the gathering of the Blomgrens

On the 29th, the Blomgren family met at Mom and Dad's in Mountain Lake.  The temperatures where frigid and one grandson was not in attendance as he was securing the field at the Metrodome for the final Vikings game at the Dome. 

The rest of us had a blast.  Brad and I scored screwdrivers and a great cutting board in the adult exchange. 

15 of 16 grandchildren in attendance

5 of my favorite Blomgren gills

 

yumm...

I love teaching and I also love when parents/children share culinary talents with teachers.  This week I was given chocolate cake, a gorgeous pecan/apple pie, and homemade caramel for my birthday and Christmas.  I'm loving it for sure.

 Today I had 17 Kindergarteners in my very small Sunday School classroom...it was quite interesting and entertaining.   My normal helpers were no shows so I was extremely thankful for a new family (Mom and Dad) who stayed at helped with an ornament art project.  They even cleaned up the whole room while I was escorting other teachers' kids to their parents classrooms.

american girl Christmas

Grandma Betty's talents are boundless I believe.  Here are the lovely gowns she crafted for Siri and K's Christmas gifts.  Each girl received a wicked witch, a Dorothy and a Glinda gown sewn by Betty Jean...incredible.


We also celebrated Kit's first birthday and she received a Santa Lucia gown...

our gift exchange

Our family arrived home last night after an eventful time at the Olsons and the bed and breakfast near Alpha.  We found a living room full of toys and gifts.  Brad's favorite gift was his new shaving kit, K's favorite gift was her loom bands, A's favorite gift was a pair of Bluetooth headphones, O's favorite gift was a bunch of new trucks and cars and my favorite gift was the new clothing and boots from my kiddos.


Now it's time to find a new home for all our new wares...

sledding hill

Our family went with Bruce, Julie and Isaiah and met Julie, Libby and Abby at a sledding hill in Scandia, Minnesota called Eko Backen yesterday afternoon.  In my last post I talked about perfect weather...the weather yesterday was almost spring like.  The slopes were relatively slow because the snow was slushy, but we had a great time tubing.  O loved sitting on my lap and we all enjoyed the rope lift up to the top of hill.


Great family adventure!

perfect Christmas

We are back from the Olsons and are reflecting on one of the more peaceful and lovely Christmas' ever.  The weather was lovely with giant snowflakes softly falling from the sky.  A brisque breeze on the lake on Christmas day, but very mild the day after.  Fun gifts, lots of photos, the news that a new baby Olson will be born in the latter part of June--it was a lovely Christmas.


Now we are heading to the Blomgren Christmas which has all the promise of being just as perfect.  Peace out...

frozen

Also from December 8...

We tried to go to Frozen in Siren over Christmas week, but it was already out of the theater.  I think it will be an addition to our movie library eventually.

Julie and I met with our kids at the Hudson theater last night to watch the movie, Frozen.  While we were there, O went potty.  It was the 2nd time yesterday that he sat on the potty and went potty.  It was an exciting day for sure.


The movie was quite good and the special effects were incredible.  It was super super fun!

cookie playdate

This is a post from 12/8/13...just forgot to put on this blog

K has a friend who invited her over for a Christmas cookie baking/decorating play date yesterday.  Each girl brought home a nice plate of cookies.  It was a fun day for K and a delicious way to spend a couple of hours together.

41

The love of my life, Bradley Cole Olson is now 41!

Much love and happiness to you.

winter is officially here!

Although it has felt like it for quite a while, it is officially winter now!  The day light hours will slowly be getting longer...yippppppeeeee

zoo man

On Friday the 20th, a Dad of one of my students came in to share his experiences as a Senior Veterinarian at the MN Zoo.  Jim had a lovely presentation and the kids were captivated!  I was mostly impressed by his patience at answering every little question posed by the inquisitive crowd.  One student asked a question for every slide and Jim found great humor in each of his questions.

This spring, I plan on coordinating a field trip to the zoo so hopefully we can use our inside track for a really great zoo experience!

crazy caller

K has been on a kick of calling people lately.  She just really wants to reach out and talk to people.  She often calls and then just sits there, not knowing exactly what to say.  Today she called her friend Ellea and I think she played her Christmas music on the piano.

