Day One

So far our trip is everything I hoped it would be. Insert record scratch here.....

The morning started out rough. I was rushing to get the last bits of our bags packed. Checking things off the lists & I still had dishes starring at me. HC was flying around the house with one of her push toys when she plowed into the kitchen cabinets. I really didn't think much of it until she started crying. Could she have smashed a finger? Didn't seem possible. Then she became hysterical. I knelt down next to her & she was sticking her fingers inside her mouth. Did she bite her cheek? NO! She had gotten hold of one of Gala's mini jaw clips, unbeknownst to me, & bitten it. Causing the clip to open & attach to the inside of her cheek. OMG!

I was trying to use one hand to keep her mouth wide open & the other to squeeze the clip. Have you ever used one of these clips? If so, you know how HARD they are to squeeze & how most times they slip from your fingers & go flying. Now imagine it wet & stuck to the inside of your child's cheek. Not only was I worried about never getting it open, I was freaking out thinking about it flying down her throat. It took about 4 tries & finally let go, all but one prong & I just yanked the sucker at that point. UGH! After about 15 minutes I got her settled.

I'm now getting dishes started when in HC comes to investigate the cooler. Her new favorite thing to do is climb the highest object in the room. Here she is, apparently playing "Queen of the cooler", when Gala decides she is "Queen". Off topples HC, head first onto the floor. And yes, this all happened so fast that I hadn't gotten my hands dried in time to prevent any of it. Now another 20 minutes go by before I can get her happy enough to set down.

The rest of the afternoon went as smooth as possible. At least it was until we headed out of town. We got about an hour from our destination when RD wanted to switch DVDs. For some reason the show she wanted to watch wouldn't play & in the process of working on it, I woke up HC. And right then & there HC started screaming, which woke Gala up, & it did not stop until we got out of the truck at our hotel.

But the real icing on the cake came when, about 30 minutes from the hotel, Gala started to look pale & sickly. She was quiet & whimpering. If you have carsick kids, like us, you know what's coming next. Petal to the metal, Daddy. Get us there! Now we have, one kid wondering "are we there yet", one screaming at the top of her lungs, & one about ready to spew & we are in heavy 4 lane traffic, looking for our exit.

If we can just make the exit, we only have less than half a mile to the hotel. And wouldn't you know it, Gala spews as soon as we take the off ramp. Now I'm buckled in but turned around as best I can with a barf bucket under her chin, HC is still screaming, & the GPS (annoying lady) is talking. Would you be able to concentrate as the driver? Yeah, my hubs couldn't either. Turned right when we should have went left. Tried to make a U-turn with no luck. Somehow circled around the block when the GPS states, "you are at your destination". We both look around. WHAT?!?! Ummm, yeah, I don't see a hotel a n y w h e r e. We make a U-turn when I see the top of our hotel. THERE! THERE IT IS!

It was so nice, no really, it was so nice to make it to our room......

Harvest

It seems like playing outdoors is a thing of the past. At least I find several of my fellow parenting friends discussing the topic. And sometimes I just hear them saying to their children, "when I was a kid......" (you fill in the blank) Of course I can remember my parents saying things like that as well. Which was crazy because, my sister & I played outside A LOT. Or wait maybe they said, "I walked to school, up hill both ways, with holes in the soles of my shoes, in the dead of winter"? HA! I'm sure we've all heard that one! What ever the case, today's kids really do seem less than happy to go outside.

A few days ago, my oldest asked me to tell her all about the things I did as a kid. I was pretty excited to share with her all of my days of summer fun. I told her about playing "cops & robbers", baseball in the neighbor's backyard, bike riding the whole neighborhood, "McDonald's, & "bank" but what she really got interested in was "harvest". "What is 'harvest'?", she asked. I spent the rest of our conversation explaining how we'd pull our little red wagon around the yard, stopping at our "garden" to pick our "vegetables" (different kinds of grass, clover, or flowers). Then we'd take everything we collected "from the garden" & put it in a bucket, maybe add some water, & make "stew". She thought that was pretty neat!

Today was a hectic day for me. I was rushing to get a few loads of laundry done, straighten the house, wash dishes & pack up a few things for the upcoming trip. Whenever I find myself in this situation, I make the girls watch a ton of TV. Even on the nice days, like today. It just keeps them occupied & out of my hair. So, it's no wonder my kids don't get outside as much as they should. It's so easy to fall into the "I'm too busy to......" trap.

At our old house I would have let them roam our backyard, unattended. Well, I always sent the dog out w/them. She is a fine babysitter! No one would have dared enter the yard with her out there. Our pooch is super protective of the girls. But here, the yard isn't fenced & the traffic is worse.

Once I finally got a down second, I ushered two of them (the oldest & youngest. our middle was napping) out the door & plopped myself on the deck stairs. I was tired & fighting a migraine. I sat for a long time, with one hand covering my right eye, watching the girls play before it dawned on me what my oldest was doing. She had been collecting "vegetables" for her "stew". When I seen this, I couldn't help but smile. It lit me up inside to know she was listening to my stories. I got up, without announcing that I was coming out to play, found a container & started picking some "veggies" myself. Then I went & sat down with her. We found some sticks for spoons & let the baby help with the stirring. And when Daddy got home, he got to be our taste tester. I know it was yummy, because it was made with love. The best part was, I got to be a kid again!!!

