I love the sun. I love springtime. I love anything that promises that nicer weather is coming, and that the flowers and trees will be blooming soon. I woke up today in a great mood. I got a decent amount of sleep last night, my head feels much better, and I can breathe out of both sides of my nose without feeling like I am breathing in little icicles that are tearing up my sinus passages.
I love waking up and opening the blinds to see sunshine. There is something about it, it puts me in a good mood. Yesterday, my wonderful mother-in-law came over to hold the baby and entertain the kids so I could get some stuff done. I was able to sweep and mop the kitchen and dining room, clean the dining table, including taking a toothpick to all the nasties that have accumulated in the ridges around the edge, and clean the base of the table, too. I vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned all the fingerprints off the TV. I went into the twins' room and re-organized, clearing out clothes that were too small and moving everything into another dresser so it is better organized. I was able to get a bookcase out of their room and make more space, and I moved the shelf into the living room, which created more organization there. Waking up this morning to see sun and a sunny reflection on the kitchen floor, cleanliness, and order made me smile. It's going to be a great day.
I decided to try a shower before naptime, so I could get more done at naptime. The boys were happy, I took Drew into the bathroom and left the others in my room with cereal. thoroughly enjoyed the hot water, nothing could spoil my mood now! I was showering, the house was clean, and the kids were behaving. Life is great. Just as I was shampooing my hair, Emma came into the bathroom. "Mom, Grant is choking Ben, and he stole his cereal and spilled it and won't pick it up." OK, spilled cereal is no biggie. "Emma, is Grant still choking him?" "Yeah, and he won't let go." I suddenly had a mental image of Grant, laughing holding a knitting needle and with glee, bursting my happy bubble with one joyous movement. "OK, Emma, separate them please. Do whatever you have to, OK?" I quickly got the shampoo out of the area of my eyes and went out to check, still soapy and dripping. Ben was crying, but was no longer being manhandled by his brother. There was cereal everywhere, being ground into the carpet, and Ben's front was covered in cereal crumbs, a testament to his abuse. I separated the boys, threatened them properly, consoled Ben, and went to finish my shower. This great day has been downgraded to good, but it can be brought back up again.
I discovered last night that Drew has thrush. This is very common among babies, and it is a yeast infection in the mouth. Get this, it can cause fussiness while eating. So he may not be sensitive to dairy after all! Whoopie! I called the doctor this morning, thinking we were going to have to bring him in, but there are benefits to having four kids. I talked to the nurse for a while and she decided to just call in the prescription for me, and I would not have to go in. Hooray for that! Bringing four kids to the doctor's office did not sound like a whole lot of fun. At least bringing all the kids to Safeway to pick up the prescription involves big carts with the car in the front that have enough seat belts to strap everyone in. And, I found the ad from last week that had the Safeway coupon for a $30 gift certificate with a new prescription! Great day redeemed!
I'm not sure if anything can spoil my mood now. I am headed off to get ready and take the kids to Safeway. I will be the one with four kids and a big 'ole grin!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Attack of the Green-Nosed Monster
We are sick. I hate being sick.
I do not get sick very often, but when I do, I am miserable. I have sinus-nastiness - yes, that is the medical term - and Friday I felt like the pressure from my sinuses might get so great that it would push my teeth and they would shoot out of my mouth like shiny little projectiles. I am starting to feel a little better, now I can breathe out of my nose again (sometimes) and my head is no longer on danger of exploding. I usually get sick when I am pregnant or nursing, which means I can't take any lovely medicine that would make it all go away (or at least make me so loopy that I no longer care.) I would give almost anything right now for a shot of Ny-Quil and a nap.
Grant seems to have joined me in my misery, he is stuffy and whining a lot more than usual. He also wants to cuddle all the time, which would be nice if I were healthy, but I just want to curl up in a ball by myself for a while. Emma seems to avoid most illnesses that pass through our family, and is her normal loud talkative self. Drew is a little stuffy, but does not seem any different otherwise. Ben is the interesting one. Grant is an emotional child, and how he feels affects his behavior greatly. Ben is just happy-go-lucky all the time. I thought he had avoided everything until this morning, while he was happily playing he walked up to me and wanted my attention. (Poppa-skip this part!) He had green snot completely covering his upper lip and smeared across his cheek halfway to his ear. It was nasty. I cleaned him up and he went about his day. He seems completely fine, except for needing a nose wiping every so often. What a trooper!
