Celebrating Juliana's Birthday Part II

Every other year we spend Thanksgiving at my mom's. My brother Jaan comes to visit and we drive to Harmony's. And since Juliana's (and Paul's) birthday is so close to Thanksgiving, every other year she gets to celebrate twice. Once at home with her friends and family, then again at Harmony's. Juliana enjoys helping in the kitchen and she was happy when I told her she could decorate the cake herself (well, after she asked). I frosted it and she added the designs and sprinkles. Who ever thought that letting a child decorate a cake would make them so happy?

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There are very few mature trees in our neighborhood, so Juliana was excited to see leaves on the ground. Unfortunately, Harmony already raked her yard so we had to borrow some from the neighbors yard. She was very eager to rake them together and Andrew conveniently showed up afterward to play in the pile. That's a big brother for ya!
*The music is an homage to one of my all time favorite 80's movies...do you know it?

Celebrating Juliana's Birthday

Since Juliana's birthday is so close to Thanksgiving, we try to celebrate her birthday a little early. Though we have never tried, I would image the attendance would be pretty low if the party was the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year she turned six and she chose to invite a few friends over for a sleepover instead of a bunch of friends for a party. Her guests arrived Friday after school. After some pizza, they had birthday cupcakes and ice cream. They ended the night with popcorn and a movie before falling asleep.
The next day after lunch we all headed to the movie theater to see Bolt before taking everyone home. It was a really cute movie and a great choice for either boys or girls, which was a good thing since Juliana chose to invite two boys. And if you know Juliana, that shouldn't be too much of a surprise. She is definitely not a girly girl and I just hope she will meet some similar girl friends next year because I don't think we can get away with a co-ed sleepover for her next birthday. There is a certain awareness that happens around first grade...you know what I mean, when they become aware that "boys are dumb" or "girls are gross".

H-A-Double L-O-W-Double E-N Spells Halloween!

What does one do when both her children are off at school? Scrub the house spotless? Organize every space possible? NO! Make an elaborate Halloween costume! And watch the occasional Project Runway marathon. Here is the dress I have been working on, with most of it getting done in the 3 days prior to Halloween (that shouldn't be a surprise to those who really know me). I felt like a contestant on Project Runway! Especially when I was hemming it on Halloween morning in the back of the van in the parking lot of Cedar Hill Farm waiting for Juliana's bus to arrive for her field trip. It was complicated, but not hard and I really enjoyed seeing it come together. Just wearing it made me understand alot about that time period. You know how royalty would have ladies in waiting? Well, that would be because you physically can't lift your arms because of the design of the sleeves. And don't get me started on the waistline! Enough about my little projects...

Juliana was a witch and Andrew was just one of the many thousands of Clone Troopers shamelessly marketed to boys ages 5-10 this year.

The Heinze family joined us since they just moved into a new neighborhood. Can you guess which one is Andrew?If you said the one with no shoes on with the feet hanging inward about 6 inches above his real feet, you win!
Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

FYI: the title of the blog is actually part of a song I learned in second grade to teach us how to spell Halloween!

Another Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Juliana lost her second tooth. This time at lunch, at school. I missed it again!

At this rate, she should be all gums by Christmas!

Even More Golfing with Father and Sons

For Larry's (Paul's dad) 65th birthday, Tim (Paul's brother) gifted Larry a round of golf and invited Paul to join them. And thus, the competition for the title of "Ohrberg Family Champion" was born. Paul holds the current title with a score that will not be mentioned. From what I understand, all three were disappointed with their scores. I realize this is the third golf related blog entry in a row and some of you may be asking if anything else goes on at this house...I assure you there are other things happening. However, do expect at least one more entry...Paul has also gifted Larry with a round of golf for his birthday.

More Golfing and Camping in Wall Doxey

During Fall Break, Paul played in the Orgill Golf Scramble and when he got home that afternoon we headed to Wall Doxey for some camping. This was our first time camping completely solo (we had always joined the Cooks!) and it was still fun :) . We had reserved a spot in a different area with electricity, water and parking pads, but we have discovered we are campers who like to "rough it" and ended up camping back in the primitive area (although we did have water this time). Some friends came to visit us on Sunday and Paul and Bill rode the trail around the lake while Cyndy and I chatted as the kids played on the playground. The guys and kids also played some frisbee golf before joining us for dinner and s'mores. We forgot the camera (!) but I am including the kids visual interpretations of the trip!

