November 7

Gratitude is one of the most medicinal emotions we can feel. It elevates our moods and fills us with joy.

Harrison got invited to participate in SCIBA (South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association) Middle School Honor Band this year. 7th graders are nominated from their middle school band by their directors. Harrison and 4 of his classmates were nominated and they practiced together along with approximately 100 other musicians today at Ankeny Centennial High School today. Their performance was this evening and it was absolutely wonderful. I love watching him play and I love that he loves to play. I try and stay in the moment, but sometimes it's hard to wait for things like pep band and especially marching band in high school. Today, in the moment, I am so thankful that Harrison has had the opportunity to see what a large concert band not only sounds like but what it feels like to be part of an impassioned group of musicians.

Christopher for Harrison's concert.

Harrison is thankful that he had a great day at SCIBA and had a wonderful concert. I even made two new friends!

Bennett is thankful he got to go to Harrison's concert. It was really good.

Miles is thankful for piano. Piano is fun and I am working on the Russian Folk Dance by Beethovan and City of Stars by Justin Hurtwiz.

Annabelle that I filled out my brownie pan at school. It gives me the opportunity to bring a comfy item to school on Friday.

Rocco is thankful for his cousins (June & Jett visited last night). They are awesome.

Emma is thankful for her little brother. He arrived yesterday at 1:18pm and weighs 9 lbs 10 oz. His name is Harrison Glenn. 💙

Rocky is thankful for his mom. She is the parent helper today and will take me to school and I love her.

Felix is thankful to come to my house. I love Beth's house days!

Evelyn is thankful for twirling. She twirls and twirls and twirls. And then laughs and laughs and laughs.

November 6

'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, and understanding. ~ Alice Walker

I'm not usually a big fan of the 'Monday's, meh' phenomena. To me it has always been another day of the week with its own ups and downs. Though lately I have been feeling like we need more three day weekends. This weekend has been so nice with almost nothing to do and no where to be. I guess I will really be ready for Thanksgiving break. 🦃

I am thankful for pumpkin pie. Bennett has been begging me to make one and I am so glad I did.

Christopher is thankful for chili. (also, his wife is a good cook)

Harrison is thankful that he finished his book. That's 4 down and 36 more to go for Battle of the Books!

Bennett is thankful that his toe has been fixed. A few months ago, Bennett cut his toe nail too short. This lead to an ingrown toe nail and two months of me thinking it would heal up on his own. I finally called a podiatrist and she said that the side of the nail needed to be cut out and the root killed. The procedure was this evening and was gruesome to watch but it already looks so much better. He had a granuloma over the nail as well that needed to be cut off. And Bennett obviously feels better.

Annabelle is thankful for math. We did fact fluency for the first time this year and it was fun.

Rocco is thankful Harrison, Bennett, Beth and Chris. I love that they are part of my family.

Emma is thankful for the baby doll Daisy. I love playing with her; she has cute eyes and she moves however I want her.

Rocky is thankful to play downstairs. I love Legos.

Felix is thankful for jumping. That boy loves to jump!

Sundays

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

It's been a pretty gloomy start to November. The temperatures continue to be below normal and the sun has only peaked out a couple of times. Today is windy, chilly and drab. I am holed up at Smokey Row, taking time to get ahead in this blog, meal plan for the week and just get out of the house. I like the 'no home' distractions of a coffee house, the smells, the mix of people and the different reasons they are here and honestly, the boys started playing monopoly yesterday and I have a strong aversion to being in the house when they start that up! Ugh, that game is the worst. Harrison has my hate-to-lose edge and Bennett tries so hard to best his brother at everything and when he fails, he starts messing around and dropping the dice on the floor and saying things like 'I rolled a 3' when really he rolled a 5 but that would have put him on Harrison's hotel and... that game drives me nuts.

They all surprised me and brought a game. Family ❤️ 

I am thankful for leggings. I think this is a ridiculous thing to be thankful for, but I love putting them on and being comfortable all day long. And it took me a couple of years, but I am finally comfortable wearing them out of the house, mainly because I found some shirts that work well with them. I'm also grateful I have the resources to have options such as this.

