I found it particularly inspiring, as a parent, to learn that in the Obama family, you must endure a presidential campaign to earn a puppy.

Now that is good parenting.

Peggy Noonan is all kinds of crazy. Wow. I thought I had seen it all with Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin, but noooooooo. What a nutjob! Her sing-song voice is more than enough to push me over the edge and the words that come out smack of total and utter blissful ignorance.

It distresses me when people in general are ignorant, but when women are ignorant, it offends me.

I'm training for a 5K on Thanksgiving Day. My b/f/f Dayna told me about it; she has been a major factor in my desire to run. I was training to run a 5k closer to my next birthday (in May), but thought it wise to move it up and not lose the momentum I've gained. There is really nothing like running, you've heard people say it, it sounds like a cliche. It's completely true.


A new friend named Sara has been my running partner. I've posted before about making friends in my adult years; I've had extraodinary luck for the most part. Sara can be described as much more than just luck. Karma is a better term. She's funny, she's an epicurian, and has good taste. A trifecta! She also is a very good listener, which is something I am working on and appreciate.

We figured out shortly after meeting that we went to the same high school. Fast forward three months and we've had about a more hundred coincidences of people in common, last names (her mom's maiden name is O'Reilly!), we now just look at each other in disbelief when something comes up. Sara has three children, same age as mine (but girls) and a baby boy. They are among my favorite "other people's kids" for certain.

Sara, you amaze and delight. I am so grateful for you!

It's the Monday before the Tuesday that changed our lives. I didn't sleep at all last night, and I suspect tonight and Tuesday night will be similar. I'm taking one for the team. Knocking on doors, standing in random streets with a very large sign bearing a very unusual name, calling strangers from my the unpublished number of my 3G BlackJack.

I'll run on adrenaline, if that's what it takes, B. Can I call you B?

The green dress (accessories built in!) by Korto
I hope to wear the next time I am a bridesmaid.

I am glad Leanne won Project Runway, she deserved it for her clear point-of-view, ecologically sound fabric choices, and innovation. But (there's always a but) if I were a judge, judging solely on wear-ability, I would have picked Korto, hands down. Her colors, styles, and fabrics were beautifully chosen, and her ability to design for real, curvy bodies (like hers and mine) is a gift beyond any innovation.

When I accept my first Oscar.

A party next summer.

I'll figure out a place for this one.

Last night, while brushing his teeth, Coleman rubbed his face and said, "I'm so tired." Joel and I embraced. We're so happy our kids are tired at bedtime and now they can both verbalize it. My friend Lucie says it gets easier and now, I finally believe her. I had to have a little hard evidence of my own.

My darling parents, Eric and my sister Meg, myself and sissy Jayne, and you likely know the other combinations.

We hosted birthday dinner today for the O'Reilly Clan (Meg, Matty and Moms bdays). Here's what we had:

Hennepin, Stella, Dog Days, and Hacker-Pschorr beers
Red wine: El Coto (Rioja) and Trefethen (Merlot)
White wine: New Gewurz North Coast (Gewurztraminer)

New French baguette with local bleu, Vermont cheddar, and french Camembert cheeses, peppercorn salami, and marinated olives

Marinated beef tips with romas and crispy paper-thin onions
(marinade is Grampa Asher's cajun spice and buttermilk)
Spicy horseradish & tarragon sauces

Salmon cakes
on field greens salad

Salt-water boiled fingerling potatoes

Artichoke gratin

Roasted whole carrots and daikon radish

Apple crisp with vanilla and caramel ice cream
(apples from our tree and local honeycrisps) YUM!!

Twins Game--they won, we had a great time, and maybe next time we'll make it seven innings--or GASP! The whole game.

I know that Aidan is a good boy, a kind and well-mannered boy. He rarely has ulterior motives, and when he does, it is actually endearing. He has been naughty a total of twice, both times I found out because he told on himself. By naughty I mean knowing something is wrong and doing it anyway. I often (commonly every day) get compliments both from people we know and strangers about him.