I am hoping we are on the mend, and I am kicking myself for our trip to the mall last weekend. Since I was the first to get sick, I know I was the first to get it, and the only place I have been lately is the mall. I will have to be more careful to keep us contained and healthy for a little while longer. Drat, I wanted outta here!
I do not get sick very often, but when I do, I am miserable. I have sinus-nastiness - yes, that is the medical term - and Friday I felt like the pressure from my sinuses might get so great that it would push my teeth and they would shoot out of my mouth like shiny little projectiles. I am starting to feel a little better, now I can breathe out of my nose again (sometimes) and my head is no longer on danger of exploding. I usually get sick when I am pregnant or nursing, which means I can't take any lovely medicine that would make it all go away (or at least make me so loopy that I no longer care.) I would give almost anything right now for a shot of Ny-Quil and a nap.
Grant seems to have joined me in my misery, he is stuffy and whining a lot more than usual. He also wants to cuddle all the time, which would be nice if I were healthy, but I just want to curl up in a ball by myself for a while. Emma seems to avoid most illnesses that pass through our family, and is her normal loud talkative self. Drew is a little stuffy, but does not seem any different otherwise. Ben is the interesting one. Grant is an emotional child, and how he feels affects his behavior greatly. Ben is just happy-go-lucky all the time. I thought he had avoided everything until this morning, while he was happily playing he walked up to me and wanted my attention. (Poppa-skip this part!) He had green snot completely covering his upper lip and smeared across his cheek halfway to his ear. It was nasty. I cleaned him up and he went about his day. He seems completely fine, except for needing a nose wiping every so often. What a trooper!
I am hoping we are on the mend, and I am kicking myself for our trip to the mall last weekend. Since I was the first to get sick, I know I was the first to get it, and the only place I have been lately is the mall. I will have to be more careful to keep us contained and healthy for a little while longer. Drat, I wanted outta here!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Heroes Among Us
Last night we went to an even honoring Marty's next-door-neighbor when he was growing up. It is amazing how people can live among us, and we never really know their story. Joe Moser was an Air Force fighter pilot, and he was a prisoner of war during World War II and was held at Hitler's Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
Last week Joe was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, 60-some years after the mission for which he was honored. He wrote a book about his experiences, and last night was the book signing. We had Kelina come oer to watch the older kids, and Marty and I took Drew to the event. I told Emma we were going to see a real-life super-hero, and I would tell her all about it when we got home. I never want to sugar coat our nation's history for our kids, I think that does us a great disjustice. I do want to be careful about what we do reveal and at what age, so when we returned I showed her the book and we looked at some of the photographs inside. There is a map of where Joe's plane went down in France, and where he was sent in Germany. I told Emma about the pictures, about how his plane crashed, and he was captured by the enemy. I showed her the picture of Buchenwald and told her he was kept there for a long time. I showed her the pictures of the prisoners, emaciated and crammed in like sardines and told her Joe was not treated well and was not given enough to eat and almost died. I showed her the pictures of the crematoriums and told her that many, many men died there. And I showed her the pictures of Joe today, in his eighties and retired. I told her that he fought and almost died so that we could be free, and that many other men and women have fought and died for us, and still do today.
Emma was absolutely enthralled. I don't know if she really gets it that this is real and not just another story in a book, but she is mesmerized. First thing she said when she woke up this morning- "Mommy, will you show me the book and tell me the story of the plane crash and where the man got skinny?" So we went over it again. I have not yet read the book, but a bit of Joe's story is HERE in an article by CNN.
It is amazing that I have known of this man just as Joe Moser, Marty's childhood neighbor, but have never known what his life was like. I have been interested in the Holocaust since we learned about it in school, it is so hard to imagine what it must have been like in that time. Who else walks among us with stories to tell? I guess we all have stories to tell, but we never know what those stories are and where people come from. What wisdom lies in your next-door neighbor? Or the checker at the grocery store, your plumber or your furnace guy? Do we take the time to get to know these people who have so much wisdom, or are we so busy with our own lives that we don't bother?
