GOnelsons

B-I-N-G-O, or Anything but DisneyNickCartoonNetwork

Jennie Nelson — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:24:00 GMT

If your house is anything like mine, it can be hard to tell if you even have any channels other than DisneyNickCartoonNetwork. It is a rare event when our TV shows anything but kid shows during prime time. And although I am not a dedicated football watcher, I do enjoy an occasional game. I especially like to watch the Super Bowl, which may have more to do with FANFARE and FOOTBALL FOOD than the actual game. Regardless of the reason, I face the same problem - getting my kids to keep the channel tuned to the game instead of begging to watch ANYTHING ELSE.

There are three primary strategies to keep the game on the TV:
1. Claim the TV and send them off to do something else.
2. Ignore their pleas for iCarly/Wizards of Waverly Place/SpongeBob by claiming temporary deafness.
3. Play SuperBowl Bingo and bribe them with games and prizes in order to keep their attention throughout the game.

We're going with #3.

Want to play along? Open the attachment below and print as many sheets as you need. There are six different game boards from which to choose. This game is great for both readers and non-readers as the logos make it pretty easy to find the square that matches the commercial. Enjoy!

Print it: SuperBowl 2011 Bingo

Same and different, again. Or is that still?

Jennie Nelson — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:16:00 GMT

If you are the kind of person who keeps score, or perhaps you're the kind who does not like it that I've stopped posting here in favor of lazily adding Facebook status updates (hi dad!), then I think its safe to say that 2010 was my worst year for blogging diligence. On the days that I'm feeling optimistic, I post here with a renewed sense of purpose and good intentions up to my eyeballs. Its hard to say whether 2011 will be the same or different. Today I'm posting, which of course means I'm optimistic, so it seems like the least likely day in which to stake my claim either way.

Around here, we've been talking a lot about things that are the same or different. Sophie's gotten very into patterns this year, and points out every A-B-A, A-B-B, A-A-B pattern she sees. This has led to a lot of discussion about how things are the same and different. Its gotten into my head, apparently, because today the differences between and sameness of things are stacking up in my head like a running scoreboard.

For example, when comparing this year to last:
Same - they both still enjoy skating.
Different - they now have less teeth.

Comparing how they react to having a muffin for breakfast:

Me: Here's your banana muffin.
Sophie: But there's nothing in here.
Me: What were you expecting?
Sophie: Blueberries.
Me: But its a banana muffin.
Sophie: Right. Where are the blueberries?

Me: Here's your banana muffin.
Martin: That's awesome. I'd like ten more.
Me: How about if you finish that one and I'll give you another after that.
Martin: Okay, but get ten more ready.

This year we'll probably have more muffins and less teeth. There will probably be plenty in 2011 that will be the same for us. I'm sure we'll also have some new differences. Again. Or, maybe that's still.

O (best) Tannenbaum (ever)

Jennie Nelson — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:01:00 GMT

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went to the farm for the annual tree cutting party. Many years we've had snowy, icy, blustery, freeze-your-face-off and slide-on-the-road kind of weather. This year it was warm and sunny; the kind of day where you take off your coat in the sun, and put it back on when you're in the shade.

The kids wandered around the Rooster Condo as we waited for more guests to arrive.

"Let's get a picture of the three of us" I said. One said fine, the other said no thanks. We got them both in here anyway, even if one is busy tending the fire you cannot see.

Dad was happy to have everyone at the farm - seeing everyone together, enjoying the farm, finding Christmas trees that he planted just for this purpose.

This year, because the weather was so cooperative, dad took us out on a hayride. The kids filled their pockets with corn they found in the field and prepared to throw it like they were on a parade in a float.

The kids held tight while my cousin Angie and I bounced around the back end.

After scoping out dozens of trees, we went to the part of the farm where they were a bit taller. After ruling out a few trees that were too tall or too fat, we selected the perfect one. Dad and Martin cut it down and we loaded it on the trailer.

It was a beautiful drive back to the Rooster Condo; such a relief not to have ice forming on our faces and coating our mittens.

Once in the house, the tree was a bit larger than I'd originally thought. It was so big, that I had to cut some branches so that we could sit at the kitchen counter without getting poked. It touches the ceiling and fills the entire room.

The tree is so tall and wide we were not able to decorate the top half. We threw lights at the top and chucked lightweight ornaments and hoped they would find purchase. Just look how much the kids enjoy the tree.

We enjoyed it further when we heard it crash in the middle of the night. Miraculously, it didn't break a thing. Martin thought it was amazing. Sophie just wanted me to know that she didn't do it.

