New Blog

I have created a blog for Steve! Well, mostly to showcase Steve's crabbiness about what I'm cooking. Teaser: the first post is about his farts. Wm will also appear - but the focus will be on what we're eating, and Steve specifically. That way I can transition all the food stuff over there for people who don't want to read about it on here. So this blog remains all about Wm's exploits!

But if you want to find out what Steve is complaining about today - CLICK HERE!

Fun Times!

Steve went back to work today. But The Adventures of Cory and Wm continue!! We had a great "all family holiday break." I am a Craig's List Master and found a buffet for the dining room on there. Steve is thrilled to have a coffee station and I am happy to have more storage and "counter-like"space. 

We had to fold down the entire back seat to fit it in the car, so we had to call in an emergency assist from Mimi, who came and hung out with Wm while we went to get it. And it was solid and HEAVY, so it took all 3 of us to get it in the house! I, too, am enjoying Mimi's retirement! 

Then, today, Mimi and her friend Lois took their grandkids on an adventure!! Mimi came and picked up Wm at 8:30am this morning and whisked him off to Cincinnati to go see an awesome Lego exhibit! 

Before they left, I managed to slide another healthy food into Wm - unbeknownst to him! I made him a "chocolate milkshake" for breakfast and he was like, "I am allowed to have this...FOR BREAKFAST?" [insert evil laugh here] It was almond milk, peanut butter, a frozen banana, chia seeds, and cocoa powder. I told him the chia seeds were tiny chocolate chip bits and he bought it! He never even suspected there was an actual fruit in there. And so my diabolical plan to trick Wm into eating foods continues...

After his milkshake, off Wm went!

Been there.

Wm keeping an eye on Sidney

Lego dinosaur!

And while Wm was gone, I got so much accomplished! I popped in to work for an hour and finished up a quick project that needed doing and was like a black cloud hanging over vacation, took a jog around the nature path out there, then went to Target for supplies and came home and organized our "pantry."

I <3 organizing!

I chatted on the phone with a friend for over an hour, uninterrupted by demands for snacks! And right after I finished my own snack and Netflix show, Wm and Mimi arrived home! 

Lastly, don't feel sorry for Steve, who had to return to work. He returned to find out he got a big annual bonus this year!! Yay Steve! He has definitely earned it!! (But the amount of taxes they take out are enough to make me vote for Trump. HA!) And an old friend of his stopped in to his office to visit him today and he was really happy to see him and catch up. So it was a great day for everyone!

Christmas 2015

Wm said this was the best Christmas ever! On Christmas Eve, it started with some Glow Bars for breakfast. Wm actually loves them - which surprised me since they are pretty much various seeds (hemp, sunflower, chia, sesame) and oats held together with a bit of honey and peanut butter. We did sprinkle some chocolate chips on top, so that led to this happy camper:

Then, we went back into the kitchen and made sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles. I managed to scrounge up food coloring made from vegetable dye at Whole Foods so they were chemical free! There isn't much you can't do with a beet!

Then we headed over to Mimi and Guy's for a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. 

Wm is an odd kid - he falls right to sleep on Christmas Eve and wakes up at his usual time. When I was a kid, I was up half the night with anticipation and then sat in my bed, wide awake, from about 4:30am until I figured I could wrangle everyone out of bed without getting beaten to death. In fact, Wm didn't even wake us up on Christmas morning. I heard him rustling around in his room and had to call out to him and ask if he was awake and wanted to open presents. Of course he did! So down we went...

Stocking and fat cat 

What could it be?

Happy face! Nailed it.

Pop's turn!

Later in the day, The Grandparents came over for even more presents and Christmas dinner!

Present-palooza!

The Grandmas!

Mimi and Guy!

Wm woke up this morning and immediately got to work on his lego set. He has been building all his things, Lego and otherwise. We got him these remote control cars that can battle, and he loves them...but they are SO LOUD. I am already regretting this. Steve has been helping him build all kinds of things and is his battle partner. He also forced me to play endless Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit last night. I'm hoping he has some friends around today because we are exhausted!

The Force & Pancakes

Steve wanted to take Wm to see Star Wars this weekend, so we came up with a great plan for the whole fam! Steve and Wm went to see Star Wars while Suzanne and I went to see Sisters. We all had lunch together beforehand, so it was a great solution! Wm really liked Star Wars and said it was better than he thought it would be! And I thought Sisters was pretty funny...in case anyone cares.