I want to raise my kids to be interested in other people's lives, not just when it is convenient or easy. I truly believe we can learn so much from previous generations, their experiences are far different from our own. I am amazed at the heroism of Joe Moser and the many other super-heroes that make our country what it is today. It may sound silly and trite, but it is true, I am so incredibly proud to be an American. Thank you, Joe, for your amazing service. You are a hero!
Last week Joe was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, 60-some years after the mission for which he was honored. He wrote a book about his experiences, and last night was the book signing. We had Kelina come oer to watch the older kids, and Marty and I took Drew to the event. I told Emma we were going to see a real-life super-hero, and I would tell her all about it when we got home. I never want to sugar coat our nation's history for our kids, I think that does us a great disjustice. I do want to be careful about what we do reveal and at what age, so when we returned I showed her the book and we looked at some of the photographs inside. There is a map of where Joe's plane went down in France, and where he was sent in Germany. I told Emma about the pictures, about how his plane crashed, and he was captured by the enemy. I showed her the picture of Buchenwald and told her he was kept there for a long time. I showed her the pictures of the prisoners, emaciated and crammed in like sardines and told her Joe was not treated well and was not given enough to eat and almost died. I showed her the pictures of the crematoriums and told her that many, many men died there. And I showed her the pictures of Joe today, in his eighties and retired. I told her that he fought and almost died so that we could be free, and that many other men and women have fought and died for us, and still do today.
Emma was absolutely enthralled. I don't know if she really gets it that this is real and not just another story in a book, but she is mesmerized. First thing she said when she woke up this morning- "Mommy, will you show me the book and tell me the story of the plane crash and where the man got skinny?" So we went over it again. I have not yet read the book, but a bit of Joe's story is HERE in an article by CNN.
It is amazing that I have known of this man just as Joe Moser, Marty's childhood neighbor, but have never known what his life was like. I have been interested in the Holocaust since we learned about it in school, it is so hard to imagine what it must have been like in that time. Who else walks among us with stories to tell? I guess we all have stories to tell, but we never know what those stories are and where people come from. What wisdom lies in your next-door neighbor? Or the checker at the grocery store, your plumber or your furnace guy? Do we take the time to get to know these people who have so much wisdom, or are we so busy with our own lives that we don't bother?
I want to raise my kids to be interested in other people's lives, not just when it is convenient or easy. I truly believe we can learn so much from previous generations, their experiences are far different from our own. I am amazed at the heroism of Joe Moser and the many other super-heroes that make our country what it is today. It may sound silly and trite, but it is true, I am so incredibly proud to be an American. Thank you, Joe, for your amazing service. You are a hero!
Cheese, Glorious Cheese, How I Will Miss Thee
I am one of those mother that refuse to cook two meals at dinner. I have much better things to do with my time than try to arrange a meal that the kid will like and a meal that the adults will appreciate, and have them done at the same time to please everyone. This has worked well for us, our kids like Thai food and steak, and a lot of other things that kids usually turn their noses up at. They will try almost anything, which I love. This weekend Emma wanted to try the green leafy top of the pineapple. So I let her. I think she can sense when I think she will not like something, and she feels she has to prove me wrong. Her response to the pineapple leaf? "I like it mom! It's very tasty. I think I will save the rest for later though." And she threw it in the garbage. This is the girl who wants to eat a shark and a lobster, and at eighteen months liked dipping lemon slices in ranch dressing and applesauce and eating them.
