Mini Golf Champ!!!!

We had Ladies' Night Out last evening. 5 of us started by playing a round of mini golf at the Moose Mountain Adventures at the Mall of America. In retrospect I think we should have kept a running total throughout the game because somehow I shot a 53 with Monique close behind at 55 and ended up winning. Katie, Vicki and Jennifer were all somewhere in the 60s I believe. To my fellow Ladies' Night Out friends who are reading this blog...I suppose you will be accusing me of cheating since I was keeping the score for most of the game. However, do you really think that I wanted to bring this hideous trophy that I made back home with me?!?!? (the base is from a soccer trophy from the Unique Thrift Store, the brown golf cup was from the Hastings Dollar Store, the grass is leftover from making my boys' Easter baskets, the golf tee was donated by Ray and the golf ball is the plastic one from Connell and Liam's golf set that hopefully they wouldn't have noticed had gone missing -- I also took the time to get the font and everything lined up for the new name plate - whew!) So it's back in the Hagen household and when I explained to the boys that I won last night, Connell was very happy for me and Liam snapped the tee and golf ball right off the trophy! So ladies...if we have a repeat tourney next year and use this as the traveling trophy, I will have to reconstruct the trophy thanks to Liam.

After the exhausting golf game, we met 3 more of the ladies (8 of us total) at the Kokomo Island Cafe where we did an activity related to "Best.." and "Most..." which was very interesting. For instance, I was voted by the rest of the group as "Biggest Coupon Clipper", "Thriftiest" and "Most Motherly to the Others -- Biggest Advice Giver". We had people voted as "Most Artistic", "Cutest" and "Most Patient with Her Children" (I am not sure why I wasn't voted for that one?!?!?!?)-- you get the idea. Except for the fact that a drunk sitting at the bar behind us wouldn't leave us alone, we had a fun time.

State Quarters

Ray brought home a North Dakota quarter today and so the boys helped him put it into the map. Connell has developed quite an interest in the whole collecting of quarters and Liam just follows his big brother!

Our Lenten Practices

We are trying to start some traditions with the boys for Lent. This year we made a purple chain -- one link for each day of Lent which I numbered and glued together. Easter Day has pastel links. Every 7th link has a candle drawn on the link itself which tells Connell that it is Friday --- the night that we do our Lenten candle lighting ceremony complete with a prayer service. We have a purple pillar candle that we use for that. Our other Friday "tradition" is that we have rice and beans for supper. We chose that because it isn't any of our favorite meals and we figure that we will be sacrificing by eating it. Ray would prefer grilled cheese with tomato soup and I would prefer McDonald's fish sandwiches with shakes and the boys would prefer their tuna sandwiches -- which is why I chose the rice and beans!

Pyramid

I keep thinking of common items to use with the boys...today's idea was muffin liners. I showed them how you could stack them although Liam enjoyed knocking the liners down more than building the pyramid. As you can see, Connell was very protective of the short pyramid we built together.

Going on a Safari

I just had to share this creative preschool idea with everyone. Everyone in the class had to bring in a picture of their favorite wild animal (Connell chose a lion which I attribute to him being a Leo, but I think it is simply a coincidence). The teachers posted the pictures of all 16 wild animals on the wall. They used two toilet roll tubes which the kids painted themselves and glued them together, attached some string and voila -- binoculars. The teachers made each student a safari hat and they used their binoculars to view the wild animals down the hall.

This picture is at home so Connell was just showing us what they did at school!

Even School Can Be Hazardous

Liam fell on the wooden boat toy (to climb on and to rock in) at ECFE this morning. He was ok, but his eye really did get red and bruised in the corner.

Three Party Animals!

I bought these foamy visors at the Dollar Store (they were 4 for $1.00) and so we all donned one this afternoon. Connell had the giraffe, Liam had the fish, Ray had the duck and I was wearing a bird (not pictured).

