two special kids

Time for a beer

2010-02-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish Moms could just call a personal timeout. Just to be fair, we should have this priviledge every quarter (although I'm sure we would all be much better moms and wives if we had this opportunity on a weekly basis). Anyway, when we call "timeout", a Supernanny-type figure would whisk into our home, play and entertain the children (without electronic devices such as a TV, Wii, or Nintendo DS) AND clean up after US. Today was just one of those days that I wished for a personal timeout.Unfortunately, Jo Frost did not enter my home and give me respite. Above is the picture of my kitchen at 8:30 tonight. A dirty crockpot on the counter with caked on spaghetti sauce. Dinner dishes stacked in the sink. Tortellini package in the other sink. I dare not even go into detail about the other counter. Let me just say, we had eggs and hashbrowns last night for dinner and I had not yet cleaned the stove and counter.

Back to my day. It started out with a young man crawling into my bed at some middle of the night hour. Unfortunately it was only Mason. I didn't feel like getting up, walking him back to his room, tucking him back in, and arguing with him...so I let him stay. The only condition was that he couldn't move (so that I could get him to fall back asleep). His idea of "snuggling" is to have at least one of his body parts touching you. Luckily he fell back asleep rather quickly - only to be followed with his "mild" (ha ha) sleep apnea snoring. When my alarm went off, I quickly showered and got ready for work. After preparing breakfast, lunch, snacks, and cleaning the table, it was time to go to school.

Let me take a quick break for two small points:

1. Today is the day before mid-winter break, which means Valentine's day parties at school.

2. Mark is out of town.

3. The kids and I leave for Dallas tomorrow morning (where they received 12 inches of snow yesterday).

Back to the morning. As we are exiting with lunches, backpacks, coats, and the beloved Valentine's cards, Lauren takes the opportunity for a quick "check list". Mind you, it was nothing even about today. It was in preparation for the airplane. Did I pack her Nintendo DS. I quickly advised that I had (well, since I had). Unbeknownst to me, I must be frequent tall-tales teller. She raced to her bag to verify. She didn't see the DS in her travel backpack. WIth her anxiety climbing quickly, I turned a 180 and marched to the backpack to show her that YES, it was in the bag. UGH.

After dropping everyone at their respected educational facilities, I went to work. Good day. Had to leave early to get to Mason's class party (as I am the class photographer). The party was fun. Great crafts, games, and even crazy dancing. Mason's first station was the cupcake decoration table (shocking). He started to eat it, but the music station started. He couldn't wait and calmly finish his cupcake - he had to bolt to the dancing (since it was to Alvin and the Chipmunks). He eventually finished his cupcake, danced a bunch more, and played a very brief game on valentine's bingo (frankly, I think the very sweet mom in charge of bingo picked his words, so he could finish bingo more quickly and head back to dancing). At this point, Mrs. Hallock, his wonderful teacher advised him to go to the card-making station. He agreed without a fuss (I'd tried getting him over there 3 different times already). He made the quickest valentine's card ever (and messiest) and returned to dancing.

After his party it was back to Lauren's school. We waited for her with Zoe (the dog) in the car. Since we drive two families home on Friday, I really wasn't in the mood to play "share Zoe", as she is flung between the middle and back rows, so I chose not to pass her around. After dropping off the kids, we drove Lauren to sibshops. After dropping her off, Mason & I headed to Mom and Dad's to change the cat litter. Lovely Zoe took this opportunity to have an accident on the floor. After clean up, we headed back home to dump off the diarrhea-dog.

Scruffy Mason was due for a haircut, so we zipped to Hair Masters. Next was QFC for "Stolpa snacks" (as Meghan calls them) - rations for the airplane, because I refuse to pay $5 for my kids to each have a few crackers. We came home, had dinner, gave Mason a bath, went back to pick up Lauren and two other kids from sibshops, drop off two other kids, and head home. Once home, I hurried everyone to bed. In the process, Zoe had another episode of the rrhea, which Lauren proceeded to step in and scream at the top of her lungs. As this was going on, I was in Mason's room trying to fix the closet doors (and yelling in the process due to frustration) that he had knocked off the track. I finally had the doors in a somewhat safe position (but not back completely on track). Lauren had hopped to the bathroom and was now crying. Why? Because I yelled at Mason for breaking his closet doors. I really wasn't in the mood for snuggling at tuck-in time with anyone, so I hurried everyone to bed. Lauren stops me to verify that I would forgive Mason (of course).

With everyone in bed, now the dogs are barking. I can't let them in the house as I need to decontaminate the area of the accident, so I lock them on the deck. Now, I can finish up a few things before I sit down to catch up on Thursday's shows: sweep the kitchen, mop, wash the dishes, load them into the dishwasher, clean the stove and counters, vacuum, fold laundry, start a new load of laundry, clean up Mark's side of the garage (since he's coming home), get the kids DVD's for the plane, pack Mason's pulse oximeter........and drink a beer. Where is Jo Frost when I need her?!

Perpective

2010-01-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

According to Webster's, 'perspective' refers to "the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance". Too often in life we forget to have perspective or to look at things from an alternate point of view.

I work at a large pediatric office. We have multiple offices in the area and have over 50 physicians. Our main location is open 365 (or 366) days per year. Yes, even on Thanksgiving and Christmas day, we are open. When I started 6 1/2 years ago, patients were more than appreciative that we had access to nurses and doctors over the weekends. We were thanked routinely for being available. Times have changed. Take the following three examples:
1. Last weekend I was literally yelled at for taking under 3 hours to return a call regarding lab results. Why did it take almost 3 hours? The lab had to finish processing the blood before we could call with results. The mother did not care that the lab had to finish processing the sample - she wanted the results NOW (despite the fact that the results would not have altered her daughter's treatment).
2. A few weeks ago a parent was angry that we couldn't refill her son's ADHD medication. First, we do not have access to charts (our charts are not on-line - they are paper and reside in the patient's "home office"). Second, most ADHD/ADD meds are "Schedule II drugs". According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule II drugs are drugs with "a high potential for abuse", "are accepted in medical use with severe restrictions", and "may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence". Think amphetamines...after all, that's what many ADD/ADHD meds commonly are! Third, they could have called on any day between Monday and Friday for a refill. And, fourth, the only problem they will have is a child with increased distractability and hyperactivity (and for only 1-2 days).
3. Today, I had a father call, concerned about his child's symptoms. The 7 year old had a fever of 99-100 for less than 24 hours, cold symptoms, and a cough. The patient had albuterol and was using it as needed. He had no wheezing, no shortness of breath, no retractions. He had a cough. At this point, we had no appointments left. I triaged the call according to protocol. Based on his symptoms, etc., home management was recommended. The child had no symptoms warranting an urgent care or E.R. visit, or even a visit at our office. The father was concerned, as his child was born at 32 weeks gestation (let me remind you, the child is now 7 years old)! He then stated he was in the parking lot and demanded an appointment. I discussed the case with the on-call doctor, who agreed that an appointment wasn't necessary, but agreed to fit the patient in at the very end of the day. By this time, the father was standing in the waiting room with his child. The child was in no apparant distress. I offered them the appointment...to which they'd have to return 3 hours later. Guess what? Viral. No treatment done in our office.

I worked the day after Christmas. We saw over 200 patients and had 130+ calls. We were fully booked by 11:30am. It was BUSY! I also worked today (the day after New Years). We saw over 200 patients and had 120 calls. We were fully booked by around 1:00pm. It was also BUSY!

Mid-morning today, a 9 month old was seen for vomiting x 4 hours. No fever. No diarrhea. Urinated prior to the appointment (so no signs of dehydration). Exam was normal, other than the vomiting - there was nothing on exam that would have indicated anything other than a stomach bug. Patient was sent home to monitor and push fluids. Had the mom called to talk with the nurses earlier this morning, we would have given them home-care advice (as vomiting for 24 hours without other alarming symptoms or signs of dehydration is not a cause for worry). Just a few hours later, the parents called back. I spoke with the mother who indicated her child continued to vomit all clear fluids, was acting lethargic, and no longer making eye contact. I immediately sent them to the E.R. for evaluation. The patient's status now? She is at Children's in the PICU on a ventilator. She had seizure-type activity, which was determined to be a stroke, as a result of a brain tumor (tumor was diagnosed this afternoon). Prognosis is still to be determined, but is not good.

Patients call and complain. Sometimes they have a valid reason to complain, but many times they do not. Some simply need reassurance. Some need common sense. Some need education on the basics of illnesses. And still there are others. Those who feel as if life revolves only around their family. Those who feel entitled to immediate responses from nurses and doctors (regardless of the issue). Those who don't care that a more critical patient warrants our help first. It is to those parents to whom today's entry is written. Those are the parents who need to view life from someone else's eyes.

This is why my title today is perspective. Within less than 7 hours, a 9 month old goes from being "perfect" to having a brain tumor. No warning whatsoever. Perfect yesterday. Today, may not survive. I could go on to generalize perspective into all areas of life, but I won't. My message is not to tell you to live in fear. My post does not mean that I will embrace EVERY action of my two special kids (and in fact, stay tuned, as I'm sure they will be driving me crazy tomorrow). My post does not mean I will be thankful for Mason's medical issues (because at this moment, his pulse oximeter keeps alarming). My post does not mean I will be thankful for Lauren's anxiety issues (because I'm not - it breaks my heart). Instead, my message is simple: Tonight, tell your child you love them. Give them an extra snuggle time. Say an extra prayer. Be thankful for your children - even the things about them that drive you crazy!

And, if you are the parent waiting for a nurse or doctor to call back (unless of course, symptoms are life threatening), please be patient. Instead of becoming frustrated, ask yourself - is it possible that the nurse or doctor is caring for a patient whose needs are more urgent?

Disclaimer

2010-01-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

It's been MONTHS since I've posted anything on my blog - some of you have noticed. Some have not. You see, this past April while on vacation, I posted about events while on a trip with extended family members. That post was found offensive, despite the fact that specific names were not "named". Due to the conflict that ensued (and passive-aggressive behavior from the offended party), the post was removed and I decided to cease blogging on this site. I posted routinely on caringbridge, as well as facebook. During my hiatus from blogspot, I have had friends comment that they actually missed my updates - yes, even the sarcastic posts. To add to that, some of those same family members who criticized my posts, encouraged me to start blogging. One of those family members even delivered a newspaper article which toted the benefits and possible financial gains from blogging. Hmmmm.

That said, in 2010, I have decided to resume blogging, as time allows. I hereby give you my 2010 disclaimers:
1. Read at your own risk - I am choosing to exercise my rights of the First Amendment.
2. Events discussed will be truthful, unless otherwise noted.
3. I apologize in advance if I have offended you - My goal in writing is not to offended, but to discuss incidents of my life and day, which often involve family and friends.

Fun with Lauren

2009-04-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

I've been here with sick kid(s) since Sunday. Husband has been out of town since Sunday at 6am (before Mason's illness was evident). Today I sent Mason to school. Sure he was wheezing, but hey, they have his albuterol at school too! He hasn't had a fever in over 48 hours and technically, he could have gone to school yesterday.

Lauren on the other hand had a fever of 101 this morning. So, she and I hung out today. We went to the doctor. She was diagnosed as "viral". After the doctor and the orthodontist, we came back home and she wanted to watch T.V. She chose 'on demand'. No problem. So, I snuggled with her on the couch and took control of the remote. Pretty much I held her hostage while I turned on various 'on demand kids' shows for her enjoyment. Here's what we watched:

1. Kids Karaoke - The Ants go Marching (sang Karaoke)

2. Blue's Clues (of course I was answering Steve when he asked his questions)

3. Barney (sang along with him)

4. Baby Boost Hebrew with your infant (practiced my Hebrew)

5. Baby Boost Italian with your infant (practiced my Italian)

6. Hip Hop with Nikki (laughed at her)

Lauren was in hysterics, rolling on the ground in laughter, as I was enthusiastically chiming in with each show. After just 1-3 minutes on each show, I gave the remote back to her and let her watch her own program. Aren't I kind? She was able to watch her on-demand show for only a few moments. The school nurse called and we had to pick up Mason early from school.

Lethargy can be a blessing

2009-04-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes lethargy can be a blessing. Take yesterday and today for example. Yesterday Mason was LETHARGIC. Probably the "best" lethargic I've seen him. Didn't eat until dinner time (yogurt & a nutrigrain bar) and I had to push fluids all day. He watched 6 straight hours of movies. Today he perked up a bit (temperature of 103.1 this morning & 102.7 this evening). We took a field trip to the doctor, Home Depot (I needed a landscaping item), Bartells (for Mason's drugs). So, in the midst of all this, I decided to take advantage of the weather and get to work outside. It was time to get my vegetable garden going. Yesterday I worked on just the veggie garden. I pulled weeds, raked, filled it with more dirt, then planted! Then I put up landscaping edging (cedar things). We started most the vegetables from seeds - walla walla onions, lettuce, chives, cucumbers, peas. My tomato plants died, so I had to buy some 4-inch tomatoes. I was a gardening fool! All the while, Mason was on the couch watching T.V. I'd check in on him every so often and make him drink fluids, take his temperature, or give him albuterol. Lauren went to a baseball game for most of the afternoon.

This afternoon Lauren came home from school sick too. UGH! Fever of 102.4, etc. So, the duo laid down on the couch and watched a movie together. Mason went to sleep at 6:10. He actually ASKED to go to bed (a rarity around here). Lauren went to bed early too. So, after they were in bed, I headed to the front yard to start weeding and raking. Then I put new labels on the plants (that hopefully won't fade this year). I also had to dig up plants that didn't make it through our cold winter! I only got a small portion done since it got dark. Anyway, even though we don't want to be stuck with sick kids...sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise!

T-ball Rules

2009-04-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

I try to plan my schedule around important kid events. I go to almost every field trip. I even went on one last Wednesday. I've missed (I think), 3 field trips since Lauren was in preschool. 2 were because Mason was in the hospital (surgery, illness, or something). For those two field trips, my Dad went on one and Mark went on the other. The other one was because there was a drawing to pick the parents and I lost.

About a week and a half ago we got the t-ball schedule for games. The first one was today. And, I was scheduled to work. Which meant, I couldn't go! So, I explained to Mason why I couldn't go, and of course he was fine. We practiced t-ball yesterday after school with throwing, hitting, and catching. For a while he wanted me to pitch for him (and I'm not the best pitcher)and he actually hit the ball twice!

Anyway, today was the first t-ball game. They are the Giants - hilarious for the shortest kid on the team. They wear bright orange baseball caps and shirts.

Here are t-ball rules, as I understand them:

1. There are 2 innings

2. Every batter hits at each inning - and they bat until they hit the ball.

3. Each batter runs one base after they hit - except when the last batter is up, everyone runs around the bases to home plate.

4. There are no outs (even if you're out)!

5. No one loses (it's always a tie).

6. It doesn't matter if you miss the ball or run to the wrong base...everyone cheers for you.

Mason loved it. He told me all about it and can't wait for the next game. I wonder if he'll notice the difference between t-ball rules and "real" baseball when we go to the Mariners game tomorrow.

Mason antics

2009-04-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night, I'd had it with Mason.

First scenario: Lauren exited the house to the garage, to retrieve her backpack from my car. No problem. Problem was that Mason followed her and got INTO the car. When in the car he likes to buckle himself in the driver's seat, turn on lights, pull down the turn signal and turn on the washers (which don't do anything UNTIL you turn on the car). Anyway, Lauren ran inside to tell me that Mason was in the car. I ran out to the garage and couldn't see him. Where was he? HIDING under the dashboard from me. When I retrieved him, he was giggling!

Second scenario: Children were tucked into bed. Mason got out and complained about a tummy ache. Not the kind of tummy ache I had assumed. Do you know why? It was a bruise on his belly (from practicing diving at the pool that day) and he wanted a bandaid for it. So, I band-aided him and sent him back to bed. A few moments later the phone rang. It was Melissa (who was in the hospital for dehydration), so I chatted with her for about 3-4 minutes. As I left my bedroom and passed Mason's room, he was no longer in bed. And, he wasn't in his room. Lauren peeped up and said she thought he went upstairs. I opened the door to upstairs and heard NOTHING. As I walked up the stairs I stated "you have to the count of 3 to get down here or your bedroom door will be shut". 1-2-3. NOTHING. As I reached the top of the stairs I saw him. He had been hiding INSIDE the sliding cabinets in the very back.

Forward to Thursday morning. I was talking with the kids about my tomato plants. We'd started them as seeds and I had just put them outside a few days earlier to prepare them for planting. Unfortunately, the first night, the temperatures dropped to freezing. In April. So, I was explaining that the tomatoes were most likely dead, but I was hoping they might come back to life. Mason's response (without missing a beat) was "Mommy, they can come back to life like Jesus". Then, on the way to school he was singing He Reigns by the Newsboys. Only, he doesn't say hallelujah. He sings the chorus like this: 'Holly-hoo-haw Holly-hoo-haw he reigns'. Adorable.

Control the pet population

2009-04-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

There are times when I really feel that almost every family should have some sort of pet. There are other times when I envy those families who do not have a pet...especially a dog. Today would be one of those days. Little Zoe just hit the 6-month mark. That means it's time to be a responsible pet owner, and as Bob Barker says, "have your pet spayed or neutered". So, I took Zoe to the vet yesterday to do just that. Last time I had a pet spayed was 6 years ago. It was fairly straightforward and Maggie recovered in no time. This time was a whole new ballgame.

I did my research into the cost of "fixing" a dog. When Maggie was spayed, the Humane Society had low-cost clinics to control the pet population. Now, however, the low-cost spay/neuter clinics are only for those who qualify. We don't. Anyway, the price ranged from about $160 to well over $200 for the standard procedure. I also learned that there were a few options to the procedure. Did you know that there is more than one way to spay/neuter a pet? I am going to list a few of the standard vs. optional "upgrades" for your viewing pleasure.

Standard "scalpel" spay: $189.50

Upgrade option to a laser surgery: $29.50 (they claim that it's an easier recovery with less bleeding)

I.V. hydration: $79.50 (again, this is optional)

Tooth extraction: Don't remember the price quote, but this was to remove any remaining baby teeth

Microchip: $25.50 (this is now offered at ALL surgical procedures)

Cone: $14.50 (to prevent the pet from licking the incision site)

So, when you drop off your dog, you then "check the boxes" indicating which upgrades you'd like (if any). The things they don't tell you about are the medications for going home. That came to a total of around $16 more. Zoe also had an umbilical hernia (which we knew would be fixed at this time). Total came to only $55 for that. Luckily, the pulse oximeter monitoring was free...or I might have opted out of that too!

Zoe pulled through the surgery just fine. She has quite a few external stitches that will be removed in 2 weeks. I wrote my check and picked her up last evening. She ate dinner and slept through the night. This morning she went out and went potty - but only a small amount. I gave her her morning doses of 2 pain medications as prescribed (and as paid for). Then I offered her food. She refused. A little later, she took some food that I hand-fed her and drank some water. After that I took Mason to school, then Lauren to school. In a 2 hour period of time she vomited, had diarrhea, and was shaking. Back to the vet again. This time the diagnosis was for dehydration.

Here's today's actual fees:

Exam: $44.75 (excuse me, but this is all related to yesterday's surgery...shouldn't the exam be complimentary?)

Injection of 50cc of fluids: $25.25 (under the skin in the neck....it IS cheaper than an I.V.)

Injection of anti-nausea meds: $25.95

Antibiotic: $14.75 (just in case there is a post-op infection)
Probiotic packets: $19.50 (to help with the stomach issues)

Special food: $4.78

All for a grand total of $93.94. So, I wrote my check (AGAIN), and took Zoe back home after about 45 minutes in the vet. Guess what? About 4 hours later she perked up. She was walking around the house. Ate a little food and water (and kept it where it belonged). She even tried to run (but I had to stop her as she's not supposed to right now). So, to sum up...for a few hundred dollars YOU too can be a responsible pet owner and control the pet population! Or, perhaps it would be a wiser decision to invest that money.

