Thursday, July 31, 2014

She got brave!

S and I took the dog to the dog park twice today. It was a slow day and we wanted to give her some time to play and wear herself out. After her somewhat traumatizing experience this spring, she has not wanted to step foot in there again. Well, just like with children, peer pressure can be a bad and good thing. After a handsome black standard poodle, a golden-lab mix, 2 mops dogs and 2 German shepherd started going in the water, Copper could not stand missing out on the fun. First one paw and then two...then four...then half the leg...then up to the neck...then the boy dogs started fighting, so she got jerked out of the water and we left. Oh well. All good things must come to an end. And she was wonderfully worn out. Yay.


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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Holding hard and fast to summer

I am not ready for school to start. At all. A schedule that is jam packed already...a child who will be doing things with high schoolers every week...a child who is entering a difficult year of school with a learning disability that will make her feel different and self conscious. I dread every bit of it. It didn't help that I took child number one shopping for school supplies tonight. Talk about sticker shock. Good grief. Oh well. It had to happen. S and I went this morning to get the boy a new backpack with the specifications that he requested: something that he can wear a strap across his chest. Badabing. One strapped Adidas sling. Done. We then took a trip to the craft store and then on to lunch at a popular burger place downtown. Being seated next to a group of young, cufflinked lawyers proved to not be the best of seating placements. My rising 8th grader got to hear stories of how the guys lied about being members of varsity sports teams at college and immediately were able to bed multiple women. Of course this was not the terminology used, but I think you can get the gist of what went on there. Needless to say, we had some very uncomfortable conversations on the way back home. After that, we took the dog to the dog park to wear her out and then came back home to relax. She is currently participating in one of her Santa gifts she begged for: taking the online Red Cross Babysitter Certification course. She is loving every second. They just warned against using cell phones instead of playing with the children, how a child can drown in less than an inch of water in a bucket and how to deal with a grease fire. Let's all pray that the grease fire never happens and all buckets are turned upsode down...and that she controls the cell phone.

Just pray for my attitude. I just want good school years for all of my children and all of their teachers. I need to adjust my attitude to gratitude. Until then, I'll just watch one of the new crop of responsible babysitters getting ready to give parents a night out:



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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

This is the meeting that never ends...

I went to a soccer meeting tonight. It was kind of bizarre to be at the meeting which was held during a practice when my children weren't there. I went in with a crooked attitude, because I really would have rather been at home with my family. Wah wah wah. Anyway, the head coach is a talker. God bless him, he is passionate about what he does and has a soft spot in his heart for those kids who are less fortunate and have soccer as their hope to get an education and better themselves. All that being said, we sat there facing the sun and listening to him philosophize for an hour and a half. Being the severe ADHD person that I am, it was torture. My fellow antsy parents and I texted each other the whole time and threatened to hurt the first person who aske a question and made the meeting last longer. By the end, we all looked like this:



We survived the meeting and I took the oldest out for some ice cream after she had a not so great day. The hub was rewarded wth a extra thick strawberry shake for his efforts to behave and be a good patient.

I ask your prayers for one of S's best buddies who has knee surgery tomorrow. She has been such a trooper and I hope this surgery will do the trick for sure! Also for our dear friend, E, who had hip replacement surgery today. Our daughter, G, is all to pieces worrying about her beloved friend. I pray both people have quick recovery times.

Have a good night, dear readers. Tomorrow is a new day and brings with it new possibilities. For us, it will bring school supply shopping. Yipes.
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Monday, July 28, 2014

I have no brain

We had a visitor in our bed last night. After tornado watch time was over and all the heartbeats were nestled in their beds, slumbering restlessly, the wrath came down about 11:45pm-ish. The first good crack made me jump a good foot out of bed and, not to be crass, probably made me wet the bed a little bit...or almost. The hub and I not so groggily waited for the sound of sprinting feet to our bed, but they held out for a terrifying 5 minutes. A huge crack came, we heard the sound of the pocket door and a child launched into our bed. "I tried as long as I could...I'm sorry." Heck. There are plenty of years for her to be brave. Let mom and dad help you out right now. I was glad she felt safe, but it made for adverse sleeping conditions. We'll take that hit.

