What a week...

Not done yet, bunny...get moving.  

Which story do you prefer?

We are just back from a quick spring break trip to Phoenix.  We left Friday night and returned last night.  Kind of a whirlwind trip full of a bit of travel adventure (delayed flight, long security line, delayed bag, etc.)  Even with that we managed to escape our standard routine and were reminded how warm weather and sun feels.  We swam, floated on the lazy river, hiked up Squaw Peak and sat outside for as many hours as possible.

While we were there we also got to experience young Brandon losing his first tooth.  This thing had been nagging him for awhile and he became a bit obsessed with it.  Bottom front so it hurt to eat his bagel, pizza, any regular food - except ice cream - ice cream slid right down.  Outside of embracing a full on liquid diet I watched him become determined to get that thing out.  He wiggled it with his tongue, finger, napkin, anything that would move that little bugger.  We joked about "in the old days we tied a string to the tooth and a door knob" legends and all had a good laugh.  We reminisced about the tooth that seemed to hang by a thread in Cameron's mouth for what seemed like a good six months. Then, while sitting at dinner, Brandon just started yanking on it and didn't stop until it came out.  We celebrated, he swished with some water and we secured the tiny little tooth in my sunglass case for safe keeping.  

Discussions quickly turned to the tooth fairy - is it a he or a she?  How big is he/she?  Would the fairy find us in Phoenix?  Get the right hotel and room?  Much debate and the final decision was that the tooth would travel back to Chicago and be placed under Brandon's pillow where the fairy would know exactly where to find him for future tooth collecting.  He asked to see his tooth almost hourly and I knew that I could lose my entire purse, luggage, all electronics on our trip home but I COULD NOT LOSE THAT TOOTH!  

We arrived safely at home and soon after I heard, "Mom, I have my tooth - I'll be upstairs" at bedtime.  His grin was ear to ear as he placed the tooth under his pillow and couldn't get me out of the room quickly enough so he could fall fast asleep.  He awoke this morning to a crisp one dollar bill and was thrilled that the fairy really came like he hoped he/she would.  He believed and it worked, just as he believed.  

The subject of this post is tied to Cameron and I watching Life of Pi on our return flight yesterday. I am a bit embarrassed to say that I have never read the book so I only have the movie to reference.  A pretty amazing story which has kept me thinking.  The question, which story to you prefer? can be applied to so many circumstances.  I, personally, want to believe the animal version but critical thinking tells me that isn't possible.  Still, that's the one I want to believe.  

Then I find myself applying that question back to the tooth fairy with my kids - which do you prefer?  I even find myself applying it to my personal relationships and things that may or may not be true.  Is it ok to believe the version you want to believe is true or does critical thinking prove that isn't possible?  I could go on - we have Easter coming up, again, what's true and what's possible?  

I do know that life and perspectives change every day and how we see things can vary a great deal based on what we believe is true.  So my little boy's mouth landscape is forever changing which means he's growing up.  Just like each day, what we learn and how we change prepares us for the next day.  

Thanks to Pi and the tooth fairy for prompting this reflection.  

Patience - a lost art?

We are a few months into our bathroom/closet remodel project and the timeline seems to be draaaagggggiiiiinnnnnggg.  John, our contractor, is making progress, albeit very slow progress. We hire him for these jobs because he does fabulous work.  However fabulous work comes at a cost beyond the monetary investment.  Sometimes I think he might work in reverse.  Almost a Benjamin Button type scenario.

Each night we peek our heads into the room to see if we can notice any progress.  This week we started to see some walls come together and dry wall being installed in the new ceiling.  Both Jim and I are overly anxious to get this done and have to work very hard to remain patient.