As a side note, Zoe traveled with us to Palm Springs. If you follow the rules, the cost is $100 each way to put your pet under the seat in front of you. Oh, and you also have to have a note from the vet to document they are healthy (again, for a small fee). Now, we followed the rules on the way down. It was our first time traveling on a plane with a pet, and it was close to spring break. I didn't want the chance of them "catching us" and preventing us to travel. Anyway, NO ONE looked at the vet documents. NO ONE touched the dog. The only thing they did was collect $100 from me! So, could someone please explain to me WHY one should pay to put a carry on bag (that happens to have a pet) under the seat in front of you? I couldn't explain it either, so we skipped the official process on the way home. Guess what? NO ONE looked. And, Zoe was quite the entire flight. No whining, whimpering, or barking. No accidents either!

Upstairs

2009-03-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

The upstairs is "usable" now. The windows and screens are in, walls are painted, trim work has been painted, lighting is finished, extra heaters are installed, t.v. is on the wall, and "junk" has been moved back upstairs from the garage. The desk might even be ready to install tomorrow (or at least I'm crossing my fingers). The desk will be at the "back" of the room, behind the couch, under the angled ceiling (which was where the old ceiling was). We gained a ton of floor space. It's amazing!

The kids have now been let back upstairs to play. They were ecstatic to play with the things that have been stuck in the garage for 6+ weeks. Lauren even convinced Mason to play dress up with her (and she even dressed him)!

Murder?

2009-03-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Murder? Some might say it was. Some would say it wasn't. Me...I think it was an honest mistake.
Today was pretty much like all the rest. Take Mason to school. Take Lauren to school (via a quick stop to Starbucks). Come home. Work on Lauren's school auction stuff. Clean a little. Pack a few things for the upcoming trip. Go to Mason's school and pick him up early to go to the doctor (just a cold right now). Stop at Bartell's. Go back home. Go pick up Lauren. Come home. Let the dogs outside.
When I went to let the dogs back in (so that I could then take Lauren to piano...then Mason to t-ball), there was something furry on the deck. And it was moving slowly. I ran to let the dogs inside. But, Zoe (all 3 pounds 15 ounces of her) had IT in her mouth and was shaking it. When I opened the door, Zoe put IT down and I quickly barked instructions. Lauren (and yes she was shrieking) locked Maggie in the crate in the garage, while I locked Zoe in her crate. I went to evaluate IT. IT was a tiny wild bunny. And it was still alive and slowly moving. When it moved, it's back legs looked broken, but it was still breathing. Wanting of course to rescue it, I called the vet who gave me the numbers for a few animal rescue facilities. I grabbed an empty shoebox, put a junk towel in the bottom of it, picked up the bunny with another towel, and placed it in the box.
Now the dilemma was WHEN to take the bunny to the wildlife rehab place. Lauren's piano was in 15 minutes. So, there was no time. Between Lauren's piano and Mason's t-ball is 40 minutes (which is barely enough time to get home, eat dinner, and leave again). After t-ball meant it'd be close to 7pm. So, I took Lauren to piano and Mason and I came back to check on the bunny. I opened the box and it was just as I had left it, but not breathing. It had died. There was no external bleeding, so my unofficial diagnosis was internal injuries and shock. So I had to dispose of it.
Knowing that I had some time consuming tasks, it was McDonalds drivethru for dinner after piano lessons. While the kids ate, I started the decontamination process. First, Maggie. I donned by big boots and a pair of gloves (to keep my hands kind of warm). I tied her up to the deck and gave her a good outdoor bath. Lauren was my go-to girl who kept bringing me warm water from inside. Second, a good toothbrushing. While outside, I also hosed down the deck. Third, Zoe. She's easy and can be washed in the bathtub (since she doesn't leave mounds of hair everywhere). Fourth, brusing Zoe's teeth. Last, but not least, a good mopping of the kitchen floor (lest any bunny germs have been tracked through).
Now, back to the first sentence. Was it murder? The problem is that I don't know HOW the bunny ended up on our deck. It's possible it hopped. It's possible one of the dogs carried it. What I do know, is that Zoe was shaking the bunny just like she plays with her stuffed cat or duck (which are both the exact same size the bunny was). I'm going to vote that it was bunny-slaughter.

The house

2009-03-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Dad told Mark and I and Alli and Jay that we could each "have" some money from his mother's estate. The purpose was to use this money to do something to the house. In other words, it was not to pay bills or buy new clothes. But to use it towards something permanent.

The bummer is that there are SO many things we could do, so it was hard to decide. We finally decided on having our upstairs playroom ceiling raised. We literally had 4 feet in the center of "walkable" space. The sides came down abruptly. One side had sliding doors filled with storage (our only storage in the house). The other side we just lined up toys and TV against the ceiling. Here are two before picture (yes it was a mess). To make the space more interesting, I painted the entire room sky-blue and stenciled sunflowers and a picket fence (on the sliding doors) before Lauren turned 1. My sister helped do the clouds to finish off the room.

The bid for adding a dormer came in within the budget we were given on a Wednesday. The following Monday the construction started.

First, the ceiling was essentially removed. Next, new beams were added on the inside. The frame was built inside the house so when the side wall was removed, the frame could go up quickly. Unfortunately, during some of this process we had snow!

Next the outside siding was put on and then the window was added. Next came the drywall and "mud". Tomorrow starts the texturing of the wall and the priming.

The last things to finish are the lights; the paint; and the desk. Paint has been a pain in the rear. So far, the patchwork of colors I've tried upstairs. Color, to be determined!

That time of year

2009-03-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year. Baseball season! First, let me start by saying, I am angry at Ken Griffey. Not just irked. Really, quite mad! Why? Well, to start with, I brought my computer all the way down to Palm Springs for the sole purpose of purchasing tickets to opening day (April 14th) for the Mariners. Tickets went on sale at 10am. At 10:02 (literally), Meghan was on-line seeking our tickets. We were trying not to be too picky, but wanted to avoid last year's opening day fiasco of sitting by the fireworks (too loud for the kids) and being hailed, rained, and snowed on. So, the search began. Meghan kept getting "bounced" out on the computer. So, I tried too. Then I called Ticketmaster. The first time once I had a live body to talk to, I was disconnected. Next time, I was told there were NO seats available for 2 people to sit together (let alone both families). There were literally ONLY single seats available. While we did joke about just buying the seats and keeping eyes on the kids (wherever they were sitting), we figured we probably couldn't get away with that. And, frankly, how could I in good conscience ask them to make sure Mason didn't run away or choke. So, quite discouraged, we accepted the fact that neither of us would be going to opening day. And, it's all Ken's fault!

Now, on to people I do like today. Mason. It was his first day of t-ball!

I expected the worst. I envisioned him running to and fro and quitting when he was bored. Well, apparantly he had his listening ears on. He did GREAT! His little group of 4 kids rotated through catching/throwing; fielding; and hitting (while the other little groups rotated through the other positions too). He loved it. He thanked me over and over again for letting him go to t-ball. He listened to each coach and followed their instruction. It was adorable. His team is called the Giants (how appropriate for these little preschool and kindergartners). He goes to practice again on Saturday and hopefully it won't rain and he'll still like it. Watch out Ken Griffey Jr!

A break from the life

2009-03-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

1. Pick a weekend when to pawn the kids on the husbands or grandparents. CHECK!

2. Get time off from work. CHECK!

3. Pack a few clothes. CHECK!

4. Coordinate travel, transportation, and lodging. CHECK!

By last Wednesday, Erin Buehler, Meghan Anderson, and I had finished our check-lists and were on the way to the airport. Even though I do not "do" 4am wakings, I was more than ready to leave the house by 4:45. We were able to get on the 7am non-stop to Palm Springs on standby. As soon as the plane landed and we had our luggage, we took the taxi to my parent's condo. As soon as we were settled, it was to the store for necessities - beer, yogurt, and snacks. Next it was lunch and time for the pool and the sun. Our typical days consisted of a trip to Starbucks for morning coffee (we walked once - but drove the golf cart the remainder); Sun and pool time from around 10-3; Frozen yogurt in the evenings.

On Thursday, we "begged" our way into Splashtopia at the hotel. Miraculously, we got in for free. They had a moving river (with innertubes) and waterslides. Not to mention lunch and beverages by the pool. Ahhhhh. It was wonderful. On Saturday we walked around the street fair and found a few items we couldn't live without. We also drove to In-n-out for Erin to have her very first In-n-out burger (seriously)!

I must brag for a bit. It was pure Heaven to sit at a pool, read a book, listen to music, and talk with friends....all the while without being interrupted by our own children. I actually read (and finished) an entire book and about 7 smut magazines! Sadly, we had to go back to real life on Saturday night and woke to snow on Sunday morning.

So, to all the husbands we may badmouth from time to time - THANK YOU for our respite! And, we plan on doing it again next year!!!!

Birthday Palooza

2009-02-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

I love birthdays! Seriously. I look forward to them. I count down the days. I just love birthdays. However, the older I get and the less "exciting" the celebration tends to be.

This year was no exception. Mark & I planned to go out to dinner and a movie on Friday night. My parents were scheduled to babysit. However, Mom got sick on Thursday on the way home from a business trip. Sick sick. Fever, vomiting, etc. In fact, the plane had to stop while taxiing to the runway so she could run to the lavatory and puke. Serioulsy. So, needless to say, she wasn't able to babysit on Friday. Saturday I worked. Sunday (the actual birthday), mom was better (no fever, etc), but was weak. So, we went over there for dinner. Dad BBQ'd and Mom made a banana cream pie (my request).

Now back to the story. I received "the usual" calls. Got quite a few facebook Happy Birthday messages. But, I have a few "favorite" memories to discuss.

1. Grandpa's call. He's my last living Grandpa and lives in the boonies in Wyoming. He called and wished me a happy birthday, etc. We chatted a bit and joked around a bit. Then he said (with a chuckle)...."just think of how it feels to have a granddaughter who is middle age"!

2. The kids. Lauren has been taking piano lessons for a few weeks now. She's finally able to play the "white notes" too. So, she, Mark, & Mason composed a song for me while I was at work. Lauren accompanied Mark & Mason's singing, to the tune of "Old McDonald". Here's how it went:

Old McMommy had a birthday,

Boy was she getting old.

She had a birthday by the fire.
Boy was she getting old.

With a grey hair here and a grey hair there

Here a gray, there a grey, everywere a gray hair.

Old McMommy had a birthday.

Boy was she getting old!

3. Jackie's card. The card itself was cute. On the inside, Jackie drew her own illustration. She drew a picture of a hill. At one end was a person. At the other was a grave marker that said "RIP". At the top peak there was a line pointing to it, which said "how is it at the top"?

I may be mistaken, but the average life expectancy (according to the CDC) is 77.8 (and a little higher for women). Just for the record, I am not 38.4 yet! But, nonetheless you funny people....I still don't mind how old I am! But you might want to check back when I hit 40.

Please, no........

2009-02-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

For those who don't read Mason's caringbridge updates, I'm going to fill you in a bit.

Friday: Approximately 50 children are absent from Mason's school due to a stomach bug. And, through the grapevine I heard that the Public Health Department was called.

Monday: 77 children + 14 staff are absent from Mason's school due to a stomach bug.

Today: Approximately 30 children are absent from Mason's school due to a stomach bug. A letter is sent home from the principal informing the parents that "there has been an increase in student absences due to norovirus-like illness). Or, the stomach flu. The letter goes on to warn us that if your child has symptoms, to keep them home for 48 hours after symptoms have ended. The other side of the letter is information about Norovirus from the Public Health Department. It explains that the "symptoms often begin suddenly within 12 to 48 hours after exposure". The next section discusses how it is spread (contiminated objects or inhaling the virus when someone vomits); diagnosis; and prevention (wash hands.....).

Tonight we were at Pump-it-up for a birthday party. This was the first birthday party (from a classmate) that Mason has been able to attend. Mason has been talking non-stop about going since yesterday. When we pulled up to the building, the birthday girl and about 4 other classmates came LITERALLY running out of the door to our car to hug Mason (all the while screaming his name). The bouncing was terrific. I think I could've skipped my walk today, as I'm sure I burned more calories just jumping, sliding, and climbing the inflatables.

After bouncing, it was pizza time. There were two tables filled with classmates and their siblings eating pizza and drinking pop. One of Mason's good friends complained of a stomach ache and went to the bathroom with his mom. He came back a few minutes later, looking a little pale, but seeming fine. That is until about 3 minutes later when he vomited!!! AAAAHHHHHH.

When the kids and I got home I made them strip down in the laundry room (since I had to run around the house, I just took off the sweats and coat). Their clothes were immediately put in the washing machine and each was given a thorough bath/shower. Once they were in bed I scrubbed their shoes with Lysol (yes, even the soles). I tossed my clothes into the wash and took a shower too. Now, I'm just praying we all survive and do not end up with this awful bug. But....as I've told Meghan, if Mason gets it, he'll probably end up at Children's needing IV hydration, so she'd have to watch Lauren. :-)

Love

2009-02-03T10:43:00.001-08:00

Apparantly Mason has a girlfriend. Or, at least that's what he told me yesterday and again today.

He was invited to another classmate's birthday party at an inflatable bounce place. The whole class was invited (as has been the case all year - but we haven't been able to attend any yet due to scheduling conflicts, illness, etc). When I picked him up from school yesterday, he informed me that he was going to Mika's birthday party and was going to bounce all over. He was quite excited. Next, he told me Mika was his girlfriend. I chuckled and asked him if a few other girls in his class were his girlfriend. He said 'no, Mika is my girlfriend'. I kept chuckling and let him know that yes, he was going to her party.

Yesterday afternoon Lauren, Mason, & I went shopping for the gift. We went to Michael's since I had a coupon and knew they had some good craft-type gifts. As we're walking through, Mason is explaining to Lauren that he has to get a gift for his girlfriend's birthday party. He finds a few things and says, "oh, my girlfriend would like that". We settled on a wooden paint-your-own little jewelry box/vanity thing. It's cute.

As we're walking to the front of the store passing the fake flowers, Mason grabs my arm. "Mom, stop. My girlfriend would love a beautiful flower. See...". Both Lauren and I continue to wink at each other and just go along with Mason. "Mom, my girlfriend would love a rose". It was hilarious. But, we settled on the box/vanity thing.

This morning I wasn't greeted with a hello or good morning, like usual. I was greeted with "Oh, mom, it's my girlfriend's birthday party today after school". He was literally bouncing around the house ecstatic for the party.

Words from a 6 year old

2009-01-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today was another day of Mason on steroids. Nothing too bad to report. Same old side effects as usual. We had to run by the pharmacy to pick up the remainder of his antibiotic (they didn't have enough in stock on Monday). To put it in perspective, today at work, I called in an antibiotic for a 16 year old. It was Amoxicillin 500mg twice daily. Mason is currently taking 500mg THREE times a day.

Anyway, I bribed him to behave with a snack. If he was a good listener and didn't run off, he'd get a "bar" (Special K snack bar). As we walked up to the pharmacy counter, I asked if he wanted to tell them his name, so we could get his prescription (mind you, everyone in the pharmacy knows our first and last names). His response was, "no Mom, that's your job".

Lockdown part two

2009-01-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Keep in mind when reading this that he is currently on oral steroids. Steroids make him impulsive, defiant, agitated, and more. He tends to also make up stories, and to put it bluntly, lie. Sometimes it's little and I consider it more confusion. For example, "I had library today" when library was really yesterday. Or, "I went to recess today" when he really didn't, but wanted to (he couldn't as his pulmonologist wanted him inside to rest instead of recess this week).

So, yesterday I picked up Mason after school. He left his lunch bag (again...as did about 5 other K/1's) in the classroom. So, we turned around, walked in the building, and headed for the classroom. As per the usual, I asked about his day - what he did, who he played with, etc. The conversation went like this:

Cori - How was your day today?

Mason - Good Mommy. I went to the resource room.

C- Oh, and what did you do?

M- I played Starfall on the computer.

C-That's great. Was it fun?

M- Yes. We had a lockdown today.

C- No, sweetie. That was Lauren's school last week. You had a fire alarm on the same day.

M- Yeah. But, we have a lockdown today.

C- Well, Mason, it was a fire alarm and that was last week.

As we're walking down the hall, a K/1 teacher walks by. So, I ask her 'did you guys have a lockdown today'? Her response was "as a matter of fact, we did. It was a drill".

Needless to say, I apologized to Mason, and he proceeded to tell me it was "just practice" and he stayed in the resource room while it occurred.

Not a good sign

2009-01-22T18:00:00.001-08:00

It's never a good sign to drive into your child's school neighborhood and find 10 police cars (with lights flashing)blocking off the entrance to the school. It's even worse to hear that your child's school has been in lockdown. Hence was the scene today. But before I get to that....let me talk about picking up the first child from his school just 40 minutes earlier.

Today I arrived at Mason's school to pick him up. As I always do, I stood waiting outside near the exit for his class to appear. Shortly before the end-of-school bell rung, the fire alarm went off. There were flashing fire alarms, and the alarm sounding. Lovely. The principal came out with the bullhorn to announce that it was indeed a false alarm. Apparantly a student pulled the fire alarm. As the kids came streaming out to the front of the school, one class was missing. Mason's! There were a few of us parents waiting for our kids to come. They still didn't. At that point, it seemed like the rest of the school had left. Even the buses had left. Mason's class still hadn't appeared. Within a few seconds his class started streaming out the doors. The reason for the delay was that no one was allowed to enter the building until the fire department cleared the scene. Unfortunately, Mason's class exited the class for the fire alarm without their coats and backpacks. So, they had to wait for the doors to unlock to get their belongings. The kids who ride the bus had to wait in the office for their parents to come and pick them up.

After that excitement, we headed to Lauren's school to get her. It's located at the end of a neighborhood. I drove in behind a few cars....to see the flashing police lights. A car in the front of the line turned around and told us the school was in lockdown. She was told the kids were to be picked up at a different elementary school. I decided to wait to see for myself. The school district representative was turning cars around. He informed me there was a lockdown and kids would be picked up at a different high school. I pulled into a cul-de-sac to wait for a moment. Luckily Meghan and Jack were waiting with us too. Deanne was at the school, but didn't have her cell on. At that time the KIRO 7 helicopter was circling overhead. I called Mark, who checked on-line to see if there was a status update. The update was that they were in lockdown. I was then able to get through to the school and they verified all the students were safe, but they were in lockdown. A few minutes later the lockdown was over and police cars started to move. The parents and buses were allowed in. When we pulled into the pick up zone, there were still officers roaming the campus (with LARGE guns). Many officers with guns. Within the next few minutes, they headed up the hill and back to their cars. The kids were dismissed when the bell rang.

So, here's the rest of the story as we currently know it: The school had TWO lockdowns. The first occurred when a local community college had a lockdown drill. The loudspeaker could be heard for miles. The school (and a few other nearby elementary schools) locked down very briefly as the source was located. Then, as the 5th graders had recess, a few reported that they saw a man with a gun in the woods behind the school. That's when the lockdown started. Blinds were closed and all doors were locked. According to Lauren, they kids had to lay under their desks without talking for two hours. They could communicate by passing notes to each other. Here's the news link I found: http://www.kirotv.com/news/18543001/detail.html

Suprisingly, Lauren didn't seem too fazed by the whole ordeal. She said she was scared, but prayed not to be nervous. She explained the whole ordeal and how and why the kids were under the desks, etc.

All in all, it's time for a drink!

Another day

2008-12-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

Today marks day 4 of no school - even though there should be! They have already cancelled school for tomorrow. Now we will have 5 more days to make up...and we're already making up days due to the beginning of the year teacher's strike. Let me give you a quick recap of the last week.

