Old Home Weekend

In addition to Vegas, we did also make it to Minnesota for the State Fair. I grew up going to the State Fair and yes, even showed there many years (hunt seat horseback riding, although my horse was so spooked by the arena and we had some issues -- I still have my cooler and my silver plates for winning various classes there). I haven't been since before the wee ones were born, although I talked a good game.

This January, I lost my mind and agreed to meet some friends of mine from high school who now live in New York. Yay, sounds fun. I had some angst about the trip, but we all went.

And it wasn't so bad. Except for the constant whining and crying from the wee ones who couldn't truly fall asleep during naptime in the car but rather doze off and on. I do highly recommend swim lessons immediately prior to leaving for a road trip. Fortunately we arrived safely and with sanity mostly intact.

On a random note, we went to Southdale to eat on Thursday night because it was close to our hotel and easy. And we found an interesting sight in the parking lot on our way back to our car. I had to take a picture. Ten points to whoever can identify why I took the picture.



Some people have more money than sense.

On the plus side, we had fun at the Fair. I highly recommend it. Of course, I outlasted everyone else we were with -- the wee ones were asking if they could go home about a half hour before we left. The good news is they asked to go back again next year.

On to your tour:

There are lots and lots of great baked goods and other items that are judged. I have no idea what makes a certain honey or vinegar or cookie or whathaveyou better than another, but I'd be happy to taste test and figure it out. And yes, if I still lived there, I'd probably enter just for the fun of it.


There are certain food items that you must eat while at the Fair. This includes cheese curds, chocolate malts (which unfortunately we didn't get because the line was too long and the wee ones were way past done by the time we got to the Dairy Barn), Tom Thumb donuts (not Tiny Tim), and Sweet Martha's Cookies. And to wash down the cookies? You get the $1 cup of milk that has infinite refills. Yum!

I also discovered this year that they had lingonberry ice cream (Mister Man's favorite new berry), but we never got a chance to have any. Next year, right?

The Dairy Barn also houses the butter sculptures. Every year, Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her court get their likenesses carved out of butter. Like 55 pounds of butter, I think. I discovered that day they get to take them home. Because one woman was in the court decades ago and still has her sculpture in her freezer. I would have had a huge party that involved eating a lot of butter, but that's just me.

It's something like 45 degrees inside there, which is how the butter doesn't melt (duh!) and is also hard enough to carve. Thus, the princess was wearing a jacket and gloves in August. I actually find the sculptures mildly creepy, but really, where else are you going to find something like this?

Something new (to me at least) wasthe Big Fat Bacon stand. While intriguing, I was content to look at the building and walk on.

One of my friends attending was not content to leave it at that. He had to ask what it was (one quarter pound of premium bacon cooked blah blah blah on a stick), and that sold him. Being the good Jew from New York that he is, though, he had to blot off the excess fat before he could eat it. Yes, I laughed at him. You can, too.

He really did enjoy his bacon though. And yes, I tried a small bite of it. Pretty good for bacon, actually. I wouldn't rush back to the Big Fat Bacon stand anytime soon though. The lingonberry ice cream stand would edge ahead of it somehow.

Said friend was also adopted by Little Miss. It all started when Mister Man discovered the big yellow slide. Growing up, I was never allowed to ride the slide. You essentially ride a potato sack down a three bump slide. Once. And it isn't cheap, although granted this is a Fair so what is?

Mister Man discovered the slide and really wanted to ride it. My husband, being the sucker that he is, agreed that he could. And Mister Man was especially pleased to discover that he was just tall enough to ride alone. He's soooooo proud when he can do things like this all by his lonesome.

So is anyone surprised that Little Miss also decided she had to ride the slide? And our friend was kind enough (and enough of a child at heart) to oblige her.

For the rest of the day, she stuck by his side. It's possible that she was also influenced by the frozen grapes that he generously shared with her, not that she could be bribed or anything.

She wanted him, and only him, to hold her hand and hang out with her. This included the seed exhibit. Yes, there is such a thing as seed art. Some of it is impressive. And I think that's the nicest thing I can say about it, but I do have to check it out every time I go. The seed scarecrows were also fairly impressive.

Their other favorite activity at the Fair was another of my not favorites.

But, being the nice mom that I am, they got to ride the round trip. With Daddy. The rest of us walked. Sucker!

And what would a fair be without animals? This was another one of the hits of the Fair. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of the baby pigs we saw being born, but that was really cool. The birthing barn is a new thing since I was growing up. Essentially you take a ton of pregnant farm animals and put them in one barn, each in its own enclosure that people can surround on all four sides with bleachers that can easily be moved around from station to station. Bring in vets, and voila - instant maternity ward with the less privacy a mother could imagine.