After the Brunch of Sadness last weekend, I woke up on Sunday and made my own homemade vegan pancakes. And they were Steve approved! Wm said they were the best pancakes he's ever had - even better than "regular" pancakes! (I used the same recipe we've used for years, but subbed soy milk and a flax "egg" and they turned out perfectly!)

YUM!

Cruelty-free pancakes!

Responsible

We are barely halfway through the school year and Wm has won Character Club for the second time!! This month's character trait was Responsible. Wm, along with a 4th grade girl, was chosen by his teaching team as best representing that characteristic! (I'm still not sure there wasn't a clerical error or something!) His name was on the morning announcements, he gets to wear a big button that says, "RESPONSIBLE," and he gets to have a special lunch with the principal. I sent him to school in a cute Christmas sweater that day and he got his grade on a big Reading assignment he has been working on. Apparently, his sweater was a BIG hit and he was the only kid to get a 100% on the Reading assignment - on top of getting Character Club, Wm came home floating on Cloud 9!! And now he's officially on winter break! He goes to Holiday Clubhouse Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday - then I am off with him the rest of break (until Jan 4). I'm actually off Wednesday too, but Steve and I are dumping him at Clubhouse to go off and PARRRRRTAY! Wm loves Clubhouse, so it's no hardship for him.

Steve got a new phone this morning, so we will see his face again in a couple weeks. And Schroeder had to go to the vet for a rabies booster (and had a thermometer stuck up his cat butt and his nails clipped), so he'll also go into hiding. He came home puffed up and scraggly, but a heap of wet food and a good brushing put him to rights and he's still loitering about normally - but the vet said the shot may make him groggy.

Steve asked Wm if he knew who was "the father of modern football," and Wm goes, "Michael Jordan?" Haha!

Concert

I wrote a whole big post and the internet deleted it, so now I'm doing a very short recap.

Wm wrote an awesome story. Here is my favorite line:
"She remembered dragon scales are impenetrable. 'Aim for its eyes!' she screamed."

 

Wm had his Strings concert last night. He looked very dapper!

 

He said he wasn't nervous at all once he got himself ready!

 

He did AWESOMELY and we are so proud of him. Steve, Guy, and I went and watched him rock it:

Sad Brunch

Despite the fact that it's a couple weeks before Christmas and we were running around in short sleeves yesterday (Endtimes are upon us!), life goes on. Wm continues to work on his various accents:

And we went out for brunch this morning. According to Yelp, a highly rated vegetarian restaurant was literally 2 blocks for our house. They had vegan pancakes, so we decided to walk up this morning. Wm LOVED the pancakes. He had a delightful brunch. But Steve and I did NOT like our food. So we had a very sad brunch. Wm was just thrilled with life and pancakes and the restaurant (he was very impressed with their art and ambiance and the whole experience) - so he insisted that I take a number of pictures of him enjoying his brunch:

Wm loving the pancakes

Wm loving the restaurant

Wm just chillin' happily

And now we are off to buy his black pants for his Strings concert on Wednesday. He is very nervous!! I told him that when he's playing with everyone else, people won't hear if he makes a mistake - the trick is to just keep smiling.  He has a tendency to make upset faces when he makes a mistake, but the world will never know if he doesn't!! He seemed appeased, but is still pretty nervous. They are playing two musical selections: Jingle Bells and Hoe-Down. Very fancy!

Typical Mom

Wm: *Jenny* says she is a boy inside and plays with us at recess.
Me: Oh, really?
Wm: Yep. There are actually two transgender kids in my grade.
Me: Where did you learn about transgender people?
Wm: I know it's people who feel like they were born into the wrong body. There are 2 girls who say they feel like boys on the inside in my grade.
Me: Is everyone cool with that?
Wm: Of course. Why wouldn't they be?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wm: Where is my game?
Steve: I don't know.
Wm: I KNOW. Typical Mom...
Me: Hey! What?
Wm: You recycled the game I invented!
Me: Did not! AH-HA! It's on the table. BOOM.
Wm: Well, you recycle all my things.
Steve: Yeah...typical Mom!
Me: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We also got a letter today that Wm may have been exposed to chicken pox at school two weeks ago. Ya don't say....

Pox Update

Wm is doing much better! He is planning to return to school tomorrow. His pox are almost gone (he's still pretty mucus-y, though), but he is feeling great and has his energy back. This is how he's spent much of the last few days:

Book, soft and hooded robe, and snuggled with pillows

He did venture out to go see a play with Mimi! They both looked very dapper:

They saw Peter and the Starcatcher. It ended with a fire alarm and evacuation! Mimi and Wm called it a night after that!