Wednesday: School was closed in "anticipation of the impending storm", which did not happen on Wednesday. Granted Wednesday was only a half day, but I still hadn't planned on a day o'kids (and I had to call in 'absent' to work).

Thursday: We woke to snow. Mason was scheduled for surgery, so that meant numerous calls to Children's; last minute planning; and leaving as soon as we were given the "come now" call.

Friday: Came home from Children's in the snow. Played in the snow.

Saturday: More of the same.

Sunday: More of the same.

Monday: More of the same - as we woke to 4 more inches. Luckily, I was scheduled to work & the office had "adverse condition hours". This meant we were open from 10-3:30. So, I had Mark take me to the Factoria office so I could work there. Hallelujah! He picked me up at 1:30 as I had a 2:00 appointment with a hand specialist to evaluate "a tumor". It's some sort of "mass" on my left hand. Tonight Mason spilled his juice all over the kitchen floor. That required major mopping and cleaning. I guess I should be thankful for that, as the floors are disgusting - courtesy of the snow!

Tuesday: So, tomorrow, the excitement will be....work. Then an MRI of "the tumor". But, at least it gets me away from everyone for awhile.

Oh the weather outside...

2008-12-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And, since we've no place to go...DON'T SAY IT! It's been cold and snowy for over a week now. Last Monday was Grandpa's memorial service. We stood outside (undercover) at the cemetary in well-below-freezing temperatures with snow on the ground. The only day the snow decreased was on Wednesday when schools were closed "in anticipation of the impending storm" (THAT WASN'T).

But, the storm came on Thursday. It's been snowing on and off since then. Luckily, the 70+ MPH wind they forecasted did not come. So, thankfully we have power. I LOVE the snow. I truly do! It is beautiful. But, I much prefer "building" snow, not just dry snow. By my measurements, we've had 11 inches of snow - I measured tonight! Our little lights which are on stakes to line the driveway are completely covered. And, the news is calling for 3-6 more inches of snow.

Thanks to an SUV and paved roads in Bellevue, we have made it out and about. Today we went to my parent's for lunch and to see the cousins. After lunch, it was back home since it was snowing again. We were supposed to celebrate Grandma's 85th birthday today, but due to the weather, the restaurant cancelled.

The kids LOVE the snow almost as much as I do. And, Maggie, the dog loves it even more! So, tomorrow, there is no school AGAIN. Which means, (I assume) we'll need to make up at least 4-5 more days of school somewhere. Oh well.

In September when the schools were on strike, I made TONS of raspberry freezer jam to give to friends, family, and teachers (p.s. friends, if you are reading this...yes you're getting freezer jam). A few weeks ago I purchased the gift bags. Last week I cut out fabric and covered the lids. While Mason was having surgery on Thursday, I made gift tags. So, in all the snow, I learned a lesson. The lesson is this: If I get ALL the teacher Christmas gifts (a.k.a. holiday gifts) prepared in advance there won't be snow! Hmmmm, I'll have to think about that for next year.

The other lesson, is that Maggie CAN indeed stay inside by herself and not destroy or urinate all over everything - even if we're gone for a few hours!!!

Are you kidding me?!

2008-12-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

Email I received from Lauren's school this morning: School has been cancelled today (Wednesday, 12/17) because of the impending storm.

From the school district website: Bellevue Schools are closed today, December 17, because of uncertain weather forecast and safety concerns for students and staff.

If you've lived in Washington for more than a few days, there is one fact we know for certain. Weather forecasters are wrong! Now, I'm not saying the "big storm" may not come today. But, I am saying that historically, the forecasters are wrong. Take yesterday for example. We were supposed to get 2-6 inches overnight. As I look outside, we have no more snow today than we did yesterday. Roads are still fine. Take earlier in the week, they forecasted our high in Bellevue would not be above 22. Well, it was.

But, the "thoughtful" school district decides to close school (on a half-day no less) just in case it does snow. Hmmm. If it does snow later today, that would most likely mean school will be closed on Thursday too. So, why not on Friday also? WHY in the world would administration decide to close school IN CASE of a storm? I understand kids safety, transportation, and all the rest. But, truly to close on the chance that there will be snow? Perhaps they should invoke a rule where kids cannot attend IF they might become ill during school hours too!

Don't you go dying on me

2008-12-06T20:42:00.003-08:00

(picture from 9/08)To quote one of my favorite lines from the movie Dumb and Dumber...."Seniore citizens, although slow and dangerous behing the wheel, can still serve a purpose....Don't you go dying on me".

Yesterday, Good Grandpa did just that. He passed away at 2:30pm on Friday at Evergreen Hospice. He'd been in un-perfect health for a LONG time. He just kept plugging away. He'd been through a quadruple bypass; stents; fainting episodes, a hijacking attempt at Seatac in the '80's. And the list goes on. Ever since Mark & I started dating 1600 years ago (oh, I mean 16), it has always been Grandpa's last Christmas. We've truly joked about that every year. Each year Grandpa was with us, we were very blessed. He made it to both my sister's and my wedding. He was able to meet Lauren, Mason, and both my sister's children. That in and of itself was a HUGE blessing.

On November 14 Grandma awoke and Grandpa seemed unresponsive. 9-1-1 was called and they transported him to Evergreen Hospital. Within a few hours he was transferred to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. I arrived mid-day and met Grandma and Dad there. Grandpa was weak, but despite his dementia, he was "with it" enough to make jokes and knew who we all were. His vital signs were crummy (heart rate and blood pressure were very low). He was transferred later to the medical floor. They decided to change some of his medication to hopefully improve his vitals. He was discharged the next week with a catheter to home. The doctors and social work decided to have hospice come to their home and expected he had about 3-6 months left on earth. He spent Thanksgiving at home with Grandma and Uncle Fred & Aunt Faith. He even ate a good dinner. The next day however he was not doing well. The hospice nurse decided to have him transferred to Evergreen Hospice near the hospital. Quickly his condition deteriorated. Within a few days he was no longer opening his eyes, able to eat, or producing any urine.

We arrived home from Maui late Thursday night. Mom and Dad drove me to see Grandpa while Mark drove the kids home and even unpacked all the suitcases (and put the kids clothes away)! Grandpa's lungs were filled with fluid and you could hear him "gurgle" with each breath. Yet, he was peacful. He was obviously in the last stages and was taking LONG pauses between each breath. Mom and Aunt Lynda spent the night there. On Friday morning he was still alive.

After work I drove up to see him again. Uncle Fred and his wife Faith, Aunt Lynda, Uncle Ken and his son Scott, Mom, and Grandma were in Grandpa's room. His breathing was not as labored as the previous night. We were all in his room being just as noisy and obnoxious as always (it's a very noisy family). Just before 2:30 Grandpa opened one eye and started to stir. Next he opened the other eye. We all quickly stood around the bed and were touching him. Grandma stood by him and stroked his head while talking to him. She named everyone in the room. She told him she loved him. She told him we all loved him and what a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather he had been. He looked around the room. He smiled with his mouth wide open then gazed towards the ceiling. Immediately I knew he was leaving the earth. All I could think while watching him smile, was that he was entering Heaven. Slowly his eyes closed. As his breathing became shallow, his coloring changed. I knew (I think before the others) that he was gone. He never gasped. He simply stopped breathing, very peacefully. After a few moments I went to ask the hospice nurse to come in. She confirmed he had passed away.

A short while later the nurses explained that when the family was ready, they would clean him and provide him with a quilt. I stayed while the others left - I didn't want him to be alone, even though I knew he was gone. 4 nurses came in. They respectfully removed the oxgyen and removed his catheter. One brushed his hair. The other put his lower set of dentures in (the uppers were already in). They provided him with a clean sheet and a quilt. The other placed a electric candle in the window (this is their procedure once someone has passed away). They re-situated him in the middle of the bed and folded his hands on top of each other in a peaceful way. He looked just like always and you kept expecting him to take another breath. Everyone came back in when they were finished. We stayed in the room with him and told a few more stories. There were tears, but also many laughs. Shortly before 4:30, my cousin Monica arrived to say goodbye to Grandpa too. Each of us said our final goodbyes to Grandpa around 4:30 and left the hospice facility.

This is my 3rd Grandparent to pass away in the past 8 months. Mark's last remaining Grandma passed away earlier this year too. The deaths of my other two grandparents were not so difficult. We were not very close (by their choice - a long story for another time). But, Grandpa was my favorite Grandpa. He will be greatly missed.

This evening, on the way to my parents house to have dinner with the relatives, Mason commented on Great Grandpa. He said "great Grandpa won't be there. He is in Heaven".

Hawaii

2008-12-06T20:42:00.001-08:00

To be continued later....

Tootsie Pops

2008-11-18T19:37:00.001-08:00

Tootsie Pop "sticks" are not for eating. Could someone PLEASE tell Mason that?

For those who think I'm a careless mother....I'm not. Yes, he did indeed chew/eat most of the stick. Good news is that it is made of paper which does break down pretty easily in the stomach. At least he did agree afterwards that it didn't taste very good.

UPDATE: Hours after posting this, guess what I found?! The lollipop stick in the car. Turns out the kiddo DIDN'T eat the stick.

How I won my new Cricut!

2008-11-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

Last night at the Scrapbook Convention Friday Night Crop, the contest to win a cricut was to write a song to a familiar tune and turn it in. From the box of songs, they picked the top 5. We had to sing the song and then they were voted on by the audience by the 'applause-o-meter'.

So, here's the song...Sung to the tune of 'On Top of Spaghetti' or 'On top of Old Smokey'. Composed with the assistance of Beth Soderlund and Michelle Robblee.

In front of me I see,

a cricut machine

my husband won't buy it

because he's so mean.

Oh I need a cricut

I need it so bad

'cause if I did buy it

my husband 'b mad.

Oh I can just see it,

on top of my desk

If I could just win it

my husband'd get sex.

You think I am joking,

believe me I'm not

I need a new cricut

so I don't leave distraught.

Growing up

2008-11-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

I consider myself rather organized. So, when my son asked for a coloring book, I went to the "craft closet" (which also serves as a little coat closet). I bring down the coloring book bin. Nope, not the right one in there. I bring down the workbook bin. Nope, the desired book isn't there. Next I bring down the watercolor bin. He pulls out Nemo, then decides to put him back too. One by one he doesn't like the options of our surplus of coloring books. I pull down the last coloring book bin. I pull out a Sesame Street coloring book. Then I pull out an Elmo coloring book. I exclaim, "oh, Elmo - that would be fun to color". Mason's response.... "No, Elmo is for babies".

21

2008-11-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

The conversation at dinner tonight:

Mason - I'm thirsty. I want more to drink.

Cori/Mark - No, you've had enough to eat and drink.

Mason - I want wine.

Cori/Mark - You are not old enough. How old do you have to be to drink wine?

Mason - Twenty-one

Need I say more?

At least he's not a blob

2008-11-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

"At least he's not a blob". Those were the words of encouragement the pediatrician gave us this evening.

Mason is sick again. Not a big surprise. On Sunday and Monday he was downright irritable, fussy, angry, and all around nasty! We attributed it to the time change and the fact that he woke much earlier than he should have. I figured the majority of his hideous attitude was due to sleep deprivation. Yesterday afternoon, since it was sunny, both kids played outside for awhile. I attributed the runny nose to the cold air (and yes, I did believe that - once we came inside, there was NO nasal drainage). Which leads to today. He woke in his usual manner, but was a little wheezy. Appetite, activity, and everything else were fine. After school, the illness started in much better force. The nose was greenish/yellow. Lungs were tight and wheezy. By 5pm, when we were at the doctor, he had a low grade temperature.

Needless to say, at the doctor he did not feel well. He refused to get off the doctor's "wheely" stool. I had to physically remove him. He refused to take off his shirt. I removed it for him. He refused to let the doctor look in his ears. I physically removed his hands from his ears to let the doctor look inside. He refused to open his mouth. So, the doctor pulled out a tongue depressor and I told him if he didn't open his mouth, I would and it would hurt. He finally opened his mouth.

So, as Mark and I are sitting there rolling our eyes over the discussion of oral steroids again, the doctor said, and I quote, "at least he's not a blob". True enough. He went on to explain how high functioning Mason is. He explained that Mason's "will" also shows us that he is cognitively doing well too. I guess we have to be thankful for that - despite how CRAZY his "will" makes us.

Halloween

2008-11-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Halloween. The kids woke up excited. Mason wished everything and everyone a Happy Halloween. Mason was having a party at school, so he actually was able to wear his spiderman costume under his clothes (but chose to be a Clone Trooper for the evening events)! Lauren had to wait until after school to put on her outfit. She was Kit Kittredge, American Girl. Grandma Sherry MADE her costume, which looks just like the "real Kit". We did our standard trick or treating at Herb and Deb's early in the evening. Next it was on to Grandma's. After a quick dinner it was time for Trunk or Treating at church. I sent the trio without me (thinking I could get a few things done & hand out candy here).
Mark called shortly after they arrived to tell me his Dad was AT church passing out candy. As the story goes, the kids "trunk or treated" at his Dad's car. He was decked out in a beard, mustache, and even padded his clothes to appear larger. He used an accent and none of them recognized him. As they were moving on to the next car, this "strange man" grabbed Mark's arm and said "you don't even know who I am, do you?". To which Mark replied, "no, I don't". Long story short, Mark's Dad whispered that it was him, to Mark's amazement and shock. The kids were elated! I drove down and met them all at church to check out the carnival games and to see Mark's dad. After Trunk or Treating was over, Mark's dad came back to the house. The kids get to spend the whole weekend with Pop Pop, and everyone is thrilled.

Done with life

2008-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm tired.Tired of what? Tired of being me! Tired of my life!
SINGLE LIFE:You see, even though I married 12 years ago ("till death do as part"), I have become a single mother. A single mother who also works. Granted, not full time, but for the next I-don't-know-how-many-months, I am working while the kids are in school from 3-4 days per week and the regular weekends. Yes, I know there are many single mothers who work full time, pick up their kids from daycare, maybe feed them dinner, and tuck them in. Some are happy with this life. I, however am not!
WHEN THE HUSBAND SHOWS UP AT HOME: Mark started a new job almost 2 years ago. Travel was one component. His travel increased to the point that it was Monday through Friday for 6-7 weeks in a row. Then he decided he'd have AT LEAST one day per week home. That week day would be a "work from home" day - which meant he could catch up on home issues and take calls as needed. Somewhere in the past few weeks, this "great idea" has vanished. Take this past Monday for example. He agreed to drop Lauren off at school...and then would be home to catch up on a few things (aka "work from home"). I was volunteering at Mason's school to do vision screening from 8am-12. Funny thing. He went into work. Oh, yes, he did come home around 12:30. He also made a point to tell me he'd purchased himself lunch. But me, no. Why think about others? He left again for an afternoon of conference calls. Monday night, I stated I wanted to discuss future travel plans. It's very hard to do that when one is obsessed with facebook. So, at around 9pm, I said, "you know, if you stopped facebook now, you could hang up the blinds you promised to do YESTERDAY". Guess what! The blinds are still on the living room floor. And, it's not that I hate facebook altogether. It's that I hate the possibility of what could be. I don't think it's appropriate for women to send "private" messages or "gifts" to men. Apparantly, I'm the only one. See, while some are busy on facebook, trying to rack up the number of their "Friends", others of us are left at home, and are neglected. And the housework is neglected. It's just not OK. It's also not OK to show up at home for 2 days and do nothing because you are "sick" or "tired". But, for the past two weekends, that's what Mark has done. Two weekends ago, he somehow got mason to nap (because then Mark gets to nap too, while Lauren watches TV or plays on teh computer). But then after naptime, he also let them watch an entire other movie. See, I don't get that privledge. If I don't do "my chores", no one else is going to pick up after me. I've actually tested and proved this theory. In fact, Mark actually told me on one weekend to lay down and rest....that I could do those things later! 'I', not "we".
THE WEBCAM: It's a great invention. What fun it is to see the other person at their place and talk, while they can see you. What is annoying, is that the webcam is not portable. You can't be playing outside or eating breakfast or getting in the car and talk on the webcam. It's not possible. On a cell phone, yes. Webcam, NO. But, being that he WANTS to use the webcam, he chooses to call at the most inopportune times. For example, we leave at school at the same time EVERY MORNING! Why would you call then to chat? Bedtime is virtually the same time every night, so why would you call then? And, no, I'm not keeping "your kids" from you. It's a pain in the butt to wrangle them up when they are playing outside in the sun! And, I choose not to get them out of bed to talk to you when it's bedtime. Yesterday he called as we were on the way home from school (same time as always). He wanted to talk as soon as we arrived home. Problem is, is that the kids need to get their homework done. I had already promised that as soon as homework was done, they could watch High School Musical 2 (since HSM 3 comes out on Friday). There was no way, I was interrupting homework for a phone call. When we called back after homework, guess what! He wasn't available. So, I kept my end of the promise and let them watch the movie. He called mid-movie to talk again. Neither kiddo wanted to get up from their seats (aside from when they were dancing). Then, he called back after bed time. Seriously - use a clock! Well, we called this morning, but guess what. He wasn't available. I guess the moral is, for those of us who do NOTHING (like me), we should drop everything to talk via webcam.
NOTHING: Let me tell you about the "nothingness" of my days. Where to start (since there is so little to discuss). Let's just discuss this current week.
Monday - Fix lunches; take Mason to school; volunteer from 8-12 at Mason's school for vision screening; come home and change sheets and clean both kids rooms; get call from Lauren's school nurse and talk to Lauren about an injury; email mason's teachers about his performance; pick up Mason; pick up Lauren & Thornley from school; drop Thorns off; sit down for 40 minutes with kids as they do homework; take Lauren to/from a birthday party; mop kitchen floor; do some congregational care work.
Tuesday - Fix breakfast; fix lunches; drop off Mason at school; drive carpool to Lauren's school; go to ENT; have CT scan of sinuses; come home; change my sheets; clean bathroom; start dinner (crock pot); clean laundry room (Mark's job - but he refuses to actually clean all the lint balls off the floor); go to the gym to work out with Michelle; pick up Mason; drive carpool home; do homework with both kids; assist Mason with thank you notes from his birthday (oh, yeah, to Mark's parents); open scholastic box; divide all books for Lauren's classmates in separate bags; pack Lauren's halloween outfit (for girl scout party on Wednesday); mop kitchen floor again (spaghetti spill); tuck kids in; pack up Mason's swimming stuff (for Wednesday); do more congregational care work; empty garbages (Mark's job - he likes to "forget" some); take all 3 garbage dumpsters to the street.
Today - Fix breakfast; fix lunches; drop Mason off at school; take Lauren to the twins house (their day for carpool); go to work; pick up Mason; take him to swimming; eat lunch (yogurt); come home; play outside with Mason; bring garbage cans back from street; clean outside toy bin; sweep a little; pick up dog poop from outside; go to girl scouts; watch their performance; come home; do homework with kids; play outside with kids; clean up; take Lauren to kids choir; put Mason in bath; receive call that Lauren is injured and needs to come home; get mason out of bath and race to church; bring Lauren home; tend to her; tuck kids in; clean pantry floor; type my "angry" blog. Oh, yes, and in the midst of this "nothing-ness", feed the dog; help Mason with occupational therapy homework; adapt Mason's homework for him; reply to emails from his therapists, teachers, etc. And, that's just a synopsis. There are so many other things that I just do routinely (Laundry on a daily basis, straightening up, etc).
So, that sums it up. I'm tired. I'm mad. And, well, the next week will be exactly the same as this! Me and the kids.

The glasses

2008-10-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Good news on all fronts! Mason's lost glasses have been found.