Dad came over and helped me to get it upright. We placed it on a board and dad nailed and wired it straight into the floor. Decorating it a second time lost its luster, so it has less ornaments and placement is hit or miss. No one minds.

Laying the groundwork

Jennie Nelson — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Sophie's trying a new approach this year with Santa. She decided that before sending him a list of things she wanted this year, maybe she'd send him a little something. She says its a gift with a note. I think it might be more along the lines of a little pre-gift list buttering up, maybe even functioning like a save-the-date.

It reads:
"Dear Santa. I have been really good. By Sophia. I love you."

After I took this photo, she added one extra line for good measure:

"Its a puppet."

Portrait in crayon

Jennie Nelson — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 23:00:00 GMT

There's an extraordinary difference in the amount of paperwork that the kids bring home each day in their backpacks. Martin sometimes has a single slip of paper, sometimes just an empty folder. In contrast, Sophie's bag is filled to the brim with papers every single day - some tucked into a folder, others smashed into wadded up bunches at the bottom of her bag. In Kindergarten, they are PRODUCERS. Dozens of worksheets and cutting projects and glued together shapes and sight words and story boards are produced - and all of that in the first half hour of each day.

A few weeks ago I noticed a drawing in her bag. The drawings always catch my eye because it tells me a bit more about what she's thinking and how she looks at things.

So I asked her about it. "Sophie, I like that drawing. Is it a chicken?"

"No," she told me, "It's my art teacher."

The moment I became retro, or The Bug

Jennie Nelson — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:05:00 GMT

A few weeks ago The Bug came out of retirement. She'd been parked since c. 1994 and after having some work done, she was road ready. It was good to see her parked in the garage, but she looked smaller than I remembered. When I first moved away from home in 1992, I packed everything I needed into the backseat and trunk of this little car.

We opened the doors and the kids climbed inside. They buckled up. Pushed every button. Marveled at how the old fashioned locks worked, and wondered what the turning cranks were on the door. As they rolled down the windows by hand, I told them that this car was made the year after I was born, and right there I turned to dust before their eyes.

Martin opened the glove box (which sports a plate from a trophy celebrating the Urban Guerillas as the New Band of the Year) to pull the trunk lever. Next to the lever we found a stack of film negatives, which the kids had never seen before. The car and everything in it was Old Fashioned, they said. I thought it was more Retro than Old Fashioned, but I guess that's the viewpoint you'd have if you had experienced it the first time it was around.

A bug is a people magnet, and although its small, five young children can easily sit in the front seats.

That weekend I drove the bug to the farm for winter storage. My shoulder only inches away from the door, the radio that plays only AM, and the old familiar smell - all as good as I remembered. What I don't remember is ever feeling that the car was anything but perfectly safe, which is probably related more to age when I first got the car than its actual safety features. Driving it now, after years of having big vehicles, it felt like a tin can.

I haven't yet decided whether or not I'm going to sell The Bug in the spring. For now, she's safely wintering at The Rooster Condo.

Killing two birds with one stone

Jennie Nelson — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:11:00 GMT

Bird one: I went hunting with my dad and have the pictures to prove it.
Bird two: my cousin Jenine challenged me to start posting here again. the email was gentle, but the message was clear - "get off your blogging butt, I dare you".

A few weeks ago I spent a Saturday afternoon with my dad at the farm hanging up signs. It was a warm day, and really pleasant driving around with dad, hearing stories of the farm and our family that lived there. It was easy to imagine all the Mitchell's and McFarlane's that had lived in the area. Driving through the prairie grasses, I thought about how many times my Grandpa Mitchell had been in the exact same places. I wondered how different it had looked when my Great-Grandma Annie (who had maybe one of the best nicknames ever - Annie Mac) lived there.

So when dad asked me if I wanted to join him pheasant hunting, my mind was caught up in stories of hardy women living on the prairie, and I said I would. Then immediately wondered if I could do it.

Sure, the lady who issued me the hunting license laughed and said good luck when she handed it to me. Yes, my dad outfitted me in plenty of gear, including a pair of particularly stiff pants. But I went anyway, and had a pretty good time.

For a few hours, we walked through knee deep prairie grasses (where I quickly learned to walk with the grain) and around the edges of cattail-filled swamps. We watched the dogs work the field as they searched for birds. Each dog caught a bird in their mouth, and dad's friend shot two more. I didn't take a shot, but didn't miss taking one either.

I didn't do anything stupid or embarrassing. I kept up with the guys. And I agreed to go again.

