Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Yes, we make a trip down to Philadelphia every Wednesday, but this time we decided to have some fun.  No lessons, and we actually went on a Thursday .  In honesty, we all needed to get out.  We just aren't used to sitting for any length of time, and I wanted to understand all the hype about "the city of brotherly love". I love Philadelphia.  I love it for so many reasons.  It's busy and has lots to offer, but it feels different from New York City.  I feels manageable . So, the kids and I piled into the car at 8 a.m.  I could hardly believe that I actually got them out the door and dressed at that time of day over Christmas break.  Everybody either slept, or watched movies in the car, so yet again I was left to do the driving myself, but it went much quicker without rush hour traffic, or the  rain which seems to accompany us on all of our trips to Philly. In non-traditional Aris fashion, I didn't plan the trip at all.  I had only one goal, and the rest of the

One week before Christmas, we headed to Michigan to celebrate the holiday with my mom, and John's mom and sister (and family).  John was on a mission--to replace my mother's beloved recliner.  (If any of you are fans of the TV show "Frasier", hers resembles Martin's recliner....) We arrived late Friday night, and early Saturday morning, John got us all out the door with the story of "we are headed to Santa's workshop".  My mother didn't have any idea where we going, but she was totally game for the whole thing (and a very good sport about trusting all of us with the surprise). When we got to the furniture store, we thought we would be in and out in a matter of minutes, but it turned into a couple of hours.  Everyone had fun, especially the kids.  Shopping is not usually a favorite activity of anyone, but laying on beds and sitting on massage chairs?  Now THAT'S shopping! We visited two different stores, and only as we were going back to

Remember the "clackers" that Glo and John made over Thanksgiving weekend?  Well, Glo got her advertising ready, and started selling at "Market Madness".  Turns out, she sold all 30 sets within the first hour!  Too, she was voted by the kids as "the most successful" sales person that day.  In actuality, she made more money for her team than anyone else, so she was indeed the most successful. Okay, I know I'm completely biased, but Glo had the best display, by far . An interesting note.  Last year, the same clackers sold for $1.50.  Glo actually bought a set from a kid on the bus because the salesman had also quickly sold out of them.  So, this year, Glo was set to make the price $1.75, but her math teacher denied her the price.  Based on a survey of the kids, the price point (the teacher felt) should be set at $0.75.  Yes, that 75 CENTS.  I said no way, and Glo maneuvered her price up to $1.25.  Guessing by the fact that they were sold out within

(This post is in follow-up to the previous one.) With Glo out of commission for the Tone Chimes concert, Hannah was jumping for joy!  Not that Glo was sick, but that she might have the opportunity to once again play with the Tone Chimes.  It is one of her favorite memories from middle school.  We checked with the teacher, and she was thrilled to have Johannah step in for Glo, and Johannah was so happy that she was dressed and ready a whole hour before call time! I didn't stay for the concert, considering Glo was at home alone, sick, but I couldn't help but snap a photo of Hannah rehearsing only an hour before the concert.  There is such a difference between middle school kids and high school kids.  I mean seriously, LOOK at her--she's drop dead gorgeous! Too, I couldn't resist taking a few seconds of video during rehearsal (she was sight-reading this music).  Who knows?  This may be Hannah's last "hurrah" in Tone Chimes. What a champ!

In our family, we have a few mottos, but one of them is "The Show Must Go On".  I can't tell you the number of times that we have all performed while ill.  In fact, Mark has been non-stop sick for the last 5 weeks and has given several concerts, auditioned for next semester, and has his juries this week.  Yes, we do everything to keep the show going. Glo woke up this morning with a high fever.  I didn't think much of it--fevers are easy with Tylenol.  I told her to lay back down, and I'd check on her in an hour.  An hour later, she was burning up, and her stomach was sick. Bad news. She has a concert tonight, performing in both the choir and Tone Chimes (a bell-ringing group).  I wasn't worried about her missing choir with all the kids involved, but I knew she had specific parts to play in Tone Chimes. I loaded her up with more Tylenol, gave her a dose of Zofran (the medicine given to cancer patients to help with the nausea from chemotherapy) and h

John came home from his daily run of 10 miles on Saturday carrying a package.  No big deal, I thought.  I do all my Christmas shopping online so packages are nothing special.  Imagine my delight when he came in and dropped it on my desk.  A package from Ethan! First off, he's learned from last year.  I think we got his Christmas package sometime in January, so he was determined to get it to us on time this year.  December 10 is dang good if you ask me! Second, it was seriously so fun to open the box and pull out individual gifts for everyone (including Anna's which I sent off to her today).  It was all we could do to NOT open them, knowing that he only has Polish wares to buy.  However, we dutifully walked them over to the tree and put them underneath the boughs (because we are FIRM believers in opening our gifts on December 25!). Third, I got a kick out of the box itself.  It was covered in stickers of religious scenes.  BIG stickers!  It almost seemed sacrilegious to se

