Bremers4′s Blog

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Gappy August 28, 2011

Filed under: Reagan — Chris & Jill Bremer @ 2:45 pm

Reagan lost her first tooth today!

It started with the first day of school last week, she bit into a Dorito chip during lunch and she noticed her tooth was loose.  It’s been working it’s way out ever since to end with a very painless and very happy out-coming!!  Chris tried to talk her into pulling her tooth last night but she was worried it would hurt too bad.  She’s so much like me!  When Zac has loose teeth, he works them looser until he finally pulls it himself.  Usually a bloody mess!  I could NEVER.  So tonight, the Tooth Fairy will pay us a visit and hopefully leave a golden dollar for the expectant fan!  (Yes, she’s a fan of the Tooth Fairy).  So her nickname is now Gappy and probably will be until her tooth grows in!

 

Almost time for school August 11, 2011

Filed under: Just Stuff,Reagan,Zachary — Chris & Jill Bremer @ 8:38 pm

The last week before school starts is coming to an end. My shopping trip tomorrow will involve some school lunch food items and after school snack items. Ugh! I am just not ready for school to start yet. I miss my lazy days of summer already.

This week I got both kids registered for school. Monday next will be the girls’ back to school night and Tuesday will be the boys’ orientation. He is in 6th grade. Wow! Like… where has the time gone?

This week Zac has been on the roade with Chris. Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Plus all the states in between. What a way to end the summer! Rea and I went to a free movie last night with the neighbors and enjoyed that a lot. She finished her 4th week of swim lessons today and has moved up to level 3. I believe we will sign her up for one lesson per week through the winter. She really seems to enjoy it. I wish I could find a passion for Zac. He just isn’t interested in anything.

Well, as I’m writing, I see a stack of 4 books staring at me. Need to pay them some attention.

 

Spring/Summer reads – not that thrilling really August 5, 2011

Filed under: Books — Chris & Jill Bremer @ 9:21 am

As far as reading goes, here is the list I’ve read since April.

I never did read that Steve Martin biography.  Although I still really want to.  Here’s what I chose instead, like it or not.

“Moonwalk” by Michael Jackson (read 4/18-4/20)

I picked this up because I had just seen ‘This Is It’, the video documentary of his rehearsals for his tour in July 2009.  He passed away late June 2009.  I did like the book, as far as biographies go, I think.  This is really the first one I’d read.  Which leads me into my next book:

(Read 4/21-5/21)

A friend of mine suggested this book as the best, non-sugar coated version of any of the biographies out there about MJ.  The author actually was requested by Michael many times throughout his life to cover certain events.  Whether or not the author worked for the publication doing the interview or coverage.  So that speaks highly of the author’s account.  In comparison, I found that Moonwalk was actually Michael’s personal, non-depricating view of situations he went through.  And it only went as far as the middle to late 80′s I think.  The 2nd book covers up until his death and was written with so many more facts and lots more outside opinions.  I left the books with a feeling of sorrow for a man no one understood.  He himself didn’t understand the world around him and therefore could not understand other’s perceptions of the things he did.  If you are interested at all in MJ’s life, I would suggest reading the 2nd book.  If you are not interested at all, you may ignore everything you have just read!  :)

*************

“Where She Went”  by Gayle Forman (read 5/22-5/26)

OMG! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!  Such a great follow-up to “If I Stay”.  I should’ve posted back in February about “If I Stay”.  I would suggest these two books to everyone who enjoys YA.  They are not about werewolves/vampires/angels/supernatural stuff.

Mia is a regular, albeit gifted, teenager who happens to get into a car accident with her family and becomes a type of spirit.  She can see everything but of course, no one can see/feel/hear her.  She is going nuts trying to figure out why she can’t move on to the next life or why she can’t go back to her body.  The entire book, If I Stay, is about her struggle being a spirit after the accident.  Helpless in that she can not figure out how to move beyond where she now finds herself.  The sequel, Where She Went, tells us what happened to Mia and those who surrounded her, her friends and family.

I cared so much about the characters of If I Stay, that when I finished the book, not knowing there would be a sequel, I was dying to know what happened to everyone.  I didn’t care if Mia lived or died.  I just wanted to know what happened.  Well, you do find out at the end of the 1st book what happened.  And the 2nd book continues on that path, a few years later.

SUCH a great read.  And not very long.  I finished both books very quickly because I was so drawn in.  XLNT writing and charater development.  Again… if you like YA… read these!!

* * * * *

“My Booky Wook” by Russell Brand (read 5/29-6/30)

Who knows what brings us to read the things we do??  I can’t remember why I picked this up.  But it’s a good book.  He is so very British and you can tell by the way he writes.  It was a bit hard to get through in that respect but he’s a great story teller and the story just happens to be his life.  He sure has went through a lot of crap to get where he is today.  You may not like him but after some of the bad blows he’s been dealt, he kinda deserves to sit up on his sober throne and revel in this luxuries.