Christopher is thankful for Sundays.

Harrison is thankful that he is ready for his band concert. The way to Carnegie Hall - practice, practice, practice.

Bennett is thankful for scooters. I think they are fun to do tricks on.

November 4

This is a wonderful day. I've never seen it before. ~ Maya Angelou

It's game day! I personally struggle with my football fandom. I grew up in a football loving family who watched Monday night football and celebrated BIG when the Bears won the Super Bowl in '85. And I mean big. We learned the Super Bowl Shuffle, wore Jim McMahon headbands and got to stay up for the whole game - on a school night! Walter Payton was and is still is one of my idols. I love football. But then there is science. And CTE. And violence perpetrated by men. And the fact that the NFL is a not for profit company. What kind of messed up s*#^ is that?? But yet, I still get dressed on Saturday and Sunday mornings with my favorite teams in mind. And right now, my absolute favorite team is the #15 in the nation Iowa State Cyclones.  🏈❤️ 💛❤️💛🏈 #bestkempfsecret

Update ~ they lost 16 - 20 to West Virginia. Ugh.


Today I am thankful for my friends. I have gotten to see almost all of them in the last week and it has been a bright spot in my year. While thinking back on my relationships, I realize that the work that I have put in to finding and keeping my friends is so worth it. There are thousands of books and articles written on the values, benefits and joys of friendships. Obviously they are all spot on. P.S. Bad Girls Christmas is hilarious - even more so with friends.

Christopher is thankful The Ohio State (didn't) came to town. Iowa 55 Ohio State 24

Harrison is thankful that we can park two cars in the garage. Me ~ that's what you are thankful for?!?! H ~ Yeah! It's a good thing!

Bennett is thankful for the series The Flash on Netflix. We finished season 1 and it is really good.

November 3

Life is a series of thousands of tiny miracles. Notice them.

TGIF! It's hard to believe we are 3 whole days into November. The jack-o-lanturns and witches have been put away and the turkey decorations have made their presence known.





Our morning walk was full of leaves. The kids really took notice of all the different sizes. And a long stop was made so that we could roll around in all the fun. 🍁













Today I am thankful for my littles. They have kept me laughing all day long.

"I'll pay for the hotel. Cause Mama's got all the dollars." ~ Emma
"I had a dream last night I had an eyeball on my butt. It could see my farts." ~ Felix
"What's a nightmare?" Me - Ummm, its a dream you don't like very much. When have you had a nightmare? "(shoulder shrug) About 5 years ago." ~ Felix
"This is my juice (brought with him this morning). It looks like pee but it's not." ~ Rocky

Christopher is thankful that it Pagliai's for dinner!

Harrison that he was very productive in his student council meeting. We made signs for Combat Hunger.

Bennett is thankful for waffles. They keep me from starving. (he has a lot of first world problems)

Miles is thankful that it is Friday. I get to spend more time with my family. (heart melt)

Rocco is thankful for field trips. I just learn so much when I am on them.

Emma is thankful for her dad. He turns on lots of good music for me like Ariel, Moana, Emma's playlist, Earl Scruggs, & Willie Nelson. He plays all kinds of music.

Rocky is thankful for Halloween. I got a lot of candy. (this is repeat from Wednesday and I usually make them think of something else, but his eyes were so happy thinking about his costume and the candy that I let it slide 😁)

Felix is thankful for getting presents. I got gum and guns for my birthday! I really like gum.

November 2

Be grateful for all you have, but never settle for less than you can be.

The weather has been fabulous for cozy sweaters and thick socks. This has not been conducive to outdoor play. But, (staying on theme) thankfully there seems to be a calm with the wind and a slight rise in temperature. The sun even peaked out for a while and the kids played outside after school. They needed that outdoor time!