He is a normal, 5-year-old boy. And by normal, I mean he moves his body uncontrollably at all the wrong times. He always takes the bigger piece/greater quantity of anything edible. He frequently doesn't want to go to school and comes up with reasons like "I know all of those letters!" and "We'll have to go to that BORING gym again." He has to have things a certain way.

But, he has many admirable qualities and those outweigh the little annoying ones. I have come a long way with him. I am proud of both of us.

Two sweet things from Aidan today:

We're leaving the house:
Aidan: I'm glad you brought those extra graham crackers along in your purse, Mama.
Me: I didn't bring them Aidan, they are in on the counter where you left them. Would you
like me to bring those extra graham crackers along in my purse?
Aidan: Yes please, Mama.


In the car on the way home after a slew of errands:
Aidan: Mama?
Me: Yes, honeybear?
Aidan: When we get home I'm going to put you right next to me.


Heart. Melting. Now.

A friend recently shared this commencement speech given by author Kurt Vonnegut in 1999, which included this passage that I thought beautiful:

Don't give up on books. They feel so good - their friendly heft, the sweet reluctance of their pages when you turn them with your sensitive fingertips. A large part of our brains is devoted to deciding whether what our hands are touching is good or bad for us. Any brain worth a nickel knows books are good for us.

I often will hold my book even after I am finished reading at night just because I'm not quite ready to relinquish it to the table, so you can imagine how these words made sense to me. I can imagine a novelist describing it: Under the covers, she grasped her book with both hands folded, a sort of prayer for the pages or as she drifted off, the stories told and untold in the book she clutched acted as a pacifier for her hectic brain.

I recently reconnected with a friend from my childhood on Facebook. I love Facebook, by the way, that's another post entirely. He is someone I literally came up with from Kindergarten all the way through graduation; we hung out in the same group for many years and I considered him one of my closest guy friends...ff 15 years to today. Anyhow, he moved to France about two years ago after living here in the US for 31 years and decided to start a blog to keep up with his friends and family. I haven't read all of it yet (that's a lot of posts), but what I have read so far is excellent. Excellent!! I emailed him to tell him I could hear his voice while I was reading it, he responded that was what he intended. Well done, Mr. Smith!

He is a guy that is so effortlessly good, cool, and genuine that you can't even be pissed at him about it. In this case, it was lovely to reconnect. Those close to me know that I often run into people...OK, every time I go somewhere I know someone. Target. The mall. The park. The bathroom. Sometimes I use the duck and cover. Sometimes I turn and walk the other way. I make very good small talk, but I am absolutely terrible at feigning interest.

It was nice to reconnect with someone I would walk right towards if I saw them in the street.
I've listed his page in my blogs so you can check it out.

I am struggling so much today with wanting to work more. I am in a funk. A funk! When I was driving home from work today, I started feeling really sad and anxious. When I got home I was thinking to myself why do you feel this way? Well, obvs, Kate, you didn't want to leave work. And guess what? I was right!

So then begins the dilemma. If I work more, which I can and have been recruited to, I will have to find a new childcare provider. Mine is only avail. on Mondays. And will the boys do well? I know for sure that me being home and crabby is not great for them...but is daycare better?

I'm going a little nuts thinking about it too much. But that is my specialty. I have to tell myself that it will happen the way it should. I think I can I think I can I think I can.....

Aidan's Last Day of School

Aidan finished up his last day at the St Anthony Community pschool (a couple of months ago). And after all the lamenting and planning, he will go to another year of preschool, not Kindergarten. I just felt weird about the going to St. Charles for one year and so I looked at another local preschool and we've decided to start there in the fall. It's about 3 blocks away from our house and a number of friends from ECFE go there, so he'll see familiar faces, then go onto K at Wilshire with all of them.

Our old school had a nice little graduation ceremony. We'll miss his teachers Lisa and Stephanie very much, they are both very talented and always admired Aidan's strengths.

Cole turns two

Our little fighter turned two on July 1. Two! Does this make me want to have another is the most often asked question I have found with a child turning two. No, it does not. It makes me want to have exactly two, thanks! I would think about another if I could get six months of good sleep. That is when I would entertain the thought of having another. Until then, it would just be irresponsible. I guess that's an unresolved topic.

