September 2013 – Our Family Adventure

Weekend adventures is apple processing

This weekend was highly productive in our household. I’m still patting myself on the back.

Saturday we spent the morning cleaning the house and then transitioned outside. Dave cut the grass and changed the battery in the Torrent, while Ajax pulled weeds and Noomi climbed on and off bike. Dave also took Ajax to Target where he picked out a pack of Halloween hotwheel cars, using his very own money he earned from chores. Noomi is now taking several steps unaided, but isn’t very steady or confident yet. Soon. It has to be soon, because once she starts walking I’m sure she’ll return to her wonderful sleep routine of actually sleeping through the night. It’s been at least a month now and both kids have had restless nights. Dave swears that I was up with Noomi last night at midnight, but I have absolutely no memory of this. Saturday night we had friends over for dinner, so the kids got to bed a little late.

On Sunday Ajax and I worked in the kitchen making applesauce and canning it. Ajax pulled up a chair to the sink and washed all the apples for me. He then helped me put them through the strainer. He was a great help. It turned out to be a very rainy and cool day, so we stayed indoors, worked in the kitchen and watched movies. It was lovely.

Jobs

Lately whenever it seems I leave to go grocery shopping Ajax asks if I can bring him back matchbox cars. I tell him no, but if he wants he can save his money and buy his own. So of course he wanted to know how he can earn money. After much discussion here is how Dave and I have handled the money issue. Ajax has family chores which he does because he is in the family – pick up his toys, put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket, set the table, and clear his place when he’s done eating. On Sunday if he wants to earn money he can do four chores – vacuum, dust, sweep, and swiffer the floor. He earns $0.25 per job for a total of $1.00 a week. This Sunday after doing his jobs, he took the broom and started sweeping the walls. He said they need doing and could he earn another $.25 for the job. I told him no, lol.

Today when I picked him up from school he showed me two books and a pen he wanted at the Book Fair which is visiting their school this week. We looked at the prices together and I said tonight we’ll count your money and see how much you have in your “spend” bag (his money is divided between – spending, saving and giving). When we counted his money we talked about what he could afford. We also pointed out that if he bought the books/pen he would not have any money for matchbox cars. After careful thought and consideration Ajax declared that he didn’t want the books or pen, that he would save his money for the cars he really wanted. We said ok and pointed out that Christmas was around the corner and that if he wanted the books he could always ask Santa for them. He seemed happy with this.

Fall is here

Fall has made it to Michigan. It seems overnight the weather has turned and now we need the heavy down blanket at night. This morning Ajax was complaining that he didn’t want to get out of bed because he was just too cold. I explained that if he slept in his pajamas he wouldn’t be so cold.

On Saturday my parents were kind enough to babysit while Dave and I had an appointment in South Lyon with a financial planner. Ajax reported that he dug the biggest hole ever and that he has plans to help grandpa dig a pond with the big tractor. My mom said that she was bribing Noomi to walk between two chairs by placing a cookie on one kitchen chair and seeing if she would go from one chair to another, each time moving them apart just a tiny bit more. Noomi still isn’t walking, but goodness has her temper shown itself. We need to watch her because she’s in the angry head butting phase. Last night Dave said she got mad and head butted her crib, hurting her head and crying more. After our meeting we stopped in Howell and picked up some warm clothes for the kiddos. Noomi is into 24-month clothes (soon 2T) and Ajax is now out of the T clothes and I had to buy him big boy clothes (though he’s still an extra small). Overall, a good day.

On Sunday we loaded up the kids and went out to lunch on our way to the apple orchard in Haslett. We brought the wagon and the kids loved riding in it along the trial to the orchard. We picked a solid bushel of apples (total of $24!) and next weekend we plan on making a ton of apple sauce and canning it. Both kids did well picking apples, though Noomi kept taking apples out of the bag, putting little bit marks in them and then putting them back. We also made tasty whole wheat peanut butter muffins and Ajax said they were wonderful.

I think she got mad because we moved the bag of apples away from her.

Summertime

I can’t believe summer is almost over, where does the time go? We’ve already started discussing Halloween costumes. Ajax said he wanted to be an astronaut, though to be fair, he’s only saying that because a little boy in his class is saying that as well. He previously wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I’ll ask him again next week and who knows what he’ll say.

This past weekend was fairly quiet, we took a drive to Williamston to explore and visit friends. We still think it is the cutest town and hope we can find a place there in the spring (though we are currently on the lookout in case we find a place to move early). On Sunday we bummed around. Noomi and I went grocery shopping and Ajax and Dave stayed home doing guy things. Both kids have seemed off lately and incredibly tired, they just can’t seem to get back on schedule or catch up on their sleep.

