Memorabilia

A beautiful curio cabinet stands in my dining room. When the cabinet belonged to Swanny's Grandmother, it contained assorted pieces of Swedish crystal. It now contains various remembrances from our wedding day: crystal glasses, our guest book, the cake serving set and a shadow box with the sugar flowers from our cake framing one of the invitations for the wedding.

Swanny Jr. felt it would be an appropriate place to keep one of his most prized possessions too.

Humbled and finally thawed out

Yesterday I participated in my 3rd Polar Plunge, to benefit Special Olympics Illinois.

What started 3 years ago as a daring venture with co-workers to raise a little money for a good cause has, for me, turned into much more. As a parent of a Special Olympian said to me yesterday, what we do gives voice to what those who don't have a strong voice of their own know about the importance of Special Olympics. I'm thrilled to be able to do such a thing, despite the insanity it takes to submerge myself in an ice covered lake.

The weather was the best we've had in my 3-year tenure. Sunny and not much wind.

The water was cold as ever. Despite near 40 degree weather there was LOTS of ice on the lake.

This year, I raised more money than I have before: over $4,000.

While this earned me the Silver Plunger award for the second highest individual total at our plunge site, it is to the donors, the hard fundraising work of my team and the movement of Special Olympics that the glory goes.

To say that being a part of a group that has raised over $100,000 in the past 3 years for Special Olympics is humbling would be an understatement. I just read online that the plunges this year have raised over $500,000 for the Illinois athletes. I can't think of a more deserving cause or group who needs the awareness and money that these events generate.

The mission of Special Olympics is stated as this: "Through the power of sport, Special Olympics strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people." I've said it before, I don't think a value can be placed upon the experiences and lessons Special Olympics offers to the children and families with whom I work.

Eight of my students medaled at a Special Olympics swim meet the day before we plunged.

I saw a picture of one who medaled whom I have known since she was 3 years old. I was as proud of her as I can only imagine her parents were. A year ago, she couldn't swim and was afraid to let go of the wall of a pool. Now, she has advanced to the state games. I think of who this little girl was at the age of 3, and who she is now...I'm so proud of her.

Thank you again to everyone who donated to the Polar Plunge. Your money is going out into our communities to support the amazing and life changing work of the Special Olympics movment.

How a 2-year-old plays hide and seek

February is a long month

A good friend and I have said for a while now that even though February has the fewest amount of days, it seems like the longest month of the year. It typically includes what seems like a million hours of paperwork and meetings at work, the Super Bowl, the annual meeting at our church, as well as few "holidays" and birthdays. This year, February has been busy and stressful...

Still feeling euphoric over the Packers' Super Bowl win, love was abound at our house for Valentine's Day. Peanut and Swanny had their second annual date at the Daddy-Daughter dance at the YMCA.

This year, instead of just having a cookie and then wanting to leave, Peanut decided to dance. Apparently, she got most of her groove on dancing with friends, but managed to squeeze a few steps in with her dad.

With help from the neighbors, the kids also baked us this lovely Valentine's treat.

Swanny and I enjoyed dinner and a show in Chicago for Valentine's Day.

(By the way, it was AWESOME--I've only now stopped singing the songs all day long in my head!)

This past Saturday we enjoyed visiting with my cousin and her family visiting from out east. We took the opportunity to celebrate a Fairy's 3rd Birthday.

No Fairy party is complete without Pirates though.

That day though, Peanut started feeling unwell near dinner time, which I attributed to too much cake and partying. By 11 pm, the cake and punch were all over her bed. Thus started a 2 1/2 day saga of poor Peanut taking in some water or other fluids, then bringing them back up. She never ran much of a temp, but couldn't keep anything down at all. A phone call to the pediatrician Monday morning yielded typical advice on dealing with a virus (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, medicine for fever--except she couldn't keep the medicine down). By 9 pm on Monday, the poor kid had puked about 6 or 8 times (water, Sprite, juice, Pedialyte--all of it came back up) and I was really worried about how dehydrated she was. Swanny arrived home and we took her straight to the emergency room.

That's my poor Peanut with her I.V. providing her fluids and anti-nausea medicine. She took 2 full bags of fluid and I spoon fed her a Pedialyte popsicle. The doc then told us she was confirmed to have Influenza type A and B. He then noted he had never seen anyone with both types of flu. Way to go Peanut, anything worth doing has got to be done right, huh?

She was luckily able to come home (there had been talk of admitting her to the hospital) with a prescription for Tamiflu and anti-nausea meds. The doc ordered her home from school for the duration of this week.

All in all it was a pretty scary event. It's awful to see your little ones sick and such a powerless feeling you have when there's nothing you can do to help. While I was sad to see her so sick with flu, I was still grateful it was nothing more serious.

Happy to report she is back to herself again--eating meals (no vomiting since Monday!), playing, and of course fighting with her brother.

So, the long month of February is now drawing to a close. Looking forward to March (and Spring Break), I say here's to good health and a less busy schedule. Oh yeah, and a quick jump in a lake!

Remember when I used to blog?

For all my new-year's-resolutioning and positive self-talk, I have fallen miserably short on my goals to keep this blog updated...if you couldn't tell.

I am checking back in though. Tapping myself back into the ring, but this time NOT promising any kind of consistency or regularity of updates. That pressure will just get me no where.