Unfortunately, my desire to cook one meal for all of us is about to change. Drew is showing signs similar to Emma and Grant did as babies that tell me that me eating dairy is upsetting his tummy. While I was nursing Emma, I could not eat dairy or citrus. Grant could not handle dairy or garlic, and Ben could not handle citrus or onions. I am not sure what is upsetting Drew, but I am going to cut it all out for the next couple of weeks and slowly try things to see what he reacts to. I started Monday, since I wanted to gorge myself over Superbowl and have one last food hurrah before severely limiting my tasty options. I am having a hard time remembering, though, what did I eat while limited to no dairy, citrus (or acidic things like tomatoes,) garlic or onion? Tuesday I made a huge batch of Pad Thai, and had the leftovers yesterday. Last night I made nachos for the rest of the family, and ate plain chips with salsa and refried beans. Boring! Later I ate more Pad Thai, just to get some protein. I eat a lot of fruit, and do enjoy a good stir-fry (but without garlic and onions, it's kind of bland) but I am running out of ideas. I love dairy, and I tend to add it to everything. I am also getting into the whole remembering everything that has dairy in it, and trying to remember what else caused the kids to react. Coconut milk didn't sit well with one of the kids, but was it like dairy? Or did what we ate with the coconut milk have lime juice in it, and was that it? Can I make a rue with oil and have it taste similar to butter? And how did I get calcium during this whole thing?
I think this should be easier by now. I had to do this for six months each time prior, so I have been on this diet for a year. Was it so bad that I just blocked it out completely? Or did I actually eat only meat, potatoes and rice? Anyone have any recipies to share?
Unfortunately, my desire to cook one meal for all of us is about to change. Drew is showing signs similar to Emma and Grant did as babies that tell me that me eating dairy is upsetting his tummy. While I was nursing Emma, I could not eat dairy or citrus. Grant could not handle dairy or garlic, and Ben could not handle citrus or onions. I am not sure what is upsetting Drew, but I am going to cut it all out for the next couple of weeks and slowly try things to see what he reacts to. I started Monday, since I wanted to gorge myself over Superbowl and have one last food hurrah before severely limiting my tasty options. I am having a hard time remembering, though, what did I eat while limited to no dairy, citrus (or acidic things like tomatoes,) garlic or onion? Tuesday I made a huge batch of Pad Thai, and had the leftovers yesterday. Last night I made nachos for the rest of the family, and ate plain chips with salsa and refried beans. Boring! Later I ate more Pad Thai, just to get some protein. I eat a lot of fruit, and do enjoy a good stir-fry (but without garlic and onions, it's kind of bland) but I am running out of ideas. I love dairy, and I tend to add it to everything. I am also getting into the whole remembering everything that has dairy in it, and trying to remember what else caused the kids to react. Coconut milk didn't sit well with one of the kids, but was it like dairy? Or did what we ate with the coconut milk have lime juice in it, and was that it? Can I make a rue with oil and have it taste similar to butter? And how did I get calcium during this whole thing?
I think this should be easier by now. I had to do this for six months each time prior, so I have been on this diet for a year. Was it so bad that I just blocked it out completely? Or did I actually eat only meat, potatoes and rice? Anyone have any recipies to share?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Making Lemons Into Lemonade
Melissa over at Full Circle decided to grace my blog with another award. I just love Melissa, first of all, because her blog is fabulous, and also because she keeps giving me these great awards! I can feel like a real award winning blogger and not have to tell everyone that all the awards are coming from the same person. Oops, I think I just blew that one. Oh, well, if you have not checked out Melissa's blog yet, go there. It is about her journey going from being an adopted child down the path to adopt a child (or two!) of her own.
Here are the rules for receiving the Lemonade Award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post to the person from whom you received your award.
I now nominate:
1. Angie at Bring The Rain. This is my newest blog obsession, one of the most raw examples of praising God through the hard times that I have ever read. I will post more about her story later, but if you have not read this blog yet, grab a tissue and head on over.
2. Aimee and Adam at Kayleigh's Story. I just love them!
3. Holly at SnowMommy
4. Amanda at Vintage Dutch Girl
5. Amy at Scheib Happenings
6. Tracie at Little Bearfoot Farm
7. Erin at Live, Laugh, Love
8. Amy at Love My Babes (wow, there are a lot of Amy's and Aimee's on this list today!)
9. Brenda at The Campbell Family
10. Tricia at Pure Chaos
Congratulations, ladies (and gentleman!)
Here are the rules for receiving the Lemonade Award:1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post to the person from whom you received your award.
