Cable-Free

I thought I'd share our experience being cable-free for a whole year now. Do I regret it? Not one bit.

1. We started by changing our internet provider to the fastest and cheapest around. 
2. We bought a Roku box to access all of our online streaming subscriptions in one place. We hooked this directly to our router to provide continuous internet feed.
3. We added our Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime accounts. We also watch the PBS channel quite a bit. And we'll put on the Presto fireplace channel to have on in the background at times.
4. We purchased a PlayOn subscription, thinking this would allow us to stream ESPN, BigTen network, etc. It did not. We can watch YouTube videos through it, but it's a pain and just easier to watch that stuff on our computers.
5. We bought an antenna for our TV, so we can watch available Packers and Badgers games (note - we do miss pausing the game when dealing with the kids...).
6. We also purchased a side subscription that allows us to watch shows on the BBC.

That's it! Certain shows that we know we'll rewatch (Doctor Who, Psych and Archer), we purchase a season pass from Amazon Instant Video and they are downloaded to our account after they air. Amazon also is our source for old Iron Chef America episodes. Hulu is good for network shows (Parks & Rec, New Girl). We've used Netflix to discover series that we can watch at our own pace (Eureka, Top Gear, old episodes of all of the above). And the PBS channel on Roku has given me my Sherlock and Downton Abbey fixes. Speaking of the BBC, if you see Broadchurch or The Musketeers, WATCH THEM. They are amazing. [note: these are just a few of the shows to which I am particular.]

We're not big movie watchers, but there are several movie subscription channels that are available.

Badger game not on a network channel? Old school radio, baby.

Gratitude

Just when you think you're getting close to the light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes it collapses and you have to dig yourself out again by hand. This winter already seemed terrible and interminable when things got worse. This is officially going down in my memory as A Bad Winter (yes, capitalized).

But, it's the times when you struggle that make you grateful for what you've got. And we certainly have a lot. We've got our health (well, what's left of it after this winter), each other, incredible children, supportive families and friends, and lots of opportunities. We just hope they pan out soon.

We've thankfully had plenty of distractions lately, like three kids' birthday parties to attend. Those have been lots of fun for everybody, and it's so interesting to watch friends' kids grow up as well. We've gotten into homebrewing, and currently have two brews fermenting merrily in our basement. We've also taken the opportunity to rid of house of unwanted clutter. It's nice to have some storage space again. We have semi-nightly dance parties to Disney songs in our living room. Both kids very much like to "Move It".


The kids are doing well. Felix is really becoming an artist, making detailed pictures that have an equally detailed storyline. Here's a couple examples of recent artwork. I wish I had the story verbatim behind each one to share with you.

Iris is talking up a storm. She says more than 225 words (about half of them you don't need an Iris-to-English translation guide), is starting to use two-word phrases, and knows the numbers from 1-12 (even a few by sight), plus some letters. I'm really impressed with her language skills. She does have some funny pronunciations that we've struggled to translate. "Pyot" is spider. "Mugeet" is music. "Painah" is peanut butter. Context is everything...

We are confident things will work out for us, and soon. They did before, right? Right. And it could always be worse.

Felix: 4.5 yrs & Iris: 18 mos

Cold(s)

Usually, I try to post once a month, but January and now February have been much of the same for us: cold and colds.

We've been passing around colds like they're hors d'oeuvres at a fancy party. Today, Iris is back to daycare after 3 feverish days (brought upon by her first ear infection - we're actually pretty lucky that it took her 17 months to require her first prescription) and Nick's cold has left him with no voice and his first sick day in forever.

And then it's been cold. The kids' daycare closed for three days in January because of the cold. The most recent one, we met Cassie at the mall and let the kids run around like the pack of old men doing laps. It was more exercise than they would have gotten at home!

And it's been snowy. Mazda5s are not made for winter. I cringe with each snowfall, because my tires seem to want to do anything but drive through it properly. Nick and I have actually traded cars on occasion because his handles the slippery roads much, much better, and he takes a more-traveled route to work.















There were some bright spots recently, though. We had my company Christmas party late in January, complete with scary caricatures and karaoke. It was (surprisingly) my first time doing karaoke, and I sang We Didn't Start The Fire solo. Sometimes I like to show off. ;o) I also won a gift card in the raffle, which totally made my night.

 The day after the party, we went to the Children's Museum with my parents. Felix liked to show off the different areas. And once again, Iris proceeded to do all but throw herself in the water play area. Next time, I'll remember spare socks and shoes in addition to the spare outfit... I'm glad we got a membership - it's nice to go there for an hour or two without feeling like we're not getting our money's worth.

And SHERLOCK. Those new episodes made me a very happy lady.