I'll be happy to brush my teeth and get to bed soon. I'm waiting for S to come back from time with her cousins. Then it will be sleepy time. Thank goodness.


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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Basement dwellers

Tornadoes came to the area this evening. We were in the middle of baths and showers and cleaning up dinner when our phones went into emergency mode and blared warnings at us to take cover. G immediately went into panic mode, bless her heart. We moved the dog's crate downstairs, got her settled in there and got the kids settled as best we could. Poor B could only stand up, for the sick mattresses and Aerobed were too low for him to be able to get back up on his feet with relative ease. The boy and I played with Bendaroos and the girls did their own thing to pass the time:



A much fun as the basement adventures can sometimes be, we were glad to return to the upper floors of the house and get to bed. Everyone is conked out. I just finished a Young Ones episode and am turning in for the night. Say a prayer for those in outlying counties. Lots of people have sustained lots of damage. We were so very fortunate.


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Saturday, July 26, 2014

Cousin time

Today the Virginia cousins were available to play for a bit of time, so we packed up the scooters and headed to the park. The dog came along to meet her first doggie cousin for the first time. After finding lots of frogs and turtles, the boy falling out of a tree with his bike helmet on and Copper deciding to try and eat a hornet, we left hot and tired and ready for lunch and a rest. The hub has continued to improve. Pops has helped change the dressing on his incision. He is weaning off of his pain meds. Today, however, he did have a new side effect to the medication. Crazy eyes. He walked into the kitchen this morning with a look of total shock and surprise on his face. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "Nothing...why?". The medicated crazy eyes have been with us all day and are kind of creeping me out, not gonna lie. Hopefully that symptom will disappear tomorrow. Just glad he is feeling better and healing. We are all ready to return to normal.

Bedtime, friends. Tomorrow will be a work day and I have to get up early. Gotta get this wimpy rear to bed.


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Friday, July 25, 2014

Very proud

Today we went to go watch our oldest perform with the high school band as they presented the first parts of their halftime program for the fall. I was a complete band nerd in school, so this is a very exciting time for me. Because she is yet to be in high school, she is in the front ensemble playing the vibraphone and bells and cymbals. She has been practicing with the band since June, being the little fairy mascot of the percussion section. Being a saxophone player and the sister of a percussionist, I knew she would get quite the education when it came to the crass and off color. New terms and words bear repeating until they are used in a somehwat proper way, I think, and this is credo of many middle and high school boys. There are a few terms, after looking them up in the Urban Dictionary, that have made me sit down and catch my breath. She is a baby! She shouldn't know these things. But, alas, she does and the genie has been released fromthe bottle. She has returned each evening with vim and vigor and excitement for the things she is learning. It is so fun to watch. So when the family went down to the high school parking lot to watch the first showing of their effort, I was unsure what to expect. I know she knows 75% of the slang for the male anatomy, ugh, but I was interested to see how much music she could play. I was pleasantly surprised at how she could pretty enthusiastically whomp on her instruments and how she sounded really good. It was exciting to see and exciting to think about how much fun is in her future. I cannot wait to see what else she learns...just no more sexual terms or filthy definitions of her name. This momma can only take so much without resorting to the hard stuff.


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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Can't think of a title

Life doesn't stop when you are gone to be with your husband during his surgery and recovery. Boy did I find that out today. Band camp still wanted my daughter there. G and F still were "bored and had nothing to do". The dog still decided she needed to chew her bed. The ants decided today would be the day to come and attack our kitchen. Soccer practice still went on and the kids still whined about it. A tired child still got snappy with me. Laundry still got dirty and dishes still needed washing. I did get to take a 30 minute nap while watching The Venture Brothers. There are worse things one could do with their day.

Tomorrow afternoon S has her first performance with the high school marching band. I'm just a bit nervous and I know she is. Come one by at 4. They say that is when they will start. I'll be the mom biting her nails.