I now nominate:
1. Angie at Bring The Rain. This is my newest blog obsession, one of the most raw examples of praising God through the hard times that I have ever read. I will post more about her story later, but if you have not read this blog yet, grab a tissue and head on over.
2. Aimee and Adam at Kayleigh's Story. I just love them!
3. Holly at SnowMommy
4. Amanda at Vintage Dutch Girl
5. Amy at Scheib Happenings
6. Tracie at Little Bearfoot Farm
7. Erin at Live, Laugh, Love
8. Amy at Love My Babes (wow, there are a lot of Amy's and Aimee's on this list today!)
9. Brenda at The Campbell Family
10. Tricia at Pure Chaos
Congratulations, ladies (and gentleman!)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Things I Have Learned Today:
1. Somewhere around here, Ben has found a magical place where he can secretly stash food and we will not know about it till he decides to bring it out again. Blueberries do not do well in a secret stash, and when Ben tries to bring them out, he does not like the feeling of rotten, smashed blueberry on his hands and he must show me, with big eyes and a surprised face, like "Mom! I cannot believe that my secret stash of food that you do not approve of does not stay good after who knows how long! Fix it!"
2. Furnaces have filters. When you neglect those filters your furnace does not work well at all. And you have a couple of rooms that are freezing, and a power bill that is over $300 for a month. If you clean those filters, they work a lot better, and you can actually heat your whole house.
3. The boys are getting old enough that when they are missing and quiet, it is not necessarily because they are getting in trouble. They might just be playing nicely in their room.
4. I know I will regret that last lesson.
5. Ben is now tall enough to reach the DVD player and VCR. He also thinks he can start his own movie by taking the DVD out of the case, shoving the DVD into the VCR, and trying to put the case in the DVD player by force.
6. There is a library owned movie behind the entertainment center. I have no idea how long it has been back there, and I cannot reach it. I am hoping that the money saved by cleaning the furnace will offset the library fine.
2. Furnaces have filters. When you neglect those filters your furnace does not work well at all. And you have a couple of rooms that are freezing, and a power bill that is over $300 for a month. If you clean those filters, they work a lot better, and you can actually heat your whole house.
3. The boys are getting old enough that when they are missing and quiet, it is not necessarily because they are getting in trouble. They might just be playing nicely in their room.
4. I know I will regret that last lesson.
5. Ben is now tall enough to reach the DVD player and VCR. He also thinks he can start his own movie by taking the DVD out of the case, shoving the DVD into the VCR, and trying to put the case in the DVD player by force.
6. There is a library owned movie behind the entertainment center. I have no idea how long it has been back there, and I cannot reach it. I am hoping that the money saved by cleaning the furnace will offset the library fine.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Excuses, Excuses
When we first looked at the house we live in now, we were impressed with the massive amount of storage on the property. For some reason, we thought that it would make up for the lack of storage in the house. Let me tell you, this house is LACKING storage space. Marty and I have a nice sized closet in our room (Not a walk in, but decent sized) and Emma has a basic closet in her room. There is a linen closet at the end of the hall. That is it. And I am not exaggerating, that is all there is. The boys' room was an office for the last occupants, so the closet was removed. We could re-do it, but honestly we need the wall space. (Right now Ben's crib is in the space that the closet would be.) There is no coat closet, no place to put a broom or vacuum, nothing. Being that we have crazy, destructive um, I mean, curious children, we cannot use things like bookshelves, as everything that would be within reach would be removed and scattered throughout the house.
As we do have a lot of outside storage, we don't have to worry about anything that needs long term storage. However, as we are too cheap, um frugal to heat our shop, we are careful about what we put out there because of moisture. And there is all the stuff that we need on a regular basis that needs to be inside and not potentially smelling musty and storage-ey. Add to that that nothing can be within toddler reach lest it be lost or flushed down the toilet, and the house tends to get cluttered very quickly.
The tops of things have been driving me nuts lately. It has been so busy around here that rather than finding homes for things, they have just been quickly put up out of reach. The tops of the entertainment center, the desk, the china hutch, the kitchen counters and cabinets have accumulated a lot of random things in the last couple of months, and once the surfaces are cluttered, it is hard to keep clutter from overtaking the rest of the house. Clutter breeds worse than dust bunnies, and our house has became a puppy mill of clutter.
