we fell in love with the area and decided this is possibly where we want to raise our kids. This is what spurred our summer vacation this year. Pictures of recent vacation soon to follow, but here are a few from 2006.

Pre-hike, still happy, before the application of sunscreen and bug spray most likely

Brecklen in the lake...

taking a potty brake

Enjoying the scenery

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on the way to Colorado

Baby update

I had another doctors appointment today. I am so glad I didn't have to serve on the jury case (see previous blog) because I didn't want to cancel my appointment and reschedule, that would push back my other two appointments. The appointment Nurse Nazi would just tell me again "OH you can't do that it's just way too important." Well tell the City of Rochester to back off then! Nurse Nazi was not happy when I told her last week that I refuse to schedule a doctor's appointment on Brecklen's birthday.

Nurse Nazi: Well, there's nothing your doctor has available the rest of the week.
Me: Can't you schedule it next Monday with her ?(it would be like 9 days in between appointments)
Nurse Nazi: Oh No! (acting like I had just sentenced my unborn child to immediate death) You can't do that! That's WAY too long between appointments!
Me: Well, then just make the appointment with someone else then?
Nurse Nazi makes a random appointment and I just call in and rescheduled it when I wanted it, so everything just worked out.


Nurse Nazi I'm so sorry I couldn't put my entire life on hold. Between Jury duty these two weeks and weekly doctor's appointments I have pretty much cleared my schedule. Breck had swim lessons that I didn't want to miss (because I had already cancelled due to Jury duty service), and a birthday, how dare he! Thanks for making me feel like a crappy mom.

It really makes my pregnancy fly when I have to go in every week. Before I know it the baby will be here in like... 5 appointments. It's official. I am scheduled to be induced on September 12th. As long as everything continues to look good, i.e. baby is continuing to gain weight, and has enough amniotic fluid and so on. It's nice to know when she's coming. Now I can finally tell my mother-in-law and mother when to take off work. It's still weird to think she will be here before I know it. I have had 8 months so far to prepare, but I don't feel ready yet. I think I will probably be starting my weird "nesting" soon now that I have a deadline, or just the reality of knowing that she is actually coming. I am starting to get a little excited to meet her. She's a funny girl. She is so shy on the ultrasounds. She likes to hide her face, probably due to the fact that these annoying ultrasound techs dig into my belly so hard she's trying to ward them off. It will be interesting to see if she always has her hands over her face when she's born. I remember when we had ultrasounds with Hannah and one of the tech's made a comment that it would be interesting to know if she still sleeps with her hands tucked under her face when she's born. Yup, she does. Hannah has always liked to sleep on her side with her hands tucked under she head.

It's amazing how sweet and innocent they look while they sleep. No screaming or saying "I don't like you" as she does on a daily basis. Yeah, I can see that our power struggle has just begun. Hannah has already started to run to her room and slam the door. Very hilarious from a barely two year old. Brecklen has never told me he doesn't like me or slam his door. Ever. Wow, I think girls just know these things. It's born into them, or atleast Hannah, to be a Diva from birth. This is why we asked the tech if it was definitely a girl when we found out the sex. Love Hannah to death, but the thought of two of her is possibly overwhelming. Two strong personalities clashing together growing up. I see lots of fights in the future. But then I also see two sweet girls growing up being best friends and sharing (hopefully) everything. Hannah can be so sweet and loving with Brecklen and I know they will both be wonderful big siblings.

Jury duty

Today I got called in for my first day of jury duty. I was a little excited, but more annoyed by the fact that I had to find someone to take care of my kids all day. Thanks to an eager teen, Andy Miller, who has made my life easier. He is "on call" for the next two weeks, as am I. So everyday I call at 4:30pm to see if I have to go in the next day. Although really I call at like 3, see if there's a new message, if not I call a little later, and so on until after 4:30pm. I am a little obsessed with calling. I practically know the number by heart. I think it's because I want to get the dread of knowing over with for the day, and if I have to go in I think by calling in it's going to magically "change" and tell me that it was all a mistake and I don't need to be there.

As I was walking across the street to fulfill my public duty (and trying not to get hit by cars) I see a cop hop out of her car, wipe the powdered doughnut off her face (just kidding), and pull out her notepad to write some poor sap a parking ticket just because his meter ran out. Nice. Our government must need his $14.50 pretty bad because I found out that our stellar pay of $20/day is being docked to $10/day next week due to budget cuts in the state. What a nice way to say thank you to all those hard working people who are missing work and most likely won't get paid their regular salary that day.