Noomi is still refusing to walk, though we have seen her take a step or two unassisted and have seen her stand solo. So, again, we all know she can walk, she just isn’t quite sure of it yet. Though at this point she gets very frustrated if she is walking holding your hand and you let go for one reason or another, she immediately drops to the ground (very dramatic like), throws both arms out and lays her head on the ground while crying. She is also headbutting when she gets mad or annoyed.

Ajax is doing well at school and still enjoying it greatly. A few of his friends have moved into kindergarten, so that has opened the conversation up about him entering school. He has been focusing more and more on “work” and works on his farm, harvesting, and fixing his tractors. He’s a busy kid.

Summer rewind 3: fishing

Ajax has been lucky this summer to spend time fishing with grandpa Gordy! Grandpa has taken him out on the fishing boat and they have had so much fun. Last week they were out from 12-5 and only came home because I called and told them it was time to come in. Ajax has now caught two fish- a bass and a bluegill. He refused to hold the fish, so we have no pictures of his catch, but grandpa said he reeled it in like a pro. They have also gone swimming, but now Ajax’s sandals smell so bad (after two rounds with the washing machine) that I think we may have to retire them, lol. Luckily summer is about over anyhow.

Summer rewind: 2

I feel like I am starting “school” tomorrow. I have been on vacation now and off from work for over one week. I feel so relaxed; it’s wonderful. I kept the kids home with me this past week and we had so much fun.

We went visiting a friend in Birmingham. She has a son who is 1 1/2 and the three kids played so well together. Ajax did great with the two little kids and took turns giving them rides in the push cars. We of course listened to his playlist of country music on the drive and even Noomi seemed to enjoy it.

We also took a drive up to DeWitt and found a local farm where I bought fresh maple syrup and raspberries. We also had homemade doughnuts, which the kids loved and looked at all the tractors and farm equipment. We also found a nice little park and played for a bit and both kids zonked out on the drive home.

We also took a trip down to Brooklyn to visit with my family, which was very nice and relaxing. Grandpa and Ajax went fishing/swimming, and Noomi, Grandma and I went shopping.

We also bummed around the house, played outside and made homemade apple pie and chocolate chip cookies. As it was also my birthday (hello 32) Dave bought me a Sander’s Bumpy Cake which was incredible and a reminder of my childhood. I can remember going to Livonia mall when I was young and getting ice cream at the Sander’s store. Sitting on bar stools they would give you water in little paper funnels held by metal bases. I also remember that the counter you sat at had two levels and it seemed the lower level was just right for little kids, while the adults used the top counter. I wonder why they had two counters?

We went visiting my Grandpa Nader in Dearborn and it was so nice seeing my aunts and uncles as we hadn’t been in town for a while. I must admit though I did not miss the traffic. Traffic is not as bad out here in Lansing and that is a good thing.

Overall, it was a wonderful mini vacation and I truly feel like a little kid having to go back to school tomorrow. Ajax was also not thrilled when I reminded him that tomorrow he goes back to school as well, lol. I also have a feeling that Noomi is going to walk tomorrow at school. She has not been sleeping well at night and has been getting up once or twice a night all week now. We think it means a major breakthrough is right about to happen and we’re hoping it’s walking. Currently, she just wants to walk around holding your hand and will not let go. Sure for 5 or 10 minutes it’s fine, but after 30 minutes? an hour? Your back really starts to hurt.

Summer rewind 1

This summer I slacked big time with the blog. I apologize and would like to take a few posts to update some of our goings on around these parts. Starting with Ajax’s first road trip to West Virgina for Tough Mudder. Both Dave and I took Friday off work and we loaded up the kids and drove to my parent’s home in Brooklyn where we dropped off Noomi and picked up Emily. We had both decided that TM would be too much for Noomi and my parents were happy to babysit. I was worried that Noomi was going to cry when we left, but she hardly seemed to notice when we took off and kept playing and chasing the dogs. She loves Kezia and kept trying to give the dog open mouthed kisses because she has now hit that stage.

On our drive we listened to Ajax’s Play List that we had made him which was basically a cd of ALL his favorite songs. Including such hits as – International Harvester, Big Green Tractor, etc. It was mostly country with some Jerry Reed, punk, and Flock of Seagulls thrown in. Once or twice it isn’t so bad, but after 6 hours it gets a little old. Ajax was good on our drive down and we met the rest of the family at the hotel in WV. This was only Ajax’s second time in a hotel, the first was when he was less than one year. He had so much fun as all of our rooms were right next to each other. It did, however, take him quite a while to settle down at night and I must admit there were a few threats to get him to calm down and go to sleep.