He's had the glasses for almost 2 months. He was wearing them fairly well - but nonetheless, they did require constant adjustments. He would pull them off, put them on, stretch them out, etc. So, once to twice a week, we'd get them fixed. Hence, the back-up glasses. It made it a bit easier. On one of the two pairs, one lens kept falling out. When I'd pick him up from school, the teacher would hand me the frames and the lens. So, two weeks ago, Mark took both pairs of glasses to be repaired at Costco, and came home with both pairs (I saw them both). Sometime that day, one pair disappeared. For one week I scoured the house top to bottom. Under the couches, under cushions, behind other objects, in favorite hiding spots. I looked EVERYWHERE. I finally gave up. In the meantime, with the pair he had left, the lens kept falling out. So, last week Mark took the pair of glasses back to be repaired again - and this time, they sent the glasses back to the lab! So for one week, no glasses. Yesterday, Mason and I were outside. He was playing here, there, and everywhere. When he came inside, he was wearing GLASSES! I asked him where he found them. He found them in his little power wheels car in the back yard. I think that was the ONE place we didn't search! Hallelujah. We don't have to spend money on another pair of glasses! (being that we just spent $95 on the locksmith)!!!!

This is dedicated to Meghan

2008-10-16T19:21:00.001-07:00

This morning I was awakened at 7:05am by the telephone. It was Meghan. Praise the Lord for my Meghan wake-up call! Due to her timely call, it left me with 30 minutes to get myself and the kids ready for school. Hence, why I dedicate this to Meghan.

Being that it is now Thursday, let me take you back to Tuesday night. Mark came home late that night from a trip (for which he left again for on Wednesday at 6pm). He is still recovering from bronchitis (which he was diagnosed with last Saturday at the urgent care, after I couldn't listen to him cough any more without being evaluated). Anyway, it was very nice of him to come home for Mason's birthday. But, that meant he was coughing and snoring ALL night. I think there was an hour spurt in there where I was wide awake as he was coughing and retching.

That brings us to Wednesday morning. It was Mason's birthday. Lauren woke us at 5:55 to ask if we could wake up Mason. As soon as he woke, he opened a few presents in the kitchen before breakfast. Mark & I brought cupcakes to his class. We brought him McDonalds to lunch and ate with him in the cafeteria (good idea Jen). We celebrated all day. In the afternoon Mark left for his trip. The rest of us had spaghetti at Grandma & Grandpas. After opening more presents, it was time for homemade cake - a clown face - which my mom spent two hours decorating. The kids went to bed as soon as we got home.

This brings us to "technically" Thursday. By that I mean 1am. I was wakened by Lauren. She informed me that Mason was awake. So, I stumbled into his room and found him on his rocking chair, peeking out his window. About an hour later everyone was back to sleep. At about 3:40am, I woke up again to close everyone's doors. Apparantly I fell back asleep and slept right on through my alarm at 6:15am.

Which brings us to the rest of Thursday. After Meghan (my alarm clock) woke me, I realized how MUCH I can truly get done in 30 minutes: Kids dressed; kids fed; dog fed; beds made; lunches made; blinds opened. To make it even better, I showered, got ready (including makeup) and had the kids to school ON TIME!

After dropping them off at school, I ran to Oil Can Henry's for oil (obviously). Headed back home and had 45 minutes to get a few things done. Was sidetracked by Church issues. Met Deanne for lunch. Raced back home to be here for another friend to drop off her son Wyatt at 12:30 (so I could babysit while she had a doctor's appointment). Played with Wyatt. Went to pick up Mason - Wyatt safely in a stroller as he likes to run away too. Heard from my friend that she hadn't been seen by the doctor yet. Came back home. Let the boys watch a little T.V. All three of us head to pick up Lauren. Head to speech and arrived 15 minutes late due to the HORRID construction delays on Coal Creek. Both boys fall asleep on the way. Call Mason's speech therapist to let her know we are indeed coming. Arrive at speech and ask her to come get Mason, since Wyatt is still asleep. Within seconds, Wyatt's mom pulls in and retrieves him. Come home from speech. Hear a loud crash. Mason has broken the light to his room (which was removed a few days ago again). Explain that the kids' bathroom is off limits until I clean up the hazardous area. Fix dinner & multitask at the same time to help with homework. Do dishes. Do the "shower/bath" countdown. Encourage hoodlums to get ready for bed. However, at this point, the bathroom door is still locked. Find appropriately labeled key to unlock it (oh, yes, 2 weeks ago, I labeled all the keys). Discover the labeled bathroom key does not work. Curse under my breath. Find other bathroom key. Discover it too doesn't work. Call locksmiths. Get estimates. Put children in our shower. Call another locksmith. Put children to bed. Let locksmith in. Have bathroom unlocked. Pay $95 for 5 minutes of "breaking and entering". Clean up glass from bathroom. And, now, sit down to write this.....and work on issues for meeting with Mason's teachers tomorrow afternoon.

Orthodontia

2008-10-09T22:18:00.001-07:00

Back in "the day", orthodontia seemed a bit barbaric. It was painful. Really painful. Having impressions made seemed to take forever. You sat in the chair with a huge tray of the plaster-tasting impression material in your mouth for about 5 minutes. Finally, they'd remove it. It would be shipped to a lab to make the mold of your teeth and then it would be returned. X-rays were taken with "x-ray film". It had to be developed, then put on the "light boxes" to view. Taking a picture of your smile meant you wouldn't see the photo until it had to be developed. Braces were fairly simple: Silver brackets, silver wires, clunky metal, and standard "ties". No options. And, to make it even better, you had the priviledge of just laying in the chair, listening to elevator music. Yippee. My old orthodonist retired years ago. We figure my treatment alone probably bought his summer home (expanders, braces x2, jaw surgery, retainers, "chains" to bring one tooth down, bite guard, etc).

My how the years have changed the practice for orthodontists everywhere. Last week for example, Lauren had an orthodontic consult. After the FREE consult, they actually had time to start the process. We didn't have to schedule the next appointment to have all the preliminary "tests" and scans done. First were the photos. Of course in digital. Next were the impressions. She was able to pick the flavors of her choice for the impressions (from about 20 choices). She chose pina colada for the uppers and root beer for the lower teeth. It took all of about 60 seconds for the impression to be completed, once it was in her mouth. Next were the spacers (rubber bands). They put them in rather quickly and she was done. Within 3 days we had a letter from the orthodonists outlining the findings and discussing treatment.

Today the actual orthodontia began. Of course there was the first issue of business. How we would pay. After that was done, it was time to discuss what would occur today. Everything was on the computer. The impressions were even on the computer in 3-D images. I have a copy they printed so I could show Mark. Next it was time for the torture session. First the bands on the back teeth were sized. No problem for Lauren. Next was another impression to custom-make the expander. Lauren's flavor choice today was vanilla. 60 seconds later it was done. The impression was taken to the lab (inside the office) and finished within minutes. Seriously. A few minutes later, a tech came out with the custom made expander. While the impression and expander were being finished, the brackets/braces were put on. Again, no problem. A little glue and the bracket was placed and turned the correct direction without pain. And, there were even smaller brackets for smaller teeth. Amazing. Next the wire was put on. Next were the "ties" or little rubber bands. Lauren was able to choose whatever colors she wanted. They had almost every color possible - including glow in the dark. Last the expander was cemented in. And, I might add, there was no elevator music. Each chair had it's own Nintendo DS system to play. Lauren played PacMan. Good news is that over the next year, she'll have time to improve her score. Aside from hating the taste of the expander glue, she didn't complain at all. She was a pro!

Once the equipment was finished, they took us to another room to discuss care of braces and expanders. Then they discussed their incentive program. Every time you come in, you can earn tokens. Then they have prices you can redeem your tokens for. Again, I was never rewarded for the pain of orthodontia.

After it was all over, she didn't even complain of pain (although I do anticipate complaints of pain tomorrow). When we got to the car, I gave her a little gift of a pair of earrings. She was ecstatic. Bottom line, kids these days have it MUCH easier then we did!

Caller ID

2008-10-07T12:10:00.001-07:00

Caller ID. It can be a great feature. Sometimes, I will look at the incoming caller and I can actually CHOOSE to answer or not answer. Other times, if I am on a call, I might not look at caller ID and ignore whomever is calling. Other times, I'll look at the ID and hang up on whomever I was on the phone with originally. It's not that I'm trying to be rude or play favorites. It's just that sometimes you do have to take the other call.

Take today for example. My cell phone rang, but I was in the bathroom and didn't answer it. A few minutes later the home phone rang (and I was out of the bathroom) so I answered it without looking at the incoming number. It was Lauren's school. She had forgotten her lunch. So, like the good mother I am (despite the fact that Mason called me a "very bad mommy" this morning - as I wouldn't let him watch more T.V.), I said I'd drive to Lauren's school and drop off her lunch. I might add at this time, that I did ask Lauren if she got her lunch and she said 'yes'. Apparantly, when she departed from the car, I should have asked her if she also remembered to pick up the lunch from the floor of the car and take it with her to school! Anyway, Lauren received her lunch.

So, two hours later, while talking to Jackie (long distance), the call waiting rings. I hang up on her as I recognize the phone number as belonging to Mason's school. Great! So, I answer it. It's his "helper" (who helps monitor his eating at lunch and recess to make sure he doesn't run away). During recess, he was climbing up the ladder. She was standing behind him and he lost his footing. He slipped through the rungs and was hanging on. She tried to reach him, but he fell through and landed on his feet, then his rear. So, she took him to the school nurse (who he visited on a regular basis last week for his albuterol) and he was still complaining of a hurt pinky finger. Anyway, she wanted to call before she left school. I thanked her for her call and said I'd look at him after school.

The morale to this story: DON'T answer the phone if it's from the school!

What I didn't want to hear

2008-10-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

To add to this crazy week, we took both kids to a consult appointment at an orthodontist. Last week at Mason's dentist appointment, (to evaluate two permanent teeth growing behind two very solid baby teeth), she advised that he'd have to have at least two teeth extracted. Since he has trachea issues, it would have to be done at Children's under general anesthesia. Since it must be at Children's, she wanted us to have an orthodontic consult to see if anything else should be done while they are "in there". I asked if we should bring Lauren to the orthodontist now, and she said yes. The good news is that the orthodontic consults are FREE. Yes, FREE. Not one dime!

Here is a summary of Mason's report from the orthodontist:

-Class 3 Lower jaw and teeth are displaced to the front of the upper jaw structures.

-An underbite is present

-Space available for upper teeth is severely insufficient

-Space available for the lower teeth is mildly insufficient.

Recommendations: To have 8 (YES, EIGHT) teeth extracted (4 upper; 4 lower) and to be reevaluated in 6 months.

Here is a summary of Lauren's report from the orthodontist:

-Class 1 The first molars are in a normal relationship

-Space available for the upper teeth is excessive

-Space available for the lower teeth is excessive

-Right posterior crossbite is present

Recommendations: Maxillary expander; Partial maxillary appliances; First phase treatment (estimated treatment for 12 months).

So, Lauren will begin the long road of orthodontia next week. The good news is that she will not have to undergo as much as I did (from second grade - expander, braces, extractions, surgery, etc - and "graduated" my sophomore year in COLLEGE). The bad news, is that this "free consultation" will cost a pretty penny. Anyone want to donate to the "Ponte beautiful smiles" fund?

The healthy child

2008-10-03T20:13:00.001-07:00

It's been a LONG week! My sickly child Mason continues to be sick. Good news is that he made it 7 WHOLE DAYS at school before he got sick. Thank goodness there was a strike...he made it to the end of September without antibiotics. He's now on round two of antibiotics, and oral steroids (which make him evil). His oxygen levels last night were hovering around the low 90's. This morning he was actually sounding better and his oxygen was in the mid-90's. So, being that he had no fever, is on antibiotics, and the school can administer albuterol, I sent him!!

This morning when Lauren woke up and the lights were on, I noticed her eye looked a little red. Then, I noticed there was a little drainage. NO - NOT PINK EYE! After dropping the "sickly child" off at school, it was off to the doctor with the "healthy child". The nurse practitioner walked in and joked, saying "oh, I wasn't expecting you" (referring to Lauren vs. Mason). She evaluated her and then asked "how long has she had the cold for"? I staggered through my words, as I said "I can't remember - a week or more - it's been mild - she's my healthy one - Mason's been sick". We both laughed. I then joked, "how red does an eye have to be to keep her home from school". We all laughed at that too, knowing full well the school policy is absolutely NO pink eye at school (unless treated for 24 hours). What a bad mom am I!

Since Lauren was diagnosed with pink eye AND a sinus infection, it was off to the pharmacy to fill the prescription. As we wandered around Bartell's, we were paged back to the pharmacy. They had to verify Lauren's prescription coverage. I laughed and said, it's the same coverage as me and Mason (the sickly pair). I handed them the insurance card so they could add verify Lauren's coverage. Funny thing is, the last time she needed ANY prescription was July of 2007!!!! So, explain to me, WHY this had to happen this week!!!

What I learned from Bad Grandma

2008-09-29T10:17:00.001-07:00

Bad Grandma died a few weeks ago. I use the word "bad" in reference to her, because she was BAD. Those who've known me for quite sometime, also refer to her as "bad grandma". The service was in California over Labor Day weekend. I actually am not sad that bad grandma is gone. I'm embarassed to say, I never even shed a tear. No, I'm not cold and heartless - it's just that nothing we ever did was ever good enough for her. If I sent a card, it should have been a phone call. If it was a phone call, I should have sent a card.Every call, visit, or note there was a complaint from her about something. She bad-mouthed my mom, dad, and grandpa at every chance she got. It was exhausting.
The past few years were a little better. This was only due to the fact that I was done tolerating her crap on the phone. So, if she started complaining (rather 'bitching') about mom, dad, or grandpa, I gave her a fair warning that if she continued, our call would be over. And, yes, for the record, I did hang up on her a time or two. I'd always call back a few days later and it would be a better conversation.
So, what did I learn from bad grandma? I learned that before you die, you better confess to the truth regarding lies you've told AND throw away stuff you don't want anyone to see (since you won't be around to explain it). In going through old pictures, letters, etc. I've come across all sorts of stuff. I've stumbled upon pictures with people torn off. Hate mail to people (that she copied and saved). Hate mail from people. Letters with unanswered questions. Letters from old relatives we were told NEVER wrote to her. Other things. Just things you really don't want laying around for others to find when you die.
At my age, I really don't have anything to hide. But, I'm a saver. I save cards I have received. I keep Christmas cards (truly, had some I saved from 1996 to the present). So, I went through and tossed three bags full of stuff. I kept some special items. Kept all the "congrats on the wedding" cards; cards from Mark; cards from the parents, grandparents, and anyone who passed away, etc. But, the rest went into the trash!

The tooth fairy

2008-09-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week I noticed that Mason's bottom two permanent teeth were coming through. If his bottom baby teeth were loose, that would be a good thing. But, they're not. Lauren was elated that Mason's big teeth were coming in. Mason kept telling us the tooth fairy was coming. But, we had to keep explaining that his teeth had to fall out before the tooth fairy would come. Anyway, I had scheduled an appointment with our dentist for this afternoon. Lauren knew he was going - and also that he might have to have his teeth pulled out. She is always eavesdropping, so I'm sure she heard me say the dentist would have to remove them - and I guess she assumed it would be today.

Mason & I went to the dentist. To make a long story short, he'll have to have his baby teeth pulled out at Children's in the not-to-distant future. So, we came home (all extra teeth and baby teeth intact). Mark picked her up from school and told her Mason still had his teeth. When she came home, she went right to her room. I followed her in to discuss her day. She wanted nothing to do with me and wanted to be left alone. After begging and pleading to talk about what was wrong, she burst into tears. At school today, she had written two notes - in her best pemanship ever. The first note, which she retrieved out of the garbage was addressed to me (correct address and all):

Dear Mom,

Did Mason loose his teeth? I'm worried. I am going to write a note to the tooth fairy. Love ya, Lauren.

Here was the next note, addressed to the tooth fairy (which she retrieved from her "paper bin"):

Dear Tooth fairy, I, Mason Ponte want to keep my teeth. Please instead of money give me Star Wars Toys. And give the teeth to my sister Lauren. Mason Ponte

As she was crying about the non-lost teeth, she explained she was sure Mason would prefer toys to money. She also explained that she wanted to keep the teeth to make sure Mason wouldn't put them in his mouth again and choke. She then had questions about how they would take out the teeth. Unfortunately, for her exposure to all the medical world and Children's, she had too many questions! All in all, she wanted to make sure he wouldn't feel them take them out, and that he would be OK during the surgery.

Is everything still current?

2008-09-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

When calling doctor's offices, a standard question is..."is everything current"? Since Mason sees many a doctor (pediatrician, pulmonologist, endocrinologist, E.N.T., ophthamologist, etc), I experience this question frequently. So, if I answer "no - nothing has changed", why do the receptionist feel they must continue in the line of questioning? And if I repeat "no, nothing has changed", why do they tell me "oh, we have to ask anyway"?

Take today's conversation with the eye doctor's receptionist (who we saw in August, mind you). Here is how the call went:

Me- I need to schedule a follow up appointment with Dr. X.

Rec. - Your child's last name?
Me - Ponte. That's P - O - N- T- E.

Rec. - First name?

Me - Mason. Date of birth....

Rec. - Is everything current?
Me - Yes, everything is current

Rec - Are you still at (address).....

Me - Yes, nothing has changed. Everything is current.

Rec - Oh, I still have to ask. Is your phone number,

Me - (As I interrupt her & neglect to answer her last question) I'd like to schedule an appointment with Dr. X, in November.

You see, I consider myself fairly well-versed in notifying people of things. If insurance changes, I actually call the doctor's offices and notify them prior to an appointment. This past January (when our insurance changed), as soon as I had the information, I called Children's, the pediatrician, etc. Then, I also verify if our current providers are still covered by the new insurance or if we need to change. The other thing is, we haven't moved in 11 years. I'm guessing if we did, I might actually notify the doctor's offices of that too (since, in order to get copies of Mason's notes from his doctor, they do MAIL it to our home address). The other factor, is do the receptionists truly think I don't understand what the question means? To me, current means the address, insurance, guarantor, and ,phone number haven't changed. But, maybe I'm wrong! So, forgive me for being a bit uptight when asked "is everything still current".

Free at last

2008-09-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight we received notice. School WILL start tomorrow - Monday! After 9 days of striking, the strike is now over. Is it wrong that I'm singing praise songs related to school starting?

day 8

2008-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today marks day 8 of the teacher's strike. Or is that day 80? It all seems the same to me. So, what else to do, but go to the zoo. Again. With the Andersons. Now, for those of you who "zoo" with us, our crowd likes to be at the zoo at opening time (9:30). When Meghan and I looked at our watches, it was 11:30. Guess how many animals we'd seen? FOUR! The flamingos; lemurs; gorillas; and jaguar. Oh, we did see the zebra at the Savannah too. Not too many animals in a 2 hour time frame. That is because en route to Bug World (which I despise), the quartet of children decided to play in the forest play area. They were running through the tunnels. At first they were pretending to be ants. Later we figured out it was not a replica of ant tunnels, but beavers (I think). They ran up, down, around. They climbed up the rope spider web. They spent a good hour frolicking happily in this area. They battled good and evil. They protected the tunnels. And no one was bossy. And no one argued. There was finally peace, love, and happiness amongst the adults watching and the children (who should've been in school) playing. In the end we bribed them to eat lunch and see just a few more animals.

As we were eating our "brought from home" lunches and Meghan was ordering her standard pretzel, three unusual zoo-goers passed by. Make that three unusual zoo-goers and their dog (who was on a regular leash and was a bit unruly). To describe the men in more detail, read Meghan's blog for today. But, let me just say, I'm sure if I would have given them a hug, the odor d'alcohol and body odor would have rubbed off on me. Now, how they were able to get their black dog inside the zoo...claiming it was a "helper" dog, I'll never know. But as they teetered off (with security close on their tails), one rambled something about "if this would'a been a white dog, we wouldn'a had no problem". I guess the zoo must discriminate against black dogs. Wonder if the Sun Bears, Sloth Bears, and Gorillas will have to find a new home, in exchange for an arctic hare and other white animals. Hmmmm.

