Well, I haven't posted in well over a week.  I didn't think I had much to day last week, and I probably don't have much to say this week, but here goes anyway. 

I am finally getting back to normal after a couple of weeks of travel.  It feels good to have a normal Monday morning of trying to get out of the house on time, remembering the kid's backpacks, snacks, lunches, jackets, etc.  It was a usual hectic Monday morning, but I am loving the "usual" part of it.  This is the first "normal" week around our house since the girls started school, so it is a relief. 

Speaking of travel, I had a great time in Chicago last week at the NACHC conference.  Plus, I got to see the Bears win and the Cubs loose.  What could be better than that? 

I took my mom, dad and girls to the American Idol concert in St. Louis on Saturday night.  WHAT A BLAST!  I was amazed at how much many of the Top 10 have improved since the end of the show.  And I must say, my man Matt Giraud, was FABULOUS!  He opened his set with a rockin' version of one of my all time favorite songs, "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crowes.  Then he moved to the piano, which is one of the reasons why I fell in love with him in the first place, and sang a bluesy, fast paced version of "Georgia on my Mind," which blew me away.  And he closed his set with a much improved version of the song he got blasted for on the show, "You Found Me" by The Fray.  WOW!  Later he came out for a couple of group songs, including one from the Broadway musical Jersey Boys, complete with the black suits, dance moves, microphones and all.  What fun!  And can I tell you how much Adam Lambert ROCKED!!   I mean, WOW, is all I can say.  What talent this guy has.  And Kris, Danny, Allison, were all fabulous as well.  I could go on for a long time, but I will spare you.  Just know, it was worth the price of the tickets! 

I usually read on my lunch hour at work.  I forgot my book today, so I am bummed.  I'm currently reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.  Which, by the way, I received as part of the Raving Pen winning team and will pass along to the next reader as soon as I am done.  If I could remember to bring it to work, I would probably get done a lot quicker.  Enjoying it so far, looking forward to more.  

And finally, I was not able to make the party this past weekend, but I hear it was fabualous.  Our Illinois SCBWI leader for may years has decided to retire from that position.  Esther Hershenhorn, thank you for all you have done, and all you will continue to do.  You are a role model, an angel, and a genious!  I look forward to seeing you again soon.  I am sorry I could not make the party, but I hear it was a huge success. 

Have a great day all!   

1.  Today is Big Truck Day at my girls school.  We get to take a field trip to the Early Learning Center and see all the big trucks, and climb in them.  And I heard last year that Wilkerson's drag racing car was there and the kids got to sit in it.  My hubby and I both took the afternoon off to go to Big Truck Day.  As a matter of fact, I heard about it weeks before the teachers sent out the permission slips and emailed the teacher to confirm what I had heard and to sign up to chaperone. 

2.  My big one tried to convince me that adults can't climb in the Big Trucks.  That little stinker.  She got a kick out of teasing me like that.  I thought it was great that she pulled one over one me!

3.  The annual family reunion is Sunday.  We get to eat good food and play the annual wiffle ball game.  The out-of-towners are going to smash the in-towners again!  Kind of like the Cards did the Cubs over the past three days.  Was that a sweep???  Oh, yes it was!! 

4.  The American Idol Finale was great.  I discovered that my big one is a Kiss fan.  She loved them, and Adam, and made sure I was recording it so she can watch it over and over.  I'm happy that Kris won, but would have been happy either way.  I loved both of the final contestants and know they will both be very successful (along with many of the others from this season).

5.  Don't forget about the upcoming Children's Book Writing workshop on June 20 in Springfield, IL.  And don't forget that teachers get 4 CPDU's for attending.  It should be a very worthwhile day, filled with great people, fantastic presenters and lots of pizza. 

Have a Great Weekend and Happy Memorial Day!!

Oh, yeah, today is my mom's 60th birthday, so if you see her, wish her a Happy Birthday!!

We are heading to St. Louis tonight for the Cards vs. Cubs game.  Which I would normally be SUPER excited about, and I am, but...

Tonight is the finale of American Idol.  *sighs, wipes tear, hangs head*

Of course, I'll DVR it.  But we'll get home late tonight, so I can either stay up really late and watch it tonight before I read all about it on the internet tomorrow, and then be really, really tired at work tomorrow.  Or I can not watch it, get an extra hour of sleep, read all about it and try to fit it in before the results show tomorrow night.  Ummm, who needs sleep??

And speaking of the game tonight, both of my girls have declared that they will wear their Cardinal shirts to the game rather than their Cubs shirts.  Yeah, score one for mommy.  Now I just have to keep dad out of the picture until we are all dressed and ready to go, or he will swoop in and convince them to wear blue.   