Thank you to everyone who is helping K develop her phone skills.  If she is anything like her mother and grandmother Vivian, she will be quite adept at this skill in no time.

last of the Christmas cards

on the 18th, I got the last of the Christmas cards in the mail...such a fun time of year to keep in touch with loved ones.  And to get cards from others is pretty amazing too~

getting ready for Christmas

Yesterday and today have been a busy days of wrapping, baking, planning and a little bit of resting.  I think we are planning on going outside this afternoon and Brad and I will try out our new cross country skis...fun!

sick 12 year old

Brad took A to the doctor today to find that he has a very mild case of pneumonia.  A has been sick since Sunday night--going to school on Thursday afternoon and home again on Friday.  I hope the medication can do the trick and we can have a bouncing big boy during the holiday season.

bailey's party

Friday night our friends, the Stoeffl's hosted a large group of people to their 4th annual Bailey's making party.  A, B and O stayed home as A had been out of school most of the week with a fever and cough, but K and I enjoyed and ended up staying until midnight.

interview of a three year old

O says "monster trucks, monster trucks, monster trucks, monster trucks, candy, candy" to the question "what do you want for Christmas?"

all I want for Christmas

I'm interviewing KGO as to what she wants for Christmas...

Um-m,  rubber band bracelet maker--ahhhhh, hmmmmm click click smack smack hmmmmmm exhale clear throat ummm clear throat, my own room, rolling eyes, putting fingers on face, hand on head, hand on chin, scratching head, click a computer.  That brother O would be nicer.  If I had a lot more of Mom's time, to go to Montessori with Mommy and be in her class, to go to school in the summer, a big mansion for the whole family.

resolutions

At the beginning of the year, I had resolved to run 1 mile per day--so far so good, brush my teeth 4 minutes per day--so far so good and to go on a date with my husband once per month--not so good.  We have gone out three times this year.  I guess we will be pretty busy in the next few days to make up for lost time.  It will be a resolution again next year.

program 2013

A and K participated in the Ezekiel Christmas program on December 15.  A played the part of a teenaged boy whose father passed away and whose Mom is struggling to keep up with the demands of her children at the holiday season.  Together they discover the true meaning of Christmas as the rest of the Sunday School plays out the story of Jesus' birth through song.

K sang as a solo the 2nd verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem".  She sounded just like an angel and A played his part of zest and gusto.  It was great to have Grandma Betty and Grandpa Bud in the congregation.

We then went out to the Westwind for lunch and enjoyed a lovely buffet.  The rest of the restaurant consisted of fellow Ezekiel members as we regaled the nice program...

flurry

The speed of life just keeps getting more apparent and obvious as the days of the year come to a close.  Just had a little boy come down and share that he had about the 15th piece of chocolate for the day...that is how I would like to spend my days ;)

conference

I attended K's conference with Mrs. LaPoint this evening.  She is doing really well in writing and reading.  Her math scores are strong, but she can be working on basic facts a bit harder.  I'm just thrilled that Mrs. LaPoint knows our sweet daughter so well.  Free spirited, creative, friendly, outgoing, happy, articulate and kind.  Isn't that what we all aspire to be? 

tommy

Was the nickname my Grandpa Nels gave me.  It is also the name of the character A will be portraying in the Meyer Middle School presentation of The Music Man.  I'm not sure when the play is happening, but practice starts next Wednesday.  He will play the part of a trouble maker in River City...the illicit boyfriend of the mayor's eldest daughter. 

Fun and it's especially gratifying to see his enthusiasm. 

tick tock

I really feel the clock ticking for the end of the school year...the year 2013 that is.  The kids are in the midst of animal and country research.  I just wish I could be more skilled at teaching them effective research and summarization strategies.  I'm sure I will improve with practice, but I just wish I could do it instantly.  Rome wasn't built in a day...

mandela

I know this is late in the recognition, but the world mourns the loss of activist Nelson Mandela.  I was incredibly impressed with my classes' knowledge of the late South African President.  We discussed Peace and the impression he left on the world. 

conferences

Today was a long day with conferences after school.  One family didn't show but the ones who were there went really well.  I'm ready or bed. Good night!

all decked out

With Finnley's help, I just put the finishing touches on decorating the interior house.  I will be putting some Christmas lights in the lovely porch that Brad finished, but I think it's about time to head to bed.  We will be putting items in the attic tomorrow, but for now, I plan on heading back upstairs to just gaze at the blinking Christmas lights...ahhhhh.

Finnley's back

Our elf on the shelf Finnley is back for another go round.  Tonight he is resting on the Christmas tree right after he got done decorating it.  He sure is a helpful little guy.

so long Applewood

Part of the Blomgren tradition is to go to Applewood on the Sunday we depart our weekend for Sunday brunch.  This is the final year Applewood will be in business so Trenton, K, O and I toured the grounds and got a good look at what we had been missing for the past several years.  A swimming pool, a fire pit, several benches; it was fun to explore the wonders of Applewood together.

birthday party at Holiday Inn in Mankato

I got to spend my birthday with some of the most special people in my life.

