Alicia has not even lost her first tooth yet and the second one is now loose. Very loose, almost as much as the first! They are the center teeth on the bottom. She'll be so cute without those teeth at the same time!!
I can't wait to take pictures.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Friday, September 15, 2006
How I hurt my thumb - or OUCH! THAT HURT!!!!!
I realized that in another post I referred to hating my thumb splint. I do hate it, but I haven't posted what happened to my thumb. Although all of my friends here know - and anyone who is nosy enough to ask, stranger or not - I haven't told a lot of people who don't see me regularly.
On July 26, I was playing with Reece and he was jumping around. He was singing, "I like to move it, move it, I like to move it, move it, I like to move it, move it, you like to.......MOVE IT!" This is a song from Madagascar, a really cute movie with a completely catchy song and dance. Anyhow, he was singing this song and jumping around and I was sitting down and kind of keeping my hands up in case he fell over because I did not want him to fall and hurt himself.
Did I mention that we were on the bed? Yeah, I was letting him jump on the bed. Bad mommy moment.
As luck would have it (bad luck, that is), he did fall. However, he did not fall off of the bed as I was worried about, but rather, directly onto my left thumb. It bent completely backward, touching the back of my hand before springing back into place when I pushed him off of it. There was a loud "POP!" and instant, mind-numbing pain. I knew immediately that it had been dislocated, if not broken. My first thought was not to make a big deal of it because I didn't want to scare the kids or make Reece feel badly.
That worked for about 5 seconds. Then the primal screaming started, a scream that came from deep down within, one that I could not control no matter how hard I tried. Oh, the pain in my thumb and hand!!! I was sobbing, crying hard, and holding my hand while rocking back and forth. I gave birth to two children without pain killers and that was nothing!! I handled that so much better than the absolute searing pain of my hand. Don't get me wrong, childbirth hurt very badly, so badly that I have no desire to go through it ever again. My hand, though, wow...it's right up there.
After about 10 minutes of solid screaming (not really, it was probably only about 2, but it felt like 30), I gained some semblance of control and began to check for movement. I knew that if it was still dislocated or broken, I would have to go to the ER and have it treated. I was able to move it, not without pain, but it was moving. I called Mike, who was at work, and asked what would be done for a dislocated thumb. Ice and Ibuprofen was the answer, which is exactly what I suspected. I didn't go to the ER. Mike was almost off of work, though, so he finished and came home a little bit early to take care of me.
I kept ice on it for the next few days and kept taking Ibuprofen. I managed to keep the swelling to a minimum and didn't really even bruise, which was a big surprise to me. About 2 1/2 weeks later, however, I had very limited range of motion and started to feel a tale-telling itch deep inside my palm. Fearing that I had actually broken something, I made an appointment with the doctor.
My appointment was oh, so fun. Not really, but wouldn't that be nice? My thumb was still very sensitive to touch; the slightest bump would send me through the roof. The doctor decided that yes, there was something else going on and proceeded to lecture me a bit. Not too much, though, because he would have been guilty of the same behavior. He sent me to X-ray. I then had my hand X-rayed in uncomfortable positions, the technician MOVING my poor thumb to get the angle she wanted.
The good news was, no fracture. The bad news was, there were torn ligaments. Guess which one would have healed faster? Here's a hint: it's not the ligaments. Now I wear a lovely, black thumb splint that goes half way down my forearm.
I lied; it isn't really lovely. It's actually rather ugly and gothic black, shiny in some places, itchy in others. It is stiff, hot, tight and all around uncomfortable. I wish it were pink or light blue, because then it would match more of my clothing. I think that they should give a choice, "Do you want the gothic black, or the preppy pink, blue and purple argyle patterned splint? Perhaps a nice Chanel signature splint in tasteful beige and tan? Oh, and we still have a few Burberry plaid splints, if that is more to your liking."
At any rate, that's the story of how I got my splint. Somebody asked me about it the other day and I told them that my little boy fell on my thumb, dislocating it and tearing some ligaments. After we walked away, my darling little cherub looked up at me with his big, luminous brown eyes and said with a quivering frown, "Mama...all I did was say, 'I want to move it, move it...' and I fell on your thumb." I think he was feeling a little bit bad and guilty about it so I told him, "I know, sweetie. It's okay. Mommy will be okay." And so I will...in a few more months.
On July 26, I was playing with Reece and he was jumping around. He was singing, "I like to move it, move it, I like to move it, move it, I like to move it, move it, you like to.......MOVE IT!" This is a song from Madagascar, a really cute movie with a completely catchy song and dance. Anyhow, he was singing this song and jumping around and I was sitting down and kind of keeping my hands up in case he fell over because I did not want him to fall and hurt himself.
Did I mention that we were on the bed? Yeah, I was letting him jump on the bed. Bad mommy moment.
As luck would have it (bad luck, that is), he did fall. However, he did not fall off of the bed as I was worried about, but rather, directly onto my left thumb. It bent completely backward, touching the back of my hand before springing back into place when I pushed him off of it. There was a loud "POP!" and instant, mind-numbing pain. I knew immediately that it had been dislocated, if not broken. My first thought was not to make a big deal of it because I didn't want to scare the kids or make Reece feel badly.
That worked for about 5 seconds. Then the primal screaming started, a scream that came from deep down within, one that I could not control no matter how hard I tried. Oh, the pain in my thumb and hand!!! I was sobbing, crying hard, and holding my hand while rocking back and forth. I gave birth to two children without pain killers and that was nothing!! I handled that so much better than the absolute searing pain of my hand. Don't get me wrong, childbirth hurt very badly, so badly that I have no desire to go through it ever again. My hand, though, wow...it's right up there.
After about 10 minutes of solid screaming (not really, it was probably only about 2, but it felt like 30), I gained some semblance of control and began to check for movement. I knew that if it was still dislocated or broken, I would have to go to the ER and have it treated. I was able to move it, not without pain, but it was moving. I called Mike, who was at work, and asked what would be done for a dislocated thumb. Ice and Ibuprofen was the answer, which is exactly what I suspected. I didn't go to the ER. Mike was almost off of work, though, so he finished and came home a little bit early to take care of me.
I kept ice on it for the next few days and kept taking Ibuprofen. I managed to keep the swelling to a minimum and didn't really even bruise, which was a big surprise to me. About 2 1/2 weeks later, however, I had very limited range of motion and started to feel a tale-telling itch deep inside my palm. Fearing that I had actually broken something, I made an appointment with the doctor.
My appointment was oh, so fun. Not really, but wouldn't that be nice? My thumb was still very sensitive to touch; the slightest bump would send me through the roof. The doctor decided that yes, there was something else going on and proceeded to lecture me a bit. Not too much, though, because he would have been guilty of the same behavior. He sent me to X-ray. I then had my hand X-rayed in uncomfortable positions, the technician MOVING my poor thumb to get the angle she wanted.
The good news was, no fracture. The bad news was, there were torn ligaments. Guess which one would have healed faster? Here's a hint: it's not the ligaments. Now I wear a lovely, black thumb splint that goes half way down my forearm.
I lied; it isn't really lovely. It's actually rather ugly and gothic black, shiny in some places, itchy in others. It is stiff, hot, tight and all around uncomfortable. I wish it were pink or light blue, because then it would match more of my clothing. I think that they should give a choice, "Do you want the gothic black, or the preppy pink, blue and purple argyle patterned splint? Perhaps a nice Chanel signature splint in tasteful beige and tan? Oh, and we still have a few Burberry plaid splints, if that is more to your liking."
At any rate, that's the story of how I got my splint. Somebody asked me about it the other day and I told them that my little boy fell on my thumb, dislocating it and tearing some ligaments. After we walked away, my darling little cherub looked up at me with his big, luminous brown eyes and said with a quivering frown, "Mama...all I did was say, 'I want to move it, move it...' and I fell on your thumb." I think he was feeling a little bit bad and guilty about it so I told him, "I know, sweetie. It's okay. Mommy will be okay." And so I will...in a few more months.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Alicia's first day of Kindergarten
Doesn't she look a little bit scared?
Just outside the door...
She went to her first day on Aug. 16, 2006. She is growing so quickly!!
She is really liking school so far. She says that she likes her old teachers better, but I think that's a matter of familiarity. She was with them for two years, so she would naturally be more attached to them.
It's a long day for a Kindergartener, starting at 8:15 and ending at 2:30. She is quickly adjusting to a new sleep schedule and is getting up early without too much fight. I'm having to adjust, too, because I'm a night owl and don't like to get up at 6:15.
Just outside the door...
She went to her first day on Aug. 16, 2006. She is growing so quickly!!
She is really liking school so far. She says that she likes her old teachers better, but I think that's a matter of familiarity. She was with them for two years, so she would naturally be more attached to them.
It's a long day for a Kindergartener, starting at 8:15 and ending at 2:30. She is quickly adjusting to a new sleep schedule and is getting up early without too much fight. I'm having to adjust, too, because I'm a night owl and don't like to get up at 6:15.
Loose Tooth!!
Alicia has her first loose tooth.
Let me make that a little clearer....
ALICIA HAS HER FIRST LOOSE TOOTH!!!!!
Yes, at the ripe old age of 5 3/4, she has a loose tooth, bottom front. I was in Kindergarten when I lost my first tooth. Now my baby girl will be in Kindergarten when she loses her first tooth. Ah, the circle of time.
She is very excited and plays with it constantly. I know that she is really looking forward to the payoff. She said she will put it under her pillow and the tooth fairy can bring her "pennies". Mike and I decided that the tooth fairy will dole out a buck a tooth.
My kids are making out far better than I did.
I'll update once she pulls it out. I don't expect that it will be long. She even ate a couple of apples this afternoon because she remembered my story of my first tooth coming out while I was eating an apple. What a smartie.
Let me make that a little clearer....
ALICIA HAS HER FIRST LOOSE TOOTH!!!!!
Yes, at the ripe old age of 5 3/4, she has a loose tooth, bottom front. I was in Kindergarten when I lost my first tooth. Now my baby girl will be in Kindergarten when she loses her first tooth. Ah, the circle of time.
She is very excited and plays with it constantly. I know that she is really looking forward to the payoff. She said she will put it under her pillow and the tooth fairy can bring her "pennies". Mike and I decided that the tooth fairy will dole out a buck a tooth.
My kids are making out far better than I did.
I'll update once she pulls it out. I don't expect that it will be long. She even ate a couple of apples this afternoon because she remembered my story of my first tooth coming out while I was eating an apple. What a smartie.
More migraine chronicles
From August 31, 2006:
My migraine issues continue. To recap: Topamax works, insurance won't pay, Inderal made me lightheaded because it lowered my blood pressure, Aleve doesn't do a thing, and that brings us to today.
I have another migraine. I am getting used to living life with one. That is not how I want it to be; it just happens to be that way. I called the doctor and left a message telling him that the 2 Aleve in the morning and 2 Aleve at night is not cutting it. I had a migraine 5 out of 7 days last week. That is no way to live.
His office called back and said that he wants me to up the Inderol uptake to 2 a day. I was miserable with my headache and not thinking straight, so I said 'fine'.
It's NOT fine.
I have low blood pressure. It's great - when I'm living everyday life. It was an issue while pregnant, because it drops. Inderol is a drug used to lower blood pressure. I didn't even think to question it when they called me. If I was light-headed with one pill a day, what are two going to do to me? I can't live life without being able to drive because I am not sure if I'll stay conscious. I am going to call them again tomorrow and double-check this.
At any rate, I have a migraine and am about ready to go to bed. Alicia is already asleep, but Reece, the hyper-active machine that he is, is still up and about. I sort of took a nap this afternoon - as much as I could with the kids screaming and running around and using me as a springboard. I really need the sleep.
My migraine issues continue. To recap: Topamax works, insurance won't pay, Inderal made me lightheaded because it lowered my blood pressure, Aleve doesn't do a thing, and that brings us to today.
I have another migraine. I am getting used to living life with one. That is not how I want it to be; it just happens to be that way. I called the doctor and left a message telling him that the 2 Aleve in the morning and 2 Aleve at night is not cutting it. I had a migraine 5 out of 7 days last week. That is no way to live.
His office called back and said that he wants me to up the Inderol uptake to 2 a day. I was miserable with my headache and not thinking straight, so I said 'fine'.
It's NOT fine.