Go cards!!

Oh yeah, highlight's on our trip to Chicago this past weekend.

We had a blast!

The girls loved Shedd Aquarium, especially the sharks and the 4-D SpongeBob movie.  We ate at Ed Debevic's on Saturday night and the girls loved that, we all did.  The game on Sunday was cold, the Cubs lost, but we had a blast.  By the way, I'll take Busch Stadium's bathrooms any day over Wrigley's.  And we rode the train to the game, which the girls thought was more fun than the game itself!

Have a great night, watch American Idol for me and think of me about midnight tonight when I am watching.  But don't tell me what happens!!! 

One more time, Go Cards!!  (We could really use a win tonight!)

I'm getting so nervous for the three remaining contestants on American Idol.  I hope you don't mind me babbling for a minute about last nights show.

First of all, I think all three are very talented musical artists and all three will be successful after this is all over. 

But, did you hear Kris sing "heartless" by Kanye West last night??  I was a little scared for him when he stated that was his song choice.  If you are not familiar with the song, or with Kanye, let's just say, I did not picture sweet little Kris singing that song.  But he did, and he was amazing.

He took a sing that could be considered a rap/ r&b song, and turned it into an acoustic, contemporary song with a fun vibe.  That's one performance that I won't forget.  I tried to explain to my dad what the original sounded like, it was difficult.  (If you are not familiar with the original, go to iTunes and listen to 30 seconds of it, then listen to 30 seconds of Kris' version).

These guys amaze me every week with their level of talent and commitment.  

I still like Adam, but last night he seemed to be a little over-confident to me.  Maybe it was just me, but he seems like he knows he can do no wrong.  He did a fabulous job on both of his songs, but once again, a little too much last night.  I'm sure he'll ne safe though, he deserves to be in the finals.  I voted for him.

And then there is the ever steady and reliable Danny up there pulling off another great performance.  He is always great.  Everyone loves him.  He'll go far in the music industry.  

Back to me being so nervous.  I could not imagine being one of those three young men today, wondering what my fate will be at the end of the night.  I'm glad I don;t have that kind of talent, I would be a wreck!!

Anyway, good luck to all.  I can't wait to see more of all of them.  (Still waiting for Matt to release a cd, a couple of weeks is plenty of time, don't you think.)

See you at the concert in August!!

   

My 3 year old will be turning 4 this weekend, Sunday to be exact.  But her party is scheduled for Saturday.

I got a bit spoiled by my 5 year old's party this year.  She had hers at the museum, and all I had to do was show up.  They decorated, brought the cake and ice cream, planned the events and even supplied goodie bags for all the kids. 

This one is a swimming party at the YMCA.  And I have to do all the work.  We get to swim for an hour and have the party room for an hour.  We get to arrive a half an hour before the party to decorate.  I have to bring the cake and drinks and all the other stuff that is involved with having a birthday party for a 4 year old. 

So last night, the girls and I went shopping for decorations, plates, napkins, and of course, new swimsuits, because why would they wear last year's swimming suits to this years birthday party?  I had planned on buying the birthday girl a new suit for her party, but when you go shopping with two girls, there is no way you can get away with just buying one new swim suit. 

So, we went to Factory Card Outlet and bought plates and napkins, tableclothes, a center piece and wrapping paper.

Then we went to Deals to buy goodies for the guests, and a bunch of other stuff that we REALLY needed, like new flip-flops and headbands and pony tails holders. 

Then we went to Target to buy swimsuits.  They both picked out bikini's.  My husband will kill me when he sees that I bought his little girls bikini's.  Oh well, they just looked too darn cute to say no.

And this was all after soccer practice. 

After all these stops, we realized we had not eaten supper yet and American Idol was starting in about 10 minutes and we were on the other side of town.  (We have priorities, you know, 1. Shopping, 2. American Idol 3. Meals)  We drove through McDonald's and raced home for the start of AI.  We made it, just in the nick of time.

As I sat on the couch to enjoy my grilled chicken sandwich, I realized the girls had not taken bathes yet, and bedtime was less than a half hour away. 

I threw them in the shower, ran back and forth between the bathroom and the TV, shuffled around my husband trying to get ready for work (he slept late because we were out shopping, oops), and rather than enjoying my chicken sandwich, I more like, ummm...  inhaled it. 

Guess what?  After all that, the girls were ready for bed only 15 minutes later than their normal bedtime!  WooHoo!!