Mom and Dad Blomgren
Kent, Brenda, Anna and Abby
Kurt, Vance, Stuart, Ross and Katie
Kyle, Kim, Kyle, Adam, Liana and Ryan
Cory, Joan, Thomas, Evan and Trenton and of course our family, Brad, A, K and O

Kurt bought a cake, the Owatonna Huskies won the state championship for football and Bradley took me out to Tav on the Ave for wings.  We tried to go to Applebees, but they were closing.  The Mankato Applebees is where we had our first date...I thought that was pretty special for Brad to think of something so sweet.

It was a great way to celebrate the 21st anniversary of my 21st birthday--same town and everything, just no tequila this time.

happy birthday nenna Weiss!

Jenna Louise, the gift your parents gave to me 26 years ago for my birthday will never be paralleled.  You have enriched so many lives with your wit, charm, beauty and tenacity.

Love you to the moon and back.

black Friday

So I did go to Walmart on Thanksgiving eve after getting kids to bed.  I did score some nice Christmas gifts but even more special was having some time to myself...being really well rested and feeling like I was super productive without having a "helper" along for the shopping trip.

thanks

so many things to be thankful for.  I pause and thank everyone in my life for all that you have shared with me and with my family.  God bless.

paper pelicans

I did something on Wednesday that I never thought I would do.  K and Siri decided to start a business of making paper pelicans.  I agreed to walk with them down Northshore Drive selling their wares.  We sold a total of 6 paper pelicans on the road for a total of $.90.  Grandma bought a few pelicans and so did Brent, Siri and myself so the girls cleared $11 profit.

I still can't believe I agreed to help them, but in a lot of ways, I hold my head up high!

siri times 2

We got to meet the woman who inspired Brent and Molly to name their daughter Siri.  Cousin Siri and her son Bjorn from Norway visited Bud and Betty over Thanksgiving.  We met them on Tuesday night and enjoyed conversations merryments.  I tried Akvit for the first time...cleans the system and is terrifically delicious.

Also in attendance at the gathering was Siri Olson.  So I got a photo of the Siri's together.  Very charming.  

fever pitch

While waiting for Thanksgiving break, the kids on class were headed toward a FEVER PITCH.  On Monday I did the study of Plymouth Rock, the Native American tribe, baked corn bread and also worked on a Thankful Project.  I probably should have waited with that until Tuesday because when Tuesday rolled around, they were ready to celebrate already.

live and learn is all I have to say.

mall of america

While the boys were hunting, K and I planned and implemented a trip to the Mall of America.  I had been working really hard on grades and she had been so very patient with me so we decided to go for about 2 1/2 hours.  We visited some clothing stores and also the American Girl Doll store.  We had a little to eat at Rainforest Cafe and genuinely enjoyed one anothers' company.

I love that little lady for sure!

baby D is 4!

Dehlia Grace Quintana turned a dazzling 4 years of age on November 23.  We hope you had a terrific birthday dear Dehlia!

out with the girls

While Brad, A and O were up north for hunting season, K and I stayed home.  I did school stuff like writing report cards and K went on to play at her friend Carter's house.  On Saturday night, I went out with my dear friends Julie and Trish to celebrate my upcoming (and since past) birthday.  We went to a charming restaurant in Stillwater.  Alex had a babysitting gig with K and it was a wonderful night for all.

2nd hunting season

Our sweet 12 year old A went out with his Dad for his second hunting season.  While hunting, he only saw a small black bear and not much else.  He and Brad did find a charming little Christmas tree for our dining room though...really nice.

ketchup and mustard please

I'm catching up on my blog posts...I don't think I've been this delinquent before, but I will be working hard to make up for lost time.

stu

Stuart is 20 years old today.  I still have the audio tape of when my then sister in law Kelly called my dorm room to tell me that a little miracle named Stuart was born.  Seems like it wasn't 20 years ago, but the reality is that is was 20 years ago.  20 years ago today.

Happy birthday to a healthy and well rounded young man--and pretty darn handsome to boot.

By the way, congratulations on completing the Ultimate Tough Mudder on Saturday/Sunday.  You endured 60 miles in just 24 hours.  What a trooper!

