A year to catch up

Seriously I told myself a year ago I would update only once a month our family blog. A year later I can't believe how much I have missed blogging and telling our family stories. Well it's now set in my calendar to do a monthly blog in order to catch the world up on the happenings of the Luka familia. There's been alot that has happened in a year: - Carlita finished first grade. - Luke is fully potty trained ( since May 2013) - Karl just started a new job All other happenings this past year has been family trips to museums, to Oregon, to Sesame Place, to the library, and to numerous free family events in the area. I must say I am grateful and thankful to the wonderful friends and family we have. It's been a rough 2013 but the summer sunshine is helping me get out of a cloud. So that's it. A short posting of our years adventures. And now on more updates to share the world on the amazing and hilarious adventures of the Luka family.

Staying on top of things

So this blog was meant for me to let everyone in our lives know the happenings in the Luka family. As you all know this past year has been an adventure with renting, buying a house ,new job, new schools, and Househunters. I'm trying to be more on top of things but it has been hard. So I'm allowing myself to just let it be. Don't try to catch up to past events, just move on. If I get to tell the whole on this blog what's happening, then do it. Otherwise move on.

So here we are in Feb. 2012. Kids recovered from the travels to Oregon for thr holidays and parents got right back into the swing of things. For me, this is my crazy time with training and selection of new staff members. I'm off here and there to conferences and long weekends and nights from the kids. What I'm trying to do is take a day off each month so I can volunteer at Carlita's school and get things done at the house.

for Jan. I got to paint Carlita's gym and make a valentine bulletin board for her school. Very cute.vin Feb. I took time off for Luke's IEP meeting ( he gets speech therapy twice a week) and spent the day with the kids on their day off on President's day. Didn't realize how many Mondays these kids have off.

Karl has been a great home daddy, taking care of the house and kids. We have been lucky with little or no snow ( thought I miss it). Our basement windows finally got replaced and it feels so much warmer down there. We were also lucky to have my sister, brother in law, and niece come up to visit this pat weekend. Haven't seen them since Nov. My brother in law and Karl worked for 20 hours to install our dream of a media room in the basement. It was amazing to actually hear things in movies and watch movies on a big screen. We got a 8' screen, projector, surround sound ,and a new receiver. We are experiencing movies to a whole new level. So far, we've seen Tangled, Cars2, and Rio. Can't wait to go through all our movies!!! My not so little but heavy 32" tube tv got moved upstairs to our bedroom. I've had that since 1996 when I bought it on clearance at Walmart in Pittsburgh, PA and had to rent a pick up truck to get it into my apartment at Chatham College. It's been around the block for a while.

With all the kids together and the boys hard at work, we worn them out going to museums, summer camp fairs, and gymnastics. I love my niece and will be missing her 4th birthday party in March due to NASPA. Really can't miss these birthday parties! So much fun and they grow up too fast.

So there you have it. The month in review and the guilt is gone for not being always on top of it. It is hard to live up to expectations as a working mom. I don't know as much as I like what's going on at school. I don't communicate with all my friends like I want to and I don't work out like I want to. But it's still a wonderful live and I have wonderful friends and family. Thanks for the support and more luka family stories will be on their way.

Thanksgiving - Henry trip 2011

Usually every year we travel out to Henry, Il which is where's Karl's dad side of the family lives. Last year with the new job and everything happening we didn't travel out there. This year we decided to drive to the mid-west. Flying was too much especially since we were going out to Oregon for Xmas. We knew it would be a bit rough, but we thought we could do it now with the kids.

The adventure started very early on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. We were up and out by 4:30am. Unfortunately the kids woke up and stayed awake. so we got Dunkin' Donuts and were on our way. The plan was to stop in Columbus, OH and stay overnight at a hotel and then continue on. As we drove through the day, stopping twice at McDonald's, the kids fell asleep around Columbus, OH, and so I decided to keep driving. 4 hours later we were already past Indianapolis and only 3 hours away from our arrival point of Eureka, IL, so we kept on driving. We got to Farmer City to see Aunt Cindy and Uncle John. The kids were wired and I was worn out from all the driving (I drove most of the 14 hours). Karl got us to Aunt gwen's house and we all passed out once there.

