How the mailbox broke.

The strangest thing happened a few weeks ago.  This HUGE storm rolled in during the evening.  Thunder and lighting were everywhere.  The wind was howling.  All of the sudden a bolt of lightening hit the manhole in front of our mailbox.  The lid went flying and out of the hole flew 10 squirrels.  9 of them landed in the trees in front of our house and made it out safe, but one hit the mailbox as he shot out and was seriously injured.  I ran outside to find the squirrel just lying there, barely breathing, next to our broken mailbox.  Now what???

Thankfully Mr. Quirk, the squirrel translator who can speak squirrel and English was in town.  (The Russian squirrel translator would have been no good to me.)  He ran over as fast as he could.  As Mr. Quirk was frantically talking to the larger of the 9 squirrels that landed in the tree I waited to see what was going on.  It turns out that these 10 squirrels are a family.  The dad, Cornelius Stanley Kurmothapop, as I later found out while helping him fill out papers at the squirrel hospital, and his wife (who's name I never caught in all the excitement) and 8 squirrel children.  Mr. Quirk instructed me to get Cornelius to the squirrel hospital immediately.  He looked up the address using "Squoogle" and gave it to me.  Thankfully it was just north from our house on Route 59.


When I got there I had never seen anything like it.  A hospital just for squirrels, run by squirrels.  The doctors in their white coats and nurses in their blue scrubs were just about the cutest thing I'd ever seen.  I quickly found out that they didn't like being called cute, after all they spent many years at Squirrel University training to be doctors and nurses.  I felt extremely sorry for offending them.

Turns out Cornelius sustained some minor internal bleeding injuries and a broken leg.  He had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days.  During that time his wife came to visit once or twice, but couldn't leave the children for that long.

Finally, Cornelius was able to return to his family.  He was just ecstatic to see everyone.  The children had a banner hanging on one the tree's saying, "Welcome Home Dad!"  Sadly Mr. Quirk was not able to attend the party because he was needed elsewhere.  Squirrel translators are in very high demand so he is never able to stay in one spot very often.  The party went on for a few hours, but then his wife shooed everyone away so Cornelius could get his rest.

I didn't see much of Cornelius and his family after this.  Living in our trees brought back some hard memories of times they'd like to forget so they moved on.  I'm not sure where they went, but I wish them the best of luck.

As I was told the story to Wyatt the other morning he wouldn't believe me.  Telling me this never happened and there is no such thing as a squirrel hospital.  I couldn't believe it!   How does he know?  Just because he's never met a squirrel translator doesn't mean they don't exist.  He tried to trip me up in my story testing my facts.  Asking me what the wife's name was (which as I said I never did get) and where Mr. Quirk is now.  Of course I have no clue where he is.  He moved on.  He's a busy squirrel and doesn't exactly have time to write.  I wish Wyatt could have met Cornelius and the gang.  I think he would have liked them.

P.S. Wyatt claims that the mailbox broke because he was racing his scooter down the driveway and ran into it.  Then he duct-taped the mailbox so his dad wouldn't notice it.  -----Likely story----

2020 Quarantine - email to the NAC Gurnee Congregation

Hello everyone. We sure do miss everyone!!  Here at the Cappert residence we are doing pretty good. Jason still goes to work 5 days a week, but he only has to work 9-6 so he’s home most evenings for dinners. Mom is working from home now so we get to see her a lot more. Cooking is a regular around here and even the kids are pitching in with that. Wyatt is getting pretty handy with the grill, Ben is a master pancake maker, Riley is the resident baker, and Collin is everyone’s sue chef. E-Learning is a bit of a challenge for everyone except Ben, but we’re starting to get the hang of it.  As for me, well I’ve been pretty busy too. I am still very active as a school board member on multiple committees. We are currently looking for a new principal for our elementary school and in the middle of contract negotiations. For our CubScouts we reach out every Thur night and have a virtual Den meeting.  I have also gotten back to my crocheting roots and am working on my 2nd blanket. Lastly, but never least, I truly enjoy our Sunday services with the family. We gather in the living room every Sunday and watch the service. I am so grateful to all our ministers still reaching out to us via YouTube services. It’s not the same, but grateful for what we can get. 

Overall our family is doing very well. We miss everyone and look forward to seeing you all very soon!

Love to all

The Cappert Family 

Why I'm starting Le-Vel Thrive

I'm going to let you in on a little secret -- I'm overweight. (shhh don't tell.  Some people haven't figured it out yet.  They think I'm just big boned.) I know - you're all thinking - "Erika!  Stop It!  When you stand sideways we can't even see you."  It's actually just camouflage.  I should really change my line of work to MAGICIAN.  Any who, now that the secret is out I'll go on.  (Phew!  Hard part's over!)  

What's going on with me?  I eat too much (and truth be told probably drink to much too), I have no energy, I'm tired all the time, I'm stressed out half the time, and not only do I eat too much, but I also eat like shit.  (she said a bad word)  I take my multi-vitamins everyday, but that barely does anything.  I've tried taking the individual vitamins, but I had to get a pill box to keep track of what to take when.  That was like another job.  (Although it did help with my energy level.)  We got a treadmill.  Had it for a year, used it twice, gave it to my mom.  (That was money well spent.)  Last fall I was walking 2-4 miles a few times a week.  That felt really good and I did notice a difference then too.  But then winter happened.  So now I'm back to ground zero with all my hibernation fat from the winter.  Lets start a new plan.

