Sunday Morning Crepes

January 30, 2011 by Adam in Family

I'm making crepes, while the kids play on the computers and Joanna sleeps.  Amazingly, no one is playing Minecraft at the moment, which is a mainstay in our household.  I used a dungeon generator to create a dungeon in our communal world and Sam, Joanna, and I were busy delving instead of watching Chuck or Doctor Who.

I had Friday off, so I missed my mocha Friday update.  It was just Sam, Emma, and I for the day.  We hung out, taking a trip to campus to explore during the middle of the day.  Sam and I played a multiplayer game until we were both giggling.  Emma and I made challa bread.  Sam got picked up by Jamie for the evening.  Amber watched kids while Joanna and I went to listen to music at Cosmic Pizza.  There were clowns and ukulele.

I used the previously baked challa bread to make a delicious french toast and eggs breakfast.  Joanna took Duncan to a birthday party, leaving the girls and I to fend for ourselves.  The weather was beautiful, so we took our bikes to the park.  Emma can now get on, ride, and get off.  Berry spent over a half hour riding her bike in circles.

Returning home, we had a snack and the girls played in Emma's room for a long while.  I hear there was considerable reading involved.  I fiddled with my robot, getting it to the point where it can nicely transport the laptop around.  The next tasks are programming ones.

Sam spent the afternoon in grandma Sue's care, returning with a haircut and new shirt.  Eventually Joanna arrived as well.  Emma and I nearly finished her math, and then the two of us went out to get groceries and pizza.  I think I impressed the girl with the vast quantities of food required to feed a household of six.  The evening was wrapped up with a nature documentary and the previously mentioned Minecraft.

As for today, I'm hoping we can fit in a trip to the library and swimming.  If the weather continues to be gorgeous, perhaps some puttering in the garden can occur.  It's been a lovely weekend.

Another Quiet Weekend

January 24, 2011 by Adam in Family

We had a pleasant, quiet weekend.  Sam, Emma, and Berry all were under the weather on Friday night, but we abandoned them with Amber and a Toy Story movie.  Sam slept through it all, emerging after we returned.  Joanna and I went to the Granary to listen to music and eat pizza.  Unfortunately the pizza never came after an hour, so we gave up and went home.

Saturday was Joanna's birthday.  When I woke up, everyone immediately started in on Minecraft and went to work making birthday cakes.  It was funny watching them all harvest grain, gather sugar, and follow chickens about for eggs.  We had a hardy breakfast of crepes and bacon, then headed to the library while Joanna had a pedicure. 

The afternoon involved getting ready for a birthday dinner.  I picked up a carrot cake at Sweet Life, and picked up Tasty Thai.  Dinner was great, but Sweet Life screwed up the cake by putting on dairy-free icing.  I took the cake back, and the next day got a very apoligetic call and gift certificates.

Sunday was additionally lazy.  Joanna, Berry, and Duncan went to church.  Sam, Emma, and I worked on homework.  Emma played with neighborhood girls for awhile.  The kids, including Sam, played Just Dance 2 until their bodies ached.  I managed to work in some gardening and removed the stain from a side table.  For dinner we ate pizza and watched Babies, which was cute and interesting.

As for this week, we've got another four-day weekend ahead.  I'm taking Friday off to hang out with kiddos.  It's strange that it's nearly February already.

Mocha Friday

January 21, 2011 by Adam in Family

It's mocha friday, somewhat frantic and complicated as it often is.  Sam stayed home from school due to a cough.  Our Internet go-live at work went really well, but there are still assorted issues and crises to resolve.  Tonight Joanna and I are going out somewhere, destination unknown.  Tomorrow is her birthday.  Hopefully I can get everything ready to go.

Wednesday night Joanna and I tried out Holy Cow, which just opened on Willamette.  They're still getting ready, training people.  It has a fast food vibe, but with pretty good food.  I'd go there again sometime.

Last night was Duncan's half birthday, so we picked up a gluten-free cake on the way home and had a nice little celebration after a salmon dinner.  Emma had a really hard time going to sleep last night, and was up until past ten o'clock.  This morning she was really sleepy.

It'll be good to get through today and settle into a more normal weekend routine.  A little downtime after a rough week sounds lovely.  Just for fun, I'm attaching a video of us playing Just Dance 2, which is a surprisingly good workout.

Long Weekends

January 18, 2011 by Adam in Family

I had a mostly lovely four-day weekend.  Friday I hung out with Sam and Emma as they were out of school.  We did little of importance all day, walking to Metropol for goodies and picking up grass seed at Down to Earth.  Of course, we all played Minecraft together, working on extracting minerals and shaping the world to our mutual benefit.  I made Emma a virtual birthday cake.  Later in the afternoon I spread grass seed while enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.  That night was pizza and Mythbusters.  Delicious in many ways.

Saturday was a little rough, as Joanna's new medication made her feel pretty terrible.  We all played Minecraft in the morning, virtually every computer dedicated towards that endeavor, then went off to the Glenwood for breakfast.  Jamie picked up Sam afterward.  Emma and I worked on homework for awhile.  We made a scene from her book out of Legos.  There was lots of reading homework, with me feeding orange slices after each correct answer.  I also sang an "Emma is great" song after each one.