The next days were spent resting and recovering from the one day travel. Still can't believe we did it in one day! We got to spend time with Grandma Joannie and Gwen's family. We went to the Coffee cup and the local thrift stores (got great deals on tacky Xmas sweaters). Carlita was in heaven with her cousin Hannah, playing all types of games and pretend plays. And there were no injuries this trip (last time we were here Carlita broke her arm!). We played games, went swimming at the local community center, and went to the Peoria Children's Museum (which was wonderful).

Thanksgiving was spent at Grandma Joannie's house. We had all the family there and all the traditions (i.e. ping pong tournament and football game). We started a new tradition of writing down our thanks on leaves and made a leaf garland for the fireplace. What great fun we had! The young cousins beat the "older" men (which included Karl) in the football game and Karl did not win the ping pong tournament (he's getting rusty!).

The next day we went to the Peoria Community Center and out for dinner. And then Sat. we left early to head back home. This time we stopped right in WV for the evening and finished our travels the next day. We were done with the one day marathon driving! We love visiting the Kalihers of Illinois and can't wait to go back again. 

Early Thanksgiving Celebration

We had a wonderful weekend of early celebration. My sister and her family came and surprised us with a visit. We also had our dear friends (and Carlita's godparents), Tara and Mike, with their baby Emma come visit. I thought why not have an early Thanksgiving feast  !! so I got a ham, sweet potatoes, and hawaiian bread (and soda) and started to cook. It was a great feast with friends around the table. The kids had a great weekend of fun. It's so nice to have Sofia and Carlita playing with each other. Luke follows along and tries to copy everything they do.

I finally feel like at home here. The house just seems to fit our lifestyle and our personalities. It just feels nature. We took a walk around the neighborhood and introduced my sister to many of the neighbors. It was then when I realized "I'm at home". Even though when I asked Carlita where she lives "Ray St", this is our home and where new memories are being created and made. I love our family and we are lucky to have great friends. What a year it has been.

Birthday Parties Galore

We are such lucky parents!! Not only did our kids were born during the most craziest time of year (for my work), they have birthdays one month apart. With all transitions of moving into our new house, new schools for the kids, and training at Temple, we decided that we would not have our usually backyard pool /house parties but instead do a combine birthday party for the kids at Pump it up (an indoor inflatable party place).

Luke's birthday came right in the beginning of my crazy training schedule. With no break between the weeks (and only two weeks at our new place) there was no formal party for Luke.  During the day we took the kids over to Pump it up for some fun and then back home we decorated the house fast and lucky for me my sister and niece, Sofia, came down to celebrate Luke turning 3. Of course his godmother, Samanta, was there and our new neighbors came over. Since Luke's birthday was on a Friday, we needed to come up with an idea to do something together - SESAME PLACE!!! So on Saturday off we all went to Sesame Place. Instantly we knew we would love this place and purchased season passes. We had a blast there! there's great rides for every age and a relaxing water park. We worn the kids out!!!!! It was just a great way to celebrate Luke's birthday. He even got to ride a roller-coaster for the first time. Amazing!!! Our littler boy is now 3 - what a journey it has been for him and our familia.



Luke's birthday


Next up: Carlita's birthday (Sept. 9th). This was the weekend we planned the big party at Pump it up. Everyone arrived for the fun double party - friends from Carlita's old school (Early Learning Center), family (Sandra and Sofai, Aunt Fran, and Samanta) my University of delaware friends, and neighborhood moms and kids from Newark, Landsberg, and Wilmington. What can I say? It was HUGE!! Over 30 parents and kids and what a blast they all had. It was a 2 hour party and it never slowed down. Lots of sliding and bouncing! Finally it was pizza time and the cake. I personally make the kids' cake this year. Since the theme was fairies and dragons, I made cupcakes with different color frosting and added some "pixie dust". I got flower shapes cupcake holders and purchased little fairy and dragon figurines to put on top of the cake. A blue river ran through the middle of the cake. Everyone was blown away by the cake - especially me since I had never done this before. Glad it all came out great!

After the party was done, it was nap time back at home. Once all kids were awake the massive gift opening process occurred. Wrapping paper was everywhere and the kids loved each present they got. That evening we made a grand dinner and served it out on our porch (that was the first time we got to use the porch like that!). O it was so much fun!!!