Felix has gotten into the movie Planes and spends most of his free time playing with his die-cast figures or drawing jets, like the one in the picture. He said that's air coming out of the engines. He's also improving at night, which has been great. As soon as he can be consistently dry all night, he'll earn himself a set of Planes sheets. He's excited about that.







And because I don't have a lot of other stuff to offer, here's a few videos I've taken recently of Iris:

Felix: 4.5 yrs & Iris: 17 mos

Merry Happy Season's Greetings!

This month flew by! We decided to join the Madison Children's Museum as members, and have made a couple trips there. Both kids enjoy it, and we'll be doing that a lot this coming year. We spent a weekend morning with a few of Nick's new coworkers and their families, making Christmas cookies. It was nice to put names to faces. Unfortunately, we've had our share of colds and other sicknesses. 'Tis the season, I suppose. Things just keep getting passed from one person the next, and once again back to me, it seems. I hope our bodies will adjust to the constant barrage of viruses soon.

It was definitely a white Christmas here. We've gotten ~ 10 inches of snow so far. I bought new sleds, and we tested them out one weekend. They might be a bit too fast for our backyard - both kids were done (and snowy-faced) after only two runs each.

Iris has been suddenly full of words, many of which we can actually understand. Sh can identify and say more unusual shapes (moon, star, heart), knows most of her major body parts (though her nose sometimes is on her ear), and now is full of "Mama!" and "Papa!" She can't say Felix, so she's taken to calling him "Bada" (which I think might mean "brother"). As usual, it's a learning experience and she says several things that I have difficulty translating. I'm sure I'll figure them out soon. Right around Christmas, she learned how to say "no", much to our chagrin. Now, it's "no" to everything, even the things she wants. She is also getting pretty aggressive; she hits and throws things when she doesn't want to do something. Argh. Do we have a tomboy? Maybe. She also just started feeding herself with a spoon and fork. We still aren't sure if she's a leftie or a rightie.

And now on to Christmas. Felix has been so excited about it this year, though his behavior hasn't been the greatest. He's been awfully demanding and prone to wailing if told he can't have something NOW. Patience comes with age, I suppose. He assumes everything he sees in ads that he wants is something Santa will bring him. We've tried to temper that, saying that it'll go on his wish list instead.

We went up to Rapids on the 24th to spend Christmas with my side. It's been a family tradition since Felix was born that we do a theme Christmas picture. This year, Fancy! We got all dolled up with antique rhinestones (even Felix - he wanted to get in on the fun). We opened family presents that night. The kids got lots of nice stuff, and we got a beer brewing kit among other great gifts. We then had a nice time at Maxine & Dennis's on the 25th. And... that night, KENDRA CAME OVER AND WE WATCHED DOCTOR WHO TOGETHER! Sorry, I'm still excited that it happened. Since we both share a love of Doctor Who, we bade adieu to the 11th Doctor. Happy/sad.

We had Nick's parents down the following Friday. We had a nice time, then they spent the night before we drove to Germantown to have the that family Christmas. We had a lot of fun with lots of family. Nick got green and gold flamingos, which promptly went in the front yard in time for the Packers game. (Yay!)

Nick and I had the whole week off, but had the kids go to day care on Monday and Friday. On Monday, Nick and I went to my first movie in a theater since 2006 (we saw Anchorman 2), then went out to lunch at Novanta (mmm, wood-fired pizza). And then we got a water softener installed. Yay! Friday, we made our first batch of homebrew. Can't wait to try it.

Hope you had a great 2013 and a wonderful 2014!

Felix: 4 yrs & Iris: 16 mos

So Thankful

I thought I'd assemble all my thankfulness into one post for easy reading. Here are the things I've been thankful for in November.

I'm thankful for...
November 1 - Mittens (it was cold walking around on a site visit!) and my paycheck (woo, payday!)
2 - ABC televising the Badger-Hawkeye game so we cable-less folk could watch it at home.
3 - Nick's desire to do more cooking that has taken some pressure off me, especially because Iris has been very clingy lately. Also, Nick doing most of the raking.
4 - Having a former mentor happy to start mentoring me in a new area (in this case, picking up stained glass as a hobby).
5 - Daycare teachers who are patiently able to deal with Felix when he's having a rough day (or week), and parents who make a brief visit to lighten up a dreary day.
6 - Felix having a better day and still being sweet and innocent (I asked him what kind of flower he would like to be and he answered "pink rose").
7 - The kids being well-behaved for me when Nick came home late. And for Iris saying "baa" at the end of Moo Baa Lalala just like Felix did at her age ("It's quiet now. What do you say?")
8 - Job flexibility that allows me to come home from work early and get a lot done without the kids around.
9 - Badger home games, tailgating, and visiting with friends.
10 - Not having lots to do when both kids are under the weather.
11 - Having an all-too-rare time playing and laughing all together in the basement. Getting smiles from both kids in their daycare pictures.
12 - Having a job where I can take off easily if a kid gets sick, like Iris did this afternoon.
13 - The beautiful sunrise and sunset I saw going to and leaving work. Having an easy but busy day.
13/14 - The NoseFrida, without which Iris wouldn't have slept at all last night. And my strong stomach to use it.
14 - The Doctor Who mini-episode that was released today! Iris not having to come home early from daycare, because I had a lot to do at work today. Cough drops which soothe my sore throat.
15 - A few hours to myself and this sunset when I picked up the kids:

