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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