How lucky am I to have been loved by her? My grandma, Evelyn Hansen, passed away last week. She was 97 years old and, man. . . did she live every single second of those 35,000+ days. Growing up, my memories of her are filled with laughter, cooking, baking, gardening, card and game playing, and family meals. It’s been so amazing to have been able to get to know her for so long as an adult, because I’ve watched her embrace so many things I wouldn’t have realized otherwise. When my grandpa died almost 15 years ago, Grandma became the person I had only heard stories of. When she was a young, single woman living in Wausau, she decided to move to Milwaukee on her own. She worked hard and loved the big city and managed to save up $200 to buy a fur coat. (I remember that coat from childhood memories and I can see why she loved it so much. . . she looked gorgeous in it.) She started dating my grandpa and basically told him they were going to get married when he had leave from the military. She was a single mom for the first six months of my dad’s life until my grandpa’s active duty was done. That had to be so scary. . . but she just did it. She’s the one who did all the finances for the family. . . often there was talk of the cost of milk and bread at the dinner table. She knew how to stretch a dollar and if that meant knowing the exact price of every meal she cooked, that’s what she was going to do. She was tough. She was a woman of strong faith. . . in religion, and the Brewers. And one of my favorite things was watching her melt and smile and hold her great-grandkids.  I will miss everything about her. Her funeral was this weekend and we were able to be together to celebrate her and how much she means to us. Three sons, eight grandkids, 17 great-grandkids, and one great-great grandson. How lucky are we to have been loved by her?

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Read more of her blogs here. 

I’ve had lots of people ask me how I feel about Pat O’Neill leaving Magic 98. Well. . . before even thinking about the words he said to me about a month ago, my most overwhelming feeling was pride. To do what he’s doing at this stage of his career takes guts and I’m so stinkin’ proud of him for taking the leap. As we get closer to his last day, I’m more reminiscent. Pat’s the guy who hired a 26 year-old with no real radio experience. He had a gut feeling. . . and I kept calling him asking when he was gonna hire me. I’ve learned more from Pat in a career that I deeply love than anyone else. He made me work hard and asked for nothing less than my best. Don’t get me wrong, there are some days he makes me want to tear my hair out. He can drive me crazy. . . but overall this guy has my heart. He’s been so much more than a boss or a coworker. He’s been there for me through bad times, he’s been there for me through good times. I have always known he’s had my back. And now I have his, as he sets out on a new adventure. I will try to be his biggest cheerleader while secretly being sad that our time on the air together and at Magic 98 is over. You can’t repay someone for helping to shape who you are professionally and maybe even personally. . . but what I can do is keep doing my best for this radio station he helped create and cares so much for. That’s the least I can do. Gimme a ‘P’!  Gimme an ‘A’!  Gimme a ‘T’! 

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Read more of her blogs here. 

I have a six-year-old, a four-year-old and a two-month-old… and I did it. I signed myself up and I even showed up — to my first ballet class in 25 years. Dance was something I did for the first 18 years of my life and I loved it. When I went to college, I found myself standing outside of a dance class one day on my way to an art class I had to take as a prerequisite. I considered changing my major from Mass Communications to Dance for a second or two as I realized just how much I missed it. But, the next 20+ years happened and dance was not a part of it… until now. I saw a friend at a farmer’s market over the summer and she said she was back at it — she was even at Virginia Davis School of Dance where we started all those years ago. I wanted to start moving but the idea of going to the gym or on a run wasn’t appealing in the least… so I signed up. And now, every Saturday morning at 10, I’m at Virginia Davis. I’ve yet to get one routine correct and I’ve come to realize that humiliation and satisfaction can exist at the same time, but I love it. Ballet used to be cellular for me, but now I equate it to someone learning how to walk again. I can’t just do a glissade these days, I have to think about it step by step… slide foot out, kick it up, transfer weight… and so on. And don’t get me started on the flexibility factor. I find myself talking to my boys about practice, dedication, and being far from perfect at something you want to be good at. But I’m here to tell you that it’s worth it. Sooo worth it. I guess that would make my advice about doing something out of your comfort zone, be… DO IT!

Okay then… I’ve been back for three weeks now. My family has gotten back into a routine. Imogene goes to sleep somewhere around 6:00, and will give me a good four or five hours before she wakes up to eat again. And when she wakes up, she doesn’t cry. It’s the cutest thing… she just makes a few baby sounds and opens her eyes knowing someone will be there soon. The boys go upstairs at 7:00 to get in their PJs, brush teeth, read books and lights out. I crash soon thereafter with an alarm clock that goes off at 3:30 (but never really needing it, cuz I’m already up.) I sneak around the house… getting dressed, pumping, making coffee and heading out the door. I miss my mornings with my brood as they start out their day, but my husband, Marc, sends me pictures in the morning and I feel a little more included. We found the most beautiful, inside and out, woman to take care of Imogene during the mornings when I’m here. We feel so blessed that our daughter will grow up loving this woman and vice versa. We’ve got drop-offs and pick-ups and school events and karate and football and soccer and… I think I’m missing something… but it’s all taken in stride for the most part. Thank you for welcoming me back with open arms… you and I are probably managing about the same sort of household. It’s crazy!!!  Don’t ya just love it!!! I sure do.

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Read more of her blogs here.

