Jenny and I tend to be overly optimistic around the holidays about everything we think we can accomplish the following year. Knowing that I have severely neglected the family blog the past six months, I considered a New Year’s resolution to have at least one blog post every week for the entire year. I’m still weighing the practicality of that resolution, but thought I should just put it out there on the blog, in case I do want to go through with it, but wait until the second week of January to decide (see, without this post, I would have already failed, get it?).
So, consider this a place holder. Our next post should be the official New Year’s resolutions we plan to take on. In addition to weekly blog posts, other resolutions in contention are: food/diet, exercise (typical and boring, I know), printing more photos of the kids, painting colors other than white on our walls, etc.
Possible New Year’s Resolutions
January 5th, 2010Time’s Up
November 17th, 2009So, today is Tuesday November 17th and we still have Tyvek! (See last post) If you didn’t know, Meyer’s like to fully test products! We do have an end in sight though. We HIRED a crew to put up the siding starting November 30. I’m very excited to know longer be THAT house on the block.
Relaxing on vacation
May 20th, 2009Due to the Larrys’ schedules, I am using vacation days on Tuesdays to renovate the house. The Larrys showed up at 7:30 yesterday, to begin our work on window/siding/trim replacement, and by 10:00, our house looked like it was in a war-torn country.
In our subdivision, we live on one of the two main streets that everyone uses to enter and exit. So, when we do anything to the front of our house, such as cut a blade of grass, hang up a decoration, plant one flower, etc., Jenny can always expect to get a comment from other parents at the girls’ school. Little did the community know, that yesterday, they were in for a real show. One mother commented to our neighbor “oh my gosh, did they have a fire?!” Jenny said at least a dozen other mothers offered to watch our kids for the day. How righteous… as if it is no longer ok to let your kids run around barefoot in a construction zone full of rusty nails. Seriously, don’t tell me everyone didn’t have that experience themselves as children. How else do you get to tell your story as an adult about ‘that one time, when a rusty nail when through my foot…’ But I digress.
For your pleasure, here are the before, during, and after photos of the day. 6 windows are in and sealed (not including screens and grills). 18 or so to go. Dupont recommends that Tyvek house wrap is covered by siding within 180 days of it going up on the house. Phew! That means no need to put the siding up until exactly Tuesday, November 17th.
7am
10am
7pm
Slumdog Millionaire
May 15th, 2009Finally, a movie that both Jenny and I loved. Sure, we had to go with the Oscar winner for best picture to find one, but at long last, we both left the Meyerplex enjoying the movie experience. Really a great film. And, we now have a renewed kinship with our sister-in-law Meridith. She has been to India for work, and we have watched Slumdog, so now all of us have a similar level of worldly understanding! Meridith, where to next? Let us know so we can pick the appropriate companion film.
Next up at the Meyerplex, “The Long Green Line.” A documentary about the cross country program at our alma mater York High School, which is the winningest high school program, in any sport, in the entire country. Twenty-five state titles in 50 years!
Fireproof
May 14th, 2009Oh, my, lord! Jenny thought this would be a good one after watching a review of it on The View, and seeing Kirk Cameron plug the movie. She said, “it is supposed to be a good story about marriage!”
What she failed to mention, was how horrible the plot, direction, acting, and writing was. I mean downright freakin’ horrible. Did I mention the bad acting? I am still dumbfounded that Kirk Cameron actually went around and promoted this. He has to be the worst actor I have ever watched. We are talking if Steven Segal and that William Hung from American idol ever had an offspring together, that person still would be a better actor than Kirk.
And the best part, was that I still watched the whole thing, becuase it was such a train wreck, that I couldn’t turn away.
Anyone else who knows us, and has the guts to watch this movie, will laugh their butts off thinking of us sitting through it. That is assuming they don’t throw up on themselves first.
Little People
May 14th, 2009Everyone knows that the number 2 Meyer offspring is a smidget. Technically, a smidget is anyone below the 5th percentile on the height chart, and, is likely to have her height eclipsed by her younger sister before the age of 8. That is Grace. But like all Meyers, she embraces her differences with pride.