Everyone was in bed early because the next day we were heading to Sesame Place. Again loving those season passes. We got to ride all the rides and had a blast with the kids. No water rides this time but it didn't matter - it was FUN!!!! Then it was time for everyone to leave and the celebration for Carlita (who turned 6) and Luke (who turned 3) was over. We love our kids! they bring us tons of joy, happiness, craziness, and keep us humble! We love you Carlita and Luke.


Carlita's birthday

Halloween 2011 - the Incredibles

October came so fast this year. With everything going on, I wasn't able to work on our costumes until the weekend prior to Halloween. Lucky for me, the idea was simple - be the Incredibles! This was easily done by getting red long-sleeve sheets and red pants for each one of us (Karl ended up wearing black pants). then I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics to get the other materials like the black for the collar, orange for the belt, the masks, and felt for the logo (I used black felt with a sticky back to stick to the shirt - the other felt colors were glue gun on). the black gloves for the kids were a $1 from Target. So each costume came out to be roughly $10-15. (adults clothing cost me). My gloves were my prom gloves from the '90s (they always come in useful), and long black socks since I couldn't wear boots due to my broken toe. The hardest part of the costume (which wasn't that hard) was sewing on the black collars.

We looked great in our costumes and we went trick-n-treating in our new neighborhood with other kids we knew. We started at 6pm and ended by 7:30pm. the kids got a load of candy - 100 pieces which Luke ate more of it in one sitting. He was ready to fall over with a sugar high. Once we got back from the evening, Luke went to bed and the rest of us actually watched the Incredibles movie. It was a great way to end a wonderful night.

MACUHO Conference '11

It is conference season and MACUHO (Mid-Atlantic College and University Housing Officials) had its annual conference in Reading, PA. Over the years I have slowly gotten more involved in the organization. Since 2004 I have served on the programming committee, presented on various topics, and won awards here and there for my presentations. This past year I got more involved with planning the first ever Summer Summit and had a desire to serve on the executive board. MACUHO went through some strategic planning and we discovered we had a huge E.B. and needed to re-configure our organization. At this year's event the vote was casted and a new organization structure was put in place. As a result, I have been appointed to the first ever Director of Learning and Development position. I am very excited for this position and what I can contribute to MACUHO.

But the conference wasn't only about the restructuring of MACUHO. It had the best programs, keynote, and CIR (Consultant in Residence). We had a large number of CHO (Chief Housing Officers) presenting on great topics such as moving up in the field from their lenses, behavior care campus teams, and mold/bed bugs (I know not the most exciting stuff but it's an issue on campus and how you handle it dictates students' satisfaction). Our keynote was Matt Glowacski, who spoke on being happy and how to do that everyday. Our CIRs were Dr. Janet Walbert from Arcadia University, and Khadish Franklin, who both were excellent consultants to those at the conference. We had wonderful vendors who shared with us the newest products and how they can support our work. At night we had great events like mask making, henna tattoos, and palm readers. The last night we had "office olympics" hosted in the bar. But the highlight of the conference (I think) is the basket raffle. Every year baskets are donated by universities for a cause. This year's cause was Operation Smile. What a great cause and we raised over $2000 for it. I of course won something during the vendor raffle (a kindle and $100 supplies from Imprints!). NICE!!! So a basket I didn't win but others did. It's a great way to end a great conference and I'm looking forward to a great year in taking MACUHO to the next level.

A broken toe

Unbelievable! that's what you'll say after you read this post.

Last Wednesday I was getting the kids ready for bed and we were all in the bathroom. Kids sitting on the countertop, brushing teeth. The kids had their drinks, all in stainless shell bottles. For some reason Carlita's starting to roll off the countertop. As it fell, I tried to move my feet but wasn't fast enough since I was holding the kids on the countertops. And next thing I knew I was on the ground in pain. Carlita fell on me and she was crying. Luke was crying because everyone else was crying. It was just a hot mess. There was some blood and after 5 minutes of Carlita yelling "get up Mommy!!!" and me trying to figure out what happened, I finally got the kids to bed.