Cheap summer fun (sort of a tutorial)

I am a huge fan of magazines. Between my hubby & I we are subscribed to 4. He also picks another one up, from the store, every month. I'm not quite sure why he hasn't subscribed yet, it is his favorite. Plus we have our oldest subscribed to one & just renewed it for another 3 years so all 3 girls will get to enjoy it.

One of mine is Disney's Family Fun. This magazine is jam packed with craft, party, food & game ideas for the whole family. While some of the ideas are too "advanced" for my girls, just yet, I LOVE this magazine. My first year's subscription was a gift, to me & RD, from an ex-coworker of mine. Since I loved it so much, I redeemed some of my Disney Movie Rewards to renew my subscription. Suhweeet! I love feeling like I got something "extra" for buying products. If you don't collect Disney's rewards, you can still save a bundle. Order from online sites, IE: Magazines.com There are several sites like this & they all offer a certain percentage off of the cover price of any magazine. These site's prices are usually way cheaper than sending in the insert found within the magazine itself. Cha ching!!

We tried out a few cute card ideas from last month's issue of Family Fun. The girls really enjoyed themselves & so did I! Our recipients of the cards have yet to enjoy them. Why? The cards are still sitting on the kitchen counter. Bad Mommy!!

And yesterday we tried another fun idea from this month's issue. I had hoped that we could replicate the idea to the max but, it didn't work out that way. While our oldest follows direction well (OK, for the most part), our middle does not. The game consisted of 2 players, facing each other, with a balloon attached to a pole in between them. The object of the game was for each player to get the balloon wrapped around the pole first, using only a spray bottle, filled with water. Here's how our girls played......



RD, playing alone



HC looking rather pale, blinding even & Gala running. She does not want to be sprayed!!



HC enjoying a drink....



Gala getting in a few shots before RD comes back.



Done with the balloon & off to water the plants.



more plant watering....

 So it didn't turn out like planned but, doesn't it still sound like fun on a hot summer day? You bet! Oh & cheap. I forgot to throw in cheap!!

Gala update

I wanted to update you guys on Gala. In case you've missed the last few posts on her, here's a quick breakdown:

• She's had a knot on her "stomach" for as long as we can remember.
• We've had 2 ultrasounds done, showing nothing.
• I have suspected a dairy allergy, in her, for close to a year because of chronic diarrhea, but was put off by her Doctor on many occasions. Actually I diagnosed it (ha) when she was 6 weeks, took myself off dairy while nursing, & put her on soy formula when she switched.
• Then her rectum prolapsed, much to our shock. I brought up the diarrhea again the day she prolapsed & got no response.

A few weeks later, at her 2 year appointment & prolapse checkup, I brought up the allergy & diarrhea again. After a denial of ever hearing my concerns, I freaked. I chewed the Doctor, nicely, with a quick play by play of our visits with her. Each one recounting "the dairy issue". One of those stories hit a cord & you could see the light come on. She seemed to remember at least one of the conversations. I'm sure it was due to my telling her how she'd (the doctor) had confided in me about her dislike of dairy. She apologized & agreed we should remove dairy, starting that day, plus she was now referring us to a specialist. Then the doctor teared up saying she felt as though she caused this. Of course, I felt bad. BUT dang it, if she would have listened a year ago we may not be in this mess.

While we've been waiting for the upcoming appointments, one for a GI surgeon consult & one w/a GI specialist, the doctor has ordered several tests. All are standard tests the specialist needs ran, prior to the visit. This way they're all done & they have a better idea of what Gala's situation is. They also requested we bring the films from the ultrasounds so I've picked those up as well.

They requested a second blood sample so we headed down to the clinic last week. This time around it was a little more unnerving for Gala. Probably because she knew what was coming. Getting the sample also took longer. Her blood would flow, then stop, flow, then stop. Finally it just stopped. They thought they had enough for the tests but it was clotting as well. I just prayed it was enough. I didn't want her to go through it again.

With the blood they collected from the two draws, they checked her blood sugar, electrolytes, allergies, & a few other things I don't recall. They also did 3 different stools collections. Honestly, I don't remember what any of those were for (information overload & kids screaming during calls) except one, blood in the stool.  Everything has come back perfect.

On the dairy allergy......The Doctor says there are 4 components in milk that a person can be allergic to. 3 out of the 4, Gala shows no allergy to. The 4th component test has not come back, yet. Now, while consuming dairy, Gala had chronic diarrhea. Off dairy, it's been 2 weeks & 5 days, she seems borderline constipated. I actually gave her a milk sippy 2 nights ago to get her bowels moving & it worked like a charm. Yeah, yeah, probably not the best idea but it worked. AND then when I decided to just give in a little on the strict diet, she prolapsed. Probably the worst it's been. She had cheese pizza for dinner & I caved on a milk sippy the next morning. She was begging for one. UGH!! NEVER AGAIN! Anyway, with that said, I can't see how she couldn't be allergic to milk? Obviously, we'll find out more at the appointment since they'll also be checking for crohn's disease, celiac disease, colitis, & IBS.

We decided to make the best of this trip. It's now part appointments, part fun. We are gonna hit the zoo the day after the visits. It's sort of a treat for all but especially Gala since we've been told they plan to do an upper GI scope (not looking forward to that). And for Daddy, who is working 8 straight days in order to get Gala's appointments off.  We leave in a few short days. Wish us well & I'll update you post trip/results.

