Because I'm sick and in a bad mood...
Okay, really I'm not in that bad of a mood. I mean, I have four healthy and gorgeous girls, a baby brewing, a healthy husband and a rather clean/organized house. What more could a girl ask for, right? Actually, I really am sick and it's making me frustrated and I'm asking for a break! Mother Nature, please cut me some slack!!!!
It's the darn ragweed that lurks in every corner of this area that has me feeling like an 18 wheeler drove over me and filled me with snot {how's that imagery workin' for ya?}. The way I've been reacting to it, you'd think I have it growing throughout my house. Constant sneezing, nose blowing, itchy throat, watery/itchy eyes during the day and it gets worse at night. I've been taking Zyrtec {which used to work} ever since I hit the second trimester, but now it doesn't seem to phase these allergies.
As soon as my heads hits the pillow, my sinuses feel like they're going to explode. The pain has been keeping me up nearly all night long. I'll doze off for about 10 minutes and then wake up to a dried out throat and pounding pain in my head and jaw. Yes, this happens all night long.
I finally caved and called the doctor today because I could tell it was spreading into my chest. Sure enough, I'm hacking away now and it is so darn painful. Luckily, the doc sent an Rx for an antibiotic which I got earlier today. I'm hoping that it clears up the yucky sinus infection and also takes care of anything that may be trying to brew in my chest.
Really, I'll give just about anything to get some good sleep tonight. Prayers! Good vibes! Please! This mama needs some beauty rest {no really, the beauty part is needed as much as the sleep part. Have you seen what my face looks like when it's swollen, rubbed red and otherwise pale. Not to mention that I can't wear make up. It's just scary. So if any of you see me in the next... well, until it freezes--please accept my apologies}.
Anyway at the top of this post I said, "because I'm sick and in a bad mood..." and now I'll finally get to my point. I'm really just using my current state of Blech to rationalize the BI**H fest I'm about to throw. So if you're not in the mood for one of my pregnancy and sick induced rants, please cease all reading activity now! THANKS!
This has irritated me for the longest time. I may even have blogged about it on here before. But that just shows you how irritating I find this {very minor, I realize this fact} issue. You ready for it?
As if McDonald's doesn't give us enough to complain about, what with their lack of nutritious food, why do they insist on sticking to their sexist ways? It drives me mad when I pull up to the drive-thru box {twice a year out of dire necessity} and order a Happy Meal and the voice says "Is this for a boy or a girl?"
Really, McDonald's? Really? Are you still stuck in 1955 when all girls supposedly played with dolls and all boys supposedly played with trucks/male action figures? Can't you just phrase the questions "Would you like the doll or the truck?" Why do you have to portray your ignorance to the world around you even more by asking "girl or boy?"
You don't even ask if I want the "girl or boy toy." Nooooooooo, you have to ask if I have a girl or a boy, thus totally rendering the choice of the toy to your discretion. I'm the parent. I've got some degrees that don't come from the How to Fry Fries School of Crappy Food. For God's sake, let me make the decision about what toy my kid wants regardless of her sex. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And because I know I have inquisitive {yes, I'm referring to all four of you} readers, you are probably asking, Well, have you ever taken your concerns to the manager?
And let me tell you the answer good readers, YES! Yes, of course I have tried to school the unschoolable! I have tried to explain that just because I have a daughter doesn't mean I should automatically be given the doll toy. I explained how sexist that is. I explained that if they still want to remain behind the times when Elvis was King and margarine {YUCK!} ruled the dinner table, then they could at least ask me if I wanted the girl or boy toy? I explained how utterly ridiculous it is that in the 21st century I have to put up with this nonsense. And guess what?
They {McDonald's} didn't get it. My explaining was apparently over their understanding. It was as if I was speaking a totally different language {and actually, in this case I kind of was}.
Okay, there! It's done. You and I can both move on now. I don't like being Negative Nelly, and I realize this is a very minor issue. It's like a really {bad} pet peeve. It's not anything that is going to affect me or my family in any dramatic way. It is really just a {crazy, absurd, stupid} minor annoyance that I only fume over for about 5 minutes twice a year.
Let me know if any of you find this irritating. I surely can't be the only one who is annoyed by this {right?}. And if any of you try to take your concerns to the manager, let me know how that goes! Please! I'm curious.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Once Upon a TIme...
...this lady had four hooligan children {hooligans is a term of endearment with this woman}. It was the last day of the {first} school week. On this particularly glorious morning, her eldest hooligan was celebrating her 5th birthday with crowns, songs, stories, and {of course her favorite school-approved, birthday treat} Jello at preschool.
Whilst the eldest of the four daughters sat on her preschool throne, mama hooligan decided to take the other three hooligans to a park. They only had a few moments to spend frolicking in the sunshine and beautiful weather {thank you cold front and rain} before they needed to pick up the eldest hooligan from preschool.
Seeing that there was plenty of sunshine, the mother hooligan decided pictures were a must. And this is what she got:
Mama hooligan thought this was quite a funny snapshot {and she wants to remember this moment for, hmmm..... EVER}. It captures sweet beauty in her eyes.
Then suddenly, the hooligans decided to give mama hooligan a little love. So they agreed to pose as asked.
Really, these little hooligans are quite lovely. As you can see here, they posed so nicely for mama hooligan on their {official} first day of school.
And each little hooligan smiled as if she were smiling for God Himself.
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But back to our story---
Yes, we had a great end to our first week of school. And we had a blast celebrating the anniversary of our firstborn {and I think our firstborn had a blast as well}!
Whilst the eldest of the four daughters sat on her preschool throne, mama hooligan decided to take the other three hooligans to a park. They only had a few moments to spend frolicking in the sunshine and beautiful weather {thank you cold front and rain} before they needed to pick up the eldest hooligan from preschool.
Seeing that there was plenty of sunshine, the mother hooligan decided pictures were a must. And this is what she got:
Mama hooligan thought this was quite a funny snapshot {and she wants to remember this moment for, hmmm..... EVER}. It captures sweet beauty in her eyes.Then suddenly, the hooligans decided to give mama hooligan a little love. So they agreed to pose as asked.
Really, these little hooligans are quite lovely. As you can see here, they posed so nicely for mama hooligan on their {official} first day of school.
And each little hooligan smiled as if she were smiling for God Himself.
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But back to our story---The four ladies ceased the park festivities when it was time to pick up the birthday princess. They came home only to pamper the birthday girl until she {mama hooligan} just couldn't take it anymore. The night's festivities ended with cake, family, friends, gifts, hugs, kisses, and laughter.
Yes, we had a great end to our first week of school. And we had a blast celebrating the anniversary of our firstborn {and I think our firstborn had a blast as well}!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Birthday Girl
My one-of-a-kind, first born, red head, peach-
It has been my pleasure to watch over you, hold you, kiss your forehead, cook your meals, watch you learn, see you grow, make new friends, hear your first words, celebrate holidays {including your birthday}, watch you love a new sister, see you smile, teach you how to kick a soccer ball, tuck you in at night, tell you I'm sorry when I mess up, brush your hair after baths, unload the dishes with you, watch Arthur with you, shop with you, take you out to eat, play tag with you, show you how to play hopscotch, see you love people, listen to your dreams, listen to you sing, and listen to your I love you's!
It has been my pleasure simply to be your ma-ma, mommy, mama, mom! This is just a list of some of the things that I treasure and try my best to remember and hold on to. I want you to know that you have only brought sunshine into our world since you entered it. I am so incredibly proud to be your mom! It is one {of 5} best things to ever happen to me.
In honor of your 5th birthday, here is an ABC poem just for you, sweet pea!
'A' altruistic in your ways
'B' you're so gosh darn beautiful
'C' compassionate
'D' you can be a bit dramatic {but only in little bits and pieces here and there}
'E' effervescent
'F' you are a great friend
'G' you like to gab
'H' you've never been too high maintenance
'I' I love you this much
'J' iinterrupting Cow is your favorite joke
'K' often referred to as "K1"
'L' you are a lover of fruit, chocolate, animals {horses}, sisters, family, pink, and Cinderella
'M' music makes you dance
'N' playing nurse and doctor is a favorite hobby
'O' official buckle in-ner of Bug's car seat
'P' patient with younger children
'Q' can be quiet {when you're in new situations}
'R' rule follower by nature
'S' can we say big sister {you are so very proud of this title}
'T' good night Tree house, good night fort
'U' certainly unselfish
'V' vigilant {especially with Boushka, or any baby for that matter}
'W' worrier by nature
'X' eXtra eXcited to celebrate your birthday tomorrow
'Y' yes you're so special
'Z' monkeys are your favorite zoo animal
I can't wait to celebrate your big day with you. Enjoy :)
Love, Mom
Monday, August 30, 2010
Life After Venting
Okay, so my rants are out. My complaining has ceased. My whining is no more. My venting....
well, I'll never stop that so just get used to it. HA!
Anyway, like I mentioned in the last post, I set out to tell you all about our week last week. But I decided it would be much more interesting (remember all we did was watch tv and grade papers) to tell you about this week.
Today my second born, Brownie, had a play date with a little friend, M, from preschool. She and M were in the same preschool class last year, and all fingers crossed, M's mom and I are hoping they're in the same class again this year. Guess what, we'll find out tomorrow.
SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW!
Our preschool invites the children and parents to the first day of school. This way, we can all test out the waters. The three oldest girls will all go to school tomorrow. Peach will enter her third year. Brownie will enter her second year. And Bug will begin a new journey.
That's right, tomorrow is Bug's turn to be the newbie. I am so excited for her. She is the first child I have not had "attachment" worries about. She is such a social, head-in-the-clouds kind of gal. I honestly wonder if she'll realize that she's in a new environment with new toys.
Tomorrow will be quite busy for us all. We start our day taking Brownie and Bug to their first day of class {Matt and I will both attend}. We'll meet teachers, see new faces and hopefully some familiar ones as well. Then we'll come home and grab some lunch. In the meantime, my MIL will take the younger three to her house while I take Peach to her first day of class. My husband, will not be attending because he will be getting his wisdom teeth out {I know, poor guy}. Needless to say, we have plenty of soup, Jello and ice cream in our future.
Peach and I will run up to my MIL's to pick up the girls after our school visit, then we'll run home to chomp on some dinner {a new, yummy-looking potato soup recipe that is slow-cooker friendly}. We'll probably also take care of daddy and baby him just a little ;) Then, Peach and I will head out to soccer practice. I get to fill in as assistant coach tomorrow since the real assistant coach will be taking it easy. I'm happy to fill in though. I played soccer for years, and it's nice to get back into the game {even if it doesn't feel like anything more than chasing six 4/5 year olds}. And I get to run around with my oldest for 30 minutes without other tiny people {who are genetically related to me} distracting us!
It's a jam packed day. But our week doesn't slow down there. We have Peach's 5th birthday to celebrate on Thursday and this girl has put in some demands I must get started on pronto. Her presents are bought, but they are not wrapped. She planned her menu, but I have to buy the groceries {and make the food, of course}. Her guests have been invited. And her cake choice has been named. She likes to call it a chocolate volcano cake. It's really just a chocolate cake with fudgy frosting and caramel ice cream topping drizzled about. The caramel, however, makes the cake split-- and I suppose if you're young and innocent, it looks like the cake is erupting with caramel. So, Volcano Cake it is!
Of course, all of this planning finally prompted us to plan her party today. She decided that she wanted her own party this year {we try to get all 3 older girls to celebrate with one big bash since their BDAYS are 6 weeks apart}, and that is what the girl shall have. We are going with a Cowgirl theme this year. I took her out tonight to look at supplies. Sure enough we came back with some red and white checkered fabric {for a table cloth} and some cow print fabric {for exactly what, I'm unsure, but we had to get that too}. I'll have to get some pictures of them and post.
We also found bandannas, straw bales, and a horse pinata. We still need to find a place that sells little straw{?} hats for kids. I swear I've seen these hats somewhere, but I have no idea where. I checked Party America and Walmart but no luck. My next guess is Hobby Lobby, but after that I'm outta ideas. Do you have any?
We decided if it was cool out, we'd make Cowboy/girl Wagon Stew and serve rootbeer/saspirilla. However, in the event of nice weather, we'll have hotdogs, chips {I know, authentic}, beans and still some good ol' rootbeer. Apparently none of my kiddos got my distaste for that wretched drink. Ugh!
She's also decided to use her pony/horse toys and some straw with balloons as the centerpiece for the food table. No, she didn't have a clue what a centerpiece was, but I talked to her about it and we agreed that her horsies would work wonderfully! I'm thinking some extra bandannas are in order so we can make some cute decorations for the windows/walls.
Our games will consist of the pinata {DUH!}, Cowgirl boot bean bag toss, and either a kid-friendly horseshoes or ..... I'm not sure. What's your idea for a good Cowgirl themed game?