Day 7

2008-09-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Day 7 of the strike! Well, what should I do with the hoodlums on day 7 of the strike? Let's start with a few timeouts! Lauren earned two timeouts by about 8:15am. Let me also say, that this was AFTER I told the kids that we would go to the Puyallup Fair. I expected "yeah mom" or "whoohoo". What I received from the oldest child, was "you are the worst mom ever". Why? Because in preparing them for the fair, I wanted clear guidelines. The first guideline (or rule) was that I was not buying them crap. No, I did not use the word 'crap'. But, I made it clear that they would not be receiving any Sponge Bob inflatable balloons, crazy hats, sand birds, plastic swords, tieras, or any other "toy" from the fair. Lunch and scones, yes! Crap, no.

I then told them that they could each pick one ride of their choice to go on (having already discussed that the fair costs money). Since the ride tickets are $.85 each, and the most "expensive" ride was 5 tickets....they could each pick one ride to go on. I thought that was fair. And furthermore, that is the usual deal. Apparantly Lauren had other ideas. She craftily discussed bringing her own allowance so she could go on more rides. I nixed that quickly, as a 40-second ride for $5 doesn't seem like such a great idea for a child who saves about $2/month. I discussed other items she wants to buy in the future, etc. Anyway, long story short, Lauren threw her tantrum and sassiness over me telling them I'd take them to the fair to have scones, lunch, see the baby pigs, etc, and go on a ride. I explained that she was being selfish and ungrateful, and to look at a way to be thankful. Then I sent her to time out! Mason on the other hand looked at me and said "oh, mommy. One ride! Thank you". "We go to fair and I go on one ride". He was as sincere as could be too. I guess that's one of the benefits of being "chromosomally gifted".

Well, after the morning scuffle, we did indeed head for the fair. Mom & Grandma came too. The pigs were cute. The cows were huge. The scones were excellent. The Krusty Pups were good too. And Lauren didn't ask for one thing! As it ended up, it was cheaper buying 7 rides total, than the 5 individual coupons for the rides. So, the kids went on three rides. The Tiger Growl (or something like that...the roller coaster); Scrambler; and Giant Slide. We also met up with Mason's friend from school last year, Zach & his family.

We were there a few hours and came home. Lauren had Girl Scouts. Then we had dinner. Mom babysat and I went to a mom's group at Kindering Center. The end.

Day 6

2008-09-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Don't let the picture fool you. No one at this house is in school yet. It's day 6 of the teacher's strike. I'm still crossing my fingers for an agreement to be reached soon. Very soon. Very very soon.

So, for our day of "togetherness" Lauren ended up with "strike 3" before 9am. Yippee. So, she lost all screen time (T.V., computer, video games). Mason forgot to put his listening ears on and ended up with a time out. It's been a terrific day. Or not!

Today, we did get to look inside Mason's school! The principal gave us a tour this morning. Luckily, there were no picketers at the school today, so we didn't have to cross any lines. We toured his classroom, bathroom (where he's almost too short for the sinks - or so the principal said - it was quite funny), library, gym/lunchroom, art room and music room. His desk is already set up with his name on it. His cubby is ready for his coat and backpack. The classroom is ready to go. All we need now are some teachers.

Day 5

2008-09-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today marks Day 5 of the Bellevue teacher's strike. It seems like day 50. We started the day with an exciting trip to the pulmonologist. Followed by folding clothes at home and cleaning the bathroom. That was followed by going to the gym (my only moment without the duo). Next was planning girl scout stuff with Deanne & the twins. Later was a trip to swim at the pool...which I might add was just too cold for me. I wonder what excitement day 6 will bring?!

The weekend events

2008-09-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had things to do and places to go. After speech on Saturday, we headed to Home Depot to get a swing set kit. Yeah! Mark finally caved in and decided we could get new swings. The old swingset was fine, but Lauren was just getting too big to swing on it. It was starting to sway front to back and that is never a good thing! We bought the swingset about 3 years ago when Jackie was in Oak Harbor. It cost us $50 from a neighbor of hers who no longer needed it!

At the Depot, we found the basic 'A' frame kit and the lumber and came home. Let me add my disclaimer now. Just because the most simple instructions say "can be completed in 3 hours", it doesn't mean it will. We worked for about 3 hours yesterday and seemed to make progress. That is until you looked at what still had to be done. Well, quitting time came, so we stopped.

After showers and the babysitter arrived, Mark & I headed to the M's game with Adam & Meghan. Good game. We saw a 3-run homer.

We also saw a very interesting woman with some strange type of respirator device on. It was purple & green. And she had orange hair. Orange...not red! Quite the site. We spent the moments before the game trying to figure out what her deal was. Was she waiting for a terrorist attack? Bird flu? Multiple chemical sensitivity? We had quite the time trying to figure it out. When people sat behind us, they started doing the same thing. As the game started and continued, this woman would take off her respirator, talk or drink, then put it back on. We left the game still not knowing what the purpose was.

After Church, we came home and I cleaned the old swingset. I posted in on Craigslist on Saturday night for $150. I had two people call me last night wanting to purchase it! Today by noon it was gone and we pocketed the money, which will go towards the new swingset. Mark & I spent the entire afternoon working on the "easy, 3 hour" swingset. Well, it is now in the ground and functional thanks to another friend of ours who helped us stand it up right & dig a few holes.

Day 4 of the strike

2008-09-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Not much excitement to report on day 4 of the teacher's strike. We had errands to run -costo for glasses, etc. In the afternoon we watched the Andersons boys. Needless to say...there is never a dull moment when the 4 kids get together.

Mark was actually in-town most of the week (as I mandated him to do so because of the first day of school...which hasn't happened). He was out of town on Friday. So, after a long day and a week of no school, I decided it was time to treat myself. So, I took the kids to dinner and had myself a strawberry daiquiri! Amen for blended drinks.

Day 3

2008-09-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of no school.

Yesterday (Thursday...aka day 3 of the teachers' strike) we took a field trip to The Outback Christmas Tree and Kangaroo Farm in Arlington. It was about an hour drive. When we arrived, there were peacocks (male, female, & babies), chickens, and turkeys roaming around. The tour started at 10am. Luckily, we were the only 3. Apparantly last week, some of their tours had 50 people. But, by now, those lucky parents have children who are attending school! Anyway, we watched the ring tailed lemurs. We saw a group of 1+ week old ducks.

Next was the "main event". The kangaroos (one named Kangaroo Jack), wallabies (2 were named Luke & Laura), and wallaroos (2 were named Sophie, Kate Moss). We were able to feed them, pet them, take pictures with them. It was wonderful! Then we saw goats and donkeys. The end of the tour we say llamas, alpacas, emus (named Monica & Bill), ostriches, a cockatoo, and a parrot. The llama (named Mr. T) even "kissed you". The last part was holding the baby joey named Bella. It was by far the highlight!

I would highly encourage

the trek up there on a sunny day. Their website is http://christmastreesand roos.com.

Goodbye to Martini

2008-09-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

In July we "adopted" (or paid for) Martini our little long-haired chihuhua. Today he is no longer ours. He has had food aggression issues that we have been working with and handling. However, his aggression overall has gotten worse. His warning sign was to growl. He has nipped and growled at kids & adults. But today, he bit Mason. It was unprovoked. He was on his pillow and Mason laid down on the floor near him. Martini lunged and bit him. Luckily it was more surface scratches. The inside of his lip and near his nose bled a little. It could have been much worse. After consulting with our veterinarian, he advised that we bring him to the Humane Society. So after many tears, we took him there this afternoon and said our goodbyes.

So, if any of you feel the need to "smirk", "gloat", or act indifferent towards our situation, please don't! I've already had one call earlier today which was less then empathetic - and it's been a tough day.

Today was also day 2 of the teacher's strike. Aside from the dog trauma, Mason had swimming lessons.

And, we received this late this afternoon: "Bellevue teacher contract talks continue through Wednesday afternoon.
Whatever the outcome of today’s negotiations’ session, there will be no school tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 4."

Day 2

2008-09-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today we spent what should have been the first day of school at the zoo with our friends. The Siamangs put on a great show. The baby gorilla was out frolicking with her mom. The animals were out and about. It was a good zoo day.

This just in: (to my in-box at 4:22pm): District and BEA negotiators met this afternoon. The discussion was productive but did not lead to a tentative agreement. There will be no school tomorrow, September 3, 2008.

Need I say more?

What my kids will be doing on the first day of school

2008-09-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Historically, schools in our district start the day after Labor Day. Being that today is Labor Day, tomorrow is the first day of school. To answer the question of "what will my kids be doing on the first day of school"...read below.

"The Bellevue teachers’ union has announced a strike against the Bellevue School District starting Tuesday, September 2. Because of the strike, all District schools are closed until further notice." (This was from the Bellevue school district website).

In other words, my children will be here with me. Again.

I'd write more, but I think I need to have a drink. Enough said!

Locked up

2008-08-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

It's 10:00. The kids were tucked in hours ago. The dogs were just put to bed. However, due to the pouring rain, Maggie (the lab) started barking in the garage. I asked Mark to let her out or put her no-bark collar on. When he went to let her out, the door to the laundry room (from the inside of our house) was locked. To put it plainly, we were locked inside our house with the security alarm 'on'. If we opened any door or window, the alarm would go off.

Let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago, Mason the escape artist had figured out all the plastic "child proof" door handles. So, we installed real locks to prevent him from opening the laundry room door - pressing the garage door button to open it - opening the door into the garage (or crawling out the dog door) - and running into the driveway/street (which he has done). Or his other favorite game is to sneak out to the garage, get into the car, and honk the horn. Once we lock the door to the laundry room, you must use a key to unlock it.

That brings me back to tonight. Since Mark was gone the past few weeks, I have my little routine. I put the dogs to bed. Lock the garage door. Turn on the alarm. Get the key to the laundry room door. Then lock the laundry room door. Apparantly, I neglected to tell Mark my routine. He put the dogs to bed. Locked the garage door. Turned on the alarm. Locked the laundry room door. Left the keys INSIDE the laundry room!

So, after trying to problem solve and pick the lock (with no success), we called the alarm company and notified them not to dispatch police for the next 30 minutes (after explaining our crazy predicament). After further discussion, we decided that neither Mark nor I would fit thru the doggy door. The best candidate for the job was Lauren. Unfortunately she was fast asleep. So, we had to wake her (and she is a sound sleeper). She was just the right size to fit thru the dog door (since that door was locked), disarm the security system, and open the laundry room door.

It was a group effort - and almost reminded me of a MacGyver episode. Mark had the keys to his car (which just happened to be parked outside), so he ran to the car to unlock it and open the garage door. I carried Lauren in the pouring rain with her poncho and a flashlight into the garage. Next, she climbed her way thru the door and completed the tasks. Now, we've put her back to bed; locked the appropriate doors; obtained the necessary keys (and put them inside the house); and alarmed the alarm again. All that in about 30 minutes!

Why?

2008-08-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

Why do people think it is just fine to bring their sickly kids and expose them to mine? Now, I'm not talking about somewhere like the mall or park. Obviously if I take my child "out in public", I do run the risk of catching some sort of virus. DUH. I'm talking about into a home for a play date! Twice this week, Mason has been exposed to a fever. Both mothers KNEW about it beforehand and did not feel it necessary to divulge such information until we were all together. In close proxemity. Exposed.

For those of you with pretty healthy kids, being exposed to a cold, fever, stomach bug, etc. is not a huge deal. My oldest child would fit into that category. I've really never feared exposing her to much of anything (other than vomit - which I despise).

But, to my youngest child, it is a big deal. A cold can turn into pneumonia in a matter of hours (literally). A fever could mean antibiotics (just to prevent something bigger). A stomach bug with vomiting could mean aspiration.

So, please try to feel a little of my frustration about my youngest being directly exposed to fevers. Some low grade, some not. Either way, a fever is a fever. Here's how it went down (again, after exposing Mason):

Mom #1: Oh, I had to bring "X". He was supposed to be at preschool, but he has a "little fever".

Mom #2: Oh, last night "Y" was up at midnight with a "low grade fever" and a stomach ache. (Who by the way, ended up with 2 days of a moderate grade fever and vomited. But the vomit episode was attributed to drinking water and lemondae by "Y"'s mother and other family members).

Seriously. If your kid is sick...let me know BEFORE you come to see us....or we come to see you. I won't be offended if you cancel. I will jump up and down with glee if you give me the choice of letting my kid be around your SICK kid or not. And I would prefer NOT!

So, now Mason is home tonight with a low grade fever! I have NO offers yet of ANYONE coming over to watch him so I can escape this insanity! (And might I add, this is week 2 of the husband being out of town. And, he is in Hawaii. He was home on Saturday for about 36 hours). And, to tick me off even more....I was told "oh, don't tell mom #2 and make this a big deal or make her feel bad. We don't want to hurt her feelings".

Shoes

2008-08-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last year, after attempting to assist Lauren in tying her shoes, I decided I was not "the man for the job". While shopping for shoes before school last year, Mark insisted that Lauren have shoes that tie. He argued that she MUST learn to tie them. I plainly said that if he wanted her to have tie-shoes, he had to teach her. Unfortunately, that pretty pink of on-sale-Nike's from Nordys have sat in the closet for almost one year.

That is until today. Mark used simple bribery. What could be a big enough bribe to make Lauren sit still and learn to tie shoes? Jibbitz. Yes, jibbitz for her Crocs.

So, today has been a monumental day at our household. She has learned how to tie her shoes by HERSELF! She has demonstrated her new skill about 15 times (just to me). She and Mark even took a special trip to the grandparents to show them (and that was on the way to the store for jibbitz).

YEAH for Lauren!

Smoking causes cancer

2008-08-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today I royally screwed up. Before you start to cheer...I think this was the first time ever.

While the four of us were in the car, both Mark & I were commenting on how tired we were. I joked with him and said, "well, that's because you were drinking & smoking all night". (After the kids were in bed, he headed back to my parents and had a cigar and a drink with my dad). Anyway, I may have just said he was juggling knives or playing with deadly viruses. Lauren in the back seat started to hyperventilate. What? Daddy? You were smoking? But why? Mommy, is he going to die? Is he going to get very sick? Is there medicine we can give him so he doesn't get sick?

Mark chimed in. He admitted to the cigar with Papa. The questions continued. Mark replied and said Papa asked him if he wanted a cigar. Lauren's response again was "why didn't you refuse"? After more questions from a very concerned 7 year old, I very simply explained that one cigar would not cause cancer. (I might add that at the Children's Festival this past spring, they had a LOVELY display of a lung of a smoker and a non-smoker. It made quite the impression). Anyway, after assuring Lauren that Mark wouldn't die today, she asked that we pray for Mark. So, she did. It was quite adorable.

After that, she made an immediate call to Papa to ask him to get rid of all his cigars. Her suggestion was to have a garage sale & sell them.

A word to the wise: NEVER tell Lauren if you have smoked ANYTHING!

Zoo Doo

2008-08-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Every spring, the zoo offers "zoo doo". They actually call it the annual spring Fecal Fest. As the zoo website says "garden enthusiasts enter a drawing in hopes of being selected to PURCHASE Woodland Park Zoo's highly coveted Zoo Doo".

Today, we had our own "zoo doo" excitement. We attended the zoo with Meghan, Thornley, & Jack. The kids were terrific. As we went exhibit to exhibit, we were a bit disappointed in the lack of performance by the animals. Some were hidden. Some were sleeping. However, once we saw the Komodo Dragon, excitement began. The Komodo dragon was walking & swaying it's tail. Thornley cheered, "it's pooping". Much to our surprise, it was. Everyone was thrilled. This was quite a highlight. That is, until we went to see the bears. With the bear facing away from the "audience", it pooped....and continued to poop. The kids ran from the otters to see the pooping bear. They were elated at such a fabulous performance! I could go into even more detail, but Meghan's blog captures the day with perfection. So, read her blog, "grossology"!

I'm a firefighter boy

2008-08-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Mason is almost 6. However, many time he is just plain unsafe. He has no idea of boundaries...or what purpose they serve. He runs away (without warning). He has no fear of strangers. He runs into streets or off of sidewalks without a care. He'll quietly sneak into the garage and open the garage door. Sometimes he'll sneak into the car, just to honk the horn. In fact, one of his IEP goals is around safety, and not running away. In the fall, he actually has aide time during recess to assure he doesn't run away off the playground.

We've had a fairly child-proof house since just after Lauren was born. Most the plug outlets have been covered. The knives are out of sight and up high. Medication is stored appropriately in a locked cabinet. We have tot-locks on a few cabinets. Cleaning supplies are stored up high. The front door has a "hotel lock". Other doors have the plastic child-proof locks.

We felt rather comfortable with our safety measures. Many of which we never really even needed for Lauren. Well, that all changed yesterday. Yesterday morning, we awoke to Mason in our room at 6:30am. That on it's own would not have been an issue. However, he was dressed in firefighter dress up clothes. Hat and all. He greeted us with "Hi- I'm a firefighter boy. See my hose"? The problem is that in order to obtain said items, he had to open the childproof door handle from inside his room. Then open a different type of childproof door handle to get upstairs to the dress-up clothes. He did all this while we were sleeping. He told us he was even playing drums. No telling what hour he woke.

So, as I was at work, it was Mark's job to find a new lock. We are now proud owners of locking door handles. Door handles which require a key to open. One handle on the laundry room door (so he can't get to the garage). Another "hotel lock" on the door to upstairs. And, lastly, a lock for Mason's door & window. He is too at risk of being an "unaccompanied minor" on a field trip of his own! UGH.

Anniversary eve

2008-07-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

What do I want for my anniversary? The question has been asked many times over the past week in anticipation of our 12th anniversary tomorrow.

After much reflection, I have it figured out! No, not a massage. Not a pedicure (although I do need one). Not a shopping spree (the kids need clothes more than I do). Here's what I want (aside from a bark collar for the lab & blinds for the family room window):

To come home to a cleaner-than-I-left-it house! This means I want to come home, lay down, put my feet up, and not worry about what needs to be done (because it's all done). I'd like to just hang out. Watch a movie. Scrapbook (which I'm way behind on). Sit. Read a book. Just have time to do whatever I want and know that everything is done (and not just waiting for me to do it). See, if I was to take time to do "whatever I wanted", those other tasks would still be waiting for me. It's too hard for me to relax and unwind if I see the "to do" list just growing, instead of shrinking! And, when the tasks are actually completed (and I cannot remember the last time everything was done & I was able to truly relax), I'm just too stinking tired to do what I want!

So, tonight, I've done 2 loads of laundry; cleaned the bathroom (for the 3rd time this week - it's truly been filthy since the kids have been playing outside all day); changed Mason's sheets; cleaned his room; put clothes away. C'est la vie!

Martha

2008-07-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart I am NOT!

However, yesterday I made freezer jam fron scratch & felt like I was Martha.

Lauren & I picked raspberries at a local farm in the morning. We went with another friend and her girls and together, picked almost 30 pounds in under 1.5 hours. So, after we returned home and ran a few errands, it was time to get started. We washed and crushed the raspberries. Then added the sugar. Then added the boiled water and pectin. And, voila - freezer jam!

It was my first try at it and I think it worked. The jam actually 'set'!! We ended up making 4 batches!

Back to school

2008-07-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we figured we could actually wait UNTIL August to purchase school supplies. We were wrong. All the necessities were running low & the choice of lunch bags was very limited. Last year we were smarter and went at the end of July, but we missed a few sales. This year, we were smarter yet. Back to school shopping started in July! A few weeks ago, when Staples had their "buy 12-pencils for 4 cents", we went. Last week, Target started coming out with their back to school supplies. So today was the day. After church we headed to Target. For $106, here's a sample of a few things we purchased:

Crayola crayons: 22 cents

Pink eraser: 20 cents

1-inch binder: $3.49

Purell: $2.99

Ziplock bags: $2.50

Spiral notebook: $3.99

Seeing the look of excitement on Mason's face when he got to choose his very first lunchbox (he chose 'Cars'): Priceless

Encore

2008-07-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Many mornings Mason opts for an Eggo waffle for breakfast. Truly, I'm fine with it. It's easy. It's quick. It has some sort of fortified something-or-other in it. This morning was a similar morning. Mason chose a blueberry eggo. Lauren chose an english muffin. While I was getting out the topping for Lauren's muffin, Maggie (the black lab) decided she would like to share in breakfast too. So, she jumped up and grabbed one half of the muffin from the counter and swallowed it down.