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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Home at last

The birthday boy is home, praise The Lord!! I have talked about this before when S was in the hospital for a long stay, but going home is a blessing and concern for me. Dorothy was right, there really is no place like home. BUT, when you or your family member have been at a very vulnerable place of sickness and fear and worry, the hospital staff become like a part of your family. Last night, our nurse did a little dance for B when he reached a new milestone and remembered that he liked chocolate ice cream. She brought him some to get the bad medicine taste out of his mouth. When I was in the hospital with a bug bite gone horribly wrong, the kind nurse brushed my hair...after he brought me an extra yogurt. They see you when you've been crying from pain or loopy from happy juice or angry from incredible pain. Sure, there's always someone who gets nasty, but they are usually few and far between. When I knocked the side mirror of a poorly parked and unattended van in the patient drop off and discharge zone this morning and the valet rushed to make sure I gave him my insurance information(which I would have done anyway though he treated me like a criminal), B's nurse, Patty, came over and hugged me. She told me that the van owners should be ashamed to call since it was in such disrepair and there was no harm done. She hugged me tighter and said my eyes were already heavy enough with exhaustion and crying would only make them swollen. She made me laugh and cry again and was so very kind to the both of us. So while I am happy to be home, I worry about being kicked out of the spine hospital nest with a husband who need so much assistance and I want to help him the best I can. He is doing fine. Walking around and obeying his instructions. He had some spaghetti, ate a piece of his birthday cake, opened some presents and conked out in a fog of meds and exhaustion. Tomorrow is a new day and healing has begun. We are a fortunate bunch.


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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Progress

Well. All the drains and needles(except for the IV) are out of his poor mangled back. I'd put a picture of the carnage up, but I forgot to ask his permission and he is wiped out. He has walked a lot around the floor today. The neuro doc really wanted him to go home, but the ortho doc had the final word. He didn't come in until late, so he gave us the option to stay and aviod a three hour night drive with a temporarily crippled patient. I appreciated that and almost hugged his neck...but I didn't. We are both so anxious to see our family and be in our own bed and smell our smells of home. Thank God for technology and Facetime. We got to see the kids today and talk to them and show them around the hub's suite. We showed them his back and explained what all the stuff meant. Their little faces were so full of concern. Love them!

I am going to brush my teeth and get ready to figure out the most comfortable way to sleep on this sleep sofa. The sofa bed should be used as a torture device, so that will not be used again tonight. I may just sleep across the love seat so it looks like I am a giant. Why not? I can dream of my own bed and pillows and maybe have a few hours sleep tonight. Last night had about 30 minutes of sleep. I can't be zombie wife when driving home tomorrow. I pray our trip is a smooth one.


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Monday, July 21, 2014

Well...surgery is done

My sweet husband is slumbering at this moment and I am going to forego his request to wash his face off with a warm washcloth. The nurse has already informed us that this will not be a night for sleeping. At least not any quality sleep. He has scheduled checks at now 9pm, 11pm, 1am, 3am, 4am and then they stopped giving times. Because of the extent of this proccedure, he has a drain in his incision that has to be checked and emptied every so many hours. The output of this particular drain will be one of the major determining factors as to when he gets to go home. Since his docs are 3 hours away from home, we are not feeling the need to rush anything. We have marveled at the fanciness of this hospital. He is in a suite that is, no lie, twice the size of the roach motel we stayed in last night. Another story for another time, but I will show you their idea of an acceptable soap dish:



Let's just say that my shower in the hospital suite bathroom seemed to almost remove the feeling of whatever was crawling on us last night. We determined, through the course of the day, that the rooms on his hall must have ben labor-delivery-recovery rooms at one time. It is great. He has already had his first walk out of the room and down the hall and back. He was very motivated to do so since that is his ticket to catheter removal. It has yet to come out, but they need him a bit more awake first. I get that. No need more unnecessary messes.

I hope each day he wakes up a little stronger and a little less in pain It is a new beginning...one that he has needed for so long.



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Sunday, July 20, 2014

Short and sweet

Tomorrow B goes to have his second surgery on his back.  Lots of hopes are twisted up into tomorrow.  I am sick at my stomach right now.  99% is nerves.  1% of that is carsickness from taking the in laws on a drive and I am texting in the backseat.  Glurg.  Pray that we can sleep tonight and be ready to face the day tomorrow.  I covet your prayers.  It is going to be hard.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

The nerves are starting

Tonight we had a great time celebrating my little cousin's first birthday. What a sweet and happy little person she is. It was so fun to watch her tear into her pink iced chocolate cake. She attacked it like a boss.