Oh, and while all this fun is going on, we'll be blaring country music {her song choices have already been made} for all to enjoy {including our neighbors. But I'm guessing they'd rather listed to music then several tiny people screaming---on second thought, they're probably used to several tiny people screaming}. The girl has her priorities and tastes, and I think it's awesome that she has so much of it all thought out. My little party planner in the making.
The older two girls are thinking of a joint BDAY bash with costumes. This mama has way too many ideas for how this one will go. Hopefully Brownie and Bug won't mind my input! We'll discuss more of this later {say, after I accomplish a birthday dinner and party for Peach}.
And back to my original topic....
Thursday is just the dinner {no party for a few more weeks}. Friday we'll continue a family tradition by taking the hooligans {in case you don't know, I use this term lovingly} out for a "first day of school" meal. Growing up, my mom always took my sister and me out for dinner on the first and last night of school. It was a tradition I wanted to keep alive--and while we still have four kids who all eat off the kid's menu, I'm going to take advantage of this time together as a family!
This weekend there is an Inter-tribal Pow Wow that we make an annul trip to. We celebrate our American Indian heritage by listening to the drums, eating Indian Tacos, and usually purchasing something. I know, real authentic, right? But hey, these are our favorite parts--so enjoy, we will! And I believe baby needs his/her first Indian taco--so I must indulge!
I'll be back tomorrow with some pictures of my little school girls.
well, I'll never stop that so just get used to it. HA!
Anyway, like I mentioned in the last post, I set out to tell you all about our week last week. But I decided it would be much more interesting (remember all we did was watch tv and grade papers) to tell you about this week.
Today my second born, Brownie, had a play date with a little friend, M, from preschool. She and M were in the same preschool class last year, and all fingers crossed, M's mom and I are hoping they're in the same class again this year. Guess what, we'll find out tomorrow.
SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW!
Our preschool invites the children and parents to the first day of school. This way, we can all test out the waters. The three oldest girls will all go to school tomorrow. Peach will enter her third year. Brownie will enter her second year. And Bug will begin a new journey.
That's right, tomorrow is Bug's turn to be the newbie. I am so excited for her. She is the first child I have not had "attachment" worries about. She is such a social, head-in-the-clouds kind of gal. I honestly wonder if she'll realize that she's in a new environment with new toys.
Tomorrow will be quite busy for us all. We start our day taking Brownie and Bug to their first day of class {Matt and I will both attend}. We'll meet teachers, see new faces and hopefully some familiar ones as well. Then we'll come home and grab some lunch. In the meantime, my MIL will take the younger three to her house while I take Peach to her first day of class. My husband, will not be attending because he will be getting his wisdom teeth out {I know, poor guy}. Needless to say, we have plenty of soup, Jello and ice cream in our future.
Peach and I will run up to my MIL's to pick up the girls after our school visit, then we'll run home to chomp on some dinner {a new, yummy-looking potato soup recipe that is slow-cooker friendly}. We'll probably also take care of daddy and baby him just a little ;) Then, Peach and I will head out to soccer practice. I get to fill in as assistant coach tomorrow since the real assistant coach will be taking it easy. I'm happy to fill in though. I played soccer for years, and it's nice to get back into the game {even if it doesn't feel like anything more than chasing six 4/5 year olds}. And I get to run around with my oldest for 30 minutes without other tiny people {who are genetically related to me} distracting us!
It's a jam packed day. But our week doesn't slow down there. We have Peach's 5th birthday to celebrate on Thursday and this girl has put in some demands I must get started on pronto. Her presents are bought, but they are not wrapped. She planned her menu, but I have to buy the groceries {and make the food, of course}. Her guests have been invited. And her cake choice has been named. She likes to call it a chocolate volcano cake. It's really just a chocolate cake with fudgy frosting and caramel ice cream topping drizzled about. The caramel, however, makes the cake split-- and I suppose if you're young and innocent, it looks like the cake is erupting with caramel. So, Volcano Cake it is!
Of course, all of this planning finally prompted us to plan her party today. She decided that she wanted her own party this year {we try to get all 3 older girls to celebrate with one big bash since their BDAYS are 6 weeks apart}, and that is what the girl shall have. We are going with a Cowgirl theme this year. I took her out tonight to look at supplies. Sure enough we came back with some red and white checkered fabric {for a table cloth} and some cow print fabric {for exactly what, I'm unsure, but we had to get that too}. I'll have to get some pictures of them and post.
We also found bandannas, straw bales, and a horse pinata. We still need to find a place that sells little straw{?} hats for kids. I swear I've seen these hats somewhere, but I have no idea where. I checked Party America and Walmart but no luck. My next guess is Hobby Lobby, but after that I'm outta ideas. Do you have any?
We decided if it was cool out, we'd make Cowboy/girl Wagon Stew and serve rootbeer/saspirilla. However, in the event of nice weather, we'll have hotdogs, chips {I know, authentic}, beans and still some good ol' rootbeer. Apparently none of my kiddos got my distaste for that wretched drink. Ugh!
She's also decided to use her pony/horse toys and some straw with balloons as the centerpiece for the food table. No, she didn't have a clue what a centerpiece was, but I talked to her about it and we agreed that her horsies would work wonderfully! I'm thinking some extra bandannas are in order so we can make some cute decorations for the windows/walls.
Our games will consist of the pinata {DUH!}, Cowgirl boot bean bag toss, and either a kid-friendly horseshoes or ..... I'm not sure. What's your idea for a good Cowgirl themed game?
Oh, and while all this fun is going on, we'll be blaring country music {her song choices have already been made} for all to enjoy {including our neighbors. But I'm guessing they'd rather listed to music then several tiny people screaming---on second thought, they're probably used to several tiny people screaming}. The girl has her priorities and tastes, and I think it's awesome that she has so much of it all thought out. My little party planner in the making.
The older two girls are thinking of a joint BDAY bash with costumes. This mama has way too many ideas for how this one will go. Hopefully Brownie and Bug won't mind my input! We'll discuss more of this later {say, after I accomplish a birthday dinner and party for Peach}.
And back to my original topic....
Thursday is just the dinner {no party for a few more weeks}. Friday we'll continue a family tradition by taking the hooligans {in case you don't know, I use this term lovingly} out for a "first day of school" meal. Growing up, my mom always took my sister and me out for dinner on the first and last night of school. It was a tradition I wanted to keep alive--and while we still have four kids who all eat off the kid's menu, I'm going to take advantage of this time together as a family!
This weekend there is an Inter-tribal Pow Wow that we make an annul trip to. We celebrate our American Indian heritage by listening to the drums, eating Indian Tacos, and usually purchasing something. I know, real authentic, right? But hey, these are our favorite parts--so enjoy, we will! And I believe baby needs his/her first Indian taco--so I must indulge!
I'll be back tomorrow with some pictures of my little school girls.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Where I Critique My Own Writing/Venting
Folks, I started out wanting to write about our activities this past week, but it turns out I just let my (pregnant) emotions take the lead. You can choose to read the following, but it might A) Change your opinion of me, B) Reinforce what you already know about me, or C) Make you think I'm a crazy lunatic... see options A or B. With that said, enter at your own risk. And if you make it near the end, you'll see the critiquing I speak of in the title. Here goes...
Another week came and went. I spent most of that time on the computer grading papers. I love, love, love being a mom. There is no greater pleasure on earth than being a mom (my blog, my opinions. Agree or disagree.) I also enjoy working outside the home ( a couple of days a week would be the most I could do now). But I tell ya--being a Work-At-Home mom is sometimes not the best of both worlds like I had imagined.
I, probably like many of you, thought that working from home while raising a growing brood of young girls would be awesome. No daycare to worry about. I'm bringing in extra income. I still get the opportunity to raise my kids. Seriously, can it get better than this?
Then, when I actually started working from home, all of the positives morphed into not so positives.
My job consists of me sitting at a computer, answering emails that can get awfully complicated, and grading/providing feedback on papers (the majority of which are pretty poorly written). I receive anywhere between 50 and 60 papers by midnight on Monday and their grades/feedback are due on Thursday by midnight. Sometimes these papers are 3-5 pages; the class I just finished had 8 page papers. Needless to say, about one or two afternoons of daycare per week would do me a lot of good. As it stands now, the weeks (which is four weeks in a row) where I have grading we pretty much stay home all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I grade as many papers as I can in between cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, answering phone calls, and retrieving drinks for the babes. I grade at nap time. I grade after kids are in bed. And I often climb into my own bed two to three hours after my husband. Can I just say how I really feel (well, I can because this is my blog, so just deal with my grumpiness)?
I HATE IT!!!!
My children turn into TV zombies (which I hate and is against my beliefs). I turn into a crazy stressed out mess. My house turns into a scene from Twister. And my sleep turns into something I can only catch glimpses of (let's not even mention the lack of exercise, okay). By Friday, I am checking to see which students hate me and think I'm the most unfair teacher ever while trying not to yawn. I then take my children out for some special fun time because I fell like I abandoned them all week long. However, this usually consists of me running to the store because I wasn't able to do that all week.
It is just a Hot Mess! That, my friends, is why I believe the girls need a few good hours in somebody else's care if I am going to keep this gig up!
For me, the extra income comes at a hefty price. I'm starting to question if it's worth the sacrifices I'm making. While I do feel like the University pays a mostly fair price, I don't feel that it's fair (considering my family and lifestyle) for me. I'm not saying they should offer me more because I'm a mom--no, no, no! What I'm saying is that I don't think there is a fair price they could offer me to keep me from doting on my children all day. After all, I chose to stay home with my kiddos for a reason. Actually there were a number of reasons, but I digress...
I didn't want my children in somebody else's care 40+ hours a week while they are not in school (I admit that a few hours a week would actually be pretty beneficial for us all). I love my family and I want to put all I have into them. I feel that staying home is the best way I could make this happen (please understand that I am not speaking for anybody else here. This is just how I felt I could make things work for my family). And let's face it; if you plan to have 5 children (which really we didn't, but anyway...), you pretty much need to plan on having one parent at home or some magical free daycare. Since I haven't found magical free daycare and my husband was making more than I was at the time we had started having kids, I opted to stay home.
Wow, I'm kind of off topic (wow, am I actually providing feedback on my own writing???), but I think you get the picture. And really, I'm not writing to make anybody get the picture. I'm writing for me, more or less.
I need to vent. Get this off my chest (fragment, please write in complete sentences). Let my crazy out, if only just a little bit! And for some reason, if I get this all out in the open I think I'll see it more clearly. I feel torn between the decision to quit or to keep bringing in the income.
In all honesty, raising five children is not cheap! However, I feel if I continue doing what I'm doing, I will completely miss these years that I wanted so badly to be a BIG part of. While my babies are busy learning from Sesame Street (because I'm stuck at a computer), I will have brought it a few extra bucks. And for what? A few extra toys, clothes, or meals out? I mean, let's face it, no teacher's salary is ever going to bring my family totally out of debt or pay for all my kiddos' college. And (It's actually okay to start a sentence with 'And.') because I have these few extra dollars, I will have missed out on so many opportunities to be their mommy.
Again, I'm off topic. I somehow started out saying that a few hours of daycare per week would be a glorious thing to have, and now I'm concluding (please avoid using any form of the word 'conclusion' in your conclusion paragraph) that I just want to be with my kids. It looks like my decision is spelled out all over this page. This is obviously going to be another decision I make with my heart and not my head. Wow, I do feel better.
Thanks, by the way, to the two of you who finished reading my rambling thoughts!!!
Another week came and went. I spent most of that time on the computer grading papers. I love, love, love being a mom. There is no greater pleasure on earth than being a mom (my blog, my opinions. Agree or disagree.) I also enjoy working outside the home ( a couple of days a week would be the most I could do now). But I tell ya--being a Work-At-Home mom is sometimes not the best of both worlds like I had imagined.
I, probably like many of you, thought that working from home while raising a growing brood of young girls would be awesome. No daycare to worry about. I'm bringing in extra income. I still get the opportunity to raise my kids. Seriously, can it get better than this?
Then, when I actually started working from home, all of the positives morphed into not so positives.
My job consists of me sitting at a computer, answering emails that can get awfully complicated, and grading/providing feedback on papers (the majority of which are pretty poorly written). I receive anywhere between 50 and 60 papers by midnight on Monday and their grades/feedback are due on Thursday by midnight. Sometimes these papers are 3-5 pages; the class I just finished had 8 page papers. Needless to say, about one or two afternoons of daycare per week would do me a lot of good. As it stands now, the weeks (which is four weeks in a row) where I have grading we pretty much stay home all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I grade as many papers as I can in between cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, answering phone calls, and retrieving drinks for the babes. I grade at nap time. I grade after kids are in bed. And I often climb into my own bed two to three hours after my husband. Can I just say how I really feel (well, I can because this is my blog, so just deal with my grumpiness)?
