So, today my phone decided to go swimming. She had tried to do this a few times before but never quite made it all the way in. This time she slid right into the potty at TJ Maxx!
Now before you question why I was using my phone while going potty, I wasn't! I had her safely stored in my winter coat pocket, but she somehow snuck out and before I could catch her she was diving in feet first.
I quickly rescued her, said a couple swear words, (I'm sure the person in the stall next to me wondered what was going on), and hurried out of the stall. I was planning to stick her under the hand dryer but there wasn't one so I grabbed a couple paper towels, toweled her off and hurried out of the store.
I was scared to even look at my phone because I knew it was toast so I just turned it off. I remembered hearing if you ever drop your iphone in water you should put it in a bag of rice to help absorb the water and hopefully save your phone. I drove to Wal-Mart and sprinted to the rice aisle.
I had a decision to make. I didn't know what kind of rice I needed to get: brown rice, white rice, organic...I decided to go with the old standby and grabbed an 84 cent bag of white rice. Definitely my cheapest trip to Wal-Mart ever! What's even more funny is I did self check out and picked the machine that would only take credit cards so I now have an 84 cent charge on my credit card. Justin will love that.
I opened the rice in the parking lot, pouring half of it out, and shoved my phone in the bag. The only problem was I didn't really know how long I needed to leave the phone in the rice. Plus, dialysis units and my office use my phone to get a hold of me during the day so I couldn't leave it off the rest of the day. Of course I had no idea what the phone numbers were to these units so I could tell them my phone wasn't working...Who memorizes phone numbers anymore? And what phone would I use to call them with? Dang, what did we do before cell phones?
So I went to plan B. Since I was out near Jordan Creek I ventured to the Apple Store. They told me it would be an hour wait so I was FORCED to shop for an hour while I waited for them to look at my phone.
Finally an hour was up and the friendly Apple employee went to work on my phone. Ten minutes later he returned saying everything was working except my phone thought the headphones were plugged in so I couldn't hear anything unless the speaker was on. Hmm, well at least it was functional but I wouldn't be able to have any private conversations. He said the phone could be replaced for $299. Since it was still functional, I wasn't ready to give up on it yet! He recommended leaving it off and in rice for the rest of the day to see if that would help.
I hurried to my car and shoved it back in the bag of rice before heading back to work. After a couple hours I decided to turn it back on. It still wasn't functioning correctly. While at a dialysis center I had searched online "my iPhone thinks the headphones are plugged in" and surprisingly had numerous recommendations on what to do to help it. (What did we do before the Internet?) One suggestion was to suck really hard on the headphone jack. I did this and wouldn't you know it, all my sounds came back on and my phone is as good as new.
Whew, I didn't want to have to listen to the wrath of Deb, our office manager, who would not be happy when I told her I needed to have my phone replaced!
Another thumbs up for this Apple product. I have always stood behind my iPhones and iPads and have never had any trouble with them. This just shows that maybe they are indestructible. We've had our original iPad for 6+ years now without any issues. Each child has dropped it a number of times yet it still keeps going. Ironically, the screen did crack last month but no child is to blame for it (ahem, Justin). A nice guy in Madrid repaired it for a decent price and it's back to working just fine.
Don't worry, I sanitized my phone with about 100 alcohol wipes :). Sorry Apple guy, I didn't sanitize it before I handed it over to you. Oops!
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Our Rose Bowl Experience
We never expected to make two trips to Southern California in 2 months but we just couldn't pass up this opportunity.
5 years ago when we were vacationing with my family in California, we decided to get tickets to the Rose Bowl with my brother and his wife. I doubted our Hawkeyes would ever make it to this prestigious bowl game so figured we might as well see a game here while we can. We cheered on TCU and Wisconsin, taking in the amazing atmosphere. Justin and I mentioned that if Iowa ever DID make it to the Rose Bowl, we would be there.
We aren't spontaneous people. In fact, many people would be annoyed at the degree of planners we are. From planning our meals every week, to planning our weekend 6 days in advance, we like to know what's going on and hate NOT knowing what is going on! So planning this trip in a few hours the day they announced the bowl games was way out of our element.
Weeks leading up to the game we didn't mention to many people we were going, for a variety of reasons. I did chit chat with one of my dialysis patients who was part of the Hawkeye team in 1959 who won the Rose Bowl. He is one of the oldest living NFL players, (and quite stubborn), but a joy to talk football with!
I had serious buyers remorse for weeks as well. I am such a saver and HATE spending money. I rarely buy something unless it is on sale and really dislike spending money on myself. Talking to many friends and co-workers leading up to the trip helped me realize that this was a trip of a life time and you only live once, (or YOLO as my BFF would say!).
I also felt horrible that we were leaving our kids again in the hands of the grandparents who were probably still recovering from the last time we ventured to California, (which was like 5 weeks ago!).