It's funny to us

Having good friends is like nothing else. These type of friends are the ones that no matter how much time has gone by you can pick right back up where you left off. Or you can tell your secrets to because they love you unconditionally. 

Everyone has a friend like that. I know I've been blessed with several. I am lucky enough to have this type of relationship with one of my siblings. She is only a year older than me & we've been through it all. The best of days come when we both sit & laugh, at nothing in particular, until we are snorting. And the harder she laughs the harder I laugh. Until it hurts. Until we're crying. Until we pee our pants. OK, maybe I just pee my pants.

And what's better than that? I have found this same relationship with my husband. We find ourselves laughing uncontrollably at each other, often. Last night, my hubby & I found ourselves doing just this. Oddly enough, when I try to tell someone what we were laughing at, I get a blank stare. A stare that says "I find no humor in that." I can't say I blame them. It never sounds as comical during the retelling as it did in the moment. I guess I just have to chalk it up to some private joke you find yourself in when you really know someone. Really love someone. And really understand their life. 

But what was so funny last night? Well, earlier in our evening, we had just discovered our girls have no clue how to eat a fried chicken leg. The hilarity doesn't come from just that. It comes from the expression on their face & the questions they ask while examining this object. Like it's some foreign concept to master. Seriously, who doesn't know how to eat fried chicken?

In the midst of our laughter I exclaim, "I have to blog about it tomorrow!" Because seriously, who doesn't wanna know we have yet to "teach" our kids about fried chicken? Who wouldn't find this as funny as we do? That's good material right there!!

After our laughs, I enjoyed a beer. My hubby enjoyed 3. We shared some popcorn & finished up Stephen King's The Stand. (we're boring, what can I say). Then headed up to bed. I'm always first to make it upstairs. As I laid there, waiting for him to come up & turn off the light, I couldn't remember for the life of me what I said I wanted to blog about. He came in & laid down.

"Do you remember what I said I was gonna blog about?," I asked.
No. He couldn't either. "It was about the girls," he says.
Yeah, I remember that much. And then we both laid there.
Finally he says, "Not knowing how to eat chicken. I had to go into a sorta trance to pull that up."
I started smiling...YES! that was it. And then gave him a high five. (Yes, we high five. We are, after all, a "team". And yes, this was high five worthy!!)

In starts the laughing again. And then it hits me. I am not going remember this in the morning.
"Do you have your cell up here?," I asked. Of course he did. He uses it for an alarm clock.
"Sweet. Text me! Text me about the chicken."
Now we're at that uncontrollable laughter stage. He gets his phone. The light is glaring in both of our faces & it's blinding in the dark. Then he types. "Eating chicken legs" into his phone. Hits send & then whisper screams, "Crap, I just sent that to the wrong person!" Now we're both laughing hard.
"Just kidding!!" was barely audible through his laughter.

Would have been funny if he did though. Could you imagine getting that text at midnight? Just the thought of that made us both laugh even more.

Cause & effect

After my last two posts, I gotta tell ya, our days aren't always sunshine, daisies, & rainbows. Two of my precious angels have turned into rotten beasts. Our house has been on a complete meltdown for 3 days. I never would have guessed that such craziness would take over my "babies" at this age. It's been days of hitting & fighting. Biting & screaming. Not listening & tears.

My oldest, RD, has starting doing the opposite of what I say. Stupid I know, but in a fit of exhaustion & desperation, I actually found myself asking her if she thought she was smarter than me. Totally came back to bite me. During one of her fits, she exclaimed "I know, because I'm smarter than you!" RD has doled out the majority of the hitting. She's made it plain & clear that she does not love her middle sister, Gala. If Gala does anything RD dislikes she hits her or pushes her down. She's even started to test the waters of teasing. If one of the girls have crackers, RD will take the remaining sleeve & wave them in the others face until they are screaming hysterically.

This behavior has trickled down to Gala. I've found her sitting on top of the baby, HC's, head or shoving her down. And when I try to discipline Gala, she says "You funny". I know Gala's merely taking out her frustration on the person smaller than her. It's a monkey see monkey do type thing. Gala has jumped on the "do everything RD does" ban wagon.

While tension keeps building, I am left trying to decide the best discipline plan. I've read article after article on discipline. Most times I find myself laughing while rolling my eyes at some of the techniques described. Seriously, given my personality, I'd have to walk away & count to a billion before I could exercise their advice. But, I do know their advice works. I've tested it in calmer situations. However, as most parents know, it's not always calm, is it?

Spanking is starting to become a worldwide NO NO. More & more parents find themselves defending their stand on spanking. My dad spanked me. Does that make it right? I have no clue but it doesn't seem to work for me. I find when I spank, it escalates the problem. I've read that spanking can lead to aggressive behavior in kids. So are my girls just exhibiting what they see? IE: I spank them, which results in them hitting when frustrated.

And time outs? I'm sorry but they are a joke. I can't even keep my kids in time out. I have to reserve those for daddy to endure.

So sorry for the rant, but I'm one worn out momma.

"Best. Day. Ever."

I love when I hear those words from my 4 year old. Right then, I know I totally rocked it as a parent. The funny thing is, I've heard her say it on occasions I wouldn't even rank on the fun list.