Today I am thankful for the moon over downtown Des Moines at 6:00pm tonight. It was huge and with the hazy clouds it looked like a planet out of Star Wars. I was driving or I would have gotten a picture.

Christopher is thankful for half days at work.

Harrison my new hair cut. I really like it!

Bennett is thankful reading. I am at a really good part of my book. (The Fourth Stall)

Miles is thankful that he had school today.

Annabelle is thankful for P.E. I beat other teams 4 times and scored 3 hoops.

Rocco is thankful for friends playing with him at recess.

Emma is thankful for mommy. She does nice things for me.

Rocky is thankful for cherries. I LOVE cherries!

Felix is thankful for the kitties. I love the kitties.

Evelyn is thankful for books. She spent 10 minutes today putting 4 board books on the table and then going from chair to chair reading different ones set at the different spots.

Thankfulness season

When asked if my cup is half-full or half empty, my only response is that I am thankful that I have a cup. ~ Anonymous

It's my favorite time of year again. Thanksgiving. It just warms my heart. As a history major/historian/educated person I understand that the true story of the original Thanksgiving is much more complex than what we celebrate today. And while I teach and share that with my children so that they continue to know the histories and truths we as a society sometimes gloss over, I also teach them that traditions are important and taking time to be thankful and grateful for what we have is important.

Today I am thankful for Harrison. We spent the evening shopping for new clothes and shoes. He has an honor band concert coming up and his first Mock Trial competition and he has grown 2 or 3 inches since he last wore pants! I know that I am biased but Harrison is the most wonderful combination of kind, funny, considerate and sarcastic. He is a joy to be around and makes me laugh like I am a teenager again.

Chris is thankful that it was just a tiny bit warmer today.

Harrison is thankful for a great Mock Trial practice. I have my cross-examination all done, my closing is awesome and I'm ready for any question they ask me as a witness. I've got this!

Bennett is thankful for take-out. Because we NEVER get it and I really love take-out.

Emma is thankful for her Ariel doll from her birthday cake. I love it because it's Ariel.

Rocky is thankful for Halloween. Because it makes me happy.

Evelyn is thankful for blankets she can put over her head and wear like a cape.

Ten

Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years. ~ Ausonius

I need a reminder like the quote above, today. My baby turned double digits on Thursday. And he is SO proud to count those years and show us all that they matter. "I'm 10. I'm so old now."

The night before his birthday Bennett was wired. He wanted to open presents. He wanted to go to school to pass out treats. He wanted to sleep in my bed. Then he didn't. He was on the floor. He was on the bed. He was wearing a sleep mask. And then, finally he was on the couch and settled in. I guess sometimes you just get what you want. And what Bennett wanted was to be up early enough to open his presents before his dad left for work (6:30am) and his brother left for school (6:45am). Bennett doesn't get up until 7:15am. Sleeping on the couch puts you right in the middle of all the morning noise.  

What a sweet boy.

After the early morning wake up call presents were finally opened - a Cubs blanket and the ever-coveted 10 year old gift - the mini iPad. If you own an Apple product of any kind I implore you not to give Bennett your contact information unless you want to be inundated with emoji texts. 😂 🎉 👽🙈🙄 And he also really wants the Bitmoji app. We're holding out on that as of yet!

Of course birthdays breakfasts are the traditional M&M pancakes and bacon. 🥞 🥓 This tradition really started with my brother and his family but we love it. 

While Bennett was at school, I contemplated life with two pre-teen boys - who and what are they going to become, watched the littles laugh with abandon and then reflected on how my boys were becoming more self aware and laughed and acted with less reckless abandon, and I made a cake. Somehow 'cake' has become my thing. I do love a good piece of cake. All of the kids want a special cake for their birthday. This years choice for Bennett was a Cubs cake. I am no professional, but I think it turned out pretty good. It was supposed to have baseball seems running through it but I ran out of room. Maybe next time. 

After school, you would have thought I was throwing a party. I might have too many kids! ;) Pay no attention to Bennett's annoyed face. I took quite a few pictures that day. 