Silly Mouths

Liam found Mr. Potato Head's giant toothy smile and thought that it was funny to put it in his mouth. Liam is working on his 2 yr molars now and so the teeth motif is quite appropriate these days.

Connell accidentally got my chapstick by Avon (from digging in my purse) that has a tint to it and got a little out of control in putting it on (he didn't realize that it had a color tint to it).

Just a Lazy President's Day

No plans today -- the kids were "helping" me sort laundry this morning and we have just been hanging out. It's very cold out and we really don't have anything going on so I'm sure that we will be pretty bored by the end of the day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day.

It appears as though we have started a true Valentine tradition in the Hagen household. Last year I made a semi-nice meal (and given that we rarely eat together or even the same same thing -- that was quite a treat). Last February we gave the boys mylar balloons and marshmallow Peeps (since Connell's dessert repertoire has been basically down to Oreos and marshmallows due to the dairy, tree nut and peanut allergies).

Well, as Valentine's Day was approaching this year Connell started asking if he was going to get balloons and Peeps again. I took that as a strong hint and I figured that we could continue the tradition. I made a nice meal and after eating we presented the boys with their balloons and marshmallow Peeps. As you can see, Connell was "double fisting" it with a different flavor of Peep in each hand while reading the card from mommy and daddy. Liam was tickled pink about the balloons since he was probably too young to remember them last year (being only 8 months).

After the festivities, Connell announced that this was his favorite Valentine's Day ever. I guess he only has 4 to choose from and frankly the first two probably went by slightly unnoticed from his young perspective. Glad to hear this year beat last year though :-)

Enjoying the Playgroup Valentine Cards

I set up a small Valentine exchange among our 20 playgroup kids so that each child made a Valentine for another and received one from a totally different child in the mail. Connell made one for Riley and Liam made one for Jack. The boys received theirs today -- Connell got one from Kade and Liam got one created by Alex M. They love them! (FYI -- Liam had just had a cherry juice bar which is why his lips are all red -- perfect for the holiday I guess!!)

Spice Soup

While I was talking on the phone and Liam was napping, Connell was innocently building a tower with my little spice bottles on the end table. Then I started smelling nutmeg and realized that he had opened most of them and poured them out and was making "spice soup" (his words). I was not very happy to say the least although the living room has a nice aroma now.

I Hit Book #50!

I have now read 50 books for pleasure! What a milestone, huh? My latest 5 are below...

"The Short History of a Prince" -- Jane Hamilton 4 stars
"Black & White" -- Dani Shapiro 4 stars
"Trans-Sister Radio" -- Chris Bohjalian 3 1/2 stars
"Gap Creek" -- Robert Morgan 5 stars
"Where or When" -- Anita Shreve 4 stars

Sharing the Couch and Pooh Blanket

After the boys spent minutes fighting over the couch and the Pooh blanket, I finally figured out how to appease them. I set up each boy on an end with their pillow and stuffed animal and put the Pooh blanket over both of them! They were lying so nicely like that for so long until I tried to snap a picture and Liam jumped up. They even laid back down when Ray came in the door which prompted the question, "Did you give the boys some Benadryl or something?"

The Illnesses Continue...

I came down with a nasty virus on Friday. It started as a sore throat early that morning and then moved to aches and by noon I was feeling pretty poorly. I had a fever of 101.5 and then I got the chills. I had to call Ray at work as I was simply laying on the living room floor and couldn't even pull myself up to change Liam's diaper or anything (the boys just had free rein of the house) -- that is how weak and how achy my muscles were. Ray came home and I spent the next 4 hours in bed -- napping a little here and there. I was in so much pain that I really couldn't sleep that night and so I was down on the couch from midnight until 4:30 am with the tv on and napping a little here and there between sipping Gatorade (which I thought would help with the aches and weakness). Yesterday I felt a little better but not back to normal. Today I am much better, but now I have a cough with the sore throat. Ray seems to have gotten the virus as well although not as severe. Luckily it was staggered so that we each could help with the boys when we weren't feeling terrible. The boys are just getting over their pink eye and Liam's double ear infection so we really don't want them to catch this virus either. So that is what is new at the Hagen household!