Andrew's drawing

Juliana's drawing of the campsite

(It is funny to see how both of them drew a tree (with a hole in it) next to the tent. I know there was a tree nearby, but I couldn't tell you if it really did have a hole!)

Juliana's drawing of the playground

Golfing in Wisconsin

The last weekend in September, Paul and his Dad flew to Wisconsin to golf with some of his cousins. They got there just in time to go see the Cubs play the Brewers at Miller Park. Even though it was only a three day visit, they still managed to also get in two rounds of golf and visit with 7 of his 13 cousins. They have decided to make this an annual event, with the Koch crew coming to Memphis next year.

Miller Park in Milwaukee

Ohrberg Entomology

I just wanted to share some cool pictures of a praying mantis (the correct name is actually mantid) Juliana found. It started off with: "Mom! Come look at this cool bug I found!" (Juliana's definition of "cool bug": any bug including moths and flies) Needless to say, I was not in a hurry to follow her..."it is eating another bug!" I start walking a little faster (this REALLY does sound cool). She leads me to the front yard where I have some zinnias growing/dying (I haven't been deadheading--Laurin, don't tell Mark) and she points to this light brown praying mantid eating a moth (body only, not the wings). How she found this thing I have no idea. Of course she had to catch it and it was her pet for a few hours. We let it go at the same zinnia so it wouldn't be confused (if only the aliens would do that with humans! Yes, I'm joking). They have got to be one of the creepiest insects...anywho, enjoy!

It is almost as though it is saying: "Uh, do you mind? I'm trying to eat here!"

To Harmony's House We Go

We were able to visit Harmony once more before Thanksgiving. The kids love to visit her. Aside from getting to watch movies on the way there, she has woods behind her house, an abundance of bugs (in her yard!), visits from deer and rabbits and delicious Korean food! This was the first trip in the newly acquired van. It was quite a luxury compared to the Taurus. And to think, we would go camping with the Taurus!

Here is Juliana trying to catch a butterfly with a peanut butter jar because she was afraid to touch it. I did not think she would get it, but I thought it would make a cute picture. As I am standing there in the house with the camera (taking the picture through the screen), she manages to ...










...scoop it up!

Juliana with her catch . She was so proud of herself. And I was proud of myself --I can't believe I got pictures of the whole thing!

"Mommy, where do chestnuts come from?"

This is a chestnut on the tree my mom grew. From a chestnut. Yes, an actual chestnut. Yes, she actually grew an entire tree. She can grow anything. The outer shell is a virtual ball of needles. They eventually turn brown and fall to the ground and will split slightly. Inside you find the stuff you roast on an open fire.

Some bugs Juliana caught

The Tooth Fairy Visits Juliana

On Thursday (09/18), at the end of the school day, Juliana was walking to the car rider line to go home and her tooth came out. I wish it could have been just 5 minutes later so I could have witnessed it. I also missed Andrew's first tooth falling out (I was at the beach!). Oh well, I guess it will just give me something to add to those email surveys. I must admit, girls losing teeth just isn't the same as boys losing teeth. I don't know if it is because my oldest is a boy and boys with goofy grins with gaps seem almost natural, but there is something about little girls with gaps in their teeth that just doesn't look right. Maybe I'll get used to it before one of her top front teeth come out. BTW, she is going to be a witch for Halloween. The gap will be quite the costume enhancer!

8 is Great

For Andrew's birthday he invited two of his friends over for a sleepover and a trip to the skating rink. We brought his friends, John and Zion, home right after school on Friday and they ate pizza and played until Grammy and Papa and Uncle Tim and family joined us for cake and ice cream (and presents). John was not able to stay the night, but the boys managed to squeeze in a movie before John went home. On Saturday after lunch, John rejoined the gang and we took them skating. They had a great time skating, playing the games and redeeming tickets!

Hey Comcast, Look What You Can Get for $130.47

I thought I'd enlighten Comcast of what they have been withholding from my family for the last 7 months...