Pre-evacuation 

In other news...nothing is happening. I have been trapped with Captain Quarantine, so I am super bored. I have been reading and watching a boatload of Netflix. At first, I was living the dream. Now I'm just bored. Steve is off galavanting at work and going to play soccer. Jealous. I taught Wm how to play rummy, so we've been doing a lot of that. Wm is actually better than Steve! We had a family rummy night and I, of course, DOMINATED - but Wm trounced Steve! He was delighted. 

We woke up to crazy fog the other morning. This is the view from Wm's room. It's extra creepy with all the winter leaf-less spindle trees!

Very horror movie-esque!

And, lastly, because I thought it was super awesome - my friend Mel gave me a "bluebird of happiness" to take to the dentist with me when I had my implant fixed and when I go to have my crown fixed in the next couple week. Love it!

The Pox!

Wm has the chicken pox. Despite being vaccinated (twice). Uncool, vaccine...UNCOOL. And suddenly Jenny McCarthy isn't so stupid. Well, maybe I won't go that far!

Wm  has had a headache and a stuffy nose for the past couple days. He was also itching a "spider bite" on his shoulder like mad. Well, yesterday, he came down for school looking like hell. I thought his cold had intensified and kept him home from school. His stomach was upset, his head hurt, and he was super congested. As he itched his bite, I wondered if he had the chicken pox, but took his temp and it was normal, so I dismissed it. But then, yesterday evening, when he got out of the shower, I saw his torso. Covered in pox. Pox-tastic. So Steve and I looked it up and apparently it's relatively common for kids who have received the vaccine to still get the chicken pox (but they say it's less severe).  He felt MUCH better this morning, and never had a fever. So we almost just figured he had a weird rash and a cold. But we decided to call the doctor anyway - because who wants a weird rash?? And, it's a good thing we did because the kid has The Pox!

He is now happily quarantined until his pox scab over and heal up. He is feeling about 85% better today, so now this is mostly just a chicken pox vacation for him. He said the pox don't even itch. Steve and I have tag-teamed taking off half days and I'm up for any time he needs next week. I'm waiting for a call from the school nurse to find out what the school policy is on when he can return. Thank god I have a zillion hours of sick time!

Christmas Ready!

We are now officially ready for Christmas! The tree is up and the campaign to keep Schroeder away from it is on! 

Decorating

Hanging his favorite ornament

Putting the star on top!

I forgot to click a picture of Wm standing in front of the completed tree. That will come!

I made a super colorful dinner last night! The picture didn't do the colors justice. I made homemade tortillas and filled them with zucchini, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, avocado, and shredded brussel sprouts. Keeping the whole thing together was beet hummus. Wm put peanut butter in his. You win some, you lose some.

And Mimi and Wm had a Christmas concert!

Wm is still figuring out the bow - they just started using that about 2 weeks ago. He is an expert string plucker, though! He has his first school orchestra concert coming up!!

And now I'm off to the dentist to deal with my loose implant...

Buds

We had a great Thanksgiving in NE Ohio yesterday. Steve somehow managed to get us home in less than 2.5 hours! We put Wm into his jammies before we left and he fell asleep not too long into the car trip home. So I just carried him up to bed (beast mode - that kid is getting big!!) and he crashed. We got home before 10pm, so it was perfect! Steve overate, as would be expected, and was still feeling sick this morning. After a green smoothie for breakfast (along with some homemade bread and apple butter from his mom) he was fit as a fiddle! Which is good, because we've had a busy day!

Schroeder was very lonely while we were gone and actually decided to allow Wm to pet him:

Schroeder mostly enjoys biting the crap out of Wm (which is toooootally Wm's fault because he mostly enjoys torturing the crap out of the cat), so whenever Wm gets some good snuggles, he is majorly pumped. I even took a little video - if you turn it up, you can hear Schroeder purring. But check out Wm's face. He cannot believe he good fortune! It lasted for about 5 minutes and then Schroeder decided that was enough and promptly got all bitey and sauntered away. 

I have been at the store gathering supplies for our dinner tomorrow. It should be good!! I have a turkey made out of wheat (stuffed with apples and cranberries and snuggled in a puff pastry!). I am pretty excited to see how that will turn out! On tonight's menu is Indian dal. I've never made it before (or ingested a lentil, as far as I know), so it will be a new experience. I had to buy a bunch of Indian spices. Fingers crossed! I am about 95% sure Wm won't eat it. I am prepared and purchased plain black beans for him!