After laughing and eating and playing with some awfully cute babies, we headed home to continue our preparation for the hub's back surgery and recovery. We are putting so much hope in this surgery. It is really hard not to worry about so many things. Are these the right doctors? Is this surgery going to work? Will he ever be out of pain? The children are all handling it in their own ways. G is taking it the hardest. She is so very tender hearted...she is scared for her daddy. She needs some extra hugs for sure. Just pray that our march towards Monday's surgery will be a smooth one. Pray for B and our children. Please.

A funny to leave you with. This is what children do when Dad goes shopping for post surgery slip on shoes for way too long...look at my boy in the background:



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Friday, July 18, 2014

Put my dill where my mouth is...finally

Sooooo, I didn't use the crock that I was so excited about tonight, but I did finally stop talking and started pickling. When I opened the fridge, the cukes were practically jumping into my arms there were so many. I took action, made a makeshift canner from internet instructions since mine(and the specialty canning eye I ordered for our stove)has gone AWOL and started the preparations. S was nice enough to taste a slice of each cuke to make sure they were tasty. I peeled and chopped two heads of garlic and had them ready. We boiled the first batch of brine and spices and let it cool slightly. S and I stuffed the jars with slices and then she abandoned me for a trivial reason like, uh, dinner. Whatever. :0) G took over and ladeled the brine over each jar full and then put the rings on after I pulled the seals out of the boiling water and put them on the jar. She then mixed up more brine to cook as I put the jars in the pot to process. It was quite the operation. The hub walked in from getting dinner to exclaim, "Well my sinuses are clear!". I couldn't be insulted...it was so very true, but just wait until I make some hot pepper jelly. Better than Afrin, my friends. I am just praying that these work, because I may have to make another batch after surveying the amount of blossoms still on the cucumber vines in the garden. Botulism is not something I want to share with my family. I'll never forget when a friend and I went through the "trash" from a mega rich family in our neighorhood who left a bunch of stuff at the curb when they moved. In it I found an antique brass neckerchief slide for my dad for his Scoutmaster uniform, which really turned out to be a beautiful and valuable thing. I also found some nice and pretty jars with pretty looking peaches and green beans with what must have been, in my 7 year old mind, some blue and green spices to add flavor. And DEATH as my mother pointed out when I set them on the kitchen counter next to the uncooked meatloaf. "Get that out of here and in the trash...and then wash your hands!!!". So hopefully I will have made only pickles tonight and not homemade dill flavored Botulism wrinkle remover in a Ball jar. Yes, I have canned many things before, but never pickles. I won't ask any of my readers to try the first one.


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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Waiting room boredom

Today was the post op appointment for S. Through the years I have learned that "specialist" in the medical field equates to "long wait" in the parental field. When I was born, I had feet that were beyond pigeon toed. I had to see ortho docs and wear special corrective shoes that helped to fix my feet. Oh how I hated those things. Anyway, I spent many the hour in ortho waiting rooms. I think my mother even had a special bag packed that was full of special things to occupy us, the crazy children, for hours at a time. We had puzzles and books and more puzzles and books. My children had their ipad minis and my iphone to play lots of different games to occupy their time. So today was no different. They had their devices to keep them sane. We ended up waiting for an hour and a half in the exam room, to the point that I almost opened the door and asked if they remembered we were in there. Finally our beloved doctor showed up, did her check, gave S instructions and was gone...in about three minutes. Really? Even the boy said, "All the waiting for a light up her nose and in her ear? Come on." Out of the mouths of babes.

She is healing just like he wants her to and starts nose drops tomorrow. What else can a mom ask for in this whole process? Nothing.


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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Funny boy

I have very little to say this evening. Just kind of too tired and too preoccupied to have rational thought. I went to start making pickles only to find that my huge canning pot and canning eye for the stove have both gone missing. If I could have ripped the house apart, I would have to find those items. Maybe I can find them tomorrow with a fresh set of eyes. Otherwise people are going to start finding cukes on their doorsteps.