“Booky Wook 2″ by Russell Brand (started 7/5 and still reading)

With lots going on this summer, I haven’t read as much as I have before.  We all stay up til we’re tired and I go right to sleep with no reading.  Again, this one is very British in lingo so it’s hard to make it smoothly through.  It’s been a month and I’m still not halfway through it yet.  I do like it.  Just not taking time to read every night.

I don’t even recall knowing much about him at all.  I mean, even though he was becoming famous, I had no idea who he was or where he came from when he hosted the VMA’s on Mtv a few years ago.  It’s so odd to know this guy was out there in front of my face but I never saw him.  I guess because I am watching Nick Jr/Sprout TV/Hub/Disney.  Not MTV and the like.

Anyway…  interesting guy.  He’s done some funny movies now.  Married Katy Perry.  Clean and Sober for at least 9 yrs now.  He can even sing very well, as evidenced by the band Infant Sorrow and the CD “Get Him To The Greek”, a strictly promotional CD for the movie of the same name.  It’s an excellent cd, if you like explicit, british, literal lyrics.  It’s pure fun and I smile and laugh every time I listen to it.

My review of these books is basically… if you want to learn about him, you will be able to sit through the “brititsh-ness” of the writing.  It’s not something I’d recommend for a casual read.

 

Short summer :( August 5, 2011

Filed under: Just Stuff — Chris & Jill Bremer @ 8:37 am

April 4 was my last post?!  Really??  Wow.  This has really slipped through the cracks.  I don’t even know all that has happened since April 4.

I last left you at the start of Spring Break.  Lord only remembers what all the girl and I did during that week.  We didn’t go out to see Tangled, but it was at the library for free.  So we checked it out and LOVED it!!! I bought it that very week.  And we watched it at least 3 times during that week.  VERY good, funny, musical movie.

Since my last post a few things have happened.  The kids, of course, got out of school for summer.  Funny thing is, the timing of this post puts them ready to start again in a week and a half!  Yep, starting school on the 17th.   We also had our roof and aluminum siding replaced.  We have also had the house painted to match the new vinyl siding (well, MY part of the painting isn’t done, but I hope to get it done….  soon?   LOL! yeah right!).  We’ve also painted the trim around windows and doors white and repainted the shutters and storm door from a very faded, dull burgandy to a lighter than we originally thought navy blue.  Chris has wanted navy blue for at least 4 years.

I was also ready to homeschool Zac in order to help eliminate some social issues he was having at school.  But at the last minute he decided he wanted to go to school.  Be around kids his own age.  “No offense, Mom” he says.  I am stressed thinking about the possible negative outcomes of this.  But I want to honor his choice to go to public school.

The only trip we were able to make this year was a two week jaunt up to my family in Wisconsin.  I SO want to live there.  It’s just beautiful.  And knowing my sister is right there makes it so special.  Plus, my neice Josie, who will be a year old in October, is there to.  About an hour away from the town my sis is in.  But I could have her at least once a month, for an entire weekend.  I’m sure of it.  She’s so awesome. I miss all my nephews dearly.  I miss not being there for them and having a close relationship with them.

Reagan is currently out with her daddy for an overnight job.  They will be back today in time for dinner.  This is only the 2nd time she’s gotten to ride with him and the 1st overnight of the year.  However, she won’t be able to go back out with him due to school starting soon.

We did have one accident here at home this summer.  Zac was doing a flip on the trampoline and he bashed his nose with his knee.  We’re still not positive it’s not broken, but he can breathe fine.  There is so much bruising.  But the Dr. office said they can’t get a good xray until swelling goes down.  So we’re waiting for that.  I hope the bruising clears up before school.

Here are a few pics from summer.

^ Sprinklers in the backyard ^

^Canal Days Festival. Zac didn’t really want to ride this but Reagan wanted too with him. ^

^Reagan at Toys R Us on her birthday^

^Rea, Josie and Grandma Deb at Grandma’s house in WI ^

^ Zac helping to mow the lawn in WI ^

^ I love this picture of Canaan and Reagan. Cousins rock! ^

^ Mt Olympus water park in the WI Dells. My sis took us with free passes she had ^

I have pictures of Zac’s bruised face but they are on my phone.  Hope over to my facebook page and you can see some of those.

With only 2 months for summer this year, time has really flown by.  So sad to see it ending so soon.  Hopefully we can make it through more snow days than we did last year and they can get out of school on time and have a longer summer.

 

 
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