In case you were wondering though, here are some highlights of what we have been up to at Casa de Swanny:

1. I have now completed 3 of 12 classes that will lead me to my second college degree: a master of health sciences in occupational therapy through the University of Indianapolis. I'm loving it, although finding that my perfectionist streak has not gone away despite my best attempts to bury it below the surface.

2. Swanny is training for a half-marathon in April. I'm prouder of him for making the commitment to doing this than he knows. Just wish I could be there to see him run...I'll be on campus for my next grad school class that weekend.

3. Peanut is half way through kindergarten. She has lost 4 teeth, had 2 more sleep-over parties with friends, owns an iPod complete with speakers, and now talks about BFFs. (No joke, singing a song about BFFs in the shower tonight). I swear the child is 6 going on 16 some days. She has opted out of basketball this year, but is in full swing preparing for her dance recital in May and faithfully taking private swim lessons each week at the YMCA.




4. Swanny Jr has graduated to sleeping in a big boy bed--a full size twin that he looks just too small to be allowed in. This means that the crib that converts to toddler bed has exited the upstairs. That piece of furniture has been a fixture in this house for over 6 years. I was a little torn up to see it go. I'll be a mess when we paint the room this spring so that no traces of a baby's room are left....



5. Swanny Jr. is now wearing underwear all day long and staying dry (I said that last part in a whisper not to jinx us into regression). He is particular about picking them out himself each day--already has a pair of Thomas laid out for tomorrow. You'll find no feelings of nostalgia or sadness at not having to buy diapers anymore from this mommy.


6. Peanut can read. Watch out world, it's only a matter of time before she's in control of it all.

7. An amazing friend and co-worker of mine took the most beautiful pictures of our family over the summer at Starved Rock State Park. Every time I look at them I'm reminded how lucky I am to have such a special family.


8. Swanny Jr. has a "new" babysitter. His (and Peanut's) former sitter took advantage of an amazing opportunity to start a new job late last spring, and Swanny Jr. now goes to Ms. Frances while we work. I know he loves her because a) he calls me Ms. Frances sometimes on the weekend and b) she was the first one he wanted to show his new big boy bed to.

9. We had an invasion of super-heroes at Halloween. Word up, it's Word Girl! To infinity and beyond!



10. Swanny played comish and ran his own fantasy football league this year. I participated along with 8 other friends of ours. I was awarded the Toilet Bowl Award yesterday for finishing in last place. (Yes, that is a roll of toilet paper on my trophy). I was OK though since the Packers won the Super Bowl.



11. We still love our doggies.



12. Swanny demonstrated his temerity by taking on a Man Vs. Food challenge in Indianapolis on his way to a Monday Night Football adventure with a buddy.




13. I continue to serve our church in a leadership role--mainly feeling like I'm stumbling through, feeling my way in the dark. I am realizing though there are many things I'm learning about myself and about people in general. Going to try my best in the next 11 months that I have left to serve in this capacity to do the job faithfully, but to be sure I'm not short-changing my kids and husband in the process. I need to make sure it doesn't drain me of all the energy I have.

14. I am very much looking forward to going to see Les Miserables in Chicago next weekend with my husband and friends of ours.

15. I am aware that I need to make more time for things that are important to a well balanced life: time for family (the family that lives outside of my house as well as the children and husband I come home to every day), time for reading, time for yoga, and time for playing with my kids.

Oh, and I need to make more time for blogging.

No promises, but I'm going to try--what else can I do when all this snow is on the ground?!

A book with Bite

I was excited to learn that one of my favorite thriller writers, Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath) was teaming up with three other wickedly fun authors to create "Draculas". Based on previous works by each of these guys, I knew to expect a full-speed, chaotic, blackly humorous, frightfest. I was mostly right.

Written in a style where there are no chapter breaks, only shifts of character perspective, "Draculas" doesn't really allow readers to catch a breath. The action takes place in the close quarters of a small town hospital, so when the action gets rolling, you can feel yourself being pushed and pulled through the claustrophobic hallways while characters are fighting for their lives. There are moments of humor and set against this backdrop, the jokes are darkly hilarious. While a good scary book was what I was expecting, it's not quite what came through. Horrifying? Yes; in the best possible ways. But scary? Not to me, but maybe to some.

It's available now as a Kindle exclusive for $2.99. The story itself is around 80,000 words and the bonus content (yeah, like a friggin' DVD, the book includes interviews with the authors, a behind the scenes look at the making of the project, short stories by the authors, and a look at their upcoming releases) is another 80k.

Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/DRACULAS-Novel-Terror-ebook/dp/B0042AMD2M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1284569826&sr=8-1

Now turn off the lights, lock the doors, and get reading. I'd love to know what you think.

Birthdays... exciting kids since, well, forever

Our little boy is two. It's hard to reconcile the unassuming baby boy who came into our lives two years ago, with the big boy (and sometime wild thing) who makes his presence known at every opportunity.

On the evening when he was born, Peanut didn't quite know what to think of her new baby brother. Seeing that tiny person swaddled in a blanket, and the weary look on her mommy's face, Peanut was not her usual boisterous self. A few minutes of peeking at Swanny Jr., and seeing that he wasn't a shrieking monster, she did eventually warm up.

In the two years since that afternoon, Swanny Jr. has grown into quite the big boy. He's a big fan of Buzz Lightyear, Superman, Thomas, his books, and basketball. Always on the go, he never fails to entertain.

Happy Birthday sir.