See? Red lipstick (sort of. Almost wiped off from that red DRINK that the mixologist *** made for us!)
One of my favorite people! I love going to blogger gatherings, especially when Cynthia, aka the Napwarden is there!
I told you I was a rockstar. I got to meet and HUG Kristen Chase, aka The Mominatrix. She and I are now likethis. She loved me so much, she even gave me a book!****
Brandie won the free appliance!!! And her washing machine had JUST konked out on her, so YAY BRANDIE!!! 
Took this pic of me and Miss Lori for my niece and nephew who are big PBS fans!
And only a rock star would get invited to a fabulous blogger gathering hosted by Kenmore, right? That MUST be the reason they gifted me***** with so much amazing swag!
The envelope held a special surprise for me and Corinne. I can't wait to explain to her that the certificate says that she and I can stay at the Embassy Suites in downtown Chicago for one night with an American Girl slumber party special!! She will FLIP OUT!
"One girl went out on a date." (I love the binding. She stapled it and wrote this all on her own!)
Inside of Ulysses S. Grant's home in Galena, IL. The tour was so informative and engaging. I plan on taking the kids back for a field trip someday soon.
Barb aka Weaselmama and one of our guides, Celestino at Cannova's in downtown Galena. I highly recommend the bruschetta...
General Grant and Mrs. Grant were kind enough to answer every question we could throw at them regarding their lives in the 1860's. Don't they look fabulous for their ages?
I think Brandie should be commended for not swiping the fabrics and antique clothing in the archives of the Galena Historical Museum.
Being allowed to pilfer through the museum's boxes and rooms and archived memorabilia from over 150 years ago was an experience that all of us loved! It took me a few minutes to get past the whole "look with your eyes, not your hands!" mentality. Obviously, I was able to get past that when this Civil war hat called my name.... The Executive Director, Nancy Breed, was extremely generous and accommodating by allowing this special treat. Thank you so much, Nancy!
The kindness and generosity of Galena was mentioned often by our guides. But nothing they told us spoke as loudly as the true hospitality repeatedly shown by the residents who love their town so very much. Thank you to Brad and Roth for opening up your private and historic home, the Seal House, to us. 
You also can't fake the genuine kindness of the volunteer who, after seeing us peeking through the windows of the Blacksmith shop by the river, opened up the closed shop so that we could look around. He thought we were just an group of women, walking by. Little did he know that we were there on a trip to get the scoop on Galena! 
Thank you so much! You are yet another example of the type of people that populate Galena; Kind, generous and proud of their city's heritage. Good luck with the Boy Scouts next weekend!
Galena Cellars hosted a wine tasting! I had my SVMoms notepad and took notes on all of the samples before picking out my own favorite. More on that, later!
Val as one of our Bottle Models...
Kris after a few drinks... Clearly, we were very, very shy around each other. Obviously, none of us were having a good time at Fried Green Tomatoes... 
(FYI, The Lobster Ravioli is absolutely to die for. I couldn't finish my huge plateful, so I finished it for breakfast the next morning!)
Nope. Not even Brandie. She certainly wasn't dropping questionable jokes about how very, very much she loved that ice cream dessert. And she DEFINITELY never threatened our host Dorian's life if he didn't pass the quickly melting ice cream BACK to her. She's way too sweet for that...
Note to self: 5 am in Illinois in April = COLD. Never mind that your daughter was wearing a tank top and shorts 2 days ago! If you're going up in a hot air balloon at 6 am, BRING A WARMER COAT!
But being a little chilly is worth the view of Galena from 3,000 feet!
I FINALLY got to do something adventurous BEFORE my husband!! Hot air ballooning was so thrilling! I can't believe we go to experience it! Thank you to our hilarious pilot, Andy. His ability to "cue the wildlife" and keep the conversation full of laughter made the day so special...
Our backyard at the luxury home that Eagle Ridge generously provided for our stay. I only wish that we had had a few more hours to enjoy it all! The house my group stayed in had 5 bedrooms, a pool table, a HUGE kitchen, and a gorgeous yard. It was so private and secluded!
I can now cross off "walking an Alpaca" from my bucket list of things to do before I die. (Speaking of which, I need to make a bucket list...) Very gentle creatures and extremely soft! 