Mason (for whatever wierd reason) thinks it's quite hilarious when Maggie "steals" food. So, he hands her the rest of his waffle and yells (while clapping) "Encore Maggie. Encore".

Being thankful

2008-07-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's day camp theme was 'Be Thankful'. Apparantly milk is not something for which we should be thankful for.

This morning after I gave Mason his cup of milk with breakfast, he proceeded to pick it up and pour it all over the table. Which resulted in milk flowing freely down the tablecloth (just a cheap plastic one), to the seat of the chair below, down the legs of said chair, and into a lovely puddle of milk.

When I inquired as to the reasoning behind the milk dumping, he said "I didn't want it". Uh-huh. Nice. Perhaps he could have opted to just hand it to me and say 'no thank you'. Or, perhaps he could have just been thankful for it and sipped it politely.

Midway through breakfast, he then asked for his milk again. Um, no!

Heater vent

2008-07-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who live on the West Coast, for the most part, our heater vents are on the floor. For you, this is to whom I write this blog.

Things that belong in a heater vent: hot air, cold air (if you also have a/c), some dust or dust bunnies, perhaps some hair or dirt.

Things that don't belong in a heater vent: Star Wars Galactic Heroes Figures.

Get the picture? All I can say, is it is a good thing that Mark was in town to rescue Darth Vader, C3PO, and Leia out of it (as my arms are too short to reach that far into the duct)!

Martini

2008-07-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile. Seriously, with both kids home for summer break, there is not much time to spend goofing off on the computer. It's actually been a pretty good summer break (with the exception of Tex-Ass like thunderstorms last week). Anyway, the kids have been in swimming lessons, played, had a play date or two, etc.

So, we did the unthinkable! Or, to some, we did something stupid. And, yes, I might agree. Well, for quite some time, I've been talking about getting a small dog. Mark has adamantly said 'no'. Acutally, he said he'd move out! So we'd joke about it (since he travels so much). We've been talking about getting a puppy even more frequently since my friend Melissa added a small dog to her home of 2 labs. I've looked on-line, in the papers, etc. I even called on a few.

Last week we were at Melissa's. I took a picture on my cell of Lauren with Lucy (Melissa's dog - who Mark hasn't seen). I titled it "Lauren's puppy" and sent it to Mark. Lauren & I had him going for about 2-3 hours, that we really bought a dog without him (which I wouldn't do). Anyway, once we told him we were kidding he was quite upset.

Well, as we drove home from Camano Island on 4th of July, Lauren & I kept joking about getting a dog. When we started playing music on the radio, Mark would turn it into a song about a puppy. Ha Ha. Long story short, we now have a puppy.

Yesterday Mark told me to go with Lauren & look at a litter of puppies (from a home - not a breeder). I said we wouldn't go without him. So, we all went to look at the 5 puppies and their parents. Before leaving we made it clear to the kids we were JUST LOOKING - and we would not come home with one. We found the "one" we loved most. A little fluffy one. As we were leaving, Mark kept asking me to put down a deposit! But, I said 'no', if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. If he was gone, then it wasn't the dog for us.

This morning, on the way to church, Mark again asked me if I called the owners. At 8:40 in the morning, I figured it was a bit too early. So, after church, we headed to Petco and purchased our puppy supplies. Then, we picked up the puppy.

Definition of 'bath'

2008-06-11T20:34:00.001-07:00

To me, a bath involves either physically washing your child or verifying that your child adequately washed themselves. So tonight, Mark was in charge of the bathing task. We arrived home much later than normal, but both kids needed a quick bath.

Lauren proved she can take a shower and perform all necessary tasks to assure cleanliness. From hair to toes, she can do it. Occasionally there will be a little shampoo left - but that's fine with me.

Mason on the other hand prefers to play in the bath. He still requires someone else to appropriately wash his hair. As for washing the body, there are also two options. The first is to wash him. The second is to talk him through washing all his body parts. Either is fine. What is NOT fine, however is leaving the child to perform all tasks of the bathing routine!

So, imagine my shock when I was told by husband that Mason had had his bath. Mason emerged from his bed to use the toilet. When I went in the bathroom to help wipe him, I notice he has dry hair. I notice there is absolultely NO soap OR shampoo in the bathtub. There is also no "cup" to rinse his shampooed hair with water. The toothbrush is also dry. So, I ask husband WHAT he actually did while bathing Mason. "Um, I, uh....". See, there is really no answer to this question when it is obvious he just let the child sit in a tub of water. No soap, no shampoo, no nothing. In regards to the toothbrush I was told that husband wasn't done tucking him in yet. Funny thing, is that Mason came from his bed into the bathroom. His bedroom lights were off and curtain was closed. His music box on the side of his bed was on. You see, to me, that means tucking in was done.

So, I just spent the last few moments of another long day actually giving the child a bath. Guess what? I used shampoo and soap. I also made sure the toothbrush (with toothpaste) actually entered his mouth! And the even funnier thing....I told husband earlier tonight that he's got to give 110% to the kids when he's actually home and not traveling. Geez, I'd hate to see what a 70% "bath" is!

Wednesdays with Jack

2008-06-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

For the past year I have watched Jack on Wednesdays while Meghan was at work. On occasion I would need to cancel if Mason was sick, I was out of town, or I had an appointment. Other times Meghan would cancel if Jack was sick or if he didn't feel like joining us. Here's some examples of our Wednesdays:

SWIMMING: For the first few months Mason had swimming at 10am. So Jack & I would color or play with various toys while watching Mason was in his lesson. The mid-part of the year Jack would go swimming too. This however, was short-lived due to the pool's staffing. It also required serious bribery to get him into the water. But, once he was actually in the pool he did great. The funny thing was every time the boys were changing into or out of their swimsuits, Jack would look at Mason, then at me, then say "God made us all different sizes". Think penis.

PARK: Occasionally we'd go to a park. This too, however was short-lived. Due to weather, obviously!

OUR HOUSE: Since the weather was pretty much awful and rainy, we'd spend time playing in the playroom. Occasionally we'd have a change of venue and play at my parent's playroom and with their dog. Sometimes Jack came as a character from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Super Mario, or another favorite "person". All the while, he would not usually allow me to call him Jack - but by the name of the character du jour. Mason happily went along with that!

ERRANDS: My favorite Wednesday activity with Jack & Mason was running errands! After all, being a free babysitter did not require extensive, prearranged activities! I could treat Jack as my own & load him up for errands!!! My favorite errand of all was Costco. Both boys were easily bribed with a churro or pizza or samples & I could get my glasses adjusted or shop. It killed a TON of time. Sometimes it was Whole Foods for a few groceries (with a cookie for a reward). Today was Best Buy (no free samples here) & Target. You name it. Both boys would either be in the cart together or just Mason (Mr. Run Away) would be in the cart. Jack always stayed right with me. Never a problem. The past two weeks Mason would pretend Jack was his brother and Jack, laughing, would play along. Being the wise old age of 4, he would come up with all sorts of hilarious comments. I couldn't even begin to list "Jack-isms" because they were so funny and he'd quickly come up with another. Often it would just be typical potty humor, which would only spur Mason on to try to compete too. Today a sample of the words of the day were toot, bottom, and booger.

Now, Wednesdays with Jack have come to an end, I must say I will miss him and his "Jack-isms" on Wednesdays.

Note to Meghan: I will not miss Jack so much that I want him next year when Mason is actually IN School on Wednesdays!

A day in the life

2008-06-06T18:12:00.001-07:00

It's Friday night. I'm now sitting down to write about my Thursday.

Let me say, that this post may contain items which are not suitable for children or for those of you with weak stomachs. Graphic contents may occur. Now, since I have given you my disclaimer, let me continue.

3:30am - Awakened to the "odor d' feces". In other words I woke, smelling poop. In my bedroom. From my dog! So, I cleaned it up, let the dog go outside, and FINALLY went to sleep (after the odor subsided).

7:30am - We are in the middle of having our kitchen remodeled. Part is new. Part is being refaced. Supposed to be an easy job. The installer arrived. I questioned the new cabinet above the fridge that was supposed to be attached to the wall. It wasn't. It was off the wall by about 3 3/4 inches. That's 90 inches total of storage space that I would be missing. After a very lengthy discussion between multiple parties (installer, me, designer, engineer, supervisor), they agreed to remake the cabinet. Yeah! However, I might add that the other cabinets were hung 2 inches above where we wanted them (but we've left them there - as it is the standard height). And, the alarm system was broken.

8:00am - Take the kids to school.

9:05am -Arrive at work and work.

11:15am - Pick up Mason. Go to Home Depot to get a part for the disposal. Since I still had a little $$ from my little winnings in Vegas, I decided to buy a new and improved disposal.

11:45am - McDonalds drive thru for lunch.

11:50am - Return home. Home to find brown wood trim around new white pantry door, white slider, and kitchen window. These were ordered to be "paint ready" for us to match the other linen white trim in the house. Discuss with installer. We have a lengthy conversation about if I really want white trim. Show installer other bedrooms with white trim around windows. Verify with friends & family that I wanted white trim. Notify installer I do indeed want the white trim that was ordered. Show installer the copy of the order that indicates WHITE trim! So, he has to sand down the kitchen window box and prime it. Now we have to wait for the "right" trim.

1:00pm - Security fit-it person arrives to fix alarm system. He spends time on the phone with the designer (who assured us their installer could re-hook up the alarm...but due to warranty told us this week they couldn't). Anyway, she has to pay out of pocket due to the error to fix our alarm.

3:30pm - Take Mason to speech.

5:30pm - Pick up Lauren from a play date.

7:30pm - Arrive home from parent's house (we had dinner there). Open garage door. Hit with "odor de feces" again. Look at crate Maggie is in. See diarrhea on the outside & inside of crate.

7:35pm - Hussle the kids to bed...explaining I have a major dog emergency to clean up.

7:50pm - With the dog leashed up to the deck, I start the crate-cleaning process. Picture this: I'm in a t-shirt; grubby sweat pants; green Costco rain boots. And, it's pouring! But, I'm hosing down the crate and using pine-sol to assist in the process. My next plan is to hose down the dog. Notice dog walking around in the "I have to poop" walk. I unleash the dog and she immediately runs over and has more diarrhea. Bloody diarrhea. Literally. Call the vet. Need to take her in & bring a sample. Call my mom. Gloved and gowned, I "retrieve" said sample.

8:15pm - Mom arrives. Maggie spurts out more bloody diarrhea. A lot of it. Go to the vet. Dressed in a wet shirt, wet pants and boots.

9:40pm - Arrive home with the dog. And, for only $368.80. Mind you, now my Vegas winnings are completely depleted! The x-ray was normal. They gave her injections of fluids to prevent dehydration. They gave her an injection of antibiotics. They sent us home with 2 different oral antibiotics and a special diet. The diagnosis: Hemorrhagic colitis. Stress induced. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/23311.htm

11:00pm - Go to bed. Exhausted. Broke. But, with a dog. And a torn up kitchen, (with only a microwave and toaster to use), with the wrong color molding! Did I forget to mention that Mark has been out of town all week too?????!!!!!!

Vegas Baby

2008-06-06T18:01:00.001-07:00

Last week Mark & I went to Vegas for a few days before heading to L.A. for a wedding. It was great weather. Drinks were free (at the tables, of course). On Thursday night in Vegas we ate "cheap" and had salads for dinner. Mine, however, consisted of some meat for protein. Mark chose the primarily lettuce only salad. It would have been fine...however, might I say again, the drinks were free. Needless to say, Mark woke up feeling nauseated with a headache. Hangover!

Luckily by Friday night, his symptoms of over-drinking had subsided. So, off we went to the Barry Manilow concert. I admit, I am a "Fanilow". Not a crazy one who wears crazy shirts saying "I love Barry" or who follows him around on tour. I just love a good Barry Concert. It truly is one of the better concerts I've been too. I think the 800+ year old man from London who was sitting next to me (his 1st Barry concert - his wife dragged him) must have thought I was inebriated. But, I hadn't even had a drink. Just dancing and singing to Barry!

Aside from a fabulous concert, the gambling was fabulous. I took $150 to spend at the tables. I came back with $150 plus more. Both Mark & I actually came out ahead!! So, I had big plans for my winnings. Monday morning, I set my plan in action. I called the piano tuner/fixer and had him come out to take away the "innerds" of the piano & fix it. Good thing is that it will hopefully cost less than originally discussed.

I'm so cute

2008-05-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

The picture pretty much says it all. I woke today, hearing Mason's voice calling "mommy, mommy, I'm awake". So, I rolled off the bed and half-awake walked to his room. When I opened the door I found him. Dressed. All by himself. Yes, he's been able to dress himself for quite some time. However, the stubborn factor seems to interfere more than his will to do it himself. I always enjoy going into his room when he's decided he'd get himself dressed. So, today was one of those days. He's dressed in sweats (his favorite), his wiggles shirt (another favorite...but backwards), and his tie. When he came bounding into our room at full speed, he announced, "I'm so cute". Yes, he is!

This afternoon it was Lauren's turn to be cute. Her class performed a play called "Mabella the Clever". The librarian (who doesn't speak english) has the 1st graders perform this play every year. Some kids have lines. Some don't. There was even a background "set". The kids designed their own costumes out of paper. Lauren was one of the mice. It was a bit chaotic - but the kids did great. Lauren was elated that Mark, Mason, & I could all be there to watch. Lauren can be seen on the far right with pink pants being a mouse!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-05-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That is what I want. It's very simple. Just some respect. You see, I'm a stay at home mom. This means, any sort of "kudos", appreciation, thankfulness, etc., (which help to boost one's sense of self and self esteem), must come from the home. Kids, husband. Period. So, when these accolades are few and far between, it gets harder and harder to cope with life! This also means that when husbands ask stupid question which "question" your own judgement, you get unhappy, and more unhappy, etc. And the more stupid questions occur...the harder it is to be happy with anything!

Let's take this back two days. Husband is out of town. Again. I could not find the checkbook and payment for girl scouts was due the next day. So, I call to inquire as to the checkbook's wherabouts. Guess what. It's with him. Thousands of miles away. Funny thing is, we've had THIS conversation at least 11 times. Recently. It's easy. Leave the checkbook at home. Pay bills at home. If you want to pay them when you travel, then take the checks out you need. I guess this is just not clear enough for the husband to understand! So, I get frustrated and angry. How many times do we need to have this discussion before he actually "GETS" that the checkbook should be left at home? Apparantly more than 11. So, he says, well, just write a check from your own account and "I'll pay you back". Funny thing is, I heard that same statement on Mother's Day. When I bought my own gift (after receiving a homemade gift certificate). I'm still waiting - I guess the "check's in the mail". Or not. Same thing with my "May allowance". Husband grants me a small amount of "allowance" the first of each month. Still waiting. What are the chances that the $40 for girl scouts will be reimbursed? Slim! So, I spent the entire 'Dancing with the stars finale' writing him an itemized invoice for all the "family" expenses I have paid for with my per diem (very per diem) job. His response upon seeing the invoice (which included Mother's Day, girl scouts, and allowance), was "I"m not paying you one thing".

Let's jump ahead to today. Here's the 1st conversation from today as were inside of Whole Foods (getting a sandwich for tomorrow's field trip).
C- I need to get a few groceries for Friday's dinner.
M - Uh. What? I thought you went grocery shopping yesterday!
C - Yes, I did. But I NEED groceries for tomorrow night.
M - You didn't buy those yesterday?
Let's stop for a moment. Let's consider that I did in fact buy groceries for Friday's dinner on Wednesday. Would I ask to "buy groceries for Friday's dinner" again? Did I forget that I purchased food? Do I just want to waste money? The answer, is NO. I DIDN'T buy groceries for Friday yet. Yes, I went to the grocery store yesterday. But, I bought more non-food supplies. 'Goodnights', spray & wash, oxyclean, paper plates, plastic forks, etc. So, NO I didn't buy dinner for Friday night. If I DID, why would I say "I need to get a few groceries"? For whatever reason, the husband thinks that I'm either SO stupid that I forgot I purchased food already - or that I just want to waste money and buy unnecessary items!

So, after a lengthy "discussion", let me take you to just a few hours later (regarding taking out two nails from the wall and patching them before the kitchen is redone next week):
M - How do I fix it?
C - Patch the holes and then we can paint it. I have paint for the kitchen.
M- Do you have YELLOW paint?
Let's stop again! If the kitchen is yellow AND I say we have paint for the kitchen....one could assume that it would indeed by yellow paint. So, yet again, my brain, ability to think, logic, judgement, etc. is questioned. So I yet again explain how frustrating it is to be continually questioned. Again, I said, I could use some respect and trust. I asked - did you think I'd paint those holes black? His response was "no". Seriously. I said we have kitchen paint. So, either the husband thought I was lying about having kitchen paint...or that I was color blind....or that he didn't think I could figure out that we did need yellow paint for the yellow kitchen!

Can't we ladies just get a little bit of respect, trust, faith, thank you's, etc?! Do I truly look stupid? Am I just stupid altogether? My report cards from way-back-when say I'm not stupid. My diploma says I graduated with honors. Maybe it's time to pull it our and wear it around my neck.

Discrimination

2008-04-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Lauren has been involved at Crossroads Bible Church in Bellevue in their fabulous Wednesday night kids program for the past 2 years. Mark was a small group leader the first year, but due to his travel schedule, was unable to be a leader last year. So, since the responisbility of transporting to/from the church every Wednesday fell to me, I decided, I'd sign up and commit to be a group leader for the fall.

On Thursday, I notified Faith (one of the admin. assistants) that I would like to sign my son (who has down syndrome) up for the Wednesday night program, but would prefer to place him in the pre-K program (vs. Kindergarten). I also explained that he is currently attending preschool, but in the fall will be in Kindergarten at our neighborhood school in the general education population. Last, I stated I would like to be a group leader for the fall and would like to teach my son's group. With excitement, she said she'd pass the information on to the new program director. I received the registration packet for Mason in the mail on Saturday.

So - I thought I had covered all basis. I was wrong.

Today (Sunday) I received the following voice mail message (on my machine) from Elizabeth Tasha, new Team 3 Director for the Wednesday night program at Crossroads Bible Church.
"Hi this is Elizabeth Tasha, Team 3 director. Unfortunately, my assistant Faith was not aware of our special needs policy." "We do not admit special needs children to our program". At that point, I started to replay the message, thinking, I must have misunderstood. Sure enough, after the third time of playing the message (and writing it down verbatim), I got the picture. Yes, it took THREE times, I'm slow! The message goes on to say, that Crossroads Bible Church is happy to let us purchase one of their books so I can study it AT HOME with my son.

After her "delightful" message was over and I was able to close my mouth, I went up to the computer to look at a few Bible verses. Apparantly Crossroads Bible Church policy does not "jive" with the following verse...Matthew 19:14 - Jesus said, "let the little children come ot me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these". I guess their philosophy is to hinder any child who is not perfect by their standards.

We love spring in Washington

2008-04-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke to snow. I am in no way joking. So help me, we woke to snow. We turned on the news at 6:15am and listened as the newscaster said "no snow in the forecast for today" (as it had also snowed in some areas yesterday). Mark & I laughed as we looked outside. The trees were covered, the ground was covered, the deck was covered, the streets were covered. And, it was still snowing heavily! After Lauren woke up, we darted outside for our usual snowman building and snowball fights. The snowman was deemed "Pinocchio". We didn't have a big carrot for the nose, so Lauren planted a large branch. I also might add, we did all this before 8am!