Many people made the trip to CA just for the game. We decided to make the most of it and spent 5 days in this sunny place. We were so lucky to plan our flight when we did because it snowed the day before and the day after we flew out. We had no trouble with our travels but did have to sprint in the Dallas airport to catch our connecting flight.
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| Our fight to LA |
We spent two nights with my cousin Sheila, her husband, Thomas, and their daughter Grace. Grace is a phenomenal swimmer, (we're talking Junior Olympic champion and possible 2020 Olympic hopeful!). I have always wanted to watch her swim so we watched one of her practices the second night we were there. Outdoor high school swimming pools are just not possible in the Midwest!
Having family there was a bonus as Sheila could tell us exactly where to go and what to see. Our first day we ventured to Malibu and after seeing a couple beaches, we had lunch at Malibu Seafood. I ate here when I was in 7th grade, (22 years ago). It was special being able to bring my husband here. After seeing a couple more beaches we went to the Malibu Winery for wine tasting. This winery was adorable with tons of seating and great tasting wine. Many locals brought in their own picnic basket of little snacks to eat with their wine.
New Year's Eve day we headed to the Port of LA where the USS Iowa is. This was an amazing experience. We arrived shortly after it opened and quickly saw the line was a growing. It would have been an hour and a half wait to get on the boat where we were in line. Ironically, we spotted a neighbor from 98th Street who we were able to join in line. Shortly after that we were touring the boat.
Seeing this battleship was quite an experience and I easily would have waited an hour and a half to tour it. I loved viewing the living conditions, where meals were prepared and eaten, and FDRs bathtub. This had to be installed before his trip across the Atlantic to meet with Winston Churchill and Stalin. However, I was most excited about meeting Ernie, a WWII Vet who was actually stationed on the USS Iowa during the war. I have a special place in my heart for our WWII vets, and proudly shook his head after viewing his pictures and memorabilia from his time on the boat.
New Year's Eve was spent in Marina Del Ray with one of my best friends and her husband-it felt like college all over again!
We were up early on New Year's Day to head to downtown LA. We decided to take the metro to the stadium to avoid the game traffic. Surprisingly with all of the driving we have done in CA recently, we never had traffic issues and we both felt pretty comfortable driving in this state. However, with thousands of fans traveling to Pasadena, we didn't want to risk anything. The train ride was smooth and it dropped us off right near the parade route.
We didn't get tickets for the parade for numerous reasons but I wanted to see at least one float live so we watched for a few minutes, taking in the whole experience. We then started our walk toward the stadium which took us through beautiful neighborhoods with stunning homes before seeing the stadium and the golf courses that surround it. This is all quite a site, especially with the mountains in the background. I remember being blown away the first time I saw it and just as much the second time.
Two other couples we knew and us decided to purchase the tailgate package to avoid having to find a grill/cooler, etc for a tailgate. The tailgate was well organized with yummy food and great beer and wine. Looking back, it was quite pricey but again, YOLO! I also was able to participate in a game of Bubble Ball soccer, which was something that always looked like fun!
A few hours later it was time to head into the game. With the recent shooting at San Bernardino, security was increased so it took a little longer to get into the game. I was impatient and snuck ahead in the line, leaving Justin in the dust. I wasn't about to miss the kick off of this game!
Yeah, the game stunk. Honestly, all Iowa had to do was cover #5 like white on rice but apparently they didn't practice that! At least the Stanford fans were classy, (much unlike their band!). It was still amazing to be there watching OUR team at the most prestigious bowl game there is!
Our final day in CA was spent exploring Hollywood and Southern CA beaches (Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan). After walking along the boardwalk for an hour and a half, watching a beautiful sunset and eating sushi, we headed to the airport for our red eye flight home. Lesson learned: A red eye flight home when you have three little ones to care for is NOT a good idea! We spent the rest of the week catching up on sleep!
What I loved most about the trip was seeing Hawkeye fans everywhere we went: Malibu, Marina Del Ray, Hollywood, and all the beaches. There was always a sea of yellow and black wherever we traveled which made us feel a little at home. What a fun trip!
We didn't get tickets for the parade for numerous reasons but I wanted to see at least one float live so we watched for a few minutes, taking in the whole experience. We then started our walk toward the stadium which took us through beautiful neighborhoods with stunning homes before seeing the stadium and the golf courses that surround it. This is all quite a site, especially with the mountains in the background. I remember being blown away the first time I saw it and just as much the second time.
Two other couples we knew and us decided to purchase the tailgate package to avoid having to find a grill/cooler, etc for a tailgate. The tailgate was well organized with yummy food and great beer and wine. Looking back, it was quite pricey but again, YOLO! I also was able to participate in a game of Bubble Ball soccer, which was something that always looked like fun!