1. A week's worth of groceries


2. Before Hurricane Ike, 38 gallons of gas


3. 6.5 violin lessons


4. Soccer registration for 2 kids with $10.47 leftover


5. Almost 3 months of phone service


6. 15 piano lessons


7. 2 months of YMCA family memberships


8. Almost 2 months of utilities


9. 52 school lunches


10. And of course, 1 month of internet and cable service

Comcast Stole My Money

I never intended to use my blog for this purpose, but I am so frustrated and after doing some research, I read that Comcast actually has reps that check blogs for this kind of stuff. Let's see if it is true. Hope you are reading, Frank Eliason.

It all started in February (yes, as in 7 months ago) when I noticed Comcast charged me twice. I am set up for autopay and saw the charges via my Visa account online. Now, the weird thing is I was charged on 2 different days. I immediately became suspicious. First, I called Comcast and was told that they only had 1 payment showing. I offered to give her the reference numbers on my Visa bill and she told me that those don't mean anything to her. She really did not help simply because she only saw one payment. Next call, Chase. They saw the double charge, agreed with me that Comcast had made a mistake and advised me to file an e-dispute. I did so and my account was credited within 2 days. I was lovin' Chase! And I thought this was going to be a pain trying to get it resolved. Oh, if I had only known...


I check my bill for March--guess what? They charged me twice again! This time it was 1 charge, my normal amount doubled. What happened was this: when Chase filed a chargeback, it took out the only payment Comcast was showing. Therefore, (according to Comcast) I did not make a payment in February, so they charged me again for February and March. Now, keep in mind someone still has 130.00 of my money that I paid to Chase, that Comcast claims they never received. I have some experience in bookkeeping for a large home improvement retailer and I am somewhat familiar with this sort of thing. It's not called bookkeeping for nothing. I am failing to understand how somewhere on some report there is not a discrepancy.

Here is a timeline of what I notated that has happened since:

04/03/08: Went to the Germantown office. Presented Margaret Williams a letter from Chase verifying the charges and a copy of my statement (as per request from a previous call). Still optimistic this will settle things. I am so confident this will do it, I give her my only copies. I know, I know...it was foolish to think the customer service of a major company would be responsible. Margaret tells me she will send it to the research department and it may take a little while. Margaret calls about a week later and leaves a message that they are still working on it. I patiently wait...

06/16/08: Call Comcast. Speak to Erika. Spend at least 10 minutes explaining the whole story. She tells me she is going to email Margaret to give give me an update. Never heard from her.

08/20/08: Call Comcast. Speak to Claudia. Spend at least 12 minutes explaining (had to add the 06/06/08 call to the story). Claudia is going to email Erika to have her give me an update. Erika was out of the office at that time but she was working until 10:00 pm and would get back with me. Never heard from her either.

I must mention that during other calls to Comcast about service issues, I bring this up and am told they are "working on it" or "the research department is looking into it". And those of you who made it this far into my complaint may be wondering why I waited 2 months in between phone calls...well, for me it is draining to think someone has taken 130.00 of my family's hard earned money. I really have to prepare myself when I call. And honestly, I was giving them the benefit of the doubt. I did not think that money would never be returned to me. Sadly, after reading other complaints I realize companies can do this to people and they will and they do. I still expect to get my money mostly because I have faith that the right and true things always prevail.

I'm not going to bash Comcast (yet) because other than this problem I have not had any issues with them. Every time I call the customer service number the reps are very pleasant and helpful. There were a couple of times I planned on just chewing someone out so something would get done, but it is hard to be mean to a nice person.

Frank, if you are reading this I hope you can do what no other Comcast employee has yet to do: credit my account. And for everyone else, check your bill! Is it really possible I am the ONLY person this happened too?

To my regular readers, thanks for sticking with me. We'll see what happens.

I will leave you with a 7 month old riddle:

If I paid Chase and Chase paid Comcast but Comcast doesn't have my money, who does?