Slide, Slide, Slippity Slide | 2010 Edition

Jennie Nelson — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 GMT

My brother is a pretty terrific guy. He's very giving - he's helped me to move, he's picked me up (more than once) when I ran out of gas, and he's a really great dad and husband (just ask his wife's family). He's also very crafty; not in the way I am, but in the kind of way where things stay together. He's carved an elaborate pumpkin with power tools, he carves things out of concrete that are both realistic looking and functional, and he built a shelving system that my dad says puts all other garage shelving to shame.

So, when Carrie told me that Ryan built a slip-n-slide in the yard I wasn't too surprised. She sent me a video so I could see it in action. I wasn't prepared for just how awesome it was. Or for how hard it made me laugh. Enjoy.

Note: this is a silent film, which is alright because if you have a loud laugh like mine, you wouldn't be able to hear the audio over the laughter anyway.

Dude, it's Summer: Baseball

Jennie Nelson — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:53:00 GMT

This week marked the start of Martin's summer baseball season. On Saturday, he attended a baseball camp run by our local team, The Springers. I've watched a lot of games featuring some of these guys and was glad to see them show the kids how to play ball but also how much they love the game. I think its best to just ignore the part where they are referred to as "the old guys".

Here's Martin, marching off to stretch out with his group (spot our boy wearing #8).

It rained all four hours of the baseball clinic and I didn't hear a single kid complain. Especially the kids that were learning to slide in the wet, muddy grass.

Earlier this week, Martin started playing Little League in the Minors.

At his first time up to bat, Martin had "his best hit of his life" (or so he told us). Unfortunately, it was straight into the glove of another kid who probably had the best catch of his life.

Baseball is big in this town, and even the Minors draw a good sized crowd of parents, siblings, grandparents - and in our case, great-grandparents as well. The ball field where Martin played on Monday is right behind where Grandma lives, and we were lucky enough to have her join us for the game.

Guess who else enjoyed the game, but didn't watch a single minute?

Dude, it's Summer: Splash

Jennie Nelson — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:47:00 GMT

Summer officially started here last Friday when we kicked off the first free day with a visit to the splash pad.

We had plenty of sunshine, our swimsuits, a picnic lunch, and loads of sunscreen (we are a pale, pale people in early June).

It's all fun and games until someone gets a faceful of water. Then its a time out, a snack, and back to more fun and games.

Daytrip: MPLS

Jennie Nelson — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:57:00 GMT

A few weeks ago the kids and I went into Minneapolis for an adventure. Pretending we were tourists, we planned our day around three meals, two art stops, and playtime with The Wilkers.

Our first stop was at the Cake Eater Bakery in Minneapolis.

Newly opened and featuring several items that are non-dairy, Sophie was able to choose a treat knowing that she could eat it without worrying about having any problems later. So, we had cupcakes for breakfast. We had two kinds, but Vegan Chocolate Whisky was the hands down winner.

We picked up lunch and stopped at the Walker Sculpture Garden for a picnic. We ate, but mostly we ran around.

Both of the kids were dying to try this, but were a little disappointed that they couldn't swing so hard that they could knock each other off.

This was Martin's favorite sculpture in the garden, posing for a long time with his own reflection.

Our next stop was the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. We hung out in the courtyard and drew for awhile while we waited for The Wilkers to arrive. Drawing is made more exciting when you feel like you might be discovered.

Martin asked me to stand next to a tree so that I could be the subject matter. He asked me not to move because he wanted to work on drawing a still life.

As you can see, I am once again the primary subject matter in this work. Sophie did not need to look at me to capture my likeness, she said she looks at me plenty and already knows what I look like.

Inside the museum, I introduced Martin to one of my favorite works.

The kids were excellent inside the museum and we were only told to steer clear of the art twice - which seems like a huge success to me.

Sophie and Trixie made bug clips for their hair. Once in place, it only increased the two peas in a pod look they already had going.

Its guaranteed: if trying to take a picture of four kids, you will never get them to all look in the same direction at the same time.

After the MIA we stopped for dinner at Galactic Pizza in Uptown. Kid-friendly (table on the floor, delivery guys dressed like super heroes) and Sophie-friendly (vegan cheese optional), this was a great place to kick back after a busy day.

And since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped back at the place where it all began.

Thirty-two fiddy, we love you.

When I Am Five.

Jennie Nelson — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:28:00 GMT

I don't know anyone who is more set in her ways than Sophie. When she decides that its time to do something, it happens that moment. It was that way when she stopped using a nuk, when she got herself out of diapers, and learned how to ride a bike. She's very determined and once she puts her mind to a task, its as good as done. The flip side is also true - if she doesn't want to do it, its not going to happen. We've all been waiting patiently for her to turn five because that was the timeline she'd set for a lot of important things - getting herself dressed, riding a bike (she bumped that date up earlier this winter), going to bed on her own. And luckily for us, that day has finally come. On the morning she turned five, she was like a whole new young woman.