A few hours later it was time to head into the game. With the recent shooting at San Bernardino, security was increased so it took a little longer to get into the game. I was impatient and snuck ahead in the line, leaving Justin in the dust. I wasn't about to miss the kick off of this game!
Yeah, the game stunk. Honestly, all Iowa had to do was cover #5 like white on rice but apparently they didn't practice that! At least the Stanford fans were classy, (much unlike their band!). It was still amazing to be there watching OUR team at the most prestigious bowl game there is!
Our final day in CA was spent exploring Hollywood and Southern CA beaches (Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan). After walking along the boardwalk for an hour and a half, watching a beautiful sunset and eating sushi, we headed to the airport for our red eye flight home. Lesson learned: A red eye flight home when you have three little ones to care for is NOT a good idea! We spent the rest of the week catching up on sleep!
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| I love a fresh churro! |
What I loved most about the trip was seeing Hawkeye fans everywhere we went: Malibu, Marina Del Ray, Hollywood, and all the beaches. There was always a sea of yellow and black wherever we traveled which made us feel a little at home. What a fun trip!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
A Little Thank You
Call me old fashion, but I appreciate a hand written thank you note.
There's something about getting a note of appreciation from someone. It doesn't have to be fancy or even store bought. In fact, a simple thank you on a post it note would suffice. Just the fact that someone wrote a quick message of thanks and dropped it in the mail is enough. It shows gratitude for whatever it is he or she received, whether it was a gift, a service, or something else.
Alena has been to many birthday parties over the last year and received very few thank you notes! Maybe this is just the norm now?
I'm going to continue to be old fashion and write thank you notes for my children until they are old enough to write their own. I think it's important that they continue to do this as they get older because these little notes are definitely appreciated. Yes, I know most people open the card, read it, and throw it away. I'm OK with this knowledge as I know they will be grateful to receive the little note in the mail.
Speaking of mail, isn't it wonderful to receive a letter in the mail? I hate that electronics have taken this away from most of it. It's so easy to send a text message and email now but there is something special about seeing your name on an envelope in the mailbox, (except when it is a bill). A couple weeks ago, Alena saw me getting our Christmas cards ready to mail. She decided to make her own cards for some of her cousins. They were short and sweet but very thoughtful. It will be fun for her and her cousins to correspond via mail as they get older.
Last month I received a letter from a new patient I was going to meet for the first time this week. He introduced himself and indicated he was looking forward to meeting me. Isn't that just the sweetest thing?
I see over 200 dialysis patients a week and many have become dear friends of mine. Some patients I know so well we often spend more time talking about social things than medical things. One particular patient always remembers to write me a thank you note near the holidays. I greatly appreciate this each year and it's a nice reminder of why I do what I do. I love the patient interaction the most about my job, and why I went into this career. Today I met a patient who went to high school with Elvis Presley-such interesting people I have met over the last 10 years!
I think we can all do better with showing others our gratitude by saying thank you, whether that is in written form or verbally. A thank you is like a compliment, it makes the recipient feel good about him or herself!
There's something about getting a note of appreciation from someone. It doesn't have to be fancy or even store bought. In fact, a simple thank you on a post it note would suffice. Just the fact that someone wrote a quick message of thanks and dropped it in the mail is enough. It shows gratitude for whatever it is he or she received, whether it was a gift, a service, or something else.
Alena has been to many birthday parties over the last year and received very few thank you notes! Maybe this is just the norm now?
I'm going to continue to be old fashion and write thank you notes for my children until they are old enough to write their own. I think it's important that they continue to do this as they get older because these little notes are definitely appreciated. Yes, I know most people open the card, read it, and throw it away. I'm OK with this knowledge as I know they will be grateful to receive the little note in the mail.
Speaking of mail, isn't it wonderful to receive a letter in the mail? I hate that electronics have taken this away from most of it. It's so easy to send a text message and email now but there is something special about seeing your name on an envelope in the mailbox, (except when it is a bill). A couple weeks ago, Alena saw me getting our Christmas cards ready to mail. She decided to make her own cards for some of her cousins. They were short and sweet but very thoughtful. It will be fun for her and her cousins to correspond via mail as they get older.
Last month I received a letter from a new patient I was going to meet for the first time this week. He introduced himself and indicated he was looking forward to meeting me. Isn't that just the sweetest thing?
I see over 200 dialysis patients a week and many have become dear friends of mine. Some patients I know so well we often spend more time talking about social things than medical things. One particular patient always remembers to write me a thank you note near the holidays. I greatly appreciate this each year and it's a nice reminder of why I do what I do. I love the patient interaction the most about my job, and why I went into this career. Today I met a patient who went to high school with Elvis Presley-such interesting people I have met over the last 10 years!
