tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45950748677617900252012-02-16T10:15:26.389-05:00The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.comBlogger3141100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-13038703575426147892012-02-01T11:26:00.002-05:002012-02-02T00:28:37.889-05:00

This morning, after I roused a very groggy Rachel from her bed and she shuffled out of her room into the living room, she all of a sudden opened her eyes wide and asked in a voice tingling with excitement, "Mom, is today February?"  And indeed, it is February. I'm not sure why Rachel gets so excited on the first day of every month. I'm glad she does, because otherwise I would never be conscious

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-86809612688615494052012-01-27T10:49:00.001-05:002012-01-27T11:26:49.452-05:00

One day, when I am a grown-up, I would like to be one of those people who is on top of everything, all the time. There will never be a pile of dirty dishes in my sink (and it will most certainly not be so tall that it actually touches the faucet, making rinsing anything a complicated and water-splattery process). I will never step over Chloe's socks on the floor and think to myself, "I should

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-10254954867434360872012-01-10T12:08:00.000-05:002012-01-10T12:08:30.601-05:00

We just arrived home last night from Happy and Nick's wedding in Pennsylvania. It was amazing and beautiful and wonderful. Right now they are off in the midst of their fabulous MYSTERY HONEYMOON. I actually know where they are, but I won't let the cat out of the bag. I'll save that for Happy when they return home on Sunday. Our original plan was to do the whole TN-to-PA drive in one day, the

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-4879491860503498342012-01-03T16:40:00.002-05:002012-01-03T17:22:46.981-05:00

So I'm a few days late on my New Year's post. So much for any sort of resolution about being more timely with my blog posts. Oh well. There's plenty of other things to resolve that I can actually follow through on. We ended 2011 on a good note. After spending the majority of December 30 with no New Year's Eve plans whatsoever, we made last minute plans with some old friends. We used to be close,

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-46685941033507548572011-12-19T17:37:00.000-05:002011-12-19T17:37:08.363-05:00

Please ignore the watermark. I considered removing it in Photoshop, but then remembered that I'm way too lazy to do that. Merry Almost-Christmas! This year I had many good intentions. I was going to get all the cards I needed for free. I was going to write a Christmas letter detailing our eventful year to be included with the cards. I was going to mail them out the week after Thanksgiving. I did

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-20239865656228208142011-12-07T22:19:00.001-05:002011-12-07T22:34:31.050-05:00

Okay, first things first: the lice are no more. We have rid our house and hair of the vermin, and just to be on the safe side, we are going to continue vigorously treating both for at least another week, just to make sure they have been eradicated. Sorry, in hindsight I realize I probably shouldn't just throw a fun factoid out into the world like "I sent my kids to school for an education and

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-36239976835258129302011-11-30T12:59:00.000-05:002011-11-30T12:59:51.482-05:00

In an effort to balance out the grossness of the last post, and also because I haven't posted in a month and feel the (probably short-lived, because really, who am I kidding) need to make up for it, and because Thanksgiving was last week and that probably deserves a mention, I am posting again! WARNING: I'm not sure this will actually make up for the grossness of the last post, as it contains

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-18628894568815460632011-11-30T09:55:00.000-05:002011-11-30T09:55:57.015-05:00

So we got a lovely phone call yesterday. It appears one of Rachel's classmates came back from Thanksgiving break with the gift of head lice. And he thoughtfully brought enough for the whole class. *sigh* Sure enough, when Rachel got home, I combed through her hair checking for nits and found some potential candidates. So we went to the pharmacy and bought the special de-lousing shampoo that

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-83587059939524037982011-10-31T17:55:00.000-04:002011-10-31T17:55:54.761-04:00

1.  I have not written in a really long time. Sorry about that. 2.  Greg is loving his job. LOVING. 3.  The girls are doing well in school. Rachel got her first report card. She is doing well or excelling in all subjects. The only thing she has to work on is having too many emotional outbursts. Raise your hand if you're surprised. 4. Rachel has homework every night for kindergarten. 5.  Our

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-58195040792389105202011-09-21T14:32:00.000-04:002011-09-21T14:32:37.225-04:00

Sorry, I kind of left the last post on a bit of a cliffhanger. Long story short, we got a note home that day that Rachel had a GREAT day! Phew. Since then, it's been up and down, but we haven't had any more notes home. Some days, Rachel reports that she had to sit out between 2-5 minutes of recess because of bad behavior. Other days she said it was a great day and she got a sticker. But no notes

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-14260594794808868042011-09-13T16:37:00.000-04:002011-09-13T16:37:42.143-04:00

So I have a confession to make. On Rachel's second day of school, I showed up at her bus stop at 3:50 pm. The bus is scheduled to arrive at 3:55 pm. And I felt like I was doing well until I glanced in my rear view mirror saw the bus heading to the back of the apartment complex. Oops. So much for feeling accomplished. Fortunately, I sped (carefully) after the bus and flagged her down as she was

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-83924871085261763322011-09-12T10:24:00.000-04:002011-09-12T10:24:46.363-04:00

We've completed our first week as residents of Tennessee (again)! Well, technically it's been a week and 2 days, but who's counting (besides me)? The week had its ups and downs, but overall I think we came out positive. Ups: We got the girls' room completely unpacked and put together, and the living room/dining room/kitchen mostly unpacked and put together. You can now see the floor, there are

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-22709299091195575852011-09-06T23:10:00.007-04:002011-09-06T23:16:26.834-04:00