I, of course, still had a lot of work to do, but it could all wait until after American Idol.  I still needed to clean up the living roon (you know, pick up the fries and pickles that did not end up in anyone's tummy), go through the back packs, get my bag ready for work, wash pj's (Thursday is pajama day at school), fold the laundry that was in the dryer so I could put more in, and, well, cry for a while.

Why was I crying, you ask? 

My man, Matt Giraud, was sent home on American Idol tonight.  I kind of knew it was coming, but still...

So for now I will make it through the rest of the week, party on Saturday, and wait for Matt's cd to be released.  Come on, Matt, I'm waiting.....

Check out this contest for an ARC of the book The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han:  http://jennyhan.livejournal.com/39240.html

I entered, and probably should encourage you all to enter too, but if you don't, then there is a better chance for me to win!  I know, I'm being selfish.  Fine, go ahead, read about it and enter - I dare you!!



OK, so American Idol history was made last night with the judges saving my man Matt!!  I was doing the happy dance in my living room last night.  And I LOVE that he cried about it.  I love a man who isn't afraid to cry (on national television in front of millions of people).



Finally, my very first half marathon is on Sunday.  I'm getting a little nervous about it.  I have been pretty confident that I can do it all along, but now that it is just 3 days a way, starting to loose that confidence.  I have not had one minute this week to do any walking or working out, nada, nothing, nunya, zilch.....

And the weather prediction for St. Louis this Sunday?  Umm...  a high of 64 degrees and a 50% chance of thunder-showers.  Fun....


But on the bright side, I get to meet my new niece Adaline Noel this weekend and eat at Rigazzi's on The Hill.  Woot!  Woot! 

Did you all see what our fabulous ex-governor has up his sleeve this time? 

He's trying to get permission to leave the country so he can be on a reality TV show!  Now, as you may or may not know, I am a big fan of reality TV, but really???

He apparently wants to do this show on NBC in which "celebrity's" are dropped off in the jungle in Costa Rica and have to "survive", until they are kicked out of the jungle. 

And not only that, but could reportedly earn up to $80,000 per episode.  What?!?!?

I guess he will need that money to pay for his legal fees. 

I think that he should not be allowed to leave the country.  And if he is allowed, it should be required that every penny he earns be put in a fund to pay for his children's education.  But, that's just my opinion.

And on a lighter note...

I was a bit disappointed overall with the performances last night on American Idol.

But I still heart Matt.

(I didn't get a chance to vote last night, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my 5 votes for Matt each week are not the ones that are keeping him in this competition.)

Happy Sunny Day!!!

I will admit it.  I LOVE American Idol.  I have always been a fan, and I think I love it more and more each season.  I have been to two American Idol Concerts, and even took my girls (at ages 4 and barely 3) last year.  They love it, too.

Who is my favorite this year? 

I LOVE Matt!  I don't know what it is about him, but I have liked him from the start, before anyone really knew who he was and what he is about.  

I also really love Adam.  I didn't really like him at first, and I'm not sure why.  But he grows on me more and more each week.  I mean, he has such raw talent, how could you not love him? 

My big girl (age 5 remember) has narrowed her favorites down to three.  She likes Matt (I think because he is "my guy"), Adam and Kris.   Her comments about last night?  She really liked Kris and his guitar.  She did not like Matt's hat.  And she complained that Adam was sitting in the dark and she could not see him. 

The little one is being a bit more non-committal with her favorites this year.  Last year she was a David A fan from day one and still asks about him.  I thought she would really like Kris, because he is just so darn cute. 

Who is your favorite this year?

On another note, I have been doing some research for a ya or mg novel idea that I have.  I have not written a novel yet, mostly stick to picture books and short poems, etc, but I had this idea and feel like I have to write it.  So, I have been doing some research, in my spare time.

Right now, I am trying to find out what life, in general, was like for a  young girl in the 40's.  I was inspired by a real person that I discovered during my Christmas shopping, a woman that lived in the early 1900's and who really came to be her own around 1911.  But, I want my mc to be her granddaughter, and the story will take place in the 1940's.  Now that I have researched the grandmother character, I need to know what life was like in the 40's for my mc.  I'll definitely incorporate some historical events, you know, like WW2.  But I really just want to know about the little stuff.

So that's where I am at right now with my writing.  I do not dedicate nearly the amount of time I would like to, mainly because of my full-time job, my husband always being gone, soccer, gymnastics, and just life in general.  But once I get past the research stage, I will force myself to write a little bit each day.

I could use some encouragement, and if you know of any great resources on life in the 40's, I would appreciate a point in that direction.