Take my husband's birthday for example. We collected poop, ran it to the lab, stopped at the grocery store, swung on the swing set, baked a cake & then whipped up supper. I let my oldest help w/the cake while the 2 little ones took a cat nap. And once my middle kiddo got up from her nap, we all 3 started in on dinner.

Nothing fancy. I made some elbow mac earlier in the day & had it cooling. So I diced up some zucchini & bell peppers. Sliced some cherry tomatoes & green olives in half. Then julienned a red onion & cut up a head of broccoli. I let my oldest add all that to the bowl & stir while my middle got to add in the creamy italian dressing. Viola!! Dinner was ready.

I decided they were having so much fun "cooking" that I'd let them dish up their own bowls. AND I let them pick their own silverware. Pretty cool day, huh? Must of been because right at that time is when my oldest said it.....Best Day Ever! :) And that, my friends, will never get old!

Strawberries & Snails

Sometimes I forget what it's like to be a kid. As stupid as it sounds, I forget that my girls haven't experienced certain things. Things that, to me, might seem unimportant or boring. I quite possibly wouldn't take a second notice, if it weren't for them.

The other night, as my hubs & I were swinging the girls, a lighting bug landed on my leg. Right as my oldest came to investigate it, I batted it off. I really wasn't thinking that it would be exciting for her. It was a lighting bug. Something I've seen a million times before & the thought of catching them hasn't crossed my mind, yet. I guess I still think of our girls as being too little for such things. But that gave my husband an idea. We decided to set out & explore our yard.

Honestly, in our little backyard, I didn't think we'd see a thing. Here we were, all 5 of us, barefoot & strolling through the grass. We stopped at the concrete slab to check for bugs. Not spotting any, we turned & headed for the batch of  lilies. That's when we seen a bee. A simple little bee. The girls hovered over it. Watching it go from clover flower to clover flower. While they were admiring him, I noticed something red in the mix. I bent down to pick it up. A tiny strawberry. We were standing in a little strawberry patch. There were close to 10 of the cutest little strawberries. Not much bigger than my pinkie nail. I had no idea they were back there. (Of course my husband said he did. He knowingly mows them over every week)  And then much to our surprise, laying in the patch, we found 3 tiny snails. They were hiding in their shells. Of course everyone was excited about them even though none of the girls wanted to touch them!! It was time to head in so we pretended the big bear (from "We're going on a bear hunt") was chasing us & once we reached the deck we were safe.

I had a so much fun "exploring" with them. It's easy to let life rush past, as an adult, when all the world's issues are present. I'm so glad blessed to have the girls. They help remind me to take more time for the small stuff.....

Sunscreen, it is important!

I know how it feels to have someone throw out simple little reminders. They might say, "Make sure you put a coat on, it's cold outside". Those reminders get a little annoying sometimes. It can sorta feel like they are reminding you not to be a dumb parent. But those reminders can save a lot of heartache as well. This post is gonna be dedicated to one of those reminders. As simple as it is, it's often forgotten. And sadly, someone pays the price.

My urge is for everyone to wear sunscreen. I know, as a kid, I could go to the pool for the whole day, sunscreen free & get burned, but nothing like I've just witnessed. The sun is so much more powerful! They say 15 minutes in today's sun could cause burn. That's crazy!

This is also a reminder to know, I mean really know, who you're sending your children out with for the day. Some parents are just dumb (sorry) & really will benefit from a reminder. If they're going to the pool w/friends, ask the parents or person supervising where they stand on issues, like sunscreen. Who cares if the supervising parent gets a little offended? It's your child you have to protect!

I'd also like to say, that offering a little sunscreen to someone, a stranger even, at your local pool, who looks like a "lobster" might be the best thing you ever did. Someone offered my nephew. I sure wish he had taken them up on it.

Which brings me to one last point. Teach your kids the importance. Lets not assume they know what can happen. Talk to them & show them. I know my nephew will never forget. He shed lots of tears & spent days in preventable pain. It's too bad he learned the hard way.....

This was the night he came home from the pool. He was there for 6 hours w/no sunscreen.

This was the following night. The blisters had burst, prematurely.



Another shot from the 2nd day.



This is after a visit to the ER. He has 2nd degree burns. The white is the newly exposed skin & the yellow, oozing.  He was given silver sulfate to apply to the skin.



This was a few days after treatment. Feeling slightly better but still a long way from healed.



The downside to parenting

Ay yi yi, the things we do as parents. Today it's poop collection for me. That's right. I'm needing 3 different stool samples from my 2 year old. And I'll still need to get 2 more "smears" in the next few days. I feel like I'm doing some science experiment. Along w/the smear from today's (day 1) collection, I also get to plop about 1 TBSP into a white tub. Looks like an empty butter tub to me. Plus I have to use a mini scooper & fill this vile, containing some red liquid, up to the line. Oh Joy. Not to mention the vile has skull & cross bones on it. Maybe those are for decoration? Skull & crossbones are "in" right now. Just check out some of the clothing lines for young boys.

The lab sent us home with 2 "hats". Gala was so stinking excited until she seen they weren't real hats. Now she refuses to go to the bathroom even though she's got to go. We've been in the bathroom 3 times. She wants the "hat" off the toilet. She Will. Not. Even. Sit. On. It.