However, when it comes to going on rides at Disneyworld, being a smidget just wont do. Grace was exactly 1 inch too short for both Space Mountain, and Mt. Everest. So, doing what every responsible parent would do, and capitalizing on the opportunity to teach your child right and wrong, we stopped by the nearest food stand, grabbed a handful of napkins, and rolled them up to stick in her shoes. As she walked up to the line to get measured, her heals weren’t even in her sneakers! She loved both rides!
Smidgets 2, Disney height police 0.
Smidget lifts
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
May 7th, 2009Want a 3 hour downer to complete your general mid-week feelings of depression? Then I highly recommend Benjamin Button for you! We decided to try to get in a tw0-movie week with netflix, which means watching the one movie we have at time right when it arrives (Wed in this case), and mail it back the next day so hopefully another title will arrive by Saturday.
The story was good overall, and relatively entertaining, but I’m not sure I’m on board with all of the hype over this movie. It was slow, long, and wicked depressing. I’m glad we watched it, and I guess would recommend it to others, but be mindful of your mood before you begin this 2:45 long story.
Tuesdays with the Larrys
May 5th, 2009We are getting our summer schedule in order, which includes a couple camp outs, a visit from the Oregon Fronza’s, speech class, summer orchestra, and a class for Brian.
We are also expecting our order of 25 windows to show at any point this week, and have to figure out how to get windows, siding, trim, and a front door all done before winter sets in. An old friend of Jenny’s family is joining our crew. His name is Larry. Not to be confused with my father Larry, known around these parts as Slowsky. Larry the friend is able to help out on Tuesdays, and Slowsky said he could as well. So, I’m planning to use my vacation days on Tuesdays to see how much we can get done. I had a quick call with Larry the friend, and he seems to be focused on efficiency in his work, which is a far cry from Slowsky’s and my current approach: painstakingly incremental and slow steps towards always changing designs. So it sounds like he will be a much needed and welcome addition to our team!
Souped-up Jungle Gym
May 5th, 2009We have finally finished building a new fort/jungle gym/swingset for the kids. In typical Fronza-Meyer fashion, we couldn’t just build the kit according to the directions. We needed to customize.
We built the structure backwards, to put the swings on the opposite side (so it would fit better in our yard). But, then we added a 10′ monkey bar section, wood chips, and a border to contain it all.
Blog Drought
March 26th, 2009It has been a really long time since we posted any new content. Things have been wicked busy (I always say that though), and we have been otherwse preoccupied. Actually, I can’t even really give any thought to a post now, because I am on lunch at work, and have to get back in a few minutes. But, to tide our 8 regular viewers over, here’s the quick rundown of events in our lives:
- We’re leaving for Disneyworld tomorrow, driving 18 hours, with 5 adults and 8 children. Woo-hoo!
- Jenny has spent the last two weeks planning and packing for the trip. She is home right now trying to get the cartop carrier on the van, without crushing herself. I’d go home and help, but I’d rather have all of that done, so I can just get in the car in the morning and say, “so, which direction do I go?”
- We have ordered a new front door for the house, and will be installing it in four weeks when it arrives.
- We are ready to place the order for 27 new windows.
- We are researching renovating our kitchen now, because Jenny wants a larger kitchen window…which means moving the cabinets…which means replacing the flooring…which means moving the fridge…which means taking out the soffit next to the fridge containing the chimney for the furnace…which means replacing the furnace…which means replacing the air conditioner and hot water heater too. That is one expensive frickin’ window!
- Brian has applied to get a second Masters Degree, in Educational Organizational Leadership, which will also result in a Type 75 certification needed for a head-of-school position. It is a two year cohort program meeting nights and weekends, starting in May/June.
- Brian is coaching kindergarten soccer again. Indoor just ended!
- Jenny and Brian competed in a family biggest butt biggest loser competition. It was started at the beginning of January, and ends this Sunday. Nine family members put $100 each into the pot, and competed to see who could lose the most percent of their weight. Brian has lost almost 12% of his weight (in second place so far), and Jenny has lost almost 10% of hers (3rd place). But, we were no match for brother James (that sounds funny), who is approaching a 15% weight loss! Brian plans to yo-yo back up immediately after the competition is over, to begin preparing for next year…gotta pack on those pounds! We’ll consider posting before and after photos when we get back from Disney.
I’m sure I forgot something big, but that is why I haven’t posted in a long while. Off to Disney!