16 - A nice, quiet day when the weather was lousy and everyone was a bit under the weather. The Badger victory.
17 - Getting no more than a little hail during a tornado watch. Play dates for Felix with his friend Lucas.
18 - Nick finding a decent replacement car. The kids behaving for when when Nick was gone all evening. Iris going to bed nicely (even getting annoyed if I stick around in her room too long).
19 - Having the ability to take a walk and not freeze (yet), and being able to hide unwrapped presents for the kids under our bed in plain view.
20 - Earning some easy overtime (some of it while reading a book at a coffee shop :o), and making it home safely.
21 - Nick's new car (a used Ford Fusion), the great big Thanksgiving lunch at work, and Iris being in the best mood in which she's been in quite a while.
22 - The bit of snow we got melting quickly, getting a lot done at home, and The Magic School Bus keeping Felix entertained while learning.
23 - Getting our Christmas decorations up quickly inside and out, but not spending too much time outside. A peaceful moment that included fresh Chex Mix, a crackling fire, the Badger game on the radio, and the kids napping.
24 - Being able to spend an hour at the Children's Museum this morning and becoming members. It's a stretch, but not losing to the Vikings...
25 - My car making it through the first of the crappy winter-weather drives without being hit. Hot homemade hard apple cider.
26 - Long chats with good friends far away and the technology that makes the distance disappear.
27 - A place close by that serves breakfast when I forget mine at home.
28 - Iris having the ability to eat so much her tummy was taut. Getting to see lots of family on Thanksgiving day.
29 - Iris saying W ("daiu") as one of her first dozen-odd words, recognizing the Badger W and Bucky everywhere. The kids getting lots of 1-on-1 time with their Nana.
30 - Seeing lots more family. Surviving all the drives. The good weather we had all three days.

November was a good month. We opened the month with Nick recently starting his new job and ended with a road trip over three days to visit both sides of our family.

Iris has become very adept at telling us what she wants. Just shy of 15 months old, she says cracker, water, ball, please, and hat regularly and unprompted. She signs more and please, and has started doing thank you as well. If you ask her which book she wants, she will stab at it with her hand. Although sometimes she follows this up by pushing it away as though she can't stand the sight of it. Her favorite books at the moment are Go Badgers! (yay! - she points to all Bucky and Ws she sees), Moo Baa Lalala, and her Care Bear books.

Felix has turned a corner, so to speak. He hasn't had very many potty accidents since he returned to daycare full time. Nick wakes him up in the middle of the night to go, to get him in the habit there as well. His behavior has improved also. He's got a sticker chart at daycare that he started on 11/6. So far, he's only had two days where he didn't earn a sticker. Not too shabby.

Felix: 4 yrs & Iris: 14 mos

Happy Halloween!

Near the end of October, Nick started his new job at Hill, Glowacki, Jaeger and Hughes (his headshot coming soon) and has so far LOVED every minute of it. He likes it so much he's willing to stay until almost 6 on a Friday! ;o) His firm does a lot of estate planning and trust work, especially related to special needs and medicaid. I like that the firm's location down in the Willy St/Atwood area will give us a chance to meet up for lunch at restaurants I've always wanted to try. I'm still amazed how everything worked out. A doubter I no more shall be!

Nick's new job has meant that Iris has gone back to daycare. The first few days were rough, but we've had over a week of me leaving without any tears from Iris. It helps that Felix has been eating his breakfast with her in the 1-year-old room, as opposed to in the main drop-off room. At home, she has developed an unfortunate game where she will smile and shriek at you to get a response. She's getting a handle on her body parts, but if you ask her where any facial feature but her tongue is, she points to her ears. She is learning animal sounds. According to her, a cow says "bao". Or maybe she's just trying to say "cow". We're getting to that stage where she is saying words, but we haven't learned to translate them yet. She is also a graham cracker fiend. Nick jokes that there's a reason "crack" is part of the word... She definitely seems addicted. She knows where they are kept in the pantry, and if the door is closed, she will whine and frantically do her version of the signs for more and please (wiping both hands across her belly). Deny her a cracker, and it's tantrum-time!