So, I've decided to trick her. I'm gonna try and pull off an April Fool's trick. The one w/the saran wrap on the toilet seat......Uh yeah, no dice. She noticed it right off. ARGH! How am I gonna get this done?!?! I'm almost wishing she'd just have an accident in her pants so I could avoid this frustration. This whole situation has me worring that it's gonna make her fear the toilet & have a set back on the whole "potty trained" deal. Of course if she went in her pants that could cause a set back too. Deep sigh....off to comment on Facebook how crappy our day is....

Just tried again. This time I left the lights off. That way she wouldn't notice the wrap. And there was magic. Pure magic I tell ya! Our day is gonna run along fine now. Oh crap (literally) I still gotta collect some samples. Ugh....I gotta go.....gas mask anyone?

My great giveaway

Ever do something so ignorant you feel like a complete fool & don't know how to fix it? Ooooh, me, pick me! Yes, I've done that. Probably more than once, but the one that sticks out in my mind makes me cringe with embarrassment every time I think about it. So what was it, you ask? Here's a long story short, Karla style. Because when I tell a story, it's never short even if I try.....

When we moved over a year ago, we needed to clean out the garage at our new house. There were several things left behind. In the process, I gave my husband's portable air tank, among other things, to my girlfriends. Items that were newly gifted to him, by my dad, during our move. Things he was kinda stoked about.

Yes, it was dumb, but in my defense I was pregnant & had mushy brain. Yeah, that's it. Mushy brain. Really though, I thought he said he didn't need any of the stuff. I thought he said whatever was left in the garage could go. And when my girlfriends questioned me about the air tank, I was sure he wouldn't need it. Seriously, he has a HUGE air compressor in the garage. What would he need this lil ole thing for?

In reality, he had set what he did want off to the side. No wonder my girlfriends found so many "awesome" things in that one spot. I honestly thought I was helping out. I mean, he needed to get the old garage items moved to our new one. He had so much to bring over & less room to store it all. Top that off with what was left behind and you get a task that had been haunting him.

When he walked in from work, I told him I had unloaded a ton of stuff, just for him, out of the garage. I was soooooo proud of myself. Sure was. I even wondered if he could feel the weight lifted off his shoulders? Pat me on the back! BUT that did not happen. This was the first time I have ever seen him mad.

Could I have called my girlfriends & requested everything back? Sure. But I felt like such an idiot. "Hey, you know all that really cool stuff I gave you a few short hours ago? Yeah, I'm gonna need it all back." Besides, once he had a minute to simmer, it was good. Not great, but I didn't think his lid was gonna explode anymore. I still hate thinking about that day.

Being the comedian my husband is, he gives me hell about it all the time. It's become one of his running jokes. Just the other day he commented (with a wink and grin) on how nice it would have been to have the portable tank. Instead of moving a tiny portable tank to the object, he has to drag out all the hose from his compressor & run it around his bike, out the garage door, around the grill, & finally around the pool. My question......Why do that? Ride your "riding lawn mower" to the tank, silly. That makes more sense, doesn't it? Geez, men, they must not be all that efficient?! ;)

Today is his birthday. With the upcoming trip, I can't really afford a gift. So the girls & I decided to make him a card telling him just how much we love him. Our card also featured a picture of what we were sorry we couldn't get him for his birthday. You guessed it....a 5 gallon portable air tank.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

B.A.H

Do you ever feel like time never moves? For me, sometimes time can feel frozen. Maybe not time itself, but the present stage of life or time that I am in. Take my high school years for instance. It seemed I was a teen forever. I can remember thinking it was never going to end. I was always daydreaming about what was going to come. Job? Marriage? Kids? House?

And finally, high school graduation came. My oldest sister could not attend my graduation. Why? Oh some silly thing about getting ready to pop a baby out any day. On the serious side, she was reallllly ready to explode. Stomach expanded to it's max & feet the size of Texas. Just a few short days later, along came my nephew. And what a beautiful baby! The best part was, this would be my first time being an "Aunt". I can remember thinking I was gonna spoil him rotten. I wanted to be the best Aunt ever....

I failed miserably at that. I guess I was just too young & dumb. Too wrapped up in my own life. And then my kids came along, starting a whole new stage in my life. A stage that now seems I've been in forever until I stop & think, it's just been 5 short years. But what really scares me is thinking about my nephew. He turns 15 today! 15?! Where did that stage of his life go? Or mine? Time and stages truly do go by in the blink of an eye. Even when you feel like you're standing still.

The classics

Spinning, spinning, spinning like a gypsy dancer. Where I'll stop, nobody knows.

That was HC last night. Daddy turned on the local PBS station airing "Classic Country". Took me back to camping w/my grandparents. Took my husband back to his childhood home. Made HC, a teeny one year old, wanna bust a groove right there in the living room. Obviously she got her good tastes from both sides of the family. Daddy would disagree because Mommy couldn't name 4 out of the 6 singers on stage. :)

She was twirling. One arm straight out w/hand in the "stop sign" pose. Then she slowed. Someone had twirled herself silly. She side stepped it (looking quite like a drunkard) half way across the room, full speed ahead. Giggling the whole way & heading straight for the corner of the end table.

Daaaadddyyy, I screamed. Luckily, he caught her & all was well. She thought that was pretty grand so the whole process started again. I don't think she could have been more proud of her dancing & the whole house was grinning ear to ear.