Today, when we were at Kroger on Senior Citizens Day, G started asking why they chose Wednesday to be the day specified for our seasoned citizens. I assured her that it was probably a different day other places. The boy, always full of explanations, said, "Well, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon on a Wednesday and so that is why our Kroger made it that day." He then erupted into belly laughs galore and yelled, "BAZINGA!!!". He is crazy. During the course of the day, he "bazinga-ed" us three times, got his swim goggles stuck on his face from intense suction and managed to eat a sandwich and get ketchup in his hair. He is never dull for sure.

Time to go to bed. I have officially run out of thoughts. Sorry.


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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Preparing...

We are in a cycle of preparations right now. The hub will have his surgery this coming Monday. We have lots to do to get prepared. Get packed. Write out an extensive and detailed schedule for the kids and their activities in our absence. Get the house prepared for the return of the patient. Make pickles(we are overrun with cukes...I have to do it). I am taking the children to our friend's office so he can use his model of the spine to show them exactly what is going to happen to Daddy's back. Their reactions to this whole process are very different, but the disruption in their lives is very apparent. We will get through this, I know it. It just has been such a long and painful process for the whole family. I ask for your prayers and positive thoughts as we enter into this part of the journey. We need all the help we can get.


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Monday, July 14, 2014

I gave in

What fun happens in the summer? Cookouts, camping, beach trips and swimming. Lots and lots of swimming. Mother of the year here has not made that last item a reality. A couple friends have been nice enough to ask us to swim at their family or neighborhood pools, but they have not been what you would call wearing their suits out from chlorine exposure for sure. When the temp hit 90+ today and the kids refused to go outside, I realized that I had to wear them out...or they would wear me out. I decided to get a desperation Y membership to get these kids dunked in a pool. Our history with the Y in the past has not been great. One is our fault with two of my children getting in a fight with each other and being told to sit out for five miutes. The humiliation was horrible for them, but great for me because it gave them insight into what I had dealt with for a while. The other times were just annoying behavior and mean, unkind and unfair lifeguards who let things happen that should never have been...all ending with my young cousin getting beaned in the nose with a racquetball by the guard's fiend that resulted in a bloody nose. We were done. Whatever it was, we cancelled our membership and got ready for fall and winter. Today was a nice change. A girl we knew from church was one of the lifeguards and she was friendly but strict...and I like that. The kids were ex-HAUSTED by the time we left. It was a beautiful thing. They played and I watched people. One teenage boy took about 15 selfies, lips puckered and muscles flexed. I was fascinated while I played Candy Crush and tried to not look like I was staring. Anyhoo, it was wonderful and the two youngers were wonderfully worn out and calm during the withcing hours of the afternoon before the hub got home. I'll take it anyday.


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Sunday, July 13, 2014

She's officially a decade

Our sweet G woke up a full decade this morning. I can't say that I am handling this birthday like an adult. I still see that sweet little face and twinkling eyes as she would take my face in her hands and give me sloppy kisses. She still does that today, but she's a little more world weary...a little more pre-teenagery. I took her and her sister to get mani-pedis this afternoon for her birthday treat. Build-a-Bear birthdays aren't quite as cool as they once were, but I was pleased that she asked for Legos. While she got zebra striped nails, her uncle(per her request) got a different color:



Purple sparkles. Somehow I think his students will get a kick out of them during advising hours tomorrow. G certainly did.

While I hate that she is getting older, I am so in awe of the girl she has become. She is a kindhearted, loving good kid and I enjoy being around her. Today she may be ten, but she will always be my baby girl. Love you, kid.
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Saturday, July 12, 2014

That kid can talk

I have been walking around in a fog today. I cannot get caught up on sleep. Tuesday night was filled with beeping machines and nurse visits all night, so that was shot. The rest of this week's nights have been filled with lots of tossing and turning. Lots of things on my mind. Anyhoo, I thought sleeping in a bit would help, but all it did was to make my body want even more sleep. So today I was determined to stay awake today so I might have a better chance of sleeping this evening. In order to do this, the hub sent me on several errands to pick up supplies he needed for various work projects. The boy decided to accompany me as he was bored and wanted to stay away from his steroid laiden sister who was on the edge. He got in the car talking about something, the Avengers I think, and did not stop until I popped a Mento in his mouth as we arrived back home two hours later. I needed a minute. He talked his way through Kroger and Home Depot and Lowes and Ace Hardware. It was very entertaining...and exhausting. He was so funny.

