The World Cup

We all have those experiences in our lives that forever make an impact on us. For me, one of these events was studying in Norway at the International Summer School in Oslo after my junior year of college.  This was my first trip abroad - just having turned 21. And I was scared out of my mind - how would I ever make it from the airport to the school? How would I meet any friends? Would I have a good time? There were over 500 students from over 80 different countries -- and, although I really don't remember anything from the two courses I took, my view of the world and my life was forever altered by my experience.

And every four years, I am reminded of my wonderful experience thanks to the World Cup. When I was in Norway, I had never even heard of the World Cup. And even more embarrassing, it was being held in the United States. I remember watching one US match and although we lost, so many students told me how much better the US was getting. We were no longer horrible. I remember the British reporter holding an American football up to several people and asking them was it was. When they replied "football", everyone in the pub was having a good laugh. And, of course, I remember watching the final match crammed in the campus pub with people from around the globe intently watching the match. I can still see one of the students from Italy surrounded by supporters and leaving the pub crying after her team was defeated. It was an amazing experience to see so many people from such diverse backgrounds all gathered together in the joy of sport.  I felt like such an outsider having never even heard of the World Cup, and yet such a part of it as well.  It was impossible to not get swept up in the entire thing.

Although I have never had the same World Cup experience since then and don't watch soccer outside of the World Cup, I'm looking forward to the 2010 version (this will be the first real time I am bummed that we don't have our satellite dish and ESPN). I look forward to introducing my eldest son to the tournament and some geography lessons along the way. Are children allowed at sports bars in the morning????? Ha!

The Last Day of School

Today is D-man's last day of school (here's a picture of him in his REACH shirt on the last day of school).  We'll be celebrating with a trip to Sonic (the last school fund raiser of the year) right after school. D-man got to choose the restaurant tonight so we are headed to Benihana's near our home for dinner (I thought we would be headed for pizza, but Marshall somehow had a feeling we would be headed to Benihana's). We took the kids a couple of years ago, but D-man apparently doesn't remember them cooking in front of us so it should be a "new" experience.

Today has been a "weird" day for me as well. Both boys will now be home full time for me - it is our first "summer off" together. I'm really looking forward to it, but am closing a chapter on this part of my unemployment. And a new one is about to begin. So, just an adjustment to be made. I've been so fortunate to be given this opportunity. Now I'm looking forward to no more homework, sleeping in, and enjoying what is sure to be one of the best summers with my boys.

Prince Charming

Today was the end of the year picnic for the Kindergarten class. The kids enjoyed playing on the playground, playing kickball, eating their picnic lunches, and of course the popsicles and doughnuts! It was great to see the kids having so much fun after a year of hard work. And I was very happy to be there with the D-man and catch up with some of the parents before the end of the year. It is so much harder to get that sense of community with a charter school so you have to make the most of every opportunity.

Of course, the best part of the day for me was when I introduced myself to the mother of a girl in D-man's class. She said she knew exactly who he was and that her daughter has informed her that he is polite, nice, handsome, kind, and oh yeah, smart. Just like "Prince Charming" her daughter told her. Well, I can't think of a better way to end the year. We all try our best and work to raise wonderful children - and compliments like these keep us going on this long journey. Congrats to my big boy on wrapping up an awesome year!

A Walk with Boston

A few weeks ago, I was walking around the park and ended up walking a good portion of it with a kid named 'Boston'. Boston, a seventh grader, informed me that he walks to and from school every day - a total of 25 miles per week. He walks 5 miles a day - 2.5 each way. And while in this day and age of childhood obesity, I think walking to school is great -- I couldn't help but wonder if that was TOO far. He has to be at school by 7:20 so he leaves his house by 6:30 every day - in the winter it isn't even light out yet. He crosses two busy streets and walks parallel to a busy road for probably a third of the way.  I can understand that if possible, walking to school is a great thing. But is there a limit? Or am I just an overprotective Mom that is going to have to lighten up when her kids get older?

The Steadfast Geranium

For the past couple of years, I have been working to make our backyard "a garden oasis". Unfortunately, I haven't been terribly successful. I've tried to expand the type of flowers that I use, but I always include my "go to" flowers - the marigolds, petunias, and geraniums. Then again, it shouldn't surprise me - these are the flowers my mother always had in her garden. And like these flowers, my Mom has always been a "go to" person in my life. Like the geranium, she is strong and beautiful and can deal with a lot and still pull through. I may not always remember to water my geraniums or call my mom as often as I should, but I always know that they will there. Steadfast and strong. How lucky I am to have such a wonderful woman to call my "Mom" - I couldn't be prouder. 