I HATE IT!!!!
My children turn into TV zombies (which I hate and is against my beliefs). I turn into a crazy stressed out mess. My house turns into a scene from Twister. And my sleep turns into something I can only catch glimpses of (let's not even mention the lack of exercise, okay). By Friday, I am checking to see which students hate me and think I'm the most unfair teacher ever while trying not to yawn. I then take my children out for some special fun time because I fell like I abandoned them all week long. However, this usually consists of me running to the store because I wasn't able to do that all week.
It is just a Hot Mess! That, my friends, is why I believe the girls need a few good hours in somebody else's care if I am going to keep this gig up!
For me, the extra income comes at a hefty price. I'm starting to question if it's worth the sacrifices I'm making. While I do feel like the University pays a mostly fair price, I don't feel that it's fair (considering my family and lifestyle) for me. I'm not saying they should offer me more because I'm a mom--no, no, no! What I'm saying is that I don't think there is a fair price they could offer me to keep me from doting on my children all day. After all, I chose to stay home with my kiddos for a reason. Actually there were a number of reasons, but I digress...
I didn't want my children in somebody else's care 40+ hours a week while they are not in school (I admit that a few hours a week would actually be pretty beneficial for us all). I love my family and I want to put all I have into them. I feel that staying home is the best way I could make this happen (please understand that I am not speaking for anybody else here. This is just how I felt I could make things work for my family). And let's face it; if you plan to have 5 children (which really we didn't, but anyway...), you pretty much need to plan on having one parent at home or some magical free daycare. Since I haven't found magical free daycare and my husband was making more than I was at the time we had started having kids, I opted to stay home.
Wow, I'm kind of off topic (wow, am I actually providing feedback on my own writing???), but I think you get the picture. And really, I'm not writing to make anybody get the picture. I'm writing for me, more or less.
I need to vent. Get this off my chest (fragment, please write in complete sentences). Let my crazy out, if only just a little bit! And for some reason, if I get this all out in the open I think I'll see it more clearly. I feel torn between the decision to quit or to keep bringing in the income.
In all honesty, raising five children is not cheap! However, I feel if I continue doing what I'm doing, I will completely miss these years that I wanted so badly to be a BIG part of. While my babies are busy learning from Sesame Street (because I'm stuck at a computer), I will have brought it a few extra bucks. And for what? A few extra toys, clothes, or meals out? I mean, let's face it, no teacher's salary is ever going to bring my family totally out of debt or pay for all my kiddos' college. And (It's actually okay to start a sentence with 'And.') because I have these few extra dollars, I will have missed out on so many opportunities to be their mommy.
Again, I'm off topic. I somehow started out saying that a few hours of daycare per week would be a glorious thing to have, and now I'm concluding (please avoid using any form of the word 'conclusion' in your conclusion paragraph) that I just want to be with my kids. It looks like my decision is spelled out all over this page. This is obviously going to be another decision I make with my heart and not my head. Wow, I do feel better.
Thanks, by the way, to the two of you who finished reading my rambling thoughts!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
When Husbands Make You Cry!
Sometimes husbands leave the toilet seat up. Yeah, it's actually like 99.9 % of the time, but anyway...
Sometimes husbands aren't perfect (they are human, right?). Sometimes husbands hurt feelings. Sometimes husbands fail to remember something that was important. Sometimes husbands go to bed without giving a kiss goodnight.
But sometimes, husbands melt (their wives') hearts when they become daddies.
My husband is rather laid back. He takes things as they come. In fact, one of his favorite things to say is "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." (Yes, this is a hard thing for a hyper-planner to hear from her partner!)
I suppose that is why when I see him express any (positive) emotion, I am giddy. I know this is when he is forgoing his comfort zone to be in the moment. I remember the minute our firstborn daughter entered this world--my husband shed a tear. I will never forget that moment. More importantly, I'll never forget how seeing all of his emotion made me feel.
I'm sure that all moms get giddy and excited when they see their children being loved on by their father-- this is mainly because we care that our children are shown the love they deserve. But when you are in love with that man, I think it adds a whole other level of love.
And I'm going to take a leap here and say that there is another level on top of that. This is the level where you know that your children are getting something that you never (at least not that you remember) had.
I can remember seeing Father of the Bride as a young girl (we're talking 10 or 11) and crying when the dad walked his daughter down the aisle. I think some part of me knew, even at that age, that I would never experience this. Luckily, I have my only uncle who was happy and willing to take this position.
There were a handful of Father things that I missed out on as a child because my father chose to be absent--but that's not to say that I didn't have a mom and grandma who did everything in their power to give me the love and support of two parents. Even so, there are a few cultural (and several personal) events in a girl's life when her father plays an important role.
Like telling you how beautiful you look on prom night.
Like walking you down the aisle.
Like painting your toenails when you are 3 years old.
Yes, I know this may not be one of the cultural things that dads do, but this is something that my husband recently did. And I can hardly type these words without letting a few tears form in the corner of my eyes and a lump in my throat.
Not only am I happy for my daughter to receive this attention from her father, but her father happens to be the man I chose to be with for this life. That makes me a little proud. This is also something that I never experienced with my father--this fact makes it sweet. Precious. Adorable. Really, I just want to cry (happy tears) when he does things like this.
I think, in this lifetime, we get all that we need. That's not to say that maybe we don't deserve more (in the way of love or shelter or food, not iPads, money, or jewlery), but it seems that many times, there is another source that makes up for our losses.
In my case, I had my mom and Mema who doted on me. They treasured every song I sang. They encouraged my artsy side. I felt free to express myself. Not a game of mine was missed. I was a Girl Scout. I played the piano. We went on family vacations. We made memories. Not to mention I never went without food, shelter, love or toys for that matter.
And now, after five years of marriage and four (or maybe 5, we'll see in a few weeks) daughters I feel confident that I have found the man who helps me heal in ways no one else could. Seeing him simply be a daddy to our babies heals a little part of me. When I see the joy he puts in each of their hearts, my heart melts a little each time. When I see the love in my husband's eyes for his babies, the holes that my own father left are being filled in a little at a time.
And you can bet your money on the fact that I will cry (happy tears, of course) at all of my daughters' major father-daughter milestones. Not a prom night or wedding dance will pass without my heart being a little more healed. Even the everyday things like coaching soccer (yes, Matt's serving as assistant to Peach's team), teaching the basics of bike riding, or even painting little toenails will never cease to warm my heart. Being able to witness that special bond is something unique to being the mother of a daughter (or daughters) who are so cherished by their daddies.
*Thank you, Matt, for being the first love of their lives.
*See, I told you you should read my blog :)
Sometimes husbands aren't perfect (they are human, right?). Sometimes husbands hurt feelings. Sometimes husbands fail to remember something that was important. Sometimes husbands go to bed without giving a kiss goodnight.
But sometimes, husbands melt (their wives') hearts when they become daddies.
My husband is rather laid back. He takes things as they come. In fact, one of his favorite things to say is "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." (Yes, this is a hard thing for a hyper-planner to hear from her partner!)
I suppose that is why when I see him express any (positive) emotion, I am giddy. I know this is when he is forgoing his comfort zone to be in the moment. I remember the minute our firstborn daughter entered this world--my husband shed a tear. I will never forget that moment. More importantly, I'll never forget how seeing all of his emotion made me feel.
I'm sure that all moms get giddy and excited when they see their children being loved on by their father-- this is mainly because we care that our children are shown the love they deserve. But when you are in love with that man, I think it adds a whole other level of love.
And I'm going to take a leap here and say that there is another level on top of that. This is the level where you know that your children are getting something that you never (at least not that you remember) had.
I can remember seeing Father of the Bride as a young girl (we're talking 10 or 11) and crying when the dad walked his daughter down the aisle. I think some part of me knew, even at that age, that I would never experience this. Luckily, I have my only uncle who was happy and willing to take this position.
There were a handful of Father things that I missed out on as a child because my father chose to be absent--but that's not to say that I didn't have a mom and grandma who did everything in their power to give me the love and support of two parents. Even so, there are a few cultural (and several personal) events in a girl's life when her father plays an important role.
Like telling you how beautiful you look on prom night.
Like walking you down the aisle.
Like painting your toenails when you are 3 years old.
Yes, I know this may not be one of the cultural things that dads do, but this is something that my husband recently did. And I can hardly type these words without letting a few tears form in the corner of my eyes and a lump in my throat.
Not only am I happy for my daughter to receive this attention from her father, but her father happens to be the man I chose to be with for this life. That makes me a little proud. This is also something that I never experienced with my father--this fact makes it sweet. Precious. Adorable. Really, I just want to cry (happy tears) when he does things like this.
I think, in this lifetime, we get all that we need. That's not to say that maybe we don't deserve more (in the way of love or shelter or food, not iPads, money, or jewlery), but it seems that many times, there is another source that makes up for our losses.
In my case, I had my mom and Mema who doted on me. They treasured every song I sang. They encouraged my artsy side. I felt free to express myself. Not a game of mine was missed. I was a Girl Scout. I played the piano. We went on family vacations. We made memories. Not to mention I never went without food, shelter, love or toys for that matter.
And now, after five years of marriage and four (or maybe 5, we'll see in a few weeks) daughters I feel confident that I have found the man who helps me heal in ways no one else could. Seeing him simply be a daddy to our babies heals a little part of me. When I see the joy he puts in each of their hearts, my heart melts a little each time. When I see the love in my husband's eyes for his babies, the holes that my own father left are being filled in a little at a time.
And you can bet your money on the fact that I will cry (happy tears, of course) at all of my daughters' major father-daughter milestones. Not a prom night or wedding dance will pass without my heart being a little more healed. Even the everyday things like coaching soccer (yes, Matt's serving as assistant to Peach's team), teaching the basics of bike riding, or even painting little toenails will never cease to warm my heart. Being able to witness that special bond is something unique to being the mother of a daughter (or daughters) who are so cherished by their daddies.
*Thank you, Matt, for being the first love of their lives.
*See, I told you you should read my blog :)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
More Good News
Well, we had our sono today. It was so awesome to be able to see our newest little miracle.
He or she had a strong heartbeat at 163 beats per minute. My husband and I immediately noticed the profile of this newest baby. His or her nose was very pronounced--makes me wonder???? Matt and I are not known for a samll-ish noses, but none of our girls have had a profile quite like that-- at least not that I remember. Now, I'm going to have to go back and look at all of our early sonogram pictures. Curiosity is getting the better of me!
This baby is right where I had estimated-- 12 weeks and 4 days. And there's only one. And I have no tumors. What I do have ladies and gentlemen, is a roomy "house" for our precious cargo.
In other news...
Boushka had her 15 month well check in addition to our first OB check yesterday. She went first and I asked that we save the shots until we leave.That was fine with the doc and nurse, but we nearly forgot them since we were in such a rush to get out of there in order to make it back to town to get Peach to her first soccer practice.
So, after all questions had been answered and a heartbeat found, I was telling all the kids to pack up and head out. Then Matt reminded me of the shots we still needed. Check!
Again, I was headed out and forgot to ask about the prescription for our youngest babe's rash. Turned out their system is updated and it was electronically sent to Walgreens. Check!
We were headed out again, and I remembered to make my next appointment. Check!
Then, I remembered I was supposed to have the basic OB panel drawn. Well, seeing as how it was after 5:30 and I still had to find food for us and head to the soccer fields 30 minutes away, I excused myself from the blood letting.
I did get a friendly reminder about an hour later from my sweet nurse saying, "Hey, Lara. You forgot to get your blood drawn. Just make sure you do it tomorrow when you're in for your sono."
Sure, no biggie. Except for me, it usually is. I am notorious around the doc's office for bad veins. They roll (I always want to ask if they rock). They collapse. And today I found out they "blow," to put it in my phlebotomist's words.
"Blow?" I asked. "What exactly does that mean?" Apparently, they pretty much explode.
Oh, they explode now, too? Is that the same as collapse? I don't know. All I know, is that it is quite frustrating and annoying to be constantly poked to no avail.
Yes, I was a little dehydrated. But I swear I have gone in for blood draws with less fluid circulating through my body. But it probably doesn't help that I had to get 6 tubes drawn.
After receiving 4 sticks with no flow, I was prescribed an hour of fluid intake. Matt and I headed to Henry T's for some water and a snack. I downed 3 large (I'm guessing 20 oz) glasses of water and headed back for what I was sure would be a quick poke and lots of blood flowing into tubes.
Well, I was not so pleasently surprised when I was poked 4 more times and only managed to fill 1 tube plus an 1/8 of another. And what really gets me is that I think the one tube would have been plenty... okay, maybe not plenty, but a darn good start at least.
All we really need is a CBC and antibody screening, right? I mean, here is what they're checking (and remember folks, I'm in my 5TH pregnancy):
Rubella: Well, all of the other times I've been pregnant, the fact that I've received the vaccine for rubella is evident in the lab report. Is this really going to change?