I have low blood pressure. It's great - when I'm living everyday life. It was an issue while pregnant, because it drops. Inderol is a drug used to lower blood pressure. I didn't even think to question it when they called me. If I was light-headed with one pill a day, what are two going to do to me? I can't live life without being able to drive because I am not sure if I'll stay conscious. I am going to call them again tomorrow and double-check this.
At any rate, I have a migraine and am about ready to go to bed. Alicia is already asleep, but Reece, the hyper-active machine that he is, is still up and about. I sort of took a nap this afternoon - as much as I could with the kids screaming and running around and using me as a springboard. I really need the sleep.
Nose picking on other people
August 29, 2006
I had to do my first nasal extraction today. I'm not talking about the stuff you get out of your baby's nose with the big, blue or green bulbous snot-sucker that makes the baby scream for 10 minutes.
No, no, no, no, no. I am talking about something shoved up the nose.
Yep. Reece stuck a piece of paper up his left nostril this afternoon. Actually, it was a size tag that I had torn off of Alicia's belt this morning, so it wasn't even like normal paper that would have gotten all soft and mushy and probably leaked out on its own.
I know. I need to throw things away. We were running late. Sheesh!
I didn't realize he had done it until he came to me with his finger in his nose and crying about something up in there. Naturally, I thought that he had some normal booger action going on. I got a tissue and had him blow. Nothing. He started to panic. Then he said, "Mama. There's paper in my nose." I had him lean his head back and I couldn't see anything in his nose. Great. I knew instantly just what piece of paper he was referring to as well.
I called Mike out frantically. He, of course, was taking his time because he had just gotten out of the shower and didn't want to go to work so he was dragging his heels a bit. I yelled the next time and told him to move it (I can be bossy like that. Are you surprised?). We decided that blowing the nose wasn't working so well, so we tilted him back and I could just barely see the very tip of the corner of this piece of paper, up there in his nose.
I grabbed a blanket, had Mike papoose-wrap our poor child and then I sat on his legs. Mike held his head still and I took some very pointed tweezers and - voila! - out came the tag, all one and a half inches length of it, saving us $50 in ER visit co-pays and a traumatized child.
Of course, this was mere minutes before I had to leave to pick Ali up from school (doesn't it always happen that way?), so after I picked her up I took both kids out for clown ice cream cones, since Reece was still pretty upset. He has now forgotten all about the pain and promised to never stick anything in his nose again.
I had to do my first nasal extraction today. I'm not talking about the stuff you get out of your baby's nose with the big, blue or green bulbous snot-sucker that makes the baby scream for 10 minutes.
No, no, no, no, no. I am talking about something shoved up the nose.
Yep. Reece stuck a piece of paper up his left nostril this afternoon. Actually, it was a size tag that I had torn off of Alicia's belt this morning, so it wasn't even like normal paper that would have gotten all soft and mushy and probably leaked out on its own.
I know. I need to throw things away. We were running late. Sheesh!
I didn't realize he had done it until he came to me with his finger in his nose and crying about something up in there. Naturally, I thought that he had some normal booger action going on. I got a tissue and had him blow. Nothing. He started to panic. Then he said, "Mama. There's paper in my nose." I had him lean his head back and I couldn't see anything in his nose. Great. I knew instantly just what piece of paper he was referring to as well.
I called Mike out frantically. He, of course, was taking his time because he had just gotten out of the shower and didn't want to go to work so he was dragging his heels a bit. I yelled the next time and told him to move it (I can be bossy like that. Are you surprised?). We decided that blowing the nose wasn't working so well, so we tilted him back and I could just barely see the very tip of the corner of this piece of paper, up there in his nose.
I grabbed a blanket, had Mike papoose-wrap our poor child and then I sat on his legs. Mike held his head still and I took some very pointed tweezers and - voila! - out came the tag, all one and a half inches length of it, saving us $50 in ER visit co-pays and a traumatized child.
Of course, this was mere minutes before I had to leave to pick Ali up from school (doesn't it always happen that way?), so after I picked her up I took both kids out for clown ice cream cones, since Reece was still pretty upset. He has now forgotten all about the pain and promised to never stick anything in his nose again.
From August 28, 2006
My hair seems to be getting curlier. I can take it out of the towel, mousse it, and there is no question that I have curly hair now! Wow. A lifetime of straight hair and now this. I kind of like it.
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I was supposed to go see Def Leppard and Journey last night, but my BIL got the dates confused. It looks like I get to go see them in Reno this coming weekend instead. I don't care! I haven't seen them since I got pregnant with Ali. That is too long a dry spell without my Lep.
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I took Anayla and her sweetie boyfriend Robert (-Lo's little brother) to a Mercy Me concert Saturday night. I was going to take Khori, but he didn't take me seriously when I told him not to squirt Reece with the hose or I wouldn't take him to the show. He squirted him. I felt so bad! Shawn told me to stick to it, so Khori got to stay here with Reece and Ali. I offered to bring him and the kids but he figured he wouldn't get much out of it if he had to chase them around.
It was a fun show! They actually rock. I was impressed. Robert is soooooo not into that type of music, but I did catch him singing along. hehehe.....I think he was a little scared by his girlfriend. Silly girl. She was crying during the speaker. It was emotional, though. I felt a little choked up myself.
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I hate my splint.
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I get to tell the doctor that I had 4 migraine days last week. I think the next thing he is going to try is Depakote. If I have any weird personality changes we get to blame it on that medicine. I am really wary of it. I fear becoming a fat zombie. He said if I gain even 5 pounds, he'll take me off of it. I like being thin. I work hard for it. I don't want to give it up. Gah!!! I'm such a narcissist.
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I promised Mike I'd work on cleaning the house today. The headaches have been really horrible and make it very hard to get it done. I'm feeling pretty good today so I've done 5 loads of laundry, sorted through too-small clothes for the kids and cleaned out some of my closet. I am taking a couple of bags of my clothes to the Salvation Army and sending some little girl clothes to a friend. I still have waaaaaay too much to wade through. We are such clothes horses.
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I like the Wonderpets, but I hate that Ming-Ming talks like a freaking baby. Grrrrr......same reason that I'm not crazy about Oobi.
Man, I really miss television made for my age.
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I was supposed to go see Def Leppard and Journey last night, but my BIL got the dates confused. It looks like I get to go see them in Reno this coming weekend instead. I don't care! I haven't seen them since I got pregnant with Ali. That is too long a dry spell without my Lep.
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I took Anayla and her sweetie boyfriend Robert (-Lo's little brother) to a Mercy Me concert Saturday night. I was going to take Khori, but he didn't take me seriously when I told him not to squirt Reece with the hose or I wouldn't take him to the show. He squirted him. I felt so bad! Shawn told me to stick to it, so Khori got to stay here with Reece and Ali. I offered to bring him and the kids but he figured he wouldn't get much out of it if he had to chase them around.
It was a fun show! They actually rock. I was impressed. Robert is soooooo not into that type of music, but I did catch him singing along. hehehe.....I think he was a little scared by his girlfriend. Silly girl. She was crying during the speaker. It was emotional, though. I felt a little choked up myself.
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I hate my splint.
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I get to tell the doctor that I had 4 migraine days last week. I think the next thing he is going to try is Depakote. If I have any weird personality changes we get to blame it on that medicine. I am really wary of it. I fear becoming a fat zombie. He said if I gain even 5 pounds, he'll take me off of it. I like being thin. I work hard for it. I don't want to give it up. Gah!!! I'm such a narcissist.
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I promised Mike I'd work on cleaning the house today. The headaches have been really horrible and make it very hard to get it done. I'm feeling pretty good today so I've done 5 loads of laundry, sorted through too-small clothes for the kids and cleaned out some of my closet. I am taking a couple of bags of my clothes to the Salvation Army and sending some little girl clothes to a friend. I still have waaaaaay too much to wade through. We are such clothes horses.
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I like the Wonderpets, but I hate that Ming-Ming talks like a freaking baby. Grrrrr......same reason that I'm not crazy about Oobi.
Man, I really miss television made for my age.
More old news...
This post is from the heat wave we had in July. It was written on July 17, 2006. What a miserable spell that was!!
Do you remember those essays that we all had to do as children when we went back to school after the summer break? They were usually titled "What I Did This Summer" and contained a lot of run-on sentences and were pretty boring. Well, consider this my summer essay. It is titled, "What I've Learned About Summer in the Central California Valley".
Summer in the Central California Valley certainly is a summer unto its own. We have our own distinctive heat. We aren't a wet, sticky, humid heat. The states East of the Rockies laugh at us when we say we're hot. "It's not the heat; it's the humidity!" they chant; their mantra over the decades never wavering.
Bite me. It's the heat. I do not care if you have a humidity dew point of 89%. Mine is a paltry 35%. Yeah, that may not mean much to someone in say, New Jersey (sorry, Mandy), but it is just enough to be uncomfortable. Now, visualize, if you will, that blast of hot air that you feel when you open your oven door to baste your Thanksgiving turkey. That is how it feels when I open my front door - at 7 a.m. - and often at 9 p.m. So yeah, when I say I was baking today, I'm not talking about a cobbler. I'm talking about the time that I took to slither from the front door to the van.
A few things I've learned about coping with our heat and working life around it.
1. If you are doing laundry, do not start your next wash load until the dryer load is halfway done. If your wash has to wait in the washer, it will go sour. Then you just have to run it again, using more electricity and making your house that much hotter.
2. If your children have milk, don't expect it to be good for longer than half an hour. Seriously. Even in the air conditioned house. That stuff is going to go sour and they will NOT be happy. And for goodness' sake, don't put it in a sippy cup. You're just asking for trouble trying to get that crap out of the rubber valves. Blech.
3. There is no barefoot season in the summer. If you think there is, you are kidding yourself. Don't even think that you can get your newspaper barefoot. Skin grafts will follow.
4. Waterproof makeup is NOT the same as sweatproof makeup. Your mascara may not run, but keeping your foundation in place, well.....let's just say that's not always so easy.
5. Every year I have the same dilemma: keep my hair long or cut it short. If it's long, I can put it up in a ponytail or braid it, but then I have to either put it up in a ponytail or braid it (haha). If I cut it short, then I have to brave the damp, cold winter with a bare neck. That isn't very appealing, either.
6. A breeze should be a good thing, right? Not when it's the same temperature as the general air. Now instead of feeling like an oven, it's become an convection oven. Oh yeah, that's better.
7. Watering schedules. I know they are a necessary evil. I just can't get my poor hydrangeas to understand that they cannot have water on Monday and Tuesday. Sometimes I smuggle it to them, water police be damned.
So, just to recap, it is 107 degrees outside today. I am feeling every bit of it.
Do you remember those essays that we all had to do as children when we went back to school after the summer break? They were usually titled "What I Did This Summer" and contained a lot of run-on sentences and were pretty boring. Well, consider this my summer essay. It is titled, "What I've Learned About Summer in the Central California Valley".
Summer in the Central California Valley certainly is a summer unto its own. We have our own distinctive heat. We aren't a wet, sticky, humid heat. The states East of the Rockies laugh at us when we say we're hot. "It's not the heat; it's the humidity!" they chant; their mantra over the decades never wavering.
Bite me. It's the heat. I do not care if you have a humidity dew point of 89%. Mine is a paltry 35%. Yeah, that may not mean much to someone in say, New Jersey (sorry, Mandy), but it is just enough to be uncomfortable. Now, visualize, if you will, that blast of hot air that you feel when you open your oven door to baste your Thanksgiving turkey. That is how it feels when I open my front door - at 7 a.m. - and often at 9 p.m. So yeah, when I say I was baking today, I'm not talking about a cobbler. I'm talking about the time that I took to slither from the front door to the van.
A few things I've learned about coping with our heat and working life around it.
1. If you are doing laundry, do not start your next wash load until the dryer load is halfway done. If your wash has to wait in the washer, it will go sour. Then you just have to run it again, using more electricity and making your house that much hotter.
2. If your children have milk, don't expect it to be good for longer than half an hour. Seriously. Even in the air conditioned house. That stuff is going to go sour and they will NOT be happy. And for goodness' sake, don't put it in a sippy cup. You're just asking for trouble trying to get that crap out of the rubber valves. Blech.