Happy Day to all!!

First if all, I would like to apologize for not posting pictures of Kim's Launch party yet.  I also have to apologize for being not so techno savvy.  (Funny, I figured out how to email my sister some pictures last night and she called me savvy, ironic, isn't it.)  I tried and tried last night.  I thought I had uploaded the pictures at least two times, possibly three.  But no success.  Not sure what I am doing wrong.  Maybe it's because I don't have a paid account, maybe I should just break down and upgrade.  Or maybe it's just me.  Either way, no pictures here.  I'll keep trying.  If you have any advice for me, let me know. 

I did get the pictures onto my Facebook page though.  So you can check out Kim Hutmacher reading to my girls, and another boy, there. 

Second of all, did anyone watch Nightline last night and see the founder of Amazon?  He seems kind of high strung and a bit quirky, but that is not the point.  He spoke of Kindle quite a bit and the new Kindle 2 coming out soon.  It was an interesting bit.  When asked if he thought Kindle would be the death of paper books, he was a little wishy-washy.  Of course he mentioned that there is no replacement for some books, such as Shakepeare's First Folio.  But he also stated at the end that Amazon will do the best they can with paper books, and the best they can with Kindle and may the best man win.  We'll see.  What do you think?

Third of all, I think I have a budding song writer in the family.  My little one likes to just start blurting out in song, and then she always says at the end, "I just made that up."  

Last night on the way to the video store, I broke out into "I Think I Love You" from Partridge Family fame.  "Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba........ I think I love you..."  The girls thought is was great and wanted me to keep singing.  They also thought I made it up.  I'm not a good singer by any means.  I would be one of the ones they show during the audition episodes of American Idol that everyone laughs at.  But my girls still think I can sing, so I do.  But they are the ones that can make up a song at the spur of the moment.  Maybe I should start writing them down, the ones I can understand anyway.  

A lastly, I am loving American Idol this year.  Though, I love it every year.  Because there are so many talented contestants this year, I am still having a difficult time choosing a favorite.  But after last night, I am leaning towards Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud.  I know, I know, Danny is everybody's favorite, but he really is good.  And I LOVE Matt, have from the beginning.  I love his Justin Timberlake vibe.  And I love anyone who can play the piano like he can.  I took lessons for nine years growing up.  I was pretty good at one point in my life, but I envy those that can master the keys like he does.   

And I never really noticed Kris before, but I was loving him last night.  I was disappointed in Anoop and Megan, both of whom I have really been rooting for.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that they get to stay for another week and really try to WOW us next time. 

I could go on and on, but I will spare you (unless you want to hear my thought on Dancing with the Stars *grinning*)  Have I ever mentioned that I am a reality TV junkie?  Bet you would have never guessed that!!

I  survived the weekend with only two sunburned legs, two sunburned arms, one crispy nose and a pair of lips that hurt when I smile.  One personal goal of mine this weekend was to come out of it with a "little color on my legs."  Red is a good color, I guess.  

The State Farm Classic turned out to be a great time, and filled with controversy and suspense.  The winner was decided by a playoff on Sunday afternoon.  The leaders provided the fans with some great entertaining shots to watch and talk about later.  The heat turned up Sunday, after a few short rain showers on Saturday, which cooled things off for the morning.  Michelle Wei was disqualified after Saturday's round for not signing her scorecard after Friday's round.  Many suspect the LPGA and PAnther Creek did not DQ her earlier on purpose, to draw more fans out on Saturday.  Who knows?  And the winner turned out to be the youngest winner of the State Farm Classic ever, age 20.  Wow!!  I was lucky enough to get to work on green 11 on Sunday, and got to see every golfer's shot onto the green and the putting.  Quite fun.  I learned a lot about golf this weekend, as well as a lot about the tournament.  Who knew there was so much to do and organize in order for this event to be a success.  I would imagine that someone is already beginning to plan for next year.  

And Friday night was the American Idol concert at the ScotTrade Center in St. Louis.  We had a blast.  The concert was one of the most fun I have been to.  Everyone was very entertaining and it was set up well.  Each performer came out and sang three songs, mostly their most popular from the show.  My kids loved it and I think Paige in now "in love" with Jason.  And Megan totally got it.  She struggled to stay awake until David A performed.  She listened intently for the first half of the first song, then quietly asked me for the picture of him that I bought for her.  She held up the picture the entire time he was performing, while swaying on my lap and attempting to sing along.  It actually brought a tear to my eye.  

Well, back to reality again.  This week should be pretty normal, well as normal as things get around my house.