Blood type: Please, people. This doesn't change.
And I guess I understand why the following are tested, but I will put my life on the line and tell you that I have none of these (yes, I know that does not excuse me from it anyway, but it's still frustrating when I know what the results will reveal):
HIV: Do I need to explain why I'm sure I do not have this?
Syphillis: Again, do I need to explain?
Hep B: See above.
I know that doc is only doing her job with the last three, but I think I could at least forgo a tube or two of blood because the answers are obvious. Am I crazy? Somebody who's a nurse or doctor and is reading this, feel free to add your two cents.
This is just one shot of the nastiness. The poor lady drawing my blood (bless her heart, I felt so bad for her) said this one would leave a "scar." I wasn't sure what she meant by "scar," but I'm guessing this is close to what she meant. I can barely extend either arm fully. And for the record, she said she's been doing this for years and I was the hardest "stick" she's ever had. Ugh, I felt horrible. Not for me. I just felt bad for her because it seemed like she was feeling sorry for letting me down. But I'm no dummy. I know this is the perfect storm of me being dehydrated and inheriting bad "vein genes." I'm just puzzled as to why I was never hydrated enough. Hmmmmmmm.....................
I'm really not trying to make a BI@*H session out of a glorious day of seeing our 5th child. I'm just venting a little frustration. I'm really thinking about calling the doctor tomorrow to see if we can skip a few tubes. I don't think that's unreasonable considering I'm such a hard "stick." I'll even pay for the whole dang OB panel if they'll just work with me on this one :)
You tell me. Am I crazy? (Just say no, you'll fare better if you agree with me on this one)!
Thanks to all of you who are still reading and know that I'm only an occasional Debbie Downer. And to the rest of you, don't worry. This day will be remembered for the pictures of baby # 5 and not for my crazy ranting about something as stupid as veins, blood, and OB panels!
He or she had a strong heartbeat at 163 beats per minute. My husband and I immediately noticed the profile of this newest baby. His or her nose was very pronounced--makes me wonder???? Matt and I are not known for a samll-ish noses, but none of our girls have had a profile quite like that-- at least not that I remember. Now, I'm going to have to go back and look at all of our early sonogram pictures. Curiosity is getting the better of me!
This baby is right where I had estimated-- 12 weeks and 4 days. And there's only one. And I have no tumors. What I do have ladies and gentlemen, is a roomy "house" for our precious cargo.
In other news...
Boushka had her 15 month well check in addition to our first OB check yesterday. She went first and I asked that we save the shots until we leave.That was fine with the doc and nurse, but we nearly forgot them since we were in such a rush to get out of there in order to make it back to town to get Peach to her first soccer practice.
So, after all questions had been answered and a heartbeat found, I was telling all the kids to pack up and head out. Then Matt reminded me of the shots we still needed. Check!
Again, I was headed out and forgot to ask about the prescription for our youngest babe's rash. Turned out their system is updated and it was electronically sent to Walgreens. Check!
We were headed out again, and I remembered to make my next appointment. Check!
Then, I remembered I was supposed to have the basic OB panel drawn. Well, seeing as how it was after 5:30 and I still had to find food for us and head to the soccer fields 30 minutes away, I excused myself from the blood letting.
I did get a friendly reminder about an hour later from my sweet nurse saying, "Hey, Lara. You forgot to get your blood drawn. Just make sure you do it tomorrow when you're in for your sono."
Sure, no biggie. Except for me, it usually is. I am notorious around the doc's office for bad veins. They roll (I always want to ask if they rock). They collapse. And today I found out they "blow," to put it in my phlebotomist's words.
"Blow?" I asked. "What exactly does that mean?" Apparently, they pretty much explode.
Oh, they explode now, too? Is that the same as collapse? I don't know. All I know, is that it is quite frustrating and annoying to be constantly poked to no avail.
Yes, I was a little dehydrated. But I swear I have gone in for blood draws with less fluid circulating through my body. But it probably doesn't help that I had to get 6 tubes drawn.
After receiving 4 sticks with no flow, I was prescribed an hour of fluid intake. Matt and I headed to Henry T's for some water and a snack. I downed 3 large (I'm guessing 20 oz) glasses of water and headed back for what I was sure would be a quick poke and lots of blood flowing into tubes.
Well, I was not so pleasently surprised when I was poked 4 more times and only managed to fill 1 tube plus an 1/8 of another. And what really gets me is that I think the one tube would have been plenty... okay, maybe not plenty, but a darn good start at least.
All we really need is a CBC and antibody screening, right? I mean, here is what they're checking (and remember folks, I'm in my 5TH pregnancy):
Rubella: Well, all of the other times I've been pregnant, the fact that I've received the vaccine for rubella is evident in the lab report. Is this really going to change?
Blood type: Please, people. This doesn't change.
And I guess I understand why the following are tested, but I will put my life on the line and tell you that I have none of these (yes, I know that does not excuse me from it anyway, but it's still frustrating when I know what the results will reveal):
HIV: Do I need to explain why I'm sure I do not have this?
Syphillis: Again, do I need to explain?
Hep B: See above.
I know that doc is only doing her job with the last three, but I think I could at least forgo a tube or two of blood because the answers are obvious. Am I crazy? Somebody who's a nurse or doctor and is reading this, feel free to add your two cents.
This is just one shot of the nastiness. The poor lady drawing my blood (bless her heart, I felt so bad for her) said this one would leave a "scar." I wasn't sure what she meant by "scar," but I'm guessing this is close to what she meant. I can barely extend either arm fully. And for the record, she said she's been doing this for years and I was the hardest "stick" she's ever had. Ugh, I felt horrible. Not for me. I just felt bad for her because it seemed like she was feeling sorry for letting me down. But I'm no dummy. I know this is the perfect storm of me being dehydrated and inheriting bad "vein genes." I'm just puzzled as to why I was never hydrated enough. Hmmmmmmm.....................I'm really not trying to make a BI@*H session out of a glorious day of seeing our 5th child. I'm just venting a little frustration. I'm really thinking about calling the doctor tomorrow to see if we can skip a few tubes. I don't think that's unreasonable considering I'm such a hard "stick." I'll even pay for the whole dang OB panel if they'll just work with me on this one :)
You tell me. Am I crazy? (Just say no, you'll fare better if you agree with me on this one)!
Thanks to all of you who are still reading and know that I'm only an occasional Debbie Downer. And to the rest of you, don't worry. This day will be remembered for the pictures of baby # 5 and not for my crazy ranting about something as stupid as veins, blood, and OB panels!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Good News!
We had our first OB check this afternoon. All I really cared about was getting to hear the healthy heartbeat of our newest addition. After all that has gone on with the CO poisoning and extreme summer heat, I can't say that I wasn't the tiniest bit worried that something could be wrong. But I'm a worrier. Are there any mothers out there who can claim otherwise? I realize that we all have varying degrees of worry, and I try to stay within the bounds of sanity; but, I'm a little obsessive sometimes. Especially in pregnancy!
Yeah, I know. I digress...
Doc placed the heartbeat wand on my belly and began the search. I tend to dread the initial search because I am terrified that she will find nothing. And of course that terror took over for about 30 seconds this afternoon.
She searched high, she searched low. She moved it to the left--then to the right. All over the center. And nothing. I think I actually said, "Oh, I hate this!" To which she said, "I know, but we'll find it." And as soon as I was about to say "try going to the very bottom on my right side,"she discovered the thump-thump sound I love so much in that very spot! All of my girls have hovered down in this spot--is this a common heartbeat spot? I don't know. But it is for my kiddos.
Anyway, to say I was instantly relieved is nothing short of an understatement. She then continued on saying that my "uterus is way outta there," referring to being way popped out of my pubic bone.
Needless to say, we're not really sure when I am due. I was thinking I was about 12 weeks along, but it turns out I'm measuring 16 weeks. So we are left guessing:
-is there more than one in there?
-do I have some kind of tumor/growth thing going on?
-is this a big baby?
-are the dates off?
-or do I just have a stretched out muscle?
Who knows, but we'll get to find out tomorrow!
And to answer a few more questions:
"No, I can't wait."
"No, I probably won't sleep much tonight."
"Yes, I'm hoping to be either further along or have a roomy 'house.'"
"Yes, you're right. I do think twins would be a neat way to complete our family, but I'm not totally convinced that's what we need. However, if that's what it ends up being, I will gladly accept the challenge and love every second of it! Well, maybe not EVERY second but just as many seconds as I love being a mother to any of my kids. This, by the way, would be about 98% of the day's seconds!"
"Um, duh! Of course I know twins would be better news than a tumor/growth. Don't worry, many may think I'm crazy for having a larger-than-average sized family, but I do still have my head screwed on rather straight, folks!"
Okay, enough questions.
Oh, you weren't asking.
Well, you got an earful anyway! Sorry.
Yeah, I know. I digress...
Doc placed the heartbeat wand on my belly and began the search. I tend to dread the initial search because I am terrified that she will find nothing. And of course that terror took over for about 30 seconds this afternoon.
She searched high, she searched low. She moved it to the left--then to the right. All over the center. And nothing. I think I actually said, "Oh, I hate this!" To which she said, "I know, but we'll find it." And as soon as I was about to say "try going to the very bottom on my right side,"she discovered the thump-thump sound I love so much in that very spot! All of my girls have hovered down in this spot--is this a common heartbeat spot? I don't know. But it is for my kiddos.
Anyway, to say I was instantly relieved is nothing short of an understatement. She then continued on saying that my "uterus is way outta there," referring to being way popped out of my pubic bone.
Needless to say, we're not really sure when I am due. I was thinking I was about 12 weeks along, but it turns out I'm measuring 16 weeks. So we are left guessing:
-is there more than one in there?
-do I have some kind of tumor/growth thing going on?
-is this a big baby?
-are the dates off?
-or do I just have a stretched out muscle?
Who knows, but we'll get to find out tomorrow!
And to answer a few more questions:
"No, I can't wait."
"No, I probably won't sleep much tonight."
"Yes, I'm hoping to be either further along or have a roomy 'house.'"
"Yes, you're right. I do think twins would be a neat way to complete our family, but I'm not totally convinced that's what we need. However, if that's what it ends up being, I will gladly accept the challenge and love every second of it! Well, maybe not EVERY second but just as many seconds as I love being a mother to any of my kids. This, by the way, would be about 98% of the day's seconds!"
"Um, duh! Of course I know twins would be better news than a tumor/growth. Don't worry, many may think I'm crazy for having a larger-than-average sized family, but I do still have my head screwed on rather straight, folks!"
Okay, enough questions.
Oh, you weren't asking.
Well, you got an earful anyway! Sorry.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A (detailed) Week in Review
I don't know if there are many that read this blog who haven't also friended me on facebook, but for the three of you out there I am here to update you on our week.
For the last week and a half, the Copelands have endured some icky, sweltering, sticky temperatures in our house. It seemed our AC was on the fritz. We ended up having an AC/Heating company visit our house 5 times before we bit the bullet and decided to replace our 21 year old unit.
BUT WAIT....
For a mere $700 more they would throw in a furnace too. I know how my husband thinks (ladies, I know some of you are with me on this one), and it has to be a tremendous deal if he's going to pay extra. Sidebar...
This is the same guy (I love him to death, but this is just funny) who went to Lowe's to buy stuff for our lawn that would kill off the insane amount of mosquitoes we have in our backyard. He came home with a bag, put it allover our grass and went on his merry way. A few days later when we were all still being eaten by those little buggers, he checked the bag he bought only to find that mosquitoes were not listed as one of the insects who would suffer in death by this pesticide.
When I asked how this possibly could have happened, he briefly mentioned something about the bag he bought being $2 cheaper than the other bag-- it just so happened that this other bag kills mosquitoes. Okay, I've made my point with my husband and deals!
Back to the deal on the furnace-- he went for it. And THANK GOD for that spur of the moment decision.
The day after our decision to go for it all, the installation guys were there at 8:45 am. By 10:15 I was told that we had a Carbon Monoxide leak in our house.
Yeah, you know what I was thinking. Something to the tune of
RUN! GET OUT! HOW ARE WE STILL ALIVE!?!
Luckily the kiddos were at Gram's house, so I was totally not afraid to let my freak-out happen--well, I was a little embarrassed freaking out in front of the two guys. Anyway, I started asking questions-- mainly how long has it been going and should I get out now.
The nice guy said he would check the numbers for me with his handy-dandy detector. Then I was told it had probably been leaking somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 years. We bought this house in February of 2008 and moved in two months later-- you do the math.
So, I went from a super awesome high when I woke up to a day full of quiet grading, coffee-sipping and some peaceful cleaning, to a day full of fear, questions, and nerves.