3. There is no barefoot season in the summer. If you think there is, you are kidding yourself. Don't even think that you can get your newspaper barefoot. Skin grafts will follow.
4. Waterproof makeup is NOT the same as sweatproof makeup. Your mascara may not run, but keeping your foundation in place, well.....let's just say that's not always so easy.
5. Every year I have the same dilemma: keep my hair long or cut it short. If it's long, I can put it up in a ponytail or braid it, but then I have to either put it up in a ponytail or braid it (haha). If I cut it short, then I have to brave the damp, cold winter with a bare neck. That isn't very appealing, either.
6. A breeze should be a good thing, right? Not when it's the same temperature as the general air. Now instead of feeling like an oven, it's become an convection oven. Oh yeah, that's better.
7. Watering schedules. I know they are a necessary evil. I just can't get my poor hydrangeas to understand that they cannot have water on Monday and Tuesday. Sometimes I smuggle it to them, water police be damned.
So, just to recap, it is 107 degrees outside today. I am feeling every bit of it.
I've tried adding to this, but with no luck.
I tend to get interrupted alot. ALOT. Imagine, two kids and I'm getting interrupted. Can anybody relate?
Well, I'm going to do some cutting and pasting from other blogs to get this one current.
From June 12, 2006:
There is a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully it won't be painful to me. I went back to the doctor today to discuss my ongoing migraine issues. I had a headache while in his office, but it wasn't migraine quality, thank God. My blood pressure was a bit low, 110/70, and the nurse asked if it's usually low, to which I answered yes and she left it at that. I'm sure that she thought she had counted wrong, but that's normal for me. It dropped even more during pregnancy!
Anyway, back to the purpose of this entry....he asked how often I'm getting the migraines. I told him it's been at least 4 days a week and that the Frova was wonderful while it lasted, but I have run out of the samples he gave me. He decided that it is time to put me on a preventative regimen and without hesitation said, "I'm putting you on Topamax."
I cannot tell you how happy those five words made me.
I have done my research; reading, talking to others on the medication, looking up side effects and uses and decided that it was probably the best course for me to take. I was very happy to discover that he agreed with me. I will be starting with 25 mg a day for a week, 50 mg a day for the next week and 75 mg a day the third week. He said that some people end up taking 8 pills (!!) a day, but thinks that I should be fine by the 3 pills a day regimen. While in the office I was having sharp shooting pains and tingling in my left arm and hand, which he attributed to affects from the migraines. I did not know that they could do that.
I have to mention that he is a bit of a comedian. While discussing the medication (he expects me to have done my homework before entering the office because that's my way), we talked about the many uses and the side effects. He said that he hasn't had any complaints of side effects. I said, "Of course not! One of them is weight loss!" He said, "I think I may have to start getting migraines...." When he handed me the sample bottles and I asked him how to take them he said, "I think orally would be best." Then I asked him to write the regimen down, which he proceeded to do in medical shorthand. He realized what he was doing and began to rewrite it in "normal" English and I reminded him that with my years in the hospital I had learned medical shorthand and besides, Mike could always translate for me. I'm so optimistic today, that even the presence of a headache hasn't dampened my mood.
Well, I'm going to do some cutting and pasting from other blogs to get this one current.
From June 12, 2006:
There is a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully it won't be painful to me. I went back to the doctor today to discuss my ongoing migraine issues. I had a headache while in his office, but it wasn't migraine quality, thank God. My blood pressure was a bit low, 110/70, and the nurse asked if it's usually low, to which I answered yes and she left it at that. I'm sure that she thought she had counted wrong, but that's normal for me. It dropped even more during pregnancy!
Anyway, back to the purpose of this entry....he asked how often I'm getting the migraines. I told him it's been at least 4 days a week and that the Frova was wonderful while it lasted, but I have run out of the samples he gave me. He decided that it is time to put me on a preventative regimen and without hesitation said, "I'm putting you on Topamax."
I cannot tell you how happy those five words made me.
I have done my research; reading, talking to others on the medication, looking up side effects and uses and decided that it was probably the best course for me to take. I was very happy to discover that he agreed with me. I will be starting with 25 mg a day for a week, 50 mg a day for the next week and 75 mg a day the third week. He said that some people end up taking 8 pills (!!) a day, but thinks that I should be fine by the 3 pills a day regimen. While in the office I was having sharp shooting pains and tingling in my left arm and hand, which he attributed to affects from the migraines. I did not know that they could do that.
I have to mention that he is a bit of a comedian. While discussing the medication (he expects me to have done my homework before entering the office because that's my way), we talked about the many uses and the side effects. He said that he hasn't had any complaints of side effects. I said, "Of course not! One of them is weight loss!" He said, "I think I may have to start getting migraines...." When he handed me the sample bottles and I asked him how to take them he said, "I think orally would be best." Then I asked him to write the regimen down, which he proceeded to do in medical shorthand. He realized what he was doing and began to rewrite it in "normal" English and I reminded him that with my years in the hospital I had learned medical shorthand and besides, Mike could always translate for me. I'm so optimistic today, that even the presence of a headache hasn't dampened my mood.
Friday, June 09, 2006
It's Late at Night and I Should Be Sleeping
Of course, that means that I must get on the computer and blog.
Well, the headaches aren't going away. I have an appointment on Monday with the doctor to see if we can come up with a regimen or something because I cannot live with the effects of daily migraines. It greatly cuts into the little things in life, such as quality time with the kids, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, a Tammy that isn't grumpy and biting off everybody's heads. I really hope that we can figure out what is going on.
The kids today were unbearable. They did nothing but fight all day long. They were at each other's throats. They fought over where to sit, what toys to play with, what to watch on TV, what music to listen to, you name it, they fought over it. Reece hit Alicia, Alicia hit him back. She kicked him, he hit her. He hit her, she chased him and he fell, hitting the computer desk and cutting the inside of his mouth while scratching the outside of his cheek. He got one of the cats riled up while she held it and she got scratched on the neck. Add to all of this a bunch of yelling and screaming and you have a day that is guaranteed to make you miserable. It did make me miserable. I have this to look forward to all summer, I guess. Maybe I shouldn't have pulled her out of preschool. At least that was a few hours a week with no fighting.
Alicia's graduation was the cutest thing!! All of the graduates got little black caps to wear. They sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Slippery Fish". There was a slide show with pictures of all of the kids. The principal told a cute story and illustration about watching what we say. Each child got a diploma. Afterward, everyone got together for cake and the graduates all said goodbye to each other. The next day was Ali's very last day at school. It was so empty! Most of the graduates were gone for the summer. I actually did get a little misty-eyed when she had to hug everybody goodbye for the last time.
I do want to brag a little bit here. Just a little, because I know it's not nice to boast. I signed up to sell BeautiControl and I am really doing well with it!! I didn't know that selling skin care and makeup products could be so big! I have gotten calls from my director, who is 3 people above me, and she is telling me what a great job I'm doing. They seem to be really happy with how I'm starting off. I have 5 bookings in June and one in July so far. I am really jazzed!!
Okay, I'm done with the bragging now. I think I'll go get some sleep.
Well, the headaches aren't going away. I have an appointment on Monday with the doctor to see if we can come up with a regimen or something because I cannot live with the effects of daily migraines. It greatly cuts into the little things in life, such as quality time with the kids, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, a Tammy that isn't grumpy and biting off everybody's heads. I really hope that we can figure out what is going on.
The kids today were unbearable. They did nothing but fight all day long. They were at each other's throats. They fought over where to sit, what toys to play with, what to watch on TV, what music to listen to, you name it, they fought over it. Reece hit Alicia, Alicia hit him back. She kicked him, he hit her. He hit her, she chased him and he fell, hitting the computer desk and cutting the inside of his mouth while scratching the outside of his cheek. He got one of the cats riled up while she held it and she got scratched on the neck. Add to all of this a bunch of yelling and screaming and you have a day that is guaranteed to make you miserable. It did make me miserable. I have this to look forward to all summer, I guess. Maybe I shouldn't have pulled her out of preschool. At least that was a few hours a week with no fighting.
Alicia's graduation was the cutest thing!! All of the graduates got little black caps to wear. They sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Slippery Fish". There was a slide show with pictures of all of the kids. The principal told a cute story and illustration about watching what we say. Each child got a diploma. Afterward, everyone got together for cake and the graduates all said goodbye to each other. The next day was Ali's very last day at school. It was so empty! Most of the graduates were gone for the summer. I actually did get a little misty-eyed when she had to hug everybody goodbye for the last time.
I do want to brag a little bit here. Just a little, because I know it's not nice to boast. I signed up to sell BeautiControl and I am really doing well with it!! I didn't know that selling skin care and makeup products could be so big! I have gotten calls from my director, who is 3 people above me, and she is telling me what a great job I'm doing. They seem to be really happy with how I'm starting off. I have 5 bookings in June and one in July so far. I am really jazzed!!
Okay, I'm done with the bragging now. I think I'll go get some sleep.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Is it too much to ask
that I have one, just one, headache-free day? I mean, really, this is getting a little tiring.
I was fine yesterday. I went and did a Spa at my friend Danielle's house, where we all had fun and ate her delicious homemade spinach dip...yum!!! Then, when I left and got out into the heat and started the 40 minute drive home, it hit. Another migraine. I had Anayla with me, but she had stayed the night and gone with me to the Spa, so I really needed to get her home before my brother thought I kidnapped his daughter.
I dropped her off and picked up my own kids (conveniently at the same house) and went home. I pulled the curtains closed, effectively darkening the house and tried to get some rest. Unfortunately, the kids had another idea. They decided that it was the perfect time to fight over - what else? - a spot on the couch. It seats 3 adults, but these two little bodies gravitate to the same spot with such force that they must physically push and kick each other from that spot.
I went to the bedroom and lay down. It was brighter in there, but nice and cool. Reece followed me. I thought I could get him to sleep with me, and I almost did, until Alicia came in and caused more trouble by being loud and setting off an argument on - hold onto your socks - which side of Mommy to lie on. Apparently one side of me is more appealing than the other, because they both wanted that side.
At this point, the nausea had set in. Not only did I have the light sensitivity, sound sensitivity (with two fighting children) and - don't forget - head pain, now I had the upset stomach to go with it. I dragged myself to the kitchen and took a Frova. That is a wonder drug. I would willingly kiss the person that came up with Frova. I may even offer to have their babies, and we all know I've sworn off of any more pregnancies!
Back to today. This morning, while getting Ali ready for school, another migraine hit. My old standby of caffeine did not help. I got it anyway, since the blended mochas I so love are on sale AND it's double punch Monday for the coffee card, but it didn't help my headache any. I think I'll have to take another Frova. So much for hoarding them.
On to Ali and preschool. Today is her next to last day in preschool. I am feeling kind of bittersweet. She has a little graduation ceremony on Wednesday at 6:30 and her last day of school is on Thursday. We are pulling her out for the summer so that she can have a break before starting Kindergarten, which will be every day instead of two days a week. I know that she is ready for Kindergarten; that she is getting bored with preschool, but I cannot believe that my baby girl is so grown up. I'm feeling a bit sad.
Also, she has had another growth spurt. She was standing next to a friend who is 3 weeks younger than Ali, and Ali is about 3 inches taller. I am going to have to start adding ruffles and lace to the bottom of all of her skirts so they don't look so obscene!! Her legs are so long and thin, she looks like a miniature supermodel. We are in for some trouble.
I was fine yesterday. I went and did a Spa at my friend Danielle's house, where we all had fun and ate her delicious homemade spinach dip...yum!!! Then, when I left and got out into the heat and started the 40 minute drive home, it hit. Another migraine. I had Anayla with me, but she had stayed the night and gone with me to the Spa, so I really needed to get her home before my brother thought I kidnapped his daughter.
I dropped her off and picked up my own kids (conveniently at the same house) and went home. I pulled the curtains closed, effectively darkening the house and tried to get some rest. Unfortunately, the kids had another idea. They decided that it was the perfect time to fight over - what else? - a spot on the couch. It seats 3 adults, but these two little bodies gravitate to the same spot with such force that they must physically push and kick each other from that spot.
I went to the bedroom and lay down. It was brighter in there, but nice and cool. Reece followed me. I thought I could get him to sleep with me, and I almost did, until Alicia came in and caused more trouble by being loud and setting off an argument on - hold onto your socks - which side of Mommy to lie on. Apparently one side of me is more appealing than the other, because they both wanted that side.