After our snow play was over, we went to church. When we came home, the snow was melting. By tonight, the snow is gone. All except for Pinocchio.

If you did the crime...

2008-04-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

do the time.

I'm a bit late in posting this. Life just got a bit crazy this week. Anyway, let's take a few steps back to last Monday. I'm getting ready to go to work. I'm going in early, since Mark is home & he offered to take the kids to school. My goal was to leave around 7:30. At about that time, I hear (coming from the bathroom), "get me some towels quick". I grab a few junk towels and race to the bathroom. After breakfast, a few minutes earlier, Mark needed to use the facilities. Apparantly he clogged the toilet. As I'm tossing the towels, he's exclaiming, "I didn't even use that much toilet paper". By now he's turned off the water to the toilet. I get the plunger and hand it over to him. So, what was I to do? Well, I said "bye hon" and headed for work. A few minutes later he called me and said the crisis was over - plunger worked - toilet back to normal.

What he forgot to mention, is that, although he soaked up the overflowed water...he did not mop. So, when I returned home (after working, picking up Mason, etc), I did what any other woman would have done. Mopped the bathroom floor and cleaned the toilet.

My question is this: Shouldn't thee who "dirtied" the bathroom be responsible for completely cleaning it? I guess not!

The pros (or cons) of speech therapy

2008-04-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

Mason started speech therapy at the age of 1. Up until age three, while he was in a 'birth to three' program, he had speech once a week. Initially we started with sign language. After he had his first set of ear tubes, he started making many more vocalizations, which eventually turned into words. Prior to turning 3, we added private speech therapy once a week. His private therapist focuses on PROMPT (a type of speech therapy). After age 3, Mason started preschool at an integrated preschool and continued with weekly speech thru the school district. The preschool focused more on PECS - a picture exchange system. Since he was talking more, we dropped the signs and added PECS to augment his communication. Now, at age 5, Mason is quite verbal. We only occasionally use signs, such as when he's across the room and being reprimanded. Occasionally we'll add PECS. All in all, he's using sentences and we can usually understand him. From time to time we have difficulty understanding his words - especially when he's tired or talking too fast. Speech therapy has done wonders for him!

Well, this week, I'd like to tell you the cons of speech therapy. Sometimes it's better not to know what your dear, sweet 5 year old son is saying! Here are a few examples from our vacation:
1. To Lauren when she took the ball away from him in the pool: "I hate you Lauren"
2. To me, when it was time to get out of the pool: "You are mean Mommy. I don't like you".
3. To me, at nap time: "I'm not taking a nap because I don't have to".
4. To me, at nap time, and this was WITH attitude: "I can do whatever I want".
5. To me, when Mark & Lauren were golfing: "When Lauren is done with golf, it should be my turn".
6. To me when giving Mason a time out for punching Lauren: "I'm not in time out - YOU are in time out Mommy".
7. To me, again when giving Mason a time out: "You go to YOUR room Mommy - you not behaving".
8. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture!

It's just not right

2008-03-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

February 9th, 2008. It was 9:59am. I was at work. Meghan was at home. At 10am, single tickets for Mariners games went on sale. We agreed that we'd both work together to find outfield baseball seats to go to Opening Day. So, we both did our ticketmaster searches and found 7 seats together in the outfield (3rd base side). Section 183, row 10 to be exact. It'd be me & the kids (since Mark was traveling) & the 4 Andersons. We were elated!!

Forward to today. March 31st. Today was Opening Day for the Seattle Mariners! The kids & I were dressed in our Mariners garb from head to toe...or at least head to ankles. We were actually dressed in many layers (since we woke to about 1 inch of snow yesterday). I picked up Lauren from school early and off we went to the game. It took us well over an hour to get there. Once we arrived at the parking, the sign said it was full. Ugh. So, we started to drive to find another parking lot near the stadium. As we waited to turn into a different lot, the stadium parking opened. We quickly pulled in and found a place - and "only" paid $30.

Once at the game we hiked to our seats. It was about 2:45 and game time was less than one hour away. There were plenty of opening ceremony events to keep us entertained. The Husky band, miscellaneous awards, etc. Then it was time for announcing the 2008 team. Unfortunately for us, we were seated right near where the fireworks went off. There were extremely loud! Enough for small children to burst into tears. Once the team was lined up on the 1st base line, I was sure the "booms" as Mason called them were over. Well they weren't. When the starting line-up was announced, the "booms" started again. Finally, they ended. Luckily, no more "booms".

It was now time for the game. Both kids were fabulous. I brought snacks so we didn't have to buy food. They didn't beg, complain, or anything else. They were great! We enjoyed watching, despite a home run from Texas in the first inning. They cheered, clapped, and danced.

As we started into the 4th inning, it started raining "sideways" into the stadium. You guessed it. Right to our section. It wasn't too bad at first. We bundled up a bit more with a blanket and our many layers of coats and gloves. Next came the snow. Then it subsided. We were then to the bottom of the 5th. Still 0-1 Texas. A few minutes later came hail. Not just tiny hail. Sheets of pea-sized hail. We decided it was time to take cover. See Thornley's hat for a sample of the hail!

We headed down the stairs laughing in disbelief. We went to get pictures with the moose. After the Moose, we drove home. As we exited the freeway, we drove through the neighborhood in slushy roadways. We arrived home to a white snowy house. And just think, tomorrow is April 1st! Hence the title "it's just not right". It's just not right to have snow on March 31st. So, I bid you Happy Spring...and go Mariners (who won 5-2)!

Maggie returns

2008-03-25T19:40:00.001-07:00

A similar ball before Maggie:

The ball after Maggie (the contents of her stomach):

Well, 30+ hours, 2 X-rays, 9 staples, 1 I.V., a plastic bag of chewed up blue ball, and $1600+, Maggie is home. Maggie had a good night and day at the vet and was given the OK to return home. We picked her up this evening with the following instructions:

1. Feed her 1/3 can of "special" (easily digested) dog food three times a day for 3-5 days. Then gradually switch to normal diet.
2. Give her the pain medication twice a day.
3. Don't let her jump or run. (Yeah, right, she's a lab!).
4. Watch the incision site.
5. Monitor for any vomiting or other symptoms.
6. Return in 10-14 days to have ALL NINE staples removed. (Good news - that's at no additonal cost!).

For dog lovers

2008-03-24T21:11:00.001-07:00

This blog is dedicated to pet lovers. Not the crazy “I’ll do absolutely anything for my pet” owner. Just for the “normal” pet owner. This is the owner who considers his pet part of the family.

Let me take you back a few days. Last Thursday, Maggie (our 5 year old black lab) vomited. I can’t remember the last time she vomited. That afternoon, she vomited two more times. So, I called the vet. They suggested I watch her closely. While I was on the phone with the vet, she also pooped. This was good news, as it meant she did not have any type of obstruction. She probably had a virus. Friday was a good day. No vomiting. Saturday she vomited again – but only once. All the while she was her normal self. Sunday I fed her white rice at around 1:00. Last night at around 11:30pm, Mark woke me up. Despite his CPAP machine, he heard Maggie vomit. She vomited in the bathroom, hallway, and kitchen. So, at 11:30, we were cleaning up the mess.

That brings us to today. This morning I withheld food. Maggie was just as energetic and playful as any other day. I checked the yard and she had a few normal poops I needed to clean up. I decided it was time to go to the vet. I got a 9:30am appointment. So, after dropping off the kids, I took her to our vet. Upon examination, she was “guarding” as he pushed on her abdomen. He suggested an x-ray to rule out an obstruction. I agreed. A few minutes later, the vet asked me to come back to see the x-ray. He explained that there was a foreign body in her stomach. You could see it, but couldn’t tell what it was. He advised surgery. I asked him to talk with our regular vet to confer. Awhile later, the vet explained that our primary vet agreed that surgery was necessary.
The unfortunate thing was that Mark was unavailable – on a plane again this week. I couldn’t even call him for his advice! The vet explained that surgery should be done as soon as possible, or the objects could move to the intestines and cause a blockage. If this occurred, it could kill part of the intestine – which would be even more costly to repair. Unable to reach Mark, I decided to give them the OK for surgery. I couldn’t agree to kill her. She’s a healthy, young dog who is great with the kids. What would I tell the kids if she died from a fixable problem?

Maggie came through the surgery well. We went to visit her this afternoon. When we arrived, she was outside walking on the grass with a vet assistant. She had a “hep-lock” on her left leg; a shaved abdomen; and staples up her belly. The kids were ecstatic to see her. Another vet assistant came outside to talk with us. He brought a ziplock bag full of blue plastic chunks. The bag was FULL! This was the foreign object from Maggie’s stomach. Lauren and I both confirmed it was the blue plastic ball. From what I can recall, the blue plastic ball was played with on March 5th when the Girl Scouts were over. They played in the backyard with Maggie and the ball. Sometime after March 5th, Maggie must have eaten the ball.

Hopefully she will come home tomorrow. The vet said she'll come home on pain medication and a bland diet. Good news, is that they do have a payment plan.

Things you can get done in 3 short hours

2008-03-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

I have a list a mile long of things I need to do. It never seems to decrease. So, I thought I might list what I have accomplished so far (by 11:00am) to make myself feel better.
1. 8:05am - Go to doctor's office and pick up two prescriptions for Mason.
2. 8:30am - Go to Starbucks. This is mandatory.
3. 8:47am - Go to Lauren's school. Walk her in. Pick up Jack to babysit him while Meghan is at work. Listen to Jack tell me he's not going to swim. He'll just sit on the stairs. Tell Jack that I'm not going to talk about it and he doesn't have to worry, since he had such a good time last week.
4. 9:15am - Arrive on Mercer Island for swimming. Met at the car by Colt, the swimming teacher. Informed that swimming was cancelled for today as he needed to close the pool and add a bunch of chemicals (probably not an ideal time to toss the kids in the pool, I guess)! He tells Mason and Jack that the pool is "broken" today. Once the car door is closed, Jack beams from ear to ear that he doesn't have to swim.
5. 9:30am - Arrive at Nordstrom. Take the escalator (boy's choice) to the top floor. Have Mason try on a few pairs of shoes, since his feet actually grew. Jack even pretends to model his crocs while Mason models tennis shoes. Buy shoes. Leave via elevator (boy's choice) with only one balloon for Mason. Jack said he didn't want a balloon since his brother popped the last one.
6. 10:05 - Arrive at Whole Foods. Balloon is "flown up to the sky" by Mason (by choice). Watch balloon rise. Grocery shop. Pick up free samples from the bakery to keep the tots happy.
7. 10:30 - Leave Whole Foods.
8. 10:40 - Arrive at Appliance distribution center. Pick up microwave.
9. 11:00 - Arrive back home.
10. 11:05 - After boys start playing, unload microwave. Unpack groceries. Check messages. Check email. Post this blog.

Oh, and the afternoon is looking bright too. Girl scouts. Dinner. Church. Big Brother. Sleep.

Special needs

2008-03-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

The conversation tonight went something like this:

Me: How was sibshops? What did you talk about?
Lauren: My brother (with a "duh" look).

Me: What about?

Lauren: His name. Then my name and that I'm seven.

Me: Oh. What did other kids talk about?
Lauren: Their brother or sister's special needs.

Me: Oh. What did you say?

Lauren: That I didn't remember.

Me (to Mason): What's your special need?
Mason: Ice cream!

Today Mason had an appointment at the pulmonologist. I won't go into all the details here. However, tonight I called the pharmacy to see if his refill for one of his medications was ready. The conversation went like this:

Me: Hi, I'm calling to see if my son's prescription was ready.

Pharmacy tech: Is this Mason's mom?

Me: Yes

Pharamacy tech: Yes it's ready.

I am not even joking. I didn't even say my first or last name or even Mason's name!

Nap time

2008-03-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

I know I cannot complain.

Kid #1: She pretty much refused naps from the time she was born. The 45+ minutes it would take to get her sleep just wasn't worth the 30 minutes she actually did sleep.

Kid #2: He LOVED his naps. I was ecstatic that he slept! He was on a feeding schedule when he came home at 3 weeks old. We truly had to set an alarm in the middle of the night to wake up and feed him. It was wonderful! Naps were welcome. Naps were routine. From time to time, he would actually tell me it was nap time. I loved nap time. It meant at least 2 hours of "no kid" time.

Well, at age 5 1/2, nap time has come to an end. I am distraught. For the past few weeks, naps have been hit or miss. I have bribed him to sleep with cookies, ice cream, toys, and T.V. These "rewards" (or bribes) have not been so appealing lately. So picture yesterday. I put him down for his nap. He informed me he was not napping. I closed the door. Next thing I knew, I heard him playing with his toys. So, I went into his room. He had opened his curtain and was content to play on the floor. I put him back down again. Not 5 minutes later, I hear him yelling "baseballs. I have baseballs".

Upon opening the door, I realized WHAT baseballs he had. The baseball WALL BORDER from above his room, which he tore off the wall. Needless to say, there was no nap.

Sleep

2008-02-28T07:51:00.000-08:00

Sleep. It's important. It's necessary. I need it...and lots of it. So, let me reflect upon the "non"-sleep I had last night. The dog woke me somewhere around 2am (I'm guessing). She came in the room, came to my side of the bed, then left. I turned over and went back to sleep for a few minutes. Next thing I know, it's 2:19am and I hear noises coming from Mason's room. I stumble out of bed and walk into the hall. I can see light coming thru the bottom of his door. Upon entering the room, I find the light is on. Next I notice his curtains are open. I figure he climbed on the rocking chair to pull the string to open the shades. He's happily playing with toys. I, on the other hand, am not so happy. I close the shades, physically remove the light bulb from the ceiling, and tuck him back in. I have no idea how long he was up for, as the light bulb was hot to touch.

I was awakened again around 5am to a noisy, playing Mason. This time I catch him in the act of trying to open his curtains. He is standing with one foot on the rocking chair and the other on the arm of the rocking chair, reaching the pull on the shades. UGH.

Let me backtrack a bit. His overhead light was removed probably over a year or more ago. I HATED finding him playing at completely unacceptable hours of the night...with the light on. From time to time we replace it and "try again". It lasts around 2 days and then I take it out again. Last week, he lost his table lamp. Why, you might ask? For the same reason. I would walk into the room and notice the rocking chair had been scooted next to his changing table. By reasoning alone, I figured he moved the rocking chair to climb on the changing table, to turn on the light. Quite creative I might say. But, quite annoying at the same time!

So, once again, there is NO light in his room and I'm on my way to Starbucks for a triple!

7

2008-02-19T19:35:00.001-08:00

7 is the number of weeks my husband has been out of town for...in a row! Let me say that again. My husband has been out of town for the past 7 weeks in a row! He would usually leave on a Sunday night or Monday and return on Friday. Occasionally that varied. He was home one Thursday night here a few weeks ago - but he slept at the Sleep Disorders Clinic to be tested for sleep apnea. A few weekends out of the past 7, we weren't even in the same vacinity. One weekend I was with our son in the hospital. Last weekend I was in Dallas (with my sister & her kids). A few Saturdays I was working. Etc. etc. etc.

So, this morning Mark and I spent some quality time together (after being gone for the past 7 weeks, except for the weekends). At the doctor. At his doctor. The "sleep doctor". The funny thing, is that Mark didn't think I'd be joining him. I gave him the "great news" that I was coming along yesterday.

The conversation went something like this (this is the abbreviated version):

Me-I'm coming to the doctor with you.

Him-No you're not. What are you doing with the kids

Me-Well, yes I am. The kids are going to my parents.

Him- I didn't invite you.

Me- I don't need to be invited. Isn't that nice?
Him- Why are you coming?

Me- To see what the doctor has to say. The good thing about married is I GET to come with you!! Case closed

Anyway, the appointment was quite interesting. During the sleep study they look at eye movement, respirations, brain waves (to determine the cycle of sleep), pulse, leg movement, etc. The doctor showed us all those segments and explained each one. The conclusion is (as I predicted) that he has sleep apnea. Not just sleep apnea. But, as the doctor said, "SEVERE sleep apnea". He stops breathing approximately 54 times per hour. So, for a few seconds every minute. Good news is that he will soon be the proud owner of a CPAP machine! Even better news, is that he'll have far less bruises from hits, kicks, & elbowing from me trying to stop him from snoring in the middle of the night! And, the best news of all: The CPAP machine will help him sleep better. Which means, he'll take less naps, have a better memory, etc. (And his risk of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and car accidents will also decrease). I can't wait for our romantic evenings in bed...with him and his mask.

Just to remind you again, this week is Mark's first full week home in SEVEN WEEKS! It is also mid-winter break. So, the kids are here all week. The good news is that we've had 2 beautifully sunny days. The other good thing is that my sister and her 3 year old and 8 week old are up visiting - which means we have built in play dates. Yesterday morning we hit the mall for a sale. Yesterday afternoon we went to the park. Today it was the zoo. Tomorrow, who knows?

216

2008-01-31T17:19:00.000-08:00

216. What is 216? That is the number of hours I have been continuously with Mason, taking care of him while he was sick. Morning, noon, night, and middle of the night. 216 hours. That is 12,960 minutes without the ability to be by myself or go anywhere other than the doctor's office or hospital. I'd like to say nap time I could be by myself. But I really couldn't. "Nap" time on steroids equals about 20 minutes. Less than that if you check on Mason every time his pulse oximeter alarms.

Some may say that 216 hours is not much. Perhaps they are with their children even longer than that without a break. Last summer my friend Meghan endured 21 days with her kids. Her somewhat saving grace, is she was able to be "in public", have playdates, go out to eat in restaurants, etc. Not so for us. Quarantine means just that. Stuck at home, unable to have playdates, be "in public", go out to eat, etc. (unless you count the drive through Starbucks). Others may say, 216 hours "oh that's a LONG time". Those are the moms who have time to themselves daily or every few days. To those, I say, congratulations. I hope you are saner than me.

What did I do with my "free time"? I drove 20 minutes to Lauren's school and waited 30 minutes in the lot to pick her up. We then had an outing. Where? Let me tell you where. The only place I have frequented in the past 2 weeks. The doctor!!!! Luckily, this was a "well check". But, yes, my 50 minutes of "free time" (in the past 12,960 minutes) was spent waiting for my other child....to take her to the doctor.

Let it snow

2008-01-28T19:02:00.000-08:00

Being that I was housebound with sickly Mason anyway....the snow was a welcome sight this morning! I saw the snow coming down at an early hour (3:30am when I was awake giving Mason another breathing treatment). It was beautiful. I was shocked this morning when I woke to 1+ inch on the ground. And, I was more shocked that school was actually cancelled, versus delayed. Either way, I was homebound with Mason, and today with Lauren too.
Once the snowplow and sanding truck did their jobs on the main road, it was time to hit the drive thru Starbucks. Yeah!

Now, I must backtrack a bit. My last post was a rather irate post towards my husband. I now feel convicted that I must sing a few of his praises. Last week Mason was hospitalized while Mark was out of town. He offered to cut short his business trip and return home, but Lauren was taken care of and Mason & I were stuck at the hospital. My parents, and Meghan were a tremendous help. Anyway, once Mark returned, he offered to stay at Children's, which I too declined. For me, I just have to be there. However, he brought in coffee in the mornings. He brought in lunch or dinner (from wherever I requested). He toted bags of dirty laundry home to wash, and brought me whatever items I needed. He was a great help. When we were told Mason would be discharged on Sunday afternoon, he scurried home and cleaned the ENTIRE house; changed all the sheets; etc. He even picked up dinner last night so I didn't have to cook.