 Did I ever mention the little slogan Rachel made up when she found out there was a possibility we could be moving to Tennessee? She was under the impression that the decision was entirely up to her, and once she made up her little mind, it was a done deal. So she'd tell us that she'd decided that we should move. When we told her that it wasn't really up to her (or us, for that matter), her

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-26970794809935646972011-09-02T21:46:00.003-04:002011-09-02T21:55:29.044-04:00

Well, it's happening. Two weeks after we got the fateful phone call, the girls, Wicket and I are spending the night in a hotel room in Bristol, Virginia, while Greg spends it in our empty apartment in Tennessee, with all of our earthly possessions crammed unto a Uhaul outside. It's been an interesting two weeks, to say the least. Our deal was that Greg would handle the packing while I focused on

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-72355241703600716932011-08-21T23:53:00.001-04:002011-08-22T01:33:35.190-04:00

For some reason that I can't entirely explain, I've decided to tackle my large backlog of unwritten posts backwards. I'm not sure why, because that means that I will ultimately wind up telling some stories weeks, if not months, after they happen....but that's what I've decided to do, and I'm sticking to it. Also, I need to tell this story right now because it doesn't require pictures. And since

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-86035036323645068302011-08-19T20:00:00.002-04:002011-08-20T13:24:43.205-04:00

Well folks, the verdict is in, and GREG GOT THE JOB! We will be moving to Tennessee over Labor Day weekend...which, coincidentally, is in two weeks. Ummm.....hm. It's okay though. We picked the date ourselves. So it's really our own fault that it's such a short time frame. So now I can finally let you know where it is Greg will be working. He will be working on a web development team at The

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-84634760059053304392011-08-15T16:54:00.000-04:002011-08-15T16:54:31.402-04:00

Wow, has it seriously been nearly a month since I last posted? Time really does fly when you're busy as a bee and trying your best not to freak out. Well, since last I posted, much has happened. And I don't have time to write about it now. But I will. I promise. No, seriously, I actually will this time. I have an upcoming several days with no kids, and I have high hopes of actually being

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-37724266575588867212011-07-20T08:57:00.000-04:002011-07-20T08:57:10.591-04:00

You know what time it is? That's right! It's time for one of those annoying posts where I enumerate my points because I am too lazy to weave all my thoughts together into a coherent...thing. BRACE YOURSELVES FOR AWESOMENESS. 1. The interview process for the job in Tennessee continues to look promising. We're excited. Keep praying. 2. Greg gets his last paycheck from the 9-month-turned-3.5-month

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-88981104825254890782011-07-16T09:59:00.000-04:002011-07-16T09:59:56.305-04:00

You may be wondering where this week's coupon post is. Well, truthfully, I did go shopping this week, but the take was kind of lame. I have nothing interesting to post about it. And I think I'll be taking a break from shopping for a little while. Money has all of a sudden become a bit more of a concern (not that it wasn't a concern before, but we're going to be pinching pennies here for a little

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-67361738535699738382011-07-14T09:41:00.001-04:002011-07-14T09:41:41.413-04:00

It's time to let you in on something that we've been keeping relatively under wraps for a little while now. Unless you're one of the few people who already know about this, because we are abysmally bad at keeping secrets, even if it's our own secret. First of all, we've been having a lot of people asking us lately exactly when we're moving into the apartment, and we've been giving somewhat

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-53503418574022392582011-07-13T11:08:00.001-04:002011-07-13T11:20:57.764-04:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, we went to my uncle's house in the Hamptons. We made the mistake of telling the girls a week in advance that we were going to the beach for the weekend, and they asked us "Is it Friday yet?" every 10 minutes, every day, for a week. Finally, it was Friday. Greg was able (as in, forced, since his managers didn't want to stay all day either) to leave work at 11:30, so

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-57572333143623036592011-07-05T17:12:00.000-04:002011-07-05T17:12:39.867-04:00

I didn't post yesterday because I didn't shop yesterday (logical, no?) We went to my uncle's house in the Hamptons for the weekend, and instead of barbecuing or setting off fireworks like most people do on July 4, we went to the beach in the morning and then spent the afternoon driving back to PA. The trip was great and highly entertaining. I have several posts in my head written about it

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-60424648865981230952011-06-27T16:32:00.002-04:002011-06-28T13:03:48.463-04:00

Here's the highlights for this week. I had some stuff not go quite the way I planned and still have some stuff on my mental list to buy, but I've gotten most of my shopping done. And if I don't post about it now, I never will. I've come to accept that about myself. So here it is, in all its haphazard glory. Rite Aid: Gold Bond Ultimate Body Wash $5.99 Used 1 $2/1 Gold Bond Ultimate Body Wash

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-90637305573794414342011-06-25T15:56:00.000-04:002011-06-25T15:56:38.538-04:00

Okay. I have finally come to terms with how much I sucked as a parent two weeks ago. And now I will share. It will be cathartic. I think. First up: How I Was By Far The Worst Stage Mom at Rachel's Dance Dress Rehearsal Rachel's dance showcase was on 6/11. It was the culmination of her year's work in Creative Movement (which is the class little kids take before Pre-Ballet). Each class in the

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-67504363874649574682011-06-20T13:17:00.001-04:002011-06-20T13:21:48.444-04:00

Hello all! Yes, I know I still owe you a "world's worst mommy" post. Or a "real" post, period. I am this close to being able to confess how awful I was 2 weeks ago. But not today (or at least not right now today). Two reasons. Well, 3 really. 1) I just came back from shopping and have all my receipts in front of me and it just makes more sense to do this now. 2) I'm supposed to work in an hour,

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-71332054624321423162011-06-13T16:31:00.001-04:002011-06-13T16:32:48.402-04:00

Full disclosure: I really should be writing a post about how I was pretty much the world's worst mom last week. It would probably be therapeutic. But I can't do it yet. I'm still coming to terms with it. So maybe we will address that later. For now, it's coupon time! Brace yourselves for disappointment. I did not save 93% this week. But I didn't do too bad either. Here's my favorite deals:

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-67814365692537838552011-06-07T15:00:00.000-04:002011-06-07T15:00:51.659-04:00

Although I know nothing about coding, I still think it's pretty cute. Greg did this while on break at work. There you go, Internet. Developer humor.