We toured the grounds and rooms of the Chestnut Mountain Resort before having a delicious lunch in their restaurant. Chestnut Mountain is known for its ski hills, for sure, but did you know it has an Alpine Slide in the warmer months? When I found that out, I KNEW we would be coming back as a family in the summer! And when Justin found out that they had affordable skiing lessons for kids? He was beyond thrilled and begging to go.
Downtown Galena is what most people initially think of when they talk about Galena. We were so busy in our day and a half that we barely touched upon it! You could honestly spend an entire day just exploring their stores. This is obvious proof that there is a TON to do in Galena for families, couples and groups.
I could PERSONALLY spend an entire day taste testing in the Galena Canning Company. I wanted to buy 20 different products, but had to settle on the Chocolate Amaretto topping for Patrick**. It's SO good with pretzels! Ever feel like you're repeating yourself? As in, ALL the time?
Well, naturally, if you're a parent, you ARE repeating yourself. You Are repeating yourself. (heh. heh.) It's part of the job description. You'll find "Must have the ability to repeat oneself a minimum of 3 times per request with the potential to increase that repetition to 24 times per request" listed just underneath the qualifications of "Ability to use the restroom with an infant in your right hand, and a foot against the door to prevent a toddler from opening the public restroom door" and "Must Have Sense of Humor that rivals Steve Martin." So, I've said it 3 times now; We're repeating ourselves, yes?
I used to think it was me. That I was the problem. That maybe, just maybe, if I were a better mom, I could get my children to respond to gentle reminders and kind requests. Just like Michelle Duggar! (I want to know the real scoop behind those scenes. Do they EVER raise their voices? What if one of their 19 kids is dangling a baby sibling from the railings that run their second story? What if Little J has taken a permanent marker to all of the computer screens that the kids use for schoolwork? Do they just use their sweet and peaceful reminders to be good people and to please not drop their sibling over the railing? What then?!?)
I ALWAYS ask nicely. Always! The first time, I might say "Hey Kiddos, please bring this laundry upstairs and put it in your drawers." This request is met with the backs of their heads gently swaying in time to the theme song of iCarly. Ok, ok. My bad! Make sure the boob tube is off before trying to get their attention! I pause the show and begin to repeat the above sentence but before the word "kiddo" escapes my mouth, I am met with the indignant shouts of 3 children whose spidey senses are tingling; they KNOW they are about to be told to do something unpleasant.
"AHEM! Please bring this laundry upstairs and put it away." I then hold out the piles. And wait. And stare into their blue and brown eyes. And wait.
"Guys. GUUUyyyysss!! Please bring this upstairs. NOW." Slightly stern voice and a shorter sentence, but still using a courteous "please". Several situations will erupt at once. One child will dissolve into a mass of molten lava, loudly claiming he/she is Tooooo Tiiiiiired to climb the stairs and put the underwear away. Another child will insist that he needs to finish watching this show because it's New! and I Just Don't Understand How Important It Is! Meanwhile, the 3rd child will either begin feigning sleep or join in the cacophony with a whine that would rival Fran Drescher.
"NOW! I said NOW! Everyone march upstairs and put this away or privileges are getting taken away! I don't CARE if that is the NEWEST and BEST show EVER. It is PAUSED. It will be there when you get down but it WILL NOT BE ON if you have one more complaint about putting away a tiny bit of laundry!!! GET! GET! GET!"
Shrieking, banshee Mommy. That's what you need to envision. A horrid, scary-faced, mother you would see on Supernanny. A mom who is SO fed up that her kids won't just DO a simple chore without absolute resistance. Especially since THIS mom DOES follow through! I DO take away their privileges when they voice another complaint! And, even knowing that I mean business, they STILL voice those complaints!!
Where did I go wrong? In asking for help in a small chore that is putting away their OWN clothing, I am met with such resistance? And EVERY time?!? Like I said, I used to think it was me. Until I would witness other women saying the exact same things as I do. Women in stores; women at parks. Women by schools; women in their homes. All of us mothers, and all of us saying the same things, over and over and over.