I'm a Facebooker ("SHUT UP! YOU ERIKA!" - yep me.  --  Ooohh two secrets in one blog.  Before you know it I'm going to be telling all you my bank account info, although it won't do you any good. )  My oldest friend, Bright, and I have recently reconnected because of FB.  (Not that she's old, I've just know her since Kindergarten I think)    She started selling this new product Thrive.  Posting on how great she feels, no more coffee, wakes up with energy, yada yada.  Wow - that sounds great.  Talk to Jason.  We decide to try it.

What do I want to get from this product?  Well, First of all I want to feel awake and not tired all the time.  I'm going to be such a better mom, wife, friend, and overall good person if I could just have more energy.  (At least that's my thought process.)  Get my body more balanced.  Have better skin.  And loose some weight.

What are my goals?  Eat better, start walking again, start moving around in general more often, and loose some weight.  I think that the last part will happen naturally IF the first items mentioned really do happen.

Now your up to speed.  I've ordered it, but it hasn't come yet.  Looking forward to trying something new.  Do I think that this is the answer to all my problems?  No.  I need to make many more changes than just adding this to my daily regiment, but the way I look at this is can't hurt might help.  They say it takes 8 weeks for your cells to rejuvenate so I'm going to try this for 2 months.  Yes I signed up as a promoter, but that's just because I can possibly get some stuff for free.  I didn't sign up as a promoter to hook all my friends and family into buying this so I can make some money.  All I want to do is change myself and if it really does work the way it's suppose to share my news with all of you.

Here's my plan:  I'll journal my journey here.  No lies.  No gimmicks.  Just honest results of how I feel once I start taking it.  If I'm still tired, groggy, and fat I'll let you know.

Le-Vel Thrive Info

Building on Fire

So I'm driving down the road today and LOTS of flames and black smoke are coming out of the smoke stack of a building. That didn't seem right. I drive by this building all the time. So I call 911. The 911 operator informed me that this is perfectly fine since it's a crematorium. Oops.

Map to Heaven

Text to Jason: I just had to draw a picture of you and I up in heaven with God so that when we die Collin will have a map to look at and then he’ll know where we are at.

Cub Scout Mother Son Camp Out - Just me and the kids....

Friday 5pm - Sunny and driving to Camp Crown.

Friday - Setting up the tents 80', humid, and sunny.

Friday Night - Inside the tent - No rain yet - mid 60's during the night.

SATURDAY EARLY EARLY MORNING - LET THE RAIN BEGIN.
Let me start this by saying I haven't camped since the 7th grade.  I've never found it intriguing or had any desire to do this, but now that Wyatt is in Cub Scouts I need to embrace my inner camper.  So for our first time I'm not going to pretend that we had a great time, but it was a great learning experience.  Now that I've had a few days I can write this with a smile.

So with that being said I've been trying to figure out the best way to write down the new things that I learned.  I think the best way to share this is to tell you each item that has stuck with me and how I learned it.

• Make time to pack.  I didn't really take this as serious as I should have.  Sure I took 2 hours to research the best tent for our family and bought flash lights a week ahead but when it came time to pack Jason packed for the family while I finished up working.  We tried to remember everything, but failed miserably.  
• Ex: We were suppose to bring our own plates, cups, bowls, and silverware.  What we showed up to camp with was a handful of plastic forks, knives, and red solo cups.  
• Ex: You will need more than 1 can of bug spray for 5 people.
• Ex: It's great when you buy flash lights and batteries ahead of time, but even better to pack them and not leave them at home.
• Ex: Cheap-o ponchos from the Dollar General are no substitute for actual rain gear when the weather man calls for rain.  When camping this should be taken more seriously than when you are at home protected inside by walls, windows, and a roof.

• Leave children under 5 at home for your first trip.  I love Collin and thought this would be a great experience for all of us to have, but I was wrong.  Children under 5, and this number could possible go up to 6, have no place on a rookie camping trip.  Save this adventure for your 2nd or 3rd time camping at least.  Trying to get everything organized and set up while keeping track of an active 3 year old is impossible.  1 hour into being at the camp site both Collin and Ben were covered head to toe in mud and sand.  Apparently on one of their excursions someone saw a "real life bear" and then had to run and slide down a hill to save themselves.  I question finding a "real life bear" in Trevor, WI, but who am I to question this really... I wasn't on the hike after all.
• How to cook outside.  Even more impressive to see this while it rains for an entire day.  (SIDE NOTE: When was the last time it rained for an entire day???)  

Saturday Morning - making food - "Rain Rain Go Away"

• The Dutch Oven Diva came Saturday morning at 7am to teach us how to cook in 10-12" cast iron pots over hot charcoals.  She can cook bread, bake a cake, fry bacon, and anything else you can do in the kitchen.  It was truly awesome learning how to do this.  