Daddy 1, End table 0

A big city girl w/a small town hubs

I tend to think of myself as a city girl. Sure, my city only has a population of roughly 41,000 according to the 2009 census but compared to all the surrounding towns, we're big. My hubs comes from a town of population 13. OK, OK, that's 1300 but you get what I'm saying. 13, 1300, it's all the same.

I never knew how neighborly people could be until I met my husband. Everyone knows everyone. A few weeks back we were visiting the in-laws in my husband's hometown. As we were leaving town, we passed a group of teens playing basketball. I spotted them a ways back & stereotyped them right away. Saggy pants, crooked hats. Have a visual yet? No good, trouble makers. However, right when we get ready to pass, they all stop & wave. Yes, in a small town everyone waves. When I say everyone, I mean it. If you pass someone going down the road, you wave. Even if it's just "the one finger off the steering wheel", you wave. But coming from teens, I was just stunned. Like a deer in headlights. You know how you're not sure if someone is talking to you from across the room & you gesture "who me?". Yeah, that's totally what I did. I turned  to look at my husband, as if to say, what do I do? And then turned back too late. We'd already passed. My hubby couldn't quit cracking jokes. Sue me. I'm not used to that. If we'd of passed them where we live now, they'd of walked right out in front of us just daring us to hit them. Then flipped us the bird while smirking.

Seriously though, why would they wave? Not many people in my city do. Perfect example. Last night my hubby & I decide to have a few glasses of wine w/dinner (of course that's a whole other story). We're laughing & joking when the neighbor mowing outside caught my attention. We both comment that it looks like it's going to storm. So my husband gets up to take the dog out for her nightly bathroom visit (she won't go out if it's raining). He comes back in & says that the neighbor completely ignored him when he waved. I joked that my hubby must of had too many glasses of wine & forgot what town he was in. What did he expect, I asked? He said he expected a friendly wave. And that he knows the neighbor wasn't too busy push mowing his 2 foot by 2 foot level lawn w/a self propelled mower to lift one hand & wave. Matter of fact the next time he'd just walk himself & the dog over & shake hands w/the guy. That'd teach him to ignore him!!!

It's so sad that we can't just be neighborly anymore. Some days it just feels like a dog eat dog world. And sadly, the small towns like the one my hubby grew up in are dying off quickly......

Seasons

Winter. It's beautiful isn't? All that white powdery snow. Snowmans to build, snowballs to throw, & hot chocolate to warm the rosy cheeks & frosty fingers. Then the pretty picture fades & restlessness sets in. Going anywhere takes hours of preparation. 3 kids to put layers of clothing on. From pants, sweaters, coats, hats, scarves & gloves....well, I'm sure I've used him before, but just picture the little boy from "A Christmas Story".  And having kids cooped up for months in a row requires lots of happy pills taken by mommy. OK, not really. But it can start feeling like everyone is crammed in the house like sardines. Fast forward to today.....

It's like 97 degrees, sunny, & humid.....Oh man we've been loving the weather. It's long over due after a winter that lasted an eternity. The girls just got a swing set & we set up the pool. We've been outside everyday from sun up to sun down. However, everyone is a crab by 10am. No one naps (total exaggeration, HC does nap). No one takes a rest. No one wants to stop swinging. And no one but mommy seems to notice that it is blazing hot outside except the dog. She's smart. She stays inside, on the only hardwood area of the house, sprawled out like it's nobody's business. Man I envy her. I also envy my oldest, who spends most of the day in the kiddy pool we have. I wanna be in the kiddy pool. Sadly for me, HC hates the pool. Booooooo!!! Babies, pssh, what do they know?!

I think it would be ideal if we could just have a bunch of snow while it's 95 degrees out. You know, so you could run around in shorts & tanks!! Of course, the snow wouldn't melt in hot weather. It would still be cold & powdery & perfect. I'd be outside making snow angels instead of out here sweating buckets. I'm not complaining cuz I'd take this weather any day over cold temps! BUT why can't I have my cake n eat it too?!

Finally someone's listening

My little Gala & I headed to the doctor yesterday for her 2year check up. She's a couple months past her 2year bday, but I was late rescheduling this appt. We were also there to do a quick check up on the prolapse.

It started out crazy. While we were waiting for the Doc to come in the room, Gala told me she needed to potty. I asked her to wait & she did. She asked again & this time I knew she was getting serious, but I didn't wanna step out before the Doc had seen us. Right then she peed all over the floor. And as I was saying NOOOOOO, in what felt like slow motion, the Doc popped her head in to ask if it'd be alright if she was 5 more minutes. Sure thing!!! We've got an accident anyway! :)

BAD MOMMY! I should have taken her. My fault. Lucky for me, she was just standing around in her undies anyway. So we just slipped them off, used her shorts for a substitute, rolled the wet undies in napkins then stuffed them into a rubber glove (no need to leave those panties floating freely in my purse) & wiped up the floor w/napkins. I wonder if they have the sinks, napkins & rubber gloves in the rooms for things like this? Yeah, I'm pretty sure they do.....

In came the Doc. We started our conversation out on the prolapse. I unloaded a lot of things I've been meaning to say, things I should have questioned long ago & old things that I had talked about before but kept getting blown off. Long story short, she actually listened & apologized this time around. She set up blood work to check for allergies, just childhood ones for now. We'll go to the bigger ones if these come back negative. She is setting up an appt to see a specialist out of town. And we finally got the go ahead to take her off dairy. THANK YOU, God! We spent a full hour talking with the Doc. It felt really nice to finally know she was hearing me.