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-89438011667291482282011-06-06T19:03:00.004-04:002011-06-08T13:20:02.860-04:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've started couponing to stretch our budget, especially for when we move out and need to stretch our budget. We still have debt to be paying off, after all, and the less money we spend on shopping, the more we can use to pay off all those nasty credit cards. I've been doing the bulk of my coupon shopping on Mondays, since my mom watches the kids and, although I

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-9111144637383206492011-06-05T10:08:00.000-04:002011-06-05T10:08:09.227-04:00

Several months ago, Rachel had to bring something to school for Show and Tell that began with the letter "A." I supplied her with a picture of Adam and Audrey, since they both begin with "A"! "Hey," I added, a bit too enthusiastically, "you know what else you can say? You can say that they live in the Big Apple, because that begins with "A" too!" Rachel looked at me like I was insane. "Mom.

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-47515998875350590882011-05-22T23:51:00.000-04:002011-05-22T23:51:06.560-04:00

I realize this announcement doesn't pack quite the punch it did a decade ago, but we are finally moving out of my parents' house. We're getting an apartment which is small (I'm not entirely sure how we're even really fitting our severely depleted quantity of possessions in there, but we'll figure something out) and costs more per month than the mortgage on our house did (yay Pennsylvania!) but at

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-9012946696400656362011-05-19T11:14:00.000-04:002011-05-19T11:14:23.491-04:00

Two days ago, I decided I'd had it. I don't like changing diapers. I don't like buying diapers. Chloe is less than 3 months away from her 3rd birthday. She has to be potty trained to start preschool in the fall, and she needs to start preschool in the fall. I love her and she is my little cuddle bunny, but as I recall from Rachel, the transition from 2 to 3 does not make life any easier. Why

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-91756098399005328172011-05-09T16:21:00.000-04:002011-05-09T16:21:56.037-04:00

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you moms out there! I had a lovely day. Sometimes my children make me want to just crawl into a hole and wrap my arms around my knees and breathe into a paper bag, but they behaved themselves this weekend. On Friday, Chloe and I joined Rachel at her preschool for "Muffins for Moms," an event which I very nearly missed, only saved by the fact that I had happened

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-43752320990003155312011-05-02T21:20:00.001-04:002011-05-02T21:21:26.373-04:00

I've been seriously delinquent. I apologize. I also apologize for the high percentage of posts I write that begin with apologies. Anyway, it's been about a month since my last post. Lots has happened. So this post is probably going to be ridiculously long. Because instead of splitting the many events of April into several topical posts, I'm going to cram them into one meandering one. Greg

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-70257472244012297752011-03-28T15:45:00.001-04:002011-03-28T22:37:07.949-04:00

Last week did not go exactly as planned. It was Greg's last week of exclusive self-employment, so we figured he'd spend some extra time with the kids, get ahead on some work, and just generally take care of all those little things we never seem to have time to do. Instead, he got his wisdom teeth out Tuesday morning and has essentially been an invalid ever since. Let me back up - Greg has

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-87913844279517023512011-03-12T21:41:00.003-05:002011-03-12T21:47:41.620-05:00

Today was pretty awesome. Oh, also, just in writing that first sentence, I am reminded that I recently read a blog post where one of the comments was complaining about the overuse of the words "fail," "epic," (and of course, "epic fail") "winning" (I think that one's mostly Charlie Sheen's fault) and, most of all, "awesome," which the commenter claimed was the most overused word of all time. And

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-21016437346300587942011-03-05T22:05:00.002-05:002011-06-25T20:56:10.941-04:00

Just when we thought it was safe to move Greg's computer back to our room...it wasn't. Because now he has another big project to do with a deadline that is too soon to allow time for him to liquid cool his computer (the parts came in the mail today, but apparently the implementation of the liquid cooling system is complex and time consuming, which means he can't squeeze it in before he has to

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-12708012667549361322011-03-01T10:35:00.000-05:002011-03-01T10:35:59.561-05:00

Well, we finally received a definitive answer. They called yesterday afternoon. *Drumroll.....* Greg got the job! He starts at the end of the month. It's a job that fits his skill set well, pays a decent salary, is easily accessible by public transportation (essential since we only have 1 car), and is at a company that we hear is great to work for (we have several friends who work in various

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-58981494165854934772011-02-28T13:33:00.000-05:002011-02-28T13:33:13.446-05:00

I feel better this morning. A bit more human (although I don't think I'm quite at "Human for All" status yet). As predicted, I was freezing last night. Wicket knew better than to try to burrow under the covers last night, but he did curl up pressed against my arm with his head on my shoulder. I let him stay. He was a fluffy little ball of warmth. Eventually Greg came to bed around 5:00. He