(I don't know the answer but I will post it if/when I find out)

Daddy Brings Back the Good Stuff

Normally when Paul goes out of town, he likes to get the kids a little something from where he was visiting. Not this time. He got them a BIG something. Once again we are conforming and now possess a playset. It sits on the only level area of our yard. The kids love it. I love it. It keeps them busy, oops, I mean active for hours on end. Paul added monkey bars on the other side which has sparked a new contest: Who Can Do the Monkey Bars the Most. Oh those monkey bars...it goes with out saying that my children have tied a rope (with a 5 gallon bucket attached, hanging) to one rung and stand in the bucket and swing. As though the two swings weren't enough. Andrew's first comment: "We should have gotten this like, 3 years ago!" Those kids are never satisfied!

The kids with their new playset

Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! (Cubs 101)

While Paul was in Chicago he managed to squeeze in a Cubs/Cardinals game. As I share these pictures, I have decided to educate those(including myself) with the Cubs essentials.















1. Wrigley Field

It is one of the oldest ballparks. The outfield wall is covered with ivy. They say that on some parts of the wall the ivy is up to 2 ft. thick. Paul tells me some balls gets lost in the ivy and aren't discovered until winter when the ivy dies. There is this whole story about a billy goat and curse... and they haven't won a World Series since then(supposedly) because of it. It is actually in the middle of a neighborhood and there are bleachers on the top of surrounding apartment buildings.





2. Wrigley
Field
Score
board


What's so special about this? That is exactly what I was asking. Well, this thing is manually operated. Paul tells me there is a man inside that physically changes the numbers. (Look real close under the second "A" in "NATIONAL" 4 squares down--there is the man!). When the Cubs win, they display the "W" flags on the lower electronic part of the board as seen the picture.



3. Jim Edmonds #15
This guy used to play for the Cardinals (the Cubs/Cardinals are one of the biggest rivalries in MLB) and now he plays for the Cubs. Evidentally, this is a big deal with Cub fans.




4. Harry Caray
This beloved Cubs announcer, with his trademark black frames is famous for his slightly lispy "Cubs win, Cubs win, Cubs win!" . Will Farrell did a great impression of him on SNL (back when he was part of the cast).

Paul also got a chance to eat lunch at The Billygoat restaurant. Believe it or not, he really did go to Chicago to work. You know what they say..."all work and no play..."

Another one of Juliana's Pets

Here are pictures of the (transformed) caterpillar Juliana found. Of course she wanted to keep it "as a pet", and I let her keep it in a jar for a couple of days. I did not take any pictures of the caterpillar stage, mostly because I did not intend on keeping it, so I am not sure what type of moth this is. Little did I know it was about to enter the chrysalis stage. Then I wanted to keep it. A few years ago, I found a chrysalis of a Viceroy butterfly (they are Monarch mimics) and I missed it's coming out by 10 minutes. I was hoping for a second chance to witness the emergence with this caterpillar. Well, I missed this one too. It happened during the night after about a week. The kids were pretty excited to find a moth that morning. Juliana reluctantly let it go after breakfast. She is currently looking for new pets.

We Have Assimilated

In case you see someone riding about Olive Branch in a blue minivan that looks exactly like me, do not be alarmed...no, it is not my nice twin...we have succumb to the demands of suburban living and bought a (used) minivan. It needed some minor repairs, but it was a great deal! Thanks to Vickie for finding it for us. The kids love it and we are enjoying the extra room. It is also the same color as the Taurus, so don't think I am in possession of a vehicle transforming ray gun. Trust me, I would have used it years ago. As for the Nissan, well, we are keeping it with hopes to surprise Andrew with a car on his 16th birthday. What 16 year old boy wouldn't love an antique Nissan Sentra?

The First Day of School

Both the kids started school today. Andrew is now in 2nd grade and Juliana is starting kindergarten. She was very comfortable and had no problems with going to school. We walked Andrew to his class first and Juliana then informed me that she "did not need me to walk her to her class"...I quickly responded with, "yes I do, I need to take your picture!" *FYI: Second grade boys DO NOT get their pictures taken by the classroom*

Juliana's first day of kindergarten

It Was Bound to Happen

Considering that both his parents are visually challenged, it is no wonder Andrew would need glasses. It really became apparent when we where at Disney pointing out things in the distance and Andrew told us he couldn't see them. Andrew got them on Tuesday, just in time for Meet the Teacher night at school. He currently sports the Sponge Bob Waterlogged frames with the glow-in-the-dark feature. Where were the cool frames when I was young?