It’s been six weeks that I’ve been able to say I have a daughter and it really has been a dream. And it started out that way even as we were checking in for her delivery. It was a 3:30AM alarm which was my same ol’ morning show alarm. We had a 5:00AM check-in and I was ready to roll. You’ll find this hard to believe, but I talked my nurse’s ear off until 7:00AM and she forgot to get the IVs ordered. By 7:30, we were up and running. My doctor wasn’t even in the building for the boys’ deliveries. But this time because it was scheduled, Dr. Weidel was my girl and since I love this woman, I was really happy about things. By 2:30PM, I had my epidural and soon thereafter they broke my water and the race was on. Crank the Pitocin and let’s meet this little lady. At 5:30PM, Dr. Weidel said I was ready to push, but she was still a little high. I gave her a half hour and the contractions were so intense that by 25 minutes… I let my nurse know that we should call the crew in because I may not have a say here pretty soon. I closed my eyes for a contraction and when I opened ‘em… everyone was there! My doctor knew it’d be quick but also knew new my husband, Marc, would be just the guy to jump at the chance to deliver his daughter. She asked, he geared up and with one push, we became parents to Ms. Imogene. It really was that glorious and that boring. Imogene’s a great sleeper and up until a week ago, didn’t really cry much. Now the car seat tends to throw her into some serious tears but, I still call her my heartsong. Little did I know she was always there in my heart waiting to become a part of our family. Thanks for all the notes and sweet thoughts… I’ll be soaking her up these next six weeks and will talk to you soon!

Read more of Lanette‘s blogs here.

This blog was to be posted after I became a mom of three. So… seeing that’s probably the case, you can bet on the fact that I haven’t gotten much sleep but am happy as heck to not be pregnant anymore. It was so hard to wait for this little girl but I’m thrilled to even have gotten the chance. The boys only wanted a sister so I’m glad I could come through for them on that one, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to do much more in the next few weeks. So, I’m taking three months away from Magic 98 because I know I’ll never get this kind of time with her again. My only disappointment is that everyone who has a newborn isn’t able to take the quality time they need away from a job outside of the home in order to physically and emotionally heal as well as start this relationship off the right way with their new little one. Someday, maybe we’ll get there, but right now it’s really tough to wrap my head around the fact that we as a nation don’t seem to value this. But… I digress. In my little world, I hope Imogene and I get into a good groove for breast feeding and I pray I learn quickly what she’s trying to communicate with me through her sweet and her angry cries. I can’t wait to share pictures of her with you and of our new family of five. Talk to you in October!

SUMMER!!! It’s not technically here until next week, but this weekend, the heat and humidity are a-comin’. Don’t hate me, but I love this weather. I like sitting in a chair on the deck with a popsicle in this weather. But I won’t be willingly running a 5K when the heat index makes it feel like it’s 104. I also like heading back into the air conditioning to cool down. I love a good cold shower to cool down after I’ve been outside for a little too long. And I’m a big fan of all the ceiling fans on high, pushing a little breeze onto everyone as they sleep. It’s summer. And it’s fantastic.

Some of my greatest childhood memories are from summertime.  The Wet Banana (the cheaper version of the Slip ‘n’ Slide), little plastic pools, badminton, and bike riding. Once you stop caring about the sweat dripping down your back, summer can be fun once again. Take a bottle of water wherever you go and don’t forget to enjoy it.  Because, after all, this is Wisconsin. Winter is never that far away.

The last few weeks of school, in my memory, were always filled with fun and excitement. Your schedule had nothing to do with math and everything to do with cleaning up the room and final memories with that teacher. But man … now I have an insane amount of appreciation for my mom, who managed to keep all of this stuff straight. There are field-trip permission trips, volunteering for field day, teacher gifts, final projects, and I know I’m missing a dozen or so things. It’s nuts to keep this all straight. And I’m not sure how teachers do it this time of year because between the heat and the lack of usual routine, these kiddos are a whole bunch of crazy!

Don’t get me wrong. I can’t wait to be at the hula-hoop station for field day next week, and Marc is going to chaperone the zoo field trip in a couple of days. But wow!

Here’s to you, mom and dad, for staying on it. Here’s to you teachers for doing amazing jobs. You should be very proud, because the kids are loving it, and that is when forever memories are made. (Flex in front of the mirror when you have a second, and then get yourself a generous glass of wine.)

We had a family wedding this past weekend. My brother and his family came in from Boston, and it was a great week together.  Lots of time with people we don’t always get to see, too! And with most hugs came the question: “So, how much time is left until baby is here?” I answered “eight weeks” every time, and by the time I got home, I was in full panic attack mode that we weren’t ready for Imogene to be here … in eight weeks!

I started clearing out the room that used to be Roman’s. The boys have been sharing a room for a few weeks now, but I hadn’t gotten most of the toys where they needed to be yet. But I did it. Holy moly, did I do it. The closet is now filled with washed and ready-to-wear little girl clothes, and the room now echoes, as it waits to be filled with the crib and a glider and all the other stuff that comes along with a newborn baby girl.

I believe they call this “nesting.”  Man, did I nest the heck outta that room.

It’s been the ultimate “do as I say, not as I do” week. Dealing with a cold is not what I had time for. Instead of getting the sleep and taking it easy that I tell my boys is best, I had a week with tons to do and lots of places to be. So I pulled my big-girl britches as high as I could (over this big ol’ pregnant belly) and got to work. Man, did it catch up with me yesterday. I know my voice didn’t not sound good on the air, so thank you for stickin’ with me.

I plan to lay low this weekend and let my voice rest. (Which will require me to not talk, and that’s nearly impossible, but I’ll do my best.) There is ginger lemon tea with honey in my near future and hopefully a non-animated movie as well.

I toast you if you’re dealing with a spring cold too. It’s the pits.