And speaking of moms, here are a couple of pictures from our Mother's Day hike at Lair o' the Bear Open Space Park. Being Mom to these two boys couldn't make me any happier.  Sometimes I need reminding that I should treasure being their "go to" person right now (as exhausting as that can be at times). Before I know it, I'll need to drop them off blocks away from school, I'll get no hugs in public, and I'll be completely and utterly embarrassing to them.  Yup - "go to" is definitely good. Just ask my Mom. 

Enjoying Bear Creek

Climbing the Tree


Holding Hands - Too Cute!

Why I Love Fridays

I love Fridays. People just seem happier on Fridays. People seem nicer on Fridays. When I was working, there seemed to be less stress on Friday, less meetings, and more positive vibes and uplifting anticipation of the weekend ahead. 

But the love of Fridays isn't anything new. As a kid, I remember piling into the station wagon with family friends and heading to the neighboring town for pizza on Fridays.  My mom never cooked on Friday. Friday was the night to "go out". And when one grew up in a town that had little options for eating out, this was a big deal.  I remember my mom's FAC (Friday Afternoon Club). Yup, Fridays were something special and this was instilled at a young age.

In high school, Fridays became football games and "driving mains'.  In college, the kick off to the weekend often began on Thursday, but Fridays were still full of anticipation and time with friends. Friday night happy hours became the norm after entering the "real world".  And although, the location of Friday night happy hours is often in my own kitchen, it signals the beginning of the weekend.

Now that I have my own family, I've implemented Friday night "take out" (one of the many ways I am like my mother). I don't have to plan dinner. I don't have to worry what we have in the fridge or if I have all the ingredients. I can just know that the weekend is almost here and I'll be kicking it off with the folks that mean the most to me.

Virtual "Cheers!" to all of you! Happy hour is almost here!

If Betty Could See Me Now

When I was in college, my roommate would call me "BC" - short for "Betty Crocker".  And, no this was not a compliment. Apparently, I wasn't much of a cook back then. Even more recently, Marshall will tell the story of how I used to measure out water to boil pasta (I still deny this today). Oh, how things have changed. Today, I have two slow cookers going - one with Ham and lentil soup (complete with the ham bone) and ham and scalloped potatoes in the other.  I also made a batch of chex mix and a pan of rice krispies. Nothing fancy, but in my earlier years, I never would have spent 3 hours in the kitchen, chopping, peeling, cutting, and stirring. Oh, how proud Betty (and my college roommate) would be!

When being frugal pays off (and when it doesn't)......

This past weekend, I flew to Detroit via Salt Lake City for my cousin's baby shower. When I was looking to book my ticket, price was top of mind. This was followed closely by flying times. Due to my unemployment status and the fact I wasn't going to be traveling with kids, I was a bit more open to more flying "effort" than is usually the case.

In order to get the best price, I needed to fly on Thursday and fly through SLC. Although not ideal, this flight would save me* more than $200 and still allow me to help get the boys to school in the morning and get the house in order. In this case, my frugality was worth the effort.

Fast forward to the Thursday of my flight. I was evaluating my airport parking options. I checked out Skyride and determined the bus times weren't going to work with my schedule. I decided I would park where I normally park and spend the extra money. Well, that was the plan until I got to the airport.

At the last minute, I decided I would park in the DIA lot. Several years ago I vowed not to park here - especially after kids. On Thursday, I was painfully reminded why I made that decision.

As I waited (and waited) for the bus, I couldn't help but start calculating how much money I was saving. Eight bucks. A total of eight bucks. After finally boarding the bus, I kept thinking to save eight dollars, I am making ten more stops on this bus. To save eight dollars, I'm starting to worry if I'll miss my flight. This eight dollar savings is not worth it.

Don't get me wrong. I don't diminish the value of eight dollars. I clip coupons. I buy five cans of chicken broth because they are fifty cents off. I have trouble buying clothes if they aren't on sale (and brag about the great deal I got). And yes, I did these things before being frugal was "in".

But today, I was reminded of when it is worth it (for $200) and when it is not (for $8). And when there are times when my time is more valuable than my money.

*Disclaimer: My parents paid for my flight.

And the Winner is........

For those of you that were wondering about my interview outfit, here it is.......

Let me know what you think (as long as you have positive things to say). My ego can't take negative feedback right now :)

Skiing with Dad is Hard Work

D-man was a bit tired after his day of skiing with Marshall. So special that they could ski together for a day.

Three Guys; Three Dates

I have three great guys in my life. And each of them acts differently when the others are around. There is obviously more rough housing when the are all around ("tackle Daddy" is a favorite at our house). And when it is just my two youngest, there is a lot of laughing, playing, and of course, screaming and fighting as well.

Recently, I've been lucky to have some time alone with each of my guys. I'm really going to try and do this more often. More date nights with Marshall.  More alone time with the boys. More undivided attention to those in my life that deserve it most.