Bowler

Steve is, without a doubt, the best husband who has ever existed. Wm and his cronies wanted to go bowling on Saturday. Steve offered to take them so I could run some errands and work out. I don't think he realized how much work it would be until they got there - and by then it was tooooo late! He was a major trouper and totally knocked it out. The boys had a BLAST! Wm is lucky to have such an amazing dad!!

Wm got a strike!

Picking out goodies with his tickets

Earning tickets at the arcade

I was off work today to go to the dentist (did not go well) and I'm off with Wm on Wednesday, so tomorrow is my only day of work this week! Woooot!! Wm is taking a field trip to BizTown tomorrow and he is suuuuuper excited. All the kids get jobs and checking accounts and fake money and run a little town and learn how to be grown up. Wm is the CFO of some Logistics firm. I have set out a little business outfit for him to wear tomorrow. Cutest.

Extraordinary

Wm: Fred* called me weird at lunch.
Me: Why did he do that?
Wm: I was being funny and he didn't get my jokes.
Me: Did it hurt your feelings when he called you weird?
Wm: No. Not at all. I told him that that is a compliment. Because who wants to be normal? I don't want to be just like everyone else. I WANT to be weird.  I want to be EXTRAORDINARY.

Musical Stylings

Wm had a great weekend. He went to a birthday sleepover and had a great time! Of course, he came home exhausted! While he was gone, Steve and I went out to dinner and watched a movie - it was glorious. Next weekend is our turn and we are taking him and his crew bowling. It should be an adventure!

I spent Sunday hiking, lunching, and going to see Suffragette with Suzanne. While I was gone, Steve took Wm to his swimming lesson - where he rocked it! He is working on breathing while he swims. He keeps sucking in water, so he has to figure out his timing. But he loved it and is doing great! Then Wm spent his afternoon chillin' with an amigo.

He is most excited that they have finally learned how to use the bow in Strings! It's not good. Not. Good. But Wm thinks it's wonderful. He has his first concert coming up in about month, so he is delighted! However, this is the screech-fest that is now my house...enjoy the musical stylings of Wm:

Gone Veg

I usually lock Schroeder out of our bedroom because he has fur and loves to spread it all over my bed. But I forgot to close the door the day after I put the super soft flannel sheets on the bed. I went up later and discovered him firmly ensconced on them. Notice the look of panic on his face when he hears me coming and knows he's about to be displaced:

Wm got his school pictures back! We laughed SO HARD at them. Wm says he has a "derpy face." They are my favorite! He looks hilarious!! Nerd alert:

A friend took her daughter to hear Temple Grandin speak earlier this week. Wm and I were talking about her and I was explaining who she is and what she does. We watched a video of a pig shaking in fear at a slaughterhouse and I told him that Temple Grandin helps design slaughterhouses so animals are calm and they are more humane. But Wm was so freaked out that some slaughterhouses are not humane that he has sworn off all meat. He was already off cow since the dairy farm (and, as we discovered at Roscoe Village, will starve himself grumpy instead of eating beef!) He goes, "I could be vegan! I will be a vegan who eats cheese." I told him that is sort of the definition of a vegan, so he's not any kind of vegan - but I will buy him only good cheese! He was appeased. Wm ate so little meat before, it shouldn't be hard to meal plan around it for him. I asked if he would eat turkey on Thanksgiving and he goes, "no way." Maybe I will be able to work more vegetables in that kid now! Bonus: he weirdly loves black beans!

Bathrooms

Wm on his bathrooms at school:
The toilet senses ANY movement at all. So you have to sit still as a statue. If you even scratch your head, it flushes and shoots water up your butt. It is also always covered in pee.

Best description of automatic toilets ever. (He was mad because the flax breakfast cookies I made him had an effect on his bowels and he had to use the school toilet....which is, apparently, to be avoided at all costs.)

SWIMMER!!!!

First, Wm and I played tennis on Saturday and he had a GREAT time!! He says he wants to go every day. Based on the "fall" we've been having, he may be able to!

BUT - the biggest news: WILLIAM HAS LEARNED HOW TO SWIM!!!!! Steve and I are SO SO SO proud of him! Just a few months ago, he was sobbing because he didn't want to go to swimming and was too scared to even go in the water up to his chest. And, in just 10 weeks, here he is now:





Not only are we super proud of him, but he is super proud of himself. I told him that swimming is great and we are really happy he can be safe in and around water - but I am proudest that he was terrified to do something, was brave enough to do it anyway, and overcame his fear!