At this point, the nausea had set in. Not only did I have the light sensitivity, sound sensitivity (with two fighting children) and - don't forget - head pain, now I had the upset stomach to go with it. I dragged myself to the kitchen and took a Frova. That is a wonder drug. I would willingly kiss the person that came up with Frova. I may even offer to have their babies, and we all know I've sworn off of any more pregnancies!
Back to today. This morning, while getting Ali ready for school, another migraine hit. My old standby of caffeine did not help. I got it anyway, since the blended mochas I so love are on sale AND it's double punch Monday for the coffee card, but it didn't help my headache any. I think I'll have to take another Frova. So much for hoarding them.
On to Ali and preschool. Today is her next to last day in preschool. I am feeling kind of bittersweet. She has a little graduation ceremony on Wednesday at 6:30 and her last day of school is on Thursday. We are pulling her out for the summer so that she can have a break before starting Kindergarten, which will be every day instead of two days a week. I know that she is ready for Kindergarten; that she is getting bored with preschool, but I cannot believe that my baby girl is so grown up. I'm feeling a bit sad.
Also, she has had another growth spurt. She was standing next to a friend who is 3 weeks younger than Ali, and Ali is about 3 inches taller. I am going to have to start adding ruffles and lace to the bottom of all of her skirts so they don't look so obscene!! Her legs are so long and thin, she looks like a miniature supermodel. We are in for some trouble.
Friday, June 02, 2006
A new installment. About time, right?
Everybody in the house is asleep but me. This isn't unusual. It's the bane of insomnia. I am tired, though, I really am. I haven't had much sleep the past few days. I'm so tired, my stomach is upset. When I lie down, however, my mind doesn't shut off. It races and races, thinking of all that I need to get done, what I've gotten done, what may come up tomorrow, remembering what I had forgotten earlier, making mental lists to store in the back of my memory, only to have them pop up while I'm doing something mundane and an utter obstacle to accomplishing things on the mental list; while I'm doing things such as showering or driving somewhere. It's very hard to write down my thoughts while I have shampoo lathered between my fingers.
Reece is three now. For such a small number it's so big. For such a small boy, he's so big. He is wanting to do more and more by himself these days. Half of the time, his Spiderman sandals (he calls them flip-flops) are on the wrong feet because he had to put them on by himself. "I wanna do it, Mom!" At some point, I'm not quite sure when, I became Mom. Sure, sometimes he'll still call me Mommy, but more and more often I'm Mom. He's so big.
He had a birthday party on Sunday. We had it at my friend Dawn's house; his best friend David's house. He and David are 4 days apart so we combined their parties this year. Reece wanted Spiderman. First, David wanted Star Wars. Then he changed it to Batman. As a result, we had a superhero party with Batman and Spiderman. They get along swimmingly, you know, both Batman and Spiderman and David and Reece. The party was nice; not too many people, not too big, not too stressful. The kids hit a pinata David had picked out that stood head and shoulders taller than both boys. Some of the children swam. They jumped in the Spiderman bounce house. Okay, okay, Dawn and I jumped in the bounce house, too. It was fun. I think it would have been more fun without kids in there. Then we could have really bounced.
The week before, Dawn and myself, and a bunch of our mommy friends from our playgroup took all of the kids to the Sacramento Zoo. The kids all thought it was great! I wasn't as impressed. For the state capitol, I expected a larger zoo. It was small and not very well....stocked, for lack of a better word. The kids had fun, though, and that's what really counts. They are still talking about it.
I got the privilege of taking my kids to another zoo yesterday. This time it was the zoo and playpark at Kelley Park in San Jose. This zoo made the Sacramento Zoo look like a wildlife preserve!! The San Jose zoo is very small. However, they had a petting zoo. While we can find pygmy goats, donkeys and miniature horses in our neck of the woods, how often do you get the chance to pet and feed a Zebu? By the way, Zebu is a fancy name for "African cow". Of course, the kids loved it. I was so exhausted by the time it was done, I just wanted to sleep all the way home. However, I had driven so sleep was not an option.
This visit to San Jose was a celebration of sorts for the graduating preschool class of 2006 at Helping Hands Preschool. Alicia and her classmates who are all moving on to Kindergarten next school year were treated to a trip to the zoo.
As parents were invited, too, I packed up Reece and drove so that we wouldn't have to spend extra for the gas in the school vans. I really wish I had left him home. As if running around after a five year old isn't enough, I had a newly-turned three year old who did not want to stay with mom and was resorting to using the old "sit-in" tactic so perfected by protesting hippies in the 60's. Hey, when in the Bay Area, do as the Bay Areans do, right? If he couldn't run ahead, then he would just sit down in the middle of the walkway and block traffic. I spent a lot of time exercising my biceps yesterday.
Why do they call it rush hour traffic when all we did was inch forward? No one was rushing anywhere. Lucky us, we hit it going there AND coming back. I take it back, there was one point where we were rushing along on I-880. I had to do a hard braking because there was a fawn (yes, a FAWN) crossing the 4 North-bound lanes and I really did not want to hit it. However, the idiot in the Mercedes convertible next to me did not seem to have the same amount of conscience. He braked, but not very earnestly, in my opinion, and clipped that poor baby! I saw the fawn go skidding across the shoulder and into the bushes at the side of the road. I have no idea whether or not he survived. I do know, however, that the Mercedes jerk, as he will forever be known to me, sped up even more and didn't look the least bit shaken.
I finally made it home, two and a half hours after I started my purported hour and a half trip and just wanted to fall into bed for a nap. Well, I did climb into bed, but I didn't get the nap. Mike is not very good at keeping the kids out of the room. I locked the door. That just resulted in Reece lying outside of the door, saying, "Why you lock the door? Let me in, Mom!" repeatedly. It wasn't very inducive to sleep and I finally gave up and got up. At that point, Mike went and lay down and fell asleep. In the process, he lost a few points.
I had the kids all bathed and ready for bed. Alicia was already asleep. Reece was, as usual, fighting sleep. All of a sudden he came up to me saying that he had hurt his finger, his little lip quivering as he fought back tears. Mike had drank a green tea earlier and left the can on the end table. Reece had grabbed it and somehow cut his left pinky finger on the opening. I took him into the bathroom and ran some cold water over it so I could see the damage. It wouldn't stop bleeding enough for me to see.
I went into the bedroom and yelled a couple of times to wake Mike up. I swear, it would be easier to wake King Tut at times. He finally came back to the land of the living and got up to look at Reece's finger. We mutually decided that he needed to go to the doctor. Of course, as luck would have it, the clinic was closed so that meant I needed to go to the E.R. I got Reece into some clothes that I had handy (meaning Spiderman swim trunks and a dinosaur shirt, but, hey, they were both red and didn't clash) and had a washcloth on his hand. By this time, he was crying unabashedly and saying that his finger hurt. He is such a trooper, though, and kept pressure on it and kept it elevated for the ride to the hospital.
Once there, we were "fast tracked". An hour later, while still sitting in the back waiting room with other "fast tracked" people, it was decided through general consensus that "fast track" merely meant "get these people out of the main E.R. room so no one has to see them bleed". The 35 year old woman sitting next to me (yes, that is her true age, it was confirmed) had cut her finger and was crying off and on. Reece sat quietly on my lap and fell asleep at about 10:30. She went to the bathroom and her husband discovered that we were there for a cut finger as well. He proceeded to give her a hard time about 3 year old Reece handling his cut so much better - he could even fall asleep!
What a bonding process sitting in the waiting room can be.
Reece ended up without stitches (the woman was getting 4). The cut was on the inside knuckle so the PA glued it and stuck steri-strips and a bandage on it with instructions to keep it dry for 3 days so that the glue would stay on. I'm guessing she's never had a 3 year old boy living with her.
That glue came off this afternoon.
Reece is three now. For such a small number it's so big. For such a small boy, he's so big. He is wanting to do more and more by himself these days. Half of the time, his Spiderman sandals (he calls them flip-flops) are on the wrong feet because he had to put them on by himself. "I wanna do it, Mom!" At some point, I'm not quite sure when, I became Mom. Sure, sometimes he'll still call me Mommy, but more and more often I'm Mom. He's so big.
He had a birthday party on Sunday. We had it at my friend Dawn's house; his best friend David's house. He and David are 4 days apart so we combined their parties this year. Reece wanted Spiderman. First, David wanted Star Wars. Then he changed it to Batman. As a result, we had a superhero party with Batman and Spiderman. They get along swimmingly, you know, both Batman and Spiderman and David and Reece. The party was nice; not too many people, not too big, not too stressful. The kids hit a pinata David had picked out that stood head and shoulders taller than both boys. Some of the children swam. They jumped in the Spiderman bounce house. Okay, okay, Dawn and I jumped in the bounce house, too. It was fun. I think it would have been more fun without kids in there. Then we could have really bounced.
The week before, Dawn and myself, and a bunch of our mommy friends from our playgroup took all of the kids to the Sacramento Zoo. The kids all thought it was great! I wasn't as impressed. For the state capitol, I expected a larger zoo. It was small and not very well....stocked, for lack of a better word. The kids had fun, though, and that's what really counts. They are still talking about it.
I got the privilege of taking my kids to another zoo yesterday. This time it was the zoo and playpark at Kelley Park in San Jose. This zoo made the Sacramento Zoo look like a wildlife preserve!! The San Jose zoo is very small. However, they had a petting zoo. While we can find pygmy goats, donkeys and miniature horses in our neck of the woods, how often do you get the chance to pet and feed a Zebu? By the way, Zebu is a fancy name for "African cow". Of course, the kids loved it. I was so exhausted by the time it was done, I just wanted to sleep all the way home. However, I had driven so sleep was not an option.
This visit to San Jose was a celebration of sorts for the graduating preschool class of 2006 at Helping Hands Preschool. Alicia and her classmates who are all moving on to Kindergarten next school year were treated to a trip to the zoo.
As parents were invited, too, I packed up Reece and drove so that we wouldn't have to spend extra for the gas in the school vans. I really wish I had left him home. As if running around after a five year old isn't enough, I had a newly-turned three year old who did not want to stay with mom and was resorting to using the old "sit-in" tactic so perfected by protesting hippies in the 60's. Hey, when in the Bay Area, do as the Bay Areans do, right? If he couldn't run ahead, then he would just sit down in the middle of the walkway and block traffic. I spent a lot of time exercising my biceps yesterday.
Why do they call it rush hour traffic when all we did was inch forward? No one was rushing anywhere. Lucky us, we hit it going there AND coming back. I take it back, there was one point where we were rushing along on I-880. I had to do a hard braking because there was a fawn (yes, a FAWN) crossing the 4 North-bound lanes and I really did not want to hit it. However, the idiot in the Mercedes convertible next to me did not seem to have the same amount of conscience. He braked, but not very earnestly, in my opinion, and clipped that poor baby! I saw the fawn go skidding across the shoulder and into the bushes at the side of the road. I have no idea whether or not he survived. I do know, however, that the Mercedes jerk, as he will forever be known to me, sped up even more and didn't look the least bit shaken.
I finally made it home, two and a half hours after I started my purported hour and a half trip and just wanted to fall into bed for a nap. Well, I did climb into bed, but I didn't get the nap. Mike is not very good at keeping the kids out of the room. I locked the door. That just resulted in Reece lying outside of the door, saying, "Why you lock the door? Let me in, Mom!" repeatedly. It wasn't very inducive to sleep and I finally gave up and got up. At that point, Mike went and lay down and fell asleep. In the process, he lost a few points.
I had the kids all bathed and ready for bed. Alicia was already asleep. Reece was, as usual, fighting sleep. All of a sudden he came up to me saying that he had hurt his finger, his little lip quivering as he fought back tears. Mike had drank a green tea earlier and left the can on the end table. Reece had grabbed it and somehow cut his left pinky finger on the opening. I took him into the bathroom and ran some cold water over it so I could see the damage. It wouldn't stop bleeding enough for me to see.