The next day I put a bandaid on the toe to attach it to the next as I thought it was just a bruise. Then I tried putting it into a shoe. OUCH!!! But I had a conference I was attending in Philly and I wasn't going to be stopped. So spent all day Thursday at a conference and when I got home I took my shoe and sock off and saw the different colors of my toe. hmm.... could it be broken? My lovely husband encouraged me to go to the doctors but I had one more day of the conference. So Friday back to the conference. Lucky Temple has a foot and ankle clinic near the Philadelphia Convention Center so I called and got an appointment in at noon.

It was a great clinic, and great service. I had a wonderful intern that x-rayed my foot. He didn't think much of the smoky areas of my toe but he consulted with the doctor and the doctor came in and told me I had not only one but two fractures in my toe. TWO!!!! And because he knew I was so active and was a trouble maker he was putting a stint on my toe AND a boot! for four weeks. Plus gave me medicine to avoid any inflection. And no working out! No running, nothing!!!! for four weeks. Really four weeks! Otherwise he was going to put a screw into my toe.  Did I want that? No Sir.

So I'm not allowed to be on my feet too much (really that won't stop me) and can't teach aerobics classes or run. That really ruined my plans this month for 5k and working out at MACUHO conference (this upcoming week). So beware of flying zippy cups - they might just take you down.

 my sexy boot

 my poor toe

the Culprit

July 15 - Moving day

After we settled on the house on June 22, we couldn't move right away into our new house. First, our rental lease went to July 15th. Second, Househunters was coming to film us (more on that in another post) and we couldn't move into the new home.  and third, we wanted to get some things done before we moved in.

So my sister and husband and baby surprised up by coming up the weekend of the settlement. They bought a Little Tykes house, bookshelves, and tools to help us get our yard under control. We spent the weekend weeding the heck of the back yard and front yard. Once finished, we can see how beautiful and spacious our yard is. The kids ran around, playing hide-n-seek, and we ate off our porch. Everything we imagined how we want to live in this house came true!

Fourth of July came and went (we simply went to my sister's for the weekend), HouseHunter filming (another post to come) and then finally Moving Day. We did spent these weeks working on the house. I had a family member come and help with a long project list. We went through our home inspection report and fixed as much as possible that wasn't done through settlement. We fixed up all the electrical outside and in the basement (that we should had them fixed since they had installed it poorly and it was a safety hazard). We fixed holes here and there and made a long list of more projects to get done.

For Moving day, we were so luck to have Sandra and her family come up again and our friends Steve and Alfred, and our real estate agent, Tiffany her her fiance Craig, come help us move from Elbow Lane, PA to Boothby Drive, Delaware. We rented a truck (which only came out to be $200) and the loading began. Lucky everything was already in the garage since we have been living simple and within two hours we were ready for the trip to our new home. Lunch time and the unloading began. That box goes there and that one goes there. Wow, there's a lot of binder boxes here. O I forgot I had this - put it in.... After 3 hours it was done. We were moved in!!! Crib was set up, our bed was set up, and we were in our new home!

Thanks everyone who helped with this move and helping us start our new journey as homeowners.

New schools for everyone

Along with the purchase of our new home, we also started new schools for the kids. Luke is now attending Edgemoor Community Center, 2 minutes down the road from the house. Since we moved to our house in July Carlita and Luke attended there for a month before Carlita started kindergarden.

And yes our first born has started kindergarden. She is attending Las Americas Aspira Academy, a bilingual school back in Newark, DE. She could attend Mt. Pleasant Elementary, right next to Luke's school but we wanted her to have this experience. It is a new school and there's been some growing pains. Karl has to drop them all of and twice a week we have a sitter pick up the kids since I get home right at 6pm from work. Carlita stays in an after school program run by the Latin American Community Center (LACC). She really loves it and her teacher. 

The first day was rough for me, some tears. Carlita hated putting on an uniform but once she saw the other kids she loves wearing it. I did have to bride her with a Barbie (yes I bought her the only Barbie I even bought for her) but it was a special gift for her first day of school. Now she comes home every day and we review her "sight words" and talk about her day. It's amazing how big she is getting and how much she is learning. She can sign and dance in spanish and english.  