The guy (really, he has a name but I don't know it) came to me and said that my reading was at 80 ppm. This, my friends, was in the summer when no furnace was being run and my AC had been turned off for two hours. To think of how high the numbers may have been last winter (or two) still raises my blood pressure.
I call my husband and we agree immediately to purchase the most sensitive detector (we can agree on some deals--like life-saving deals, just not cute shoe deals) out there.
I then call my doctor, well actually my nurse, and give her the We've been poisoned story. It ends up I was telling her the dangers and treatments, so she hung up so she could go speak with the doctor. In the meantime, I'm conducting my own research (and I know doctors HATE this with a passion, but what the H-E- Double Hockey sticks do you think I'm going to do? Just sit there and wait for you to tell me something? No! I have an education. I know how to conduct research. In fact, I teach people how to properly research; therefore, I deem it to be the responsible patient thing to do) and discover a) all of the symptoms, and b) who is considered to be high-risk.
Well, of course 5 of the 6 people living in my house are risky because they are either young children/babies or a pregnant mother. I come upon the symptoms which range from flu-like symptoms, to neurological symptoms, to heart problems. Of course, other minor things include headaches, nausea, and fatigue. The latter of those symptoms are not only hard to distinguish from colds and such but also pregnancy. But the other symptoms were suddenly beginning to make sense.
The week or so before our AC guys were replacing our unit, our family had been spending much of our time cooling off in our basement---right next to our leaking furnace. Two days prior to our leak discovery, 1/2 of the girls suddenly came down with the "flu." One had a high fever, chills, and severe fatigue, while the other was cranky, tired and had a fever--- in August mind you! Not only did I think it rare to have the flu in the 112 degree heat, but because of said heat, we have pretty much been hermits. Needless to say, I was dumbfounded when the doc told us it was probably the flu. Of course, two days later, this all made sense.
I also thought back to last year when I delivered our baby Boushka, and I was feeling abnormally tired (this was my fourth child and I knew I was too tired to just be feeling the effects of having a baby and experiencing sleepless nights), very weak, and every time I rested in a reclined position it felt as if I was going to die in my sleep. I struggled for each breath I took, and most nights I would end up sitting in the nursing position just so I could rest. I ended up being re-admitted to the hospital a week after her birth due to bradycardia (slow heart beat, mine was 38-42 bpm) and dyspnea (shortness of breath). The ER doctor immediatley thought of a pulmonary embolism, but all the tests came back fine. I had an EKG and echocardiogram, a Pulmonary Ventilation/Perfusion Scan or (VQ scan), an MRI, a sonogram on my stomach, gallbladder and kidneys... I think that's it. Nonetheless, every test I had came back perfect, except for the echo which came back near-perfect minus a little fluid and enlargement. The cardiologist explained this away with having recently been pregnant (and having an epidural) and sent me on my way. Baffled and frustrated, I went home and tried to be okay with it all.
Later that summer (2009), I was misdiagnosed with a dangerous condition called postpartum cardiomyopathy, which is basically a weakening of the heart muscle due to something related to the pregnancy. I was then cleared of this problem a month later, but still left without an explanation of my heart/breathing problems. As the year wore on, I began to try and get back into shape, and by April/May I had actually lost 15 pounds more than the regular baby-weight shedding. But my breathing would sometimes still cause me discomfort. I figured it was allergy related.
Fast-forward to my "symptom checking" this past week, and all of a sudden all of this makes sense, too. I disovered that the nasty little CO guys bind with your hemoglobin (which is your big Oxygen provider being pumped to all of your organs) and takes over much of the oxygen. So, when the doctors all said that my heart wasn't getting enough oxygen they were right. I just wish they could've figured out the cause. The mere mention and explanation of chronic CO poisoning would've spurred me to check out a detector and saved me tons of worry and pain.
I've really digressed...
By now the doctor has called me back and said not to worry about this poisoning business. Since we were coming in for our first OB check on Tuesday and also replacing our old unit, we should be fine. I was a little dissatisfied with this news. I thought we should at least have our blood checked--- but I think this was my curiosity getting the best of me. So being the good patient that I am, I agreed and figured they'd been trained for this, not me.
But the best news so far is that within hours of our ppm dropping below 30, my nagging, dull frontal headache was a thing of the past. And that night when I went to bed, I didn't struggle the slightest for breath. I was simply amazed (and convinced that we had been poisoned, no blood-test needed thank you very much) at the instant difference. I am hoping and waiting that some other mysterious symptoms will also be disappearing soon.
And to my husband, thank you for taking the deal. By replacing our furnace, I believe we may have saved our lives--at the least, I know we saved several unexplained illnesses and problems.
Here's to hoping that some more things will be explained. I will keep you updated.
For the last week and a half, the Copelands have endured some icky, sweltering, sticky temperatures in our house. It seemed our AC was on the fritz. We ended up having an AC/Heating company visit our house 5 times before we bit the bullet and decided to replace our 21 year old unit.
BUT WAIT....
For a mere $700 more they would throw in a furnace too. I know how my husband thinks (ladies, I know some of you are with me on this one), and it has to be a tremendous deal if he's going to pay extra. Sidebar...
This is the same guy (I love him to death, but this is just funny) who went to Lowe's to buy stuff for our lawn that would kill off the insane amount of mosquitoes we have in our backyard. He came home with a bag, put it allover our grass and went on his merry way. A few days later when we were all still being eaten by those little buggers, he checked the bag he bought only to find that mosquitoes were not listed as one of the insects who would suffer in death by this pesticide.
When I asked how this possibly could have happened, he briefly mentioned something about the bag he bought being $2 cheaper than the other bag-- it just so happened that this other bag kills mosquitoes. Okay, I've made my point with my husband and deals!
Back to the deal on the furnace-- he went for it. And THANK GOD for that spur of the moment decision.
The day after our decision to go for it all, the installation guys were there at 8:45 am. By 10:15 I was told that we had a Carbon Monoxide leak in our house.
Yeah, you know what I was thinking. Something to the tune of
RUN! GET OUT! HOW ARE WE STILL ALIVE!?!
Luckily the kiddos were at Gram's house, so I was totally not afraid to let my freak-out happen--well, I was a little embarrassed freaking out in front of the two guys. Anyway, I started asking questions-- mainly how long has it been going and should I get out now.
The nice guy said he would check the numbers for me with his handy-dandy detector. Then I was told it had probably been leaking somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 years. We bought this house in February of 2008 and moved in two months later-- you do the math.
So, I went from a super awesome high when I woke up to a day full of quiet grading, coffee-sipping and some peaceful cleaning, to a day full of fear, questions, and nerves.
The guy (really, he has a name but I don't know it) came to me and said that my reading was at 80 ppm. This, my friends, was in the summer when no furnace was being run and my AC had been turned off for two hours. To think of how high the numbers may have been last winter (or two) still raises my blood pressure.
I call my husband and we agree immediately to purchase the most sensitive detector (we can agree on some deals--like life-saving deals, just not cute shoe deals) out there.
I then call my doctor, well actually my nurse, and give her the We've been poisoned story. It ends up I was telling her the dangers and treatments, so she hung up so she could go speak with the doctor. In the meantime, I'm conducting my own research (and I know doctors HATE this with a passion, but what the H-E- Double Hockey sticks do you think I'm going to do? Just sit there and wait for you to tell me something? No! I have an education. I know how to conduct research. In fact, I teach people how to properly research; therefore, I deem it to be the responsible patient thing to do) and discover a) all of the symptoms, and b) who is considered to be high-risk.
Well, of course 5 of the 6 people living in my house are risky because they are either young children/babies or a pregnant mother. I come upon the symptoms which range from flu-like symptoms, to neurological symptoms, to heart problems. Of course, other minor things include headaches, nausea, and fatigue. The latter of those symptoms are not only hard to distinguish from colds and such but also pregnancy. But the other symptoms were suddenly beginning to make sense.
The week or so before our AC guys were replacing our unit, our family had been spending much of our time cooling off in our basement---right next to our leaking furnace. Two days prior to our leak discovery, 1/2 of the girls suddenly came down with the "flu." One had a high fever, chills, and severe fatigue, while the other was cranky, tired and had a fever--- in August mind you! Not only did I think it rare to have the flu in the 112 degree heat, but because of said heat, we have pretty much been hermits. Needless to say, I was dumbfounded when the doc told us it was probably the flu. Of course, two days later, this all made sense.
I also thought back to last year when I delivered our baby Boushka, and I was feeling abnormally tired (this was my fourth child and I knew I was too tired to just be feeling the effects of having a baby and experiencing sleepless nights), very weak, and every time I rested in a reclined position it felt as if I was going to die in my sleep. I struggled for each breath I took, and most nights I would end up sitting in the nursing position just so I could rest. I ended up being re-admitted to the hospital a week after her birth due to bradycardia (slow heart beat, mine was 38-42 bpm) and dyspnea (shortness of breath). The ER doctor immediatley thought of a pulmonary embolism, but all the tests came back fine. I had an EKG and echocardiogram, a Pulmonary Ventilation/Perfusion Scan or (VQ scan), an MRI, a sonogram on my stomach, gallbladder and kidneys... I think that's it. Nonetheless, every test I had came back perfect, except for the echo which came back near-perfect minus a little fluid and enlargement. The cardiologist explained this away with having recently been pregnant (and having an epidural) and sent me on my way. Baffled and frustrated, I went home and tried to be okay with it all.
Later that summer (2009), I was misdiagnosed with a dangerous condition called postpartum cardiomyopathy, which is basically a weakening of the heart muscle due to something related to the pregnancy. I was then cleared of this problem a month later, but still left without an explanation of my heart/breathing problems. As the year wore on, I began to try and get back into shape, and by April/May I had actually lost 15 pounds more than the regular baby-weight shedding. But my breathing would sometimes still cause me discomfort. I figured it was allergy related.
Fast-forward to my "symptom checking" this past week, and all of a sudden all of this makes sense, too. I disovered that the nasty little CO guys bind with your hemoglobin (which is your big Oxygen provider being pumped to all of your organs) and takes over much of the oxygen. So, when the doctors all said that my heart wasn't getting enough oxygen they were right. I just wish they could've figured out the cause. The mere mention and explanation of chronic CO poisoning would've spurred me to check out a detector and saved me tons of worry and pain.
I've really digressed...
By now the doctor has called me back and said not to worry about this poisoning business. Since we were coming in for our first OB check on Tuesday and also replacing our old unit, we should be fine. I was a little dissatisfied with this news. I thought we should at least have our blood checked--- but I think this was my curiosity getting the best of me. So being the good patient that I am, I agreed and figured they'd been trained for this, not me.
But the best news so far is that within hours of our ppm dropping below 30, my nagging, dull frontal headache was a thing of the past. And that night when I went to bed, I didn't struggle the slightest for breath. I was simply amazed (and convinced that we had been poisoned, no blood-test needed thank you very much) at the instant difference. I am hoping and waiting that some other mysterious symptoms will also be disappearing soon.
And to my husband, thank you for taking the deal. By replacing our furnace, I believe we may have saved our lives--at the least, I know we saved several unexplained illnesses and problems.
Here's to hoping that some more things will be explained. I will keep you updated.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
UPDATE!
Seeing as how it has been nearly 4 weeks since I updated my Pregnancy Update, here's a quick little post I can fit in between bedtime tuck-ins and grading gobs of papers.
Stretch Marks: Geez, not yet. Of course, I have old ones from a certain second pregnancy with my 9 pounder (all of my others have been 7, 7.1 and 7.2)
Symptoms: more stops at the ol' lou, wavering between nausea and starvation all the time then suddenly feeling stuffed after a few small bites (I usually experience this in late pregnancy, but whatever), my heart racing and making me feel tired (can we say heat exhaustion combined with tons more blood in my body), loss of appetite (most of the time).
Okay, off to get the hooligans in jammies, their teeth brushed, and their kisses and hugs given. I have a full week of grading ahead, but I want to try and make some last summer memories before HEAT WAVE 2010 passes by. So needless to say, I'll be back...who knows when!
How Far Along: 11 weeks exactly
Total Weight Gain: I'm going back and forth between a couple pounds. I think as of now, I'm up 1.5 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Only when regular clothes are dirty!
Best Moment this week: Feeling my fundus growing closer to my belly-button
Gender: More on this later, but we have strong suspicions about what I am brewing.
Total Weight Gain: I'm going back and forth between a couple pounds. I think as of now, I'm up 1.5 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Only when regular clothes are dirty!
Best Moment this week: Feeling my fundus growing closer to my belly-button
Gender: More on this later, but we have strong suspicions about what I am brewing.
Movement: Well, there are some flutters that I normally don't feel, but I have no clue if they're actually from moving legs and arms--I really doubt I can feel anything now.
Food Craving:The most recent has been something sweet or carbs. Both wonderful choices I know. Luckily, grapes are doing great as my sweet.