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-45429166371360207522011-02-28T00:13:00.000-05:002011-02-28T00:13:29.658-05:00

Okay, people. I am pretty sure something is wrong with me. Why am I awake? I have been freaky stupid tired for the past couple days, and yet I continue to stay up late for no good reason. However, here's something weird. I was super-productive yesterday. I'm not sure how this happened. I took the girls out and did all the errands I'd been putting off for the past month (not even exaggerating). I

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-85144474865694226132011-02-13T16:34:00.001-05:002011-02-13T16:34:54.972-05:00

So you're probably curious about the update to my last post. Well, the nutshell version is, we don't have one. Although we're supposed to hear either way, we haven't heard anything. So either the decision is taking longer than anticipated, maybe due to schedules being disrupted on account of our freaky weather, maybe for some other reason -- or Greg didn't get either job and they just forgot to

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-5780844467537908792011-02-07T16:14:00.000-05:002011-02-07T16:14:50.159-05:00

Hello. I would like to show you what two completely useless people look like. Oh yes. Yes, that is me and Greg. You see, Greg was told at his two interviews last week that he would hear from them "early next week." And both of those interviews were for jobs he really wants (one has a slight edge on the other, but really, we'd be thrilled with either). And it's "next week." And it's Monday,

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-56173200215644512582011-02-05T15:30:00.006-05:002011-02-05T16:13:38.405-05:00

Poor little neglected blog. I keep writing posts in my head while I'm doing things like showering or picking Rachel up from preschool, but of course that doesn't do anyone any good. So, to bring us up to date (which is kind of subjective and laughable, since I still have stories and pictures I want to share from back in November), there's been a few items of note lately. Here they are in no

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-51909639829500162912011-01-22T14:42:00.000-05:002011-01-22T14:42:49.595-05:00

I just finished putting Chloe to bed. Chloe and Rachel have been very different children when it comes to their sleeping habits (and when it comes to everything else, really).  With Rachel, we followed the suggestions in this book (which I strongly recommend) when she was 6 months old to convince her to sleep and take naps on a regular schedule, in her own bed. It took one, grueling week and

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-35739906327875964432011-01-22T10:16:00.001-05:002011-01-22T10:17:09.493-05:00

I would like to share with you the minutes of my Saturday morning. 7:09 I am awakened abruptly to sounds coming out of the baby monitor of what I can best describe as the sounds I imagine a bear would make if it were stuck in a trap while choking. I rush into the girls' room, convinced one of them is in dire straits. 7:11 Ascertain that the sounds I was hearing were actually Rachel's response

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-41858150268085892182011-01-16T16:00:00.000-05:002011-01-16T16:00:10.275-05:00

WARNING: COP-OUT AHEAD. I wanted to write something entertaining. But my brain feels like something akin to un-gelled Jello right now (so basically, just thick, sticky water) and I don't think I have much in the way of "entertaining" in me. Fortunately, my kids are veritable fonts* of entertainment and have been providing me with quite a few amusing anecdotes to choose from. Unfortunately,

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-64416677689932047442011-01-14T15:36:00.000-05:002011-01-14T15:36:54.937-05:00

I haven't posted recently, not because I couldn't think of anything to talk about, but because I was torn as to what was wise to share. But I think I've come to the conclusion that nothing I'd say will jinx or in any way hinder our future, and who knows, it may even help. It's not like it's a big secret. Greg's job hunting. I mentioned that before, but I've been hesitant to really post much

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-8308830758835185422011-01-04T19:40:00.000-05:002011-01-04T19:40:25.486-05:00

I have a confession to make. Chloe received a tutu for Christmas. She may be too little for dance class, but she is not too little for sparkly purple tutus. She loves her tutu. She wore it all day after our Second Christmas in New Hampshire and entertained us by striking numerous "ball-all-ay" poses. Rachel also got a couple new leotards, and did some "ball-all-ay" of her own. And after

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-25903760988594226742011-01-01T12:28:00.001-05:002011-01-01T20:33:23.193-05:00

Welcome...to the future. Okay, that was possibly hokey and overly dramatic. I don't care. Well, it's 2011, folks. I am not sure what to think about that. We are in New Hampshire, ringing in the New Year with Greg's family. We had second Christmas (the girls got oodles matching princess and ballerina apparel. Chloe is currently wearing a sparkly purple tutu over her turtleneck and leggings),

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-75383249840011912672010-12-25T22:57:00.001-05:002010-12-26T17:54:40.020-05:00

Merry Christmas! Several orders of business. First, as you all know, I sent out 50 Christmas cards. This was not nearly enough to send one to everyone I wanted to send one to, but it was all Shutterfly was willing to give me for free. So for those of you who did not receive one, here it is! Normally I write a Christmas letter to include with the card, detailing our exploits over the past year,

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-12110098040710102882010-12-14T12:01:00.001-05:002010-12-14T12:27:23.516-05:00

I've been sitting here staring at a blank screen, waiting for inspiration to strike, for about ten minutes now. It's not that nothing is happening in our lives; it's more that I'm having trouble embracing the good and pushing aside the icky. So due to the fact that I'm finding it challenging to piece together a coherent thought, I think this is going to be one of those posts where I just write

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-7554823053154001522010-12-07T17:50:00.000-05:002010-12-07T17:50:59.947-05:00

It's a rough time. I'll admit it. December is not a good month to be scraping bottom in the bank account. No money means no Christmas presents, and when you have two small children and five small nieces and nephews, no Christmas presents is not really an acceptable option. We still have some time left, and in that time, we're doing what we can, and praying for a miracle where we still come up