A couple of weeks ago, Marshall and I were fortunate to have a night away at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. We had drinks, went to dinner and dancing, spent time lounging and hot tubbing, and just doing a lot of nothing. It was really great to have some down time and take our minds off the real world.

My date for the weekend

The beautiful Broadmoor hotel

D-man was a such a great traveler on our spring break trip to Nebraska that I promised him a special outing with just me as a "thank you" for his good behavior.  He could choose between Dairy Queen, Cold Stone Creamery, or Whole Foods. To my surprise, he chose Whole Foods (which of course,  pleased me). We had a great time checking out all the sweets - chocolates, cakes, pies, cookies, gelato. D-man said, "You were right, there are a LOT of choices".

In the end, he went with a huge piece of white cake with frosting. I had a some coffee and I had a little treat as well. We enjoyed our treats, people watching, laughing about silly things, and just being together.  D-man told me this was awesome - I couldn't have agreed more. I couldn't be prouder of the young boy he is becoming.

Lately, T-man has been a bit of a "stinker pot" as we like to say here in the Peavy household. Both Marshall and I agree that it truly is the "terrible threes" - not the "terrible twos". And T-man is right in the thick of it whenever his brother is around. However, when T-man is alone, he is a completely different boy - a real sweetie not having to fight for our attention. We enjoyed a great day today while Marshall and D-man were skiing. The special outing was to the Easter Egg hunt and seeing the Easter Bunny (who T-man went right up to and gave a huge hug). My sweet, sweet boy had a great time.  And so did his mommy.

Sniff, Sniff.... We'll Miss You

Marshall and I have been married 9 years and 1 month. About 9 years ago, Marshall had Dish Network install a satellite at our condo and also fell for the old "up-sell". When I arrived home, we were also the proud owners of the new "pause live TV" technology. I wasn't too happy, but later that night we were watching TV and I missed something they said on the show we were watching. So, I asked Marshall what they said. He so cleverly replied, "let me show you", and proceeded to rewind so I could hear it again. Since then, I have never looked back. That is, until yesterday.

Yesterday, we said to good by to our DVR and pause live TV. Sniff, sniff.

After evaluating the costs as well as our need for all the channels, we determined we really don't need to pay for TV until the fall (when football starts of course). But, until then, we can watch shows on the computer, we can get by with local stations, we can watch less TV. The boys actually don't know how to watch TV without the pause live TV function. We forward through commercials during shows we tape for them, we pause the TV during commercials when watching live TV so they don't watch the commercials, we pause the shows when the go to the bathroom. It really is great. But, for now, we'll get along without it. 

I'm pretty sure we won't miss the actual programming - we primarily watch over the air stations - but I certainly am going to miss the days when I can say "What did they say?" and have my question answered with the click of a button.

Quotes to Remember

A few quotes from recent days.......

D-man - "I like school lunches." And yes, I have been told that the mashed potatoes at school are better than mine. And since eating school lunches, Drake is definitely a more adventurous eater.


T-man - "This is my butt. That is a new word."

D-man - "I'm tired. I hate Daylight Saving Time."

I was having a bad day and T-man came up and said "I am your best friend." Made my day. 

D-man was home with pink eye on Monday. After taking his brother to school, we stopped by Starbucks and I got a coffee and he got a HUGE cup of whipped cream. D-man asked "Do you always get coffee in the morning Mom?" (The answer is NO.)


T-man was screaming from his bed the other night. I went up there and he informed me, "Ernie is not my friend anymore. My little doggie is my friend." And he proceeded to request the removal of Ernie from his bed and cry some more for his little doggie (which was at school). We substituted a little moose in the doggie's place. And if you are interested, Ernie was welcomed back to bed the next night.

Disney's Greatest Hits

The boys and I have enjoyed listening to the Disney's Greatest Hits CD for quite some time. We now have started to order the various movies from the library. We recently rented "Mulan", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and "The Little Mermaid". "Tarzan" is next on the list.

And now, the boys are enjoying the songs even more. They know the context for the songs and are definitely requesting those songs from the movies we have rented recently.  I'm also enjoying watching these Disney movies - many of which I have never seen. And given that many Disney movies have a "princess" theme, it is nice that the boys are more interested in the music and just enjoying the story and not turned off by "princesses".

Our First School Auction

Saturday night, we attended the auction for Highline Academy. Both Marshall and I weren't sure what to expect, but we ended up having a pretty nice time and getting some good deals on the items we picked up at the auction.

Highline Academy - Building our Future Brick by Brick

The auction really gets you thinking about how sad it is that we need to have an auction to support our public school. We don't have a problem supporting our school, we actually expect to donate our time and money. However, it is hard to imagine that the money from the auction is counted on in the annual budget. And with anticipated budget cuts coming, the money is even more important. 

