You can laugh about it later

I often hear comments from people along the lines of  "I don't know how you do it." It often makes me uncomfortable, feeling like these people think I have this perfect life and that I have it all together. Most days it couldn't be farther from the truth. Kids fight and make messes, things break, I lose patience, I forget things, I burn dinner, I run late, I have a basket of laundry in the living room that's waiting to be folded for 4 days. Other times, things are good. They feel really good -- almost perfect. The kids get along good, I don't forget anything major, I'm on time and the house is in decent shape and I fully appreciate the gifts I've been given and the joy in seeing my children learn and explore.

Recently when someone made such a comment to me, I wondered if I give the impression in my columns and blogs that I have a perfect, holding-it-all-together life. If I gave the impression that I'm trying to come across that way, I'm sorry. Sometimes the crazy days are just too much to write about. Sometimes the events are to embarrassing or too painful to discuss with strangers who may read it. Sometimes I am completely mortified, but later am able to laugh of such events -- like the time my son was so scared about going into the dentist office that when I was filling out papers in the waiting room, he darted out the door and hid. The receptionist and I spent several minutes outside looking for him before we discovered him hiding in the bushes. At the time, I just couldn't share that one. Now, years later, I can laugh about it. So, if it seems like I'm "doing it all" and doing it well, there's a lot you don't know, but maybe I'll tell you in a few years when I can finally see the humor in it.

Life through the lens - day 8

Well, my computer seems to be dying a slow death. SLOW. It's taking forever to do anything, so I tried loading a photo to post last night and an hour later I gave up when it still wasn't working. I'm trying again.

I loved this adorable sitting room in the Inn at Aberdeen, a bed and breakfast in Valparaiso, Indiana that I visited last fall. Makes me want to grab a cup of tea, a book and an afghan and snuggle up.

Life through the lens (days 6 and 7)

Well, I knew when I said I'd post a picture a day, it wouldn't be that easy. Some days are so hectic, it's hard to find time to log on. So, here are pics for days 6 and 7. Also, I started out intending to post a picture taken that very day, but I realized it will be easier to just post a random recent picture, but to try and post every day. Here's the newest entries:

Day 6: A grandfather/grandson moment at the orchard.

Day 7: Isn't this flower BEAUTIFUL???? No, idea what it's called, but I love it.

The world through the lens

Early in the summer I got a Nikon camera that I've been enjoying. I saw a photographer on Facebook who did a project of posting a photo a day for 365 days. It was fun to watch the variety she posted. I thought I'd do the same. Today is September 5th, so will start off with five days worth and go from here.

We've had some gorgeous sunflowers in the garden. I've been taking lots of pictures of them during the day with the bright blue sky as a backdrop, but I think this one turned out nicely.

Okay, day two. I take lots of pictures of food for my blog, Chicago Foodie Sisters (www.chicagofoodiesisters.blogspot.com). This was an easy chocolate eclair cake I made. It was yummy. :)

Day three - As we were sitting down to eat dinner, we noticed this little critter right outside the window feasting on sunflower seeds.

Day four - A colorful pile of peppers at a farm stand we visited in Michigan.

Day five - We did some peach picking in Galien, Michigan. Here's our picks - Klondike Whites.

Destination: Wisconsin Dells for one last summer getaway

With just a few days to spare before the whole gang was back in school, we took a short trip to Wisconsin Dells. We had been there in 2008 just after the massive flooding that caused Lake Delton to drain. This time, it had been fully restored and things were bustling. We stayed at a place we hadn't been to before - the Chula Vista Resort. It was a lovely resort, surrounded by a lush golf course at the north end of the Dells. It featured an indoor water park and an outdoor water park that were side by side. Right in front of the main lobby were a miniature lazy river and a pool with basketball hoops. In back was a wave pool and a large hot tub area, which was so relaxing in the evening with a nearby fireplace. Our condo was a two bedroom, two bath condo with a full kitchen and a hot tub. The CVB was kind enough to comp one night and we added a second at our expense since we wanted to spend a little more time there.

Our first day was spent chilling out in the water, which was just what we needed after the nearly four hour ride. On day two, I set off with my oldest to hit some of the attractions while my hubby and the other boys explored the water parks some more.

We first went for a ride on the Original Wisconsin Ducks. If you're ever in the Dells, be sure to take a Duck ride. The amphibious vehicles were made during World War II for military use and today there's a large fleet of them for tours that introduce riders to both the land and the water with some history thrown in by entertaining guides. On our last visit, we went on the Dells Army Ducks...same premise, but painted in camo coloring.

We also spent a little time downtown, shopping and stopping in the H.H. Bennett Gallery and the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. We then went on a two-hour Upper Dells Tour, which was way more involved and informative than I expected. It included a stop at Witch's Gulch and Stand Rock. We were able to see some incredible rock formations of a rare limestone found only four places in the world.