So that got me thinking about patience in general.  Basically I think we live in a time where people don't have to be patient anymore.  As much as I embrace technology, and trust me I love it, I know it has changed my expectations and perspective.  Instant message, Facebook, Twitter, On Demand TV, texting, on line shopping (specifically sites like Open Table, StubHub, Orbitz) etc allow us to essentially get anything we need with a few clicks.  I can check my son's grades on a day by day basis instead of the old fashioned way of waiting for the printed report card and maybe a call or note from a teacher mid quarter if things weren't going well.  It's a a blessing and a curse because nothing seems to be much of a surprise anymore and anticipation is short lived.  For things like our remodeling project we have HGTV where two guys remodel an entire house in an hour.  Ok, a little bit longer but they certainly do a lot of work in a short period of time and I, as a viewer, can see the entire project in 60 minutes, including commercials.

All of these modern conveniences have skewed our expectations on how long it takes to complete something.  We have come to expect and demand instant gratification and are inundated with resources that feed this need.  For someone to say this is going to be a good 6 month project almost seems unacceptable.  But in our case it will likely be that, although those words haven't been specifically spoken.  It is a ton of work to completely gut and restructure two major rooms in our house.

Another factor that is trying our patience is that we have moved everything from our bathroom and closet into our bedroom.  Attempting some sort of organization by using clear plastic crates and a hanging rack we purchased from a clothing store that was going out of business, our room is chaos at best.  I want to go work out, ok where did I put that drawer with my workout clothes?  I need to dress for a work meeting, let me check out the clothing rack and crawl underneath to fetch some shoes - hopefully two that match.

When we lived in Boston Jim and I often laughed as we walked through a store called Ann and Hope.  It was  a unique store that had everything from toothbrushes to boogie boards - and it was not uncommon at all to see the two placed right next to each other on the shelf.  There seemed to be no organization to the store whatsoever.  It seemed to have everything, but good luck finding it. That is now our room - the Midwest version of that goofy store right in our home.  I need a Q-tip, oh they are right next to my jewelry, socks and some math flashcards.

On a positive note, when you haul everything out of a space you find things you thought were lost forever, and can take conscious note of things you can clearly do without.  (See previous post re: purging).

So I will continue to make a conscious effort to try and remain patient with this project, dreaming about how fabulous it will be once complete.  It's worth the wait, it's worth making sure it's done right and that means there's nothing instant about it.

Gotta run, my instant oatmeal is ready.

Ran across an old friend

Peter Hedges Interview  (link)


Maybe it was the Oscars last weekend or maybe my mind just wandered away from my daily routine one day this week, but the other night I looked up Peter Hedges on Twitter and ran across this interview.  It's long so don't feel obligated to watch all of it.  But if you have the time it's a great interview with a super talented guy.  An all around feel good that will likely make you chuckle a bit like I did.

I am fortunate that for 5 weeks during the summer of 1988 Peter was my instructor at The National High School Institute at Northwestern.  It was an incredible summer and amazing experience all around, but the fact that I got to study under this guy who would go on to do incredible work still kind of amazes me.

I have a horrible memory so unfortunately I don't remember all of the details of each day but I know that the class he taught and the show I was lucky enough to be a part of was something special.  When I watched this interview it was like we were sitting in our morning acting class chatting it up with Peter.  He was and still is normal, and real, and creative, and hilarious and talented.  He went on to write and publish books, write screenplays and direct films.  And since he's originally from Iowa I feel even more of a connection to him.

When he published his first book, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, my mom sent me the big article from The Des Moines Register about the book and Peter (local guy doing well).  I have tried to follow his career and read his books and see his films when I can.  I have always wondered if I showed up at a book signing or film premier (because I go to a lot of those) would he recognize me?  If I introduced myself as Syd Killion from Red Oak, Iowa - NHSI Cherub Class of 1988 would he remember me?  I'd like to think so but even if he didn't he would make me feel like he did in a very Midwest way.  Some people are just like that I think.

I hope he continues to do great things and maybe someday I'll have the chance to reintroduce myself and congratulate him on his success and thank him for the fun summer in 1988.  Until then I will enjoy pieces like this and try to see things, people and situations a little more like the characters and stories Peter creates and shares with us.