I went into the bedroom and yelled a couple of times to wake Mike up. I swear, it would be easier to wake King Tut at times. He finally came back to the land of the living and got up to look at Reece's finger. We mutually decided that he needed to go to the doctor. Of course, as luck would have it, the clinic was closed so that meant I needed to go to the E.R. I got Reece into some clothes that I had handy (meaning Spiderman swim trunks and a dinosaur shirt, but, hey, they were both red and didn't clash) and had a washcloth on his hand. By this time, he was crying unabashedly and saying that his finger hurt. He is such a trooper, though, and kept pressure on it and kept it elevated for the ride to the hospital.
Once there, we were "fast tracked". An hour later, while still sitting in the back waiting room with other "fast tracked" people, it was decided through general consensus that "fast track" merely meant "get these people out of the main E.R. room so no one has to see them bleed". The 35 year old woman sitting next to me (yes, that is her true age, it was confirmed) had cut her finger and was crying off and on. Reece sat quietly on my lap and fell asleep at about 10:30. She went to the bathroom and her husband discovered that we were there for a cut finger as well. He proceeded to give her a hard time about 3 year old Reece handling his cut so much better - he could even fall asleep!
What a bonding process sitting in the waiting room can be.
Reece ended up without stitches (the woman was getting 4). The cut was on the inside knuckle so the PA glued it and stuck steri-strips and a bandage on it with instructions to keep it dry for 3 days so that the glue would stay on. I'm guessing she's never had a 3 year old boy living with her.
That glue came off this afternoon.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
I'm tired. Why am I still on the computer?
I am still helping my mom and sister move into their new home. Saturday, we went up and just hung out with her. Shawn and his kids went also, and we played board games and had dinner.
Sunday, I helped Karnette move lots of things. We almost got everything out of her former house. Today she came down and we took mom's mattress and part of her bed frame to the house. We couldn't easily get to the rest of it. Then Karnette and I went and got two more loads from the old house. Mom went with her to get the last load. I was too tired and achy to do any more. I also managed to get a migraine today.
Lindsay came down Sunday with the dreaded virus that my family had. Today Lachelle had it. Luckily, it appears to be a 24 hour sort of sickness and they are doing so much better the next day. I'm hoping that Karnette doesn't get it.
Okay. I think I've done enough whining for the day. I hope that everyone can stay well enough, long enough, that I can get some of my housework done this week. This poor house is so neglected, it looks as if it's been ransacked.
I'm going to bed now. I have to work on Mt. Washmore again and do some sweeping and mopping in the morning.
Sunday, I helped Karnette move lots of things. We almost got everything out of her former house. Today she came down and we took mom's mattress and part of her bed frame to the house. We couldn't easily get to the rest of it. Then Karnette and I went and got two more loads from the old house. Mom went with her to get the last load. I was too tired and achy to do any more. I also managed to get a migraine today.
Lindsay came down Sunday with the dreaded virus that my family had. Today Lachelle had it. Luckily, it appears to be a 24 hour sort of sickness and they are doing so much better the next day. I'm hoping that Karnette doesn't get it.
Okay. I think I've done enough whining for the day. I hope that everyone can stay well enough, long enough, that I can get some of my housework done this week. This poor house is so neglected, it looks as if it's been ransacked.
I'm going to bed now. I have to work on Mt. Washmore again and do some sweeping and mopping in the morning.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Alright, already. I'll get caught up!!
Thank you, Toni, for reminding me that I'm a slacker. I love ya!
Things have been hectic in the Luccketta household the last couple of weeks. It's been a roller-coaster ride, mostly with a lot of downturns and corkscrews. The worst of it started when I got a phone call from my best friend. I could tell right away from her voice that it wasn't our usual type of phone call. She was calling to let me know that two of our friends from church had died that morning in a car accident.
Cathy was 50 and Kandice was only 22. They were mother and daughter-in-law. Kandice was 7 months pregnant with her first child. Kandice and Luke were moving from Bakersfield to Michigan and Cathy and her husband Mark were helping them with the move. They ran into very bad weather, a snowstorm with very bad visibility, and the car that Cathy and Kandice was in was rear-ended by a pickup that did not see them in time. They were both killed instantly, as was Luke and Kandice's baby girl, Katrina. It was quite a blow for the entire church family. Mark and his son Luke are very strong Christians, however, and this loss has only affirmed their faith. They are truly men to look up to.
Less than a week later, I had my own personal issue to deal with. I had gone out into the backyard on a day that was rare in March, one without rain. The kids had left the lid off of their sandbox and it was full of water. I didn't want it to sit too long and breed a lot of bacteria (not to mention mosquitos), so I attempted to lift and tip it to pour off some of the water. I struggled with it for a few minutes and then called over my nephew Khori for help. As soon as we lifted it, I saw at least 5 black widow spiders go scurrying underneath it. We carefully tipped out the water and set it down, trying not to disturb them too much, while I made a mental note to call the exterminator service.
A little later that evening, while at a Tupperware party, my ankles began itching badly. They itched more and more and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. I left the party and went home. When I looked at my ankles, they had swollen red patches all over them. Concerned and suspicious, I looked up black widow spider bites on the computer. I found this site: http://www.calpoison.org/public/spiders.html#1 I had classic symptoms of a mild bite. No muscle cramping or any of the scary stuff, just the red-ringed bite marks on both ankles and extreme itchiness. I washed off my legs as instructed and put some calamine lotion on them and went to bed.
Luckily, Mike wasn't working all night long that night, because I woke up scratching my thighs and hips at about 1:30 in the morning. I decided to take a shower to see if the itching would stop and that's when I noticed them....hives. I'd never had hives before. I don't care to experience them again. My thighs and hips were solid red welts, inflamed and itching like crazy. My legs were covered in bumps from the ankles upward. They were starting to go up my torso.
I'm allergic to black widow venom, apparently.
Mike gave me 50 mg of Benadryl and the hives didn't stop. I was ready to rip my skin to shreds. He then gave me another 25 mg and, oh, blessed relief!!!! Of course, that much Benadryl not only took away the itchies, it also knocked me out. I woke up at 7, briefly, when the alarm went off, again at 8 when Mike needed sleep and I needed to get up with the kids, and then dozed on the sofa until around 10 am when Reece decided he was going to make himself some strawberry flavored milk and left a trail of strawberry syrup from the kitchen to the living room.
That sufficiently woke me up.
I finally joined the realm of the living and ate something, then called my doctor who got me in that day. Turns out that even though the spiders didn't exactly inject venom into me, I had some sort of reaction to it on my skin. The doctor prescribed me Prednisone, the one medicine guaranteed to change a person ENTIRELY.
From here on out, Prednisone will be known as the anti-Tammy drug. It is awful!! I became Road-rage Woman. Woman-who-can't-eat-enough-junk-food. Puffy belly woman, my personal favorite. It really does make you angry. I hope I never have to take it again. I am done with it now, and must work on losing the few pounds I gained from it. Gaaaah!!!
During the lovely period of my life that will forever be known as Angry Tammy, my mom and sister started moving into a different home, one with two stories. My mom was goofing around and somehow stumbled down the step or something and across the 5 foot expanse of floor and fell against the door jamb and outer sharp piece of wood frame. She hit her shoulder and ear and when I came around the corner, she was sitting in the doorway, looking a little stunned.
Her friend, Dan, whom I had just met that day was trying to be very calm and not get anyone worried and said, "Your mom needs to go to the hospital for stitches on her ear."
I'm not the type to get worried, and she was laughing, so I was a bit confused and asked him what he meant. He described, as well as he could, her fall. She asked me to clean it up so she could finish helping with the move.
I went out to the van and got my first-aid kit. I pulled her hair back and got a good look at her ear for the first time. It was cut from the outside edge, above the lobe, all the way to the hard cartilage of the inner part of the ear. It was dangling, back and forth, with about a 1/4 inch gap. I told her, "You are going to the ER, and you'll need at least 10 stitches." I put a Teflon bandage on her ear and sent her on her merry way.
The doctor said it was the worst he'd ever seen.
It took 11 stitches, a tetanus shot and 2 different antibiotics. She had to wear a turban for a couple of days to keep it in place. I wish I'd had my camera.
That was last Sunday. On Monday, Reece woke up sick. Very sick. He threw up 13 times in all. I took him to the doctor and got a prescription to stop the vomiting. Poor baby wanted nothing but water all day. On Tuesday, he had the cha-chas. Early Wednesday morning, Mike caught it. He is still sick today. Late Wednesday night, Alicia got it. She is feeling much better now. Luckily, I did not get it.
I have made my way through Mount Washmore at least 6 times this week. I should have invested in laundry detergent stock.
Things have been hectic in the Luccketta household the last couple of weeks. It's been a roller-coaster ride, mostly with a lot of downturns and corkscrews. The worst of it started when I got a phone call from my best friend. I could tell right away from her voice that it wasn't our usual type of phone call. She was calling to let me know that two of our friends from church had died that morning in a car accident.
Cathy was 50 and Kandice was only 22. They were mother and daughter-in-law. Kandice was 7 months pregnant with her first child. Kandice and Luke were moving from Bakersfield to Michigan and Cathy and her husband Mark were helping them with the move. They ran into very bad weather, a snowstorm with very bad visibility, and the car that Cathy and Kandice was in was rear-ended by a pickup that did not see them in time. They were both killed instantly, as was Luke and Kandice's baby girl, Katrina. It was quite a blow for the entire church family. Mark and his son Luke are very strong Christians, however, and this loss has only affirmed their faith. They are truly men to look up to.
Less than a week later, I had my own personal issue to deal with. I had gone out into the backyard on a day that was rare in March, one without rain. The kids had left the lid off of their sandbox and it was full of water. I didn't want it to sit too long and breed a lot of bacteria (not to mention mosquitos), so I attempted to lift and tip it to pour off some of the water. I struggled with it for a few minutes and then called over my nephew Khori for help. As soon as we lifted it, I saw at least 5 black widow spiders go scurrying underneath it. We carefully tipped out the water and set it down, trying not to disturb them too much, while I made a mental note to call the exterminator service.
A little later that evening, while at a Tupperware party, my ankles began itching badly. They itched more and more and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. I left the party and went home. When I looked at my ankles, they had swollen red patches all over them. Concerned and suspicious, I looked up black widow spider bites on the computer. I found this site: http://www.calpoison.org/public/spiders.html#1 I had classic symptoms of a mild bite. No muscle cramping or any of the scary stuff, just the red-ringed bite marks on both ankles and extreme itchiness. I washed off my legs as instructed and put some calamine lotion on them and went to bed.
Luckily, Mike wasn't working all night long that night, because I woke up scratching my thighs and hips at about 1:30 in the morning. I decided to take a shower to see if the itching would stop and that's when I noticed them....hives. I'd never had hives before. I don't care to experience them again. My thighs and hips were solid red welts, inflamed and itching like crazy. My legs were covered in bumps from the ankles upward. They were starting to go up my torso.
I'm allergic to black widow venom, apparently.
Mike gave me 50 mg of Benadryl and the hives didn't stop. I was ready to rip my skin to shreds. He then gave me another 25 mg and, oh, blessed relief!!!! Of course, that much Benadryl not only took away the itchies, it also knocked me out. I woke up at 7, briefly, when the alarm went off, again at 8 when Mike needed sleep and I needed to get up with the kids, and then dozed on the sofa until around 10 am when Reece decided he was going to make himself some strawberry flavored milk and left a trail of strawberry syrup from the kitchen to the living room.
That sufficiently woke me up.
I finally joined the realm of the living and ate something, then called my doctor who got me in that day. Turns out that even though the spiders didn't exactly inject venom into me, I had some sort of reaction to it on my skin. The doctor prescribed me Prednisone, the one medicine guaranteed to change a person ENTIRELY.
From here on out, Prednisone will be known as the anti-Tammy drug. It is awful!! I became Road-rage Woman. Woman-who-can't-eat-enough-junk-food. Puffy belly woman, my personal favorite. It really does make you angry. I hope I never have to take it again. I am done with it now, and must work on losing the few pounds I gained from it. Gaaaah!!!
During the lovely period of my life that will forever be known as Angry Tammy, my mom and sister started moving into a different home, one with two stories. My mom was goofing around and somehow stumbled down the step or something and across the 5 foot expanse of floor and fell against the door jamb and outer sharp piece of wood frame. She hit her shoulder and ear and when I came around the corner, she was sitting in the doorway, looking a little stunned.
Her friend, Dan, whom I had just met that day was trying to be very calm and not get anyone worried and said, "Your mom needs to go to the hospital for stitches on her ear."