While I was trying to tell him how he shouldn't care what other people think and the only thing that matters is what HE thinks of HIMSELF, he goes, "OK, OK. Can you stop talking now? You're giving me a headache." Just like his father...chip off the 'ole block!

Lasagne

Steve works this weekend, so Wm and I are entertaining ourselves. Steve and Wm were off on Tuesday together - and they, seemingly, spent the entire day playing video games (though they did come and take me out to lunch!) I have more on the agenda for today, including grocery shopping, tennis, a nice walk, reading homework, the library, and a metro park. I think Wm is both pleased to get out and annoyed that I don't let him sit at his computer all day!

This picture cracks me up. I took it text to Steve to show him the inexplicable bruise Wm has at his hairline, but it also turned out to be cute!! (And I told Wm if that bruise isn't gone by Monday - and/or he still cannot explain to me where it came from - he's going to the doctor!)

We have already checked grocery shopping off our list - and, while we are there, Wm is in charge of the list...

Wm: It says we need lasagne noodles.

Me: Got 'em! You can check it off.

Wm: What is lasagne, exactly?

Me: I'm making it for dinner tonight, so you will see soon. It's those big noodles layered with pasta sauce and a ton of cheese. 

Wm: That sounds amazing! No wonder Garfield loves it.

This morning while we were eating breakfast, Wm looked over at me dunking my tea bag...

Wm: How do you just make tea?

Me: What do you mean?

Wm: It seems SO complicated! And you make it every day!

Me: You just pour hot water over a tea bag, man. It is super easy. 

Wm: Oh. It seemed harder.

Laying in bed with Wm last night as I tucked him in...

Wm: *Girl* has crush on me.

Me: Oh, really? How do you know?

Wm: Oh, I know.

Me: But HOW do you know?

Wm: It's so obvious. She goes all fuzzy when I'm around.

Tomorrow, after Steve gets home, I am heading over to Suzanne's for an afternoon of crafting and Friendsgiving. I figure, by that time, I will be reeeeeally ready for some time away from Tiny Evil!!! Next on our agenda: library and tennis!

Random

I have started making a big family dinner every Sunday (both for leftovers and as something I need to start up again!) and a special dessert - even when we have Halloween candy. I think this Sunday's was a megahit. Wm went bonkers! I made a chocolate chip cookie trifle:

And here is Wm enjoying it:

This time change is kicking my butt. And Wm's. Steve seems fine. I am just tired and groggy - and I keep falling asleep on the couch because my body thinks it's an hour later. Steve clicked this picture of me in my super hot fall pajamas and Schroeder with one demon eye open. 

Steve photobombed Wm so that his head looks like a tiny neck growth while I was trying to get a picture of Wm with his I Voted Today sticker. He went into the booth and got to press the buttons!

Lastly, I was trying to get a video of Wm, who has been working up his new Scottish accent, and accidentally had Slo-Mo on. This video made Wm and I laugh SO HARD:

And here is the real video (still giggling about his Slo-Mo video!):

Trick or Treat

Wm had a GREAT Halloween! And we are all exhausted. It was a whirlwind of activity!!

First, trick or treat (which included a pre-trick or treat party at a friend's house):

Steve drew an amazing Death Eater tattoo

Wm in Full Death Eater showing off tattoo

The tattoo calls Voldemort if touched - watch out!

At the party with Harry Potter and "Pants"

Trick or treating with Sherlock

The whole crew!

Then, on Friday, Wm had his class party and parade. You can see me excitedly point him out to Mimi during the parade! (We had the best seats - the parade route went right by our house!)

Then, that evening, we took Wm and a couple of his friends to the Harvest Party at the middle school. They mostly tried to destroy all middle school property instead of participating in the crafts and games:

Hooligans

They decided the party was "boring," so we took them to the playground after dark with glow bracelets and they ran around like maniacs:

Maniacs

After that, we dumped them all off for a sleepover. We picked Wm up Saturday morning and crashed all day! Then, yesterday evening we went to dinner at friends' house and Wm got to play with another friend and was out until 11pm! I'm kind of glad it's all over. I need the rest!! Wm is now lounging on the couch watching the last 2 Harry Potter movies.

And, finally, a fun Wm anecdote after I told him a nice story about someone he thought was "mean"...

Wm: I thought REDACTED was mean? 

Me: Well, no person is all good or all bad. Everyone does nice things and everyone does mean things.  Some people are mostly nice and some people are mostly mean. But no one is all of one or the other!

Wm: Am I mostly nice?

Me: Of course! I think you are 98% nice and only 2% mean.

Wm: I think it's more like 50-50.