I've Moved

I've made the switch over to Wordpress. Feel free to stay and browse my archives, but for all my newer posts, please head over to www.flesworthy.com

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Weekend Haiku

Mom and Dad in town
loving and spoiling of kids
and free childcare

Date night! Sushi? Yes!
Oh, but wait, Gen Con in town,
there’s nowhere to park.

A movie instead.
Inception—great, now I am
scared to start dreaming.

Shopping with my mom
Fabric sale a big success
Trader Joe’s was, too

Projects with my dad
Let’s redo the twins’ closet!
It needs new shelving.

What do you do when
you have a long to-do list?
Go to pool, of course!


(sorry, bad photo / I took it with my iPhone / not real camera)

Wait, did I just write
a photo caption haiku?
That’s my sign to stop.

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August 4

Today I'm potty training and cleaning out closets and watching Cars and making lunch and reading blogs and playing pretend.

And thinking of the Wednesday six years ago that my firstborn entered and left the world.

Happy birthday, Sam and Emilie. You are always missed and forever loved.

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Bye Bye Binky

After three years, it was a day I thought we’d never see. A great love affair is at long last over.

Yes, Henry finally gave up his binky. And honestly? It was much easier than I had imagined.

Andy and I been warning him that it was time, fretting over the big battle we were convinced would ensue. Last week, we decided to go cold turkey. We told Henry that we’d leave out all of our binkys, and that the Binky Fairy would come and take them, leaving presents in their place.

At bedtime last Sunday, the binkys were gathered and placed in a basket by our front door. Monday morning came, and Henry asked me, “Mom, are all my binkys gone?” He started to cry when I told him that yes, they were. But I reminded him about the presents, and he ran to the door to discover two sets of characters from the movie Cars, our current household obsession.

Henry FLIPPED OUT with joy. “Oh, wow!” he exclaimed over and over. And he’s been fine ever since. He did ask for his binky one day when he was under the weather, but we reminded him that he had his cars instead, and that was it. Mostly, he’s been proud to tell us what a big boy he is while composing reproductions of McQueen’s big race.

It’s a little strange to see Henry without his beloved piece of plastic jutting out of his mouth. But it was time to move on, and a relief that the transition went smoothly. A big boy, indeed--farewell, binkys and babyhood!

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Pesto-riffic!

My hands look EXACTLY like my mother’s, but, sadly, I didn’t inherit her green thumb. Truth be told, I hate yard work and gardening, and tend to kill flowers while the weeds in my lawn flourish.

But a corner of my yard this summer contains a handful of basil and tomato plants. Why? Because of this:

2 cups basil leaves, rinsed and drained
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup pine nuts
½ cup grated parmesan

In food processor, blend oil, butter and garlic. Add basil and pine nuts. Blend. Add salt, pepper and parmesan. Blend until smooth. Makes 1 ½ cups.

Cook up a box of pasta, roast some pine nuts, and dice some just-picked roma tomatoes. Toss it all together, and fight the urge to yell “OMG I LOOOOOVE YOOOOU PESTO NOM NOM NOM” after every bite.



I think this is my very favorite thing to eat in the summer. For real, if it gets ME to garden, you know it’s pretty delicious.

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Potty training? Frustrating? You don’t say.

Dear Henry and Eleanor,

Look, kids, I know you can do a lot. A lot.

You can explain the difference between an herbivore and a carnivore.

You can run, jump, stand on one foot, and slide on the tallest slides at the playground.

You can careen your tricycles across the driveway better than Helio and Danica.

You can create impressive imaginary set-ups involving monsters named Frankie, a dinosaur or two, and Lightning McQueen.

You can dress yourself, despite the occasional Kris Kross homage.

You can count to diez in Spanish.

So seriously, JUST POOP ON THE D@MN POTTY ALREADY.

much love,
your mother

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Glen Lake: By The Numbers

1 aunt
1 uncle
2 cousins
2 grandparents
2 boats
723 times Andy and I yelled “I’m on a boat!”
1 happy Holland hat
4 sad Nederlanders after the World Cup final
6 pairs of Keens
1 hike
2 children who whined and cried for hike duration
2 parents vowing no more hikes
1 trip to the playground
3 trips to the beach
1 climb up the Sleeping Bear Dunes
1 ice cream excursion
1 shopping trip with niece
1 scenic drive
1 jaunt to Leland
1 18th birthday
1 51st anniversary
5 books read
918 searches for Waldo
1,839,407 times kids yelled “Jorden! Jorden! Hey Jorden! Jorden!”
1 son awestruck by friendly policeman
1 rainy day
6 sunny days
7 days of swimming
2 bottles of sunblock
1 sunburn
10 bottles of Labatt Blue Light
3 pancakes/3 sausage patties/2 eggs consumed by kids at Art’s breakfast
3 petoskey stones found
1 fun week

(Wanna see pictures? Will be posting all to my Flickr photostream)

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Flesworthy Family Fun: Fabulous Fourth

The Fourth of July means all the obvious things, like being thankful for the freedoms of our great country, and fireworks, and Toby Keith songs about boots and rear ends.


But to our family, the holiday weekend meant even more. It meant

golf cart rides


big-kid swings


first-ever sips of soda


Canadian beer


chasing ducks


catching fish


marveling over chicken eggs you found all by yourself


sneak-attack cousin photos


and being thankful for a wonderful family.

Hope your Fourth was just as fabulous!

(Wanna see more photos? Head over here: I'm posting them to Flickr)

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Sister, Sister

Last fall my little sister Julie moved 1,886 miles away to Portland. I really really really miss her. Luckily for me, she was in Indy for a few days last weekend.

Why was I so excited for her visit? Because she’s my sister, of course. And because no one else has the exact same sense of humor that I do. Together, we’re…well, we’re not normal.

Like how I got a purple pedicure to match her cell phone.



And how she was standing next to a tree in her handkerchief-y shirt and in unison we were all, “OMG AWKWARD SENIOR PHOTOS!” and proceeded to have a photo shoot in my front yard.



And how remarking on the 80s-looking headbands I bought that afternoon turned into reenacting an Olivia Newton John video, complete with an exasperated-but-used-to-it husband forced to pause in his photo duties while I retrieved dumbbells from the basement.



I miss her lots. And it was so nice to have her here. But perhaps it’s best she lives over past the Rockies. I don’t know if the world could handle the two of us together full-time.

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One Morning, Two Kids

Last Saturday Henry and Eleanor each got a haircut.


Each ate lunch out at a restaurant.


What’s so special about this? They did these activities independent from one another.

We’ve tried to separate them before, with not much luck—lots of tears and anxiety over being apart from one’s twin. But Andy and I decided we were up for another try, so off Eleanor went to Mommy’s salon for a haircut while Henry headed downtown to the barbershop with Daddy.

Both kids did great during their cuts and corresponding lunch dates. I think the anxiety this time was felt more by the parents. I had a moment of “oh crap! I forgot the kids!” as I backed the van out of the driveway and spotted the empty seat in the row behind me. It felt so foreign to not have two, to not have my attention constantly split. It also felt foreign to not attract the stares and smiles that being out with twins usually generates. But I think the outings were good for all four of us, and Andy and I look forward to more opportunities to get to know our children individually. I’m glad I live in twin world, but it’s nice to visit singleton world occasionally.

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