I'm not the type to get worried, and she was laughing, so I was a bit confused and asked him what he meant. He described, as well as he could, her fall. She asked me to clean it up so she could finish helping with the move.
I went out to the van and got my first-aid kit. I pulled her hair back and got a good look at her ear for the first time. It was cut from the outside edge, above the lobe, all the way to the hard cartilage of the inner part of the ear. It was dangling, back and forth, with about a 1/4 inch gap. I told her, "You are going to the ER, and you'll need at least 10 stitches." I put a Teflon bandage on her ear and sent her on her merry way.
The doctor said it was the worst he'd ever seen.
It took 11 stitches, a tetanus shot and 2 different antibiotics. She had to wear a turban for a couple of days to keep it in place. I wish I'd had my camera.
That was last Sunday. On Monday, Reece woke up sick. Very sick. He threw up 13 times in all. I took him to the doctor and got a prescription to stop the vomiting. Poor baby wanted nothing but water all day. On Tuesday, he had the cha-chas. Early Wednesday morning, Mike caught it. He is still sick today. Late Wednesday night, Alicia got it. She is feeling much better now. Luckily, I did not get it.
I have made my way through Mount Washmore at least 6 times this week. I should have invested in laundry detergent stock.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
God is Everywhere
Last Thursday, as I was hurtling onto the freeway to get Alicia to school in some semblance of "on time", it was really dark and cloudy. The clouds were so low and heavy; they were a gray that resembled gun metal. The sun shot through and a bright shaft of light shone down on the valley. From our vantage point on the raised freeway, it was truly beautiful.
I had left Reece at home, asleep with Daddy, so it was just Alicia and me in the van. I heard her gasp from the back of the van and she pointed and exclaimed, "Look, Mommy! I see the light of God and He's watching over you while you drive me to school!"
I love our time driving to school. Those fifteen minutes or so are so precious to me. Lots of it is spent with Alicia asking questions about God or just talking about Him in general. With all of the recent rain, she's been looking for rainbows, because they are God's promise that He won't flood the whole world. She is learning that God waters the plants and trees with the rain and it provides drinking water for animals and us and that that is where our bathing water comes from, also.
She talks about what she learned in Sabbath School and what she is learning in preschool. She is a sponge; she's soaking up all of the information she can about this wonderful Being she has met named God.
Alicia will be going to Kindergarten in August. I worry about this, my first baby making such a big step. I know that at five years old she should be ready, but am I ready? The current Kindergarten teacher is retiring this year. I have heard on good authority that one of Ali's preschool teachers has applied for the job and it appears that she may have it. However, I haven't heard anything concrete yet. I hope that it is true, as I feel that the transition would be much easier for Ali to move on with a teacher she has already had for two years.
Then there is Reece. He is going to be three in May. Ali was three when she started preschool, but she seemed so much older than Reece at three. He is still such a baby. His speech isn't that good yet, he isn't really counting above three (which, by no coincidence, is about as high as he hears Mommy count), he doesn't seem to know his colors. True, Ali was closer to the other end of three, but there is still a huge difference in maturation between the two. I think we are going to hold him out one more year and perhaps while she is at school I can dedicate more time to his learning.
On another topic, I am very glad that I have found my friend Dawn. She has three beautiful children ages 5, nearly 3 and so close to 1 you can feel it. Her two year old, David, is four days younger than Reece. I can honestly say that he is probably the only other child that Reece can play with without it ending in tears. Dawn has noticed the same. They are the same size. They both have dark brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. I joked yesterday that they are twins, separated by birth to different mothers. I believe that I can honestly say Reece has a best friend.
Alicia, however, does not. She has little friends that she will play with at playdates and at school, but not a best friend. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned at this age as they are very fickle. However, it hurts when my little girl says that no one wanted to play with her at school and she has no friends. Or when she cries that she doesn't want to go to school because no one is nice.
Sometimes I wonder if she is the one who isn't being nice.
She will say little things, snarky, petty little things, that make me think that maybe she is the bully or the not-so-nice kid. Sadly, she has her daddy believing every word she says and treating her like the princess he calls her. I have tried to let him know that he cannot be making excuses for her and letting her get away with everything. I refuse to be THAT parent.
You know what I mean, the parent who acts as if their child can do no wrong and it's always someone else's fault: the other child, other parents, the school system. I want my children to take responsibility for their actions, to own up to their wrongs, to think over their options and to exercise the right ones.
I think I have my work cut out for me. Please pray for me for guidance in bringing these children up in the way that God wants.
I had left Reece at home, asleep with Daddy, so it was just Alicia and me in the van. I heard her gasp from the back of the van and she pointed and exclaimed, "Look, Mommy! I see the light of God and He's watching over you while you drive me to school!"
I love our time driving to school. Those fifteen minutes or so are so precious to me. Lots of it is spent with Alicia asking questions about God or just talking about Him in general. With all of the recent rain, she's been looking for rainbows, because they are God's promise that He won't flood the whole world. She is learning that God waters the plants and trees with the rain and it provides drinking water for animals and us and that that is where our bathing water comes from, also.
She talks about what she learned in Sabbath School and what she is learning in preschool. She is a sponge; she's soaking up all of the information she can about this wonderful Being she has met named God.
Alicia will be going to Kindergarten in August. I worry about this, my first baby making such a big step. I know that at five years old she should be ready, but am I ready? The current Kindergarten teacher is retiring this year. I have heard on good authority that one of Ali's preschool teachers has applied for the job and it appears that she may have it. However, I haven't heard anything concrete yet. I hope that it is true, as I feel that the transition would be much easier for Ali to move on with a teacher she has already had for two years.
Then there is Reece. He is going to be three in May. Ali was three when she started preschool, but she seemed so much older than Reece at three. He is still such a baby. His speech isn't that good yet, he isn't really counting above three (which, by no coincidence, is about as high as he hears Mommy count), he doesn't seem to know his colors. True, Ali was closer to the other end of three, but there is still a huge difference in maturation between the two. I think we are going to hold him out one more year and perhaps while she is at school I can dedicate more time to his learning.
On another topic, I am very glad that I have found my friend Dawn. She has three beautiful children ages 5, nearly 3 and so close to 1 you can feel it. Her two year old, David, is four days younger than Reece. I can honestly say that he is probably the only other child that Reece can play with without it ending in tears. Dawn has noticed the same. They are the same size. They both have dark brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. I joked yesterday that they are twins, separated by birth to different mothers. I believe that I can honestly say Reece has a best friend.
Alicia, however, does not. She has little friends that she will play with at playdates and at school, but not a best friend. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned at this age as they are very fickle. However, it hurts when my little girl says that no one wanted to play with her at school and she has no friends. Or when she cries that she doesn't want to go to school because no one is nice.
Sometimes I wonder if she is the one who isn't being nice.
She will say little things, snarky, petty little things, that make me think that maybe she is the bully or the not-so-nice kid. Sadly, she has her daddy believing every word she says and treating her like the princess he calls her. I have tried to let him know that he cannot be making excuses for her and letting her get away with everything. I refuse to be THAT parent.
You know what I mean, the parent who acts as if their child can do no wrong and it's always someone else's fault: the other child, other parents, the school system. I want my children to take responsibility for their actions, to own up to their wrongs, to think over their options and to exercise the right ones.
I think I have my work cut out for me. Please pray for me for guidance in bringing these children up in the way that God wants.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
It's Been a Long Time, Miss Me Much?
I guess I didn't realize just how long it had been since I have posted on here. I'm always surprised when I see it. This should be a habit for me, but again, just how much can I listen to myself?
Reece, Mike and I are sick. Mike just got sick yesterday, but you'd think he'd been miserable the longest. Reece and I have been fighting it for about a month now. I think I'm just going to give in, be sick and be done with it!
Let's see. Last month, the 27th through the 29th, I went on women's retreat to the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite. http://www.tenayalodge.com/ It is an incredible place, and our church conference reserves the weekend every year so that we can get together and listen to speakers and be completely blessed. This year was one speaker, Shelly Quinn. She is an amazing, God-filled woman who inspired each of us there to walk closer with God.
When we were driving out of the lot to come home on Sunday afternoon, Mike called my cell. The coverage out there is very spotty and my battery was just about dead from everyone trying to call me over the weekend. I answered the phone and said, "My battery is about dead, so talk fast!" He kept asking if I wanted to hear a miracle and then the phone went dead.
Once I finally got home, I was in for a shock. While Mike had been giving the kids a bath that afternoon, Reece grabbed and pulled the shower door. It fell off the track and into the tub, shattering into thousands of little, tiny pieces. Both kids had minor cuts all over them, and Mike had some on his hands. God was watching over them. This house is over 20 years old; it is possible that the glass wouldn't have been the safety glass. It was, though, and saved them from worse damage. It took me 3 days to get all the glass completely cleaned from the floor and tub. I took the other door down and plan to use a curtain until the kids are maybe in their teens.
Alicia is learning so much at preschool. She has been learning to write her name and does quite well at it. She still writes, draws and colors with both hands, so she may yet be ambidextrous. There are worse things she could be.
Reece is speaking better and more clearly by the day it seems. He learned 'library' last week. It is so cute to hear him say it. He has also learned his name is Reece. He says it kind of funny, pulling his mouth back in a sort of grimace on the "eece".
They are both getting big. Alicia is tall for her age, and as a new 5 year old, is wearing a size 6, for height. They hang on her and everything needs to be belted or pinned, but 4's and 5's are way too short. Reece is going into 3's for the same reason. My children look a bit sorry; all of their clothes are ill-fitting. They either fit in the waist and are high-waters, or they are long enough but sagging and bagging everywhere.
I've been losing weight, slow and steady. I am down 25 pounds. I want to lose 5 more, but am having a really hard time with the last few. I have been yo-yoing since Thanksgiving. I really want to be healthy and a good example to the children. Who are they going to look to first - the school system or their mom? What I model to them now will affect how they are in the future.
I'd better get off of here and get some rest so that I can get better. I am supposed to teach the little ones in Sabbath School Saturday, but there is no way that I will do it if I am still sick. I hate to expose them unnecessarily to my germs.
Reece, Mike and I are sick. Mike just got sick yesterday, but you'd think he'd been miserable the longest. Reece and I have been fighting it for about a month now. I think I'm just going to give in, be sick and be done with it!
Let's see. Last month, the 27th through the 29th, I went on women's retreat to the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite. http://www.tenayalodge.com/ It is an incredible place, and our church conference reserves the weekend every year so that we can get together and listen to speakers and be completely blessed. This year was one speaker, Shelly Quinn. She is an amazing, God-filled woman who inspired each of us there to walk closer with God.
When we were driving out of the lot to come home on Sunday afternoon, Mike called my cell. The coverage out there is very spotty and my battery was just about dead from everyone trying to call me over the weekend. I answered the phone and said, "My battery is about dead, so talk fast!" He kept asking if I wanted to hear a miracle and then the phone went dead.
Once I finally got home, I was in for a shock. While Mike had been giving the kids a bath that afternoon, Reece grabbed and pulled the shower door. It fell off the track and into the tub, shattering into thousands of little, tiny pieces. Both kids had minor cuts all over them, and Mike had some on his hands. God was watching over them. This house is over 20 years old; it is possible that the glass wouldn't have been the safety glass. It was, though, and saved them from worse damage. It took me 3 days to get all the glass completely cleaned from the floor and tub. I took the other door down and plan to use a curtain until the kids are maybe in their teens.
Alicia is learning so much at preschool. She has been learning to write her name and does quite well at it. She still writes, draws and colors with both hands, so she may yet be ambidextrous. There are worse things she could be.
Reece is speaking better and more clearly by the day it seems. He learned 'library' last week. It is so cute to hear him say it. He has also learned his name is Reece. He says it kind of funny, pulling his mouth back in a sort of grimace on the "eece".
They are both getting big. Alicia is tall for her age, and as a new 5 year old, is wearing a size 6, for height. They hang on her and everything needs to be belted or pinned, but 4's and 5's are way too short. Reece is going into 3's for the same reason. My children look a bit sorry; all of their clothes are ill-fitting. They either fit in the waist and are high-waters, or they are long enough but sagging and bagging everywhere.