More Books

I have been back reading like crazy. I have now completed 45 books since Nov. 23rd. Here are my latest 15... I am really starting to learn some great new words for my vocabulary like "cacophony" and "sashay" and "traipse", etc.

“She’s Come Undone” – Wally Lamb 5 stars
“The Secret Life of Bees” – Sue Monk Kidd 4 stars
“Like Water for Chocolate” -- Laura Esquivel 3 ½ stars
“The Da Vinci Code” --- Dan Brown 4 stars
“Lucia, Lucia” – Adriana Trigiani 5 stars
“The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” – Rebecca Wells 4 stars
“Sun Kissed” – Catherine Anderson 3 stars
“Where the River Runs” – Patti Callahan Henry 4 stars
“Like the Red Panda” – Andrea Seigel 4 ½ stars
“Sarah” – Marek Halter 4 ½ stars
“Sea Glass” – Anita Shreve 4 stars
“Family History” --- Dani Shapiro 5 stars
“The Grace that Keeps This World” -- Tom Bailey 3 ½ stars
“The Nanny Diaries” -- Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus 4 stars
“Big Stone Gap” – Adriana Trigiani 5 stars

Hopscotch

I used masking tape to create a hopscotch board on the back of my yoga mat and Connell has been obsessed with it ever since. I ran out of room so you have to pretend that the 10 is at the end to change direction. I have taught Connell how to do it correctly with the hopping on one foot and both feet, etc. and sometimes he does it perfectly and other times, he trips up a little. Pretty soon we will be able to introduce the pebble I think. We have been spending lots of time indoors with the eye and ear infections so I really have had to be creative with things.

Eye and Ear Problems

Sorry about the graphic photo!!!

Liam had a bad night -- screamed off and on until about 8:40 pm and then I think the Tylenol kicked in and he did fine from then on. Anyway, he woke up with lots of green stuff oozing from his eye and so I packed the boys up this morning and went to the Minute Clinic. He has a double ear infection and so the green junk could be the start of the bacterial conjunctivitis like Connell has or simply stuff from his ears. At any rate he is starting oral antibiotics and drops today to start getting better. I was attributing the crying and tugging on his ears last night to teething (his back top right molar seems to hae either just cut or soon to cut), but perhaps it was ear pain instead.

Eye Problems -- Major Bummer!

Yesterday afternoon while playing, I noticed some greenish stuff in the corner of Connell's eyes. I wiped it away not thinking much of it. A few minutes later there was more gunk! Then I noticed that he was rubbing his eyes and finally it dawned on me that he probably had an infection. When Ray got home, he took him to the Minute Clinic at the neighboring CVS Pharmacy to find out that he has bacterial conjunctivitis (bacterial pink eye). He got a prescription for antibiotic eye drops immediately which we started last night. Since he can't go to school for 24 hours, he is missing his "beach party" at school today. He is really disappointed and I can tell that he is like me in that it really gets him down to be sick and have to miss things. So I had him put on his sunglasses from his beach outfit so that I could at least put a photo on the blog even if he can't make it to the party. I told him that he really needs to get well so that both he and I can go on his next preschool field trip this Thursday to Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America (I am chaperoning for the first time!) That helps to motivate him to tolerate the drops.

Boots

Since Liam didn't get to go sledding over the weekend (both he and I have had colds the last week), he just wanted to parade around the house in Connell's boots. You can't tell from the picture, but the boots come up to Liam's knees which makes it look very funny as he tries to walk with them.

Sledding

With the temperature being much milder today than the past week (in the 20s today), Ray and Connell went sledding behind our house.

Cereal Galore

As I was preparing lunch on Friday, the boys grabbed the box of Dora cereal and threw it all over the floor. Besides having to help clean it up, Connell was a little disappointed that he couldn't play games with me after lunch during Liam's nap because of the incident.