The Threenager-Mia turns 3

Greetings. Quick run through before I go through my yearly summary of the last year of my kiddo's life. Saturday, I got up at 7:40am. Kick off for the Chelsea vs Arsenal game was 7:45am. Okay, I think a quick 10 min walk with Remi should guarantee me that nothing possibly could happen in the first 10. Boy, was I wrong. Came back from walking, and there were THREE goals and a red card (on Arse) BLUES AHEAD??! Luckily, I watched THREE more fantastic goals to sink Arsenal for the day. It was quite awesome to watch. Later, we had our taxes done, I went to an eye appointment and got our hair cut (Jill and I). At playgroup, her friends were talking about the movie "Frozen", so we ended up getting it over the weekend. What an awesome film! If you haven't seen it, check it out. Worth it. I think we've seen it 3 times now and now Mia sings the songs.

Okay, time for my reflection of the last year of Mia. From 2 years old to 3. Tomorrow, she turns 3 and boy this year went fast. It's funny to think that last year at this time, we were planning a birthday party, and she was decked out in an Abby (from Sesame Street) outfit. This year? She's obsessed with princesses. Lots of princesses. It's the girly girl in her. She loves the dresses, the shoes, hair accessories, etc etc etc At the same time, her love for soccer has strengthen over the year as well. She loves going to the park to kick the ball around with me, and from time to time, watch Chelsea games too. A few days ago, she got a pair of cleats, which she's stoked about, so maybe in a year or so we can try her out in a team setting with other little kids.

This year, she became best friends with some girls at a play group we started attending last September. It was probably the best decision I ever made with her. Gracie, Hannah and Omina are her new friends and it's absolutely adorable watching them play together. Hannah and Grace are coming to her birthday party on Saturday, so it should be a fun time. Her picky-ness about what she eats is still there, although she's been trying new things (peppers, strawberries and corn on the cob). Still loves pasta and grilled cheese. Been enjoying frozen yogurt as well.

Mia's been working on her potty training over the last year as well. Some days are bad, other days are good. We learned that you can't force it. Honestly. When they get it, they really get it and I think this year she'll master it. She's still singing a lot, been watching a lot of Disney movies and one time, tried ice skating. It's been an interesting year, that's for sure. Her attitude still is rough at times. She started saying "NO!" lately, which leads to a warning, which eventually turns into a teary time out. She remembered today that she shouldn't say that because it'll get her onto time out. Smart thinking kiddo. She tried a dance class, which was a disaster, so we're gonna hold off on anymore class-like settings for a little while. She gets nervous in big crowds of people both kids and adults and some times, she needs to wear her "hiding sun glasses" to relax. In fact, at the doctor today she kept them on the whole time till they checked her eyeballs.

In a few days, we'll be Florida-bound. Can't wait for the warm weather, the sand and ocean. I told Mia that we're flying and can watch movies on her little DVD player, and she said "WE CAN WATCH FROZEN!!??" yes, sweetheart. Anyways, thanks for reading, sticking around. Can't believe this kid is turning 3 tomorrow. Time sure does fly. Anyways, so there won't be a blog post next week. Thanks again for reading :)

My Money Is On The Long Shot

Morning! Going to make this quick, okay? okay. Friday, my barely-working phone was about to hit the dust, so Mia and I went in and I picked up a new phone. Debated for a few days on what to get, but it was clear what I knew I should get: The Galaxy s4. As much as I wanted to give the iPhone 5c a try, the s4 was a better choice in the end. I've only had it for less then a week, and so far I'm really digging it. The 4G LTE speed is so quick and smooth, the battery life is amazing (can go a full day of usage without having to charge till the next day later) and the camera is top notch.

Saturday, we went with my parents to look at some dogs for a possible adoption (them not us) in Mukwonago. Lots of beautiful dogs and puppies. Real friendly breeds. Mia especially enjoyed the puppies. I would have loved to open the small gate and let them lick her, but that obviously couldn't happen. She also enjoyed the little chicks and goslings for sale in the middle of the store. After that adventure, my Dad and I watched the Chelsea vs Aston Villa game. It was a rough one. We should have won, but received two red cards. Luckily, we DID defeat Gala the other day. Sadly, I missed that game. Would have been a great one to watch. Especially because it was Drogba's return to the Bridge. From what I've read, it was quite a sight to see when he walked onto the pitch.

Sunday, worked 6am-4pm. It was quite the long day. I used to pull 10 hour shifts every once in a while, but didn't sleep well the night before and I was pretty much the acting manager for the morning since my boss is on vacation. More responsibilities, but that's okay. I've been diligently working on this Mike's Hard Lemonade can design. Hoping to get it complete today. REALLY REALLY hoping. I know I should have started it earlier, but my inspiration was dry for weeks. It's hard to force it, but I try to. I think the final submission will be nice. Hopefully.

Decided this morning that I'm going to apply to bartend at Summerfest. My good friend Stacy informed me they're looking for bartenders for the Fest, so this should be good extra money for me. No experience required is nice, even though generally I know what I'm doing. Just as long as I'm tending near the country stage. We'll see if I get the job.