I think we can all do better with showing others our gratitude by saying thank you, whether that is in written form or verbally. A thank you is like a compliment, it makes the recipient feel good about him or herself!
Sunday, December 13, 2015
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Christmas is by far my favorite holiday and the one I go all out for. I don't really decorate for the other ones but maybe that will change in the new place. We got a jump start decorating this year because, well, it seemed like everyone was already in the mood and decorating so we jumped on the band wagon. I almost always wait until after Thanksgiving, using the long weekend to place things in their correct places. We started the weekend before this time. I figure, if we go to all this work getting things set up, we might as well enjoy them a little longer.
I purchased something I never thought I would: A fake Christmas tree. My father will probably shake his head at this item in my home, but I just thought we needed two trees! One to gaze at from our main living space and one in our front room.
When we built this house, I knew exactly where our Christmas tree would go. Justin picked the tree out this year from Dad's tree farm and honestly it was a nice choice. I knew it was a little bigger than what we normally pick but thought it would fit perfect. Well, it's a good thing we ended up cutting some of the top off to shape it a little better otherwise it would not have fit. It's big; maybe a little too big, but it's growing on me.
The other reason I felt we needed two trees is because we have so many ornaments. Justin and I have our own from when we were little, (both getting new ornaments each year), plus we have ornaments that we have obtained from being together. (We usually get one from locations we travel to with the date on it). The little ones also receive new ornaments each years so the number has grown.
The kid's ornaments are all on the real tree. In all honesty, I probably should purchase more ornaments for the tree because it is a little bare but it's fine for this year. We are pretty simple people, so lights and ornaments are all that go on our little (big!) tree.
Decorating the mantle was fun and I went a little non-traditional with the color scheme. I went back and forth about where to hang the stockings and ended up getting new hangers for the mantle. Caleb and Alena each have a little tree in their room, (next year I'll find one for Lauren). While I was busy decorating the inside, Justin headed on the roof to hang a few Christmas lights. He also put lights around the deck.
We've had two weekends of baking and a freezer full of goodies. I purposely place these in the freezer in the garage so they aren't as convenient. When we designed this house I pictured my three little ones sitting at a big island while we rolled out and then decorated Christmas cookies. Having two ovens made the process go even faster. I went back and forth about doing a gingerbread house. In the end, I found a cute "gingerbread village" with 4 little buildings. C missed out on this project as we was down for the count the day we did them.
Elfie joined the family again on December 1st and I love each child's excitement every morning when they roam the house looking for him. They are really getting into it this year!
Alena has her Christmas list all ready to go and has made one visit to Santa. (She may need to revise this list as all she needs for Christmas are her two front teeth!). The twins have no interest in seeing Santa although L did give him a high five when we ran into him at Home Depot a couple weekends ago. C told me he wanted ME to tell Santa what he wanted.
To help our little ones remember the reason behind Christmas, we are focusing on the four gift rule: One thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they wear and one thing they read. We will also have a few items for their stockings and maybe one or two other presents for them to open, but we really wanted to avoid going overboard with presents.
I love listening to what others do for the holidays and their traditions. Do you wrap the gifts from Santa or not? Does Santa bring many gifts or just one big gift? Are stocking gifts wrapped? What do you leave out for Santa and his reindeer? Do you do anything special for Christmas Eve? I will be honest, some of our traditions we are still figuring out. Justin and I came from two different families that each had their own traditions so we are trying to meld these traditions together.
I hope my kids continue to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy forever! Unfortunately, I know that once they get into school, rumors about these friendly visitors being pretend will come up. Alena is already asking questions so I have to be even more careful about things, (she found the wrapping paper "Santa' used last year!). Please stay young with your innocent minds forever!
Alena had her Christmas music program a couple weeks ago and we have already had one family Christmas. Another Christmas is this weekend. The month is going so fast. Does anyone else think 2015 went by faster than it should have?!
I purchased something I never thought I would: A fake Christmas tree. My father will probably shake his head at this item in my home, but I just thought we needed two trees! One to gaze at from our main living space and one in our front room.
When we built this house, I knew exactly where our Christmas tree would go. Justin picked the tree out this year from Dad's tree farm and honestly it was a nice choice. I knew it was a little bigger than what we normally pick but thought it would fit perfect. Well, it's a good thing we ended up cutting some of the top off to shape it a little better otherwise it would not have fit. It's big; maybe a little too big, but it's growing on me.
The other reason I felt we needed two trees is because we have so many ornaments. Justin and I have our own from when we were little, (both getting new ornaments each year), plus we have ornaments that we have obtained from being together. (We usually get one from locations we travel to with the date on it). The little ones also receive new ornaments each years so the number has grown.
The kid's ornaments are all on the real tree. In all honesty, I probably should purchase more ornaments for the tree because it is a little bare but it's fine for this year. We are pretty simple people, so lights and ornaments are all that go on our little (big!) tree.
