Roselle Fire Department Open House

Setting my piggies free

Ziggy Marley – Set Your Piggies Free Lyrics
 

After school, we ran out to the grocery store and then visited a playground we haven't been to in months. It was a great way to spend the few hours before karate class. Though we enjoyed having the whole park to ourselves, we invited Aislynn to join us, since she'd be in Shawn's karate class in the evening, too. The kids had a great time burning energy, Jaime and I relaxed in the shade, and Lilly set her piggies free! I brought Shawn's uniform with us, so he changed in the car and we scooted off to class. He was really excited about karate today. He earned his first yellow stripe! It really is fun to watch him even at this beginner's level - pride seemed to radiate from him.

Doodlebugs and more

We started the day with a play date with a new group called Doodlebugs. The idea behind the group is to get kids outside playing in local preserves and other green spaces. I love it! I do wish there were more of the get-togethers during times we could attend, but it's fun to find other families who value playing outside.

From the Meetup.com website:

"This is a group for families who want to wander through the woods once a week. We'll conduct bug hunts, climb trees, dig holes, splash in puddles, look for flowers and wildlife. Let's get out there and explore!"

Today we met the Blackwell Forest preserve in Wheaton, which Lilly, Shawn, and I have never been to.

"Let's meet at the North Shelter. From there we can access the Egret trail (.6 mile) loop. It is a nice grassy path through the prairie and the woods. Following our ramble, we can lunch at the shelter and explore the edge of Silver Lake. We might have some light rain, so bring rain ponchos and galoshes for all. Let's get out there, Doodle Bugs!"

It was supposed to go from 10 AM until noon, but by the time we got out the door and found our way through some construction detours, it was after 11. We were pleasantly surprised that we were actually only the third group to arrive out of five families! The kids entertained themselves / each other for about half an hour while the moms got reacquainted with each other. Then we went on a short hike exploring bugs and interesting plants. Then had a picnic lunch back where we started.  The weather was absolutely perfect for our outdoor adventure today. (Upper 70°F, blue sky, & Sunshine). Good thing too - I didn't come prepared for rain as the event description had suggested!

If we had gotten to Doodlebugs on time and if our adventure had started on time, we possibly could have made it to Gymboree in time for either Lilly's Level 1 baby class or Shawn's music class (depending on which we were in the mood for when we arrived). That was not the case. Plus, we were having too much fun exploring, so I didn't push the issue. We ended up missing all of Music & the babies' class as well as Open Gym and eventually arrived partway through School Skills! Normally, while Shawn is in class, another mom or two hang out with me in the waiting area and we chat until class is over. I guess everyone thought we weren't coming because when we arrived, the doors were locked and the kids were having class in the back room!  Luckily, Mr. Brian saw us through the window and let us in so Shawn could join the group. Within minutes, one of the other moms arrived and soon a couple of us were busy chatting away for the last few minutes of class as usual.

When class was over, we were supposed to meet Kristin, a Mothers & More friend, and her two school aged children, who Shawn had a lot of fun playing with on a previous outing to the Arboretum; however, those plans changed as well. Kristin sent me a message saying that her son was home sick from school with a sore throat and was hoping we could reschedule. At first Shawn was really disappointed to miss Wyatt and Sydney, but then a large storm cloud rolled in and unleashed a late spring rainfall. Not good for a zoo trip, but we were pleased that it waited until so late in the day to arrive so as not to interfere with our earlier plans!

It was a full day - even with one less activity!

Lilly loves food (2)

Mom can't spoon carrots fast enough:

Look at her curl in her hairline! It looks like a fingerprint swirl at the edge of her forehead! "There was a little girl, who had a little curl… " ;)

Lilly's talking

For the past day or so, Lilly has been testing her vocal range. She squeaks as high as she can. Sometimes no sound comes out at all (at least not that I can hear)! Geesh - She puts Mariah Carey to shame with these high notes!

Oma:  Maybe she's talking privately to Baron.

MOM Resale extravaganza

I was up until about 2 AM tagging clothes and things to sell at mothers and more resale.  I volunteered for the first time last spring, but I've shopped for many seasons. (Each year, we hold a spring/summer sale in March and a fall/winter sale in September.)  My pack rat side was having panic attacks and convulsions at the idea of selling Shawn and Lilly's baby things, but once I got on the roll, it felt pretty good to let go of a *few* things. I did allow myself to keep a few things off to the side until I can let go of more. I have noticed during past sales that some members get very stressed out about tagging, getting everything done, using all of their tags, etc. in time for the sale. Instead, I shared a seller's spot with another member and only used a handful of her tags that she wasn't going to use. I was proud of (& nervous about) tagging anything, so I simply tagged until I ran out of time and then I was done. The fact that I was able to sell anything is an accomplishment, I think. I'm sure next season I'll be able to tag more items, and feel more comfortable with letting go.

One of the perks of the resale, besides getting rid of stuff and making a little cash, I also volunteered over 16 hours in the three days. This gave me special privileges to shop earlier than most people and much earlier than the general public.

I did some awesome shopping! Lilly has a few boxes of things from Freecycle and borrowed things from Abby, so I tried hard to stay away from the infant girls section of the clothes. Instead, I stocked up on a new winter wardrobe for Shawn.  He had asked me to keep an eye out for an Ironman costume for Halloween - score! I hope it's not too big for him and I need to find a mask or something to go with it, but he was thrilled when I told him I got it. I looked for a mini superhero costume for Lilly, but found an adorable sweet pea costume instead. I hope she doesn't grow too much before Halloween so she can still fit into it! Luckily, both costumes were so cheap that if there is a change in plans, it is no big deal. I can always resell them next fall.

Shawn had a lot of fun while I was volunteering. After school on Thursday, he had a play date at Abby's house until Daddy picked him up after work. On Friday, he went home from school with Xander and had an incredible playdate going to Kid Town play center and Portillo's for lunch. When they were done they delivered him to me at the resale building. There were not supposed to be any children in the building while we were setting everything up, but I found an out of the way place for Shawn to sit.  He waited very patiently for me to finish my shift. He was sitting at a table near our kitchen/break room and I gave him a few snacks and told him I would check on him every once in a while. While I was gone another member kindly refilled some snacks for him. When I came back to check on him, he excitedly reported that a "chef" came out to give him more food! (Certain volunteers wore aprons to designate that they held certain positions.) He felt very privileged to be the only kid in the building and soaked up the attention he was getting from the other volunteers. I had him help me check out the things that I was buying and then help me carry things to the car. He was thrilled by the glimpses of treasures he saw. (I just hope I can hide some things away for the holidays, rather than have him dive in to it all at once.) I brought him home to have another Boys' Night with Daddy while I volunteered a few more hours.

Saturday, we stayed home in the morning, but when Raj got home from work, he and Shawn had more boys' time while Lilly and I went back to volunteering for the last day of the resale. Lilly and I put in a lot of hours, but it was incredible to see each phase of the event unfold from an empty building to a fully functioning consignment shop to a distribution center (to return unsold items to sellers or to a donation collection) and then back to an empty building.

The totals still need to be figured, but at the end of the day, we estimated a gross income of $75,630.07, which is $3000 more than last fall! We had 859 shoppers who paid $1 admission in the morning, 1056 total shoppers in the morning (some had free entrance coupons), and 425 shoppers in the afternoon.
W. O. W!

Lilly loves food (1)

Lilly likes to eat oatmeal: