Hey folks--
I know, I know, it's been awhile since we've written. We got wrapped up in school, and church, and ballet, and chess club, and, especially, theatre stuff--Dan and Margie are breaking their golden rule and working on two shows at the same time (Dan, Art of Murder, which opens tonight, so he's pretty much done, and Margie, Plaid Tidings, which opens December 3).
But we wanted to take a minute to update everyone on John's health, as it has been an area of concern to everyone.
As you know, John has had a rash on his leg for as long as we can remember. He developed a similar rash on his face about a year ago. Since then, we have been to doctor after doctor to discover the cause of the problem.
Several months ago we were finally told that he has a systemic yeast infection, so we went on a radical yeast elimination diet and pumped his body full of yeast fighting substances--namely acidophilus and caprylic acid.
The diet consisted of eliminating all forms of sugar and fermented foods--which meant no sugar, no fruit, no cheese, no vinegar, no mushrooms, no tofu--and no carbs (which turn into sugar in the body)--no bread, no rice, no potatoes, no corn...no, no, no, no, no.
This leads one to ask--what exactly CAN he eat? In nutshell, non-starchy vegetables (such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, spinach) and protein (eggs, some nuts, and some beans).
John took it all in stride. Though he did sneak food on occasion, he never complained.
A few weeks ago, while we were at a buffet restaurant (the only place we felt we were getting our money's worth with him at a restaurant), John announced, "When I grow up and no one can tell me what to do, I'm going to be a meatatarian."
Margie sighed and said, "Well, you can eat meat right now if you want."
This might sound shocking, but you have remember a couple things. First, Dan and Margie always agreed that being a vegetarian would be a choice. Though we would have a vegetarian home, we wouldn't force our kids to be vegetarians.
Second, there was hardly anything else he could eat!
So Margie cringed as she watched Dan put that first piece of steak in John's mouth. It's a picture she will never forget.
Sigh.
Anyway... We continued on the diet, but were disturbed that there was no visible improvement in the rash even after two full months. Sometimes we would feel like it was getting better and sometimes we didn't. It was frustrating.
Not only that, but we started to notice a change in John's coloring--he was getting yellow, like something was wrong with his liver.
It was startling at first and then became downright scary when we took him to the doctor and they starting talking about admitting him to the hospital.
After a harrowing 12 hours as we waited for the results of his blood test (and after having a conversation with a friend who said, "He looks exactly the same color as my son did just before his first kidney transplant"--ack!), we finally got a diagnosis--carotenemia. A benign condition caused by eating too many vegetables!
It seems we just can't win.
Despite the fact that carotenemia is not harmful, it is disconcerting, and since we had seen no improvement in the rash, we decided to go ahead take him off the diet.
At this point, he is just a normal kid with an itchy face. His color has not completely returned to normal, but they say it may take a couple months yet for that to happen.
And that's the scoop.
Happy Halloween!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Last Week at the Remmers
As usual, we've had a busy week, though it hasn't been too crazy.
Lyn had piano and ballet. (John is excited that chess club starts next week!)
Dan and Margie met with Lyn's teacher and are still THRILLED with his approach to education. We continue to believe that he is the perfect teacher for her.
Saturday was a bit crazy. Margie met with her friend and pianist, Susan, to go over the music for Plaid Tidings, which they will be working on together. Meanwhile, Dan had a meeting at the theatre for Art of Murder. He took the kids with him--with rehearsals and set building going on at the same time, they're practically going to live there for the month of October!
Margie and Susan then headed to the theatre (we missed Dan and the kids) for auditions! Unfortunately, we only had THREE people show up! We chalked it up to the warm weather Saturday afternoon and figured that people would come on Sunday night instead.
After auditions, we headed over to a friend's house for a surprise 40th birthday party for our friend Jennifer Lyman (who had been Dan's Maid of Honor at our wedding). She was COMPLETELY surprised, and it was very fun.
As a gift (Jennifer is a self-proclaimed "cake snob"), Margie had stopped by Occasionally Cake for some gourmet cupcakes made by Susan's daughter, Sabrina Campbell. She got Red Velvet, Pomegranate Orange, Pink Champagne, Oreo Cookie, Toasted Coconut, and Tiramisu. Jennifer was so impressed that she showed them off to everybody (but just for show--she left the tasting for herself!).
On Sunday, Dan headed back to the theatre for the strike of Foreigner. Since he is bulding the next set, he wanted to make sure they save the things that he needs to use, but mostly it was for inventory and the handoff of the keys.
In the evening, Margie went to the theatre for the next round of auditions. Again, we only had THREE people! That's a total of SIX! Ack! So much for the warm weather theory.
So...if anyone knows some great male singers who want to star in a Christmas show (with only four actors--all of them are the star!), please encourage them to come audition. We are holding another round on Wednesday at 7pm.
John wants you to know that he has 120 stars now and has unlocked all three characters in his Mario game. "Just in case you forget, because we did."
Lyn had piano and ballet. (John is excited that chess club starts next week!)
Dan and Margie met with Lyn's teacher and are still THRILLED with his approach to education. We continue to believe that he is the perfect teacher for her.
Saturday was a bit crazy. Margie met with her friend and pianist, Susan, to go over the music for Plaid Tidings, which they will be working on together. Meanwhile, Dan had a meeting at the theatre for Art of Murder. He took the kids with him--with rehearsals and set building going on at the same time, they're practically going to live there for the month of October!
Margie and Susan then headed to the theatre (we missed Dan and the kids) for auditions! Unfortunately, we only had THREE people show up! We chalked it up to the warm weather Saturday afternoon and figured that people would come on Sunday night instead.
After auditions, we headed over to a friend's house for a surprise 40th birthday party for our friend Jennifer Lyman (who had been Dan's Maid of Honor at our wedding). She was COMPLETELY surprised, and it was very fun.
As a gift (Jennifer is a self-proclaimed "cake snob"), Margie had stopped by Occasionally Cake for some gourmet cupcakes made by Susan's daughter, Sabrina Campbell. She got Red Velvet, Pomegranate Orange, Pink Champagne, Oreo Cookie, Toasted Coconut, and Tiramisu. Jennifer was so impressed that she showed them off to everybody (but just for show--she left the tasting for herself!).
On Sunday, Dan headed back to the theatre for the strike of Foreigner. Since he is bulding the next set, he wanted to make sure they save the things that he needs to use, but mostly it was for inventory and the handoff of the keys.
In the evening, Margie went to the theatre for the next round of auditions. Again, we only had THREE people! That's a total of SIX! Ack! So much for the warm weather theory.
So...if anyone knows some great male singers who want to star in a Christmas show (with only four actors--all of them are the star!), please encourage them to come audition. We are holding another round on Wednesday at 7pm.
John wants you to know that he has 120 stars now and has unlocked all three characters in his Mario game. "Just in case you forget, because we did."
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Last Few Weeks
Well, it's been a busy a few weeks. In general, we are back to the dull roar that is the school year, but we have done a few fun things. Here are some highlights:
The kids are back in school. Lyn says her teacher (Mr. Lockowandt) isn't strict, but he isn't funny, either. (Mom and Dad think she has finally found the perfect teacher for her learning style and are VERY excited.) John says the same thing--his teacher (Mrs. Smith) isn't strict, but isn't funny, either. Last year he didn't like school because of projects, and this year there don't seem to be so many projects. Lyn loves projects--a good thing, because in GT (gifted and talented) it seems that's all they do--they do two per month!
Lyn started ballet again on September 9. She is happy to be back.
On September 12, the kids attended a fun church field day. Lyn says she didn't know a lot of people, but the games were fun. John says it wasn't really fun. Just to give you an idea, he says, there was a station where big kids pulled little kids on a snowboard thing.
On September 24, the kids grew up and got their own keys to the house! Lyn got a very special flower key, and John got a Superman key!
On September 25, Dan and Margie celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. They headed off for a romantic weekend for two, while Dan's sister, Debbie, and her husband, Doug, watched the kids for over 48 hours (hence the need for the house keys). They made it with flying colors (all four of them)!
On Friday night, Doug made up some Egg Foo Yung (Margie had left a recipe and chopped all the vegetables), and he and the kids hung out for the evening.
The next day he took them miniature golfing, and John got his first hole in one (on the 16th hole)!
Then they headed to Debbie and Doug's house for a sleepover. They unpacked and hung out for the evening. Lyn got to watch Mary Poppins, while John and Uncle Doug played "verses" Mario (that means they played against each other on two separate DS's).
This morning, they watched a little bit of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before heading to a baptism for Uncle Doug's grand nephew. Afterwards, they enjoyed the reception before heading back to the house to get ready for...Uncle Doug's company picnic!
There was popcorn, snow cones, face painting, two bounce houses, plus a basketball shooting bouncy! It was a lot of fun. They hardly knew Mom and Dad were missing.
Meanwhile...
Dan got a perfect score for finding and planning the exact places and activities that Margie loves.
We started with a row around the lake at Fountainhead Regional Park. The weather was cloudy, but no rain, and the leaves are just starting to turn. It was lovely.
From there we headed into Fredricksburg for dinner at a wonderful veg-friendly restaurant called Sammy T's. Margie had some delicious pea soup, an apple/walnut/bleu cheese salad, and a homemade spiced pita filled with sauteed spinach and other vegetables. Dan had a burger.
Next we headed to our bed and breakfast, Sleepy Hollow Farm, in Gordonsville, Virginia. We stayed in the "Ghost" room--the proprietor calls it that because it is the only room where she and her husband both saw the resident ghost at the same time. We got to hear the story only after we had slept there! (And, by the way, no one has seen the ghost since the house was blessed by an Episcopalian priest in 1951).
On Saturday, Dan surprised Margie by taking her to the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival. Despite the rain, it was delightful! For lunch we had a sampler platter from the first West African restaurant in Richmond, Ma Musus. It included fried plaintains, hush puppies, collards and cabbage, jerk spiced succotash, coucous, corn bread, and gingerbread. Yum! (We also got some kettle corn later for a snack.)
After lunch, we headed over to the restaurant Dan had picked for dinner--he wanted to get Margie's approval on the menu, which he got. Next door to the restaurant, was a delightful find--a place called The Quest Bookshop. The title sounded just like Margie's cup of tea, and they had a great time looking around. She even spoke with the owner about the possibility of putting some Polaris products on the shelves. It seems a great fit, since we are all about helping people along in their quest. Very exciting! Fortunately, Margie made it out of there with only two books. Now that's exercising some restraint!
Next we headed back to the B&B for a quick nap, then out to dinner at Maya--the lovely restaurant Dan had picked, which is veg friendly and focused on fresh, locally grown/caught food. Margie had "chicken fried seitan" with summer vegetables and mashed potatoes. Dan had catfish with green beans and golden beets. It was delicious.
It was still early, so we decided to take in a movie--movie times and locations made available by Margie's new iPhone! After much wandering around in the rain, we finally found what we were looking for and thoroughly enjoyed watching (500) Days of Summer--a cute, very well-made, and poignant movie.
Afterwards, we went next door to Hamilton's for some hot chocolate (we were freezing from the rain!) and a shared apple creme brulee.
On Sunday, after checking out of the B&B (and hearing the ghost story! :o), Dan still had tricks up his sleeve, as we headed over to Lake Anna, a BEAUTIFUL, 17 mile lake (the second largest in Virginia), not too far away. Here we enjoyed a picnic lunch, then took a nice walk along the "Railroad Ford Trail," which travels partly along the lake and partly inland through the woods. We enjoyed a short nap in the sun near the beach, and then headed home--but not without a quick stop for a rootbeer float (Margie) and a chocolate shake (Dan).
We arrived home to find Lyn and John hadn't missed us at all nor hardly noticed we were gone. Guess they just had too much fun of their own.
Hope all is well with you. We are looking forward to an exciting, fast-paced October, as Margie starts rehearsals for Plaid Tidings and Dan starts building the set for Art of Murder.
Talk to you soon!
The kids are back in school. Lyn says her teacher (Mr. Lockowandt) isn't strict, but he isn't funny, either. (Mom and Dad think she has finally found the perfect teacher for her learning style and are VERY excited.) John says the same thing--his teacher (Mrs. Smith) isn't strict, but isn't funny, either. Last year he didn't like school because of projects, and this year there don't seem to be so many projects. Lyn loves projects--a good thing, because in GT (gifted and talented) it seems that's all they do--they do two per month!
Lyn started ballet again on September 9. She is happy to be back.
On September 12, the kids attended a fun church field day. Lyn says she didn't know a lot of people, but the games were fun. John says it wasn't really fun. Just to give you an idea, he says, there was a station where big kids pulled little kids on a snowboard thing.
On September 24, the kids grew up and got their own keys to the house! Lyn got a very special flower key, and John got a Superman key!
On September 25, Dan and Margie celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. They headed off for a romantic weekend for two, while Dan's sister, Debbie, and her husband, Doug, watched the kids for over 48 hours (hence the need for the house keys). They made it with flying colors (all four of them)!
On Friday night, Doug made up some Egg Foo Yung (Margie had left a recipe and chopped all the vegetables), and he and the kids hung out for the evening.
The next day he took them miniature golfing, and John got his first hole in one (on the 16th hole)!
Then they headed to Debbie and Doug's house for a sleepover. They unpacked and hung out for the evening. Lyn got to watch Mary Poppins, while John and Uncle Doug played "verses" Mario (that means they played against each other on two separate DS's).
This morning, they watched a little bit of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before heading to a baptism for Uncle Doug's grand nephew. Afterwards, they enjoyed the reception before heading back to the house to get ready for...Uncle Doug's company picnic!
There was popcorn, snow cones, face painting, two bounce houses, plus a basketball shooting bouncy! It was a lot of fun. They hardly knew Mom and Dad were missing.
Meanwhile...
Dan got a perfect score for finding and planning the exact places and activities that Margie loves.
We started with a row around the lake at Fountainhead Regional Park. The weather was cloudy, but no rain, and the leaves are just starting to turn. It was lovely.
From there we headed into Fredricksburg for dinner at a wonderful veg-friendly restaurant called Sammy T's. Margie had some delicious pea soup, an apple/walnut/bleu cheese salad, and a homemade spiced pita filled with sauteed spinach and other vegetables. Dan had a burger.
Next we headed to our bed and breakfast, Sleepy Hollow Farm, in Gordonsville, Virginia. We stayed in the "Ghost" room--the proprietor calls it that because it is the only room where she and her husband both saw the resident ghost at the same time. We got to hear the story only after we had slept there! (And, by the way, no one has seen the ghost since the house was blessed by an Episcopalian priest in 1951).
On Saturday, Dan surprised Margie by taking her to the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival. Despite the rain, it was delightful! For lunch we had a sampler platter from the first West African restaurant in Richmond, Ma Musus. It included fried plaintains, hush puppies, collards and cabbage, jerk spiced succotash, coucous, corn bread, and gingerbread. Yum! (We also got some kettle corn later for a snack.)
After lunch, we headed over to the restaurant Dan had picked for dinner--he wanted to get Margie's approval on the menu, which he got. Next door to the restaurant, was a delightful find--a place called The Quest Bookshop. The title sounded just like Margie's cup of tea, and they had a great time looking around. She even spoke with the owner about the possibility of putting some Polaris products on the shelves. It seems a great fit, since we are all about helping people along in their quest. Very exciting! Fortunately, Margie made it out of there with only two books. Now that's exercising some restraint!
Next we headed back to the B&B for a quick nap, then out to dinner at Maya--the lovely restaurant Dan had picked, which is veg friendly and focused on fresh, locally grown/caught food. Margie had "chicken fried seitan" with summer vegetables and mashed potatoes. Dan had catfish with green beans and golden beets. It was delicious.
It was still early, so we decided to take in a movie--movie times and locations made available by Margie's new iPhone! After much wandering around in the rain, we finally found what we were looking for and thoroughly enjoyed watching (500) Days of Summer--a cute, very well-made, and poignant movie.
Afterwards, we went next door to Hamilton's for some hot chocolate (we were freezing from the rain!) and a shared apple creme brulee.
On Sunday, after checking out of the B&B (and hearing the ghost story! :o), Dan still had tricks up his sleeve, as we headed over to Lake Anna, a BEAUTIFUL, 17 mile lake (the second largest in Virginia), not too far away. Here we enjoyed a picnic lunch, then took a nice walk along the "Railroad Ford Trail," which travels partly along the lake and partly inland through the woods. We enjoyed a short nap in the sun near the beach, and then headed home--but not without a quick stop for a rootbeer float (Margie) and a chocolate shake (Dan).
We arrived home to find Lyn and John hadn't missed us at all nor hardly noticed we were gone. Guess they just had too much fun of their own.
Hope all is well with you. We are looking forward to an exciting, fast-paced October, as Margie starts rehearsals for Plaid Tidings and Dan starts building the set for Art of Murder.
Talk to you soon!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Poems by Lyn
Lyn wrote these poems for her BFITN (best friend in the neighborhood), Chloe. I loved them so much I wanted to keep a copy. Our copy machine isn't working, so I thought I'd type them in here. Besides--that way we can share them with everyone! :o)
Horses
Horses jump far
Ohh horses jump
Running very fast
So so fast
Every horse isn't wild
Some are trained
Fish
Fish are cute
I love fish
Some eat krill
How isn't questioned
Watermelon
Water watermelon
A very juicy fruit
Tired? Have some watermelon
Everybody likes it
Really almost everybody
Many people get watermelon
Every brand in all the stores
Lucy, Tom, Jo, Benny and
Others all like watermelon
No ant nor fly doesn't like it
Apples
Apples are good and juicy
Playful children eat apples
Pennies and pennies worth
Luke loves apples
Every person likes apples
So many people
Pears
Pears are good and sweet
Everybody wants pears
A very good fruit
Roger likes pears
Sally wants sweet pears
Bannana (sic)
Bannana come to me
A fruit like the moon
Nasty green bannanas are bad
Not every body thinks so
Annie adores bannanas
Noah wants a green bannana
A very nice bannana split
Rice and Beans
Rice is good with beans
I like rice and beans
Canned or fresh is good
Every good bite lasts
Also add some cheese
Not melted or melted
Dice some tomatoes too
Black or red or white beans
Every brand in
All the stores is yummy
Night or day time is good
Salsa is good with it too
Flowers
Flowers make up gardens
Lilacs and Lilies
Ohh beautiful Daisies
Work for the beauty
Every kind of flower
Roses and tiger lilies
Sunflowers and wildflowers
Candy
Candy is sweet sweet
All kinds of candy
Nobody can resist
Danny wants lollipops
Yummy and yummy
Friends
Friends stay together
Ruined friendships are bad
I have a friend Chloe
Every good time counts
Nobody can ruin best friends
Dying to be friends
So the best friendship
Garden
Gardens with flowers
All sorts of colors
Rainbow colored gardens
Dens for the bunnies
Every kind of flower
Nature is filled with bugs
Horses
Horses jump far
Ohh horses jump
Running very fast
So so fast
Every horse isn't wild
Some are trained
Fish
Fish are cute
I love fish
Some eat krill
How isn't questioned
Watermelon
Water watermelon
A very juicy fruit
Tired? Have some watermelon
Everybody likes it
Really almost everybody
Many people get watermelon
Every brand in all the stores
Lucy, Tom, Jo, Benny and
Others all like watermelon
No ant nor fly doesn't like it
Apples
Apples are good and juicy
Playful children eat apples
Pennies and pennies worth
Luke loves apples
Every person likes apples
So many people
Pears
Pears are good and sweet
Everybody wants pears
A very good fruit
Roger likes pears
Sally wants sweet pears
Bannana (sic)
Bannana come to me
A fruit like the moon
Nasty green bannanas are bad
Not every body thinks so
Annie adores bannanas
Noah wants a green bannana
A very nice bannana split
Rice and Beans
Rice is good with beans
I like rice and beans
Canned or fresh is good
Every good bite lasts
Also add some cheese
Not melted or melted
Dice some tomatoes too
Black or red or white beans
Every brand in
All the stores is yummy
Night or day time is good
Salsa is good with it too
Flowers
Flowers make up gardens
Lilacs and Lilies
Ohh beautiful Daisies
Work for the beauty
Every kind of flower
Roses and tiger lilies
Sunflowers and wildflowers
Candy
Candy is sweet sweet
All kinds of candy
Nobody can resist
Danny wants lollipops
Yummy and yummy
Friends
Friends stay together
Ruined friendships are bad
I have a friend Chloe
Every good time counts
Nobody can ruin best friends
Dying to be friends
So the best friendship
Garden
Gardens with flowers
All sorts of colors
Rainbow colored gardens
Dens for the bunnies
Every kind of flower
Nature is filled with bugs
Monday, September 7, 2009
It's The End of Summer!
Wow. Soooo much has gone on since we last wrote. Let's catch you up:
Grandma Left
Well, it was bittersweet. On one hand, of course, we hate to see her go, but on the other hand, it's nice to have some normalcy back in our lives.
Yeast Update
As soon as Grandma left, we went full boar on John's yeast elimination program, which made for a few rough days where he was feeling pretty miserable (kind of like withdrawal symptoms, it's called "die off"--as the yeast dies the body works to eliminate it). You'll recall that John was diagnosed with a systemic yeast infection, so we have had to eliminate all sugar from his diet (table sugar, maple syrup, honey, and fruit), or anything that could be converted into sugar (basically, all carbs--rice, potatoes, bread), and anything that is fermented, fungal, or contains yeast (cheese, mushrooms, vinegar, even tofu).
It's been hard (especially as a vegetarian), but John remains a trooper, and we have settled into a routine that seems to work for now. He has jicama and a protein shake for breakfast (made with unsweetened almond milk and a protein powder sweetened with stevia). For lunch he has a bowl of steamed vegetables and a raw carrot. For dinner Margie gets creative--so far his favorite meal is eggplant balls (made with ground almonds instead of bread crumbs) served on spaghetti squash. Margie has even figured out how to make some yummy "cookies" with coconut oil, crushed almonds, and yacon syrup--a sugar & carb free syrup made from a root vegetable.
Pirate's Cove
We went to Pirate's Cove one more time. We sure have enjoyed going there this summer!
Margie Shaved Her Head!
Yes, it's true. It was something she has wanted to do for years and finally got the courage. You can watch the video and read all about it here:
http://www.YouCanHaveWhatYouWant.com/hair
As a result of her big move, an artist asked Margie if she could paint a portrait of her. She came over to the house and shot a bunch of digital pictures (so she wouldn't have to sit for the painting). Margie will post of those on the blog (link above) in the next few days.
School Open House
Yes, school is upon us. We are excited that John has been accepted as a transfer student to Springfield Estates again this year. He will be in Mrs. Smith's second grade class (she seemed very nice). Lyn will be in Mr. Lockowandt's fourth grade GT class (we hear he's very tough!).
Speaking of school, we got Lyn's SOL (Standard of Learning--required at certain grade levels in Virginia) scores a few weeks ago. Here are the results:
Scaled scores range from 0 to 600. The possible performance levels are Pass Advanced (scaled scores from 500 to 600). Pass Proficient (400 to 499), and Fail (0 to 399).
Grade 3 Reading 540
Grade 3 History 555
Grade 3 Math 592
Grade 3 Science 598
Woo hoo!
Great Waves Waterpark & Miniature Golf
We had planned to try out all the different Northern Virginia waterparks this summer, but we only made it to two of them--Algonikian Down Pour on Lyn's birthday and Great Waves a few weeks ago. Great Waves is actually the closest to our house, but Margie always felt that the kids were too little. Turns out, though, there are FIVE different pools to choose from, and three of them are very tame. The wave pool was the kids' favorite. They have said that they like it better than Pirate's Cove! But Mom is going to veto going there every time next summer, though--none of the pools are good for just relaxing and/or lap swimming.
On a different day we went to the adjoining miniature golf course. Both Lyn and Margie got a hole in one!
Fun for Lyn
Lyn had a pretty exciting summer herself. She went to TWO slumber parties and attended an Activity Day barbeque and swim party.
Los Angeles
Margie went on a VERY last minute trip to L.A. last weekend. Her company was having a big event and she had decided not to go. Literally at the last minute (she bought her tickets on Thursday and left Saturday), however, she changed her mind and hopped on a plane. Her flight took her first to Las Vegas where she had a 10 hour layover. Much thanks to her friend Greg for picking her up from the airport, letting her sleep at his house, and getting up at 4:30AM to take her back.
Margie was soooo glad she went, though. She was able to attend the pre-launch of a brand new company, Polaris Media Group, that Margie is THRILLED to be a part of. Polaris Media Group is creating a positive outflow of media to combat the constant negative news that is bombarding people today and provide people with hope and inspiration to live their dreams. Margie is so excited to be an Independent Marketing Director for the company--spreading the good news of inspiration and motivation through media and educational curriculum. Given her background in both entertainment and education, what could be a better fit?
Please take a minute to check us out (if you order anything, please use the coupon code: 129139.):
http://www.PolarisMediaGroup.com
BTW, Margie is currently building a team of people to help market the products, so if you know of anyone who would like to be a part of such a great mission, please let her know. And, of course, if you know of anyone who could benefit from our educational curriculum, let her know that, too.
Bug Out
Yesterday was the bi-annual "Bug Out"--a chance for everyone with a Volkswagon to show off their cars. Since Dan's racecar has a VW engine, he likes to attend and compete. The first race is a slalom--very similar to the autocrosses that he competes in. He won first place--and this time it really meant something, as there were 3 other guys racing against him.
The second race was a drag race. It's not Dan's specialty, but he decided to compete anyway. He didn't place, but he's done it a couple times now and keeps getting better. Yesterday he said it was the best he's ever done.
Rowing at Lake Accotink
Our last day of summer, today we rented a row boat and headed out on Lake Accotink. It's something Margie has wanted to do FOREVER, as she has fond memories of rowing Lost Lake in Oregon as a kid. It was fun to explore and relax and just enjoy time together as a family.
We saw too many turtles to count; we found an unusual fruit growing on a tree hanging over one of the fingers of the lake; and Lyn and John learned how to row.
Margie was a little worried about the weather. It was supposed to be a nice sunny day, but we woke up to clouds and 40% chance of rain.
We timed it just perfectly, though, as it was not too hot, there was a nice breeze, and it started raining just as we started walking to the car.
A perfect ending to a great summer.
We hope you are doing well!
Grandma Left
Well, it was bittersweet. On one hand, of course, we hate to see her go, but on the other hand, it's nice to have some normalcy back in our lives.
Yeast Update
As soon as Grandma left, we went full boar on John's yeast elimination program, which made for a few rough days where he was feeling pretty miserable (kind of like withdrawal symptoms, it's called "die off"--as the yeast dies the body works to eliminate it). You'll recall that John was diagnosed with a systemic yeast infection, so we have had to eliminate all sugar from his diet (table sugar, maple syrup, honey, and fruit), or anything that could be converted into sugar (basically, all carbs--rice, potatoes, bread), and anything that is fermented, fungal, or contains yeast (cheese, mushrooms, vinegar, even tofu).
It's been hard (especially as a vegetarian), but John remains a trooper, and we have settled into a routine that seems to work for now. He has jicama and a protein shake for breakfast (made with unsweetened almond milk and a protein powder sweetened with stevia). For lunch he has a bowl of steamed vegetables and a raw carrot. For dinner Margie gets creative--so far his favorite meal is eggplant balls (made with ground almonds instead of bread crumbs) served on spaghetti squash. Margie has even figured out how to make some yummy "cookies" with coconut oil, crushed almonds, and yacon syrup--a sugar & carb free syrup made from a root vegetable.
Pirate's Cove
We went to Pirate's Cove one more time. We sure have enjoyed going there this summer!
Margie Shaved Her Head!
Yes, it's true. It was something she has wanted to do for years and finally got the courage. You can watch the video and read all about it here:
http://www.YouCanHaveWhatYouWant.com/hair
As a result of her big move, an artist asked Margie if she could paint a portrait of her. She came over to the house and shot a bunch of digital pictures (so she wouldn't have to sit for the painting). Margie will post of those on the blog (link above) in the next few days.
School Open House
Yes, school is upon us. We are excited that John has been accepted as a transfer student to Springfield Estates again this year. He will be in Mrs. Smith's second grade class (she seemed very nice). Lyn will be in Mr. Lockowandt's fourth grade GT class (we hear he's very tough!).
Speaking of school, we got Lyn's SOL (Standard of Learning--required at certain grade levels in Virginia) scores a few weeks ago. Here are the results:
Scaled scores range from 0 to 600. The possible performance levels are Pass Advanced (scaled scores from 500 to 600). Pass Proficient (400 to 499), and Fail (0 to 399).
Grade 3 Reading 540
Grade 3 History 555
Grade 3 Math 592
Grade 3 Science 598
Woo hoo!
Great Waves Waterpark & Miniature Golf
We had planned to try out all the different Northern Virginia waterparks this summer, but we only made it to two of them--Algonikian Down Pour on Lyn's birthday and Great Waves a few weeks ago. Great Waves is actually the closest to our house, but Margie always felt that the kids were too little. Turns out, though, there are FIVE different pools to choose from, and three of them are very tame. The wave pool was the kids' favorite. They have said that they like it better than Pirate's Cove! But Mom is going to veto going there every time next summer, though--none of the pools are good for just relaxing and/or lap swimming.
On a different day we went to the adjoining miniature golf course. Both Lyn and Margie got a hole in one!
Fun for Lyn
Lyn had a pretty exciting summer herself. She went to TWO slumber parties and attended an Activity Day barbeque and swim party.
Los Angeles
Margie went on a VERY last minute trip to L.A. last weekend. Her company was having a big event and she had decided not to go. Literally at the last minute (she bought her tickets on Thursday and left Saturday), however, she changed her mind and hopped on a plane. Her flight took her first to Las Vegas where she had a 10 hour layover. Much thanks to her friend Greg for picking her up from the airport, letting her sleep at his house, and getting up at 4:30AM to take her back.
Margie was soooo glad she went, though. She was able to attend the pre-launch of a brand new company, Polaris Media Group, that Margie is THRILLED to be a part of. Polaris Media Group is creating a positive outflow of media to combat the constant negative news that is bombarding people today and provide people with hope and inspiration to live their dreams. Margie is so excited to be an Independent Marketing Director for the company--spreading the good news of inspiration and motivation through media and educational curriculum. Given her background in both entertainment and education, what could be a better fit?
Please take a minute to check us out (if you order anything, please use the coupon code: 129139.):
http://www.PolarisMediaGroup.com
BTW, Margie is currently building a team of people to help market the products, so if you know of anyone who would like to be a part of such a great mission, please let her know. And, of course, if you know of anyone who could benefit from our educational curriculum, let her know that, too.
Bug Out
Yesterday was the bi-annual "Bug Out"--a chance for everyone with a Volkswagon to show off their cars. Since Dan's racecar has a VW engine, he likes to attend and compete. The first race is a slalom--very similar to the autocrosses that he competes in. He won first place--and this time it really meant something, as there were 3 other guys racing against him.
The second race was a drag race. It's not Dan's specialty, but he decided to compete anyway. He didn't place, but he's done it a couple times now and keeps getting better. Yesterday he said it was the best he's ever done.
Rowing at Lake Accotink
Our last day of summer, today we rented a row boat and headed out on Lake Accotink. It's something Margie has wanted to do FOREVER, as she has fond memories of rowing Lost Lake in Oregon as a kid. It was fun to explore and relax and just enjoy time together as a family.
We saw too many turtles to count; we found an unusual fruit growing on a tree hanging over one of the fingers of the lake; and Lyn and John learned how to row.
Margie was a little worried about the weather. It was supposed to be a nice sunny day, but we woke up to clouds and 40% chance of rain.
We timed it just perfectly, though, as it was not too hot, there was a nice breeze, and it started raining just as we started walking to the car.
A perfect ending to a great summer.
We hope you are doing well!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Margie, the kids, and Carolyn went to play miniature golf on Monday, and it was very hot. John had been asking to play mini golf for a long time. The temperature was near 100 degrees (F), and by the ninth hole, the heat had beaten Carolyn and she had to go in. Afterwards, they decided to quickly go over to Pirates Cove to cool off. Lunch was of picnic variety at Pohick Bay, then over to the pool. Afterwards, they went to Glory Days to use the free gift certificate that Margie got a few weeks ago on our last trip. The fried asparagus was yummy. Some onion rings made it home for Dan to try.
Margie and Carolyn went to see the musical Passion at Elden Street on Friday. The orchestra lost power during the show, and Elisa Rosman (music director and electric piano player, and friend of the family) had a few stressful moments because of the outage.
On Tuesday, 'the unemployed ones' went to visit the WWII (World War Two--the Sequel, for those of you under 40) Memorial, American History Museum, and Natural History Museum (Ocean Hall).
Wednesday was a shopping day, and in the evening, Margie, Dan, and Lyn went to see Gypsy at LTA while John and Grandma hung out at home. We can't tell you to see the show, because it closed last night.
On Thursday the crew went to the National Zoo in DC. They had a gross story about an orangutan, but I won't repeat that here. Carolyn made the kids dinner that evening, so that Margie and Dan could have a double birthday dinner at The Melting Pot. The only bad thing was that we ate too much. We'll skip the cheese next time.
Margie and Carolyn went to see the musical Passion at Elden Street on Friday. The orchestra lost power during the show, and Elisa Rosman (music director and electric piano player, and friend of the family) had a few stressful moments because of the outage.
On Saturday, we all went to the Remmers/Kemper estate for a little birthday dessert celebration. Dan and Margie made gluten free eclairs for Carolyn, and Debbie provided the pumpkin pie and brownie pudding. After eating and present opening, all except John and Margie (the Magnificent Mosquito Magnets) went next door to see Lily and Razzmatazz, the mommy and 4 month old horses. Lyn took 20 minutes to gather the courage to pet the baby, and Dan got a few sniffs and a lick on the hand from the elder equine. (It must have been the residual chocolate on his fingers.)
Blame the horrible writing style on Dan. Since it's Margie's birthday, Dan has been forced into an entire day of servitude, including writing this very blog. Hopefully, you won't have to endure this travesty again for a number of years.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Last Two Weeks
Well life has just been so exciting around here that we forgot to write last week!
So I guess we'll have to start at the beginning. Grab a comfy seat--this is going to be verrrry loooong...
On Tuesday, July 28, we celebrated John's half birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was pretty fun. John invited two friends from church, we brought a Superman cake, and the kids ate pizza and played lots of games. (Because the room wasn't ready for us when we arrived, they gave us nearly 100 tokens on the house--that's in addition to the 100 we received as part of the party package, so we had lots of fun!)
We spent Wednesday getting ready for Lyn's "beach" party, including an "Imagination Station," which Grandma set up, and the marble cake which Margie baked and Lyn designed (including chocolate "rocks" and Twizzler seaweed--the fish are inedible). Margie even made a gluten-free cake for her mom, thanks to Betty Crocker's new line of Gluten Free Baking Mixes. We all agreed it was the best gluten-free cake we had ever tasted--almost indistinguishable from from the gluten-full version.
Thursday was the big event and included indoor activities (a woven fish craft, a drawing station (with beach colored paper and fish stickers), the "imagination" station, and a beach-themed book station) and outdoor activities (playing in the inflatable swimming pool, squirting water pistols, playing in the sandbox and on the swing set, and eating Lyn's beach-themed food: pineapple, fresh coconut, watermelon, and piña colada juice). She had six guests, and everyone had a lot of fun!
Friday was Lyn's actual birthday--she decided to reserve that for family.
During the day, Lyn, John, Margie, and Grandma headed out to visit one of the water parks we had on our list--Downpour at Algonkian Regional Park. They had lots of fun stuff--John especially liked that the water in the kids' pool was really shallow. It was pretty cloudy and humid, though, and when we got out our picnic lunch it started raining--and then it started pouring--and then it seemed we were caught in a hurricane!
Still, it was a fun day with great memories.
In the evening we headed to Silver Diner where we met Gene and Cecile and Debbie and Doug for milkshakes, pie, and whatever our hearts desired. Lyn thought it was pretty cool to have the restaurant staff (especially the funny announcer guy) sing to her and have the whole restaurant celebrating with her. It was a lot of fun!
Then it was back to the house for presents. All in all, Lyn had a great birthday.
On Sunday, Dan had a race at FedEx field. There was a lightning delay in the morning for about an hour, and then he raced on a wet track. You can see the water in the picture:
As usual, he was the only one in his class (which is kind of a bummer), but it means he won both first and last place.
On Monday, Margie spent the day deep cleaning her shower (including taking apart the shower doors). It was a LOT of work, but it was worth it. Meanwhile, her mom spent the day scrubbing the range top, which was also long overdue. That night Margie took Lyn to her piano lesson--changed from Tuesday because we had big plans the next day. We headed to...
The beach!
The weather forecast was for rain every day except Tuesday, so we had to rearrange some things--including heading a little further south than we have in the past (the rain was predicted for the northern part of the shore). So we spent the day in Ocean City, Maryland--which was quite a bit more crowded and commercial than our traditional Reboboth, Delaware.
Still, we found a nice spot to camp out (Lyn says the spot was "just waiting for us") and enjoy the beautiful weather, the sea and the sand. As we headed out, we ran into a lifeguard with a sand wheelchair, which the kids thought was very cool.
On Wednesday, Margie had two meetings related to Plaid Tidings, which she is music directing for LTA's Christmas fundraiser. Auditions are only about six weeks away--it's getting exciting!
On Thursday, we headed up to the VA Hospital so Carolyn could have an oral surgeon take a look at her mouth--she had had surgery just prior to coming out here and was having trouble staving off an infection.
Sadly, on Friday Margie spent the whole day at a funeral. A friend at church lost her 7 month old baby unexpectedly, and Margie helped prepare and serve the food, set up and clean up, as well as attending the services.
Saturday was a big (and well deserved) "do nothing" day for most of us, though Dan did change oil in one of the cars, as well as change the tire on Margie's bike.
Today after church Margie cut the boys' hair and then, as it was in the low 90s, got in the pool for awhile to cool off. Lyn went in with her friend Chloe a little later.
It is expected to be near 100° tomorrow, so we'll head to Pirate's Cove--and we have quite a few other fun things planned for Grandma's last week.
Hope you are enjoying your summer just as much!
So I guess we'll have to start at the beginning. Grab a comfy seat--this is going to be verrrry loooong...
On Tuesday, July 28, we celebrated John's half birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was pretty fun. John invited two friends from church, we brought a Superman cake, and the kids ate pizza and played lots of games. (Because the room wasn't ready for us when we arrived, they gave us nearly 100 tokens on the house--that's in addition to the 100 we received as part of the party package, so we had lots of fun!)
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During the day, Lyn, John, Margie, and Grandma headed out to visit one of the water parks we had on our list--Downpour at Algonkian Regional Park. They had lots of fun stuff--John especially liked that the water in the kids' pool was really shallow. It was pretty cloudy and humid, though, and when we got out our picnic lunch it started raining--and then it started pouring--and then it seemed we were caught in a hurricane!
Still, it was a fun day with great memories.
In the evening we headed to Silver Diner where we met Gene and Cecile and Debbie and Doug for milkshakes, pie, and whatever our hearts desired. Lyn thought it was pretty cool to have the restaurant staff (especially the funny announcer guy) sing to her and have the whole restaurant celebrating with her. It was a lot of fun!
Then it was back to the house for presents. All in all, Lyn had a great birthday.On Sunday, Dan had a race at FedEx field. There was a lightning delay in the morning for about an hour, and then he raced on a wet track. You can see the water in the picture:
As usual, he was the only one in his class (which is kind of a bummer), but it means he won both first and last place.
On Monday, Margie spent the day deep cleaning her shower (including taking apart the shower doors). It was a LOT of work, but it was worth it. Meanwhile, her mom spent the day scrubbing the range top, which was also long overdue. That night Margie took Lyn to her piano lesson--changed from Tuesday because we had big plans the next day. We headed to...
The beach!
The weather forecast was for rain every day except Tuesday, so we had to rearrange some things--including heading a little further south than we have in the past (the rain was predicted for the northern part of the shore). So we spent the day in Ocean City, Maryland--which was quite a bit more crowded and commercial than our traditional Reboboth, Delaware.
Still, we found a nice spot to camp out (Lyn says the spot was "just waiting for us") and enjoy the beautiful weather, the sea and the sand. As we headed out, we ran into a lifeguard with a sand wheelchair, which the kids thought was very cool.
On Wednesday, Margie had two meetings related to Plaid Tidings, which she is music directing for LTA's Christmas fundraiser. Auditions are only about six weeks away--it's getting exciting!
On Thursday, we headed up to the VA Hospital so Carolyn could have an oral surgeon take a look at her mouth--she had had surgery just prior to coming out here and was having trouble staving off an infection.
Sadly, on Friday Margie spent the whole day at a funeral. A friend at church lost her 7 month old baby unexpectedly, and Margie helped prepare and serve the food, set up and clean up, as well as attending the services.
Saturday was a big (and well deserved) "do nothing" day for most of us, though Dan did change oil in one of the cars, as well as change the tire on Margie's bike.
Today after church Margie cut the boys' hair and then, as it was in the low 90s, got in the pool for awhile to cool off. Lyn went in with her friend Chloe a little later.
It is expected to be near 100° tomorrow, so we'll head to Pirate's Cove--and we have quite a few other fun things planned for Grandma's last week.
Hope you are enjoying your summer just as much!
Monday, July 27, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Oops...forgot to write last night--just too much going on!
The week started off pretty slowly.
Nothing exciting on Monday. Tuesday was Lyn's piano lesson. Wednesday we went to Pirate's Cove (still haven't explored those other water parks!). We got there a little late, so Margie called Dan to meet us at a nearby restaurant for dinner. Margie complained (nicely) about her veggie burger and got a $10 gift certificate. Woo hoo! (We're pretty excited because although the burger was tough, the rest of the food was delicious.)
On Thursday we headed up to BWI airport to pick up a special guest--Grandma! Margie's mom had wanted to surprise the kids, and she succeeded! (Margie had a hard time keeping it from the kids, though, and made Carolyn promise that she wouldn't make her do it again.)
On Friday, the kids enjoyed a Pioneer Day activity at a nearby park. In the evening, Margie headed to the last weekend of Oliver. After the show, she went with a few fellow cast members to Silver Diner to wrap some gifts for the crew.
On Saturday, the whole family (including Grandma) was hard at work getting the backyard ready for Lyn's beach birthday party. We cleared out a ton of brush and Dan made two trips to the dump, John earned $10 by collecting pine cones for five cents a piece, and Lyn earned $6 by picking up large rocks of various sizes. The yard looks really nice, and we are grateful to Lyn for providing a reason to get it all cleaned up.
In the afternoon, the family again pulled together to help Margie assemble her own personal cast and crew gifts. As the undertaker's wife, it seemed natural to pick something a little macabre, so she started with some little coffins:
She then added a tombstone card that read, "I hope you're dying..." (on the outside) "...to work together again!" (on the inside). Much thanks to Dan--the "punny" one in the family--for his help with the script!
They turned out really cute and the cast and crew loved them.
After Margie left for her last performance, our friend Jennifer Lyman stopped by to pick up Carolyn to take her to see the show. They both loved it.
Jennifer then took Carolyn home while Margie headed over to the cast party.
On Sunday, we all slept in and then Margie headed back to the theatre for strike. After a few hours, it was all over. It had been a long weekend of hard work, and Margie was pooped! She went straight to bed.
This upcoming week looks to be pretty exciting. Since John never had a birthday party in January, we're celebrating his seven and a HALF birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's tomorrow with a few friends. Then Lyn's birthday party will be on Thursday, followed by her REAL birthday on Friday.
Whew! After this we'll all need a vacation!
P.S. John wants you to know that he got one more star and now only needs one more to get 100! He got it from a 100 coin star in a course called "Snowman's Land."
The week started off pretty slowly.
Nothing exciting on Monday. Tuesday was Lyn's piano lesson. Wednesday we went to Pirate's Cove (still haven't explored those other water parks!). We got there a little late, so Margie called Dan to meet us at a nearby restaurant for dinner. Margie complained (nicely) about her veggie burger and got a $10 gift certificate. Woo hoo! (We're pretty excited because although the burger was tough, the rest of the food was delicious.)
On Thursday we headed up to BWI airport to pick up a special guest--Grandma! Margie's mom had wanted to surprise the kids, and she succeeded! (Margie had a hard time keeping it from the kids, though, and made Carolyn promise that she wouldn't make her do it again.)
On Friday, the kids enjoyed a Pioneer Day activity at a nearby park. In the evening, Margie headed to the last weekend of Oliver. After the show, she went with a few fellow cast members to Silver Diner to wrap some gifts for the crew.
On Saturday, the whole family (including Grandma) was hard at work getting the backyard ready for Lyn's beach birthday party. We cleared out a ton of brush and Dan made two trips to the dump, John earned $10 by collecting pine cones for five cents a piece, and Lyn earned $6 by picking up large rocks of various sizes. The yard looks really nice, and we are grateful to Lyn for providing a reason to get it all cleaned up.
In the afternoon, the family again pulled together to help Margie assemble her own personal cast and crew gifts. As the undertaker's wife, it seemed natural to pick something a little macabre, so she started with some little coffins:
She then added a tombstone card that read, "I hope you're dying..." (on the outside) "...to work together again!" (on the inside). Much thanks to Dan--the "punny" one in the family--for his help with the script!
They turned out really cute and the cast and crew loved them.
After Margie left for her last performance, our friend Jennifer Lyman stopped by to pick up Carolyn to take her to see the show. They both loved it.
Jennifer then took Carolyn home while Margie headed over to the cast party.
On Sunday, we all slept in and then Margie headed back to the theatre for strike. After a few hours, it was all over. It had been a long weekend of hard work, and Margie was pooped! She went straight to bed.
This upcoming week looks to be pretty exciting. Since John never had a birthday party in January, we're celebrating his seven and a HALF birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's tomorrow with a few friends. Then Lyn's birthday party will be on Thursday, followed by her REAL birthday on Friday.
Whew! After this we'll all need a vacation!
P.S. John wants you to know that he got one more star and now only needs one more to get 100! He got it from a 100 coin star in a course called "Snowman's Land."
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
By the way...
We forgot to mention last night that all of the wish lists have now been updated (some birthdays are getting close!). For your convenience, here are the direct links:
Dan
Margie
Lyn
John
Also, Carolyn asked me whether I am in Gypsy at LTA (because I mentioned I was at a rehearsal on Sunday). The answer is no--I just attend double tech Sunday for each show and give feedback as part of my duties on the Board of Governors.
Have a great week!
Dan
Margie
Lyn
John
Also, Carolyn asked me whether I am in Gypsy at LTA (because I mentioned I was at a rehearsal on Sunday). The answer is no--I just attend double tech Sunday for each show and give feedback as part of my duties on the Board of Governors.
Have a great week!
Monday, July 20, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
This week started off pretty quiet. Margie is now in performance only on the weekends, so we all actually got to spend some time together in the evening!
On Monday we had fun playing Cadoo--many thanks to whoever gave it to us many years ago!
Tuesday was Lyn's piano lesson. She continues to do well and enjoy playing.
On Wednesday, Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove (we thought we were going to spend the summer exploring all the area water parks, but so far we've stuck to our favorite!). In the evening, Margie attended her LTA Board meeting. Lyn went to Activity Day, and she got to paint her toenails. They are very cute!
On Thursday, Margie and the kids went to see a free performance of West Side Story. It was done by some middle and high school kids as the finale of their musical theatre summer camp and was quite good.
On Friday, Margie was back on stage.
On Saturday afternoon we had a fun family picnic at Pohick Bay. The weather was beautiful--sunny, but not too hot, no humidity and no mosquitos. Really, it was just perfect. On the way out of the park, we saw a cute little fawn by the side of the rode. It was too young to know to run away, so we had a nice few minutes talking to it from just a few feet away.
Sunday was a busy day for Margie--her own matinee plus the double tech of Gypsy at LTA. The show is still a little rough, but it's in much better shape than Oliver was a week before we opened, so I think all will be well. The cast is full of very talented people.
Good news--John has got two more stars and only needs three more to get 100!
On Monday we had fun playing Cadoo--many thanks to whoever gave it to us many years ago!
Tuesday was Lyn's piano lesson. She continues to do well and enjoy playing.
On Wednesday, Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove (we thought we were going to spend the summer exploring all the area water parks, but so far we've stuck to our favorite!). In the evening, Margie attended her LTA Board meeting. Lyn went to Activity Day, and she got to paint her toenails. They are very cute!
On Thursday, Margie and the kids went to see a free performance of West Side Story. It was done by some middle and high school kids as the finale of their musical theatre summer camp and was quite good.
On Friday, Margie was back on stage.
On Saturday afternoon we had a fun family picnic at Pohick Bay. The weather was beautiful--sunny, but not too hot, no humidity and no mosquitos. Really, it was just perfect. On the way out of the park, we saw a cute little fawn by the side of the rode. It was too young to know to run away, so we had a nice few minutes talking to it from just a few feet away.
Sunday was a busy day for Margie--her own matinee plus the double tech of Gypsy at LTA. The show is still a little rough, but it's in much better shape than Oliver was a week before we opened, so I think all will be well. The cast is full of very talented people.
Good news--John has got two more stars and only needs three more to get 100!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Hell Week at the Remmers
Well, this week has been pretty exciting around here.
Margie was gone late into the evening each night for tech week, or "hell week," as it's known among the actors. The show opened on Friday and the audience seemed to like it (including Dan, Lyn and John, who were among them), despite some minor catastrophes.
Saturday and Sunday performances also went well--each one getting a little bit better. By closing night we'll be about perfect!
Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove only once this week. Dan and the kids went over to his sister Debbie's house today for a combined graduation (Brenden) and birthday (Debbie and Doug) party while Margie was at the matinee.
We're all very excited to be done with detox and back on "normal" food, though we did get John's test results back this week and it turns out that what's causing his skin problems is yeast. So next week we'll start a yeast elimination diet, which, unfortunately, will be even more restrictive and uncomfortable. The good news, however, is that once the yeast is completely out of his system, not only will his skin clear up, but he'll be able to go back to normal food (in about 6 months).
In some sadder news this week, Dan's dad suffered what is sometimes called an "ocular stroke," which has left him blind in one eye. The official name for his condition is "Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy," which you can read more about here. He has had a biopsy of the arteries in his temple to determine whether he has the more serious form of the condition. Please keep him in your prayers.
We are looking forward to a more relaxing week ahead, with perhaps a trip to the beach, before Margie is back on stage on Friday.
We hope you are doing well!
P.S. John wants everyone to know that he now has 91 (out of 150) stars in his Mario DS game!!
Margie was gone late into the evening each night for tech week, or "hell week," as it's known among the actors. The show opened on Friday and the audience seemed to like it (including Dan, Lyn and John, who were among them), despite some minor catastrophes.
Saturday and Sunday performances also went well--each one getting a little bit better. By closing night we'll be about perfect!
Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove only once this week. Dan and the kids went over to his sister Debbie's house today for a combined graduation (Brenden) and birthday (Debbie and Doug) party while Margie was at the matinee.
We're all very excited to be done with detox and back on "normal" food, though we did get John's test results back this week and it turns out that what's causing his skin problems is yeast. So next week we'll start a yeast elimination diet, which, unfortunately, will be even more restrictive and uncomfortable. The good news, however, is that once the yeast is completely out of his system, not only will his skin clear up, but he'll be able to go back to normal food (in about 6 months).
In some sadder news this week, Dan's dad suffered what is sometimes called an "ocular stroke," which has left him blind in one eye. The official name for his condition is "Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy," which you can read more about here. He has had a biopsy of the arteries in his temple to determine whether he has the more serious form of the condition. Please keep him in your prayers.
We are looking forward to a more relaxing week ahead, with perhaps a trip to the beach, before Margie is back on stage on Friday.
We hope you are doing well!
P.S. John wants everyone to know that he now has 91 (out of 150) stars in his Mario DS game!!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Well, with the exception of the fourth of July, our week wasn't all that exciting. Margie had Oliver rehearsal most evenings (we open next weekend!)and she and the kids went to Pirate's Cove twice. (By the way, did we tell you that a picture of Margie is in the season brochure? Cool!). That's about it. Dan had Friday, July 3 off, but he just changed oil in the car and started some work on his next set (the bathtub in our garage).
For the fourth of July we got up super early to attend the church pancake breakfast--though it was a little sad because due to our 21 day detox (today is Day 17!), we didn't get to eat any pancakes. Margie made it up to the kids by making super healthy spelt/almond pancakes at home for lunch. At the breakfast (which was held at a local park), Lyn rode on her scooter to participate in the children's parade. A friend of ours took a cute picture of her with her decorated scooter, but hasn't sent us a copy yet. We'll be sure to post it when we get it.
After lunch, Margie headed out to do some furniture shopping (looking for a new dining room table set). All the stores were having special holiday markdowns, but she couldn't find exactly what she wanted.
For dinner we had marinated portobello burgers and a special (not quite detox) treat of Red, White, and Blue Terra chips (red sweet potatoes, candy striped beets, and blue potatoes).
After dinner we played a couple rounds of Cranium Family Edition--that was a lot of fun. John wants you to know that he won both games! The hardest challenge was having to draw a clue with your eyes closed.
By then it was time for fireworks. One would think that living here in the Nation's Capital, the 4th of July would be a big deal, but Dan and Margie realized a long time ago that it wasn't really very fun to be out in the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes, so we chose to watch the fireworks on TV--indoors with air conditioning! (We're such wimps.) Our neighbors were also shooting off some fireworks, so Dan took John in the car to drive around and watch them.
Today we had church and Margie had rehearsal. Dan made our dinner, and everyone enjoyed a special, detox treat--goat's milk ice cream! The verdict? Yummy!!!
John also wants you to know that he has defeated two of the bosses (in his Super Mario 64 DS game) and has completed the course for the last one, but he can't destroy him because of his special tricks--being fast, breathing fire, and electric stomps.
Well, that's all our news. We hope you had a great holiday and continue to have a fabulous summer.
For the fourth of July we got up super early to attend the church pancake breakfast--though it was a little sad because due to our 21 day detox (today is Day 17!), we didn't get to eat any pancakes. Margie made it up to the kids by making super healthy spelt/almond pancakes at home for lunch. At the breakfast (which was held at a local park), Lyn rode on her scooter to participate in the children's parade. A friend of ours took a cute picture of her with her decorated scooter, but hasn't sent us a copy yet. We'll be sure to post it when we get it.
After lunch, Margie headed out to do some furniture shopping (looking for a new dining room table set). All the stores were having special holiday markdowns, but she couldn't find exactly what she wanted.
For dinner we had marinated portobello burgers and a special (not quite detox) treat of Red, White, and Blue Terra chips (red sweet potatoes, candy striped beets, and blue potatoes).
After dinner we played a couple rounds of Cranium Family Edition--that was a lot of fun. John wants you to know that he won both games! The hardest challenge was having to draw a clue with your eyes closed.
By then it was time for fireworks. One would think that living here in the Nation's Capital, the 4th of July would be a big deal, but Dan and Margie realized a long time ago that it wasn't really very fun to be out in the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes, so we chose to watch the fireworks on TV--indoors with air conditioning! (We're such wimps.) Our neighbors were also shooting off some fireworks, so Dan took John in the car to drive around and watch them.
Today we had church and Margie had rehearsal. Dan made our dinner, and everyone enjoyed a special, detox treat--goat's milk ice cream! The verdict? Yummy!!!
John also wants you to know that he has defeated two of the bosses (in his Super Mario 64 DS game) and has completed the course for the last one, but he can't destroy him because of his special tricks--being fast, breathing fire, and electric stomps.
Well, that's all our news. We hope you had a great holiday and continue to have a fabulous summer.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Now On Facebook!
It has been many hours, lots of head scratching and hair pulling, but I THINK I've finally figured out how to send updates from this blog to Facebook.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you are on Facebook, but aren't friends with me yet, you'll find me at:
http://www.Facebook.com/margie.remmers
Enjoy!
P.S. If you are on Facebook, but aren't friends with me yet, you'll find me at:
http://www.Facebook.com/margie.remmers
Monday, June 29, 2009
Last Full Week of June
This has been a week full of theater for Dan and Margie, and summertime relaxation for John and Lyn (as if they need it).
Monday was the Annual Meeting at LTA, and Margie was reelected as the Governor of Membership for another two years. She was unopposed, so the election results were not exciting, but she claims this is her last year in that position. Time will tell.
On Wednesday, we had tech night for the one-act competition. We got to lug the set (couch, 2 chairs, 2 tables) to the rec center, wait while the sound and lights were ironed out, then lug everything back to our garage that same night.
Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove on Thursday. It had been a while since they went swimming, so they enjoyed the cool water.
Saturday night was the performance for "Hero Worship" at the one-act festival. Everything went well, and the judges had mostly kind things to say about the show.
Then on Sunday, we all attended the awards ceremony for the one-act festival. Liz Owens was one of the presenters. (She won Best Director last year for "Solitaire".) "Hero Worship" got only one nomination, but it was a winner! Gary Cramer won the Best Lead Actor award. Congrats Gary!
Our 21 day detox continues, and we are excited to be over the hump--today was Day 11! Lyn and John say that it's not all bad. There are a few things they've found they really like--like raw brownies (dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder), dark chocolate, detox spaghetti (raw shredded zucchini topped with tomato sauce), detox mac & cheese (spelt noodles with raw (unpasteurized) goat cheese, and detox pancakes (made with spelt flour). Lyn and Margie also really like the free form dancing in the morning. Margie used to do that all the time as a kid and had forgotten how fun it is!
Still, we'll be glad when it's over. So far we have not seen any improvement in John's skin. He will also be getting some allergy/intolerance testing done in the next couple of weeks--we're anxious to see what that reveals. For all we know, spelt macaroni and goat cheese might be the worst things to give him!
Well, that's it for now. Margie and the kids spent today planning some fun things for the summer. Stay tuned!
Monday was the Annual Meeting at LTA, and Margie was reelected as the Governor of Membership for another two years. She was unopposed, so the election results were not exciting, but she claims this is her last year in that position. Time will tell.
On Wednesday, we had tech night for the one-act competition. We got to lug the set (couch, 2 chairs, 2 tables) to the rec center, wait while the sound and lights were ironed out, then lug everything back to our garage that same night.
Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove on Thursday. It had been a while since they went swimming, so they enjoyed the cool water.
Saturday night was the performance for "Hero Worship" at the one-act festival. Everything went well, and the judges had mostly kind things to say about the show.
Then on Sunday, we all attended the awards ceremony for the one-act festival. Liz Owens was one of the presenters. (She won Best Director last year for "Solitaire".) "Hero Worship" got only one nomination, but it was a winner! Gary Cramer won the Best Lead Actor award. Congrats Gary!
Our 21 day detox continues, and we are excited to be over the hump--today was Day 11! Lyn and John say that it's not all bad. There are a few things they've found they really like--like raw brownies (dates, walnuts, and cocoa powder), dark chocolate, detox spaghetti (raw shredded zucchini topped with tomato sauce), detox mac & cheese (spelt noodles with raw (unpasteurized) goat cheese, and detox pancakes (made with spelt flour). Lyn and Margie also really like the free form dancing in the morning. Margie used to do that all the time as a kid and had forgotten how fun it is!
Still, we'll be glad when it's over. So far we have not seen any improvement in John's skin. He will also be getting some allergy/intolerance testing done in the next couple of weeks--we're anxious to see what that reveals. For all we know, spelt macaroni and goat cheese might be the worst things to give him!
Well, that's it for now. Margie and the kids spent today planning some fun things for the summer. Stay tuned!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!
The beginning part of this last week was filled with Oliver rehearsals and LTA board meetings.
On Tuesday, Lyn's class presented a play called "Flight," which was a musical retelling of the story of Daedalus and Icarus, and was part of their unit on Greek history and mythology:
On Wednesday John had his first grade picnic. Unfortunately, it rained, so they spent most of the day indoors. He has gone to bed already, so he'll have to tell you all about it another time.
Thursday was the last day of school! In the morning, Margie had a meeting with a web designer to begin revamping LTA's website, and then she and the kids spent the rest of the day getting ready for our 21 DAY DETOX. With John continuing to have allergies and skin problems, and Dan and Margie continuing to get plumper by the hour, we decided it was a good time to hit the reset button--so we are undertaking a body overhaul.
We're following the program found in the book, Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose. It required the purchase of a power juicer (the one we had was just too small) and LOTS of fresh fruits and vegetables, but so far it's going OK. The lunches and dinners are amazingly tasty. We're still getting used to vegetable juice for breakfast, though!
Friday was the first day of summer break, and we SLEPT IN! Then we spent a good deal of time figuring out how to use the juicer, etc. We also created journals for everyone to keep track of how they're feeling during the 21 days. And Lyn made a countdown chain on the computer all by herself! (Mom was very impressed.)
That night Margie went to the first night of the NVTA One Act Festival. Our play doesn't show until next Saturday, but she wanted to check out the competition!
On Saturday, Margie had rehearsal and then went straight to help a friend in the afternoon. In the evening she went to the second night of the festival. Dan and the kids just spent the day hanging out and not doing much.
And now it's FATHER'S DAY! Dan came to church with us so the kids could sing to him. They were very cute. Then Margie and Lyn went to choir practice. We had a delightful mostly raw dinner and then went for a walk in the neighborhood--the weather was lovely. Margie then gave the boys haircuts (and Lyn bangs), and here we are.
We are looking forward to a fun summer. Hope all is well with you!
The beginning part of this last week was filled with Oliver rehearsals and LTA board meetings.
On Tuesday, Lyn's class presented a play called "Flight," which was a musical retelling of the story of Daedalus and Icarus, and was part of their unit on Greek history and mythology:
On Wednesday John had his first grade picnic. Unfortunately, it rained, so they spent most of the day indoors. He has gone to bed already, so he'll have to tell you all about it another time.
Thursday was the last day of school! In the morning, Margie had a meeting with a web designer to begin revamping LTA's website, and then she and the kids spent the rest of the day getting ready for our 21 DAY DETOX. With John continuing to have allergies and skin problems, and Dan and Margie continuing to get plumper by the hour, we decided it was a good time to hit the reset button--so we are undertaking a body overhaul.
We're following the program found in the book, Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose. It required the purchase of a power juicer (the one we had was just too small) and LOTS of fresh fruits and vegetables, but so far it's going OK. The lunches and dinners are amazingly tasty. We're still getting used to vegetable juice for breakfast, though!
Friday was the first day of summer break, and we SLEPT IN! Then we spent a good deal of time figuring out how to use the juicer, etc. We also created journals for everyone to keep track of how they're feeling during the 21 days. And Lyn made a countdown chain on the computer all by herself! (Mom was very impressed.)
That night Margie went to the first night of the NVTA One Act Festival. Our play doesn't show until next Saturday, but she wanted to check out the competition!
On Saturday, Margie had rehearsal and then went straight to help a friend in the afternoon. In the evening she went to the second night of the festival. Dan and the kids just spent the day hanging out and not doing much.
And now it's FATHER'S DAY! Dan came to church with us so the kids could sing to him. They were very cute. Then Margie and Lyn went to choir practice. We had a delightful mostly raw dinner and then went for a walk in the neighborhood--the weather was lovely. Margie then gave the boys haircuts (and Lyn bangs), and here we are.
We are looking forward to a fun summer. Hope all is well with you!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Two Weeks at the Remmers
Well last week, Margie was gone Sunday evening. Then time got away from us during the week. So here we are--doing TWO weeks worth of news in ONE night!
The first week of June started with more SOLs for Lyn. She spent most of her time, however, working on her science experiment. She wanted to do something related to food, so she chose to do an experiment testing the effect of sugar on yeast.
She made three batches of breadsticks--one with the correct amount of sugar, one with double the amount of sugar, and one with no sugar at all.
Her hypothesis was that the batch with extra sugar would be soft and sugary and that the batch with no sugar would be hard and yucky. She found, to her surprise (and mom's too), that there was actually not much difference between the three batches. The biggest difference was the COLOR of the breadsticks. The ones with the most sugar were the ones that were the most brown. The ones with no sugar were white!
John also had a project due. He had to design a flag based on his family. There were 5 sections, one section for each individual member of the family plus one section to represent the whole family. Each section had three pictures representing things that person likes, or things the whole family likes to do together. There were 15 pictures in all. He was going to have words, but he forgot them.
Margie continues rehearsals for Oliver! Right now she only has to be at a few rehearsals because she is only in a few scenes. Very soon, however, she will be required every night--we open July 10!
In addition to rehearsals, Margie spent last week at the mall and going out to dinner with friends. And on Saturday, she helped host the opening night party for It Runs in the Family at LTA.
Monday was the third grade picnic! Margie helped set up and ran the bingo station (in the shade, thank heavens!), and Lyn had fun at the shoe relay, water balloon toss, parachute, games on the tennis court, tattoos and face painting, drawing with chalk, and having a picnic lunch.
That night, Margie didn't have rehearsal, so Dan took the opportunity to go pick up a bathtub. You see, the next show he is building requires an isolation chamber in which one of the actors is supposed to be submerged in water. Dan figured that the easiest way to accomplish this would be to build the chamber around a bathtub. He drove all the way to Montogmery Country Maryland and got terribly lost. (Too bad Margie doesn't have that iPhone yet!)
Last Friday was a busy day. It started with "Donuts for Dad" in the morning--a breakfast for fathers and kids hosted by the school. Then it was Field Day, which is supposed be all day, outside PE. It had been rescheduled from last week due to the rain, and because it was supposed to rain again, it was a shortened version, with each class only getting about 1 hour of outside fun (6 stations, 10 minutes each).
Still, the kids had fun. Lyn's favorite was the marble relay, where they had to pick marbles out a baby swimming pool filled with soapy, bubbly water with their toes. John's favorite was the sponge relay, where they had to run to a big bucket with their sponge, fill it up with water, and then wring it out in their own team's bucket. When they finished, Mr. Donnolley (one of the PE teachers) dumped the bucket of water on someone! And the whole time Mr. Bills (the other PE teacher) was spraying water at everyone with the hose. It was a lot of good, wet, fun!
Unfortunately, while Margie diligently put sunscreen on her kids, she failed to do the same for herself and got a wicked sunburn!
That night was the Springfield Estates School Picnic. We got take out food from a local restaurant that had set up a tent on the school grounds and watched the 6th grade vs. faculty/parent kick ball game. Then we listened to a local a cappella singing group called Snow Day. It was fun!
BUT it was NOTHING compared to our FUN DAY!
I will now turn the time over to Lyn, who carefully took notes and will now describe to you what we did yesterday:
First we went to the rash doctor to see about John's rashes.
Then, since we were far away from home, we decided to stay there for the day.
We went to the shop to buy groceries and have some lunch.
John and I had sushi and the grownups had sandwiches. The whole family shared two shakes--chocolate protein and vanilla protein.
Then we went out to the bay and walked on the floating docks. Then we found a playground shaped like a boat. We played Captain and the Ghost Spirit.
Then we found a rock beach and sat on the rocks watching the waves. We saw two jet skis. John didn't like it.
We were on an island, and when we tried to leave, the drawbridge was up, so we couldn't. We saw two ships pass through before they lowered the bridge and we could keep going.
Then we drove to another town (mom's note: Annapolis) and walked around looking for a place to eat dinner. We walked a long time until we finally found a restaurant mom and dad agreed on.
After dinner, we went down to the docks and watched the ships. There was also a wedding ship that a bunch of people were going on, but we weren't there long enough for them to leave. But we did see a tour boat heading out.
Then we had ice cream! It was John's last day (the doctor told him that ice cream was bad for his rash), so he got to have a double scoop!
And that's all my notes. Lyn.
Today, we went to church and Margie had rehearsal and here we are. Only four more days left of school. John is excited, he says, "because I'm one of the kids who doesn't like school."
OH! And John lost his two front teeth! (Finally...) And Dan took a really cool picture of a butterfly:
Have a great week!
The first week of June started with more SOLs for Lyn. She spent most of her time, however, working on her science experiment. She wanted to do something related to food, so she chose to do an experiment testing the effect of sugar on yeast.
She made three batches of breadsticks--one with the correct amount of sugar, one with double the amount of sugar, and one with no sugar at all.
Her hypothesis was that the batch with extra sugar would be soft and sugary and that the batch with no sugar would be hard and yucky. She found, to her surprise (and mom's too), that there was actually not much difference between the three batches. The biggest difference was the COLOR of the breadsticks. The ones with the most sugar were the ones that were the most brown. The ones with no sugar were white!
John also had a project due. He had to design a flag based on his family. There were 5 sections, one section for each individual member of the family plus one section to represent the whole family. Each section had three pictures representing things that person likes, or things the whole family likes to do together. There were 15 pictures in all. He was going to have words, but he forgot them.
Margie continues rehearsals for Oliver! Right now she only has to be at a few rehearsals because she is only in a few scenes. Very soon, however, she will be required every night--we open July 10!
In addition to rehearsals, Margie spent last week at the mall and going out to dinner with friends. And on Saturday, she helped host the opening night party for It Runs in the Family at LTA.
Monday was the third grade picnic! Margie helped set up and ran the bingo station (in the shade, thank heavens!), and Lyn had fun at the shoe relay, water balloon toss, parachute, games on the tennis court, tattoos and face painting, drawing with chalk, and having a picnic lunch.
That night, Margie didn't have rehearsal, so Dan took the opportunity to go pick up a bathtub. You see, the next show he is building requires an isolation chamber in which one of the actors is supposed to be submerged in water. Dan figured that the easiest way to accomplish this would be to build the chamber around a bathtub. He drove all the way to Montogmery Country Maryland and got terribly lost. (Too bad Margie doesn't have that iPhone yet!)
Last Friday was a busy day. It started with "Donuts for Dad" in the morning--a breakfast for fathers and kids hosted by the school. Then it was Field Day, which is supposed be all day, outside PE. It had been rescheduled from last week due to the rain, and because it was supposed to rain again, it was a shortened version, with each class only getting about 1 hour of outside fun (6 stations, 10 minutes each).
Still, the kids had fun. Lyn's favorite was the marble relay, where they had to pick marbles out a baby swimming pool filled with soapy, bubbly water with their toes. John's favorite was the sponge relay, where they had to run to a big bucket with their sponge, fill it up with water, and then wring it out in their own team's bucket. When they finished, Mr. Donnolley (one of the PE teachers) dumped the bucket of water on someone! And the whole time Mr. Bills (the other PE teacher) was spraying water at everyone with the hose. It was a lot of good, wet, fun!
Unfortunately, while Margie diligently put sunscreen on her kids, she failed to do the same for herself and got a wicked sunburn!
That night was the Springfield Estates School Picnic. We got take out food from a local restaurant that had set up a tent on the school grounds and watched the 6th grade vs. faculty/parent kick ball game. Then we listened to a local a cappella singing group called Snow Day. It was fun!
BUT it was NOTHING compared to our FUN DAY!
I will now turn the time over to Lyn, who carefully took notes and will now describe to you what we did yesterday:
First we went to the rash doctor to see about John's rashes.
Then, since we were far away from home, we decided to stay there for the day.
We went to the shop to buy groceries and have some lunch.
John and I had sushi and the grownups had sandwiches. The whole family shared two shakes--chocolate protein and vanilla protein.
Then we went out to the bay and walked on the floating docks. Then we found a playground shaped like a boat. We played Captain and the Ghost Spirit.
Then we found a rock beach and sat on the rocks watching the waves. We saw two jet skis. John didn't like it.
We were on an island, and when we tried to leave, the drawbridge was up, so we couldn't. We saw two ships pass through before they lowered the bridge and we could keep going.
Then we drove to another town (mom's note: Annapolis) and walked around looking for a place to eat dinner. We walked a long time until we finally found a restaurant mom and dad agreed on.
After dinner, we went down to the docks and watched the ships. There was also a wedding ship that a bunch of people were going on, but we weren't there long enough for them to leave. But we did see a tour boat heading out.
Then we had ice cream! It was John's last day (the doctor told him that ice cream was bad for his rash), so he got to have a double scoop!
And that's all my notes. Lyn.
Today, we went to church and Margie had rehearsal and here we are. Only four more days left of school. John is excited, he says, "because I'm one of the kids who doesn't like school."
OH! And John lost his two front teeth! (Finally...) And Dan took a really cool picture of a butterfly:
Have a great week!
Monday, June 1, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Sunday night was pretty busy here--so we're having to do this Monday!
Last Monday was Memorial Day. The kids were home from school and Dan was home from work.
We didn't do anything too exciting, though. Dan mowed the lawn, and Margie worked on the programs for Lyn's ballet recital. In the afternoon, Lyn and Margie headed over to Pirate's Cove, but it was short lived, as there was a thunder storm on its way and they closed the pool. We came home disappointed, but went back later in the afternoon when the sun was shining again.
We came home and had some "not" dogs with sauerkraut salad (an old family tradition from Margie's side).
The next day, Lyn had the dress rehearsal for her recital. We had to do a quick kid switch, as Margie had to quickly get to Oliver rehearsal and Dan was needed at the theatre. Unfortunately, Margie got COMPELTELY lost trying to find her way there--it's time she got that iPhone she's had her eye on! Luckily, Margie was able to reach Dan at the theatre and he helped her find her way.
Wednesday was the big day!!!! Lyn did a lovely job and did her parents proud. She was the first one on the stage and led the whole class in the beginning of the dance. Then, she was the last one off, and spontaneously blew the whole audience a kiss! Everyone loved it.
Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera, so we had to take pictures afterwards at home. Aunt Debbie (and our friend Sandi Cumberland) also took some pictures, so hopefully we'll get copies of those soon.
For those of you who missed it, be sure to ask to watch the video the next time you come over! :o)
After the recital we all went out for sushi (Lyn's choice, of course). It was yummy!
On Thursday, Margie had rehearsal--this time she was able to get there just fine.
On Friday, we recuperated!
Saturday morning, the family headed in to the theatre. Margie had a meeting, and Dan was needed to help with the set. Lyn and John had fun playing on the computers in the office.
Afterwards we came home and cleaned up the basement--then Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove...again. This was John's first trip of the season, and there was no sign of rain. Yipee! The bad news is that the BUGS were out in full force. The good news is that they didn't bother you if you stayed in the pool. Dan stayed home to work on the racecar.
Early Sunday morning, Dan went to a race. He finished in first place again. But again he didn't have anyone to race against in his class, either. If anyone wants to come use his car, Dan would love the competition!
After choir practice, the family again headed to LTA--this time for Double Tech (two dress rehearsals back to back) for LTA's latest production, It Runs in the Family. We had dinner there, provided by the theatre, and Lyn got to watch the rehearsals. Lyn says she liked the music--since it's not a musical, she must mean the pre-show music.
We got back late and didn't have time to write up our doings--so here you go!
Hope all is well with everyone and that you're looking forward to a fun summer. We sure are!
Last Monday was Memorial Day. The kids were home from school and Dan was home from work.
We didn't do anything too exciting, though. Dan mowed the lawn, and Margie worked on the programs for Lyn's ballet recital. In the afternoon, Lyn and Margie headed over to Pirate's Cove, but it was short lived, as there was a thunder storm on its way and they closed the pool. We came home disappointed, but went back later in the afternoon when the sun was shining again.
We came home and had some "not" dogs with sauerkraut salad (an old family tradition from Margie's side).
The next day, Lyn had the dress rehearsal for her recital. We had to do a quick kid switch, as Margie had to quickly get to Oliver rehearsal and Dan was needed at the theatre. Unfortunately, Margie got COMPELTELY lost trying to find her way there--it's time she got that iPhone she's had her eye on! Luckily, Margie was able to reach Dan at the theatre and he helped her find her way.
Wednesday was the big day!!!! Lyn did a lovely job and did her parents proud. She was the first one on the stage and led the whole class in the beginning of the dance. Then, she was the last one off, and spontaneously blew the whole audience a kiss! Everyone loved it.
Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the camera, so we had to take pictures afterwards at home. Aunt Debbie (and our friend Sandi Cumberland) also took some pictures, so hopefully we'll get copies of those soon.
For those of you who missed it, be sure to ask to watch the video the next time you come over! :o)
After the recital we all went out for sushi (Lyn's choice, of course). It was yummy!
On Thursday, Margie had rehearsal--this time she was able to get there just fine.
On Friday, we recuperated!
Saturday morning, the family headed in to the theatre. Margie had a meeting, and Dan was needed to help with the set. Lyn and John had fun playing on the computers in the office.
Afterwards we came home and cleaned up the basement--then Margie and the kids went to Pirate's Cove...again. This was John's first trip of the season, and there was no sign of rain. Yipee! The bad news is that the BUGS were out in full force. The good news is that they didn't bother you if you stayed in the pool. Dan stayed home to work on the racecar.
Early Sunday morning, Dan went to a race. He finished in first place again. But again he didn't have anyone to race against in his class, either. If anyone wants to come use his car, Dan would love the competition!
After choir practice, the family again headed to LTA--this time for Double Tech (two dress rehearsals back to back) for LTA's latest production, It Runs in the Family. We had dinner there, provided by the theatre, and Lyn got to watch the rehearsals. Lyn says she liked the music--since it's not a musical, she must mean the pre-show music.
We got back late and didn't have time to write up our doings--so here you go!
Hope all is well with everyone and that you're looking forward to a fun summer. We sure are!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
We hope you are off to a great start on your Memorial Day weekend!
On Monday, Margie had her first rehearsal for Oliver. She expected a full read through so she could meet the cast (and gauge everyone's talent!), but it was just a meet and greet. Introductions, notes from the creative team, and passing out of scripts and scores was about it. So she doesn't really have much news to share about that. She will say, however, that the woman who got cast for Widow Corney is definitely a better physical match for the role--and a better physical match for Mr. Bumble. And, Margie had forgotten about a very funny Mrs. Sowerberry scene, so she'll have a chance to use her comedic side. It's all good.
No piano lesson for Lyn this week as her piano teacher was out of town.
Wednesday, as usual, was pretty crazy. Lyn's last ballet class before the recital, dinner at Bertucci's, then Dan took the kids home for homework (it was too late for Lyn to make it to Activity Day), while Margie stayed at the theatre for a board meeting.
On Thursday, it was Dan's turn to stay out, as he attended a production meeting for The Art of Murder, which he will be co-designing and building the set for in the fall. He stayed at the theatre to help build the set for It Runs in the Family.
On Friday, Dan and John attended the stake father-son campout. John ate half a burger bun and a whole hot dog bun. "Well," he says, "I like buns." Someone brought nerf guns, and he had fun playing with them with the other boys. "I also ate a cookie, two strawberries, and about an eighth of a watermelon."
"Then," he says, "I also ate four little slices at night."
There were two campfires, so there were two prayers at the end of the day. They didn't stay and camp, though, since we don't have a tent--and instead came home to sleep in their own beds.
While John and Dan were off bonding with other men, Lyn and Margie had their own little girls night out. They went to IHOP for their strawberry festival. They shared an order of stuffed french toast and pancakes smothered in strawberries and whipped cream--it was yummy!
Saturday morning, John and Dan headed back to the campsite for a pancake breakfast, John kicked a soccer ball around, too, and had a marshmallow fight with the marshmallow guns someone had brought. He also liked to attack (pop) the bubbles that someone was blowing.
While the boys were gone, Margie headed out for bike ride (Lyn's old enough to stay home a little bit by herself now!) and got her first flat tire ever! Luckily she was only about a mile away from home AND Dan had come home by the time she called for help.
After the bike ride, Lyn and Margie headed to Pirate's Cove to cool off from the hot sun. They thought it opened at 10am, and got there about 10:30am--but it didn't open until 11am! So they headed to a nearby playground where Lyn played and they waited for the time to pass.
At 11 o'clock they headed back to the pool and took their first swim of the season! Actually, only Lyn did (and she really swam!)--it was a little too cold for Mom, so she just sat on the edge of the pool soaking her feet.
Unfortunately, they couldn't stay long because Margie had to get back for Oliver rehearsal.
Saturday's rehearsal was again a little disappointing--the only other cast member there was her stage husband, with whom she is singing a duet.
After rehearsal, Margie went to her favorite car wash and then stopped at the Apple store to drool over an iPhone.
That night, Margie went out to dinner with some friends. It was a long day!
Today we actually made it to church on time. Woo hoo! Margie substitute taught Relief Society for a friend--something she loves to do (and it was a great topic--read about it here). Lyn said the closing prayer in Primary.
Dan spent the day at the bi-annual Bug Out. This year he chose to compete in the slalom only (and not the drag race), and he came in third place. Good job!
And that brings us to the end of the day. We don't have any big plans for tomorrow--just relaxing together as a family.
Have a great holiday!
On Monday, Margie had her first rehearsal for Oliver. She expected a full read through so she could meet the cast (and gauge everyone's talent!), but it was just a meet and greet. Introductions, notes from the creative team, and passing out of scripts and scores was about it. So she doesn't really have much news to share about that. She will say, however, that the woman who got cast for Widow Corney is definitely a better physical match for the role--and a better physical match for Mr. Bumble. And, Margie had forgotten about a very funny Mrs. Sowerberry scene, so she'll have a chance to use her comedic side. It's all good.
No piano lesson for Lyn this week as her piano teacher was out of town.
Wednesday, as usual, was pretty crazy. Lyn's last ballet class before the recital, dinner at Bertucci's, then Dan took the kids home for homework (it was too late for Lyn to make it to Activity Day), while Margie stayed at the theatre for a board meeting.
On Thursday, it was Dan's turn to stay out, as he attended a production meeting for The Art of Murder, which he will be co-designing and building the set for in the fall. He stayed at the theatre to help build the set for It Runs in the Family.
On Friday, Dan and John attended the stake father-son campout. John ate half a burger bun and a whole hot dog bun. "Well," he says, "I like buns." Someone brought nerf guns, and he had fun playing with them with the other boys. "I also ate a cookie, two strawberries, and about an eighth of a watermelon."
"Then," he says, "I also ate four little slices at night."
There were two campfires, so there were two prayers at the end of the day. They didn't stay and camp, though, since we don't have a tent--and instead came home to sleep in their own beds.
While John and Dan were off bonding with other men, Lyn and Margie had their own little girls night out. They went to IHOP for their strawberry festival. They shared an order of stuffed french toast and pancakes smothered in strawberries and whipped cream--it was yummy!
Saturday morning, John and Dan headed back to the campsite for a pancake breakfast, John kicked a soccer ball around, too, and had a marshmallow fight with the marshmallow guns someone had brought. He also liked to attack (pop) the bubbles that someone was blowing.
While the boys were gone, Margie headed out for bike ride (Lyn's old enough to stay home a little bit by herself now!) and got her first flat tire ever! Luckily she was only about a mile away from home AND Dan had come home by the time she called for help.
After the bike ride, Lyn and Margie headed to Pirate's Cove to cool off from the hot sun. They thought it opened at 10am, and got there about 10:30am--but it didn't open until 11am! So they headed to a nearby playground where Lyn played and they waited for the time to pass.
At 11 o'clock they headed back to the pool and took their first swim of the season! Actually, only Lyn did (and she really swam!)--it was a little too cold for Mom, so she just sat on the edge of the pool soaking her feet.
Unfortunately, they couldn't stay long because Margie had to get back for Oliver rehearsal.
Saturday's rehearsal was again a little disappointing--the only other cast member there was her stage husband, with whom she is singing a duet.
After rehearsal, Margie went to her favorite car wash and then stopped at the Apple store to drool over an iPhone.
That night, Margie went out to dinner with some friends. It was a long day!
Today we actually made it to church on time. Woo hoo! Margie substitute taught Relief Society for a friend--something she loves to do (and it was a great topic--read about it here). Lyn said the closing prayer in Primary.
Dan spent the day at the bi-annual Bug Out. This year he chose to compete in the slalom only (and not the drag race), and he came in third place. Good job!
And that brings us to the end of the day. We don't have any big plans for tomorrow--just relaxing together as a family.
Have a great holiday!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Well, Mother's Day is over, so it's back to the old grind--no rest for the weary!
This week, Margie's life was overtaken by tech week (called "hell week" for a reason). The end result, however, was a very successful weekend of One Acts. We got rave reviews and are excited to take our first place winner to the regional competition next week.
Margie also stayed busy by helping out in John's classroom with the worms for two more days. The first day we studied and compared habitat preferences. Did the worms prefer soil or sand? Soil. Did they prefer dry or moist soil? Moist. The second day, we performed some measurements. The longest worm was 11 inches! (Although that's nothing compared to the world record. The largest worm ever recorded was 11 FEET long!) After we measured them we released them into the wild so they can benefit all the plants around the school.
In Lyn's classroom, they are learning about butterflies. They started with caterpillars, watched them spin their cocoons, and now there are some real butterflies in their classroom habitat. Lyn says it's not much of a habitat--just two cardboard circles with netting around them and two sponges filled with sugar water. But they seem to be thriving.
On Saturday, in addition to the play, Dan and Lyn had the opportunity to attend a church Daddy-Daughter Dinner. It was a carnival theme. When they walked in the door, there was a big painted backdop with a piano bench in front of it. They sat on the bench and got their picture taken.
Next to the bench was a woman with a jar of candy--they had to guess how many pieces were in it. Some lucky couple won the whole jar!
When they walked in the door, they saw some tables with supplies and a bounce house. They decorated frames for their pictures (which they got copies of at church this morning), and then they had dinner. For dinner there was hot dogs (which Lyn couldn't eat) and pasta salad and carrots and nachos with cheese. There was also cotton candy freshly made onsite in the cotton candy machine! On the table was popcorn and Old Dominion root beer (one of Dan's favorites!).
They also had fun playing games like "horse" racing, ring toss, and bean bag tic tac toe. They even had a bounce house, INSIDE the church, as well as a clown making balloon animals and flowers.
There was even a donut eating contest where a pair of two people had to eat donuts off a string without using their hands, as well as a water squirt game, neither of which Dan and Lyn participated in because they didn't want to get too messy before Dan had to head to the theatre for closing night.
For each of the games, people won tickets, which they could redeem for all sorts of prizes. Unfortunately, Lyn had to leave before ticket time, but she still managed to make it home with a giant pixie stick, a ring sucker, a little animal toy, stickers, and a bubble making ice cream cone.
They had a great time!
After the big party, Dan dropped Lyn off with the sitter (John was already with her) and headed over to the theatre for closing night. After strike, Dan and Margie tried to find the closing night party, but couldn't find it in the dark and pouring down rain, so we just came home.
Today was church, of course, then Margie and Lyn had choir practice. After that, they headed over to our favorite summertime hangout, Pohick Bay (aka Pirate's Cove), to pick up pre-season discounted passes. This year we got "golden" passes, which are good at all regional parks--we're going to have a fun summer exploring!
Oh, and we certainly can't forget the most important thing that happened this week--a new addition to our family!
On Tuesday Margie arrived home late from rehearsal to find a cute little sea otter had taken up residence (a belated Mother's Day present from her mom via the World Wildlife Fund). She fell in love with him instantly and has named him Bernie (for no apparent reason other than it just seems like it should be his name). Look for Bernie's own adventures coming soon!
Well, that's it for the Remmers family. Hope you all had a great week and are looking forward to summer--it's just around the corner! :o)
This week, Margie's life was overtaken by tech week (called "hell week" for a reason). The end result, however, was a very successful weekend of One Acts. We got rave reviews and are excited to take our first place winner to the regional competition next week.
Margie also stayed busy by helping out in John's classroom with the worms for two more days. The first day we studied and compared habitat preferences. Did the worms prefer soil or sand? Soil. Did they prefer dry or moist soil? Moist. The second day, we performed some measurements. The longest worm was 11 inches! (Although that's nothing compared to the world record. The largest worm ever recorded was 11 FEET long!) After we measured them we released them into the wild so they can benefit all the plants around the school.
In Lyn's classroom, they are learning about butterflies. They started with caterpillars, watched them spin their cocoons, and now there are some real butterflies in their classroom habitat. Lyn says it's not much of a habitat--just two cardboard circles with netting around them and two sponges filled with sugar water. But they seem to be thriving.
On Saturday, in addition to the play, Dan and Lyn had the opportunity to attend a church Daddy-Daughter Dinner. It was a carnival theme. When they walked in the door, there was a big painted backdop with a piano bench in front of it. They sat on the bench and got their picture taken.
Next to the bench was a woman with a jar of candy--they had to guess how many pieces were in it. Some lucky couple won the whole jar!
When they walked in the door, they saw some tables with supplies and a bounce house. They decorated frames for their pictures (which they got copies of at church this morning), and then they had dinner. For dinner there was hot dogs (which Lyn couldn't eat) and pasta salad and carrots and nachos with cheese. There was also cotton candy freshly made onsite in the cotton candy machine! On the table was popcorn and Old Dominion root beer (one of Dan's favorites!).
They also had fun playing games like "horse" racing, ring toss, and bean bag tic tac toe. They even had a bounce house, INSIDE the church, as well as a clown making balloon animals and flowers.
There was even a donut eating contest where a pair of two people had to eat donuts off a string without using their hands, as well as a water squirt game, neither of which Dan and Lyn participated in because they didn't want to get too messy before Dan had to head to the theatre for closing night.
For each of the games, people won tickets, which they could redeem for all sorts of prizes. Unfortunately, Lyn had to leave before ticket time, but she still managed to make it home with a giant pixie stick, a ring sucker, a little animal toy, stickers, and a bubble making ice cream cone.
They had a great time!
After the big party, Dan dropped Lyn off with the sitter (John was already with her) and headed over to the theatre for closing night. After strike, Dan and Margie tried to find the closing night party, but couldn't find it in the dark and pouring down rain, so we just came home.
Today was church, of course, then Margie and Lyn had choir practice. After that, they headed over to our favorite summertime hangout, Pohick Bay (aka Pirate's Cove), to pick up pre-season discounted passes. This year we got "golden" passes, which are good at all regional parks--we're going to have a fun summer exploring!
Oh, and we certainly can't forget the most important thing that happened this week--a new addition to our family!
On Tuesday Margie arrived home late from rehearsal to find a cute little sea otter had taken up residence (a belated Mother's Day present from her mom via the World Wildlife Fund). She fell in love with him instantly and has named him Bernie (for no apparent reason other than it just seems like it should be his name). Look for Bernie's own adventures coming soon!
Well, that's it for the Remmers family. Hope you all had a great week and are looking forward to summer--it's just around the corner! :o)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Ok, I think I have this working now...
Yes, it's Mother's Day, and Daddy has to do EVERYTHING while Margie gets to sit still and bark orders. (Oops, I guess she'll read this, so I better be on my best behavior.)
The week started normal: One-acts rehearsal on Monday, Lyn's piano lesson on Tuesday.
Wednesday, after Lyn's ballet class, we went to a new Indian Restaurant in Old Town called Raw Silk. Margie met the owners because they live in the neighborhood. Margie will post a review on dcfud.com. We will let you know when it has been posted. It was the best Indian food that Dan has ever had (but it's not like I've been to lots of them anyway).
On Thursday, Margie had a church meeting while Dan, Lyn, and John went to see a musical. Margie's co-worker from her SoftMed days, Amy, has a daughter, Hanna, who is in middle school. She played Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. Hanna did an excellent job, and has a beautiful singing voice.
On Friday, Margie fulfilled a promise from last year and helped John's teacher, Mrs. Miller, with the science lesson on worms. To return to more pleasant things, Margie had a 'girls night out' that night. They went to see The Soloist. Margie says it was very good.
On Saturday, Margie went out biking in the morning. It was the first time in about a week, because it's been raining for a while. Dan spent most of the day putting front rotors and pads on the Scion. For dinner, there was a pot luck at church. The theme was "a taste of home", so we brought perogies with fried onions. Those were so popular that we had none to bring home afterwards.
While Margie went to church and relaxed the rest of the day, Dan was run ragged with all the work he did on Sunday:
1) made bread
2) cleaned up the kitchen
3) picked roses for Margie
4) made sandwiches for the kids
5) went to LTA to help with strike for Gross Indecency
6) relaxed briefly by watching the Spanish Grand Prix (Go Jensen!)
7) mowed the lawn
8) changed oil in the Scion
9) put new rear brake shoes on the Scion
10) helped Lyn make dinner
11) wrote this long-winded blog
Whew!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
As usual, we all had a busy week. The weeknights were filled with One Act rehearsals, piano lessons, and ballet.
On Thursday, however, we had a bit of excitement as Lyn had an eye doctor appointment and got her first pair of glasses! She is thrilled to "finally" be able to see things far away and can't wait to try them out at school (though we ordered them on Thursday, we didn't pick them up until Saturday).
Here's what she looks like:
A pretty girl even with glasses! :o)
On Friday, Dan and Margie had their cavities filled (Dan was much worse off than Margie and took forever).
Also, we had someone come give us an estimate on replacing all our windows. Because of the stimulus package, we can get a huge discount if we act fast and get them before June 1. We better hurry!
On Friday night, Margie went to a friend's wedding shower. He married a lovely Brazilian girl over a year ago and it has taken this long to get her into the United States. Sheesh! Well, now she's here, so he doesn't have to make the trip once a month to go see her.
On Saturday, John went to a bowling birthday party! It was fun! They got to bowl, eat pizza, and go to the arcade. John wants you to know that, "I beat Haugen (the birthday boy). Madeline didn't try. And there was only one person who was not in my class."
Also on Saturday we picked up Lyn's glasses. It was just in time, because that night we headed to Aunt Debbie's art show at the Lorton Workhouse.
The workhouse is a visual and performing arts studio space converted from a former prison--in fact, according to their website:
The Women’s Division is known for having held approximately 168 women, most from the National Women's Party, for picketing in front of the White House for women’s voting rights. Lucy Burns, who, along with Alice Paul, founded the National Women’s Party, was one of the women incarcerated in the Women’s Division of the Workhouse.
We had fun visiting Aunt Debbie's studio and seeing her new artwork, as well as the work of dozens of other artists. And the snacks were yummy, too!
On Sunday, Lyn and Margie went to Stake Conference and left the boys at home. (John's still a little too young to make it worth attending.)
In the afternoon, Margie met with a friend's daughter, who has been cast as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof and needed some guidance with her acting and singing. She is doing a great job and only needed a few tweaks--a good thing, since they open in only four days!
Lyn wants you to know that they had a great time playing with my friend on the DS's while I was with her daughter.
Well, that's it for our week. Hope everyone is doing well. Happy May!
On Thursday, however, we had a bit of excitement as Lyn had an eye doctor appointment and got her first pair of glasses! She is thrilled to "finally" be able to see things far away and can't wait to try them out at school (though we ordered them on Thursday, we didn't pick them up until Saturday).
Here's what she looks like:
On Friday, Dan and Margie had their cavities filled (Dan was much worse off than Margie and took forever).
Also, we had someone come give us an estimate on replacing all our windows. Because of the stimulus package, we can get a huge discount if we act fast and get them before June 1. We better hurry!
On Friday night, Margie went to a friend's wedding shower. He married a lovely Brazilian girl over a year ago and it has taken this long to get her into the United States. Sheesh! Well, now she's here, so he doesn't have to make the trip once a month to go see her.
On Saturday, John went to a bowling birthday party! It was fun! They got to bowl, eat pizza, and go to the arcade. John wants you to know that, "I beat Haugen (the birthday boy). Madeline didn't try. And there was only one person who was not in my class."
Also on Saturday we picked up Lyn's glasses. It was just in time, because that night we headed to Aunt Debbie's art show at the Lorton Workhouse.
The workhouse is a visual and performing arts studio space converted from a former prison--in fact, according to their website:
The Women’s Division is known for having held approximately 168 women, most from the National Women's Party, for picketing in front of the White House for women’s voting rights. Lucy Burns, who, along with Alice Paul, founded the National Women’s Party, was one of the women incarcerated in the Women’s Division of the Workhouse.
We had fun visiting Aunt Debbie's studio and seeing her new artwork, as well as the work of dozens of other artists. And the snacks were yummy, too!
On Sunday, Lyn and Margie went to Stake Conference and left the boys at home. (John's still a little too young to make it worth attending.)
In the afternoon, Margie met with a friend's daughter, who has been cast as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof and needed some guidance with her acting and singing. She is doing a great job and only needed a few tweaks--a good thing, since they open in only four days!
Lyn wants you to know that they had a great time playing with my friend on the DS's while I was with her daughter.
Well, that's it for our week. Hope everyone is doing well. Happy May!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Well, it was a busy week and weekend here at the Remmers' house again. Here's the scoop:
On Monday we had our ducts cleaned--yeah! Less dust for Margie to clean and for John to sneeze at. Monday night Margie also had rehearsal for the One Acts.
On Tuesday, we had our first contractor come to do a walk through so he can prepare an estimate for our home remodeling--very exciting! Also on Tuesday, the whole family went to see the dentist. It was the first real "exam" that the kids had had and guess what? No cavities! The dentist said, "Whatever you're doing--keep doing it!"
Unfortunately, the grown ups weren't as lucky. Both Dan and Margie have cavities that they need to have filled.
Also on Tuesday, Lyn had piano and Margie had rehearsal.
On Wednesday, Lyn had ballet and Margie had a Board meeting for The Little Theatre of Alexandria.
On Thursday, Margie found out that she was cast in Oliver! as Mrs. Shrewsberry, the undertaker's wife. This is not one of the roles she wanted and was disappointed because she thought there was no song. However, a friend informed her that a very funny song was added to the revival of the musical, "That's Your Funeral." So it might not be too bad. Margie's mom said, "I don't think much of [the song] but I know you will make it memorable and a hit." We'll see! :o)
Also on Thursday we had two of our carpets cleaned. We took the opportunity to rearrange some furniture. We're still getting used to it, but we like it so far!
On Friday, the second remodeling contrator stopped by--this is getting so exciting. That night, we all went to Spring Basket Bingo at the kid's school. John got Bingo on one of the rounds and won a basket full of legos! He was soooo excited--we wished we had a brought our camera so we could have filmed him jumping up and down! As it was, we had to wait and take pictures when we got home.
By the way, if you are looking at the picture of the Bingo card and thinking to yourself, "Hey, that's not a bingo!," let me explain.
Every other round was a "special" round--you had to make a special design on your card in order to win. John won the "diamond" round.
On Saturday, Margie decided to go for a bike ride at Burke Lake. It was so beautiful (Lyn says, "Hot!"), that she suggested that Dan and the kids come play at the park at the same time. Though Burke Lake is lovely, Margie did not enjoy the ride--too many people, too many potholes and tree roots. And as Lyn said, it was hot!
Still, it was fun to get out together as a family.
Saturday night, Margie went to dinner and a birthday party with a friend.
On Sunday, Dan competed in the first race of the Washington DC region autocross series. He won first place! And last place, too...you see, he was the only one in his class.
Margie headed to LTA for the annual budget meeting, and here we are.
We hope you had a great week and are enjoying the spring sunshine!
On Monday we had our ducts cleaned--yeah! Less dust for Margie to clean and for John to sneeze at. Monday night Margie also had rehearsal for the One Acts.
On Tuesday, we had our first contractor come to do a walk through so he can prepare an estimate for our home remodeling--very exciting! Also on Tuesday, the whole family went to see the dentist. It was the first real "exam" that the kids had had and guess what? No cavities! The dentist said, "Whatever you're doing--keep doing it!"
Unfortunately, the grown ups weren't as lucky. Both Dan and Margie have cavities that they need to have filled.
Also on Tuesday, Lyn had piano and Margie had rehearsal.
On Wednesday, Lyn had ballet and Margie had a Board meeting for The Little Theatre of Alexandria.
On Thursday, Margie found out that she was cast in Oliver! as Mrs. Shrewsberry, the undertaker's wife. This is not one of the roles she wanted and was disappointed because she thought there was no song. However, a friend informed her that a very funny song was added to the revival of the musical, "That's Your Funeral." So it might not be too bad. Margie's mom said, "I don't think much of [the song] but I know you will make it memorable and a hit." We'll see! :o)
Also on Thursday we had two of our carpets cleaned. We took the opportunity to rearrange some furniture. We're still getting used to it, but we like it so far!
On Friday, the second remodeling contrator stopped by--this is getting so exciting. That night, we all went to Spring Basket Bingo at the kid's school. John got Bingo on one of the rounds and won a basket full of legos! He was soooo excited--we wished we had a brought our camera so we could have filmed him jumping up and down! As it was, we had to wait and take pictures when we got home.
By the way, if you are looking at the picture of the Bingo card and thinking to yourself, "Hey, that's not a bingo!," let me explain.
Every other round was a "special" round--you had to make a special design on your card in order to win. John won the "diamond" round.
On Saturday, Margie decided to go for a bike ride at Burke Lake. It was so beautiful (Lyn says, "Hot!"), that she suggested that Dan and the kids come play at the park at the same time. Though Burke Lake is lovely, Margie did not enjoy the ride--too many people, too many potholes and tree roots. And as Lyn said, it was hot!
Still, it was fun to get out together as a family.
Saturday night, Margie went to dinner and a birthday party with a friend.
On Sunday, Dan competed in the first race of the Washington DC region autocross series. He won first place! And last place, too...you see, he was the only one in his class.
Margie headed to LTA for the annual budget meeting, and here we are.
We hope you had a great week and are enjoying the spring sunshine!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
This Week at The Remmers
Well, we're back from Spring Break and back into the swing of things.
Margie is back at rehearsals for the One Act festival, which she is producing.
Lyn had piano on Tuesday as usual, plus ballet and Activity Day on Wednesday.
The members of the chess club that are going to the tournament are still meeting on Thursdays, but since John is only an alternate, he won't be joining them yet.
Friday was pajama day at school--the kids had fun getting up and going straight to school without even putting any clothes on!
After the kids left for school, Margie headed down to the river for a 10 mile bike ride--the weather was beautiful, and the scenery was gorgeous.
Now heading into the weekend...
Some time ago, Margie was asked to put together a musical number for a women's conference at church. She and a friend chose to sing the duet "For Good" from the musical Wicked.
Friday night they got together to practice, and Saturday morning they performed as part of the program and luncheon. People later told them they had gotten "chills" from the performance. It was fun to get to sing a secular song at a church event!
The conference also included a showing of the following very funny and poignant movie about Visiting Teaching. Visiting Teaching is a program in our church that provides for "every woman to be visited in her home and to receive instruction, fellowship, and needed assistance from fellow sisters." As you'll see from the video, we don't always take it as seriously as we should--the movie was a good reminder!
Saturday night, Dan and Margie went to opening night of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde at LTA. It was VERY good, but very deep and intense--not light entertainment! We HIGHLY recommend it, though, especially if you have a passion for civil rights.
The opening night party was sold out, so we didn't get to attend and headed instead to Applebee's after the show for a little snack. Dan ordered a coconut milkshake, which was surprisingly amazing. If you like coconut, be sure to get one the next time you are there.
Special thanks to Gene and Cecile (Dan's dad and his wife) for babysitting so that we could spend a little time away together! The kids had fun with Opa and Grandma Ceci making crafts and feasting on a "midnight" snack of bread and apricot jam (which, John says, "Tasted surprisingly like cake!").
This morning we accidentally slept in and missed church--oops! Well, we had fun hanging out in our pajamas.
Lyn has spent most of the weekend working hard on her monthly school project--this time she was learning about rivers around world. For her special focus, she picked the Yellow River in China--known as "China's Pride" (because it was the birthplace of chinese civilization) and "China's Sorrow" (because of its frequent flooding).
Margie headed out to McLean this afternoon to audition for Oliver. She sang a portion of "Goodbye, Emil" from Romance/Romance and it went very well. In fact, since due to the One Acts she is unable to attend the callbacks this week, they had her stay and sing and read for "The Widow Corney," which is exactly the part she was trying out for. We should have the results in our post next week!
Well, that's it for us. We hope you are doing well!
Margie is back at rehearsals for the One Act festival, which she is producing.
Lyn had piano on Tuesday as usual, plus ballet and Activity Day on Wednesday.
The members of the chess club that are going to the tournament are still meeting on Thursdays, but since John is only an alternate, he won't be joining them yet.
Friday was pajama day at school--the kids had fun getting up and going straight to school without even putting any clothes on!
After the kids left for school, Margie headed down to the river for a 10 mile bike ride--the weather was beautiful, and the scenery was gorgeous.
Now heading into the weekend...
Some time ago, Margie was asked to put together a musical number for a women's conference at church. She and a friend chose to sing the duet "For Good" from the musical Wicked.
Friday night they got together to practice, and Saturday morning they performed as part of the program and luncheon. People later told them they had gotten "chills" from the performance. It was fun to get to sing a secular song at a church event!
The conference also included a showing of the following very funny and poignant movie about Visiting Teaching. Visiting Teaching is a program in our church that provides for "every woman to be visited in her home and to receive instruction, fellowship, and needed assistance from fellow sisters." As you'll see from the video, we don't always take it as seriously as we should--the movie was a good reminder!
Saturday night, Dan and Margie went to opening night of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde at LTA. It was VERY good, but very deep and intense--not light entertainment! We HIGHLY recommend it, though, especially if you have a passion for civil rights.
The opening night party was sold out, so we didn't get to attend and headed instead to Applebee's after the show for a little snack. Dan ordered a coconut milkshake, which was surprisingly amazing. If you like coconut, be sure to get one the next time you are there.
Special thanks to Gene and Cecile (Dan's dad and his wife) for babysitting so that we could spend a little time away together! The kids had fun with Opa and Grandma Ceci making crafts and feasting on a "midnight" snack of bread and apricot jam (which, John says, "Tasted surprisingly like cake!").
This morning we accidentally slept in and missed church--oops! Well, we had fun hanging out in our pajamas.
Lyn has spent most of the weekend working hard on her monthly school project--this time she was learning about rivers around world. For her special focus, she picked the Yellow River in China--known as "China's Pride" (because it was the birthplace of chinese civilization) and "China's Sorrow" (because of its frequent flooding).
Margie headed out to McLean this afternoon to audition for Oliver. She sang a portion of "Goodbye, Emil" from Romance/Romance and it went very well. In fact, since due to the One Acts she is unable to attend the callbacks this week, they had her stay and sing and read for "The Widow Corney," which is exactly the part she was trying out for. We should have the results in our post next week!
Well, that's it for us. We hope you are doing well!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
We hope all is well with everyone! We had an exciting week--Spring Break in Florida and a sunny Easter in Virginia! Here's the scoop:
We headed to Florida last Sunday. We hoped to leave at 6am, but left around 8 instead. Consequently, we didn't arrive in Florida until around 10pm. The drive down was uneventful, but we were pooped!
We settled in at Dan's grandparent's former home in Palm Coast and met up with Nancy (Dan's mom) on Monday. She moved there two years ago and this was the first time we'd been able to come and see her and her new house.
After a tour of her lovely, well-designed abode, we headed to the beach. It was the only day that it was going to be hot, so it was the best choice for our beach day.
Even though it was windy, we had a great time.
We went home, swam a little in Baba's (that's Nancy's Ukrainian nickname) pool, then got cleaned up and headed out for dinner. Our first plan was to eat at a little vegan cafe that Nancy had discovered, but they were closed. Next, we tried a Japanese restaurant that Nancy had suggested, but they were closed, too! We ended up at Thai by Thai, which was delicious--we weren't the slightest bit disappointed that it was our third choice!
On Tuesday, we decided to just relax and hang out around the house. Though it was a little chilly, Lyn and Margie still braved the pool, and Lyn and John had fun in Baba's play room watching videos. John also discovered the joys of some classic card games--War, Old Maid, and Crazy Eights! For dinner, Nancy prepared an interesting mix of Italian and Asian cuisine--a tortellini stir fry. It was yummy! After dinner Nancy treated us to ice cream at Bruster's. Double yum!
On Wednesday, it was still chilly, so we decided to find another indoor activity--this time we headed to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona. Our first stop was, of course, the cars (it was Daytona, after all). From there we moved to the Coca-Cola exhibit (the maker of the famous Coca-Cola bottle was a famous racecar owner), then a teddy bear exhibit popped into view. We even saw a teddy bear worth a quarter of a million dollars! Next was the train exhibit and we got to see inside a few luxury train cars--now that's riding in style. That was followed by an old time drug store and soda fountain. FINALLY, we headed to the hands on children's science museum.
The kids had fun playing a laser harp, building gravity tubes, turning gears, pulling a rope to demonstrate air pressure...
making pretend pizza, building electric circuits, building a race car, and pulling themselves up on a pulley system...
Dan even got into the act and built a huge tower of blocks.
Here's a picture with Nancy, who's only 5'1", just to show how tall it really is!
We were so engrossed that we almost missed lunch! We had intended to eat at the Museum Cafe, but found to our dismay that the "cafe" was just a vending machine! I guess we're spoiled by the Smithsonian... :o)
Instead, we left the grounds and stopped in at Steak and Shake, which was really good. Never doubt that a family of vegetarians can eat a place with the word "steak" in it! The kids enjoyed macaroni and cheese, Margie had a mushroom sandwich, and we all had yummy half-price shakes!
At the restaurant we ran into another family that had been at the museum and they told us that the planetarium show was starting 3 o'clock. We RUSHED back, but we were too late. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Outside the museum was a little nature walk which we enjoyed before heading home for more time in the pool and a yummy dinner of spaghetti and Crazy Bread. Instead of coming back to the other house with us, Lyn stayed the night with Baba--it was a fun girl's night out (or in...)!
On Thursday, we had intended to have lunch with Dan's cousins in Gainesville, but that didn't work out, so, since we didn't have anywhere to go, Nancy made everyone a pancake brunch. (Lyn wants to make sure you know she watched Robin Hood in the morning before we got there and loved it!). After brunch, everyone but Dan went over to Beall's to do some shopping. John has outgrown all his pants, and we were in search of some more. Margie, who usually hates shopping, found that she loves Beall's! Not only did we find pants for John, but Margie also bought 4 dresses, one skirt, one pair of pants and a hat for herself! Lyn was also treated to a new outfit from Beall's that she loves and can't wait to wear to school tomorrow.
After our shopping expedition, Margie went on a beautiful 18 mile bike ride with Nancy's neighbor, Roger. Dan spent the day fixing things around the house, and Lyn and John spent the day hanging out with Baba. We finished off the evening with a pot pourri dinner--leftovers from everything we had had all week. Everyone got to choose their favorite!
We said goodbye and headed home Friday morning about 8:30am. Though on our side it was pretty smooth riding, there was a lot of traffic heading south--we were glad we were going the opposite direction!
Saturday we slept in and got things ready for Easter--including attending a choir practice with a potluck dinner--and here we are!
John, Margie, and Lyn got up early for choir. We discovered that the Easter Bunny had come and brought us lots of fun gifts in our easter baskets. John's favorite were the soft air darts. Lyn's favorite was the same thing. Margie loved her vegetarian Pop Tarts, and Dan will be enjoying his chocolate.
After church, we headed home for an Easter Egg hunt in the back yard! Since we don't really eat eggs, the kids leave empty plastic eggs for the Easter Bunny to fill and hide. Once they find them, we have double the fun opening them up to see what's inside.
This year, John got a DS cartridge in one of the eggs! Lyn's favorite was the Silly Putty.
Our Easter dinner was quick and easy, but it was delicious, too: Breaded "chicken" with gruyere and cranberries, rice pilaf, asparagus with dijon sauce, orange rolls, and pina colada to drink.
As soon as we finish this, we are going to have some yummy strawberry shortcake.
We hope your week and your Easter was as fun as ours!
We headed to Florida last Sunday. We hoped to leave at 6am, but left around 8 instead. Consequently, we didn't arrive in Florida until around 10pm. The drive down was uneventful, but we were pooped!
We settled in at Dan's grandparent's former home in Palm Coast and met up with Nancy (Dan's mom) on Monday. She moved there two years ago and this was the first time we'd been able to come and see her and her new house.
After a tour of her lovely, well-designed abode, we headed to the beach. It was the only day that it was going to be hot, so it was the best choice for our beach day.
Even though it was windy, we had a great time.
We went home, swam a little in Baba's (that's Nancy's Ukrainian nickname) pool, then got cleaned up and headed out for dinner. Our first plan was to eat at a little vegan cafe that Nancy had discovered, but they were closed. Next, we tried a Japanese restaurant that Nancy had suggested, but they were closed, too! We ended up at Thai by Thai, which was delicious--we weren't the slightest bit disappointed that it was our third choice!
On Tuesday, we decided to just relax and hang out around the house. Though it was a little chilly, Lyn and Margie still braved the pool, and Lyn and John had fun in Baba's play room watching videos. John also discovered the joys of some classic card games--War, Old Maid, and Crazy Eights! For dinner, Nancy prepared an interesting mix of Italian and Asian cuisine--a tortellini stir fry. It was yummy! After dinner Nancy treated us to ice cream at Bruster's. Double yum!
On Wednesday, it was still chilly, so we decided to find another indoor activity--this time we headed to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona. Our first stop was, of course, the cars (it was Daytona, after all). From there we moved to the Coca-Cola exhibit (the maker of the famous Coca-Cola bottle was a famous racecar owner), then a teddy bear exhibit popped into view. We even saw a teddy bear worth a quarter of a million dollars! Next was the train exhibit and we got to see inside a few luxury train cars--now that's riding in style. That was followed by an old time drug store and soda fountain. FINALLY, we headed to the hands on children's science museum.
The kids had fun playing a laser harp, building gravity tubes, turning gears, pulling a rope to demonstrate air pressure...
making pretend pizza, building electric circuits, building a race car, and pulling themselves up on a pulley system...
Dan even got into the act and built a huge tower of blocks.
Here's a picture with Nancy, who's only 5'1", just to show how tall it really is!
We were so engrossed that we almost missed lunch! We had intended to eat at the Museum Cafe, but found to our dismay that the "cafe" was just a vending machine! I guess we're spoiled by the Smithsonian... :o)
Instead, we left the grounds and stopped in at Steak and Shake, which was really good. Never doubt that a family of vegetarians can eat a place with the word "steak" in it! The kids enjoyed macaroni and cheese, Margie had a mushroom sandwich, and we all had yummy half-price shakes!
At the restaurant we ran into another family that had been at the museum and they told us that the planetarium show was starting 3 o'clock. We RUSHED back, but we were too late. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Outside the museum was a little nature walk which we enjoyed before heading home for more time in the pool and a yummy dinner of spaghetti and Crazy Bread. Instead of coming back to the other house with us, Lyn stayed the night with Baba--it was a fun girl's night out (or in...)!
On Thursday, we had intended to have lunch with Dan's cousins in Gainesville, but that didn't work out, so, since we didn't have anywhere to go, Nancy made everyone a pancake brunch. (Lyn wants to make sure you know she watched Robin Hood in the morning before we got there and loved it!). After brunch, everyone but Dan went over to Beall's to do some shopping. John has outgrown all his pants, and we were in search of some more. Margie, who usually hates shopping, found that she loves Beall's! Not only did we find pants for John, but Margie also bought 4 dresses, one skirt, one pair of pants and a hat for herself! Lyn was also treated to a new outfit from Beall's that she loves and can't wait to wear to school tomorrow.
After our shopping expedition, Margie went on a beautiful 18 mile bike ride with Nancy's neighbor, Roger. Dan spent the day fixing things around the house, and Lyn and John spent the day hanging out with Baba. We finished off the evening with a pot pourri dinner--leftovers from everything we had had all week. Everyone got to choose their favorite!
We said goodbye and headed home Friday morning about 8:30am. Though on our side it was pretty smooth riding, there was a lot of traffic heading south--we were glad we were going the opposite direction!
Saturday we slept in and got things ready for Easter--including attending a choir practice with a potluck dinner--and here we are!
John, Margie, and Lyn got up early for choir. We discovered that the Easter Bunny had come and brought us lots of fun gifts in our easter baskets. John's favorite were the soft air darts. Lyn's favorite was the same thing. Margie loved her vegetarian Pop Tarts, and Dan will be enjoying his chocolate.
After church, we headed home for an Easter Egg hunt in the back yard! Since we don't really eat eggs, the kids leave empty plastic eggs for the Easter Bunny to fill and hide. Once they find them, we have double the fun opening them up to see what's inside.
This year, John got a DS cartridge in one of the eggs! Lyn's favorite was the Silly Putty.
Our Easter dinner was quick and easy, but it was delicious, too: Breaded "chicken" with gruyere and cranberries, rice pilaf, asparagus with dijon sauce, orange rolls, and pina colada to drink.
As soon as we finish this, we are going to have some yummy strawberry shortcake.
We hope your week and your Easter was as fun as ours!
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