Check out this video and the pictures. I'm so proud of my kids but miss the baby-stage. O well life goes on

EDUCause conference

Right now I'm at EDUcause national conference here in Philly, PA. EDUcause is the leading association for higher edcuation IT professionals. From teaching and learning, to new technology such as clouding and mobile applications, this conference omly renewed and excited me on the potential technology has in enhancing deeper learning. Some of it was way over my head and other sessions were right on Key with my philosophy and approach with education. The opening session speaker was Seth Godin, the former CEO of Yahoo, Inc. he really challenged us to think differently of our impact on the future and our profession. We are artists and must create and have the freedom to do so. I now have a long list of books to read with Seth's books at the top. I was exposed to rising leaders such as Keith McIntosh, who talked about rising leaders and residing leaders. He talked about growing your staff, developing your staff, and loving your staff. This theme came on through other sessions such as one by Lydia Cureton, the CIO of NASA. She spoke of failing over and over. Take a risk and encourage your staff to do so.

Another great aspect of this conference was the exhibitors. I have never seen an exhibit hall like this one. I'll post pictures soon but eveything was 3d, technology everywhere, and great food. Almost every vendor was giving away an ipad (I never won). It was great to learn about new technology and systems. Almost overwhelming for my mind. I sepnt most of the conference reflecting and mulling on the impact of technology, not only in my work but in my life. It has opened new doors and concepts to me and has shown me really what is necessary to truly impact learning.

I don't know if I'll get another chance to attend EDUCause in the future, as it's not the typical conference student affairs professionals attend but I think everyone needs to attend a conference not directly related to their work. This allows you to be exposed to new thought processes and opens new possibilities. I surely got this and have new ideas and methods on how to achieve my goals and aspirations.

M.I.A.

As you may have noticed, we've haven't been writing blogs for agos. With the move into the home, summer training, new academic year, kindergarden, etc. The family blog fell off to the side. Life is hectic learning how to be home owners, getting our kids adjusted to their new schools, and managing all the craziness at work. I am re-committing myself to this blog and getting back on the ball with the prioritizes in my life.

So be prepare for a whole bunch of new posts to come to update everyone on our past three months of transition and our future.

A new house for the Kalihers

It finally came. Settlement day!!! Look I have to write a long blog about this experience but let's just say that the last month it has been non-stop with the broker and the loan company having to proof everything. Really just take my blood - it would be easier. First they needed proof of Karl's employment and every paystubs for the last three months. Next I had to document every deposit from the last three months. Then the loan went through a 2nd underwriter who wanted official bank statements with a signature and date from the bank demonstrating we had money in our account. All this pushed our settlement date back to Friday the 24th from Wednesday the 22nd. I had planned to take off the 22nd through the 24th which I'm glad I did.

On Wednesday had to go to the bank to get the statements and meet the broker. Then Wednesday night had to do more paperwork/signatures to update loan back to 4.5% from 4.35%. See, we were at 4.5% and would only have to have $9500 for closing. Then the APR went low and the loan company wanted us to have another $1000 for settlement (they gave us less of a credit!). Which meant waiting another week because we had to proof we had that extra money in our account (we didn't at Thursday but Friday with payday we did). I didn't want to do that so get back up to 4.5% so had to re-do paperwork and meet the broker on Thursday. Well at the settlement as we found out we got the 4.35% and got a return!!! All this drama for nothing!

Friday finally came and we met our agent, Tiffany, at the house for our final walk-through. As a ResLifer it was like a room inspection. We checked to see if all the work got done (it did) and I took lots of pictures and wrote down ideas of what to do with the house. Look the house is great and there really isn't much but I gotta make it my own.

Then off to lunch at BW3s and to the lawyer's office. Met with the sellers and their agents and the signature marathon started. I kept track of it all. After 40 minutes were up to 40 signatures then the sellers got to leave and it was us, the lawyer, and Tiffany signing away. Paperwork like we promise not to ask the loan company to take care of the appliances, a paper saying who we are, a paper saying we promise to pay the loan, a paper saying we're married, etc. After 85 signatures we were done!!!!! Homeowners!!

Really I felt a sign of relief to get through this process. We had the keys in hand and went home to get the kids to take them to the new house. They loved it! They ran around it and played on the playground.

It's done!!! We are finally started our next chapter of our life as community members and a family!!!

Father Day - June 2011

It was an eventful Father's Day for Karl this year. We spent Saturday at the pool and wore the kids out. Carlita is really into making and selling cupcakes (Cupcake selling) so the rest of the day was doing that.