Which brings me back to my original point. Again.(heh) I KNOW that I am repeating myself. All. The. Time. But what wasn't clear to me was that sometimes I repeat myself and there isn't a child around to blame. (I think that this constant repetition within Motherhood is rotting my brain...) See that picture up above? With the dirty kid feet? Yeah. That picture "inspired" me to write a post about dirty feet equaling a happy child. A carefree child that spends ample time running through fields and climbing trees... It was really quite an endearing post, actually! Only problem is that I ALREADY WROTE THAT POST. 2 years ago. You can find it here, as I am NOT repeating myself anymore. I'm not.
I'm not.
Wouldn't you rather be sitting out here than inside by the buzzing screen? Me too.
"Hmmmm... Let me think about that, Mommy..."
"I KNOW! I can show them how I fly!"
"MOM-MEE! I can TOO! I can too fly!"
"Can TOO. And I'm NOT A BABY!"
Me: I stand corrected. My daughter; the flying fairy.
The Birthday Boy! You can just barely see some of his Football field cake. In fact, you can sort of make out the star from the Cowboys that I put on it. Why would a kid from Northern Illinois want the Dallas Cowboys on his cake? Well, to be honest, he really wanted the Patriots. And then I looked at the picture of their field and said "Are you SERIOUS?!? There's like, 4 colors and a weird design! Don't you like some other team, too? How about the Bears?" and he said "Nah. How about the Steelers?" And I looked at their field's design and just about cried again and said "HONESTLY? How about a simple team like Da BEARS?" and HE said "Nah. I guess I like the Cowboys, too." and I looked at THAT picture and said "DEAL. Dallas Cowboys on your cake. Now go outside and play." And that, my friends, is how my baby boy got a sloppy blue and white star on his cake that he was SO EXCITED about that he hugged me all day long and repeatedly called me the "best mama ever!!" to which I could only quietly acquiesce. Who am I to argue with him?
The best present. EVER. My parents and Patrick's parents went in on the basketball hoop for Evan's birthday and the boys (and all the neighborhood kids) are LOVING it. Best part of the day? When the party was over, and Evan had a couple of new (highly desired) video games in the house. And where were the boys at? Outside. Playing basketball together. Our hearts, they sang...
The best picture out of what I had to work with. My daughter, in full Easter regalia and her brothers in jeans and cotton shirts. BUT! Their pants didn't have holes in them. And Justin's hair got washed that morning! So, actually? They were dressed up.
Despite the wind, it was a gorgeous day. Corinne and her aunt played with pine cones and hula hoops and bubbles and Lord knows what else. All I know is that my daughter can make a game out of anything and that she has several women in that family that adore her. So basically? I am just an accessory when we visit which is WONDERFUL by me!
Moments before Patrick took his snooze to get him through the Sunday night shift. Men have no clue. They really, truly don't. I mean, when the season arrives for them, they simply pick "long or short" and move on with their day. Dealing with this wardrobe need doesn't create a rising panic within their chests. Men have no cause to stress about the details! They honestly haven't ANY IDEA of the level of anxiety that Swim Suit Season can bring about. Only a fellow woman can understand the grief I underwent during my 2 hours of child-free shopping in which I was DETERMINED to find a suit for the 2010 summer..
My family is a water-loving group. We have access to our neighborhood pool every day of the summer in addition to the pool that my parents installed at their house last year. Basically, I needed a suit that was strong enough to withstand a whole lot of chlorine and sun. I also needed a suit that wouldn't cause anyone to pass out from overexposure to cellulite. It was not a task or responsibility I took lightly...
Is there any greater cause of body image stress than a 3-way mirror in a dressing room? Especially when that image reflected back at you is of some 34-year-old stranger and not the 20 year old hottie that you keep thinking you still are? For me, this was the year of accepting my age in the swimsuit department. Because I have crossed the line, my friends. I have crossed over into the realm of Swim Suit Skirts. And there is no turning back, now...
Each suit I tried on was almost good enough. There was always a little something that made me shudder a bit and switch to the next one. But when I casually tried on a skirt and realized that no one could see my worst assets*?!? Miraculously, the suit looked great!
I know that no one is fooled by the skirt. I know that they know that my bootie isn't quite so "licious" anymore. But because of the skirt, this pool season may just be the first season that I don't do the mad dash for the towel as I leap from the pool, holding a small child in front of my thighs for camouflage. This season MAY JUST include ME being moderately HAPPY about the way I look in a swimsuit.
Will wonders never cease?
* Heh. Pun fully intended...
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