With all the chaos of November, I almost forgot to post my annual photo essay of our hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Funny thing?  This year, it was too easy.  We love to joke about the miles we actually walk to find the perfect tree, the fights that ensue about cutting down the tree, the whining, the cold.  Not this year.  We were literally in and out of the Christmas tree farm in less than 30 minutes!  We blame it completely on Ethan--he's the cause of all previous troubles :-) So with that, here it is: This is the FUNNIEST picture of the whole set.  Notice Creeper Pearl... Locked and loaded in the Honda Element.  We're ready to go! Pearl was chosen as the honorary Aussie this year. But first, John has to take care of some maintenance on Mark's car. It seems that college students are too busy to fill up the tires on their cars. The pressure was at 24psi.  It's supposed to be 32 psi. Sitting in the car, we could actually feel the car moving

John, the girls and I had a delightful time shopping this past weekend.  We aren't usually "go to the mall" kind of shoppers, but the girls wanted to look around and get their gifts early this year.  We ended the day with a quick trip to Target.  I quickly realized that we would have more to carry than we could fit in our arms, so I sent Glo to find a basket just down the aisle.  She came back with no basket, and here's why: Oh sure, it LOOKS like there's a basket for the taking, doesn't it? (By the way, just ignore the creeper..) It's a TRAP!!  That darn basket is GLUED to the frame!

I have been non-stop sick since the summer.  It's the same old, same old.  Terrible allergy and sinus problems.  Before the summer (and before working and living in humid Michigan which is never good for my mold allergies), I was relatively allergy free as long as I maintained my cocktail of medications.  However, since returning, my meds have given me little relief.  I've had constant sinus infections accompanied with daily migraines.  I've been on several courses of steroids and antibiotics, all with no relief.  I had terrible problems clearing my ears when I went scuba diving. I've felt like I'm a crazy person.  I don't like to stop, or slow down because of physical ailments.  I started running a week after my first back surgery (and consequently needed another one three months later).  When I look back and read the level of life I maintained after breaking my ankle (really?  a two-hour walking tour of Northwestern), I'm amazed at what I could do (I hon

I'm so thankful November is over.  All my "Christmas stress" happens then, buying presents, wrapping presents, sending presents.  Now that December is here, I'm able to sit back and enjoy the holiday, and I love it! My good friend, Celeste, had submitted a story for the Advent book that ended up on December 2.  As John was reading it out loud to the girls and me last night, we could hardly hear him through our laughter!  This story is hilarious, and I can't resist posting it again: So, out in front of the house in which we currently lie in California (which belongs to Michael's parents), there is this cute little pond that Michael's dad made years ago.  It's not a very big pond, maybe six feet long by three feet across and two feet deep, and is made of concrete and local stone.  Michael wanted to buy some small koi to put into it, so we did.  We enjoyed going out and feeding out cute, little fishies.  Then, one morning, we woke up to see a large he

For Ethan this year (and our own family), I made Advent CD's of Mormon Messages.  They are short, inspirational videos that the church produces.  Tonight, the girls and I watched the video for December 1:  "In The Spirit of Thanksgiving".  (If you are interested in watching it too, here's the link: In the Spirit of Thanksgiving At the end of the video, the question is asked, "What are you thankful for?" I thought of something unusual, but for which I am extremely grateful. John and I have spent our married lives traveling.  Our first big trip started on our honeymoon to Crested Butte, Colorado, and for our first anniversary (when I was seven months pregnant), we headed to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.  When we have a free moment, and the money, we head out to see new places, and I'm not sure we'll see them all before our lives are over! While in Europe, we traveled to a different country almost every month.  When we would fly, the che

Touching story. So, over the last few years, I am beginning to forget words.  People tell me that this is a normal part of aging, but being the crossword enthusiast I am, it's terribly frustrating for me.  I can be mid-conversation and not be able to form a specific word that I want. Then, over the past four months, I have been crazy busy.  Like so busy, I don't even have time to post, or do genealogy, two of my favorite things.  I have been forgetting more things than words. I forget where I parked my car in the Target parking lot. I can't even remember if I actually parked my car in the Target parking lot. I forget that I had Glo mail a letter to Ethan and consequently spend 10 minutes looking for it in the house. When I realize that it's in the mailbox, I don't remember how it got there. When I'm sending out bulk emails to the youth leaders in our stake (as the Stake YW secretary--my fifth calling in the church at the moment), I forget to send it

Hannah has been waiting for November 28, 2011 for several months now.  At least since August.  This was the day that she was to get her braces taken off! Seriously, the original plan was for Hannah to get them taken off in August, a year after she had them put on.  But things (namely her teeth) didn't move as fast as the dentist liked, and she was told she would need to wait three more months. If you haven't had braces, you have no idea of the anticipation. If you have had braces, you remember. The sore gums and the globs of wax. The nasty food stuck in the wires. The days of Ibuprofen after getting the braces tightened. The "metal mouth" look in each and every photo. Much to my dismay, Johannah caught a nasty bug from Mark over the weekend.  I didn't think she would want to get out of bed and make the trek to the dentist, but honestly, nothing was going to stop her! The beginning of the end. Success! The crazy thing was that after Hannah go

The night after Thanksgiving, when Johannah and I were compiling, organizing and packaging our Advent books to send, John and Glo headed out to the garage to carve our pumpkins. Yes, one month after Halloween, and six weeks after we bought them, Glo finally got her wish to make Jack-o-Lanterns. We had Christmas music playing in the background for heaven's sake! They proudly sat on our kitchen table for two days (and were lit two different nights). John always goes the good and traditional route... ...while Glo carved Cookie Monster and Elmo on the same pumpkin ...with no stencil.  Just a knife and her creative mind. Happy Hallo-giving-mas!