Felix has been his usual challenging-and-confounding self. He'll do something well for a few days straight, and then suddenly go back to square one. It's been frustrating. "Stop" and "quiet down" are meaningless to him. He doesn't believe anything we tell him (I expected this more from a teenage girl, not a four-year-old boy...), but believes everything his buddies at daycare tell him. At least he's developed quite a liking for "The Magic School Bus", so he's getting some educational information. There are also times when he's super sweet and thoughtful, so we know he has it in him! He spent the weekend recently with Nana and Grandpa, and came home full of stories, which, if you know Felix, can go on for an awfully long time. :o)

Both kids started swimming lessons last week. This is Felix's third session and Iris's first. She seemed to like it a lot, but I think the chilly water got to her by the end of the half hour.

The kids had a fun Halloween. We still aren't doing very much for it (just carved a few pumpkins), but Felix has got it down pat. Felix was Iron Patriot from Iron Man 3 (his choice) and Iris was a flower. I realized too late that I didn't have a bucket for Iris, so I got the idea to be a gardener to her flower and carry a clean watering can. Iris was very unsure about the whole dress-up-and-go-to-neighbor's-houses-on-a-rainy-night thing. It rained all morning except a period that allowed the kids to trick-or-treat at daycare, then rained all afternoon into the evening. We got a grand total of 13 trick-or-treaters at our house. We don't typically get a lot, but this was way below average.

Felix: 4 yrs & Iris: 14 mos

Hallelujah!

Things are very happy right now in our household. It's a huge change over the past 6 months. Why? Because Nick accepted an associate attorney position with a small estate planning (etc.) firm in Madison! Our saga began back in April, when my diagnosis of an ulcer was the catalyst to Nick looking for a career outside the financial industry. We spent the summer riding a roller coaster of emotion as he got very far along the interview process for a banking job in Green Bay. It went weeks between contacts with recruiter or hiring manager, and after three in-person interviews and 2.5 months, the process ended disappointingly last month. Two weeks later, he applied for the attorney job, and after 12 days and two interviews, they offered him the job. The suddenness of it all has been wonderful. And, we don't have to move!

With this change, hopefully things will return to a level of normalcy at our house. The kids will both go back to daycare full time. We'll have to see how they adjust. I think Felix will do well with the return; he needs the structure he hasn't been able to get at home. Iris will hopefully remember her good buddy with whom she will be reunited. She might have a tougher time, since she's also going through some separation anxiety and does not follow the daycare nap schedule. But again, it will be good for her to get some socialization once more.

In the past month and a half, we've tried to make the best of things. We've enjoyed the days with perfect weather. We've learned what it's like to be in football season without cable. We've said goodbye to an old family friend. We've watched our good friends and neighbors prepare to move far away. We've celebrated a wedding and friends. We've made jelly from our own apples. And Cassie has gotten us plenty of free beer.

Felix, oh Felix. He's been saying some funny and some disturbing things lately. He said to me, "a long, long time ago when I was 3..." the other day. It made me laugh. He refers to going to spend the weekend with Nana and Grandpa this past June as "last year when I was 3". It is interesting to watch him develop a concept of time. On the flip side, while I was away for a work trip this week, he got out the chalk and drew "a dead rabbit that was shot by a poison gun." Egads. Coupled with his aggression at times, I'm not sure if this is normal 4-year-old behavior. I'll have to do some research. We've also been working on a token system in our house - having Felix earn tokens for good behavior or successful bathroom trips (still...), which he could cash in for TV shows or treats. Some success there.

My little monkey is everywhere these days. Climbing up, down, all around, bumping her head as she goes. Silly peanut. She spends her days looking at her pile of books, and bringing them to you so you can read them to her. I like that. I don't like that she also feels the great urge to pull everything down and/or out of drawers, cabinets, shelves, etc.

She's not saying too many recognizable words yet. She'll say "Oh" for Cheerios, "wawa" for water, and "eye/I" for everything else, it seems. Animal picture on the wall? "Eye/I!" Picture of the letter I and an iris in her room? "Eye/I!" Her picture on the fridge? "Eye/I!" Not sure what she's actually trying to say. She mostly grunts or whines at us until she gets what she wants. We have taught her a few signs, like please, more and all done. She'll use them occasionally.

I'm still riding the high of Nick's new job. I hope this feeling lasts for a while. :o)

Felix: 4 yrs & Iris: 13 mos