Sunday was pleasantly low-key. I took Berry, Duncan, and Emma to the library where we returned with two bags of loot.  We tried to go swimming after that, but it was completely full.  We played Just Dance 2 and the kids ran about.  As the evening approached, I took Emma to her moms for a rare night without both kids.  Amber arrived to babysit and Joanna and I went out for sushi.

Since it was Martin Luthor King's day today, Berry and Duncan stayed home.  I kept an eye on them, setting up art projects and reading a bit, but they generally did fine playing by themselves.  Collette arrived early afternoon and I worked away in earnest.  For dinner I made meatloaf, which everyone complimented.  Strange doings for a vegetarian like me.

Mocha Thursday

January 13, 2011 by Adam in Family

Okay, it's a little early in the week, but I'm taking tomorrow off, so I indulged myself with a mocha.

Work has been lovely this week, with the last of the go-live issues sorted out.  I've finally been able to relax a little and work on things at a more leisurely pace.

I got a letter from Emma on Tuesday, evidently they write a number of letters at school.  She asked how I liked my magical pony present and which episode of Glee I last watched.  It was pretty sweet.

Sam's been working away at homework this week, and little else.  I've been having stair-step in between the geneology project research and math homework.  We tried out an episode of Farscape the other night, but Joanna was unimpressed.  I have both kids tomorrow and it's a no-school day.  I'm looking forward to lots of hang-out time, along with homework and maybe a small adventure out.

There was another interesting school proposal last night.  It's possible that Emma's school stays open and instead Berry and Duncan's school moves to the closer Adams Elementary building.  We'll find out the conclusion in early February.

Joanna and I went swing dancing again last night, which was lots of fun.  I'm thinking of having Emma and I make the trip out for Sadie's wedding.  It looks like Berry and Duncan won't be going to Rochester until December due to their dad's work/school schedule.  I continue to work on the post-divorce finances, parenting classes, and other loose ends.  Life continues to be complicated but good.

Two Week Recap

January 10, 2011 by Adam in Family

I put together a quick movie that showed off some random moments from the last couple weeks.  I still cringe looking at Emma getting her ears pierced, but at least there's a smile afterward.

Lovely Weekend

January 10, 2011 by Adam in Family

After a rough week, we had a great weekend.  Joanna finally figured out her sickness was from medication, and she felt better after stopping.  She took it easy on Friday, and I arrived to tasty soup and a quiet evening.

Saturday morning Joanna slept in while I made crepes and bacon for the kids.  They played together, including quite a bit of Minecraft, and eventually Joanna emerged to grace us with her presence.  Next was our usual library trip, returning with books and movies and puppets.  Jamie picked up Emma for a play date with the Musgroves.  Joanna picked up another Minecraft license and the three of us cheerfully indulged ourselves while Berry watched on.

As the evening rolled around, we managed to pull away for assorted chores.  Chickens were fed, Christmas lights came down, and Amber showed up to watch Berry and Duncan.  Joanna and I went to Adam's Sustainable Table and ate tasty local food, returning to tuck Emma into bed.

Sunday was equally low-key.  This time it was omelettes and sausages, with Sam arriving just in time.  Games were played, and Berry went with her nanny to church.  I worked on homework with Emma and Sam.  After breakfast, I took everyone on a hike up Spencer's Butte, turning around after the younger crew got tired.  In the afternoon there were movies and games and playing.  I went off shopping, returning with pizza for Pizza and Mythbusters.  Emma had a hard time getting to sleep, so I only half-watched the Doctor Who episode that Sam and Joanna enjoyed.  Fortunately I'd already seen it before.

Mocha Friday from the Carnival

January 07, 2011 by Adam in Family

It's been a hard week.

Emma's been sick all week, as has Joanna.  Sam was sick yesterday.  Our big Internet go-live is coming up fast, with a long list of issues to resolve.  I've certainly felt the burden of it all, driving people around and taking care of things.  It hasn't been all bad - Sam, Joanna, and I watched Inception over the last couple nights, which was quite fun.  Earlier in the week Sam and I played Laura Croft: Guardian of Light for some laugh-out-lound entertainment.  Last night we webcammed with Sadie and Greg for game night.  Charades was hysterical, though Emma was sometimes more enthusiastic than skilled.  Even Sam got excited about it.

Emma chatted for a long time yesterday with her friend Morgan, who is clearly her best friend.  Morgan mentioned Crest possibly closing, which was news to Emma.  At some point Jamie and I need to sit down and figure out options, and then fill out school choice forms.  Decisions about school closures happen early February.  Fox Hollow is moving too, so our school routine will be quite different in the fall.

I'm stressing a bit about finances, though I've done the math and I think my bank account won't quite go to zero.  Next month things start improving, as spousal support goes down.  I need to do taxes to figure out how much I owe, if any.  I also have a bunch of one-time bills for lawyers and such that I need to take care of.  Maybe I can replace my car tires too.  In any case, I applied for overdraft protection at the bank and they were impressed with my credit rating.

I think we'll have a typical weekend.  Tonight is potentially swimming if Joanna's up for it.  Library tomorrow morning, and it's possible we'll be entirely kid-free in the afternoon due to play dates with other people.  We're going somewhere for dinner, and then I get at least Emma back in the evening.  Sam's at his mom's tonight.  Mostly I want everyone to feel better.

This morning Jamie came over to take Emma to school.  Jamie dreamed about our household being a carnival.  We all laughed, as it made perfect sense.  Now to work on my clown routine.