Decorating the mantle was fun and I went a little non-traditional with the color scheme. I went back and forth about where to hang the stockings and ended up getting new hangers for the mantle. Caleb and Alena each have a little tree in their room, (next year I'll find one for Lauren). While I was busy decorating the inside, Justin headed on the roof to hang a few Christmas lights. He also put lights around the deck.
We've had two weekends of baking and a freezer full of goodies. I purposely place these in the freezer in the garage so they aren't as convenient. When we designed this house I pictured my three little ones sitting at a big island while we rolled out and then decorated Christmas cookies. Having two ovens made the process go even faster. I went back and forth about doing a gingerbread house. In the end, I found a cute "gingerbread village" with 4 little buildings. C missed out on this project as we was down for the count the day we did them.
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| My new favorite holiday cookie! |
Elfie joined the family again on December 1st and I love each child's excitement every morning when they roam the house looking for him. They are really getting into it this year!
Alena has her Christmas list all ready to go and has made one visit to Santa. (She may need to revise this list as all she needs for Christmas are her two front teeth!). The twins have no interest in seeing Santa although L did give him a high five when we ran into him at Home Depot a couple weekends ago. C told me he wanted ME to tell Santa what he wanted.
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| I believe these lists are a combo of what Addie wants and what Alena wants! Hope Santa can sort it out! |
To help our little ones remember the reason behind Christmas, we are focusing on the four gift rule: One thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they wear and one thing they read. We will also have a few items for their stockings and maybe one or two other presents for them to open, but we really wanted to avoid going overboard with presents.
I love listening to what others do for the holidays and their traditions. Do you wrap the gifts from Santa or not? Does Santa bring many gifts or just one big gift? Are stocking gifts wrapped? What do you leave out for Santa and his reindeer? Do you do anything special for Christmas Eve? I will be honest, some of our traditions we are still figuring out. Justin and I came from two different families that each had their own traditions so we are trying to meld these traditions together.
I hope my kids continue to believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy forever! Unfortunately, I know that once they get into school, rumors about these friendly visitors being pretend will come up. Alena is already asking questions so I have to be even more careful about things, (she found the wrapping paper "Santa' used last year!). Please stay young with your innocent minds forever!
Alena had her Christmas music program a couple weeks ago and we have already had one family Christmas. Another Christmas is this weekend. The month is going so fast. Does anyone else think 2015 went by faster than it should have?!
Friday, November 20, 2015
Transitions, Kindergarten, a lost item, oh my!
TRANSITIONS:
A few weeks ago we decided to make the transition.
With so many changes over the last year, we didn't want to transition the twins to big kid beds until we had been in the house for a while. With every move we made over the last year, it would take a good week before everyone was back to sleeping well.
Ironically, since our very first night in the new home, everyone has slept well. Yes, I know many people transition their little one out of a crib much sooner than we chose to. In all honesty, we had no reason to move them. They weren't climbing out, sleeping horribly or out growing their cribs yet.
I also have heard many horror stories of transitioning to big kid beds. My co-worker, whose twins are six weeks younger than mine, had no choice but to transition about 9 months ago because her girls were crawling out of their cribs. Their transition to big kid beds included putting the lock on the outside of the door, her husband sitting in their room with his computer working until the kids fell asleep, and watching them play for over an hour on the video monitor before they would finally crash, in whatever location in the room they ended up. In fact her stories were so frightful I stopped asking her how the transition was going! Even months after they made the transition they were still having difficulty. Cribs for life, I decided!
Then one day, I was in Lauren's room and just thought today was the day. I already had a toddler bed for her, (the one A used), so I gave it a coat of paint and the next day took down her crib and replaced it with her toddler bed. She was so excited.
It was a little bitter sweet disassembling that crib for the last time. We carefully picked that crib 6 years ago from Suite Dreams, not knowing if we would have a little boy or little girl sleeping in it. Not knowing how many other little Schaack's would make that their first bed as well. I've always loved that crib. Now it's home to another couple who is expecting twins soon.
Ironically, right after this, we were given a box spring and mattress that we would use for Caleb's room. So a couple days later, his crib came down and his new big kid bed went into place. He loves his new big kid bed and eventually we will get him a headboard and frame but for now it does just fine on the floor.
About a week later, I stumbled upon a bedroom set from L I just had to have. I have no intention of putting a full sized bed in her room but what if she has a friend over and she needs somewhere to sleep? I decided a trundle bed would be perfect. This set included a trundle bed, dresser and night stand and fits perfectly in her cozy room.
Our transition has been very smooth. C has yet to get out of his room and does exactly what Alena did when she transitioned into a big kid bed: Calls out for mom or dad to come get him when he is done sleeping. (You may recall from previous posts, that A continued to do this for years, and just recently realized she can get out of bed on her own!).