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-27651949784931332422010-12-04T15:35:00.000-05:002010-12-04T15:35:19.901-05:00

I've been perusing the Shutterfly site, trying to figure out which cards will suit our family best, and I'm stumped. Before we had kids, I was boring. I went to the drugstore, got whatever card tickled my fancy (translation: was cheap and not painfully ugly), and called it a day. But then we had kids, and despite my best attempts at remaining objective and practical, I'm pretty sure they're the

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-44691724646393369692010-11-30T15:12:00.032-05:002010-11-30T15:27:51.242-05:00

I had a dream last night. I dreamed that I had 30 minutes before I needed to take Rachel to preschool, and I figured that was enough time to drive to my local hair salon with the attached spa (which, sadly, does not exist in real life) and use their shower, instead of using my own shower. Because their shower was just that much better. And then it snowballed into chaos, and I somehow wound up

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-22332293169988063292010-11-28T20:40:00.000-05:002010-11-28T20:40:34.883-05:00

I promise, I promise, I have not forgotten about my promises to update you on the oodles of stories (how weird is it that I actively had to tell myself not to type "noodles" just then?) I have yet to share from all our recent vacationing. I meant to make a huge dent in it while we were in New Hampshire for Thanksgiving, but...that didn't happen. I blame tryptophan. Honestly, I had two

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-48174690988254831992010-11-21T20:47:00.006-05:002010-11-21T23:39:15.696-05:00

I promise that I will talk about all the exciting and weird details of our trip to Colorado. Eventually. But not now. Right now I want to complain a bit. I woke up this morning at 5:30. Weather forecasts were for snow, and the Denver airport is 2.5 hours away. So our aim was to leave at 6:15 for our 11:20 flight, thinking that if we aimed for 6:15, we'd have a halfway decent shot at actually

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-4387336993246541522010-11-18T01:21:00.000-05:002010-11-18T01:21:17.191-05:00

I was intending to write a post that's actually relevant to anything tonight. But this is a post that is not relative to anything. It's relative to nothing. Which, I realize, is implied by "not relative to anything," but I still felt compelled to say that it's relative to nothing, just so you're prepared for how inane this post is. I had a post written in my head about some of the happenings

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-48266716634202825932010-11-15T17:44:00.000-05:002010-11-15T17:44:24.630-05:00

* We have arrived in Colorado, which is ridiculously scenic. Literally everything here is pretty, to the point where I very nearly took a picture of an A&W because it was pretty.  * It snowed on the drive to Avon from Denver, and snowed again this morning. Combined with the abundant evergreen trees, this is enough evidence to have my children convinced that it is Christmas. I keep trying to

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-82436575061202807362010-11-14T19:46:00.000-05:002010-11-14T19:46:13.830-05:00

We're back on the plane. This time to Colorado. I packed the hood of Rachel's coat in our suitcase (it's detachable; I didn't just rip it off like a  barbarian) because I was not thinking ahead. I was like, "Oh, we'll just be on a plane. She won't need a hood." I failed to take into account that it is 20 degrees in Colorado and we will eventually have to go outside. Rachel has already given me

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-77214393498095336282010-11-13T16:07:00.002-05:002010-11-13T16:24:28.062-05:00

Today is our last day in St. Louis. It's been an interesting and amusing trip. Here are the highlights, as I'm too lazy to narrate these stories in detail. Actually, you can't even call these highlights. They're just some words. From my brain to yours. Feel honored. * The first thing I did upon our arrival at the St. Louis airport was take Chloe potty. Then I leaned over to wipe her and my

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-83068375176218880412010-11-10T14:09:00.001-05:002010-11-10T14:14:08.223-05:00

This morning, we actually arrived about 8 minutes early for ballet. I had taken the girls to run some last-minute errands before vacation, and actually timed everything right (for once). But then Rachel needed to potty before ballet, and managed to make that take 10 minutes, and was therefore late for class. There were tears. And screaming. It wasn't pretty. It's always something with us. Edit:

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-81841898120414615562010-11-08T12:05:00.001-05:002010-11-08T12:17:19.000-05:00

1. Chloe has started potty training herself. It's kind of exciting. I haven't had to go make her a big fancy sticker chart or anything. She just started asking to go potty, so we'd put her on the potty, and she'd use the potty. She'd also clap for herself and say, "I did it! Yay Chloe!" whenever she was successful. I'm a little conflicted, because on the one hand, Rachel got a sticker chart and

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-47666421978557427772010-11-04T11:46:00.000-04:002010-11-04T11:46:15.038-04:00

Brace yourself for something very, very sad. You may cry. Actually, you probably will. Go get tissues now. At ballet class this week, everything started normally. Chloe and I brought Rachel to class. It was about 55 degrees outside, so of course both kids insisted on sweatpants, winter coats, hats and gloves. I tried to explain the concept of "overkill" to them, but they looked at me like I was

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-58995861562515902682010-11-03T16:05:00.001-04:002010-11-08T15:32:20.928-05:00

Here's a couple of videos, because it's been a while since I posted a video and all the weird things my kids say are funnier if you know what their voices sound like. Especially Chloe, who sounds like a chipmunk. The first one is carving pumpkins (or, more accurately, hollowing out pumpkins and then painting them. No actual pumpkin carving occurs in this video). This second one is trick or

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-18405348293712200542010-11-03T11:47:00.005-04:002010-11-03T13:52:33.843-04:00