I am one lucky mom. Three great ones.


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Friday, July 11, 2014

Watch out for sneezes

When we saw the doc the day after surgery, he was giving us all of the do's and don'ts to ensure proper healing and minimize pain and bleeding and whatnot. In my no sleep haze, I asked him somewhat incoherently what to do about sneezing. "I mean, I can't imagine that sneezing will feel good after all of this. Any tips?". He laughed and told her to keep her mouth open when she sneezed. He made sure to warn us that it wouldn't feel good. Well, he was right. She followed his directions and sneezed through her mouth...which could be heard throughout the house. I've never actually heard someone genuinely scream whilst sneezing until today. It was painful to hear and certainly painful to her. She had to take a nap after that.

In other news, in two days my sweet G will be turning 10. I do not want to talk about it. My baby girl should not be nearing double digits and I refuse to admit it. So I won't talk about it anymore tomorrow. I have until Sunday to come around to it. So until then I will wrap gifts and hope that she will still hug and snuggle with me when she is a decade old. She better.


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Thursday, July 10, 2014

In a pickle

Cucumbers are taking over our garden. I mean gardens. They have spread from their appointed area and trellis to the squash and zucchini, over to the tomato bed and behind the AC unit(we have raised beds). When I see all the flowers and mini cukes growing, I think one thing: pickles. My grandmother and great aunt used to make pickles. I remember watermelon rind pickles, which are apparently delicious, but I dislike watermelon so, well, you know. I am a dill pickle girl all the way, kosher being my favorites. So I decided to get a crock and start making some pickles:



Isn't it pretty? I am ready to get started. and fill up my pantry for what I have decided to call a "pickle winter". Who knows? The hub likes sauerkraut, so I could make that too. We'll see. Tune in for further details.
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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Home sweet home

Once again, we have felt the blessed relief that only comes when you leave the hospital and cross over the threshold of your own home, regardless of the fact that it is not completely in order. We were only there overnight this time, thank goodness, but last year's camp out in room 405 is still fresh in our oldest's mind. She got some stuff for her pain, her tummy and to prevent swelling and bleeding and infection. I bought a three pack of about a gajillion Kleenex for her perpetually bloody nose and some apple juice to keep her tummy somewhat happy with all the stuff draining down in there. I think she may have set a record for mashed potato consumption post op on heavy loopy meds. She got them in her mouth on the first try. Color me impressed. Hospital sleeping did not work out so great for me last night, so I was a pure joy and delight to be around, I'm sure. Argentina won the game, so that made things better. Sorry, this is even more random than usual. The beeps and flashing lights and nurse visits and PCA visits and bathroom visits allowed me two hours of sleep and limited abilities for rational thought.

Pray for the hub tomorrow as he travels to the Music City for his pre-op appointment. We are hoping he will get a surgery time tomorrow so we can plan a little better for the actual day. Poor guy is currently outside trying to fix our AC. The fan is not blowing any cool air into the house. Not good on many different levels. Oh well. The joys of home ownership.

Take care, all. Going to go check on the girls and see if I need to clean a bloody nose.


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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

What a day

I am about to fall asleep at the keyboard, so forgive me if this has more typos and is even more loopy than usual. S went in this morning for an 11:30 check in time to have her surgery. She was a trooper and an awfully brave young woman. The IV stunk, as they all do, and the first attempt ended with a blown vein. It probably didn't help that she tensed up like mad and could've squeezed a lump of coal into a diamond in about half a second. Second attempt was fine. They took her to another floor to give her the happy juice in her IV. It gave her a little bit of peace, but it didn't help with the tears and worry when they took her from us. That was tough. After about two and a half hours of surgery, the doc came in and told us that she did fine and that the surgery went off without a hitch. She would be returning back to
her room after 40minutes in recovery, so we headed on up to her room. Bless her heart. She was so disoriented and sore when she got to us. Her nose bleeds on and off, which freaks her out. She had a hard time getting comfortable. A trip to the bathroom proved to be a mess when she got queasy on her way back to bed and had a moment of stomach weakness. Apple juice and crackers mixed with blood and sinus drainage, well, it was gross. She was mortified. All was fine and she got a new gown and linens. She's now resting with IV fluids, antibiotic and the hopes of more Zofran very soon. She is my hero. All my children are. They handle situations like this with so much more class and bravery than i ever could. I am so very grateful for the gift of being their mother.