About a week into the transition, Lauren woke up early in the morning and just sat outside our room, saying "mommy," "daddy," louder and louder until one of us heard her. Another time she decided to come all the way in our room and ended up standing right beside my head. I rolled over, opened my eyes and saw a figure there! Startled, I let out a little gasp, which frightened her and we ended up with a tearful L in our bed for the rest of the night.
The best story of all, was when we had tucked all three kids in bed and Justin and I were doing our normal evening routine on the main floor, (making lunches, gathering things that would be needed the next day, etc). Justin went up to shave and saw something in the hallway. There, fast asleep with Clifford was little L. Our carpet must be pretty comfortable.
Other than that, our transition has been successful!
KINDERGARTEN:
A is loving school. We had her conference last week and left her classroom very proud parents. She loves to read and is so motivated to learn. I hope her love of school continues.
She loves riding the bus and has a group of friends she visits with during the ride. Her bus driver, Alan, is great and I feel completely confident when she leaves my side in the morning and walks up the stairs into the bus. (I did recently discover what happens if I am not home when the bus comes to drop her off! Silly work made me 2 minutes late!).
She eats school lunch about once or twice a week. I'm glad she is willing to try meals at school and I'm always quick to remind her to get some fruit and veggies on her plate too :). Otherwise, she takes cold lunch which we get ready the night before. I am not that parent who cuts her sandwiches into cute shapes or gives her surprises/notes every day. She is pretty easy to please but I will surprise her with a treat every now and then. I've tried and tried to find a vegetable for her to pack but have not been successful, yet.
Her teacher says she is a great friend and is friends with everyone. This does not surprise me at all as this is similar feedback we received when she was at PCDC.
She had to bring snacks to school today and wanted something "fun." Her teacher has stressed the importance of healthy snacks, (plus it cannot be homemade, which still irritates me!), so we had to get creative. Thanks to Pinterest, these little turkeys were made last night:
A LOST ITEM:
On our way back from San Diego, right after we had gone through security, I realized we had left a pretty important object in our rental car.
The first day of my conference, I took my I pad with me, not knowing if some of the information I would need would be online. That afternoon, I unpacked the I pad from my purse and left it in the rental car. I didn't use it the rest of the trip and didn't realize it was still in the car. (It must have been tucked between the seat and the console). We unloaded everything from the car the evening before we left CA and packed our suitcases. When we dropped off our rental car the next morning, (at 4:30 AM), it was still dark. We assumed we had gathered everything from the car the night before so didn't do a final check.
After going through security, we had an hour and a half before our flight would take off. I knew it would be close if I decided to take the shuttle back to the rental car location, find our rental car, obtain the object, catch the shuttle back and then go through the every growing line at security. I didn't want to risk missing our flight and we had already checked that there were no open seats on later flights that would get us to Des Moines that day.
We tried to contact the rental car company to alert them that we had left an item but got no where. We were worried that if someone found it, they would just take it and not turn it in. Justin was smart enough to lock the I pad preventing anyone from getting online. We have a lot of personal items on there, (emails, a link to our discover account, etc). I was not able to get through to anyone at the car rental company and was told to just fill out an online form detailing the lost item. If it is found, someone will email me.
Wouldn't you know it, Monday morning, I received an email back saying the item had been found. I had to pay $36 to have it shipped but I was pleased to have it back a couple days later! Lesson learned!
A few weeks ago we decided to make the transition.
With so many changes over the last year, we didn't want to transition the twins to big kid beds until we had been in the house for a while. With every move we made over the last year, it would take a good week before everyone was back to sleeping well.
Ironically, since our very first night in the new home, everyone has slept well. Yes, I know many people transition their little one out of a crib much sooner than we chose to. In all honesty, we had no reason to move them. They weren't climbing out, sleeping horribly or out growing their cribs yet.
I also have heard many horror stories of transitioning to big kid beds. My co-worker, whose twins are six weeks younger than mine, had no choice but to transition about 9 months ago because her girls were crawling out of their cribs. Their transition to big kid beds included putting the lock on the outside of the door, her husband sitting in their room with his computer working until the kids fell asleep, and watching them play for over an hour on the video monitor before they would finally crash, in whatever location in the room they ended up. In fact her stories were so frightful I stopped asking her how the transition was going! Even months after they made the transition they were still having difficulty. Cribs for life, I decided!
Then one day, I was in Lauren's room and just thought today was the day. I already had a toddler bed for her, (the one A used), so I gave it a coat of paint and the next day took down her crib and replaced it with her toddler bed. She was so excited.