Today in our morning meeting message, I asked the kids what year my nephew was born if he turned 20 years old today.  One of my biggest strugglers with math answered without a hitch--1993.  It was a proud teacher moment.

in his charming yellow hat

with cousin Logan (Stuart with Farm Bureau shirt)

piano practice

KGO has been taking piano lessons for several weeks.  Her technique has greatly improved with many hours of practice.  I hope her love of practice will soon blossom along with her piano playing ability.

sunday dinner at the Blomgren ranch

The incredible family of brother Kyle and sister Kim had us for a beautiful Sunday dinner at noon yesterday.  We had delicious chicken raised by Liana Marie, delicious beef raised by Kurt Martin, yummy potatoes, tomatoes and squash raised in the garden.  A feast fit for kings and queens.

Then the boys went out to play football while K and cousin Liana had a fashion show.  K picked out her Christmas dress for 2013 from Liana's closet.

It was great to dine with Kurt, Ross, Kyle, Kim, Clarence, Vivian, Kyle Jr., Liana, Ryan and our family of five.  Thank you for your hospitality and sharing the bounty!

home again

I am home in Mountain Lake again for the first time in three months.  We are smelling the most delicious lasagna in the world and will soon be consuming.  K says it's her favorite in the world--it's the ONLY lasagna she likes.

joe dirt

watching Joe Dirt for the first time in my life.  It's a movie that people have told me I should watch for years, but this is the first time I've had the chance.  It's pretty hilarious!

94

Happy birthday to Grandma Grace Swanson on November 14--you have seen many changes in your 94 years on earth!  We love you!

hieroglyphics

Our class was introduced to hieroglyphics through a really nice little book that I picked up at Fox Den books last week.  Write Like and Ancient Egyptian is the name of the book and the kids adored it! 

After I made the purchase, I was perusing the bookshelf in my classroom and realized it was already there!  The former teacher had also thought it to be a great book.  I think we will be going other places with the study of language (one of Montessori's Great Lessons), but right now, we will be spending our time in ancient Egypt. 

The kids created artwork by writing their names and have started to create little notes to one another. 

11 12 13

Yesterday our class was in morning meeting when I finally discovered the magic date.  Only one more of those magic dates until January 2, 2103.  I wonder if any of our children will be there to witness.  A will be 101, K will be 96 and O will be 92.  Something to ponder. 

veterans Day

Monday was Veterans Day.  Hats off to all those who have fought to defend our freedom.  Thinking especially of Dad, Bud, Brad and Stuart who are near and dear to me.  Thank you. 

self portrait

A self portrait of my very favorite 7 5/6 year old:

thank you Veggie Tales

On Wednesday evening, I went to confirmation class with A--it was parent night.  During the service part of confirmation, Minister Kim talked about Jonah.  She asked for a volunteer to tell what happened to Jonah after the fish spit him out.  A gave a detailed description of the events.  Kim was surprised at his detailed knowledge and so was I...where did he get all that information and how was it so meaningful to him that he could recall with such precision?  He confessed to me afterwards that he had seen the story on a Veggie Tales movie.  Kudos Veggie Tales and also our wonderful son for making that knowledge part of your bounty of knowledge.

d Day

A has discovered a new series on Netflix called Greatest Tank Battles.  It is very dramatic and he is getting good historical knowledge.  Right now he is watching an episode on D Day.  It will be fun to see if he has conversations with his cousins or uncles at Christmas about World War II.

first snow

We experienced our first snow that stuck to the ground for a little while (melted now) on Kim's birthday--November 6.  We thankfully had snow gear for all the kids complete with snow pants, hats and mittens--I finally found good mittens at Shopko last week.  2 new pairs for both K and O. I'm hoping that can last them the 6 month potential snow season.

happy birthday Kimberly Ann

The wonderful Kim Blomgren celebrated her birthday this week.  Wishing you a healthy and happy year dear Kim!

doll clothing making

K wanted very dearly to make a new jacket for her American Girl Doll Julie.  I gave her a piece of fabric to make the jacket and she took it to Grandma Betty who helped her design the jacket.  K sewed the seams and Grandma did some tucks and more detailed work and the jacket turned out beautifully.  They made quite a team.

jacket right after K stitched together

Julie with her new jacket after Grandma Betty did tucks and pleats

denver

Mr. Brad spent the past week in Denver at a business conference and meeting with clients.  We were so lucky to have Grandma Betty stay with us during the week!  She took care of kids, got them to where they needed to be, had dinner ready when I got home from school...a God send.

It was really nice to have Brad home safe and sound on Friday, but Betty is so great to have around as well, I was sad to say farewell.  Thank you Betty!  and thanks to Bud for sharing her with our family this week.

happy 5th birthday Ivan George!