I'm too busy to talk now

2008-01-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

Just a follow up to my earlier post. I call the husband to ask where the checkbook is. Lauren's school book order is due tomorrow. He promised her she could order this month. Since he's been "unavailable" at home, I placed the book order in his section of the desk, where he places all the bills. In the few moments he was home and napping last weekend, he didn't have a chance to look through it & didn't see the book order. Well, guess what? He has the checkbook with him. I have asked on MORE than one occasion, to please leave the checkbook at home for these kind of issues. So, as I ask him for the checkbook & to discuss it, he says "can't we discuss this later. I'm downstairs in the hotel having a glass of wine".

A few reasons I do not work out

2008-01-21T19:20:00.001-08:00

As we all know, January is a big month for resolutions. Pretty much every year, mine is to get back to the gym (or at least take a walk). It's now January 21st. I've gone to the gym twice. So much for my resolution.

My dear sweet husband has been traveling - which limits my "non-child" time. Let me just shed some light on the degree of travel - and when I say "week", I am speaking of Monday thru Friday. My "free" time would be M,T, Th, and F from 9:05-11:15 (while Mason is in school). Wednesday's Mason has no school & I watch Jack.

January

Week 1: 50% - January 1st was a holiday; Friday was my "free day"; I worked on Saturday

Week 2: 80% - I worked Monday,Tuesday, had a meeting on Thursday, and "free" on Friday. I was in Texas with Lauren from Saturday until Monday night

Week 3: 80% - Mark was "mandated" to be home Monday, as I was out of town. Tuesday, Mason had no school due to ice; Thursday I worked; Friday I worked and Mark's dad came into town for Lauren's birthday weekend.

Week 4: 100% - January 21st was a holiday. I work on Tuesday, Thursday, and have Friday "free". I also work on Saturday.

Upcoming trips:

January Week 5: 80% (next week) - Mark was "mandated" to be home by Thursday night, as it's Kindergarten orientation. I work on Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday. Friday is "free".

February Week 1: 100% - I work on Monday; have my own doctor's appointment on Tuesday; have Thursday "free"; and get my haircut on Friday morning (rescheduled from an evening appointment - since I'd have to pay a sitter). Work on Saturday.

February Week 2: 60% - "Free" Monday & Tuesday; work Thursday & Friday

Needless to say, with all my "free time", the last thing I want to do is go to the gym. After all, who else will do the laundry, run the other errands, grocery shop, etc?! I have approximately 2.25 hours to myself once a week. Even on the weekends, he's able to "fit in" a nap. I'd LOVE a nap. However, as I've been told, I can catch up on my stuff when I wake up from my nap. What sense is there in me taking time for a nap, if the workload would just accumulate while I was sleeping?

I suppose the good news in all of this, is I get the bed to myself for the majority of the time. Unfortunately, when Mark comes home, I no longer sleep well. Why? Oh, because of the earth-shaking snoring. Yes, he's seen the ENT. But, no, he hasn't scheduled the sleep study yet. Why again? Because he's gone too much. So, when he comes home and falls asleep as soon as he's in bed, the jet-engine motor (a.k.a. the snore) begins. Apparantly, as he was leaving at some awful hour this morning and said goodbye, I mumbled "I'm mad at you". I didn't even recall saying that, but when I was conscious some 2 hours later, he reminded me. The reason I was mad, was due to the snoring! I don't know if I was even able to have 1-2 consecutive hours of sleep last night.

Anyhoo - these are the reasons I'm continuing to let myself fall further and further apart. I have NO time! And, yes, I actually do enjoy going to the gym. But, again, what point is there in going if no one else is going to help with all the household chores, events, errands, etc?

Poor Mark

2008-01-10T12:47:00.001-08:00

After Mark left last night, I received a call from a relative who took pity (and I quote) on "Poor Mark" - for his having to travel last minute. So, here are my top 10 reasons on why I don't truly see it as "Poor Mark".

10. He is able to stay in a hotel where someone else makes your bed.

9. He is able to go out to eat wherever he wants.

8. He is able to eat his meals as slowly as he wants, with the benefit of not preparing someone else's food; not listening to whining about the food; not cutting someone else's food; or having to share his food.

7. He does not have to do any housework at home.

6. He is able to fly on an airplane with none of his family, and is able to read, sleep, or watch a movie in peace.

5. He is able to take a shower without small children barging in to say "hi".

4. He is able to urinate in private.

3. He is able to drive in a new rental car and listen to the music he wants to listen to.

2. After work, he can watch TV all night long and not tuck anyone in.

And the number one reason I don't see it as "Poor Mark": He is able to poop in peace!

100 minutes

2008-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

100 minutes. That's about how much advance notice I have to prepare for the rest of the week with the kids and without the husband. Today he calls me at around 2:20 to inform me that he will be traveling to Denver TODAY. As you all know, I do like a bit of preparing. This, I don't consider preparing!!!!!! Anyway, he shows up home at 2:50 (approx. 4 minutes ago) to let the kids know he's leaving for the airport in 1 hour. Isn't that nice? Let's also not forget that he'll be out of town for the next 2 weeks in a row; I have a mom's dinner out tomorrow night; Lauren has a Brownie meeting tomorrow night; Mason has speech; etc. Not to mention, I have to pack for myself and Lauren to leave for Texas on Saturday morning to see her new baby cousin.

The new safe

2008-01-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

So, after finding out the husband removed the safe, I decided I'd take care of the problem. So, I went to Home Depot today and purchased a water-resistant, fire resistant (up to 4 hour) safe. It was $17.97!! I think that I will store the children and my personal information in said safe. The husband can store his personal information in his "haven't been used in over 1 year" golf clubs!

A discussion

2008-01-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

I have good intentions. Sometimes, however my intentions take awhile for me to actually complete them.

Case in point. A few years ago we purchased a very small, fire "resistant" safe (after saying we needed one for quite some time). My intentions were to photocopy pertinent information and store it in the little safe. We're not talking jewels or anything like that. I mean things like a copy of birth certificates, passports, list of home contents, etc. The safe was stored (in it's box) under the bed. It took up virtually no room. And, we had other things stored under the bed too like bins of seasonal clothes.

So, today, I actually took the time to photocopy all the "stuff" on our printer/copier. After making sure it was all in order, I went downstairs to FINALLY put the items in the safe. The originals could now go to the safe deposit box at the bank. I climbed under both sides of the bed to get the safe. Guess what?! No safe. So, I called the husband to ask where he put it. He said "I got rid of it - I think I took it back awhile ago". I was none too pleased! I voiced my displeasure with said husband. He said "well you didn't do it". I said, "it didn't mean I never would - I wanted it". He continued to argue that since it hadn't been used in "his time frame", then he had the right to get rid of it or take it back. So, after continuing to "discuss it", my view was that husband should have discussed his intentions of getting rid of something I had asked for and wanted, regardless of if I had used it or not! His view was that he wasn't sorry, since I hadn't used it in whatever period of time he thought I should use it in. In the end, I suggested that if I saw things of his that I didn't think he was using or going to use, I should just dispose of it without telling him too!!!!!

What it's worth to be a mom

2007-12-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

There are days when being a mom is easy. Then there are the other 364 days per year. So, today, I've decided it would be a great idea to "charge" the kids for my mom duties. Don't you think it'd be a good idea?

Here's just a few of the items they owe me for (just in the past 12 hours)....

$3 - Getting up at midnight last night to give Lauren Tylenol for a headache (medication administration fee is $1, plus the $2 after-hours charge).

$10 - Cleaning up a very poopy diaper and pajamas from Mason this morning (he's on a round of antibiotics) and giving him a bath at 7am (bath fee of $1, plus the $9 grossness factor fee)

$1 - Giving Mason his antibiotics (in addition to his regular medication)

$5 - Transporting kids to/from swimming

$1 - Giving Mason another bath at 11am (see next note)

$15 - Stripping the car seat down to wash it since Mason had a potty accident in the car today (this would include cleaning the seat of the car, the booster seat itself, and the material).

$3 - Laundry

I think that our day would be much brighter as moms if we itemized our duties and put a price tag on our day. It's only 11:55am and I have already earned enough for a manicure and pedicure!

Why I don't like Winter break

2007-12-21T12:57:00.001-08:00

Why I don't like "Winter vacation" (i.e. Christmas break). Hmmm. Where to start?

1. It means 24 hours a day; 7 days a week of children. Well, we're only 3 days into the "break", Lauren has been downright disobedient and rude for approximately 76% of the time. Let me take you to day 1 of "the break". Wednesday. While getting ready to change Lauren's earrings (at her request), I asked her to finish one of her chores. She disobeyed. Hence, the consequence was that I would not change her earrings to the "dangly pair" she wanted. Apparantly that was just the sin of all sins. In other words, I was called (by the 6 year old), a liar. That just doesn't sit well with me. After calmly and repeatedly explaining there are consequences for disobeying, the term of "liar" kept sailing thru the air. At that point, many many priviledeges were taken away. Fast forward another hour. After Mason had swimming lessons, I decided we'd take a quick trip to Whole Foods to get sandwiches for lunch. The only "rule" was that Lauren's must have meat in it. And, if she wanted PB&J, I'd fix it at home. I mean, I'm not paying $4 for a PB&J. Turkey or ham yes. PB&J no!. That caused another ruckus. So, the consequence for the tantrum regarding sandwich options, was, for her to eat at home. For this next sin of all sins, I was kicked in the leg in the checkout line. Again, I maintained my composure and simlply reached down & removed the "offending shoe". Shoe number 2 then decided to kick me too. So, the last "offending shoe" was removed. I might add, that this was a rainy, nasty day. So, we're in checkout and Lauren has no shoes. She then has to walk to the car barefoot. Fast forward a few more hours, and the hideous attitude did leave Lauren's body, and was replaced with a much nicer, kinder, gentler Lauren.

2. No "adult" only respite. No time at home alone without kids. Unless you count the 2 hours Meghan babysat for me yesterday while I was at the doctor (and now I'm on 21 days of antibiotics, steroids, and a steroid nasal spray). And, during the time the kids were at Meghan's, Lauren was bossy and Thornley didn't want to play with her. Suits her right. The only redeeming adult time was last night when Jen, Meghan, & I went to dinner at Newcastle pub for happy hour. The appletini's were $2.95 as were the appetizers.

3. See #1 again. Only, today's issue with Lauren was in regards to clothing options. She didn't like the options SHE chose for herself and threw a fit. Mark was at Starbucks picking up drinks (we were out of coffee). When he returned, I explained that there was no way in h--- that Lauren was having hot chocolate...and could have the alternate non-chocolate beverage. Apparantly that was another major sin. She sulked in her room for another hour. Oh well.

4. Snoring. Mark came home from a business trip. This is all good news....with the exception that he arrived home at 1am; came home with a cold; and snored ALL night.

Stupid

2007-12-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me well, 'Stupid' is not a word we say in our house. For obvious reasons. Kind of like retarded. It's another one we just don't say. Anyway, we consider 'stupid' a 'bad word'. Lauren knows that we don't say 'stupid'. In fact, when watching a movie, and 'Stupid' is said, she'll look at me in the "I know we don't say that" kind of look.
Well, guess what? We caught Mason saying 'Stupid'. I thought I heard him say it yesterday, but wasn't sure. Well, today I was sure. He was playing with his cars & I heard him say 'stupid'. Mark asked him what he said & Mason repeated it. I sat him down and said "we don't say that".
Today after our 1st of three appointments at Children's this week, the word emerged again. Only this time it was directed towards me. Here is how the conversation unfolded:
Me: Mason, you need to use your walking feet.
Mason: No, I running.
Me: (After catching up to him in the hall) Mason, you can use walking feet or you have to hold my hand.
Mason: (pouts)
Me: I take his hand to hold it
Mason: (takes his hand back)
Me; Mason, you must walk.
Mason: Stupid
Me: Did you just say 'stupid?
Mason; Yes
So, that was our fun outing to the doctor. I'm apparently stupid. And, well, he got a time out.

P.S. I forgot to add that I personally blame Charlie Brown's Christmas for this!!! They use the word stupid quite frequently!!!

Persistence pays off

2007-12-03T19:21:00.000-08:00

A known trick to us "frequent flyers" of Children's hospital clinics is to call back and ask to be put on the cancellation list. The good news, is that quite often, you are able to get into clinic sooner than your original appointment. The bad news is, there is little "prep" time.

This morning I called the immunology clinic to talk to my new BFF, "the scheduler". Will wonders never cease? She answered the phone! So, I asked if there were any cancellations for tomorrow's immunology clinic, or the following week's clinic....knowing very well that immunology clinic is held on Tuesday mornings only. She put me on hold and I waited. She came back on the line. Nope, no openings. So, I asked to be put on the cancellation list.

Low and behold, at 2:15 today, I received a call from another "scheduler". They have a cancellation for Tuesday morning at 9am. Can we make it? YES WE CAN! I spent the last hour with the kids watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, while I typed up a list of Mason's illnesses and antibiotics used for the past 2 years. Anyway I will be dropping Lauren off at Meghan's at 7:45am to play before school. Mason & I will be trekking over to Children's. YIPPEE!!!

4 inches

2007-12-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

We woke to about 1/2 an inch of snow today. The weather forecasters predicted we'd get some snow this afternoon, but it arrived early. In our household, snow is right up there with Santa and Christmas morning. Before we could even discuss "acceptable attire", the kids were outside on the deck. Lauren was the first one outside - in her pajamas, barefoot - to eat the snow. Mason opted to put his own shoes (on the correct feet, no less) before venturing out to make a snowball.

But alas, it melted quickly.

We went about the day "business as usual". At around 1:15, the snow started again. This time we had "serious snow". So, we all bundled up and walked to Starbucks - as is our ritual when it snows. When we returned, it was time to build the necessary snowman. All the neighbors were outside too, ranging from 5 (Mason) to teens. There was an all-out neighborhood snowball fight. It was quite the site to see, with kids (and Mark) running, hiding, and flinging snowballs at each other. 3 other neighbors built snowmen too. By 4:30 it was time to come in and warm up a bit. When I measured, we had 2 inches of snow!!

As I sit here typing tonight, the snow is still coming down. When I last officially measured at 9:15, we had 4 inches! The roads are covered and it's beautiful.

Don't like white medicine

2007-11-29T14:11:00.001-08:00

Last night I noticed Mason had a little draining from his right ear. I hopefully thought, it might just be my imagination. I'll look again tomorrow. Being that Mason sits to my left at breakfast, it was easy to look at his right ear. Sure enough, more drainage. Yuck. So, I say outloud (to myself), which ear has the tube in it. "The right one" Lauren says. Mark & I chuckle. I pull out one of his medical notebooks to verify. Yep, the right ear. On the way to school, I call & schedule an appointment. By the time Mason gets back into my car after school, more drainage.

Yep-the doctor confirms the ear infection. So, we head to Bartell's to pick up the 2 new prescriptions. Well, at Bartells, they know us by name before we reach the pharmacy counter. "Oh, for Mason"? "Yes, I answer...for Mason". She pulls out the Zithromax (he takes 3 days on, 11 off...but that's another story). "Oh, no not that one today" I say. So, they go back to their little place and mix up the other stuff. So, we leave Bartells with ear drops and Omnicef.

After we return home, I tell him it's time for his medicine. His response (before even seeing it) is "no like white medicine. Like red medicine". I explain that the white medicine is for today & that the red medicine (Zithromax) was for last week. But, not to worry, he's due for the red medicine after he finishes the course of the white medicine.

Update on scheduling

2007-11-28T14:18:00.001-08:00

Well, after I last posted. Guess who called? That's right, Children's Immunology Clinic. The immunologist will "allow" Mason to have an appointment in the clinic. You heard me right. Apparantly, their process is as follows.

1. Pediatrician faxes in referral

2. The referral coordinator at Children's reviews the referral.
3. The referral and chart notes are then sent to one of the Immunology doctors.
4. That doctor reviews the information and then will decide if the patient can be seen in the clinic.
5. The doctor then reports back to "the scheduler".
6. The "scheduler" then calls the parent to schedule an appointment.

The first available appointment (which we took), is January!

Scheduling at Children's

2007-11-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

Has anyone tried to schedule an appointment at Children's Hospital recently? Clinic scheduling at Children's falls into 3 categories, as far as I'm concerned. And I base my "expertise" in the fact that Mason has been seen in at least 8 DIFFERENT clinical specialties there! Seriously. Some clinics allow you to schedule with ease. Just call and make an appointment. Others are more difficult. Your pediatrician must fax in a referral (even if your insurance doesn't require one). After Children's has received the referral (and any other chart notes they deem necessary), you can then schedule the appointment. Then, there are the really difficult clinics. Immunology clinic would classify as "one of those" clinics.

Mason's pediatrician called us last Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) to let us know he'd fax in the referral to the immunology clinic and that we should call to schedule an appointment. He called back on Friday and left us a detailed message with more instructions. He called back again Friday to make sure we received the message and to tell us that the referral process was complete and to call and schedule the appointment.

So, I did. I called immunology clinic, followed the appropriate prompts, and left a message for the patient care coordinator (a fancy name for scheduler, I guess). I tried calling back a few more times in hopes of actually talking to a live person. No such luck. So, I called again Monday. After being transfered to the wrong specialty, by luck, I actually talked to "the scheduler". "The scheduler" informed me that yes, the referral was there. However, she needed to contact the immunologist to discuss when to schedule the appointment. She insisted that he responds promptly and would call back ASAP. Her view of ASAP and my view differ a bit. I called back Tuesday and left another message. I called again today and left another message. Finally, I decided I would follow any prompts and pretend I didn't know which "scheduler" we were supposed to speak with. So, I ended up with another scheduler. She indicated she'd put me thru to "the schedulers" voice mail. I quickly said that I really wasn't interested in leaving yet another unreturned voice mail message. So, she puts me on hold. She talks to "the scheduler". She returns to the phone and tells me, they are still waiting for SOMETHING. Only, she can't clarify what SOMETHING is. Yes, the referral is there. Yes she knows we would like to schedule. But, SOMETHING is not there, and therefore you can't even schedule an appointment. She suggests I call our pediatrician.
So, I do. I talk with the nurse and apologize for bugging them. See, I work very part time at the office, and know that we are VERY short staffed right now. In fact, I'm filling in while Mason is at school for the next 2 weeks (and a day here and there for the past 3 weeks). She kindly asks what he's missing. Apologetically I reply that I have no idea...the referral is there, and that's what I know. Anyway, she'll have our pediatrician contact immunology clinic again. UGH!

Urine

2007-11-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

It's not that I have an issue with urine (also known as pee, potty, etc). I'm a nurse, so dealing with it when I work is a norm for me. In fact, last weekend, I had to catheterize an infant for the sole purpose of obtaining urine. I've also been through potty training with both kids. And frankly, everybody pees.

What I don't like is urine where it doesn't belong. In this case, it was the dog. We've had Maggie since she was a puppy. In fact, her 5th birthday is in February. She potty trained quite easily in comparison with the kids. Today, however, she must have forgotten WHERE she should potty. When we're gone, she stays in her crate in the garage. Today I was gone for 3 hours. When I arrived home and let her outside from her crate, I noticed her leg and backside appeared wet. I think to myself, what the heck? So, I go look in her crate. Sure enough, it looked like splattered pee.

So, it was bath time. Now, some of you might think "no big deal...just put her in the bathtub". That's not an option for me. You see, Maggie is big. A big black lab. A big black lab who sheds. A lot. When I've tried the "indoor bath", I spent the next hour wiping off dog hair from all the walls. From that time on, I vowed never to bathe her in the bath again.

Thus, the option was the hose. Good news, is that it was sunny and temperatures were above freezing and I have great boots from Costco (new in October). Some of you may be thinking 'torture'. I'm thinking 'sanity'. I'm also thinking, 'she's a dog - by nature a hunting dog - and hunting dogs swim in cold water'. So, after changing into clothing that is unfit to wear in public, I tie her up, hose her down and wash her with shampoo. I dry her with a towel and let her sit in the sun to dry. All in all, the bath experience took under an hour. And no walls were cleaned in the process. Hooray.

P.S. The picture is not from today - it's from last January.