It was a little bitter sweet disassembling that crib for the last time. We carefully picked that crib 6 years ago from Suite Dreams, not knowing if we would have a little boy or little girl sleeping in it. Not knowing how many other little Schaack's would make that their first bed as well. I've always loved that crib. Now it's home to another couple who is expecting twins soon.
Ironically, right after this, we were given a box spring and mattress that we would use for Caleb's room. So a couple days later, his crib came down and his new big kid bed went into place. He loves his new big kid bed and eventually we will get him a headboard and frame but for now it does just fine on the floor.
About a week later, I stumbled upon a bedroom set from L I just had to have. I have no intention of putting a full sized bed in her room but what if she has a friend over and she needs somewhere to sleep? I decided a trundle bed would be perfect. This set included a trundle bed, dresser and night stand and fits perfectly in her cozy room.
Our transition has been very smooth. C has yet to get out of his room and does exactly what Alena did when she transitioned into a big kid bed: Calls out for mom or dad to come get him when he is done sleeping. (You may recall from previous posts, that A continued to do this for years, and just recently realized she can get out of bed on her own!).
About a week into the transition, Lauren woke up early in the morning and just sat outside our room, saying "mommy," "daddy," louder and louder until one of us heard her. Another time she decided to come all the way in our room and ended up standing right beside my head. I rolled over, opened my eyes and saw a figure there! Startled, I let out a little gasp, which frightened her and we ended up with a tearful L in our bed for the rest of the night.
The best story of all, was when we had tucked all three kids in bed and Justin and I were doing our normal evening routine on the main floor, (making lunches, gathering things that would be needed the next day, etc). Justin went up to shave and saw something in the hallway. There, fast asleep with Clifford was little L. Our carpet must be pretty comfortable.
Other than that, our transition has been successful!
KINDERGARTEN:
A is loving school. We had her conference last week and left her classroom very proud parents. She loves to read and is so motivated to learn. I hope her love of school continues.
She loves riding the bus and has a group of friends she visits with during the ride. Her bus driver, Alan, is great and I feel completely confident when she leaves my side in the morning and walks up the stairs into the bus. (I did recently discover what happens if I am not home when the bus comes to drop her off! Silly work made me 2 minutes late!).
She eats school lunch about once or twice a week. I'm glad she is willing to try meals at school and I'm always quick to remind her to get some fruit and veggies on her plate too :). Otherwise, she takes cold lunch which we get ready the night before. I am not that parent who cuts her sandwiches into cute shapes or gives her surprises/notes every day. She is pretty easy to please but I will surprise her with a treat every now and then. I've tried and tried to find a vegetable for her to pack but have not been successful, yet.
Her teacher says she is a great friend and is friends with everyone. This does not surprise me at all as this is similar feedback we received when she was at PCDC.
She had to bring snacks to school today and wanted something "fun." Her teacher has stressed the importance of healthy snacks, (plus it cannot be homemade, which still irritates me!), so we had to get creative. Thanks to Pinterest, these little turkeys were made last night:
A LOST ITEM:
On our way back from San Diego, right after we had gone through security, I realized we had left a pretty important object in our rental car.
The first day of my conference, I took my I pad with me, not knowing if some of the information I would need would be online. That afternoon, I unpacked the I pad from my purse and left it in the rental car. I didn't use it the rest of the trip and didn't realize it was still in the car. (It must have been tucked between the seat and the console). We unloaded everything from the car the evening before we left CA and packed our suitcases. When we dropped off our rental car the next morning, (at 4:30 AM), it was still dark. We assumed we had gathered everything from the car the night before so didn't do a final check.
After going through security, we had an hour and a half before our flight would take off. I knew it would be close if I decided to take the shuttle back to the rental car location, find our rental car, obtain the object, catch the shuttle back and then go through the every growing line at security. I didn't want to risk missing our flight and we had already checked that there were no open seats on later flights that would get us to Des Moines that day.
We tried to contact the rental car company to alert them that we had left an item but got no where. We were worried that if someone found it, they would just take it and not turn it in. Justin was smart enough to lock the I pad preventing anyone from getting online. We have a lot of personal items on there, (emails, a link to our discover account, etc). I was not able to get through to anyone at the car rental company and was told to just fill out an online form detailing the lost item. If it is found, someone will email me.
Wouldn't you know it, Monday morning, I received an email back saying the item had been found. I had to pay $36 to have it shipped but I was pleased to have it back a couple days later! Lesson learned!
Monday, November 9, 2015
San Diego
I can see how people who venture to this beautiful state end up staying there, (as my cousin did many years ago).
The last time I was in San Diego I was 6 years old. I don't remember much except going to Sea World and even those memories are quite faded. My mom has been telling me for weeks now that it is such a beautiful place and one of her favorite places to visit. It all makes sense now.
It IS absolutely gorgeous with tons and tons of things to do.
