Potty training for a 5k

 I have yet to actually go. I sit. I wait. I smile. Then, I wash my hands.  Really, though, one must consider the vast amount of steps needed to actually perform the bathroom duty. There's the stool. The diaper. The sitting. The waiting. The flusher. The sink, the soap, the towel. I think this potty training thing could be cool, but there is much to remember. Last week, I really thought I had it. The stool was there for the stepping; the toilet lid sat up for the sitting. I simply forgot about the bare-bottomed part. Fully clothed and sitting in the toilet. I have to say, it wasn't my proudest moment. Thankfully, Dad spared maximum embarrassment and did not snap a picture. I owe you one, Dad.

While the bathroom is now on my list of regularly-visited household enclaves, I'm doing my best to keep my kid brother at bay. He wants nothing more than to unwind the toilet paper and splash in water unmentionable. Sigh. Can't a brother take care of business in peace? We keep the door closed. 

In other news, Grandma and Grandpa Conrad visited! In true form, we combined good ol' fashioned housework and relaxing with some good ol' fashioneds. The windows have never been so clean (inside and out!), the basement chairs look fantastic, and Mom's thrilled at the opportunity to sip an adult beverage in the summertime. Thanks for visiting, G&G!

We replaced the couch in our basement. Bright red, over-stuffed, and available for a ten-spot at the local garage sale, the thing looks as though Elmo missed the toilet. Really. The good news is that we're now able to watch Curious George without risk of chronic back pain. It's a basement couch. If I were concerned about being fashionably up-to-date, I'd write to you about the fact that it matches our six mini target dogs, our velvet fedora (decoration only), and the weird red mural curtains that we meant to 86 within the first month of home ownership. (Yes, the east wall is a mural. Came with the house. Saving that for a future blog post.)

Best part of summer: Right now. School hasn't quite started; leaves haven't quite turned. The days are hot; nights are cool. Bliss. 

Hope this post finds you in equally jovial spirits.

Ken

Hit the ground running against the wind

wondering these days whether mom can turn this blogging thing into an honest to goodness hobby.

hob·by

¹    [hob-ee]

noun, plural -bies.

1.

an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.

possible to turn a sort-of monthly newsletter-like entry into a platform of relaxation? potentially. speaking from the chronological back seat, i think mom's created a bit of a following, and - according to dad - followers may like to follow more regularly than every four (or eight or twelve) weeks. so, a big shout out goes to the facebook junkies, blog taggers, fellow writers, and avid digital consumers: thanks for reading and commenting on mom's blog. she's officially declared a blog hobby. might this change the tone, voice and frequency of entries? i give it a solid maybe. buckle. up.

sweet summertime weather finally arrived in minnesota - somewhere around the 6th of july - and with it a flurry of gusty thunderstorms, sticky heat  expectant travels, and cheerful family visitors. we pinched our pennies and purchased a pass to the minnesota zoo. (family plus one. amanda: thanks for being our first official plus one! all: call dad when you're inclined to join us. you can't beat it. see bear: left.)

the third week in july found us splitting the week between family reunions: a few days in wisconsin with the conrad side, and wrapping up the week in northern minnesota with the corrigan side. the reunions are an annual occurrence, and mom tells me the cram-everyone-in-a-cabin-and-spend-as-much-time-as-possible-on-the-lake really never gets old. i tried the water for the first time: a real pool, a real lake, and a real life jacket. love the water. hate the boat coat.

while each family reunion registered as highlights in my book, i must say that cousin mary took the cake with her all-cousin dinner and musical chairs event. great idea, mar! it's true: eleven of the soon-to-be sixteen spawn of mom's brothers and sisters  marched (the ants go marching la la la) to the main lodge for pizza and a rousing (mildly competitive) game of musical chairs. having no ability to march, (yet with one helluva crawl), i merely watched the event. We wrapped it up with a picture of the available eleven. fun times.

up next: the minnesota state fair. i love summer.

peace out,
sam