Our year with Cole has been remarkable. He was not walking or speaking six months ago. Now, he is nearly running (tears here). And he is having conversations. One recent one went like this:

Cole: "Mama! More see-reel! Pleeeese!

Me: "Ok, Coleman, I'll be there in a minute, Mama's going potty."

Cole: "OK Mama!"

I was astonished that he replied back to me. Even Aidan commented about it.

We worked hard, gave up a lot, and it paid off. There's nothing better on Earth or beyond.

M

My former Facebook "About Me" Some asked about this about me to still be available, so here it is: I'm an at-home Mom of two darling (and daring) boys and wife to darling (and daring) Joel. I have lived in Northeast Minneapolis for ten years. I'm working to change the perception and everyday lives of at-home Moms (including my own) by kicking ass and taking names...ahem...I mean leading by example. North Minneapolis until 2, then Welcome Ave. (a first-ring suburb), organizing (or "recognizing" as I said) books, empty lot next door, played in the dirt, Neil Elementary, felt beautiful, red cable knit tights, Kelly, long braids, Coley, second grade, gym class, good at kickball, Dayna, light green cords, fourth grade teacher helped me realize I was special, thanked him by writing thank you notes to him everyday on my homework, fifth grade, pink pants, bangs that didn't suit me, Mr. Gamer, Michael Jackson, planted a tree at Neil for 4th grade teacher, kissed a boy, Long Lake, experience mean girls, trade jean jackets, Kari, Mr. Kelly, peach sweater, short skater hair, clarinet, Shelly, lockers, Esprit, Sivie, boys, Poison, center of attention, bedroom design, Luke, Teen Night, wood shop, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Armstrong HS, cross country, Kristen, spend hours on hair, makeup and clothes, started to wait for HS to be over, Camp JIM, Dad's paper-thin Levi's, weekends at Dayna's, State Fair, still waiting, Jessa, Chambers, pep rallies, Sarah, never missed a Friday- night dance, Beastie Boys, performances, finally graduate, magical Stillwater summer, Lollapalooza, U of M, Middlebrook Hall, waist-length hair, North Shore, goodness, badness, public drunkenness, and some more of the same, denim overall skirt, Pelham Blvd., Kurt-Pat-Tom-Dan, Old Chicago downtown, Bryant Ave. S., Joel!, Fatboy Slim, I was the Wedding Planner, v-necks, B,uchanan St. NE, got married to my favorite person in the world, love of flip flops discovered, Aidan (No. 1), RCIA, ECFE, Beth, postpartum depression, knitting, Adelheid, 30th, Key West, Mousetrap, Prince, 318, Lend Me a Tenor, St. Anthony (another first-ring suburb), Black-Eyed Peas, Matty marries Jayne, The Green Room, Coleman (No. 2), Brass in Pocket, and the best is yet to come...

Working it out

I have completed my first full week of work, which is one full day and one half day. It went very smoothly. Very well indeed! I expect that some weeks will be more difficult. But I really enjoyed myself, and actually felt spread evenly instead of very, very thin.

I figured out another bonus very quickly that I hadn't thought of before: listening to my own music. First up: Foo Fighters. As a few know, the man I loved just before Joel was Dave Grohl. When I met Joel I had a little shrine in my Bryant Ave S apartment on the fridge. I was a bit obsessed but was in the middle of a one year self-imposed boyfriend hiatus and felt it was part of that. At least that is how I explained it. Had Mr. Grohl himself come to my Bryant Ave S apt, he would have looked for the quickest way out I am sure.

I'll File This Under Good to Know

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Created by OnePlusYou

New Job

I am starting a new job today. I am going back to work one day and one half days a week for former employer Diversified Wealth Management.

I am so excited for many reasons. Mostly, I need a break. A paycheck is nice. But there's something even more alluring: the clothes. I am thrilled to get dressed and ready for workplace action. All the cute shoes, jewelry, and non-t shirt tops are enough to send me over the top.

Wish me luck. The outfits I've got down, the rest is exciting and I'm so ready for it!