After a day at TM, we all went out to dinner and Ajax said he had to use the restroom. Dave stood up to take him when Ajax suddenly changed his mind (he’s been doing this lately for some reason as he’s concerned that the flushing of the toilet will be loud). After a bit of a power struggle Ajax yelled – I just want to pee OUTSIDE! This is always more funny when it isn’t your child having a meltdown in a restaurant. He did use the restroom and the rest of our meal was fine.

While we were on our trip, Noomi did wonderful in Brooklyn. Apparently, they went to Dearborn visiting and they went to the lake and went swimming and played on the swings. She slept well and was an overall happy girl for the grandparents. She still is not walking, she can, she totally can, she just won’t. She is also talking nonstop and can be quit demanding. She isn’t really making so many words just lots of repetitive noises and gestures and pointing.

Tough Mudder 2013

Well after months and months of training the day finally came and Team Mitten Mayhem kicked butt at Tough Mudder Pittsburgh! The whole team finished and no one was injured (though apparently afterwards everyone, except me, came down with a pretty nasty virus). We all did pretty darn well for a 10.5 mile clay and rain slicked trail run with awesome obstacles of fire, water, and ice. The event was held at Powerline Park in Ohio, next to the West Virgina border (our hotel was actually in WV). The park was a large off-roading park for horses and quads, which meant the trail was rutted and those ruts filled with brown water and then there was the fact that we were running through crazy terrain- up and down mud slicked hills, grabbing onto vines and brush to pull ourselves up.

Dave and Ajax came down as well to watch, but in hindsight 4 was a little young as the spectators hiked roughly 5-6 miles themselves in the August heat. Dave ended up carrying Ajax a good part of the way, lol. Afterwards when I asked Ajax if he had fun he said no because he wanted to run in the mud with me. Trust me, however, when I say that he found plenty of mud to play in (as evidenced by his destroyed sneakers).

Overall – my mother-in-law, three sisters, and a friend- did wonderful and I am so proud. As our support crew we had all the husbands and boyfriends, and the nino. Not a bad support team.

Now, because I have participated in Tough Mudder I would like to share what I have learned because I feel I have earned it. Please note I am not a fitness expert-

Work and prepare. You will not walk onto the course and jus’ do the thang. You will poop out at mile 3. As my cousin told me – be able to run at least 5 miles, and do as many push ups and pull ups as you can. I prepped using Shaun T’s Insanity and had wonderful results.
The arctic enema was the worst. My husband is from northern Michigan and always told me that falling through ice was painful. Well, now I concur, it’s very painful and I swore a lot when I hit the water. When you pull yourself out of the freezing water, stop and do a bunch of push ups and get your blood moving. Don’t try to start running or your muscles will cramp up.
Some areas were too muddy and slick to run and you have to take it slow. I saw many people trying to race past on slippery ground only to bite it.
When you do the funky monkey pull your knees up, don’t let them just hang down. Also, the bars are slick so take your time.
You may want to safety pin a small ziplock back to the inside of your bra or shirt with some kleenex or tissue inside. One of our team got a bloody nose and I had to give her my glove to pinch with. Also going through the water, if you get anything in your eyes or mouth, well that’s just too bad. Keep your mouth closed at all costs.
Gloves. I loved having on gloves. I went to Meijer and bought a cheap $3 pair of gardening ones and cut off the fingers. Because we were doing trail running, they protected my hands from thorns and pickers that lined the path. I did not use them for climbing though.
You will have an opportunity to take a quick shower at the end of the race. By “shower” I mean you will get a hose and someone will yell at you – this is not the shower of your life so move it. Therefore, you will have time to quickly rinse off and then go change. Don’t forget two towels- one to stand on and one to change and then I would recommend throwing them away.
REMEMBER where you parked! When you get there you will be so pumped and nervous that you’ll park, jump out of the car and race to the buses. Pay attention to where you have left your car. Trust me.
Also, at our event there were over 10,000 people. Have a plan people. If your group gets separated make a meeting spot. Ours was the giant Wheaties inflatable.
Have fun and be positive. My mantra on the course was “No Judgment.” Do the best you can, encourage everyone running with you, and have fun. If you feel the need to bypass an obstacle, do it, no judgment. Be safe.

Yes. We had time for pictures.