Then we headed down to the lab. We were called right in. It was close to 5pm and most everyone had left for the day. The nurse asked if the Doc had explained how they were going to take her blood, which she hadn't. I actually hadn't thought to ask. I was just happy that it was Gala having it done. She's never cried once while having blood taken. I'm sure you know how they do it? They stick the finger & squeeze till they have a little tube filled. Well this time the nurse said they needed a good amount so they'd have to take it from her arm. YIKES! I mean, I have have this done a lot so it's no biggy, but Gala has never had it taken like that & she is no bigger than a mouse cat. She told me she'd have someone to help hold her arm. Oh, THANK YOU! In comes our helper. They asked me to hold the opposite arm, give her a big hug & if I could sing that would probably help tons. Here we go. I grasp her tiny had, put her head against my chest, & start singing.

I love you, you love me
We're a happy family
With a great big hug
& a kiss from me to you
won't you say you love me too

She's screaming & I'm tearing up. So, I start in with

God is bigger than the boogie man
He's bigger than Godzilla
Or the monsters on TV
OH, God is bigger than the boogie man
& he's watching out for you and meeeee

Then it dawns on me. Through her cries she is saying. Mommy my finger. I was so nervous for her that I had clasped her fingers tightly in my palm, at an awkward angle & was squeezing the life out of them. I readjusted & boom, she calmed down & they were done! Nurses 1, Mommy 0.

We left there with 7 stickers & a hot pink bandaid that she was super proud of. We practically skipped to the truck while singing....God is bigger than the boogie man.....Again Mommy again!!!

When we pulled up in front of the house, I hopped her out of the truck. She took off, full speed, toward the house, hollering "Daddy look at my ben day (bandaid)!!" A huge smile took over my face & my nerves eased up. She didn't remember about the needle. She just wanted to show off her stuff! :)

I'm a human bow holder

As I sit here typing, I'm being wrapped in ribbon. A pint size 4 year old has gotten into my hair doing box & gotten out all the spools of ribbon. She has unwrapped all but the last one, she's working on that now, around me. I started out asking her nicely to please put them away but she seemed so happy and content to play with the ribbon, I couldn't ask her again. She's complimented me several times on how pretty I look with all my ribbon on. She's even attached a bow to my head. I feel like a damn present & like an idiot, but the enjoyment she is having, well, as they say, it's priceless!!

I guess my 4 year old is really only pint sized to me. I still see her as a baby. However, when we were out & about this past weekend, someone actually asked me "How old is your oldest, 8, 7?"

Um, No, 4...."Oh, she's really tall." Yes, yes we get that a lot. She is tall for her age :)

Come on!! Really?!?! 8?! Are you fing kidding me????? I could see 5 maaaaaybe 6....talk about bad guess of age!

OK, I'm up to 3 big bows, a small one & a clippy in my hair....oh goody, she just added another & my hair doing box is no where near empty. She thinks I need to stay this way till Daddy gets home. Hate to tell her that won't happen. I don't expect him for a few more hours.

I guess it's good the other 2 are asleep or I'd really have a mess on my hands. One is in her crib the other passed out on the living room floor in nothing but undies. Yes, just undies...it's hot outside people! She's on her back, arms bent w/hands by head, legs & feet in a frog position with her big body pillow folded over on top of her face....I guess it's all about comfort? I'd wake up from that position & not be able to move for days. Who am I kidding? I couldn't even get in that position without some help! Oh to be young again!!

I better go get unwrapped before one of them wakes.....

Parenting

Am I a good parent? Hell, I don't know, go ask my kids. They'll probably tell you I'm a good mom when we're doing "fun" stuff & a bad mom when they're in trouble. Yeah, that's like 25% of the day, if I'm lucky. At least I think that's what they'd say. During fun times I always get the "Mom, you are the best mom ever!" & discipline times "I hate you, I want to go live with another mom!" OK, so my oldest says it anyway. My middle DD is still too self centered to think about complimenting anyone & the baby, well duh, she doesn't talk. But those are the heart melting OR heart breaking times in parenting were you know if you are thriving or failing......

Yes, I really did say my oldest tells me she hates me. And yes, I really did say she would like to move in with a new mom. This takes place at bedtime. Usually when she's over tired & fighting sleep. This child has never been a sleeper. Trust me, she didn't get that from me......I always reply with a I love you & I'm sorry you feel that way. I even offer to help pack her bags & let her know how much she'll be missed. She usually tells me she can't drive yet & wonders how she'll get there. I offer to drive her or drop her off at a bus stop. She doesn't like that very much. Well kiddo, neither do I. It breaks my heart when you say it.

Yes, I really did say my middle DD was self centered. It's proven that until a certain age, kids don't relate to anyone's feeling but their own. All they know is what they want, when they want it. At least that's what I read. And I guess that's a good thing. It's survival mode. If it wasn't all about me at this age, how would they make it? Bad thing is, she's going through the I'm gonna cry about everything phase:

You didn't take me to the bathroom 2 seconds after I asked.
You aren't pushing me high enough on the swing.
You are pushing me too high on the swing.
Sissy took my toy.
Baby pulled my hair.
Someone is touching MY pillow. (FYI, this is a body pillow, about 3 times her size that she carries everywhere, OK not out of the house, but still)

Good thing she's my lover. Good thing she has the tiniest little voice that melts my heart in a instant.