Last year, I knew early on what I wanted the girls to be for Halloween: the Princess and the Pea. Unfortunately, due to my inherent need to put things off until the very last second, I didn't order Chloe's costume until it was nearly too late, so she didn't get a lot of use out of it. This year, knowing there were lots of costume events prior to the actual trick-or-treating, I asked the girls

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-73486829056131271202010-10-28T20:17:00.000-04:002010-10-28T20:17:38.170-04:00

Last Saturday, we went on a hayride with our church. It was a combo hayride/fall fest/costume thingy, so the kids dressed up. They did not wear their Halloween costumes. Their Halloween costumes are princess dresses that have many layers of skirts and sequins and fanciness, and although they've been well used for the past year, I didn't want them to ruin them by rolling around in hay and dirt a

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-43593087604103247852010-10-27T10:42:00.002-04:002010-10-27T10:45:57.607-04:00

We're having an issue with Chloe. She likes to spit. She will take a big swig of juice or water, then spit it all out onto whatever is closest. Her plate, her shirt, the floor.  I've told her over and over that this is not acceptable behavior. I've used my firm voice. I've put her in the corner. I've taken away her juice. I've taken away her food. I've taken away her princess dress. She

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-2090374106501450952010-10-26T11:08:00.002-04:002010-10-26T14:44:50.967-04:00

Today at ballet, the girls were allowed to wear their Halloween costumes. Rachel is dressed as Snow White. This is not her Halloween costume. Her Halloween costume is also not a ladybug, which is what she dressed up as for the church hayride. Her Halloween costume is Cinderella. It's a costume she got for Christmas last year. Chloe is also being Cinderella. Her costume was also last year's

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-57904320637414109022010-10-22T15:27:00.000-04:002010-10-22T15:27:44.857-04:00

First off, I am tired of how this computer chair slowly sinks until I realize my keyboard is now at eye level and I am now looking up at my screen. But I will stoically endure it (and I realize that my definition of "stoic" is to complain about it publicly) because I am the one who insisted that I didn't need a fancy computer chair, and a $12 computer chair from Walmart would do just fine. Shows

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-41237065607679025612010-10-22T14:41:00.002-04:002010-10-22T14:41:44.691-04:00

I had this whole detailed thing written out. It chronicled our employment history (if you can call it that, as we've been self-employed for the past 6 years) since college. It was very involved and had a lot of nuance and, I realized after I spent 45 minutes typing it up, was utterly boring. Suffice it to say, Greg and I have been self-employed/entrepreneurs/unemployed (which, I've decided, are

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-41973676066327693412010-10-20T14:28:00.000-04:002010-10-20T14:28:27.761-04:00

When I picked Rachel up from preschool on Monday, she was crying. Or, more accurately, she had been crying. Her eyes were glassy and her lip was quivery and the tip of her nose was red. Her mouth was set and she climbed into the car silently. The girl that put her into the car was one of the teachers' aides, and she said that Rachel had been crying because some of the boys were "being boys," and

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-48845144488934407722010-10-12T11:12:00.000-04:002010-10-12T11:12:33.897-04:00

Last night, we had a pretty impressive electrical storm that progressed into a spectacular thunderstorm. The lightning was enough to make Wicket (who is terrified of both lightning and thunder, a further testament to his Wussiest Dog in the World status) seek refuge in my parents' bedroom while Greg and I were at PSW rehearsal. It was also enough to kind of freak Greg and me out on our drive home

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-276083169170382092010-10-11T16:30:00.001-04:002010-10-11T16:31:00.904-04:00

OKAY. I'm back, and not going to talk about reality television or anything pertaining to reality television. I think. First, Greg would like to show you all this: It's not real. He made it. On this computer. Because he wanted to challenge himself with making something that looked worn and used instead of shiny and new. Worn and used is much harder to create than shiny and new.  Because this is

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-64871991759706198892010-10-07T17:48:00.004-04:002010-10-09T14:18:36.649-04:00

Much like yesterday, I'm about to obsess over the So You Think You Can Dance tour. It. Was. Awesome. The plan was to leave at 5:30, because the concert started at 7:30 and was an hour away in lovely Trenton (why Trenton, SYTYCD? Could you not have done a show in Philly, which I realize is not the capital of New Jersey, but is, in my humble opinion, a much better venue? Oh well. Take notes for

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-57645025297029982472010-10-06T13:19:00.075-04:002010-10-06T13:57:51.335-04:00

If you've never seen or cared about So You Think You Can Dance, you may as well skip this post. Tonight, Happy, her friend Michelle and I are going to go see the Season 7 tour. I am psyched. I first started watching in Season 5, but this is my first tour. I'm most excited about seeing Robert. It took me until after the season was over to figure out who my favorite was, but retrospectively, it

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-31839255244304458532010-10-05T10:29:00.000-04:002010-10-05T10:29:31.498-04:00

Last week, we arrived one minute late for ballet class. Not late enough to miss anything, but late enough that Rachel's teacher had already come to collect her pupils and lead them into the classroom, so Rachel had to walk in by herself instead of with the rest of the class. Obviously, she was mortified. So she adamantly requested that this week, we be extra early. Ideally, she'd like to be the

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-39872469408251183532010-10-01T16:42:00.002-04:002010-10-02T00:55:06.557-04:00