What I miss: Not waking with a full bladder every 1-2 hours
Sleep: Interrupted at night due to the bladder thing. Not feeling as tired during the day, but still more tired than normal.
What I am looking forward to: Baby bump (not the big belly) and finding out the sex.
Belly Button: In all four of my previous pregnancies my bb remained an innie. I'm guessing it'll do the same this time around.Food Craving:The most recent has been something sweet or carbs. Both wonderful choices I know. Luckily, grapes are doing great as my sweet.
What I miss: Not waking with a full bladder every 1-2 hours
Sleep: Interrupted at night due to the bladder thing. Not feeling as tired during the day, but still more tired than normal.
What I am looking forward to: Baby bump (not the big belly) and finding out the sex.
Stretch Marks: Geez, not yet. Of course, I have old ones from a certain second pregnancy with my 9 pounder (all of my others have been 7, 7.1 and 7.2)
Symptoms: more stops at the ol' lou, wavering between nausea and starvation all the time then suddenly feeling stuffed after a few small bites (I usually experience this in late pregnancy, but whatever), my heart racing and making me feel tired (can we say heat exhaustion combined with tons more blood in my body), loss of appetite (most of the time).
Okay, off to get the hooligans in jammies, their teeth brushed, and their kisses and hugs given. I have a full week of grading ahead, but I want to try and make some last summer memories before HEAT WAVE 2010 passes by. So needless to say, I'll be back...who knows when!
Monday, July 26, 2010
QUIZ
How well do you know us? Often, I'm unsure of how well I know much of anything around here except how to clean the kitchen, but what follows is a fun True/False quiz. Go ahead and take the challenge.
True or false?
I use vinegar everyday.
True or false?
We found a dead oppossum in our yard this past weekend.
True or false?
I don't tend to appreciate award-winning movies.
True or false?
I do tend to appreciate award-winning BBQ.
True or false?
I often fall asleep while planning out the house I plan to build when we're filthy rich.
True or false?
One of our daughters has a mongoloid spot.
True or false?
I am not from the south, but I had a beloved grandma named Mema!
True or false?
I once held down 5 jobs.
True or false?
When I was pregnant with Bug, my doctor exclaimed, "You're my first three-peat (like repeat).
True or false?
I can't remember the last time I purchased raw beef.
True or false?
My husband is handy, but I had no idea until well after we were married.
True or false?
You will almost always find one of the following in my house:
homemade pudding, homemade pumpkin bread, homemade apple crisp, some kind of homemade cookie.
True or false?
My husband and I have the same birthday.
True or false?
One of our daughters was born 2 lbs heavier than the other three.
True or false?
I made 98% of the baby food Boushka ate from 6 months to 12 months.
True or false?
I have been involved in 4 wrecks, only one of which was there an ambulance involved.
True or false?
One babe got sick with H1N1 last year, and I was pretty sure it was a death sentence (thank you media).
True or false?
I have never seen in its entirity any Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight Saga, etc., movie.
True or false?
I received my M.S.E. (Masters of Science in Education) when I was 22.
True or false?
My husband and I went to our first birthing class the day after we got married.
True or flase?
I heart back-to-school shopping.
True or false?
I made up siblings when I was a kid.
True or false?
There was a 5 month span one year when I finished my masters, got married, lost my father and grandmother, had a baby, bought a house and started a new job.
True or false?
All throughout school, I only received one detention.
True or false?
All of my daughters have an animal assigned to them as well as a food nick-name.
True or false?
I have a very helpful and giving husband.
True or false?
I used to think 30 was old, but turning 28 tomorrow has made me think twice about that.
True or false?
I (try my darndest) to stay up for SNL every Saturday night.
True or false?
I am currently wearing a maternity shirt with regular pants?
True.
Everything.
All of it.
The whole enchilada!
100% True.
So how'd you do? Try one yourself, it's kind of fun!
True or false?
I use vinegar everyday.
True or false?
We found a dead oppossum in our yard this past weekend.
True or false?
I don't tend to appreciate award-winning movies.
True or false?
I do tend to appreciate award-winning BBQ.
True or false?
I often fall asleep while planning out the house I plan to build when we're filthy rich.
True or false?
One of our daughters has a mongoloid spot.
True or false?
I am not from the south, but I had a beloved grandma named Mema!
True or false?
I once held down 5 jobs.
True or false?
When I was pregnant with Bug, my doctor exclaimed, "You're my first three-peat (like repeat).
True or false?
I can't remember the last time I purchased raw beef.
True or false?
My husband is handy, but I had no idea until well after we were married.
True or false?
You will almost always find one of the following in my house:
homemade pudding, homemade pumpkin bread, homemade apple crisp, some kind of homemade cookie.
True or false?
My husband and I have the same birthday.
True or false?
One of our daughters was born 2 lbs heavier than the other three.
True or false?
I made 98% of the baby food Boushka ate from 6 months to 12 months.
True or false?
I have been involved in 4 wrecks, only one of which was there an ambulance involved.
True or false?
One babe got sick with H1N1 last year, and I was pretty sure it was a death sentence (thank you media).
True or false?
I have never seen in its entirity any Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight Saga, etc., movie.
True or false?
I received my M.S.E. (Masters of Science in Education) when I was 22.
True or false?
My husband and I went to our first birthing class the day after we got married.
True or flase?
I heart back-to-school shopping.
True or false?
I made up siblings when I was a kid.
True or false?
There was a 5 month span one year when I finished my masters, got married, lost my father and grandmother, had a baby, bought a house and started a new job.
True or false?
All throughout school, I only received one detention.
True or false?
All of my daughters have an animal assigned to them as well as a food nick-name.
True or false?
I have a very helpful and giving husband.
True or false?
I used to think 30 was old, but turning 28 tomorrow has made me think twice about that.
True or false?
I (try my darndest) to stay up for SNL every Saturday night.
True or false?
I am currently wearing a maternity shirt with regular pants?
True.
Everything.
All of it.
The whole enchilada!
100% True.
So how'd you do? Try one yourself, it's kind of fun!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Things You Think About When Number Five is on the Way
Honestly, I haven't had much time to think about what it'll be like to have 5 little people, so I can only expect this list to grow and change as I have more sleepless nights come up in the next few months. But so far, this is the stuff running through my mind...
-Car seats. That's our biggest issue. We have a Toyota Sienna that actually has room for 8. All of my children (who will be 5 1/2 and younger when baby arrives) will still be in car seats. The older two, maybe three, will be in boosters with backs. Boushka will be in a five-point harness, and then of course the baby will be in a carrier. Where are they all going to ride? I've got a tentative plan that I haven't even discussed much with Matt, but I'm hoping he'll have this one all figured out. It just hurts my head to think much about it.
-Will Boushka, who is the most needy child I've ever had, be okay accepting a new baby in the house? Will she be aggressive (we've already seen aggressive behavior from her while she rides in carts at the grocery store; she also pinches, hits and love-bites me), or will she want nothing to do with baby?
-Room situations. The older two already bunk together--they've done so for the past three years. We have two other bedrooms (other than our master) that are each taken up by one of our other two children. The baby will probably move out of our room about a year from now. Where will I put him/her? If the other two end up bunking together, when should I move them so it doesn't seem like the baby kicked one of the older girls out of her room?
Okay, those are the major issues that for now, don't have me tossing and turning too much; but I know in the months to come, these questions will certainly give me something to think about while I'm literally tossing and turning every few minutes.
Oh, and if you have any suggestions on any of the above, feel free to let me know. Especially the car seat situation.
-Car seats. That's our biggest issue. We have a Toyota Sienna that actually has room for 8. All of my children (who will be 5 1/2 and younger when baby arrives) will still be in car seats. The older two, maybe three, will be in boosters with backs. Boushka will be in a five-point harness, and then of course the baby will be in a carrier. Where are they all going to ride? I've got a tentative plan that I haven't even discussed much with Matt, but I'm hoping he'll have this one all figured out. It just hurts my head to think much about it.
-Will Boushka, who is the most needy child I've ever had, be okay accepting a new baby in the house? Will she be aggressive (we've already seen aggressive behavior from her while she rides in carts at the grocery store; she also pinches, hits and love-bites me), or will she want nothing to do with baby?
-Room situations. The older two already bunk together--they've done so for the past three years. We have two other bedrooms (other than our master) that are each taken up by one of our other two children. The baby will probably move out of our room about a year from now. Where will I put him/her? If the other two end up bunking together, when should I move them so it doesn't seem like the baby kicked one of the older girls out of her room?
Okay, those are the major issues that for now, don't have me tossing and turning too much; but I know in the months to come, these questions will certainly give me something to think about while I'm literally tossing and turning every few minutes.
Oh, and if you have any suggestions on any of the above, feel free to let me know. Especially the car seat situation.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Week in Review
Despite our rather erratic routine (I use routine loosely) this week---what with me having awesome energetic days followed by days where I spend as much time sitting or lying down as I can (let's hear it for awkward sentences)--- we did manage to squeeze in a few activities.
A certain 14 month old received her first (and very much needed) haircut. Most people would never notice she had any work done, but I can tell, if only a little. After all, I didn't want too much done with it, but it is always in her face. She has a crazy amount of bangs that are always smeared with her morning banana, or hummus, or avocado, or whatever smushy-smearing food she's chowing on. She likes them all! These bangs needed something done with them, but our stylist, the stylist in the next booth, and I were all at a loss as to what to do with them. They are just at an awkward stage where you just really can't do much. So that's exactly what we did, not much. But she's still cute and ornery.
See, here's the ornery part. She (finally) learned how to crawl up the stairs. Or, maybe I should say she finally took the daring chance to approach and eventually climb these stairs. Oh, and she did it when I was not looking. I ran to our kitchen to fetch a drink for one of her sisters, and when I came back in to our living room...
We also had furniture delivered this week. Since we sold our basement futon (bye, bye youthful days) we decided to buy a sleeper sofa. This way we can still enjoy sitting together downstairs, but now our guests will also have a place to sleep. The picture quality is low here (yes, low picture quality is a theme on this blog in case you haven't noticed, but if you know anyone who'd sell a nice cannon or nikon rather cheaply you just let me know), so I used good ol' sepia to get rid of the icky coloring. It still isn't great looking, but those kids on our new chocolate leather couch sure are!
We also got the older two girls (who share a bedroom) bunk beds. They are nice solid wood and the girls are thrilled with them. I planned on taking pictures of the girls enjoying their finished product, but only one was awake by this point. Can you see sleepy brownie on the bottom bunk?
My poor husband started putting these together as soon as he got home around 5 that day. He was finally able to bring two sleeping bodies to bed just before 11pm. He only took a 3 minute break to gobble up his veggie and pasta cheese dinner. I felt so bad that he had to work that hard for so long. I know that would have killed my back (all the bending and lifting), so I am very thankful for his perseverance. I probably would have given up and had the kiddos come sleep with us in our bed until theirs were all finished. But they've been in their own beds for a few nights now. It's so cute-- Peach calls her bed the "tree house" and Brownie calls hers the "fort." So now when they go to say goodnight to each other, Brownie calls up to her sister on the top bunk "good night tree house!" And Peach from the top bunk calls down to Brownie, "good night fort!" I heard this for the first time tonight, and I have to admit I thought it was too cute. I hope they keep it up!
On to ballet. It seems like these two silly girls are getting most of the attention on today's post, but that's just how our week went. Plus, they are the two who are old enough to participate in much of the activities our town offers. Anyway, after the farmer's market yesterday, the older two and I grabbed a quick breakfast at a new cafe in town. I munched on some eggs benedict while the girls feasted on fruit and pancakes. While we waited for our food, I drew them pictures of green onions, the very much requested orange onions (I didn't have the heart to tell them that these onions do not exist), apples, and an orange. I also snapped a few photos to pass the time. I thought they were too cute not to share.
And then we actually arrived at ballet where I made them pose for some more photos. I know you can't see Peach too well, but the picture of Brownie just cracks me up. Can you see how she's posing. This child literally strikes a pose all the time. She has her little leg slightly bent and her hand lying against it ever so gently.
And this one is a bit more dramatic. Now can you see her posing. I laugh because this is my fashionista. She is all about clothes (okay, dresses), shoes, accessories, and matching all of those things. Of course the matching is done according to her own tastes, but I never bug her about her choices. While they may look a little mismatched, I think the girl really appreciates self-expression. And honestly, what adult is going to come up to me and say, "Oh my, I can't believe you let your daughter out of the house in a yellow shirt with a polka-dotted pink flower and a purple skirt with green and black stripes on it." And honestly, if somebody did say something like that to me, I'd look them up and down and laugh. Then I'd probably just shake my head and bite my tongue. Or maybe I'd act like I didn't hear them and move on.
So that was pretty much all the excitement from last week-- at least all that I got pictures of.