And yes, my baby is still just a baby. Self centered & stubborn w/massive stranger anxiety. She'll flirt with you, but don't touch her. Somedays, don't look at her. She's a teething, pudgy ball of a mess right now. She's a peanut butter, popcorn & banana loving little princess. Afraid of the grass but loves the outdoors. A dirt eater like her 13.5 mo older sibling. And her smile, can't forget that. It's a half crooked, 4 teeth on top, pirate grin!

Yes, there are so many times I question my parenting but I love my girls!!

The stuff we call food

Remember my middle daughter's scare about a week and a half ago? Sadly, it hasn't gotten better. It has shown itself 4 more times & each time it seems more painful for her. By more painful, I mean she actually has taken notice that it's out. She doesn't want to be taken off the toilet, be wiped, or go on about her play once off the toilet. Deep sigh.....

I'm convinced after talking with the doctor & doing some of my own research that she ended up in this mess due to chronic diarrhea. But the real question is, why does she have chronic diarrhea? All this has made me really want to change our eating habits. Not just to have a healthier eating lifestyle. I know how to do that. I want to know what is in our food, where it came from, how it benefits us or damages us, etc. I have been doing a lot of reading the last week on our food supplies here in the USA. I am honestly horrified at some of the info that is out there. I know I shouldn't be. There is always going to be "something" in our food IF it is man made. I guess I am just astonished at what seems to be deemed "OK" for the masses to consume.

Over the last few years, more people just got the news about a brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, & the list goes on, having cancer. So many of my close friends or their wives are having problems conceiving. Sadly, it seems, there are more and more of these type of "issues" occuring. After reading what I have, I am no longer left wondering why they seem so prevalent. We are what we eat & if you don't want to know some truths, don't go searching & DO NOT read below....you have been warned....

Here's how I got started. I was bored, 2 girls sleeping & one needing a rest, I decided to watch a movie called "Food Matters" & that lead me to research the people & products they discussed on the show. I then decided to "friend request" someone, that I was told about a few weeks back, on Facebook. That lead me to a very shocking & unpleasant article. An article that left me feeling less than awesome about the formula choice I made for my two younger girls.

Of course, I'm discussing this info with my hubby which has lead to further talks & interest into our health. Tuesday he decided to accompany me to the grocery store. As we are standing in line, a very long line, what of all things does he happen to notice? One of our favorite magazine's front page, shouting loudly....."Top 10 Food Shockers"....yes, we bought it. I just started reading the article this morning & HAVE to share a piece with you.....

The following information (in quotes) is taken from ConsumerReports ShopSmart;) June 2011 issue. Please purchase the magazine to help support their research & find out the rest of the shockers!!

"Part of the complexity involves the creation of food ingredients. Take veggie burgers and protein bars. They sound like healthful additions to your diet. But most soy protein is processed using hexane, a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency considers a pollutant and that affects the central nervous system.

And if you think popcorn is harmless, you should know that the greaseproof paper used in microwave popcorn bags (as well as fast-food wrappers) might leach toxins into your healthy snack. Last fall, a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health concluded that polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters used in that paper can migrate into food and then break down in the body to form perfluorinated carboxylic acids, chemicals associated with cancer and reproductive problems in animals."

I dunno about you, but this info scares the hell out of me. I fix our family at least 10 bags of popcorn a week. We visit our local fast food places at least 2 times a month. I was in the habit of having a soy "veggie" sausage patty & sometimes a soy "veggie" burger at lunch, daily. And the above passge is NOT the first "bash" against soy that I've read. Here I thought I was eating healthy & doing myself this great service. Boy, was I wrong!! I'm finding so much conflicting info, every critic has their view, but I like that I am trying to educate myself instead of assuming everything they "allow" us to it is safe.

So, have I stopped cold turkey due to my recent findings? NO. I think changing our eating habits is going to be a long tough road. But we will be changing it......

Scores

Shows, whether it be TV or movie, wouldn't be anywhere close to good without their music. I think the music that is picked for a show can make or break it. I, for one, pay close attention to the music a show brings to the table. If it moves me, I love to look it up at a later date. You ever do that?

How many of you here got wrapped up in the TV series Lost? I never watched a single show. That is until recently, when the show was no longer on. I was looking for something to stream on Netflix & after hearing all the reviews, decided on it. I was hooked from the first show & my hubby jumped on the ban wagon a few days later. I got to the point that I had to know what was going to happen next. OMGosh. I spent some time on those shows, let me tell ya. And I'm not alone. This show has a following similar to, dare I say, Star Trek?

For me, hands down, this was the most well written, intriguing, & unique shows out there. The music was no different. The show would have failed without Michael Giacchino's work. This show made me look at religion. I searched bible passages & reflected. One minute I was on the edge of my seat then balling my butt off. Laughing then crying, again. Then saying What?! No?! Call me crazy, but I was left feeling, Lost, when I was done watching the last episode. I wanted more. But every good thing comes to an end. And this series ended beautifully. I honestly don't know if they will ever be able to outdo this show.

Today's song post is from Lost ...I picked two. They are similar, yet different. Very moving pieces of music.....LOVE.....