Knowing I have to renew my AANP certification next year, (crazy it will be 10 years I have been practicing as a nurse practitioner!), I needed to start earning some continuing education credits. My employer is very generous and gives all providers a nice lump sum each year to spend on CEUs. Most of the time I don't even come close to using all of that money as often times I don't travel too far for conferences or won't attend any at all for various reasons. Last year I went to a conference at Mayo Clinic with a dear friend. We had a great time, but I wanted to do something different this year.
This year I decided to do it right! I scoped out all the renal-related conferences around the states, (even looking at some in Hawaii and in Europe), before I decided on attending Kidney Week in San Diego. I liked the time of year, (right before my birthday), the location, and the topics that would be presented at the conference seemed interesting. We went back and forth about whether Justin was going to go with me and in the end decided to purchase plane tickets for 2!
As things always do, this "vacation" sort of snuck up on us and I didn't feel prepared at all to leave. It was probably a good thing, however, or I would have been more worried about leaving the little ones behind. With one page of written directions for the grandparents, the kid's insurance cards and a letter stating the grandparents were allowed to make medical decisions for the kids, we packed our bags, parked the car at Keck and took off. (Note: We STILL have not completed our will. I know, I know, only 6 years too late! It's moved to the top of our "to do" list).
We seem to never have good luck with traveling/vacations so I wasn't surprised when we had an extended layover in Phoenix while they searched for another co-pilot! Seriously?! However, the next day we were driving around downtown and saw that quite a few streets were closed off by police cars. We later learned there was a standoff in the neighborhood and all flights into San Diego were shut down. I overheard people at the conference saying they had to spend 6 extra hours at their layover destination! Whew, at least we avoided that fiasco.
After getting the rental car it was close to 9:00 pm, (11:00 pm Iowa time), and we were over-hungry and tired. We walked to Little Italy and enjoyed some delicious Italian food before running back to the hotel during a thunderstorm. The locals were in awe of the thunder and lightning because that NEVER happens there. We were more annoyed because we didn't come to California to see a thunderstorm!
Thankfully it was sunshine and perfect temps the rest of the stay.
Wednesday was our only day together to sight see so we really had to narrow down what we wanted to do. I was all about going to the zoo and the safari but Justin wanted to spend our time doing other things. In the end, I think I would have wanted to see the zoo with our kiddos anyway.
We started at Coronado Island, walking along the beach and seeing the sights before heading to Imperial Beach, Seaport Village, (lots of restaurants and shops), and then to Balboa Park. There is a ton to do at this park and unfortunately we just didn't have time to do it all. There are 10-12 museums and various gardens to walk through. For dinner we headed to the Gaslamp Quarter, famous for it's dance clubs and restaurants
Thursday was the start of my conference which was at the largest convention center I have ever seen. It makes sense why it had to be at a place so large: This conference was HUGE! There were well over 1000 people from over 100 countries. In fact, English speaking people were the minority. Of the 10 people I ate lunch with, only 3 of us spoke English and only one other was from the US. Friday morning we had breakfast burritos during the presentation and I spent a good 5 minutes explaining to my table-mates what they were!
While I was stuck inside all day, (OK, I did skip out on a few talks to do a little more shopping at Seaport Village and enjoy the San Diego Bay), Justin spent the day doing a seal tour on land and in water and touring the USS Midway Museum. I met him at the museum and we headed to Old Town for some sight seeing and Mexican food. Wouldn't you know it, the restaurant we picked just happened to have a special on the 5th of every month if it was your birthday. Since it was November 5th, my meal was free :). The food was excellent and Old Town was really cute: Picture original buildings from when the Europeans first settled, workers wearing clothing from that era, old time candy stores, etc. I loved it!
We ended the evening at a new location in Little Italy called iDessert. This is right up my ally: You use an iPad to create your dessert, choosing the meringue, gelato, cream, and toppings. I would have gone back if we had time.
Friday our conference started a little earlier, but I decided to leave after lunch so we could do a little more sight seeing. Justin spent the morning touring Petco Park, (where the Padres play), and finishing his tour of the USS Midway. Our adventures together on our last day took us up the coast to a few more beaches and an evening in La Jolla for cocktails, dinner and shopping. There are also quite a few free museums to browse through which were very impressive. I particularly loved the Peter Lik gallery we went through. He is a world renowned photographer who sold the most expensive photograph in history, at 6.5 million, (www.lik.com).
This definitely ranks high on my list of places to visit. Our hotel was nice and in a perfect location. We walked to most of the areas we visited, with the exception of Balboa Park and our La Jolla trip. The San Diego bay is gorgeous, full of sail boats, blue water, beautiful parks. I was most impressed with how clean the entire city was and how friendly the locals were.
We will absolutely be planning a trip back in a few years. We'll spend this trip as a family of 5, visiting the zoo, Sea World and Legoland!
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