Why Wicket Would Never Survive in the Wild: He did not "do his business" for a good 36 hours yesterday and last night because it was raining, and he refuses to go outside in the rain. Or the snow. Or the wind. Or the cold. Basically, he'd do well with a litter box, except that litter boxes are kinda gross and I've never attempted to train him with one. He obviously had to go during that 36 hours

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-23585182747164436332010-10-01T00:22:00.002-04:002010-10-01T16:55:50.467-04:00

1. Greg has had a random case of insomnia hit him hard for the past few days (meaning he hasn't fallen asleep before 4:00 for the past few nights, and then gotten up around 7:30), so today I went and bought him some sleep aids. He had this happen a few years ago, and after using the sleep aids for a few nights, he got back on track. We're hoping the same thing happens this time. So he took one

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-62517048971628655962010-09-29T15:42:00.001-04:002010-09-29T23:07:42.442-04:00

Greg asked me this morning if I was going to "finally" write in my blog today. So apparently I have been steadfast enough in my goal of posting every day, that when I skipped a day, at least my husband noticed. So here I am, "finally" updating my blog 48 hours later. I got distracted yesterday. I had an iPad, you see. It's sad, but true. I spent the vast majority of my free time yesterday (of

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-2129228526223513802010-09-27T13:30:00.000-04:002010-09-27T13:30:54.803-04:00

I am writing this from my new iPad! Which means I am still sitting in my bed in a somewhat slovenly state because I haven't bothered to get up, brush my teeth, shower, or do any of the other things that separate humans from goats. Except that I'm blogging on my iPad and a goat would most likely eat the iPad and choke on the broken glass. Poor goat. PSA: don't give iPads to goats. And hopefully

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-74514632783936973112010-09-25T22:40:00.000-04:002010-09-25T22:40:04.993-04:00

Edit: This did not happen yesterday. It happened the day after my birthday. But I didn't post it back then, because I decided that arranging a birthday scavenger hunt and showering me with presents was not enough. I wanted her to edit the video footage, and include the text for what I was reading, and add music, and speed up all the walking parts, and possibly make me more attractive. And she did

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-12613380337513838882010-09-24T15:56:00.000-04:002010-09-24T15:56:52.130-04:00

When I was 9, I decided it was time to learn how to ride a bike. Up until recently, I would have sworn this was because my younger brothers already knew how, and I didn't want to be left behind. But then I found out that Daniel has actually never learned how to ride a bike (how that happened, I have no idea). So it must have just been Adam that knew before me. Anyway, for whatever reason, I

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-670077904596910222010-09-23T16:51:00.000-04:002010-09-23T16:51:02.554-04:00

A while back, Greg had a customer who had a little pink bike they had no use for. They offered it to Greg, and Greg accepted. That bike has been sitting in our basement for several months now, because we were waiting until it was cool enough outside that we could go outside without dying. We were also waiting until we were just enough on the positive side of "destitute" that we could buy her pads

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-19790223136173653982010-09-23T13:37:00.005-04:002010-09-23T14:23:37.672-04:00

Today started unexpectedly well. Last Friday, for kicks, I entered Pioneer Woman's Smartypants Quiz.  I don't know all the answers, but I knew some, and those I didn't know, I looked up (I have looked exhaustively for anywhere that says looking things up is not allowed, and as far as I can tell, that is not a rule). I figured there's no way I'd win anything, since literally thousands of people

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-39391500466974624742010-09-22T14:29:00.000-04:002010-09-22T14:29:42.047-04:00

First, I just need to state for the record that today - and mostly within the past half hour - Greg and I have killed (and by "killed," I mean "vacuumed up") over 30 stinkbugs. In our bedroom. It's just not right. Okay, moving on, Chloe had her 2-year check-up today. Yes, I'm aware that she turned two at the beginning of August. But we were traveling on her birthday. And...well....when we got

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-4237274163709280002010-09-21T17:11:00.000-04:002010-09-21T17:11:55.901-04:00

Poor Greg. First, he's on his way to the dentist right now to have his last stubborn wisdom tooth checked (and possibly yanked) out. It's been giving him trouble and reducing him to a diet of scrambled eggs and bananas for the past two days. Secondly, earlier I asked him to bring me some Honey Mustard & Onion Pretzels. (As a side note, let me just say that I'm pretty sure these are the perfect

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-70832062341373903372010-09-19T21:51:00.000-04:002010-09-19T21:51:33.768-04:00

I am going to warn you now: I have nothing interesting to say.  So. Consider yourself warned. A couple weeks ago, Happy and I went on a shopping spree with my birthday money (although I think Happy wound up spending more of her non-birthday money than I did of my birthday money) and spent most of it in delia's. So much, in fact, that I earned some coupons for $25 off a purchase of $50 or more.

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-55835044951872426222010-09-18T19:52:00.000-04:002010-09-18T19:52:48.229-04:00

Have I ever showed this to you? I filmed it when Rachel was about three months old. Chloe loves this video. She asks to watch it on a regular basis.  And sometimes (okay, daily), she grooves in front of her mirror wearing nothing but her diaper and sings "Naked Baby" to the tune of the little ditty I made up in this video. Complete with "No, don't look at that!" and "Rachel? Rachel?" I

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-25298573252904293032010-09-17T23:09:00.001-04:002010-09-17T23:14:29.270-04:00

Dear Teenage Hoodlums, I understand you're bored, and probably poor (because you're hoodlums and therefore most likely unemployed) and without drivers licenses and/or cars, and therefore have nothing better to do than hang out outside your parents' house in the dark on a Friday night. And I understand that you are probably under the impression that it is somehow "cool" to harass people trying to