Ivan George, the dinosaur expert turned 5 years old last Sunday.  Happy Happy Happy birthday to you!

one last day at the park

Last Sunday, K invited her friend Greyson to Hudson Castle Park for a final park play date of the year.  It was very windy and cold, but the kids didn't want to leave.  They were a little more willing when Orange Leaf Yogurt was offered.  We had truly delicious yogurt and warmed up in the cute little shop in Hudson.  I'm so happy A is still willing to hang out with little people and play at the park.  I'm sure those days are numbered.

at the park

still enjoying the park

loving the tot area of the playground

back to blog

I'm not really sure where the past ten days have gone, but I do know that we enjoyed.  Halloween night was fun with trick or treating.  K and I went with friend Kenny who also invited his friends Perry and Kyra.  Perry and Kyra happen to be in my classroom so it was great to spend time with them outside of the classroom

A went trick or treating with friends and Brad and O just went to a few houses and went to our friend Sharyl's place for a small get together.  K ran out of energy at about 7:00 so we made our way home, made some hot cocoa and popcorn and watched an episode of Cake Boss.  We had planned on going to the Samargia party too, but it was nice to have a little Mom and daughter time.

Over a week later we still have loads of candy to consume, so the evening was a success.

church night

Ezekiel had a lovely event this evening.  The confirmation kids hosted s family fun night.  The kids played games and got a lot of candy.  A was one of the game hosts so didn't get to eat much candy.  I think he will survive...he is going trick or treating tomorrow night.

pumpkin carving

Brad and I have been busy carving pumpkins--actually, Brad has been carving, I have been doing some scooping and also pumpkin seed roasting.  The kids don't really enjoy the insides of the pumpkin and K announced that she will make her kids do it when she is a Mom.  I thought that was pretty funny...

my pumpkin--really hard to carve

Brad's

A's

O's

K's

lucky

Lovely Abby Rae Blomgren has just celebrated her lucky #13 on October 24.  Happy birthday sweet girl.

chicago

On Friday evening, I hosted twelve ladies at our home for a pre-play glass of wine and hors de vours.  We went to the play Chicago on the UWRF campus.  It was a really nice evening and it was wonderful to have Grandma Betty make the food, the kids to go out to dinner with her, have Julie and Sarah stop by early to help get prepped and for the onslaught of women to come and enjoy one anothers' company.  The play was fun, but the pre and post play was even more enjoyable. 

pheasant hunter

Brad just called to report that pheasant hunting has been a little lean this year.  The birds are hanging out in the unharvested corn, so I don't know how many pheasants will be in our freeze, but I know he is having a restorative trip with his buddies. 

partay day

Yesterday our family attended two Halloween bashes.  The Mitchell's had a great party at their lovely home in the country and the Harer's had a great party at their welcoming home in town.  O made it through the first party and then stayed home with Grandma Betty while A, K and I dressed up and went to the Harer's.  We stayed until about 9:30 and returned home and retired shortly thereafter. 

The wind, the cold and the excitement tuckered us out!  It was a grand old day though.

leaves hanging on

I'm not positive, but I think the late Spring is making the trees hang onto their leaves this year.  It has been windy, but the leaves are just clinging to the trees and some of them are still green!  We feel like we should be raking, but with all the leaves still up there, I believe we will wait until there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees.

activity Friday

Middle School is much more challenging as far as academics goes.  Pretty rigorous rubrics, hard numbers and accountability increase.  Last Friday, A was able to enjoy Activity Friday.  He loved playing video games in the afternoon but there were rootbeer floats for sale, basketball games and dance to enjoy.  I think he is starting to really enjoy the change. 

calm to home

I brought the new theory gleaned from the classroom to life at home and it's pretty exciting to see the productivity of our family today on a day of chores, relaxing and recharging.  K has been super productive and is looking forward to a little pampering from Grandma and Mom at 2pm.  Great times.

calm

The coordinator of the school came and observed our classroom last Thursday morning during morning meeting.  It was really great to have a Montessori trained person come in and make suggestions.  I am a pretty animated person and can be quite loud at times.  Nate had great insight into being more calm and having a more modulated voice. 

I practiced on Friday and it was miraculous at how much calmer the class operated.  I don't think it will always happen, but I think if I keep it in mind, we won't have as many challenging loud behaviors. 

struggling team

The Vikings are having a very tricky year.  Last Sunday was another day of lean playing.  Hopefully we can pull something together today and find a win. 

Another week of flying

Life goes quickly and another week is behind us.  On Friday, October 18, we celebrated our neighbor July's 23rd birthday.  She made a delicious tres leches cake and we sang her Happy Birthday.  It was an honor to be invited to her party.  A had attended the High School football game and watched the Wildcats win.  It was a nice end to the week. 

high school football

Tonight, A asked to go to the Wildcats football game and wanted to hang out with his buddies.  First time that we are dropping him off at a High School event.  He has my phone to call when the game is over.  I'm sure he will have a blast!

By the way, the moon is full and lovely this evening.  What a night for some football!

fun at Luther Point

A and Brad went to a confirmation retreat at Luther Point this weekend.  They both had a great time and here are some photos from the retreat:

green

This summer, our friend Mike asked us if he could take some photos of our garden and our neighbor's solar panels in the background.  Brad is on the cover shot of River Falls Municipal Utilities...cool!

photos scanned

Here we are!  Happy and ready for a GREAT school year!  I love A's expression--so excited!

Lucky streak ends

The Tuesday after a long weekend is tough..the great day streak ended.  Hopefully it won't be too long until another.

Friendship Day

Parent teacher conferences on Monday, then to the University to turn in all of my employee stuff and I made dinner for one of the first times all school year.  Felt great to be normal.

playdate

K  had a playdate with her friend Kally.  I prepped for the week and then we headed to the 4H meeting.  After the meeting, we went to RF Family Restaurant, grocery shopping and then hoke to watch a movie.  I did what my Mom always used to do.  Fall asleep.

final game

They played the number 1 team in the league and scored a touchdown.  The season is over, but heads should be held high.  Way to go wolves!

3 great days

I don't know if I'm improving my teaching or if I'm just plain lucky.  The last 3 days have been terrific!  On Friday our class cleaned up the garden and had a nice little botany lesson.  Now a nice weekend for Brad and A to go to Luther Point for a confirmation retreat.

heater

So we have broken down and have turned on the furnace a few mornings...59 degrees was a bit too drastic!

school photos

I am hoping to get our school photos scanned soon to share how grown up the kids look.  A looks pretty excited in his photo and I look kind of goofy.  They will be fun photos to share with friends and family ;)

busy boy

O has been growing so much lately.  Tonight we went to the library and he went running to the computers, put on the headphones and tried to start the book, The Tortoise and the Hare on the desktop computer.  My friend Dawn saw him sitting there and couldn't believe he was that big.  When you see someone every day, you don't see the changes, but he is growing up for sure.

siriously

happy birthday Siri Olson!  You are now the magic number 7.  Wishing you rainbows and happiness this year and every year to come.

meekend

Last weekend was a me weekend.  Brad took the kids up north after A's football game on Saturday.  They won the game in overtime and now their record is 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie.  This weekend is the last football game of the season.  It will be good to see who they face in the final game.

Anyway, Brad and the kids headed north and I spent the rest of the day on Saturday and almost all day Sunday in the classroom getting ready for the week of teaching.  I did watch two movies as well--Silver Linings Playbook and SafeHaven.  Two fun movies.  I cleaned the house and everything still looked the same when I was finished.  It was kind of nice.

It was nice to see the family after a long weekend, but it was really nice to have some me time.

15

Our handsome, funny, charming and overall wonderful nephew Evan Lee B is 15.  I'm wordless.  I can't even fathom that he is edging in on adulthood.

Happy birthday none the less.

winterizing

The last two days have been quite grey and wet.  Brad has been busying winterizing the house by putting windows on our screened porch.  I am very proud of his work and impressed that he has the ingenuity to make it work.  I am eager to see how the end result.

field trip

A went on an all day field trip on Wednesday to a nature reserve in Northern Wisconsin.  He had a great time and couldn't believe that his class was away from school for an entire day.  Such is the life of a 6th grader.

gymnastics

K has been attending classes for about 2 years and is getting quite accomplished at gymnastics.  Her energy and enthusiasm is so infectious.  I hope she can stick with it and stay healthy and strong for many years to come.

monday morning

I have been putting in about 15 miles per week at Anytime Fitness and this week I decided to switch up my workout routine and go in the morning.  It was mighty early and I haven't done it again, but it felt really great to have my workout done before school.

cleaning day

It had been a really long time since I had a chance to thoroughly clean our castle.  Bruce was coming for a few days to work with Brad so I thought it was time to get cleaned up.  It's amazing what housecleaning can do for the soul.  The house looks nice and I feel so much cleaner as well.

I will just have to remember that for next time it gets as dirty as it was last week.

fast forward one week

I'm able to post again!  Last weekend was a whirlwind and the week had the same effect.  Saturday A played football and they are now 1-2-1.  They played the Mueller/Noreen team and Peter was on FIRE!  He had a great game.  A was ok with the result, but I could tell he was disappointed.  On Saturday evening, I joined some friends for a play in Minneapolis and went out for dancing.  It was fun to be with friends and let loose a little.