Sunday the kids and I got up early and jumped on Karl to wake him up. They gave him their present - a painted plate. Very cute. Then as every other father did on Sunday morning we went to IHOP for breakfast. Very good. Then Karl and the kids went off blueberry picking at the UD campus while I got all the bags we needed for a surprise trip. I had purchased tickets to the Wilmington & Western Railroad from a Groupon special. They were having a Father's Day trip. So once they all returned we were off. Karl had no clue until we drove into the train station. The kids (and Karl) were very excited.

I was surprised to see how packed the train was. It seems alot of people were thinking like I. The train ride was 45 minutes to Mt. Cuba Meteor picnic area. We disembarked the train, and had a very nice picnic and then back on the train. Great fun!!!

Then we went to the Western Y pool to wear the kids out more and by 3pm they were passed out in the car driving home. Carlita spent the afternoon making crafts, Karl napped, and I BBQ'ed up some ribs and corn for the big papa. My gift to Karl was massages which he needs one so badly. I am lucky to have a great partner in life who loves being a father and is so caring and compassion. Love you Karl and Happy Father's day.

the Kaliher waterpark

Sometimes it's more fun making a "waterpark" in the backyard than going to one. We added some sprinklers to hang from the clothing line and a slip-n-slide and there you had it! Water fun in the backyard.

Cupcake selling

Carlita is really growing up. She learned all about Spending, sharing, and Saving from an Elmo DVD we got from PNCBank.  She got her banks set up but knew she needed to make money so why not have a cupcake sell outside our home. She was goign to raise funds for sick animals. We made over 36 cupcakes and that little girl sat outside with Karl all day and made no sales. Our street isn't really a place that gets tons of travel. Luckily the neighbors came over and gave her $10 for 4 cupcakes (really we expected a quarter). She was so excited for her first (and only sale). We'll keep trying to make a sale.

The tooth fairy visits

Carlita has had a loose tooth for over a month now. she's been working hard on getting it out. Over the weekend she took a bite out of an apple and it really got loose but we just couldn't get it out. So last night I looked at it and she was able to twist that tooth almost out so one simple pull and it was out!! 

She was so excited. We wrote a letter to the tooth Fairy asking that she return the tooth when she was done with it (for Mommy to keep). Carlita glitterfried the letter and the tooth went into a special box. She slept in her bed all night and this morning woke up to find a dollar bill in the box and a letter from the tooth fairy saying thank you for the tooth and once she checked it over she would be returning it. She also asked to come back! 

It's weird to see my baby growing up but all these moments are worth it!

Horse Lessons for Carlita

So we live on a street that is all about horses. Everyone has one. They walk the horses, instead of dogs. Every day Carlita pets a horse so knowing this is a unique moment of our lives, Carlita started horse lessons at the horse farm right next door to us. She really has enjoyed this experience and is learning alot about taking care of horses and how to ride. I'm not sure how long we can do this for (until we move) but for right now we are enjoying this experience.

Crazy Luka kids

Really our kids keep us very entertained! Carlita is really into watching Dancing with the Stars and Househunters, and Luke is into Chuggington, Thomas, and Cars. Carlita does alot of crafts, and Luke does alot of running around. They love the new pool out back of the house, and love riding around on their bikes. But most of all they love each other and making each other laugh. I hope you enjoy these pictures and video to showcase our crazy kids.

Strawberry Festival fun - first weekend of summer fun

For the first weekend in June, we went off to the Brandywine Strawberry Festival. All week we have been picking fresh strawberries at the Walnut Springs Farm, roughly 10 minutes form our house. they are delicious, and this is coming from someone who doesn't eat strawberries.  So to go to a festival about strawberries we just had to do it.

It took us roughly a hour but we got there. And we had a great time. the kids got to ride rides and bounce around. We took a tiny train ride and got to meet characters. And yes we ate strawberry shortcake. Spent most of the day there and drove home with sleeping babies in the back. Gotta love it.



On Sunday we went to church and Carlita got to see for the last time with the Little Lights at St. Thomas. They were so cute!!! I really enjoyed her being part of this group and the friendships we've made with fellow parents. After church we went off to visit Mike, Tara, and Emma at their new house in NJ. It was great to see them in their new place and for our kids to run around. After a great afternoon of catching up we headed back to Delaware. Just a great first weekend to the summer.