Attendees - Harrison, Bennett, Drew, Miles, Jake, Annabelle, Apollo, Rocco, Emma, Rocky, Felix, & Evelyn

The day ended with a surprise visit from Grandpa and Grandma Wilcke (I forgot to get pictures), a trip to the ball park to watch Harrison play baseball, Orlando's Pizza and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. I'm a lucky mama and I try to appreciate that everyday. I have a kind, caring, goofy yet responsible kid. I know he will turn out to be 'one of the good ones' someday. He's one of the good ones now. Even today as I was typing this and telling B that he would be missing his baseball game today if he didn't eat his pasta salad I love him more than words can describe and I appreciated his failed resolve to "NOT EAT THIS STUFF." He sat here for over an hour. **Sigh** But he got it done and he didn't die like he thought might happen. 

Birthday Interview - Bennett, age 10

What is your nickname?

   ~ The Mongoose

What is your favorite color?

  ~ Blue

What do you want to be when you grow up?

  ~ Baseball player

What is your favorite thing to do with your family?

  ~ Go out to eat at Hu Hot and Ohanas

Who is your best friend?

  ~ Fritz 

What makes you happy?

  ~ Baseball

What do you like to learn about?

  ~ Math

What is your favorite book?

  ~ The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

What makes you sad?

  ~ losing a friend 

If you had $1,000 what would you do with it?

  ~ buy a computer

Where would you like to go on vacation?

  ~ Chicago

What is your favorite food?

  ~ Corn on the cob and shrimp 

What is your favorite thing to do?

  ~ play baseball and watch the Cubs

If you had one wish, what would it be?

  ~ To be a billionaire baseball player for the Chicago Cubs

Dream big, 10 year old. You've got the whole world at your fingertips.

Learn to Row

Crew has always interested me. My cousins were in crew in high school and I was always jealous that we didn't have that opportunity in my area. I love to canoe and kayak. I've dreamed of owning kayaks but dread the hassles that come with that - transporting them to and from the water - too heavy for me to get on the van - I want singles but don't want to own a trailer - where do I store them, the living room? Anyway, several years go I noticed that Des Moines had a rowing club. I looked into it, but the times were not conducive to my life. Didn't work for me so I shelved it. Then last year, some of my friends got me back into thinking it was a possibility. After I completed my 40 at 40 list I looked into the classes that my friends had done. Bingo! I signed up for the 'Learn to Row' class with the DMRC (Des Moines Rowing Club).

My class was today and it was wonderful. Fortunately the weather was perfect and the classmates were just like me - newbies. We started out on the Erg's. This is the correct term for a rowing machine. I just had to Google that name because I will never remember that. Who can remember a silly name like erg?

I had never used one before and it seemed pretty easy. I was over confident. It wasn't too complicated but it was very easy to get out of rhythm and if that happened when you were on the hull (boat), the oar would smack your knees. Lots of little pieces to remember. Then we learned all about nautical terms and things that our coxswain (leader of the hull). Again, lots of little pieces to remember. One thing that I will remember forever is that the bow of the boat is the back of the boat. I can remember this because single hulls have a protective 'ball' on the bow. This offers a little protection when hitting the dock accidentally and me giggles because even boats have balls.

Finally we went to the water. I found the experience very rewarding and can only imagine the spirit of comradeship you would find after having a successful outing on the water. Staying in rhythm with your teammates is much harder than you think it should be. And when one person is off it can effect how the boat sits in the water which in turn can effect how your oar enters the water which can then effect your own rhythm. I would love to sign up for their Novice Program but it will not work in my budget nor my schedule this year. I'm definitely going to keep it on my future bucket lists. As for learning how to row, I feel as if I have succeeded in that. Check one off!