It was also great to get home to sleeping kids (A babysat K) and get my lesson ready for class the next day.

ball python

One of the cool kids from my class has a Mom who pretty incredible.  She brought her Ball Python and Leopard Gecko in for a class presentation this morning.  It was a lovely morning of investigation and wonder.  LOVED LOVED LOVED how engaged the kids were and it was pretty cool to see as well. 

17

Happy birthday dear Thomas Matthew Blomgren.  I remember going to the hospital to meet a really great kid with his beaming parents bursting with pride.  I was handed a big fat cigar by my brother Cory and got a great hug from sister in law Joan.

Keep growing the way you have been growing TMB.

great workout

I got to head to the gym early on Wednesday night.  I was able to leave the house at 9:30 and was in bed by 11:00pm.  I got my five miles in and a round of weights.  Then I got a great night's sleep!  YES!

training day

All day Tuesday was training, school and more training.  I went to a training at Westside Elementary from 7:30-8:30, taught from 8:45-3:20 and then went to more training from 4:00-5:30.  I was one tired lady at the end of the day and so thankful for a really amazing family that is taking up the slack of my absence. 

where did the last five days go

I can't even believe it is Friday already.  About mid-week, I was thinking the week would never end and now I don't know why I thought that. 

marine art fair

Sunday dawned and it was a beautiful day!  I taught Sunday School after attending the early church service where O received his new Spark bible.  After a lovely lunch, O and I went to Marine for the Marine Art Fair and to hang out with the Thibodeau trio.  A really beautiful yard sale later, we came home with some nice treasures. 

1-1-1

A's team played today on a fall like Saturday morning.  They played a truly gifted team and lost 18-0, but A didn't seem to be too down in the mouth which is good.

good night's sleep

On Friday, I had a wonderful night's sleep.  Our family started watching the Sandlot at about 7:30pm and I think I was fast asleep at about 8:30.  I awoke and went upstairs to fall deeply asleep  until about 7:00am this morning...ahhhhhh.  

happy happy birthday birthday Kent and Kurt

My twin brothers, Kent and Kurt were the first children of my wonderful parents.  Thanks for breaking in Mom & Dad and much love to you.  You took care of me when I was little and protected me from harm and danger.

Love you much!

picture day

Our class took school pictures on Wednesday.  Everything was going pretty well until they received combs from the photographer...the combs turned into playthings that were encouraged to be brought home and kept there.

darling Miss Haley

On Tuesday, September 10, the dear and beloved Haley Hendrickson from USVI stopped by our home to visit.  It was really incredible to catch up with her and hear about her adventures since we last parted.  She is spending some time in the US during hurricane season, but will be heading back to the Caribbean in November.

monday morning

It was nice to be missed when you have a sub on Friday.  Several kids were asking where I was and said they were happy to have me back.  I think they really did enjoy the teachings of Nate, but it was nice to be missed.

more school on Sunday

Day two of Sunday school also went well.  I had a total of 3 volunteers in the room to introduce the lesson about Jesus and the lost sheep and the lost coin.  I think they absorbed some of the message and before we knew it, it was time to leave.  Just flew past!

1-0-1

The Grey Wolves, A's football team this year won their first game on September 7 and they tied a team on September 14.  A had caught a pass for the win on September 7--a two point conversion.  This weekend he will be quarterback for the second half of the game.  I have a class that I'm taking on Saturday, so I won't be able to watch the game, but I will sure be thinking of him!

sub

I represented our school at a training for a new test we will start administering to our first graders in a few weeks.  It was on a school day, so I had to request a sub.  Unfortunately, I didn't go through all the steps required and it didn't enter the system until after the fact.  I told my principal about it so he took care of it by being the sub.

It was an unusual experience to have your boss teaching your class but he said that it went surprisingly well.  WHEW!

picnic

On Thursday, September 12, the school hosted a family get together night.  I was able to visit with many parents of students and also was able to introduce Brad, K and O to everyone.  A was at football practice so he wasn't able to meet everyone, but hopefully he will get a chance to do so in the future.

every other day

So it turns out that every other day in the classroom seems to be really smooth.  I know it's a little early to tell if that will be a trend that continues, but we had a nice day today.  Here is a photo of a dear boy that makes me smile every day.

having snack at the snack table with echineca from our garden

happy birthday Ibby Gina

I was so distracted by the start of the school year that I neglected to wish my lovely sister in law Ibby Gina a wonderful 39th birthday.

vader voice

Tuesday was another really warm day in River Falls.  I know the days are numbered, but I am looking forward to taking the fans out of the classroom--less distraction with kids trying to sound like Darth Vader.

monday morning

All the preparation for the week was rewarded on Monday.  The class was assessed by an outside group for reading and math.  It will be nice to have a baseline to know where to start instruction.  Based on me walking around and watching them answer, I think math facts will a focus of instruction.  The rest of the day went really well.

school on Sunday

On Sunday, September 8, my great assistant, Carsten and I led sixteen Kindergarten cherubs through rally Sunday.  Just a few tears were shed by a young girl who was sad to say goodbye to her Mom, but otherwise it went really well.