Having small children does come in handy sometimes. When parents saw me lifting up Mister Man, they insisted that he come up to the front because "he needs to see this!" Ok, if you insist. We'll move up. I'm definitely remembering this trick whenever I need an autograph or want a baseball tossed to me or whathaveyou.

We hit the majority of the animals, and I didn't take pictures really because ... they're farm animals. In a barn. I'm sure you've seen something similar before. Mister Man, on the other hand, was fascinated by the poultry. He wanted to take my camera and take pictures of them. We compromised in that I agreed to take pictures of him with the poultry. Score one for Mom!




You may have noticed that both the wee ones have leashes on. I debated whether I was going to use them or not and finally decided that their safety was worth my concerns over whether or not using them made me a bad mom. For the most part, Mister Man held my hand, so the leash was superfluous but it was a great safety net for my peace of mind.

On Saturday, we went to Mall of America for a little while to show it to the wee ones before I went to a visit a friend and her family. I was vindicated there. A man was running around Legoland frantically crying "Natalie! Natalie! Has anyone seen a little girl about this tall with yellow shorts and two ponytails? She's about two years old. Natalie!" Yeah.

Mister Man requested that the next time we go to Minnesota we ride some of the rides at whatever they're calling Camp Snoopy now. We'll think about it. But he was really intrigued by all the motion and rides and fun things we saw there. And he's right, it is pretty cool. Plus, the Legoland is a neat diversion.

By the time we left Minnesota, the wee ones were exhausted. Of course, only one of them slept, but isn't he a cutie?

We're so going back next year!

Be On Your Best Behavior

Because by the time you read this... I'll be in Las Vegas.

Oh, did I forget to mention this little vacation? My bad. Really, no need to be jealous.

My husband and I flew out bright and early, sans kids, to exceedingly hot Las Vegas for a few days. Oh, and a friend of mine from college is flying out to meet us there, too. And we're staying that the Wynn (I do a great job of finding cheap rates in Vegas, if I do say so myself).

And yep, we're going to go see Zumanity, a Cirque du Soleil resident show there. I've seen O and Mystere before, but not any of the three newer ones (Ka, Zumanity and Love). I actually much preferred Mystere to O, which I know puts me in the minority. I've heard some interesting things about Zumanity, but with a 35% discount I found, how can I not go?

The rest of the time we're there, we'll do the typical Vegas things. My husband wants to enter a poker tournament (or two) at Caesar's Palace, and I know Paul and my husband will spend plenty of time (and money) at the craps tables. And my husband will try to earn it all back at the roulette wheel, which he generally does.

Me, I'll just be watching most of the time. I'm one of those people who doesn't like to give her money away, and I'm just as happy watching the people. And cheering on my friends.

Really, the trip was fairly last minute. We were originally supposed to meet my friend in Vegas in July because he was supposed to get married in Seattle in mid-July but the wedding was called off. Good news, the wedding is back on (so I'll be in Seattle for several days in November now).

However, neither of us got our act together, so the July meet-up didn't happen. But about two weeks ago we decided to still meet up. And I decided I needed more time off work. That and maybe if I'm totally not stressed and really miss my kids, I'll enjoy the next vacation more. Because ...

We get back late Wednesday night, and Thursday morning, we head out on the aforementioned trip to Minnesota to go to the State Fair and visit some friends who live there. Unfortunately, my aunt and uncle who live there will be in Iowa that weekend, so we'll miss them (and no, they didn't offer their house for us to stay!). I'm definitely looking forward to it, as we haven't been to Minnesota since Little Miss was an infant.

Updates on that trip, by the way... two of my friends dropped off leashes that they own, so each of the wee ones will be under control at the Fair. Phew! AND, even better news, my husband talked to his principal who is letting him skip out on the pre-school starting meetings, so he's going to join us on the trip. This may save my sanity.

Now, a few house rules while I'm gone.

No swinging from the chandeliers. And please don't spill red wine on the carpet unless you brought your own club soda to clean it up. Also, if someone wouldn't mind checking in on the cats and making sure they have food and water, that would be great.

I somehow found things to talk about while I'm gone, so you'll be treated (oh, I crack myself up!) to a new post each day that I'm gone from me. Thus I won't be here in person, but I'm here in spirit. Don't be offended when you see no responding comments from me. I'll have no computer access while I'm losing my shirt on the casino floor.