Why am I telling you all this? There are a couple of reasons.
1. I have no shame. I could care less if there is someone out there who is reading this and thinking, "Oh my goodness, she had four kids in four years and she cannot keep her house clean? What a horrible mother! Tsk, tsk!" The reason I do not care is because anyone who is thinking that does not have four kids, and does not know what it is like. If they did have four kids, they would not have time to read this and then form a coherent thought afterwards, before being interrupted by screaming children who are fighting over who stole whose toy and then beat who over the head with it. The late great Dr. Seuss once said, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter, don't mind."
2. This is my lame-brain attempt to try and give a lame excuse why I did not blog all weekend. I did try, several times, but got distracted by screaming children who were fighting over who stole whose toy and then beat who over the head with it. I honestly think I started four posts, but did not get further than one sentence before having to get up and solve crisises. (Crisises? Crisies? Is is like mouse/mice, or octopus/octopi?)
Anywhoo, I spent the weekend painting and hanging shelves and cleaning the tops of things. Add to that yesterday's gorging of thousands of empty calories while watching the commercials, wait, I mean the Superbowl, and I had a good weekend. Oh, and I almost forgot, I got to go to the mall on Saturday, and I bought some new shoes! My first new pair in over two years, I am so excited. I love getting cash for Christmas.
So I had the most exciting weekend I have had in a long time. New shoes, new shelves, cleaning the house, and good food. Ah, this is the life! I feel so good, almost like I am floating on a raft in a pool in a tropical resort, with a cute waiter bringing me a fruity drink with an umbrella in it. Oh, wait, the kids are fighting again. Never mind!
As we do have a lot of outside storage, we don't have to worry about anything that needs long term storage. However, as we are too cheap, um frugal to heat our shop, we are careful about what we put out there because of moisture. And there is all the stuff that we need on a regular basis that needs to be inside and not potentially smelling musty and storage-ey. Add to that that nothing can be within toddler reach lest it be lost or flushed down the toilet, and the house tends to get cluttered very quickly.
The tops of things have been driving me nuts lately. It has been so busy around here that rather than finding homes for things, they have just been quickly put up out of reach. The tops of the entertainment center, the desk, the china hutch, the kitchen counters and cabinets have accumulated a lot of random things in the last couple of months, and once the surfaces are cluttered, it is hard to keep clutter from overtaking the rest of the house. Clutter breeds worse than dust bunnies, and our house has became a puppy mill of clutter.
Why am I telling you all this? There are a couple of reasons.
1. I have no shame. I could care less if there is someone out there who is reading this and thinking, "Oh my goodness, she had four kids in four years and she cannot keep her house clean? What a horrible mother! Tsk, tsk!" The reason I do not care is because anyone who is thinking that does not have four kids, and does not know what it is like. If they did have four kids, they would not have time to read this and then form a coherent thought afterwards, before being interrupted by screaming children who are fighting over who stole whose toy and then beat who over the head with it. The late great Dr. Seuss once said, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter, don't mind."
2. This is my lame-brain attempt to try and give a lame excuse why I did not blog all weekend. I did try, several times, but got distracted by screaming children who were fighting over who stole whose toy and then beat who over the head with it. I honestly think I started four posts, but did not get further than one sentence before having to get up and solve crisises. (Crisises? Crisies? Is is like mouse/mice, or octopus/octopi?)
Anywhoo, I spent the weekend painting and hanging shelves and cleaning the tops of things. Add to that yesterday's gorging of thousands of empty calories while watching the commercials, wait, I mean the Superbowl, and I had a good weekend. Oh, and I almost forgot, I got to go to the mall on Saturday, and I bought some new shoes! My first new pair in over two years, I am so excited. I love getting cash for Christmas.
So I had the most exciting weekend I have had in a long time. New shoes, new shelves, cleaning the house, and good food. Ah, this is the life! I feel so good, almost like I am floating on a raft in a pool in a tropical resort, with a cute waiter bringing me a fruity drink with an umbrella in it. Oh, wait, the kids are fighting again. Never mind!
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