Last weekend Sophie had her first kid-style birthday party. To my kids, birthday parties mean bowling - so we set out to have our first birthday party at the Cold Spring Lanes. Here's Sophie with her friends: Jordan, Martin, Josie, Lily, and Madelyn.

They loved the shoes like you can only before you start thinking about things like germs.

The boys were pretty serious about bowling, finishing three GAMES to the girls six FRAMES. The girls spent a lot of time doing things like laying on the floor, talking to the magic meatball in the hallway, and chugging pixie stix.

These two met at preschool and look a little bit like they could be sisters.

Five: the year where everything can happen.

Four years + a few.

Jennie Nelson — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:12:00 GMT

Four years and a handful of days ago, I started this blog. It was just after Sophie's first birthday and I started it out of guilt because I was so far behind on updating our family website that she hadn't yet appeared there. Over the past year I've thought of giving up this site as well. Facebook has become a good way to keep in touch with people, and sometimes writing and posting here becomes overwhelming. But each time I look at other options, I realize that none of them would really replace this as the documentation of our family or daily lives. So, until I find something that works better for me, GOnelsons is here to stay. And if I'm really lucky, it will be more regularly than the past year.

Accordions are for romance.

Jennie Nelson — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:49:00 GMT

On Saturday night, after all the excitement of the birthday party was over, Sophie crashed out on the couch which just left Martin and me to entertain ourselves. He was busy playing his DS and I was preparing food for the next day, I flipped on the TV and was pleased to find that there was a Lawrence Welk Valentine's special on public television.

"Oh Martin! Its Lawrence Welk!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah? Who's that?" He asked, head barely even tipping up from the DS.

"Oh Martin, your Grandma Zamora LOVED Lawrence Welk. She used to watch him all the time," I explained, sitting down next to him. And seriously, what is not to love?

There is always some great dancing where the girl gets twirled about, sometimes spun around the guy's head.

There are great singers in matching outfits who have hair worthy of envy.

And of course, there's the man himself. He always looks so serious when he introduces the guests and regulars on his show, then smiles broadly as the performance begins.

I like it when he turns to the orchestra; all the musicians lifting their instruments in unison.

But the part I like best is when the a musician stands up to do a solo. And in the Lawrence Welk Orchestra the accordion has a very special place. Here the accordion player looks directly at the camera and nods his handsome head.

Later, he stands in front of the orchestra for a fast-paced song where his fingers fly across the keys and buttons faster than the wind.

And at the end he speaks directly to the camera over thunderous applause and says "Thank you, you've just made a grandfather very happy."

And I can imagine that this very charming accordion player has made an awful lot of GRANDMOTHERS very happy as well. Very likely, my own.

That's what I like about you.

Jennie Nelson — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:28:00 GMT

On Sunday I asked the kids to stand together so that I could get a nice picture of the two of them on Sophie's birthday. They'd each picked out their own outfits that day and they looked so cute, and I wanted to be sure to get a picture of it before the day got away from us. I took quite a few thinking that out of all of them, I was likely to get one or two where they were both looking at me and neither one was pretending to be dead. It was wishful thinking.

Song selected by Sophie. Turns out, she loves Poison.

Crayon Hearts

Jennie Nelson — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:22:00 GMT

There are a few things about parenting that make me cringe:

1. I don't think that kids need to have a "playdate". At my house, they can just play.
2. A child's bedroom does not need to have a theme. Here, the theme is "its your bedroom".
3. Similarly, kids parties do not need to have a theme. To me, an appropriate theme is "its my birthday".
4. Gift bags for birthday parties = thorn in my side. Giving gift bags to every kid is tricky; its difficult to give things that are treasures AND inexpensive. Usually the two do not go hand in hand. If you're going to give gift bags to every kid, I totally get why the treasures can land on the disposable side - buying stuff for every guest at the party can be a very expensive endeavor. But here's the thing - after going to party after party where they get gift bags, the kids sort of expect to both give and receive them.

This was Sophie's first birthday party with other kids, and she really wanted to give away some great treasures - and by that I mean candy. I let her pick out two of her favorites (smarties and pixie stix) and some little gift bags in which they could be placed. To find those three items, we spent 30 minutes in the party store, 27 of which were spent with me saying "no" to hundreds of other items. When we left, we had plates, napkins, gift bags, candy, and two plastic treasure chests (with locks!) that Sophie planned to use as "serving dishes" for the remaining candy. We added flavored lip glosses and mini play doh containers to the mix, and we were on the way to having decent (and not totally empty) gift bags.