The List

 ~ whole30

 ~ 30 days of yoga

 ~ run a 5k

 ~ read a classic novel (Jane Austen)

 ~ blog 4 or more times a week

 ~ sing karaoke

 ~ volunteer

 ~ take a writing class

 ~ finalize our will

 ~ one week of vegetarianism

 ~ get another tattoo

 ~ cross-stitch 19 bookmarks for Christmas

 ~ go geocaching

 ~ pay for a house cleaning the week of my birthday

 ~ combine past 401k’s

 ~ attend a religious service (Hindu, Muslim, Judaism…) different from my own

 ~ watch 5 documentaries

 ~ ask for forgiveness

 ~ send 40 postcards/letters

 ~ become proficient at a Zumba class

 ~ dye a bright color strip in my hair

 ~ watch 40 of the AFI top 100 films (0 of 40)

 ~ watch all seasons of Breaking Bad

 ~ solidify a plan to take the GRE and apply to grad school

 ~ donate blood

 ~ paint the porch

 ~ subscribe to The Week and read it cover to cover

 ~ purge 1/4 of my closet

 ~ visit 4 Iowa waterfalls

 ~ go hiking at 5 state parks (Ledges, Backbone, Pikes Peak, Maquoketa Caves, & Effigy Mounds)

 ~ paddle board

 ~ take the boys horse back riding

 ~ learn to row (join DMRC)

 ~ try Tai Chi

 ~ create a playlist of my 40 favorite songs

 ~ fly a kite

 ~ organize drawer of pictures

 ~ go on a picnic with a basket, bottle of wine and glass glasses

 ~ learn to bake whole wheat bread 

 ~ take time to meditate

40 at 40

Sally: [Crying hysterically] And I'm going to be 40!

Harry: When?

Sally: Someday!

Harry: In eight years!

Sally: But it's there! It's lie a big dead end!

When Harry Met Sally - a movie that I could watch over and over. Alas, Sally's eight years are up for me. In 6 short months I will be 40. All of me is vacillating between 'No big deal, just a number' and AH! What have I done with the last 40 years?' and '40 is the new 30.' All of these things are true and untrue and all of them matter.

To help guide myself through this year I have decided to come up with a 40 at 40 list. I would like to think that I will be able to achieve completing my list by October 22, but realistically I am not sure. But at the end of this process, I think that what I hope to achieve most is to become more of a goal setter/goal conquerer.

The List

 ~ whole30

 ~ 30 days of yoga

 ~ run a 5k

 ~ read a classic novel (Jane Austen)

 ~ blog 4 or more times a week

 ~ sing karaoke

 ~ volunteer

 ~ take a writing class

 ~ finalize our will

 ~ one week of vegetarianism

 ~ get another tattoo

 ~ cross-stitch 19 bookmarks for Christmas

 ~ go geocaching

 ~ pay for a house cleaning the week of my birthday

 ~ combine past 401k’s

 ~ attend a religious service (Hindu, Muslim, Judaism…) different from my own

 ~ watch 5 documentaries

 ~ ask for forgiveness

 ~ send 40 postcards/letters

 ~ become proficient at a Zumba class

 ~ dye a bright color strip in my hair

 ~ watch 40 of the AFI top 100 films (0 of 40)

 ~ watch all seasons of Breaking Bad

 ~ solidify a plan to take the GRE and apply to grad school

 ~ donate blood

 ~ paint the porch

 ~ subscribe to The Week and read it cover to cover

 ~ purge 1/4 of my closet

 ~ visit 4 Iowa waterfalls

 ~ go hiking at 5 state parks (Ledges, Backbone, Pikes Peak, Maquoketa Caves, & Effigy Mounds)

 ~ paddle board

 ~ take the boys horse back riding

 ~ learn to row (join DMRC)

 ~ try Tai Chi

 ~ create a playlist of my 40 favorite songs

 ~ fly a kite

 ~ organize drawer of pictures

 ~ go on a picnic with a basket, bottle of wine and glass glasses

 ~ learn to bake whole wheat bread 

 ~ take time to meditate 

I'm excited to begin this journey and I am excited to blog again. Part of blogging is knowing that my kids will have some semblance of a baby book that they will be able to look back on.