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-71824851432408280432010-09-17T13:26:00.002-04:002010-09-17T14:21:16.103-04:00

1. Shortly after Rachel was born ("short" meaning sometime in the first 6 months of her life), I took her to the grocery store in this outfit: Cute little orange and white dress with flowers, matching hat, bloomers, the works. An elderly man approached me and complimented my cute little BOY, and asked when HE was born. I responded pointedly, "SHE is 4 months old" (or something). He looked

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-5323905522727551722010-09-15T14:43:00.000-04:002010-09-15T14:43:54.889-04:00

This morning was Rachel's first day of preschool. I think we all had mixed feelings about it. Rachel was mostly excited. Slightly apprehensive about the fact that she wasn't going to be the boss of herself. But mostly giddy with excitement. Chloe was a little more conflicted in her emotions. When we pulled out of the parking lot:Chloe: "Where's Rachel?"Me: "Where do you think she is?"Chloe: "

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-80350168135803892872010-09-14T23:02:00.000-04:002010-09-14T23:02:30.909-04:00

Once, many years ago when we were young, my brother Daniel and I decided that the problem with Christmas is that it simply does not arrive quickly enough.  I mean really. You go to bed on Christmas Eve at a reasonable bedtime, wake up on Christmas morning, then have to wait all the way until 7:00 a.m. when Mom and Dad say it's okay to wake them up. And only then can you go open presents. Not

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-61404496935921106342010-09-13T17:37:00.000-04:002010-09-13T17:37:44.969-04:00

Dear Science, I would like you to invent/discover the following things: 1. A spray for cleaning stuffed animals that will actually kill germs without harming the child in any way, shape, or form when they inevitably chew/suck on the toy. Stuffed animals always come with the instructions "surface clean only," and there is no way to adequately clean just the surface of a stuffed animal in a way

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-1767330050729983892010-09-12T14:28:00.000-04:002010-09-12T14:28:03.470-04:00

Yesterday, Happy went to the park to go walk with a friend. Ah, pleasant and relaxing. Right? No. There happened to be a Little League game occurring in this particular park while Happy was taking a walk.  As Happy and her friend passed by the ball field, they heard someone yell, "Heads up!" So they froze, looked up in the air to see where the ball was, couldn't find it.... until it landed at

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-5662504510544213122010-09-11T15:41:00.000-04:002010-09-11T15:41:13.355-04:00

Much as I recently realized I started blogging after Rachel's babyhood was behind us, I have also realized that I missed Wicket's puppyhood on here. And that just won't do. Wicket is a freak of nature, but he was a darn cute puppy.  And we got him when he was too young, because the backyard breeder we got him from probably had no idea what she was doing, but after driving 2 hours out there to

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-84542705427708793142010-09-11T15:06:00.003-04:002010-09-11T15:55:57.280-04:00

I was a senior at Harding University. Greg and I were new friends. I lived with three of my best friends. We had decorated our dorm suite with "family pictures" we had taken of ourselves wearing overalls. I was excited that we were doing a Gladiator show in marching band. I was taking 20 credit hours and in the habit of drinking a chocolate peanut butter smoothie for lunch every day because I

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-43687348695874520442010-09-10T15:08:00.002-04:002010-09-10T15:10:03.336-04:00

A while back, for no particular reason, Happy decided she needed a hula hoop in her life. So she got one. One night in July, again for no particular reason, my kids decided they wanted to learn to hula hoop. Except they called it "doin' the loop." As in, "Let's go do the loop!" and, "Aunt Happy, can you show me how to do the loop?" and, "Look, I'm doin' the loop!" On that same night in July,

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-33292530130900048152010-09-10T14:29:00.000-04:002010-09-10T14:29:07.778-04:00

Yesterday, fresh off our bucket-decorating high, I asked Rachel what she was going to be doing/learning in preschool.  She supplied me with the following list: ReadSpell "Chloe"Use different thingsWar whoopsJungle gymsMonkey barsSwinging from branchesTalk on the phoneTypingRunning really fastPress buttonsFast forwardingCuttingRippingGymnasticsPlaying the pianoDiggingSkating on a hard floorDraw

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-67738863060220559652010-09-09T21:24:00.003-04:002010-09-09T21:28:37.384-04:00

Yesterday, I read this. And considering she has like, 100,000 readers or something absurd like that, I figured I should probably give some credence to what she has to say. For the most part, I feel like I follow her advice. Except for #2. And #9, which is kind of like #2. And then there's #4, but we're tooooootally not going to go there. And maybe that's why she's got 100,000 daily readers

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-68601849847638792572010-09-08T15:22:00.001-04:002010-09-08T15:27:11.496-04:00

I should almost definitely not admit this, but for some reason that I can't fully (or even partially) explain, I'm going to. A couple weeks ago, I resolved to attempt to write a new post every day. This resolution lasted from August 29-September 3. And now it is September 8th and I'm a failure.  And you would never know this, except that I felt it necessary to tell you.  5 days between posts

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4595074867761790025.post-5420388762841847602010-09-03T21:07:00.002-04:002010-09-03T21:32:05.551-04:00

Well, the day has arrived, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. We're moving Chloe into a big girl bed tonight. Right now, she's sleeping in her crib for the very last time. We've already got the old changing table/dresser combo listed on Craigslist (please, someone buy it immediately because we have nowhere to store it).  Rachel and Greg are in the process of assembling their new big-girl

The Thomanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938273137071127542noreply@blogger.com8