A Igloo

Friday afternoon the boys came rushing home from school with one thing on their minds - get out in that snow, the weekend is here!  We had a few inches on the ground, the wet kind, great for packing.  As I glanced out my office window I saw Brandon starting to create an outline on the ground.  He used the red snowball maker he'd received for Christmas last year and began creating perfectly round snowballs with it.  I heard his little voice call up to my office.  "Mom, I'm building a igloo."  The perfect vision of a little boy with big plans.  One you want to freeze forever (no pun intended).  

As the afternoon went on he made more snow balls and started piling them up.  The igloo took on a long oval shape and spanned about 5 feet.  When it was time to come in for the day he asked if he could work on it again tomorrow.  "Sure buddy, you can build more and I will try to help."  

After our Saturday morning routine he dressed in his full snow garb and headed out to the yard once again.  I joined him after awhile and found he had created a huge pile of snowballs.  (note to self, if I'm in the igloo building business I need some snow pants)

He had figured out if he made a bunch of them he could spend more time building.  So we worked for about an hour.  He was making more snowballs and I was placing them around structure.  At one point he took his sled to an area of fresh snow, filled it with snowballs and returned to our building site.  Our igloo was starting to take on quite a nice shape.  After a short break for lunch he was back at it again.  I joined him for about another hour and when we stepped back to admire our work we were up to about 7 rows of snowballs.  We took a few pictures and talked about spending some more time working on it Sunday.  

Sunday came and so did the bright sunshine and rising temperatures.  The snow was still around but when I checked the forecast I had a feeling our building might not make it to sunset.  Before our house was very active Brandon had his snow clothes back on and trudged out to the backyard.  Jim had to leave fairly early for a flight but went out to help his little buddy a bit.  He introduced him to the concept of the spray bottle.  Wetting down the snowballs in the hope of creating a more solid structure. After Jim came back in house Brandon kept at it.  Adding a few snowballs and wetting them down with his re purposed Windex bottle.  

As the day went on the walls started falling in certain areas and Brandon grew frustrated that his igloo kept breaking.  I did my best to patch the walls but the beautiful sunny day wasn't working in our favor.  I explained that we would make it as strong as we could and then we needed to leave it alone for awhile and just see how much remained after the day.  I said we have a good base and the next time it snows we can build it up again.  

Before the sun set we looked out and a lot of our hard work had melted away.  You could still see the outline and a few of the snowballs were in tact creating the oval shape - but our 7 layers were now more like 1.  When he went to bed last night Brandon got teary when he talked about how hard we had worked and that it all just melted away.  He said, "Mom, even when my tummy was grumbling I wanted to keep going because we were having so much fun building.  And now, it's all going to be gone."  

What a hard lesson, especially because I was a little sad too.  I told him I took a bunch of pictures and when it snows again we can go back out and build it back up.  That's the trouble with snow, I guess.  It's not real permanent.  

I just checked the forecast.  80% chance of snow starting tomorrow afternoon... 

mass production process

 from the inside

aerial shot

cold but happy

helpful hands

melting memories

Shifting into Annual Overdrive

I am always amazed when I hit this time of year how things pick up in my schedule.  It is almost as if someone hits that fast forward button on the remote control on February 1 and the scenes just start picking up speed.  Leading up to the holidays is madness, the holidays are madness, then we hit a time in January when things almost seem to go in slow motion.  Maybe it's the cold, dark, winter days or maybe it's just the post holiday decompression.  Either way, I have a love/hate relationship with the month of January. I don't enjoy it all while in it but once my pace picks up I long for a quiet, cold day with nothing to do.  But, here we are so let's get moving....

I am happy to report that we survived the 100th day of school as well as Valentine's Day.  My proposal for the 100th day poster was accepted with a few modifications.  Final exhibit below - held by a very pleased client.  I'm thinking about asking him to be a reference for future business.  