The other thing that makes it sad, is that you start to see the same parents at the events supporting the school.  It is a shame that not every family in the school can see the value of parental involvement in student and school success.  Obviously, not every family can donate money to the school, but there are so many other ways that families can be involved and help the school. We learned that the goal for family involvement is 10% for each event. Can you imagine if the other 90% got involved?

The Neighborhood Part II

Well, the good news about last week is that the city finally came and cleared the street. At least the neighbors and I made their job a bit easier.

The city clearing the street

And to further confirm we don't "fit" in this neighborhood, I received the following flier on my door this week. 

In the upper left hand corner, you'll notice that this is for "retirees and pre-retirees 55+. Lovely. Nothing like being targeted based on your neighborhood and being 20 years too young for the event.

Sigh........ Yet another indicator of how we really don't fit in this neighborhood......

D-man Skiing

Here is a video I compiled from a few videos we took on Saturday. D-man loved leading us down the trails (especially the one over the bridges and between the buildings). He was so confident and so proud.



If you can't see the video, you can click here.

This Ain't "NebraSKI"

My first ski experience was when I was around thirteen years old. I went to a 4H Ski Camp and skied for the first time in my life at "NebraSKI" (between Omaha and Lincoln). We stayed at the 4H lodge where they gave us lessons (yes, the lessons were indoors with no snow around) and then took us to the slopes for a little night skiing. I remember quite a few things about this night.

1. My pink gloves were not water proof and did not work very well. 
2. Night skiing is cold. 
3. I had no clue how to get down the hill or up the tow rope (apparently, the lessons in the lodge didn't do much).
4. I was not having any fun, but I made myself try to get down the hill. 
5. Time in the lodge never felt so good.

Fortunately, my next ski memory from my junior year of high school was much better. Dad, Jaima, and I went with a large group of friends to Breckenridge and took real lessons (where yes, I did run my Dad into a big hole by a tree).  Jaima and I actually enjoyed the skiing enough that we went back the next year (Dad decided to skip this trip and sent us with friends). There were lots of good memories from this trip.

The last two weekends, we have had the privilege to have stayed in the Vail Valley with two different sets of friends. D-man took lessons both weekends and has really made some great strides. Needless to say, his experience at Beaver Creek was quite different than my initial ski experience at "NebraSKI". 

  

on the gondola 

T-man was also able to get on skis this weekend and although it is very basic, he was excited to get "blue skis" and do the things his brother gets to do. 

 

T-man showing off his gear

And Marshall and I enjoyed a beautiful day on the slopes as well this weekend with our friends. What a great way to enjoy all that Colorado has to offer. 

Taking out time for lunch (yes, we got lots of comments about our hats). 

  

The gang (minus me) on the slopes 

The Love/Hate Relationship with the Neighborhood

Our neighborhood is nothing special. And yet, there are several things I can find about it to like. We have nice neighbors - even though very few neighbors are "like us".  They are friendly and will help out if needed. However, most folks aren't people we hang out with on a regular basis. I actually just got done "chopping ice" with two of my neighbors which was actually quite fun (and we were all pretty happy with the fruits of our labor - see picture).

Our street today

I love the fact that we are centrally located and can get to the lightrail, downtown, the park, and bike paths very easily (and Marshall's commute is not very long).  Being centrally located also means that we have several good restaurants near by.   And the school Drake is attending is located very close to our house which is a huge plus.

Our house is definitely nothing fancy, but it has more than enough room for us and has a private backyard which we enjoy. This modest house has afforded me the luxury of enjoying my unemployment - no worrying about having to pay the mortgage thankfully.

However, I am really longing for a "neighborhood". One where there are "folks like us" so we can swap babysitting, have impromptu happy hours, and all the kids go to the neighborhood school. Another downside to our neighborhood - our school is an under-performing school so all the people that actually have kids send them to the private Catholic school near us, other Denver Public Schools, or Charter Schools like us. (If people in the neighborhood actually sent their kids to our school, I think it might be a decent school.) But, we are past that point -  parents don't want to be "pioneers" when it comes to their child's education.

Overall, we have been happy with our school, but going to a Charter School means it is very hard to develop a sense of community because the population comes from across the metro area.

I think the icing on the cake with this love/hate relationship was news that my neighbor 2 houses down, across the street passed away a month ago. This man lives on my street and I didn't even know he had passed away - he was 62 years old (also emphasizes the fact that our neighbors are not similar to us). Talk about not being part of a neighborhood.

Having grown up in a small town, and as the boys get older, this desire for a community only gets stronger. We know this is not the house we will be in forever, now we only need to get serious about where we can find what we need in a neighborhood and our home. I don't want to be a nosy neighbor, but if something monumental happens to one of my neighbors, I hope to be able to celebrate, mourn, or help out when needed.

Vegas Baby!

Pictures are worth more than words. What a GREAT time!