Here's praying for a quiet night and no more True Blood-esque vomiting episodes. Bless her heart.

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Monday, July 7, 2014

No sleep for me tonight

I know, I know. It's all about me. Just a little sick at my stomach tonight. My oldest goes in tomorrow to have "major sinus surgery" and an "adenoidectomy". This is nothing new for all of you who read the musings of this lunatic. There are lots of worse things that could be happening to her...it can always be worse. When you are growing up, your parents always say, "If I could take the pain on myself I would...I wish I were sick instead of you." As I child, I thought that was crazy talk. Now that I am a parent, boy do I totally understand where mine were coming from all those times. I hate that she has to go in there. Hate that she has to miss a chunk of her summer break to recover. Hate that she feels so self conscoius in advance for what she might look like post surgery. I have every confidence in her surgeon and the hospital that has taken such good care of her so many times. I just wish it didn't have to be.

Just send up a little prayer anf some positive thoughts for her. And especially pray that she will swallow her pride, drink the happy juice and enjoy the ride. Good night all.


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Sunday, July 6, 2014

I am stranger than even I think

It seems like every day I come out with some quirk that apparently is the weirdest thing that anyone has ever heard of in their life. In my opinion, those people have not been out in the world much...but who am I to judge being so strange and all. Variety is the spice of life. Think of me this way: I can either make you feel much better about yourself OR you can use a quirky example at your next dinner party.

Here is a short list of quirks that were recently pointed out to me during a phone conversation with a friend. It was indeed eye opening and kind of amusing.

1. When washing my hair, after the shampoo is on my hair I have to rinse my hands off before I can then stick them back in my soapy hair and rinse it. My response? The HORROR.

2. I have shared this one before and thankfully I have a husband who is understanding. I must have the opening of the pillowcase pointed to the middle of the bed when I am sleeping. It also makes me feel better when the hub has his pointed that direction. You cannot be too careful about alien creatures coming from the side of the bed and crawling into your pillowcase. I have done this since I was capable of decision making of the lowest form. Biggest problem with this quirk? Twin beds. Think about it. The horror. Really.

3. My children pointed this one out to me as we waited for our dinner at Five Guys a few weeks ago. When dining on the shelled peanuts while you wait, I cannot peel one and eat it...peel another and eat it...repeat. Just like with peel and eat shrimp, I want to get all the work done and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of my "labors". The kids, who are on a bowl of peanuts like piranhas like a fisherman's foot, thought this was crazy.

This is a silly little post of no great philosophical value. No one is going to be a better person from reading it. It is full of the rantings of an apparently mental peanut sheller. Just know this, you don't have to thank me for saving your life with the pillowcase thing. Knowing you are safe is thanks enough for me.


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Saturday, July 5, 2014

Patient kids they are

Another Saturday, another trip to the home improvement store. These children of ours are so very patient. More so than I tend to be in those places. The trip started off nicely...they did a Children's Workshop and made bug houses:



In order to install a ceiling fan where we took the other one out, modifications had to be made to update our ceiling to this century...a process we have had to lather rinse repeat a lot during this whole process. After we left the store with lots of electrical stuff and a free hot dog and water, we ran to our local gardening and patio store so I could drool over some polywood furniture. This chair:


...is $356. Just for one chair. But my gracious is it comfortable. So very comfortable. Oh well. We left chairless and went home to watch some World Cup. My Messi's team got it done and moved on to the next level. The boy could only take so much beofre he conked out:



He still tucks that thumb inside his hand for comfort. So sweet. After his soccer snooze, G and the boy went to play in and continue to decorate their cabinet box. Nothing like sitting in a tight box on a hot day to draw pictures:



When they started to dehydrate, they took to making mud pies and watering the garden. This evening they capped off their day by catching lightening bugs to put i their newly constructed bug houses. The fun of summer. The day started off slow, but ended with bursts of light. I'd call that a win.
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Friday, July 4, 2014