Brownie did have a play date with her sweet friend from school. Those two are so cute together and her little friend is such a little sweetheart who loves Cinderella dress up!
Matt and I were able to celebrate our anniversary last night. We dropped the girls off at my mom's house around 5. We ran over to a little adult-ish, quiet, nice restaurant we'd never tried. I was really wanting to have a glass of wine to toast our five years together, but of course I would be enjoying no such thing. We did split the crab cake appetizer (YUM!!!), but I could have had the whole thing to myself with a salad and called it dinner. He ordered steak that came with two shrimp on top and green beans. I ordered the chicken carbonara. I was shocked to discover I had no veggies. I never make pasta without veggies thrown in, so I had the waiter bring me a side of green beans and I added those to my pasta. It was still too heavy, so a decent portion went in the box. As for Hubby's steak, he said he can season steak better. And this is coming form a guy who has had steak (or any beef for that matter) a few times in the last few years. So the fact that it didn't just sweep him off his feet, tells me that maybe this really wasn't all that great. Then to top it off, we were going to stay for desert but it was so hot in there I thought I was going to melt (you know, because I'm just that sweet)! All joking aside, it was so hot (they don't turn on the air until they open which is when we got there, and we were seated by giant windows with the sun pouring in) I about walked out to our car mid-meal just so I could have some air. Needless to say, we made desert plans elsewhere.
Since we caught the early-bird special (we ate at 5:30, we didn't really go to a restaurant with an "early-bird" special), we had enough time (like three hours) to kill at the mall. Matt actually wanted to go to the mall. This never happens. In fact, when he told me earlier that day that he wanted to go to the mall, I had to ask him to repeat what he had just said. I just knew I didn't hear right. Turns out I did hear him right, and we went shopping for his new shoes. Of course I browsed Motherhood Maternity and found two shirts and two pairs of pants I really wanted. In just the last year to year and a half, the majority of what they carry has changed. And the good news is, they changed it to the type of clothes I like: the scrunchy sides on the shirts and the secret belly fit pants. So two of each came home with me.
We then had some time to spare at Barnes and Noble. Ours has a Starbucks (I don't know if all Barnes and Nobles have that or not), so we split a chocolate cheesecake and sipped on our own drinks.
Our last stop was the movies. We picked up two tickets for Grown Ups. The story didn't have much to it, but the one-liners were pretty good. It seems like that in some parts of that movie they just did a little ad-lib for the jokes. But that made it pretty darn funny. We both shared a good amount of laughs and then came home.
Our house was left in shambles when we left it, but it was so nice to just go to bed and crash. The girls (all four of them) stayed at Grammy's over night. We have never had that opportunity so we were glad to accept my mom's generous offer to watch them for so long.
And I have to admit, I tried to get up and clean/organize/start laundry this morning, but I/we just lazed around. We had big ambitions for how we'd spend our morning, but it turns out we are just lazy bums. But we loved not having to get up when someone else's needs required us to. We enjoyed skipping breakfast and all the clean up that comes with weekend breakfast. It was nice not to have to rush to change diapers, or clothe anybody (okay, we clothed ourselves obviously), or do much of anything. Sometimes I really miss being a morning bum. I could use that at least once a month!
A certain 14 month old received her first (and very much needed) haircut. Most people would never notice she had any work done, but I can tell, if only a little. After all, I didn't want too much done with it, but it is always in her face. She has a crazy amount of bangs that are always smeared with her morning banana, or hummus, or avocado, or whatever smushy-smearing food she's chowing on. She likes them all! These bangs needed something done with them, but our stylist, the stylist in the next booth, and I were all at a loss as to what to do with them. They are just at an awkward stage where you just really can't do much. So that's exactly what we did, not much. But she's still cute and ornery.
See, here's the ornery part. She (finally) learned how to crawl up the stairs. Or, maybe I should say she finally took the daring chance to approach and eventually climb these stairs. Oh, and she did it when I was not looking. I ran to our kitchen to fetch a drink for one of her sisters, and when I came back in to our living room...
We also had furniture delivered this week. Since we sold our basement futon (bye, bye youthful days) we decided to buy a sleeper sofa. This way we can still enjoy sitting together downstairs, but now our guests will also have a place to sleep. The picture quality is low here (yes, low picture quality is a theme on this blog in case you haven't noticed, but if you know anyone who'd sell a nice cannon or nikon rather cheaply you just let me know), so I used good ol' sepia to get rid of the icky coloring. It still isn't great looking, but those kids on our new chocolate leather couch sure are!
We also got the older two girls (who share a bedroom) bunk beds. They are nice solid wood and the girls are thrilled with them. I planned on taking pictures of the girls enjoying their finished product, but only one was awake by this point. Can you see sleepy brownie on the bottom bunk?
My poor husband started putting these together as soon as he got home around 5 that day. He was finally able to bring two sleeping bodies to bed just before 11pm. He only took a 3 minute break to gobble up his veggie and pasta cheese dinner. I felt so bad that he had to work that hard for so long. I know that would have killed my back (all the bending and lifting), so I am very thankful for his perseverance. I probably would have given up and had the kiddos come sleep with us in our bed until theirs were all finished. But they've been in their own beds for a few nights now. It's so cute-- Peach calls her bed the "tree house" and Brownie calls hers the "fort." So now when they go to say goodnight to each other, Brownie calls up to her sister on the top bunk "good night tree house!" And Peach from the top bunk calls down to Brownie, "good night fort!" I heard this for the first time tonight, and I have to admit I thought it was too cute. I hope they keep it up!
On to ballet. It seems like these two silly girls are getting most of the attention on today's post, but that's just how our week went. Plus, they are the two who are old enough to participate in much of the activities our town offers. Anyway, after the farmer's market yesterday, the older two and I grabbed a quick breakfast at a new cafe in town. I munched on some eggs benedict while the girls feasted on fruit and pancakes. While we waited for our food, I drew them pictures of green onions, the very much requested orange onions (I didn't have the heart to tell them that these onions do not exist), apples, and an orange. I also snapped a few photos to pass the time. I thought they were too cute not to share.
And then we actually arrived at ballet where I made them pose for some more photos. I know you can't see Peach too well, but the picture of Brownie just cracks me up. Can you see how she's posing. This child literally strikes a pose all the time. She has her little leg slightly bent and her hand lying against it ever so gently.
And this one is a bit more dramatic. Now can you see her posing. I laugh because this is my fashionista. She is all about clothes (okay, dresses), shoes, accessories, and matching all of those things. Of course the matching is done according to her own tastes, but I never bug her about her choices. While they may look a little mismatched, I think the girl really appreciates self-expression. And honestly, what adult is going to come up to me and say, "Oh my, I can't believe you let your daughter out of the house in a yellow shirt with a polka-dotted pink flower and a purple skirt with green and black stripes on it." And honestly, if somebody did say something like that to me, I'd look them up and down and laugh. Then I'd probably just shake my head and bite my tongue. Or maybe I'd act like I didn't hear them and move on.
So that was pretty much all the excitement from last week-- at least all that I got pictures of.
Brownie did have a play date with her sweet friend from school. Those two are so cute together and her little friend is such a little sweetheart who loves Cinderella dress up!
Matt and I were able to celebrate our anniversary last night. We dropped the girls off at my mom's house around 5. We ran over to a little adult-ish, quiet, nice restaurant we'd never tried. I was really wanting to have a glass of wine to toast our five years together, but of course I would be enjoying no such thing. We did split the crab cake appetizer (YUM!!!), but I could have had the whole thing to myself with a salad and called it dinner. He ordered steak that came with two shrimp on top and green beans. I ordered the chicken carbonara. I was shocked to discover I had no veggies. I never make pasta without veggies thrown in, so I had the waiter bring me a side of green beans and I added those to my pasta. It was still too heavy, so a decent portion went in the box. As for Hubby's steak, he said he can season steak better. And this is coming form a guy who has had steak (or any beef for that matter) a few times in the last few years. So the fact that it didn't just sweep him off his feet, tells me that maybe this really wasn't all that great. Then to top it off, we were going to stay for desert but it was so hot in there I thought I was going to melt (you know, because I'm just that sweet)! All joking aside, it was so hot (they don't turn on the air until they open which is when we got there, and we were seated by giant windows with the sun pouring in) I about walked out to our car mid-meal just so I could have some air. Needless to say, we made desert plans elsewhere.
Since we caught the early-bird special (we ate at 5:30, we didn't really go to a restaurant with an "early-bird" special), we had enough time (like three hours) to kill at the mall. Matt actually wanted to go to the mall. This never happens. In fact, when he told me earlier that day that he wanted to go to the mall, I had to ask him to repeat what he had just said. I just knew I didn't hear right. Turns out I did hear him right, and we went shopping for his new shoes. Of course I browsed Motherhood Maternity and found two shirts and two pairs of pants I really wanted. In just the last year to year and a half, the majority of what they carry has changed. And the good news is, they changed it to the type of clothes I like: the scrunchy sides on the shirts and the secret belly fit pants. So two of each came home with me.
We then had some time to spare at Barnes and Noble. Ours has a Starbucks (I don't know if all Barnes and Nobles have that or not), so we split a chocolate cheesecake and sipped on our own drinks.
Our last stop was the movies. We picked up two tickets for Grown Ups. The story didn't have much to it, but the one-liners were pretty good. It seems like that in some parts of that movie they just did a little ad-lib for the jokes. But that made it pretty darn funny. We both shared a good amount of laughs and then came home.
Our house was left in shambles when we left it, but it was so nice to just go to bed and crash. The girls (all four of them) stayed at Grammy's over night. We have never had that opportunity so we were glad to accept my mom's generous offer to watch them for so long.
And I have to admit, I tried to get up and clean/organize/start laundry this morning, but I/we just lazed around. We had big ambitions for how we'd spend our morning, but it turns out we are just lazy bums. But we loved not having to get up when someone else's needs required us to. We enjoyed skipping breakfast and all the clean up that comes with weekend breakfast. It was nice not to have to rush to change diapers, or clothe anybody (okay, we clothed ourselves obviously), or do much of anything. Sometimes I really miss being a morning bum. I could use that at least once a month!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Surprise!
Did you notice anything different?
Well, the rumor mill will be starting soon, so I'm making it publicly known...
We are expecting our 5th child.
I was hesitant to post anything until we hear a heartbeat, but I've since decided against that idea. Even if we hear a heartbeat, there's no guarantee that everything will be perfect weeks down the road. And this is just too good of news not to share.
I found out the night before Father's Day. So here are some horrible pictures (lighting and what not, not horrible pictures of Matt) of Matt discovering the news.
We had just gotten home from our vacation about two hours before this photo was taken. I had dropped the ball on Father's Day (no gift, no plans, house a mess, things to unpack...), so I decided this would be the perfect gift.
He's reading a little piece of paper I scratched such lovely words on--
"Congratulations, you're the father of four
How would you like to add one more?"
Clever, I know!
He still looked confused (okay it was a deer in the headlights look), so I handed him the positive test.
Though the pictures are poor, he really is smiling. I was too. We hugged and vowed to keep it a secret for a while... we, actually I, lasted a whole week.
I've seen a few bloggers do a Pregnancy Update, so I figured I'd go ahead an include one every once in a while. Here's my first.
Well, the rumor mill will be starting soon, so I'm making it publicly known...
We are expecting our 5th child.
I was hesitant to post anything until we hear a heartbeat, but I've since decided against that idea. Even if we hear a heartbeat, there's no guarantee that everything will be perfect weeks down the road. And this is just too good of news not to share.
I found out the night before Father's Day. So here are some horrible pictures (lighting and what not, not horrible pictures of Matt) of Matt discovering the news.
We had just gotten home from our vacation about two hours before this photo was taken. I had dropped the ball on Father's Day (no gift, no plans, house a mess, things to unpack...), so I decided this would be the perfect gift.
He's reading a little piece of paper I scratched such lovely words on--
"Congratulations, you're the father of four
How would you like to add one more?"
Clever, I know!
He still looked confused (okay it was a deer in the headlights look), so I handed him the positive test.
Though the pictures are poor, he really is smiling. I was too. We hugged and vowed to keep it a secret for a while... we, actually I, lasted a whole week.
I've seen a few bloggers do a Pregnancy Update, so I figured I'd go ahead an include one every once in a while. Here's my first.
How Far Along: 7 1/2 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: I've lost 3 or 4
Maternity Clothes: Note yet.
Best Moment this week: The day that I had normal energy and felt well--the girls and I had fun that day :)
Gender: ????? We have our guesses
Total Weight Gain: I've lost 3 or 4
Maternity Clothes: Note yet.
Best Moment this week: The day that I had normal energy and felt well--the girls and I had fun that day :)
Gender: ????? We have our guesses
Movement: Not that I can detect
Food Craving: One day it was pizza. The rest of the cravings (when I have them, they're rare right now) center around jalapenos. Think cheesy, guacamole-y, spicy nachos.