Andrew with his new glasses

Who Needs Jellyfishing When You Have Dragonflying?

Every year, about this time, dragonfly mating season begins. In the years past, we have only noticed them swarming on the soccer fields. This year, they were in abundance---EVERYWHERE! Even in the new Target parking lot. We have never had them in our backyard before and the kids wanted to catch them (of course). They used genuine Ohrberg Dragonfly Catchers. Here's how to make one:

Supplies:

• 3 foot piece of scrap wood/moulding (Have you seen our garage?)
• wire hanger
• kitchen garbage bag
• duct tape (a must for all good inventions)

Take the hanger and straighten out the hook. Then bend the triangular section into a circle. Using duct tape, attach the straightened section onto the end of the scrap wood. Place the open trash bag around the circular section of the hanger. Position the open bag so that it can be folded over the hanger and back into the bag. Secure the bag by taping on the inside. You are ready to go. Don't forget your jar!

The kids "dragonflying"

Steady...steady...

Got one!

The victim, I mean specimen

*As for the reference to jellyfishing, if you are not aware of this term, ask any grade school child who watches Sponge Bob.

Time for a Round of..."Guess What This Is..."

If you said: a first molar of a 7 year old on a black binder, you are correct! While flossing, Andrew pulled one of his fillings out. It was refilled, but ended up abscessing about a week later. Apparently, abscesses can be very painful and life threatening (the infection can spread to your bloodstream), but we did not experience either. Pulling the tooth is standard procedure...good thing he has another one that will come in behind it (in about 2 years). Oddly, I also had a tooth pulled due to an abscess when I was young, but I wasn't so lucky. It was a permanent one and I have the gap in my teeth to prove it. Here is a picture of the tooth in its correct position...check out those roots!

Visiting Harmony

For those of you who don't know, Harmony is not some tranquil spa offering massages and yoga (although it would be a good name for one). "Harmony" is the closest english pronunciation for grandmother in Korean, therefore that is what my kids call my mom. Btw, my mom is Korean (just in case you did not know that either).

Harmony lives in Clarksville, Tn. and we try to visit her a couple of times a year. The kids love to eat Korean food with chopsticks on her little table (you sit on the floor to eat) and catch lightening bugs in her yard. A little FYI: the tree in the picture is a chestnut tree that she grew from an actual chestnut! She can grow anything!

The kids looking for lightening bugs in Harmony's backyard.

Cow Appreciation Day

After watching our friend Jamie perform in her drama camp play Sleeping Beauty (visit Packs blog for more pics), we headed to Chick-fil-A for some lunch. Since it was Cow Appreciation Day, anyone dressed like a cow from head to toe received a free meal. Any partial likenesses would receive a free entree. As you can see, only Juliana was in the full garb but they kindly gave all of us free meals. It was fun (and very busy) and provided another photo op to embarrass the kids later on in life.

The cows, I mean kids

Kelly (and gang) with us earning our free meals. Notice how Andrew is strategically behind Juliana?

Until Next Time

On Saturday, July 5th, the Choate family was able to spend a little more time with us. We started the day with some blueberry picking. Kelly and her kids joined us for a lunchtime cookout and for dessert the kids got to make their own sundaes (fresh blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for the adults). We concluded the day with one of our traditional get together activities...a game of Hand and Foot.

We wish the Choate family well on their new exciting and adventurous endeavour.

Blueberry picking with the Choates. Truth be known, it was originally

Joanna's idea to pick blueberries (maybe 4 ?) years ago. Thanks for introducing this (now annual) tradition to our family!

The kids making their own sundaes

Until next time, my dear friend ...

In a Pinch, Lowe's Will Do...

...just fine. Due to a misleading weather forecast, plans to go to the park to watch fireworks were scrapped. Instead, our good family friends, the Choates, joined us at our house for the traditional 4th of July meal, pizza. She-She and Hailey were able to join us too. In a last minute decision at 8:50 (since the thunderstorms never appeared), the Choate kids (minus Katherine) and the Ohrbergs headed to the Lowe's parking lot (insert music here) "to see what we could see" .

The view of the fireworks from the Lowe's parking lot

The Choate and Ohrberg kids watching the fireworks