America

Happy 4th of July to all of you three people reading.  I am currently sitting at my brother and sister in law's house.  The neighbors are shooting off fireworks and the dogs are about to need sedation.  G has decided to take a leap of bravery and go with a frind to watch fireworks.  Usually she is in a Benadryl induced stupor by this time.  I hope she enjoys herself.  B and the boy are playing xbox.  A good evening celebrating our country and our freedom.  Enjoy and be safe!!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Burnin' through the berries

A hot summer day. Two restless kids in a house with a somewhat stressed dad and a couple of super friendly plumbers. What is a mom to do? Pick berries of course. We went to our beloved fruit and berry patch to see what summer delights were ripe for the picking. Two and a half hours later we left with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, some bug bites and a big sunburned neck for me. The kids enjoyed the treasure hunt of finding the ripe berries, especially the blackberries:



I hope to make some pie or some other delights with our bounty soon. The hub worked all day to get the dishwasher and stove reinstalled so we could actually use the kitchen soon. He is a saint. He continued working on the kitchen while I took the kids to soccer practice. They worked awfully hard in the sun and strange winds that I can only guess are a residual effect of the hurricane activity on the coast. Speaking of which, prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated for my cousin and his family who live on Virginia's coast, right on the water. It is a scary thing for them and for us as we wait to hear of what might happen.

I wish all of you a very happy and safe Independence Day. Enjoy time with family and friends. Eat yummy food and watch pretty fireworks and be so very thankful for the freedom we enjoy each day. Night all!
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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

I am a magnet

So you can go ahead and be angry or offended or upset at me if you want, but I am going to share my story with you. Tonight I went to the Kroger to buy some beer. I know I have some tee totalling readers out there and I understand that you might be upset. If it helps any, I was not buying it for myself. One of the people we have had working on our house, and yes he is of age...he could be my father, said he enjoys a good beer occasionally and would take a six pack of beer in lieu of pay. No he is not an alcoholic minor that I am breaking some moral or ethical code with at all. He's just a hard worker who enjoys a cold one after a hot day's work. He had a specific kind that sent me combing the beer cooler for something I had never seen before. After finding it, I popped the 12 pack into my cart and went to pick up the Vitamin D3 and Flaxseed capsules I needed. On my way, I ran into just about half of the church in the store and half of those people are militant anti-alcohol spokespeople. Dirty looks were sent flying as they saw the contents of my basket and there was really nothing I could say. I just tried to move on quickly. I got into line with my beer and herbal supplements, praying that I would not see anymore familiar faces. I felt a close presence behind me and noticed that a tiny little hispanic man with beautiful tattoos was standing about 2 inches behind me. "Are those any good?" he asked, pointing to the beer. I tried to explain I had no idea and that they weren't for me but instead a payment to a very kind man who could have charged me a lot of cash for work. "Honey, you don't have to be ashamed to drink fancy beer. I only drink 2-3 of these Natty Light tall boys a night. They are cheap and available...like my women." It was at that point I really wanted to abandon my grocery portion on the black whirring belt, knock the grumpy old lady in front of me out of the way and jump into the Sequoia like Tim Howard jumping at a ball coming from Belgium. Instead I just said, "That sounds good!", gave a little chuckle and became engrossed in Channing Tatum's supposed $50+ million divorce as reported by Star magazine. I managed to check out, get to the car, arrive home and shove the box at the hub to put away. Never dull, friends, never dull.


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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Tough loss

The house was abuzz with World Cup fever today. We are die hard soccer fans around here, if you didn't pick that up from my five million Soccer Saturday posts. Lunch time was spent watching the ARG-SUI game. My girls learned very quickly that the f-bomb has no language barrier...and it translates quite well through lip reading. Life lessons during a game. Never fails. This afternoon I was prepared to watch the USA-BEL game. I had gotten all I needed to do done. Life happened and I had to catch snippets here and there until about the 85'. My hero, Tim Howard, was such the man during that game. G soaked up his mad goalie skills and cheered with great gusto. What a heartbreaker for him after all his hard work...they had a comeback within their crosshairs. I can't be sad for the loss. They are showing the world, game by game, that they are coming back. I loved every second of it. Except for the loss.



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