I really like making something for the gift bags, and I also like using things that we already have at home. For Martin's parties we've made mix CDs, and last year we made tattoos for each kid. This year, we decided to make our own crayon hearts.

To start, we collected bits of broken crayons from all over the house. If broken crayon bits could be exchanged for cash, we'd be rich.

The kids peeled off the wrappers and broke the crayons into little bits. Then, they arranged them into different color combinations in the heart-shaped silicone tray.

We placed the silicone tray on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 200 degrees F until they were good and melty. We took them out when some of the crayons still had visible shapes). After it cooled completely, we popped the crayons out of the silicone mold.

They turned out to be a pretty good addition to the gift bags, and a really good project for the kids. They liked making different color combinations and thought it was fun to start out with broken stuff and end up with something new. We'll definitely make these again. Maybe the next time somebody comes over for a playdate.

B-I-N-G-O and football was his name-o

Jennie Nelson — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:06:00 GMT

Unless the show is on Nick, Disney, or the Cartoon Network - its pretty rare that I watch it. For the most part, I don't mind. But once in awhile, I like to watch TV shows before they are released on DVD. Tonight I'd like to watch the super bowl - more for the commercials and the hoopla than the actual game. In order to talk Sophie into it, I've come up with a two-part strategy:

1. Food: Snack buffet.
2. Games: Super bowl Bingo.

For many years the kids and I have played a game in the car where we identify things we pass by their logos. They've gotten really good at it, correctly identifying all kinds of businesses even before they were able to read. To help increase the likelihood that we'll be able to keep the game on today, I've made bingo cards to match up with likely commercial contenders. I'm hoping we make it until halftime.

Want to play along?

Print it: Super bowl Bingo 2010

B-E-A-GG-R-E-SS-I-V-E.

Jennie Nelson — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:17:00 GMT

Last year Martin participated in wrestling, and by that I mean that we went to twice a week practices for one looong season, but he never actually entered a tournament. He was new to the sport and I could tell that he didn't really understand how an actual match would go when he was on his own, so we thought he ought to wait until the next season. At the end of last season, he wasn't totally sure that he wanted to take wrestling again. I think he was kind of tired of the practicing, and in his defense, he hadn't gotten to experience any of the thrill of an actual match (whether that thrill is victory or defeat). I wasn't sure if he'd take it again, but told him just to think it over.

This year when we moved, the first two guys he met were about his same age - and wrestlers. On the spot, he decided that he'd definitely take wrestling. And a few months later, I found myself sitting in the wrestling room of my old high school watching this:

The wrestling room still smells exactly the same - a combination of sweat and hard work and energy. There are at least half a dozen kids in the program that are the children of people with whom I grew up. And about half a dozen coaches that I cheered for from the mat or the stands when we were in high school.

Two weekends ago, Martin participated in his first tournament. I don't know if he was nervous, but I sure was.

He stood ready - waiting for it to start. Each of us had a role to play - his dad coaching from the side of the mat, I was taking pictures, Sophie was running up and down the bleachers and chugging pop when I wasn't looking.

After three rounds of wrestling, Martin took fourth place. Which was okay by him. "Sure there were only four people, but its still FOURTH! And I got a medal!"

On the heels of his first experience, we decided to take Martin to another tournament. He was excited, interested, and it was nearby - good criteria for participation. And with a combination of luck and gaining some skill, Martin improved his performance - THIRD.

Not only that, but he got his first PIN.

I was so proud. So proud, that I've added a video of his first pin. Also so proud (but in a different way) that I've edited out the audio - the audio where I'm yelling "GO GO GO!" for the entire length of each one minute period.

My new favorite baby

Jennie Nelson — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:14:00 GMT

I've had a lot of favorite babies over the years (mine, yours, pretty much any one that comes my way), but this one is something special. Meet my new favorite baby - Jonah.

I'm thrilled to welcome the son of Sevda and Blake. He just arrived yesterday, and we've been waiting for him for a long time.

I know that no one waits for the arrival of a new baby quite like the parents or maybe the grandparents, but I think I was pretty close to the top of this list. It was crowded up there.

He's really handsome, don't you think? And smart, too. You can tell.

Jonah, I adore you already. And can't wait to meet you. Be good to your mama, she's pretty special.

The reason to learn to write.

Jennie Nelson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:38:00 GMT

Martin: I slipped her a note today.
Me: What did it say?
Martin: I love you.
Me: And what did she say?
Martin: She just stared at me. Shocked.