Today I show up on time, thank goodness, because they were starting to get mad that some people had not arrived by 9:05am, and those people never actually showed up at all. I wonder what happens to them? Does some cop come to their house and arrest them for skipping their public service? They probably have to serve a double sentence of jury duty, Which might be worse than getting arrested.

When we first arrived they showed a cheesy movie reminding us all about our fantastic judicial system and how people were really glad they had served their public duty as a juror. Good for them and the 150,000 people that Minnesota "serves" every year. I am not one of those "happy people." Unfortunately I think I have a bad attitude about this whole thing. I have been thinking about all the wrong things I could say that would get me out of serving on a trial. I am pretty sure that I wasn't the only one. After the entertaining movie was over we just had to wait. We had no idea how long we would be waiting. Everyone just sat there in total silence. I got hungry about an hour into waiting. I didn't want to eat in the room with everyone staring as I opened my noisy bag of granola and scarf down my snack in awkward silence so I stepped outside to talk with the guy in charge of our group. I tried to pry as to how long we would be sitting here. Sometimes they let people go home if 3 pm rolls around. Yeah, what a nice thought. You hurry to get somewhere, and then you wait all day. Awesome. We didn't have to wait too long, after about two hours of waiting we were sent to the courtroom.

We sat in the courtroom and waited forever for the Judge. Judge Weiners. No comment neccessary, except that it was hard to keep a straight face when we all had to rise as the Judge came into the room. Maybe someday I will grow up, and that won't be so funny, but probably not. Hearing his name out loud was even funnier, and yes it is pronounced like how you would imagine. Everyone is so serious in the courtroom, it's like going to church on Sunday when your bishop greets you with a solemn "Hello Sister Murphy, it's nice to see you today." Except that no one is smiling in the courtroom, and there are no children whining, particularly mine. So maybe the waiting wasn't so bad....

I was selected to sit in the juror box along with 10 others. We were asked all sorts of questions. The lawyers were so careful with their questions, and so particular about their words. I thought that was the most interesting thing. They wanted to know if I stayed home with the kids and what Aric did for a living, and lots of other random questions just trying to get to know us. If we were in a union, had issues or disputes with neighbors, owned a firearm, had small children, owned a dog, didn't drink alcohol. The only person who raised her hand along with me on the alcohol question was a recovering alcoholic. They asked me if it was because I was pregnant, I said no, because of my religion. I am pretty sure that got me thrown off the jury for being a prude because they kept the recovering alcoholic. The case was about a disagreement on land, not if I owned a dog, or drinking. Fine with me. That jury has to report for trial tomorrow too, and I don't. But I still have to call in for the rest of the 2 week term to see if I need to come in again.

I will be so glad to finally get this jury thing over with. I was supposed to do it in February, but I was gone on vacation, so then it was pushed back to June, and then I was sick, so third times a charm. I have been dreading this for many months knowing I was going to have to serve sometime.

Quote of the Day

"Texters hurt as they walk, ride —

even cook"
ER docs warn of serious injuries, deaths from text-message mishaps

Well I thought this was too funny to pass up. I found this article on MSNBC and just thought I would share the highlights of the article, with my commentary. I always wondered if I would give my teen a cell phone. That depends if they can walk and text at the same time. Or how about just not walk and text at the same time.

Gonzales, a 19-year-old sophomore at San Diego State University, admits she’s stumbled more than once while sending texts on the street. “I’ve definitely tripped over things sometimes like the little cracks in the ground,” she said. “I have to remember to look up.” (That may be a good idea Gonzales.)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has no national estimate on how common texting-related injuries are (really?). But since 2005, the agency has received at least seven reports of serious texting mishaps, including a 15-year-old girl who fell off her horse while texting, suffering head and back injuries (A Horse! Not the smartest tool in the shed are we), and a 13-year-old girl who suffered belly, leg and arm burns after texting her boyfriend while cooking noodles. (Ok so that's sad, but ramen noodles only take 3 minutes, can't you wait?)

Other reports include a 39-year-old man who suffered a head injury after crashing his bicycle into a tree while texting (shouldn't you know better, how embarrassing for you) and a 16-year-old boy who suffered a concussion because he was texting while walking and banged into a telephone pole. (I hope your girlfriend didn't find out, because I would dump you if I was her!)

There were even reports of people being hit by cars and dying. You died for your cell phone?? That is way too sad. All I can say is that I feel sorry for these people that had to go to the ER because of these accidents. I bet THAT was embarrassing! I can hear Aric now in the ER with the patient. "Exactly how did you break your mandible again? Oh. You crashed into a tree on your bike while texting? Hum. "