Back for a few hours

So, long story a little bit shorter, I am back in the cities. No. I didn't have troubles getting to Fargo (I mean, yes the journey was slow going, but not impossible for the safe driver). I did have troubles leaving Fargo though (I blew out a tire on my car as I was trying to head towards Grand Forks).

Anyway, this caused me to have to stay in Fargo, and if I did that, I was going to have to fly back home on Monday, because Sonny couldn't fly up on Sunday, to transfer Lukin. But I couldn't get back to Fargo until around 10:30 Monday night meaning he wouldn't be in Cavalier until Tuesday. That wasn't gonna work for the grandparents. So my dad drove to Fargo, picked me up, and we came back home. We will be heading back to ND tomorrow. Fun times.

Home for the holidays...if I can get there.

So, this is probably my last entry of 2008. I have to go and get packed for the possibility of heading home tomorrow, if the weather cooperates. And if you know my hometown, you know that dial-up still rules (as far as my parents are concerned) and it's more of a headache than a joy to get on the computer.

So, I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday (whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice Harvest, or whatever). Have a happy one! Talk you to all again next year!!

Not in the mood for the rest of the week

So the title of this entry pretty much says it all. It's not that I have a ton of Christmas stuff yet to do to get ready to go home for the holidays, in fact, I have nothing left to do but pack. The shopping is done. The wrapping is done. It's all done.

Rather, I am not looking forward to working the rest of the week. Seriously? I can't even begin to imagine that the kids are going to be all gung-ho to work the last three days before break. I am not even motivated to work the last three days before holiday break.

I'm sure that it will go fine. I just don't want to have to deal with it. I would rather spend a time trying to figure out an answer to Stacie's text question today. Yes, Stacie, I got your text, but I don't know when he is coming up yet. I am still waiting for him to get home from Texas with Mimi and Papa.

I'll keep you all posted.

Macaroni Rosa

So, this entry is a few days late, but whatever. I am avoiding the gift wrap mess that is behind me at the table.

Last Wednesday, we went to Buca di Beppo for my father-in-law's 71st birthday. I was so excited to go there because I was really looking forward to Macaroni Rosa. So we get there and we decide we are going to order three smalls. (For those of you who have never been there, the food is served family style, so you share with those at your table. That way everyone doesn't have to order their own. (And I really shouldn't have to explain that because as far as I know, everyone who reads my blog either lives here, and has probably been there, or we have taken them to eat there. But just in case.))

Right away, without discussion, we decide that we want to have Macaroni Rosa. And we search through the menu for it (this one had actual menus...it was strange.) But, alas, it wasn't there.

Turns out, this has been discontinued. I was downhearted (and consequently playing the PRG song as I type this). So we ordered other things. They were good, but I was bummed out about the Macaroni Rosa.

So if anyone knows the Macaroni Rosa and finds something similar on the menu, please let me know, so I won't have to miss the Macaroni Rosa anymore.

P.S. If you are still scratching your head trying to figure out the PRG thing, I'll tell you. It's Primitive Radio Gods: Standing Outside a Broken Phonebooth with Money in My Hand. Remember that song?

Follow my circular thinking

So the TI/Rihanna song "Live Your Life" is one of my new favorite songs. And thankfully, I live in a city with a top 40 station that plays it like every two hours or so. But whenever I hear the song, it makes me think of Lukin, even though I assume he has never heard it. Let me explain.

So the song, for those of you who don't know it, samples Ozone's Dragostea Din Tei, at least the Mia-hee, Mia-hoo, Mia-haa, Mia-haa-haa part. Although, it is different in the TI song.

When I first started working in MN, I had a student in my homeroom who loved that song. In fact, he loved it so much that he would ask to borrow my CD with that song on it, over the weekends from time to time. He would often come to class and ask if we could listen to the song. And some days we couldn't listen to it because it was silent reading day or drug ed day or something like that. But on Fridays, it was our free day and so the kids could sometimes bring in snacks and just visit during homeroom, and listen to music. Of course, he was one of only about 2 or 3 students who liked that song. The rest of the kids moaned and groaned, but they were good sports about it.

The name of that kid was Lukin. Yes, this is the same kid that I got my son's name from. He was a fun kid. Smart, respectful, funny, witty, nice to his peers, just cynical enough, and well-behaved. All the things that you would want your child to be in 8th grade.

So, that's why I think of Lukin (my son) every time that song comes on. The song samples a song that a student I had liked, whose name was Lukin, which I named my son. Got it?

Boy-less

So I dropped my boys off at the airport about 45 minutes ago so they could fly down to Texas to do Christmas with my sister-in-law and her family. I couldn't go with because I don't know if I have to work tomorrow or not, and regardless of the answer of that, they won't come home until Monday night, after my prenatal dr. appt. And I am sad that I couldn't go because it will be my boys, my sister-in-law, her husband, their two children, and my in-laws (whom I also dropped off 45 minutes ago). The only one missing is me.

I'm sad, but not totally. Here's why. First, have you ever flown pregnant? For me, I get sick to my stomach and am not a fan of that feeling. The other reason is that in a little over a week, I am heading home for the holidays. I haven't finished shopping and I have a ton of other things I need to do too. So having the boys gone will give me that time to get some of that stuff done.

This is not to say that I won't get lonely. But my husband thinks that I have enough things to accomplish that I won't even notice that they aren't here. That may be true, for like a day, then I will miss them. I was in tears a couple times this morning before they left (pregnancy hormones again). Lukin was like, "No Mommy why (his word for cry). Mommy happy."

Yep. I am gonna miss them.

The Pre-Holidays with a 2-year-old

For those of you who do not have children, you may not really get this entry. However, I am going to assume that most of you were once children yourselves, and can maybe reflect back on these things from YOUR parents point of view.

So, last night, Lukin and I curled up on the couch to watch "Twas the Night Before Christmas". You know the one. The one about Joshua Trundle, the clockmaker and the clock he made to sing a song for Santa, and the mouse teenager who had written the mean letter to Santa, and wrecked the clock...that one. And as we were watching it, I was remembering how much I loved that show as a kid and it brought a little tear to my eye to watch it with my son.

Later, we watched the Charlie Brown Christmas Special on the ABC channel and it was fun to see how this is the first Christmas that Lukin has really been cognizant of what's going on, and that also brought a tear to my eye to think about how he is forming his earliest Christmas memories this year. Will he remember them? I don't know. But it's fun to watch him form them.

(Side note: the teary-eyed-ness may be caused by the increased hormones (aka: being pregnant can make me cry).

Today, was the best though because we were at the MOA. And my MIL (Mother-in-Law) and I were walking through Nick Universe, and there was Santa just sitting there. So we turned around to come and get Little Man's picture taken with Santa. He was okay with this up until we were face-to-face with Santa. Then he started getting scared and saying, "No. No Ho-Ho," repeatedly, before letting out a high-pitched cry. Needless to say, he didn't take a picture with "Ho-Ho" this year. Maybe next year when he is the big Brother.

Colgate vs. Crest

As I was trying to think of what to type, different things crossed my mind. However, as I started to type, Lukin showed up and was standing on the chair beside me chanting something that sounded like, "Colgate". To which I simply replied, "We use Crest." This exchange repeated itself about three more times before he giggled. Then he quickly got distracted by saying, "Coke", and jumping off the chair to run around the house repeatedly yelling "Elmo" as if Elmo would suddenly answer. And as I type this bit of information, he is tracing the stitch up my sweater, repeating "Choo-choo" over and over. Aaahhh, the joy of a little one in the house.