I've been losing weight, slow and steady. I am down 25 pounds. I want to lose 5 more, but am having a really hard time with the last few. I have been yo-yoing since Thanksgiving. I really want to be healthy and a good example to the children. Who are they going to look to first - the school system or their mom? What I model to them now will affect how they are in the future.
I'd better get off of here and get some rest so that I can get better. I am supposed to teach the little ones in Sabbath School Saturday, but there is no way that I will do it if I am still sick. I hate to expose them unnecessarily to my germs.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
A little catching up to do
Things have, of course, been as crazy as ever around this household. We have had Alicia's birthday, Thanksgiving, illness, 3 cats have died, craziness, the usual. I'm going to copy and paste some things that I have posted on various sites that I frequent; mainly because I'm so tired. I'm going to try to post some pictures on the photo blog as well, but it hasn't worked so well for me the last few times. I want to point out that the first cat gone was a very small kitten we rescued from our backyard. She was really too young to be separated from her mother and didn't stand much chance.
Nov. 21, 2005
We have old cats. I mean, really old cats. Not a one of them is younger than 11. Mike and I have always known that the end would be coming for them, sooner or later, and probably sooner. We used to say to each other, "Once the first one goes, it probably won't be long before the others follow."
I wish we hadn't said that.
Perla died early Friday morning. Okay, she was my mother-in-law's cat that we inherited. She was a full-blooded Persian, with the face that looked as if someone had whacked her with a flat shovel. They have a lot of problems and aren't expected to live a really long time. Basically, about 12 years was a long life for her. We knew it was coming for awhile. I was sad for Mike as that was his mom's favorite cat, but I wasn't really attached to her.
This morning, at 1 am, Target died. I'm so silly; I feel like crying even now. Mike woke me up and I went out into the living room and pet my cat and said goodbye. For some reason, Alicia wandered out into the living room. She never wakes up in the middle of the night. I told her that Target was dying and asked if she wanted to say goodbye. She said yes and walked over, pet him and said she loved him and goodbye. Then, he died. He took his last faltering breath and was gone. Mike and I were both crying and Alicia said to me, "Daddy told me that sometimes cats get old and sick and they die so they don't suffer anymore." Then she went back to bed. This morning, she asked if he was gone and I said yes and she said, "I thought so."
Target was my cat. He adopted me when he was a kitten and I was only 22. Mike and I were moving into a new place and he walked in on the first night as if he owned the place and he never left. When Mike and I were going through difficult times 8 years ago, Target cuddled with me and watched, "While You Were Sleeping" about 40 times. When my children were born and brought home, Target was there, sniffing them out and watching. For an old cat, he was so gentle and patient with them. He endured endless hair pulling, kids laying on him because he was so cuddly and being carried around by Alicia as if he were one of her stuffed animals.
I miss you already, Target.
Nov. 29, 2005
So, for the second time in about a week's span, Reece has locked himself into the master bath. Of course, Mike sleeps right through any ruckus that occurs in the bathroom/bedroom area. I think a freight train could come screaming through and he'd only mumble, "Five more minutes, please, I'm sooooo tired."
We have the safety doorknob covers on the bedroom door, but Alicia has known for quite sometime how to circumvent those. She left the bedroom door wide open for the little man to get in. I am, of course, in the living room, blissfully unaware of the goings-on in the other room because I'm doing things like folding laundry, rinsing dishes and picking things up.
Then, I hear water running. I hit the first bathroom and find Alicia trying to refill a bottle of bubbles. I usher her out but still hear water. I head for my bathroom. The door was locked. Knocking on the door and yelling threats did, naturally, nothing. Why would he be scared when mom can't even get in the room?
To the front yard I went. Luckily (for me, not him), I left the window cracked open a bit this morning. I had to heft myself up and through the window. I swear, my old neighbors would have called the cops. Thank goodness they've moved and the new neighbors have kids. I figure they'll be much more understanding of my breaking and entering skills used on my own home.
It's not a large window and I have long legs. While the length of my legs makes it easier to get to the window, it doesn't help in getting through the window. I kind of end up doing the splits with one foot on the brickwork and the other dangling through to the bathroom, hoping to find the countertop.
I finally managed to hoist myself through without falling to certain injury on either side of the wall and get the door unlocked and Reece all dried. All I can say is, there is a doorknob cover going on that door now and I am glad I have lost weight, because hefting an extra 25 pounds through there wouldn't be easy. Oh yeah, it doesn't help that the cold weather made the arthritis in my back flare up this morning. I'm too old for this stuff.
Dec. 2, 2005
I realized today that there are only 3 weekends until Christmas weekend!! Man, time has flown!! I was going to order my dad a gift online, but they are backordered until Jan. 6, so now I have to come up with something else. I think I may go drag in the tree and decorations today as it isn't raining. It's actually sunny and pretty outside.
My van is hurt. The check engine light came on and I took it in. The intake manifold is cracked. It's a very expensive and time-consuming job. Luckily, my good friend Dawn has a wonderful husband who works on cars and is much cheaper than the dealership. It's still a blow before Christmas, however. Dawn, you should have a great Christmas!!!
It has to be fixed, though, especially if we are going to Oregon the day after Christmas, which we are. I need to go out and buy some snowboots and long
johns for the family. Guess what they're getting for Christmas!!
Dec. 7, 2005
My best friend Donna and I went to tea today. One of the shops in town was having a tea/fashion show. We know the woman who was putting on the fashion show and when she found out that we were booked for the first tea, she strongly hinted that she needed models for the afternoon.
It was the most fun that I have had in a long time. The tea was very yummy. I ordered a cherry vanilla tea, which was perfect. We ate a fruit salad with a yogurt dressing, tea sandwiches (the salmon was delicious!) and scones with scrumptious lemon spread. I got a completely decadent chocolate cake for dessert, and of course, Donna did as well.
The models circulated among the tables during the meal and showed off their outfits, describing everything as they went. Once we were finished eating, it was our turn.
Cindy's Doodads, the shop for which we modeled, is a higher end store. Most of her customers are 40 and up. My theory is that they are the ones who can afford it because their kids are more likely to be grown and gone. I got to try on such beautiful clothes, and wear them around. Altogether I think I modeled 8 different outfits; every one of them was gorgeous. I also got to wear sparkly watches, beautiful jewelry and an awesome hat. I wish we had taken pictures of each other!! Cindy did take a picture of me in what I called my "opera outfit" so I'll try to get a copy of it. As a thank you to us, she let us pick one item at half price. I bought a cool black crocheted skirt that was originally $70. I'm always amazed at the ladies who look at the prices and say, "Oh, that jacket is $135.00? That's not bad at all." I'm thinking, my goodness, it's thin and just an accessory! $68.00 for the awesome black purse with tiny sparkly stars? Oh, that's nothing to these women.
The last thing I modeled (we got to pick out our own clothes) was a red Christmas T-shirt that had "Dear Santa, I want everything!" spelled out in rhinestones and a black slinky skirt, red beaded ring, red and rhinestone watch and the black starry purse. I picked the top because I wanted everything I wore today.
It was really fun, but my feet are killing me now. I guess I shouldn't walk around for 3 hours in 3-inch heeled boots. I know Cindy made a killing, because almost every woman that I saw at the tea ended up buying something at the boutique. Wish she had given me more......haha.
Dec. 9, 2005
I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. It was a bit of a lazy day; I didn't get showered until 9 am. Highly unusual, but I recovered.
The rest of the day hasn't been as great. Hmmmmm....where to begin......I took the kids to the store with me. I had to exchange some boots I bought for my niece Anayla and of course Reece wouldn't exactly behave in the store. At some point, while I was driving or getting out of the van or something, I got a kink in my neck. There's good kink and there's bad kink. This is bad kink. So, I'm half carrying a two and half year old by the straps of his overalls and begging him to put his feet down and walk and trying not to move my neck because sharp, shooting pains occur when I do.
That errand was accomplished and we headed to the grocery store. I took longer than I wanted, due to the fact that I had to twist my entire upper body to look at anything. I got an iced mocha for me and a latte for Mike. Reece managed to spill half the latte on the floor while trying to pick up the drink carrier.
Later, we're at home, and Reece has managed to make it a naked day. He has figured out how to get out of his overalls, somehow. He came up to me in his shirt and nothing else and let me know that he had pooped. Of course, the diaper was in the hall, and the contents weren't all contained. Yuck! I hate that. While I'm cleaning him (and the floor) up, I notice that he has a big hole in the front of his shirt, with suspiciously clean edges. I surmise that it was done by scissors. He tries to distract me, "Ew Mama!! Stinky!!" I keep asking him how it happened, but he's pleading innocent. I give up and punish him for totally ruining his shirt.
Later, I ask again what happened to the shirt. He says, "Sheesha did it." I hear from the bathroom, "Reece!! I was just cutting a string!" He had a string hanging from his shirt and she decided to cut it and in the process sliced the shirt to ribbons. She got in trouble and he got an apology. Haha!! He tells on her now!! She isn't getting away with as much now. She'll say, "Reece started it." and he'll say, "No, you start it!"
Speaking of Alicia, she is now dubbed the "Punk Rock Princess". I took pictures of her outfit, for posterity. She wants to dress herself and the result is kind of funny. I think she'll be the next Betsey Johnson and make a fortune dressing other people in ill-conceived get-ups.
Here is the punk rock princess, in all her glory. What you can't see is the tulle veil she attached to her hairband....(**note - the picture will be in the picture blog)
Dec. 10, 2005
As you can see, this has been a hectic time. I didn't even post about Thanksgiving, Ali's birthday on Thanksgiving or her party the following Sunday. I will, however, post some pictures in the other blog.
Nov. 21, 2005
We have old cats. I mean, really old cats. Not a one of them is younger than 11. Mike and I have always known that the end would be coming for them, sooner or later, and probably sooner. We used to say to each other, "Once the first one goes, it probably won't be long before the others follow."
I wish we hadn't said that.
Perla died early Friday morning. Okay, she was my mother-in-law's cat that we inherited. She was a full-blooded Persian, with the face that looked as if someone had whacked her with a flat shovel. They have a lot of problems and aren't expected to live a really long time. Basically, about 12 years was a long life for her. We knew it was coming for awhile. I was sad for Mike as that was his mom's favorite cat, but I wasn't really attached to her.
This morning, at 1 am, Target died. I'm so silly; I feel like crying even now. Mike woke me up and I went out into the living room and pet my cat and said goodbye. For some reason, Alicia wandered out into the living room. She never wakes up in the middle of the night. I told her that Target was dying and asked if she wanted to say goodbye. She said yes and walked over, pet him and said she loved him and goodbye. Then, he died. He took his last faltering breath and was gone. Mike and I were both crying and Alicia said to me, "Daddy told me that sometimes cats get old and sick and they die so they don't suffer anymore." Then she went back to bed. This morning, she asked if he was gone and I said yes and she said, "I thought so."
Target was my cat. He adopted me when he was a kitten and I was only 22. Mike and I were moving into a new place and he walked in on the first night as if he owned the place and he never left. When Mike and I were going through difficult times 8 years ago, Target cuddled with me and watched, "While You Were Sleeping" about 40 times. When my children were born and brought home, Target was there, sniffing them out and watching. For an old cat, he was so gentle and patient with them. He endured endless hair pulling, kids laying on him because he was so cuddly and being carried around by Alicia as if he were one of her stuffed animals.
I miss you already, Target.
Nov. 29, 2005
So, for the second time in about a week's span, Reece has locked himself into the master bath. Of course, Mike sleeps right through any ruckus that occurs in the bathroom/bedroom area. I think a freight train could come screaming through and he'd only mumble, "Five more minutes, please, I'm sooooo tired."
We have the safety doorknob covers on the bedroom door, but Alicia has known for quite sometime how to circumvent those. She left the bedroom door wide open for the little man to get in. I am, of course, in the living room, blissfully unaware of the goings-on in the other room because I'm doing things like folding laundry, rinsing dishes and picking things up.
Then, I hear water running. I hit the first bathroom and find Alicia trying to refill a bottle of bubbles. I usher her out but still hear water. I head for my bathroom. The door was locked. Knocking on the door and yelling threats did, naturally, nothing. Why would he be scared when mom can't even get in the room?
To the front yard I went. Luckily (for me, not him), I left the window cracked open a bit this morning. I had to heft myself up and through the window. I swear, my old neighbors would have called the cops. Thank goodness they've moved and the new neighbors have kids. I figure they'll be much more understanding of my breaking and entering skills used on my own home.