Our little guy was thrilled and very proud to reach his 100th day.  I say any reason for a party is a good one.  This also means we are more than 1/2 way through the school year which is another crazy phenomenon.  

On to our Valentine challenge which is a challenge indeed given our school does not permit any food or candy in our valentines.  This is a rule that actually bums me out.  A fond memory I have of my childhood is constructing my actual Valentine box, decorating it complete with the little slit for my friends to insert their cards.  I can still smell the scent of Juicy Fruit gum coupled with cardboard that would be released upon opening up my Valentine box when I got home.  Now I get that kids don't need candy every day but, like everything, moderation is key.  Unfortunately our world has become anything but moderate so here we are...valentines with no tasty treat.  

Brandon helped me make his monster magnets and Cameron assisted with the message on his festive bookmarks.  The original message was "You're TOAD-ally awesome, Valentine".  A very conscious 9 year old reminded me that he would actually be giving these to "girls" and didn't want anyone to be misguided...you see where this is going.  SO, we modified the message just to make sure no one got the wrong idea.  Initial feedback is that the message appeared to be safe.  

I was in Dallas for three days last week for my National Sales Meeting, along with 700 of my closest friends.  It's amazing how large this event has become.  When I first attended this conference in 1997 there were less than 100 attendees.  Part of me, ok most of me, longs for the good old days where you could see and spend time with everyone and didn't run the risk of milling around a crowd and possibly never laying eyes on someone you actually would enjoy seeing.  But, even though the size is overwhelming, I managed to pull some positive things from the event.  And it's always good to see the people that I now only see at this annual event.  Following an intense three days I always ask the question, will I really be here again next year for this event?  And if the answer is yes, how will things be different?  Where did I file that crystal ball?

Jim and I spent the long weekend in Florida getting our new rental property prepared for the spring season.  This has been a fun side business but one that can become overwhelming if we let it.  Thankfully Jim does all of the business stuff to keep us going and I get to do things like show up and pick out dishes, utensils, coffee pots and linens.  We raced around to every major house and home retailer in the greater Orlando area and were quite successful.  Probably the funniest, and most encouraging, event occurred at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  After dividing and conquering we met up only to see that we had both selected the same set of red rubber kitchen spatulas and same wine opener without discussing purchasing either.  It was almost creepy, but we both felt a little closer to each other and perhaps got the validation we needed that this is a good project for us after all.  We got a good laugh, returned one set, and went about our shopping.

Now we just need renters....let the direct marketing begin and may 2013 be the year everyone wants to travel to Orlando!

On top of all of this we have our ongoing bathroom overhaul going on.  As I finish writing this I now realize why I feel exhausted and overwhelmed.  The walls of our bedroom appear to be closing in as our belongings somehow seem to be expanding in their temporary locations.  I can't wait until we have more space than we know what do do with....unfortunately it isn't a speedy process.

Best part of yesterday, took President's Day off and hung out with the boys.  Never did Red Robin for lunch and painting pottery for a couple hours in the afternoon feel so good.  I need to do that more often (note to self).

Deep breath....carry on.  

Shhhh it's snowing...

This morning we had another great walk to the bus stop in the snow.  I love that we walk to the bus on every possible day.  I love waking up and seeing the snow coming down knowing we have the walk ahead of us.  Only extreme cold and rain keep us from our daily walk that takes anywhere from 8 - 11 minutes.  It is one of my favorite family moments and something we are lucky to share given Jim and I work from home most days.  

I never get tired of watching the boys trudge through the street, making their own footprints and looking at the others placed before ours.  I have so many pictures snapped on my phone, many repeats because I love the image and want to keep it forever.  

Our neighborhood seems quieter and a little more peaceful.  The day is still fresh.  Before they hop on the bus and I transition into my work day I like to stop and take it all in....even for a few moments.