What I miss: My energetic, busy, accomplished-feeling days.
Sleep: It's fine at night--maybe one time I have to get up to use the restroom. During the day, it's all I want to do, but for obvious reasons I don't.
What I am looking forward to: Baby bump (not the big belly) and finding out the sex.
Food Craving: One day it was pizza. The rest of the cravings (when I have them, they're rare right now) center around jalapenos. Think cheesy, guacamole-y, spicy nachos.
What I miss: My energetic, busy, accomplished-feeling days.
Sleep: It's fine at night--maybe one time I have to get up to use the restroom. During the day, it's all I want to do, but for obvious reasons I don't.
What I am looking forward to: Baby bump (not the big belly) and finding out the sex.
Belly Button: All four of my previous pregnancies, my bb remained an innie. I'm guessing it'll do the same this time around.
Stretch Marks: Geez, not yet. Of course, I have old ones from a certain second pregnancy with my 9 pounder (all of my others have been 7, 7.1 and 7.2)
Symptoms: Absolutely no energy, which I think is related to the dehydration I'm experiencing (of course I know it's related the pregnancy, too). Gastro-related issues--which are making me dehydrated. Elation!
Stretch Marks: Geez, not yet. Of course, I have old ones from a certain second pregnancy with my 9 pounder (all of my others have been 7, 7.1 and 7.2)
Symptoms: Absolutely no energy, which I think is related to the dehydration I'm experiencing (of course I know it's related the pregnancy, too). Gastro-related issues--which are making me dehydrated. Elation!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Vacation 2010: Long, picture-filled post follows
To say we needed a family vacation was an understatement. I know some of you will read "need" and think I have that word mixed up with "want," but I'm here to tell you that I don't.
We'd never had a family vacation. The last time any of the six of us vacationed, Peach (who is nearly 5) was 9 months old, I was 5 months pregnant with Brownie, and Matt was still teaching. 'Nuff said!
So we packed up the car and headed to the land where it looks like you can jump among the clouds. We had a nice time on the ride there--we left at 2 am--- but the ride home was a different story. More on that in a moment.
We did several fun activities, but we did not do any activities I set out to do. Instead of kayaking, hiking, white water rafting, or horseback riding we decided on more family-friendly activities.
There was a BBQ. This gal chowed on an entire smoked chicken. I knew she liked food, but this chicken was as big as her belly. No doubt she could have eaten it all had it not been for the fact that she had to share with sisters.
At the BBQ were several kid-friendly activities such as this obstacle course that ended with a giant slide. I was proud of my Peach for climbing it all, all by herself. She did love that slide!
And of course they had pig races. That was fun to watch. I'm sure those pigs felt awfully welcome at a BBQ!
This Bug talked a gentleman into giving her a strawberry covered in chocolate. Yes, I did indulge in one too.
We really did several activities the same way we do them at home. We napped, changed diapers, did dishes, washed laundry and even visited parks. These two were quite pleased with this particular teeter-totter.
To me, the whole dang town was like a giant park. It was quite a beauty! We had to watch out for wildlife---bears, not my kids. This bear proved to be quite friendly, though!
We did do a little hiking in the mountains. Yeah, even I'm jealous looking at this picture.
We went trout fishing one day. I do not have squeamish girls to my amazement. This one was ready, net in hand. Daddy would catch the fish, and his girls would help bring them in.
These two loved to participate as well. I just happened to ask them to "freeze and pose" while Daddy was working on catching one.
In fact, here's Bug touching the fish. Every time Daddy caught one, this little girl asked to touch it. Each and every one of them. I don't even touch fish. I can hardly stand to touch it when I marinate salmon for our dinner (which is why Matt usually does it).
And here's the end prize. I believe there were 7 in all. Maybe 6, I really can't remember. We went on to cook these bad boys, but I had already vowed not to eat any. I discovered a problem I have that involves seeing my dinner alive a few hours before I plan to eat it. Not to mention I'm not much of a trout fan--usually tastes too fishy to me. But Matt said these wouldn't, still I could not muster the courage. So I got some Chipotle while the hooligans and Matt dined on fish. I have to admit, I tried it and it wasn't horrible. Matt was right--not terribly fishy.
The whole family visited an old mining town and rode an old train. It's a great trip around the mountains and the girls really enjoyed it. Here we are in front of something old. I think it was an old train car.
And of course we snapped some photos while the train was in motion. I was in charge of the two "big" girls.
And Matt was in charge of the two "little" girls.
And, yeay, another family picture. Merry Christmas, this just may show up on your card this year!
Or should it be this one? Do you think that giant fossil looks anything like Matt?
I didn't think so. This was at the Natural History Museum. The older girls are way into dinosaurs right now, so this was a great find after the planned zoo trip was rained out.
But I'm much more of a natural history museum gal than a zoo girl. I still avoid the zoo--yeah, not a good mom, I know. I take them, just not often. How many times can you see the same animals in the awful humid heat of Kansas? Not my idea of a blast!
But dead animals that look real, behind glass, in an air-conditioned building.... okay by me! The youngest speaker of our family, Bug, swore up and down these were Jesse dogs. Yes, our dog is part huskie and could easily be confused for a wolf by a two-year-old.
There were several different rooms in that wonderful museum, but I think the kids' favorite was the discovery area. It was KIDZONE! These are two of my future musicians.
And since I managed to sneak in a museum stop, you can rest assured I sneaked in a history tour as well. This is a very old house, and it was certainly cute and quaint. Of course it was staged with historically accurate details and furniture, but I found it quite charming. I was ready to have Matt build a duplicate for us to move into. It was simple, functional, and brought on a sense of nostalgia. Yes, I yearn for simpler times-- often fantasizing about decades before I was even born--- and this house fit the bill for this particular fantasy.
Just look at this little attic bedroom/play room. Excuse the blurriness, not the best lighting, photographer or camera!
And here's part of the gathering room with a family picture--not my family of course, but of the pretend people who live here. Actually, I think these may have been the real people who once lived there.
And just look at this old kitchen stuff. We were actually on city property that had a ton of old buildings open for tours. In all the ones that had "food" in them, there was always a White King container. Is it just me, or would anybody else like to have an old kitchen, with old kitchen stuff in it? This would be adjacent to my modern looking/functioning kitchen, of course.
And check out this big daddy. Not sure I'd like to trade in my modern stove for this one, but in that adjacent old-fashioned kitchen I've imagined, I would certainly have one of these things. Can you imagine using this everyday?
So, as you see, we did do quite a bit. We also swam a few times and shopped quite a bit. And we did a good amount of eating out. Breakfast was everybody's favorite. There were two places that I wish I had gotten pictures of. They both had delicious pastries, fresh coffee, organic produce, and friendly service. Specials included trout and eggs with home-fries, and an eggs benedict with a pesto hollandase twist. Yes, delicious indeed.
And so was this little diner we stopped at on our way home. It was odd because Matt and I were just talking about how we wish our part of the country had diners, and then BAM! we come across this place. Thank goodness it was lunch time because I insisted we stop. It too, was quite yummy.
And after we finished our lunch, we headed back to the car to finish our trip home. It took us 12 hours to complete an 8 hour trip; I'll let your imagination wonder what happened in those extra four hours. Overall, though, we really did have a great time. Now Matt and I would like to take a couple's vacation. HA!
We'd never had a family vacation. The last time any of the six of us vacationed, Peach (who is nearly 5) was 9 months old, I was 5 months pregnant with Brownie, and Matt was still teaching. 'Nuff said!
So we packed up the car and headed to the land where it looks like you can jump among the clouds. We had a nice time on the ride there--we left at 2 am--- but the ride home was a different story. More on that in a moment.
We did several fun activities, but we did not do any activities I set out to do. Instead of kayaking, hiking, white water rafting, or horseback riding we decided on more family-friendly activities.
There was a BBQ. This gal chowed on an entire smoked chicken. I knew she liked food, but this chicken was as big as her belly. No doubt she could have eaten it all had it not been for the fact that she had to share with sisters.
At the BBQ were several kid-friendly activities such as this obstacle course that ended with a giant slide. I was proud of my Peach for climbing it all, all by herself. She did love that slide!
And of course they had pig races. That was fun to watch. I'm sure those pigs felt awfully welcome at a BBQ!
This Bug talked a gentleman into giving her a strawberry covered in chocolate. Yes, I did indulge in one too.
We really did several activities the same way we do them at home. We napped, changed diapers, did dishes, washed laundry and even visited parks. These two were quite pleased with this particular teeter-totter.
To me, the whole dang town was like a giant park. It was quite a beauty! We had to watch out for wildlife---bears, not my kids. This bear proved to be quite friendly, though!
We did do a little hiking in the mountains. Yeah, even I'm jealous looking at this picture.
We went trout fishing one day. I do not have squeamish girls to my amazement. This one was ready, net in hand. Daddy would catch the fish, and his girls would help bring them in.
These two loved to participate as well. I just happened to ask them to "freeze and pose" while Daddy was working on catching one.
In fact, here's Bug touching the fish. Every time Daddy caught one, this little girl asked to touch it. Each and every one of them. I don't even touch fish. I can hardly stand to touch it when I marinate salmon for our dinner (which is why Matt usually does it).
And here's the end prize. I believe there were 7 in all. Maybe 6, I really can't remember. We went on to cook these bad boys, but I had already vowed not to eat any. I discovered a problem I have that involves seeing my dinner alive a few hours before I plan to eat it. Not to mention I'm not much of a trout fan--usually tastes too fishy to me. But Matt said these wouldn't, still I could not muster the courage. So I got some Chipotle while the hooligans and Matt dined on fish. I have to admit, I tried it and it wasn't horrible. Matt was right--not terribly fishy.
The whole family visited an old mining town and rode an old train. It's a great trip around the mountains and the girls really enjoyed it. Here we are in front of something old. I think it was an old train car.
And of course we snapped some photos while the train was in motion. I was in charge of the two "big" girls.
And Matt was in charge of the two "little" girls.
And, yeay, another family picture. Merry Christmas, this just may show up on your card this year!
Or should it be this one? Do you think that giant fossil looks anything like Matt?
I didn't think so. This was at the Natural History Museum. The older girls are way into dinosaurs right now, so this was a great find after the planned zoo trip was rained out.
But I'm much more of a natural history museum gal than a zoo girl. I still avoid the zoo--yeah, not a good mom, I know. I take them, just not often. How many times can you see the same animals in the awful humid heat of Kansas? Not my idea of a blast!
But dead animals that look real, behind glass, in an air-conditioned building.... okay by me! The youngest speaker of our family, Bug, swore up and down these were Jesse dogs. Yes, our dog is part huskie and could easily be confused for a wolf by a two-year-old.
There were several different rooms in that wonderful museum, but I think the kids' favorite was the discovery area. It was KIDZONE! These are two of my future musicians.
And since I managed to sneak in a museum stop, you can rest assured I sneaked in a history tour as well. This is a very old house, and it was certainly cute and quaint. Of course it was staged with historically accurate details and furniture, but I found it quite charming. I was ready to have Matt build a duplicate for us to move into. It was simple, functional, and brought on a sense of nostalgia. Yes, I yearn for simpler times-- often fantasizing about decades before I was even born--- and this house fit the bill for this particular fantasy.
Just look at this little attic bedroom/play room. Excuse the blurriness, not the best lighting, photographer or camera!
And here's part of the gathering room with a family picture--not my family of course, but of the pretend people who live here. Actually, I think these may have been the real people who once lived there.
And just look at this old kitchen stuff. We were actually on city property that had a ton of old buildings open for tours. In all the ones that had "food" in them, there was always a White King container. Is it just me, or would anybody else like to have an old kitchen, with old kitchen stuff in it? This would be adjacent to my modern looking/functioning kitchen, of course.
And check out this big daddy. Not sure I'd like to trade in my modern stove for this one, but in that adjacent old-fashioned kitchen I've imagined, I would certainly have one of these things. Can you imagine using this everyday?
So, as you see, we did do quite a bit. We also swam a few times and shopped quite a bit. And we did a good amount of eating out. Breakfast was everybody's favorite. There were two places that I wish I had gotten pictures of. They both had delicious pastries, fresh coffee, organic produce, and friendly service. Specials included trout and eggs with home-fries, and an eggs benedict with a pesto hollandase twist. Yes, delicious indeed.
And so was this little diner we stopped at on our way home. It was odd because Matt and I were just talking about how we wish our part of the country had diners, and then BAM! we come across this place. Thank goodness it was lunch time because I insisted we stop. It too, was quite yummy.
And after we finished our lunch, we headed back to the car to finish our trip home. It took us 12 hours to complete an 8 hour trip; I'll let your imagination wonder what happened in those extra four hours. Overall, though, we really did have a great time. Now Matt and I would like to take a couple's vacation. HA!
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