This weekend-Nothing too exciting. We're going to find out what we're getting back as far as taxes are concerned. Working 7-4pm Sunday. Next Thursday, Mia's turning 3. I'm going to take her to Tot Time at the trampoline park before going to work. She'll be stoked. That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Sinking the Spurs, and Hitting the Drawing Board

Greetings! As I write this, the kiddo is watching The Little Mermaid for the 3rd time in less then 24 hours. This is a movie she could care less about for a while, but recently finds it fascinating. Anyways, last weekend we had a lot going on, so let's get to it. Saturday we got up early and was Madison-bound to visit with my brother Bryan and his family. Walked around the Madison Conservatory where they had a beautiful array of flowers and plants. It was a balmy 85+ degrees in there, which wasn't bad for a while, except I had a winter jacket and hat on. Oops. Mia enjoyed following cousin Alex around. Adorable. Afterwords, we headed back to their apartment and Bryan and I watched the Chelsea vs Spurs game. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while. It's been a long time coming and I've been bummed that I haven't been able to watch a Chelsea game with him. He's been following them for 20 years and knows the club inside and out. He got me into the club a few years back. Anyways, so we watched the game and it was awesome. First half, not much going on. Little possession. 2nd half, much better. 4 goals. Etto'o took advantage of a mistake and got us on the board. A trip in the box got Hazard a PK and a 2nd goal, and a great surprise was two goals Ba. A striker who seldom sees any action. Two goals in TWO minutes. Once again, some mistakes made by the Spurs. It was awesome, and I hope they win against Aston Villa Saturday.

After the game, Jill and I said our goodbyes, and headed to Greenfield to take Mia to her friend's birthday party. This was a day of firsts. Mia's FIRST friend birthday party, and Jill's first time meeting Grace and Hannah AND their parents. It was a fantastic time. Mia played well with all of the kids, and had a really great time. Jill had fun too. Sunday, I worked 2-10. Nothing too exciting, except Jill's amazing cinnamon rolls from scratch she made. YUM!

Yesterday, Mia and I visited Grandma and Grandpa, and later went to Sports Authority to measure her feet for cleats. Yes, cleats. She's been asking for a pair and since the Just Between Friends massive kids sale is next week, Jill's gonna look for a pair there for cheap, but we needed a size. She loves that place.  Maybe its the girl in her, but she loves trying on different cleats. She found a pair of Adidas berry pink cleats. She's loved these ever since she lay eyes on them. Too bad they were too big. We did try on a few different pairs and the ones that fit the best were two different Black/Pink Adidas and Nike cleats. She was able to run quite fast and boot the ball to me. "DADDY! THESE ARE COMFY AND I'M REALLY FAST!" I've been researching different soccer organizations in the area looking for like, an intro to it. If I did find something, my fear is that she'll be too shy and want nothing to do with it. My mom said that either Jill or I would have to coach. Wish it was that easy. She napped on the way home, and when she woke up, she immediately told Jill about the different soccer cleats.

Last night, I began working on the Mike's Hard Lemonade can contest on the computer. Struggled a lot with some of my ideas, and in the end scrapped them and hit the drawing board. Luckily before the night was over, I sketched out a new idea that I'm in the process of working on. Hopefully it'll work. 30,000 could go a long way here at the Mike and Jill manor. The Etsy store is in full swing. Sales are coming in and Jill couldn't be happier! :)

That's all for now, thanks for reading!!

Busy as Bees

Good morning everyone! Lots of cool stuff to discuss. Friday, Mia got an invite to her friend Gracie's birthday party. She's super stoked, so we went out and got her friend a gift. Her friends are excited to meet Jill too. Over the weekend, I watched the Chelsea vs FFC game as we had delicious pancakes. It was a great game. Schurrle got an awesome hat trick. Looking forward to watching the Blues take on the Spurs on Saturday with my older brother.  Jill and I had lunch at the coolest place on the East Side of Milwaukee. The Melthouse Bistro has the most excellent gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. We had a tough time deciding which to order, because everything looked amazing. I had the Sargent Pepper, which was pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and small pieces of lightly buttered cauliflower. Fantastic. Jill had some pulled pork one. So if you're up for some great sandwiches, check out the place. Totally worth it, plus we had found a groupon deal, so it split the bill in half :)

Later for dinner, we made tacos and got to watch the Blackhawks take on my Penguins. It was one of the worst games I've seen in a while. Almost as bad as the Flyers/Pens series. The Penguins just couldn't get any shots off, Carpenter in goal was great, stopping everything but an own goal. Jill said "it  was a pity puck. You're welcome" It was actually a lot of fun rooting against each other, and Mia was even watching some of the game. After the lousy loss, we worked on getting our Etsy page: ColorfulNoise launched and out to the masses. It's picking up traffic and getting sales now, which is fantastic. Jill's worked hard on everything that's on there, and it all looks awesome. Last night, she added more items too. I have yet to be able to get some art rolling on it, mainly because I need to start the Mike's Hard Lemonade contest stuff. Not easy when Mia's constantly on my lap distracting me. Last night Mia decided she needed a haircut, so we gave her a little trim. She has nevetwanted one before and with her hair being quite pretty, we left it as it is. Now it's nice and the dead ends are gone.

This weekend: We're going to Madison to visit with my older brother and his family, followed by Gracie's birthday party. Should be a busy busy Saturday. Sunday I work 2-10 so I don't know if we've got anything going on in the morning.