It's not a large window and I have long legs. While the length of my legs makes it easier to get to the window, it doesn't help in getting through the window. I kind of end up doing the splits with one foot on the brickwork and the other dangling through to the bathroom, hoping to find the countertop.
I finally managed to hoist myself through without falling to certain injury on either side of the wall and get the door unlocked and Reece all dried. All I can say is, there is a doorknob cover going on that door now and I am glad I have lost weight, because hefting an extra 25 pounds through there wouldn't be easy. Oh yeah, it doesn't help that the cold weather made the arthritis in my back flare up this morning. I'm too old for this stuff.
Dec. 2, 2005
I realized today that there are only 3 weekends until Christmas weekend!! Man, time has flown!! I was going to order my dad a gift online, but they are backordered until Jan. 6, so now I have to come up with something else. I think I may go drag in the tree and decorations today as it isn't raining. It's actually sunny and pretty outside.
My van is hurt. The check engine light came on and I took it in. The intake manifold is cracked. It's a very expensive and time-consuming job. Luckily, my good friend Dawn has a wonderful husband who works on cars and is much cheaper than the dealership. It's still a blow before Christmas, however. Dawn, you should have a great Christmas!!!
It has to be fixed, though, especially if we are going to Oregon the day after Christmas, which we are. I need to go out and buy some snowboots and long
johns for the family. Guess what they're getting for Christmas!!
Dec. 7, 2005
My best friend Donna and I went to tea today. One of the shops in town was having a tea/fashion show. We know the woman who was putting on the fashion show and when she found out that we were booked for the first tea, she strongly hinted that she needed models for the afternoon.
It was the most fun that I have had in a long time. The tea was very yummy. I ordered a cherry vanilla tea, which was perfect. We ate a fruit salad with a yogurt dressing, tea sandwiches (the salmon was delicious!) and scones with scrumptious lemon spread. I got a completely decadent chocolate cake for dessert, and of course, Donna did as well.
The models circulated among the tables during the meal and showed off their outfits, describing everything as they went. Once we were finished eating, it was our turn.
Cindy's Doodads, the shop for which we modeled, is a higher end store. Most of her customers are 40 and up. My theory is that they are the ones who can afford it because their kids are more likely to be grown and gone. I got to try on such beautiful clothes, and wear them around. Altogether I think I modeled 8 different outfits; every one of them was gorgeous. I also got to wear sparkly watches, beautiful jewelry and an awesome hat. I wish we had taken pictures of each other!! Cindy did take a picture of me in what I called my "opera outfit" so I'll try to get a copy of it. As a thank you to us, she let us pick one item at half price. I bought a cool black crocheted skirt that was originally $70. I'm always amazed at the ladies who look at the prices and say, "Oh, that jacket is $135.00? That's not bad at all." I'm thinking, my goodness, it's thin and just an accessory! $68.00 for the awesome black purse with tiny sparkly stars? Oh, that's nothing to these women.
The last thing I modeled (we got to pick out our own clothes) was a red Christmas T-shirt that had "Dear Santa, I want everything!" spelled out in rhinestones and a black slinky skirt, red beaded ring, red and rhinestone watch and the black starry purse. I picked the top because I wanted everything I wore today.
It was really fun, but my feet are killing me now. I guess I shouldn't walk around for 3 hours in 3-inch heeled boots. I know Cindy made a killing, because almost every woman that I saw at the tea ended up buying something at the boutique. Wish she had given me more......haha.
Dec. 9, 2005
I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. It was a bit of a lazy day; I didn't get showered until 9 am. Highly unusual, but I recovered.
The rest of the day hasn't been as great. Hmmmmm....where to begin......I took the kids to the store with me. I had to exchange some boots I bought for my niece Anayla and of course Reece wouldn't exactly behave in the store. At some point, while I was driving or getting out of the van or something, I got a kink in my neck. There's good kink and there's bad kink. This is bad kink. So, I'm half carrying a two and half year old by the straps of his overalls and begging him to put his feet down and walk and trying not to move my neck because sharp, shooting pains occur when I do.
That errand was accomplished and we headed to the grocery store. I took longer than I wanted, due to the fact that I had to twist my entire upper body to look at anything. I got an iced mocha for me and a latte for Mike. Reece managed to spill half the latte on the floor while trying to pick up the drink carrier.
Later, we're at home, and Reece has managed to make it a naked day. He has figured out how to get out of his overalls, somehow. He came up to me in his shirt and nothing else and let me know that he had pooped. Of course, the diaper was in the hall, and the contents weren't all contained. Yuck! I hate that. While I'm cleaning him (and the floor) up, I notice that he has a big hole in the front of his shirt, with suspiciously clean edges. I surmise that it was done by scissors. He tries to distract me, "Ew Mama!! Stinky!!" I keep asking him how it happened, but he's pleading innocent. I give up and punish him for totally ruining his shirt.
Later, I ask again what happened to the shirt. He says, "Sheesha did it." I hear from the bathroom, "Reece!! I was just cutting a string!" He had a string hanging from his shirt and she decided to cut it and in the process sliced the shirt to ribbons. She got in trouble and he got an apology. Haha!! He tells on her now!! She isn't getting away with as much now. She'll say, "Reece started it." and he'll say, "No, you start it!"
Speaking of Alicia, she is now dubbed the "Punk Rock Princess". I took pictures of her outfit, for posterity. She wants to dress herself and the result is kind of funny. I think she'll be the next Betsey Johnson and make a fortune dressing other people in ill-conceived get-ups.
Here is the punk rock princess, in all her glory. What you can't see is the tulle veil she attached to her hairband....(**note - the picture will be in the picture blog)
Dec. 10, 2005
As you can see, this has been a hectic time. I didn't even post about Thanksgiving, Ali's birthday on Thanksgiving or her party the following Sunday. I will, however, post some pictures in the other blog.
Friday, November 18, 2005
SSDD - Still Sick, Different Day
Okay, so my recovery wasn't so great after all. I did fine on Tuesday, save one allergic reaction in Ross with a coughing fit and runny eyes that ended as soon as I walked outside. Wednesday dawned and I couldn't talk. That is paramount to catastrophic. I dragged my rear into the doctor's office to discover I had acute pharyngitis and laryingitis. Basically, a sore throat and hoarse voice. Medication ensued. As of this writing, Friday night, I'm still not better. Oh, I can speak alright (Mike only got a one day reprieve, doctor ordered), but I still feel kind of fuzzy. Now my mom is getting it. Only, I think she has it worse. Poor woman. Luckily the kids and Mike still seem to be okay.
The other day Alicia wanted to take some pictures. Ah, the wonders of the digital world. With actual film, I would have been hesitant over the waste of money on film and developing. With my Cyber-shot, I was pretty willing. I handed her the camera and she snapped away. I deleted all shots of plain white walls, but I kept many others. The perspective of a nearly five year old is fascinating. I was going to post them here instead of the photo blog, but it wouldn't work. With the pictures of me, keep in mind that she kept asking me to smile, even though my mouth was nowhere in one of the shots. Unfortunately, my chins are.
The other day Alicia wanted to take some pictures. Ah, the wonders of the digital world. With actual film, I would have been hesitant over the waste of money on film and developing. With my Cyber-shot, I was pretty willing. I handed her the camera and she snapped away. I deleted all shots of plain white walls, but I kept many others. The perspective of a nearly five year old is fascinating. I was going to post them here instead of the photo blog, but it wouldn't work. With the pictures of me, keep in mind that she kept asking me to smile, even though my mouth was nowhere in one of the shots. Unfortunately, my chins are.
Monday, November 14, 2005
What a bunch of sickies....
We've been sick in our household this week. It started with Alicia, who wasn't feeling good a little over a week ago. She recovered and Mike said he wasn't feeling great, but he was still able to go about his normal life. It hit me Friday night. All day Saturday I was achy and tired. I was on a steady diet of Tylenol Flu. Now it's Monday and I still don't feel great, but I can live with it. I feel much better than I did. All I have left is a cloudy head.
Of course, Alicia's left eye started looking a bit blood-shot last night. This morning it wasn't as bad, but still a little red. I kept her out of school, just in case she has pink eye. Naturally, about an hour or so later, it started to clear up. I got her some medicine and wrestled her to the floor to administer it, just in case. Always fun, wrestling the kids down for medication purposes.
Reece doesn't appear to be sick - yet. He is coughing off and on, but nothing to really write about (and yet, I'm still writing about it...).
A couple of my friends came over yesterday and we did some scrapbooking. Now that I am getting together with friends, I am finally making some headway on the books. Is it wrong to be proud of them? I love seeing what kind of artistic work I can put into them. Now I need to get started on making my Christmas cards so that I can get them sent off in a decent amount of time.
Reece is really into naked time right now. I can't keep clothes on him for anything, it seems. I definitely get some exercise trying to get him dressed for the day. Lately, unless we have to be somewhere, I just let him run around in his diaper. It just isn't worth the fight.
Well, there's not much else going on right now. I guess I'll make it short. I am going to post some pictures on the other blog. Check them out!
Of course, Alicia's left eye started looking a bit blood-shot last night. This morning it wasn't as bad, but still a little red. I kept her out of school, just in case she has pink eye. Naturally, about an hour or so later, it started to clear up. I got her some medicine and wrestled her to the floor to administer it, just in case. Always fun, wrestling the kids down for medication purposes.
Reece doesn't appear to be sick - yet. He is coughing off and on, but nothing to really write about (and yet, I'm still writing about it...).
A couple of my friends came over yesterday and we did some scrapbooking. Now that I am getting together with friends, I am finally making some headway on the books. Is it wrong to be proud of them? I love seeing what kind of artistic work I can put into them. Now I need to get started on making my Christmas cards so that I can get them sent off in a decent amount of time.
Reece is really into naked time right now. I can't keep clothes on him for anything, it seems. I definitely get some exercise trying to get him dressed for the day. Lately, unless we have to be somewhere, I just let him run around in his diaper. It just isn't worth the fight.
Well, there's not much else going on right now. I guess I'll make it short. I am going to post some pictures on the other blog. Check them out!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Yadda, yadda, yadda
There's still not much going on here......
Alicia had a sore throat for a few days. She lost her voice on Friday and walked around croaking, "I miss my voice." So cute. None of the rest of us got anything so I don't know what she had. It appears to be gone for now.
Reece started telling me, "You knock it off!" I never realize how much I say something until they repeat it back to me. So.....yeah. I'm putting an end to that one real quick.
Alicia is completely uncognizant of the fact that it is only 52 degrees outside and is wanting to wear a short little skort that is actually getting a bit small for her. She is wearing a long sleeved shirt with it, as if that makes up for it. She wants to wear flip-flops.
Reece, on the other hand, still wants to wear nothing. Not even a diaper. I spend way more time than I want picking diapers up off of the floor and putting a clean one on him.
I have gotten a start on my Christmas shopping!! Woohoo!!! There are so many birthdays before Christmas, it's ridiculous. I'm working on those now. I have Alicia's birthday shopping done, and Lindsay's just passed yesterday (she's 10!! How can that be?) so that's 2 down, 3 to go.
Guess I'll go do some laundry now. Not that it will make a difference to my kids.
Alicia had a sore throat for a few days. She lost her voice on Friday and walked around croaking, "I miss my voice." So cute. None of the rest of us got anything so I don't know what she had. It appears to be gone for now.
Reece started telling me, "You knock it off!" I never realize how much I say something until they repeat it back to me. So.....yeah. I'm putting an end to that one real quick.
Alicia is completely uncognizant of the fact that it is only 52 degrees outside and is wanting to wear a short little skort that is actually getting a bit small for her. She is wearing a long sleeved shirt with it, as if that makes up for it. She wants to wear flip-flops.
Reece, on the other hand, still wants to wear nothing. Not even a diaper. I spend way more time than I want picking diapers up off of the floor and putting a clean one on him.
I have gotten a start on my Christmas shopping!! Woohoo!!! There are so many birthdays before Christmas, it's ridiculous. I'm working on those now. I have Alicia's birthday shopping done, and Lindsay's just passed yesterday (she's 10!! How can that be?) so that's 2 down, 3 to go.
Guess I'll go do some laundry now. Not that it will make a difference to my kids.
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