In seventh grade at Park Forest Middle School, the Cardinals team hosts "Market Madness".  Glo has been eagerly anticipating entering something in this fundraiser. Any child who wants to participate submits a prototype of something they want to make and sell (again, as a fundraiser for their team).  Glo knew from last year that she wanted to make clackers, two golf balls on a string that click together. The biggest problem?  She had to be able to create 30 clackers for the price of $5.  Yes, the school would give her the $5, and it was up to her to figure out the rest.  There was actually more that went into the business side of the project:  she took polls to see how much kids would pay, what she thought her price point should be, could she actually make them for that price?  Good stuff in my opinion.  With golf balls selling at 10 for $35, it seemed impossible to me.  Not to Glo. Glo, having a memory like a steel-trap, remembered when we first moved here to State Coll

This post made me so incredibly happy, especially considering the trying circumstances in which Ethan has been serving.  Glad to see he's still rocking his "cheesey" grin... Too, I would like to give myself "props" for figuring out exactly which hymn Ethan was playing within two minutes of looking at the photo.  See if you too can figure it out... A Visit to Szczecin! The Branch in Szczecin is the farthest place in the mission that we visit. Here President Nielson can only put Elders that he trusts will do a good job. Last month, Szczecin had 2 baptisms and there are more to come! Looking down from the church window, we see our two faithful Elders who serve in this great city....Elder Kennedy and Elder Fletcher. They are met at the front door by Lukasz, a recent convert. It was an exciting day for Lukasz. Today he was giving his first talk in Sacrament Meeting. (And it was great! We could not believe it was his first time speaking in church.) Lukasz is

Anna reminded me of this video (or reminded Mark which reminded me).  Good times, good times. I can't wait to see him in three days.  Let the laughter begin!

I am energetic and creative. I wonder what it is like in different countries. I hear people laughing at my jokes. Ha, Ha, Ha. I see the monsters and creatures in the book I am reading. I want to be able to draw amazing sights. I am energetic and creative. I pretend to travel to different places I have gone before. I feel frustrated when I can't get a line of music I am practicing on my violin. I touch the scales of my fish when I try to get them out of the pond filter. I worry about my homework when I can't find it. I cry when I think about how I am not with my brother in college. I am energetic and creative. I understand that one day I will have to decide big choices. I say we need to reach our full potential. I dream that I will get through the next class til the end of the day when I go home to see my dogs. I try to get better at math by doing my homework and having it checked. I hope that one day I will be a successful musician or cartoonist or engineer. I am energetic and

Every Wednesday, I spend 3 1/2 hours driving the girls down to Philadelphia for their violin and viola lessons.  I then spend 90 minutes in the city, dropping them off at the different studios, and picking them up at the different studios.  It can take me 20 minutes to drive 0.7 miles.  People ask why we don't walk from one lesson to another, and I remind them that there's no place to park for less than $20.  Afterwards, it's a mind-bending 3 1/2 hours back to State College, in the dark, with the girls asleep in the car. I don't mind doing this because of the teachers.  Their teachers are the best, and they make the trip completely worthwhile.  As was proven with Mark, the commitment pays off, both literally and figuratively. However, I definitely don't LOVE the drive.  While it's become routine, and we know what to bring and pack, and the girls are adept at doing homework in the backseat, I don't enjoy sitting in the driver's seat for 10 hours strai

So, after spending most of my Saturday buying gifts for "the 12 days of Christmas" for Ethan and his companion, and helping Anna and Johannah wrap the gifts, I'm now thinking about the Advent Book. For me, this book was a pure delight last year.  It turned out better than I could have imagined, and the stories were just perfect. If anyone who reads this blog would like to contribute a story this year, feel free to do so! (send it to my email:  thenewmamaaris@yahoo.com)  Even if you wrote a story last year, don't feel like you can't write this year.  The stories can be anything--sentimental, funny, personal.  They don't even need to be about Christmas.  It's just a bit of home for my boy who is so very far away from it.

Stormi, Anna, Larisa, Johannah and Claudia So, today our quintet played in church.  Oh my goodness, words can't describe how beautiful it was.  People were completely overcome. I gave all credit to my friend, Claudia.  The piece was her "find", and she figured out who should play what in it.  I wasn't sure that it would work, but having worked with Claudia long enough now, I know to trust her judgement.  She was our choir director for several years, and even on days when she didn't know what the theme would be for the meeting, her song choice would be perfect. So it was today.  Stormi on clarinet, Anna and Johannah on viola, Claudia on cello, and me on piano.  It was one of those unforgettable moments.  Claudia was once again directed by inspiration, and we were all enriched because of it. As a funny side note, we didn't plan our outfits at all.  Can you believe it?  This is Christmas-card worthy organization, and I don't think we could have done