I spent the rest of the day getting ready for the week in the classroom.  It was really great to be prepped for a new week.

merry go round

It has been quite a merry go round the past two weeks.  I will try to update day by day, but may be a bit delinquent.  On Saturday the 7th, I spent the day at school preparing for the coming week at school.  My incredible team--Ying, Maggie and Markell were there with me and leading me in a great direction.  I am incredibly blessed to have such amazing collaborators.

ice cream Friday

We are going to be enjoying a celebratory batch of ice cream tonight.  My classroom was sooooo hot today (84 degrees when I left at 5pm) and I think everyone was definitely ready for the weekend.  It was pretty cute though because the kids said "oh tomorrow we can do this....and tomorrow we can do that..."  I think they are having a good time.  I just hope I can teach them some valuable lessons over the coming year.

sweaty

A came home from football practice tonight just dripping with sweat--it's almost like it's the middle of the summer instead of heading into fall.  I wonder if it will be a late winter...it sure was a late spring/summer, so maybe our tomato plants will just keep producing!

meeting the class

I had a fun filled day working with 19 lower elementary students today!  I think we are going to have an interesting year and hopefully can gel into a super fun group.  There are several different personalities in our group and I am looking forward to seeing how we learn and grow--I have a feeling I will be the one with the most learning.

first day of school

A, K and I had our first day of school on Wednesday--full day of middle school and parent orientation for both K and I.  Lots of preparation and I think it went really well.

78

My beautiful, gracious and wonderful Mother is celebrating her 78 th birthday today.  I love you so much.

45

Happy 45th wedding anniversary to the people who made my husband the man he is... Much love Bud and Betty.  Thank you for getting married and raising your family!

women rock

One hour seven minutes...that is the time it took me to run the Women Rock 10K this morning with my friend, Michelle Johnson.  I placed 1444 of about 3700 runners.  The day was warm and it was exhilerating.

cool runnings

Watching a favorite movie with my children this evening.  Cool Runnings.  The dialect reminds me of living on the island of St. Croix and the story line is sweet.

orientation

Middle school orientatioon for a very special young man in our family.  He found his locker with ease, opened it with the same ease and confidently found his different classrooms.  Praying for continued success for a cool kid.

68

Happy Birthday to a lovely and caring woman.  Betty Jean Olson spent her evening with us at Perkins as we celebrated the anniversary of her birthday.

rain rain please come back to play

It is time for a big time rain shower in the upper midwest.  The dirt in our garden is like dust.  I welcome the rains to come pouring down and wet our ground, build up our water table and make our earth happy again.

Football in the heat

Football season has started and the practices this week were cancelled due to extreme heat.  I am thankful for smart coaches and safe kids.

school days

Just a quick update.  Here is our sweet Dehlia Grace heading off to her first day of preschool.  She is wearing cousin Kathryn's dress ;)

still here

Hi.  It's been a little while and I am planning to carve some time out either this evening or next to properly update the blog.  But life has been a little busy with getting the classroom prepared for 19 industrious learners.  See you soon!

so long CAFES!

Every book closes.  My time as an employee of UW River Falls is nearing the final page.  It has been a wonderful read--starting December 3, 2007 with a light snow shower, coordinating a whopping five awards banquets and three senior suppers, reserving facilities for numerous faculty and staff, ordering food, ordering food and ordering food to feed our hungry students and faculty/staff, watching amazing students grow and learn--from them walking in the door seeking employment in our office or on the farm to graduating and getting great jobs in their field--taking time off to be a Mommy to our third child and also to teach for a year in the Caribbean.  I have received full support and then some from my colleagues and my supervisors.    

And now its August 23, 2013 and another journey or book will soon begin.    

It's been real.  It's been fun.  It's been real fun. 

little K on far left on one of her first days at Sheri's

bigger K in Peace shirt Door County 2013

the great Minnesota get together

We're getting excited for the Great Minnesota Get Together!

Breaking news--Ross Issac with his blue ribbon winning pig!

 

happy 6th Birthday Trenton Anders!

For our charming, sweet and entertaining nephew and cousin Trenton Anders...we wish you a terrific 6th birthday!