I spent (literally) an hour figuring out how to change my post settings so that you all can still leave comments while I'm gone. Techno-savvy, I'm not. Sometimes. But with that responsibility (can you tell I'm practicing for when the wee ones are in high school?), you must behave in a responsible manner, as well. I'm almost afraid of what comments I might come back to! (kidding, kidding)

And since I'm away essentially Sunday to Sunday, I won't be reading any blogs for 8 days. I can only imagine all that I'll have to catch up on once I get back, so understand that you won't see any comments from me for awhile. In fact, when I get back, it will probably take me an entire week to catch up on my blog reading. But I'll somehow suffer through and make that sacrifice.

Have fun while I'm gone, but try not to trash the place! I'll be sure to have a drink for you while I'm in Vegas. And I'll eat a cheese curd for you while at the State Fair in Minnesota. And if you don't hear from me after that, you'll know that traveling with two small children is just not a good idea!

I'm Certifiably Insane

Don't forget: tomorrow's the last day to enter to win the PIF contest - check out Monday's post!

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For my birthday last year, my sweet and generous husband arranged for a trip to NYC. We were to see Wintuck, a Cirque du Soleil show, and had front row seats. We'd also spend three days in NYC sans kids just hanging out the first week of January.

The trip was actually a lot of fun, as it had been years since I spent much time in NYC. Two of my best friends from high school had also managed to find their way to NYC, so I saw a Broadway show with one of them and her husband one night and had dinner with them and the other friend another night.

While we were reminiscing about high school and growing up in Minneapolis, etc., we hearkened back upon our days at the Fair. For the uninformed, this is the Minnesota State Fair, held the two weeks before and including Labor Day every year. Home of Princess Kay of the Milky Way carved in butter, the inventor of random foods on a stick, great livestock shows (no, that isn't an oxymoron), and from good sources, the best state fair in the country.

We decided to meet up there this August, and all was good.

The wine wore off, and I didn't think much of it. It would be fun to go, but other things kept creeping up on me and I didn't have time to worry about it. Until I got an email from one of my friends asking if we were really going because she was going to book her plane tickets.

Apparently the wine didn't wear off as much as I'd thought, and I committed to going, as did the other friend (although we still don't have confirmation from her).

After I committed, I realized what this meant. I was going to take the wee ones to a fair with hundreds of thousands of people. And I was going to drive BY MYSELF from Chicago to Minnesota with the wee ones -- both of whom get carsick in long car rides, while I just hate being in the car for more than an hour or two. Oh yeah, and I was going to drive back by myself -- or shoot myself before we got to that point, I haven't yet decided.

While the wee ones are generally well-behaved, seven loooong hours in the car do not a happy group make. And going to the Fair? A three year old and a four year old traveling with me and three adults who have no children and don't spend time around children. What was I thinking? They try to wander off when it's me with my parents who are with them all the time and know their tricks.

I seriously thought about backing out, but I can't do that to my friends, and I do truly love the Fair. I've been talking about going back since the last time I was there six or seven years ago. And two friends of mine still living in Minnesota have had second babies so far this year, and I would love to see them, too.

Would I be an evil mom if I bought leashes for the wee ones? I've seen the ones that look like animal backpacks with the tails for the leash part. Those wouldn't be too bad for a one time use like the Fair, would they? (And if I don't get collectively booed for being a rotten mom for even thinking about leashing my children, does anyone know where I can get some cheap?)

We've been practicing what to do if Mister Man gets lost. He knows to find a mom with kids and to tell her, "My name is Mister Man, and I'm lost. My mom's name is Michelle X, and her phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. Can you please call her so she can find me?" He's finally learned our phone number, and I always have my cell in my pocket. I'm hoping that if we repeat this drill often enough that he'll be able to execute it without too many issues. As for Little Miss... if she disappears, I think I'm sunk. Like really sunk, and that has me petrified. That's part of where the leashes come in.

I do think they'd love the Fair -- or at least as much of it as we can manage before they crash. I'm still debating whether to bring a stroller or not. The Tom Thumb donuts I know they'd be all over. The quarter for a cup of milk will be cool for Little Miss (although I'm sure it's no longer a quarter!). The yellow slides with the sacks should be fun for both of them. The tons and tons of animals (fortunately my friend's husband's favorite part, too) should keep them enthralled.

I'm still working on the hotel though. I want to stay near one of the Dales (all the malls are something-Dale -- Ridgedale (closest to where I used to live), Rosedale, Southdale, etc) which would allow me to ride the bus to the Fair versus having to drive to St. Paul and try to park and get the kids into the Fair. I need a hotel that is a true suite, as I can't sit in the hallway during naptime, and I can't be perfectly still in the dark for bedtime at 7pm either. That's proving to be somewhat of a challenge, but I still have two weeks, right?

All I have to say is that Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar had better be there, because I'm buying a bucket first thing in the morning on Thursday!