  

  Dutch Oven Diva

• How to bake muffins inside of orange peals over a camp fire. (These were absolutely delicious.  Blueberry muffins with a hint of orange)
• How to eat oatmeal out of a bag.
• How to keep a fire going in the rain so that you can cook while raining.

• The power of salt.  Not just for flavoring your food.  It also stops the burning on your face from the oils of a really hot jalapeño.  "Erika - How do you know this?"  Great question!  Let me share.  For one of the Dutch Oven Diva's recipes it called for 1 diced jalapeño.  In order to make the dish not so hot I cored the pepper and put the seeds to the side.  Collin came to watch and touched the seeds.  Then he put his hands all over his nose and mouth.  We go to the tent right after this and he starts screaming in pain.  All the sudden it dawns on me what happened.  For the next 45 minutes he is screaming crying.  We tried water on a towel to wipe it off, swishing his mouth with milk, wiping yogurt all over his face and nothing made a difference.  Finally this wonderful mom, who was on the trip but I don't know, came over and said, "You need salt."  She went and got some from the kitchen tent.  Came back and mixed the salt with Collin's saliva and wiped it all over the burning areas.  Within 2 minutes the burning stopped.  I cannot thank this women enough.  She was our angel.

  

  Kitchen Tents

• Have a camping bin prepared ahead of time.  Keep this in the garage ready for when you camp next.  Stock it with eating wear, flash lights, extra batteries, old towels, rain gear, matches, garbage bags, small rug(s) for your tent, a small broom and dust pan to keep your tent clean, a pocket knife, extra tent poles, extra tarps, etc...  We will be doing this for sure before our next camping trip.

So all in all we learned a lot and I will definitely do this again with the kids.  (Next time I'm watching

Ms. Joann making muffins in orange peals.

the weather report before I fully commit though.)  We were planning on camping from Friday evening and staying until bedtime on Saturday before we left.  We ended up leaving on Saturday by noon.  The kids were cold, wet, dirty, and begging to go home.  I have to through out a BIG THANK YOU to Ms. Joann who put this trip together for 40 mom's and their kids.  She did a wonderful job with everything and I wish the conditions would have better.  I take my hats off to all the mom's and kids who stayed until Sunday.  You guys are real troopers!  

Saturday Night Crew - Mid 40's during the night

Saturday Night Crew

Saturday Night Crew

My girls, Liz and Jackie, who stayed for the whole weekend.

Boobie Traps

Two nights ago Collin is tying pink ribbon all over the mud room.  "Collin it's time for dinner." The response I get it "Just a second mom I've got to finish making my boobie trap".  Ok - Whatever.

Finally finish dinner and everyone goes to the office.  Craft time - Riley has some project at school that she has to make a bunch of stuff to sell.  She leaves an open bottle of glue in the middle of the room on the floor.  Of course - You guessed it - Collin spills it and gets glue all over my floor.  "Ah, sorry mom"
Me: "Could you guys go play in the other room please"
Collin: "Come on Ben"
Ben: "Where are we going?"
Collin "To make a potion."
Ben "Ok" and they leave.

Enter Wyatt into kitchen "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING!!??!!"
Collin: "Making a volcano."
Wyatt: "Mom!! They have water and soap all over the kitchen table and freezer door."
Me: "Could you please go get a towel and wipe up the water.  I don't even want to go in there right now" as I'm hot gluing pictures to pencils for Riley's craft project at school.

Now it's bedtime.  I ask the kids to go downstairs and get in bed while I finish cleaning up the messes.  You know the usual - pouring wet soapy newspapers out of cups and throwing out the left over noodles from dinner because they have dish soap all over them.

While I'm doing this Riley and Wyatt are reading the littles the riot act downstairs.
"HOW COULD YOU DO ALL THAT!" "DON'T YOU KNOW THAT MOM IS JUST ONE PERSON TAKING CARE OF ALL 4 OF US!" yada yada yada.  I go downstairs.
Riley: "Mom, I'm sorry.  I'm just so frustrated with them."  I get it.
Goodnight Riley.
Goodnight Wyatt.
Me to Ben and Collin: "Boys, why do you do these things?"
Ben: "We're making traps to catch the leprechauns."
Me: "Really? I think that we are a little out of season for the leprechauns."
Collin: "Nope.  They're coming."
Me: "Ok.  Goodnight boys."

Jason gets home and I share the night events.  He's cracking up.  "I know this is going to start something but I have to leave a note."
NOTE: "I've disarmed all of your boobie traps.  HAHA - The Leprechauns." With pieces of ribbon and newspaper all around it left over from the boobie traps and volcano.

Morning - The note is read.
Wyatt informs the boys that their plan was flawed because you have to leave gold if you want to trap a leprechaun.  Riley asks me if I wrote the note.  I can honestly answer no.  I had to rewrite the note to show her it wasn't my handwriting.  Then it was dad.  Wyatt answers "no - go get my journal.  Dad's handwriting is in there and it's way messier."

Conclusion: IT HAD TO BE THE LEPRECHAUNS!