We finished off the day with dinner at Paul Bunyon's, a local eatery that I was drawn to due to my fascination with muffler men (those big fiberglass statues that were common along road stops in the 1960's and 70's.) It was a fun experience with a good, hearty meal.

The next day we did a little more swimming and checked out of the Chula Vista Resort, followed by a trip to the Tommy Bartlett Science Exploratory. What fun! It has tons of hands-on exhibits that kids will love. We had the cool opportunity to ride a bike on a wire (see below.) What was most fascinating was being able to check out the MIR Space Station!!!! It's the only one of its kind in the U.S. (one other exists in Russia.) How cool is that? I had fun chatting with a French exchange student who was manning the space simulator ride. The Dells seems to have exchange students from many places to help staff attractions and resorts during the peak travel season.

We had so much fun on the water the day before that I decided to take a family boat ride - this time on a jet boat. We enjoyed an ice cream cone as we waited to board. It was quite a ride. The pilot did all kinds of dips and twists and turns that left us soaked. 

We decided to have dinner on the way out of town and we picked a good place - Buffalo Phil's. I admit that I'm a Chicago pizza snob and usually don't find pizza I like when I get too far away from Chicago, but I was pleasantly surprised by the pizza there. We got a 1/2 sausage and 1/2 pepperoni and also a barbecue pizza that went fast between all the boys. It also had tables where your food could be delivered by train, but it necessitated a 20 minute wait, so we decided a regular booth would do. There's also a big arcade/indoor amusement park attached that we skipped since we didn't want to get home too late, but would have definitely checked out otherwise.

We love the area and, of course, the kids are always up for a trip to a water park. I'm hoping to visit Mt. Olympus on a future trip. It looks like so much fun. I've also heard great things about the Kalahari Resort. Our previous visit was spend at the Wilderness Resort, which had ideal lodging for family. We stayed in a condo and went back and forth between several indoor and outdoor water parks and the kids loved making their own animals in the bear-building workshop.

Just an FYI...on our last trip, we also visited Wisconsin Deer Park, Riverview Amusement and Water Park, Wizard Quest and the B & H Trout Farm where the kids did some fishing. All are great family attractions to see when you're in town. As the warm weather subsides and the crowds die down, it's a great time to hit the area to do some fishing. The larger resorts also have indoor water parks and other activities, so it makes a great spot for a family getaway all year round.

AFV gets approval from all

Just had to post that it's often hard to find appropriate stuff on television that all occupants of the house of all ages will enjoy since they range from 6 to 43. Tonight the boys were excited about watching America's Funniest Videos, which was on all day. It's not often you find a show that you liked watching as a child that your kids also like to watch. What makes it even better is that some of these re-runs are from when I was a teenager. They all giggle like crazy at people falling off of objects or running into trees or animals doing funny things. Beats a lot of the mindless, crude and violent images that are on many other channels. So it gets mom's seal of approval, as well.

Lagging behind, but catching up

I really should post more often. I say that a lot. Lately I've been reading more blogs and noticing how some of these moms post several times a week, some even posting daily. Gosh, I wish I could keep up with that, but I don't think that's ever going to happen - between home, five kids, a husband, a dog, a part-time job outside the house, my writing work done inside the house, trying to help out a little at school, maintaining three blogs and countless social network statuses, keeping up with deadlines on the regular print publications I write for, trying to promote and sell my latest book, prepare for my next book coming out and get ready to submit another book proposal and some other things in between, my time is a bit limited.

Anyway, here's what this week was like. Monday was the first day of school. My husband and I took them for their first day and then I went off to work. Tuesday, I got the kids off to school and had a long day at work. Wednesday was the first day with the kids back at school and me home in a quiet house...well for part of the day anyway. My oldest stopped home for lunch because he has a couple classes in one building in the morning, then travels to another building for additional classes. I soaked up the quiet. I did long overdue housework. I spent some time on the computer doing nothing really useful. Thursday, another quiet day of getting some work done at home and some shopping and cooking done. Today was Friday. My husband worked. The kids were all gone. It was all me. I met my friend, Michelle, for breakfast. Michelle is my breakfast buddy. I have friends that I do certain activities with and it's so nice to have them all -- like Toni, who is also my breakfast buddy, but she likes Aunt Sally's, so that's where we go. Michelle and I usually stick to Baker's Square. Heather is another breakfast buddy of the Baker's Square variety. Ellie is my movie buddy. We get together to go to a dinner and a movie. Cindy and Cheri are my bowling buddies. Then there's a set of club buddies I have. My friends from the historical society. The PTA moms. My neighbor who plans the block party with me. My friend, Fran, who I occasionally go to concerts with. There's the play date moms. My sisters who are my forever friends and who I enjoy so much. It's so nice to have such roles with so many different people.

Michelle is a gem - always encouraging and fun to be around. It was great to have breakfast with her and chat. Now that the school year is back in full swing, I'll look forward to more visits with my variety of friends. :)