Spring in Wisconsin, March 2008

What follows is an email missive that I sent out on March 25, 2008, to family & friends.

Hi!

As most of you already know, the Kramer Poehlmann Family trip to Colorado to visit the Kristen (Kramer) Brynestads and Eric Kramers in Lafayette, Boulder, and Vail was canceled this week. Here’s a blow by blow of our Wisconsin experience this spring:

Friday, March 21:

• Kate takes a vacation day to pack up the family. That morning, she remains optimistic about the flight. This, in spite of heavy snowfall.
• By 11 am, Kate learns that Milwaukee’s General Mitchell Airport, Chicago O’Hare, and Chicago Midway are all closed.
• Kate spends the next two hours on the telephone with American Airline representatives trying to find a flight conducive to flying with a 4+year old and eighteen month old. She is unsuccessful.
• Ultimately, Kate opts to cancel the trip and receive a refund for the tickets (per American Airlines customer representative Virginia).
• Charlotte comes home from school with a fever.
• Neighbors bring macaroni and cheese and a lovely salad to console the forlorn Kramer Poehlmann.
• FOURTEEN inch snowfall places Winter 2008 the second heaviest snowfall in Milwaukee’s recorded history.

Saturday, March 22:

• Charlotte no longer has a fever.
• Kramer Poehlmanns go sledding on the big hill in neighboring Kleitsch Park with neighbors.
• Theo develops fever.

Sunday, March 23:

• Theo’s fever persists.
• Kate and Charlotte go to Evanston to visit the Rappaport Steins, meet brand new baby Liora, and play with two-year-old Aviva.
• Charlotte sleeps all the way home.

Monday, March 24:

• Kate takes Theo to doctor; doctor determines Theo’s ear infection persists and prescribes another antibiotic.
• Kate gives Theo first dose of antibiotic.
• Theo naps all afternoon.
• Kate and Charlotte go to the American Airlines desk at the airport to get refund.
• Charlotte naps on the way to the airport
• Burly Guys at ticket counter tell them no refund possible due to the ticket purchase through Orbitz
  Kate insists that American Airlines representative guaranteed refund
• Burly Guys shrug their shoulders
• Kate asks for someone with authority and is instructed to come back in thirty minutes to discuss with AA rep Bridget
• Kate and Charlotte dine at the airport. Charlotte says, “Mommy. You didn’t like those guys.” Mommy says, “No, Mommy was just unhappy with them.”
• Kate and Charlotte return to AA ticketing.
• Bridget unable to be present due to other pressing matters.
• Kate and Charlotte depart.
• As Kate and Charlotte leave parking structure, one of the burly guys calls Kate on her cell phone and announces that Bridget approves a full refund. He meets Kate curbside with all materials.
• Kate and Charlotte go home victorious. Charlotte says, “Mommy, calm down.” Mommy says, “You just saw a strong woman in action. You are going to be a strong woman, too.”
• Chris gives Theo second dose of antibiotic. Theo hurls (gag reflux) up antibiotic and dinner, all over floor and Charlotte’s feet.
• Everyone goes to bed tired.

Tuesday, March 25:

• Chris calls pediatrician to try another antibiotic.
• Kate goes to work.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

xoxo

Kate

—

ADDENDUM: November 2, 2009

I failed to mention that the entire living room ceiling / roof turned into a sieve earlier that March. Christopher was away at a conference or trade show, Charlotte was at her grandparents in Illinois, and I was home alone with baby Theo. Cami came up to the house to mind Theo while I frantically moved furniture, mopped the ceramic tile floor, and placed about 35 vessels in critical areas. It took DAYS before a roofer would even come to the house to look at the roof. Thus, forever more, we will recommend Hugo Terrazas of Quality Seal Roofing to anyone and everyone.

Cami’s Rules to Dine By

#1 Know the Restaurant

There’s a reason why “family restaurants” exist. They have balloons and crayons and coloring books and games and pop music and changing tables and high chairs and booster seats and plastic cups with straws and children’s menus. If you’re really, really lucky, they might have a liquor license and thus also cater to the parents. Family restaurants happily serve families and we encourage families to support them!

Fine dining establishments might (might!) have high chairs and they might (might!) have children’s meals available. Choose your restaurant to fit your dining needs.

#2 Please Remain Seated

Restaurants are not playgrounds. Period.

Climbing, crawling, jumping, running, stumbling, walking, wandering children are unbalanced obstacles over which patrons and servers can and do fall. Or spill hot soup. Or toss salad. Or break glass. Such children pose a real and present danger to themselves and others in a dining environment.

If children can’t remain seated throughout the dining experience, if they can’t sit still, they aren’t ready for going out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

And that’s O.K.. That’s why fast food chains and outdoor parks with play areas exist.

#3 Escort Service

Potty Breaks are NOT recess. To maintain a safe and enjoyable environment (see No. 2) and to safeguard children in a public place, escort children to the restroom/s.

#4 Ban Banquette Bouncing / Limit Lap Seating

Children who bounce on the banquettes – those long upholstered booths – or leap from one diner’s lap to another’s are destructive and disruptive. Respect the restaurant’s furniture and save the lap for dessert. (See Nos. 1 & 2)

#5 Exponential Tipping

The more disorderly, the more undisciplined, the more egregious the behavior, the more the tip should increase. Exponentially. Period. (See Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Afterword

Years ago, before we became a family, my husband and I would request “No Smoking / No Children” seating at restaurants. We didn’t begrudge a family’s night out, we just didn’t want to have our evening dominated by someone else’s family shenanigans.

Then we became a family and realized that sometimes we just needed to get out of the house at mealtime. We learned that sometimes kids just can’t handle dining out and sometimes kids just lose all control in public. Our appreciation for baby-sitters and for take home containers has grown over the years. We also became eternally grateful to “family restaurants” and those saints who work in them.

We hope that Cami’s Rules to Dine By, guidelines we developed at our friend Cami’s restaurant and that we repeat to our young children (even at the zoo!), increase your family’s dining pleasure and keep you welcome at your favorite restaurants.

Welcome

Why this site?

Well, I needed a place to put all of my stuff…projects (see Business of Art 101), cv (academic for resume / well, actually, abbreviation of latin, but . . . ), pictures (if I can figure out how to upload them), and general remarks that other folks call blogs but I call rants.

AND

I’d love to hear from any of you who take the time to check out the site!

All best, Kate