What's at the top of my to-do list?
--This is my calendar this week:
-- Today...after Christmas shopping with Sisters and Mom. Eve--Ted has Blues Hockey game
Brother and Dad. Sam spends the night at Grandparents. Racetrack with them tomorrow.
--12/27...Sam and Abby Dental cleaning. Sister and her husband over for dinner.
--12/28...Ted has poker night with buds (really only happens once a year)
--12/29...Date night!!! Abby spends the night at Grandma and Grandpas and goes to see "Annie"
--12/30...Annual Game Night with Women's and Men's Groups
--12/31...New Year's Eve. Have sister and her family over?
--1/1...No plans. Whew
So, I need to figure out a meal for the 27th. I have a Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin in the freezer. I could have that. It's preseasoned. I hope it's good. I'll have greenbeanss and garlic bread and mashedpotatoess. I have this basil pesto that's been in my fridge and it looks really good. I'm going to try it on the green beans and a little on the garlic bread. I've never really cooked with pesto before and I looked up all the uses. It said it's mainly good on vegetables, bread, pasta and chicken. I'm knocking out two of the uses in one night.
--Also need to bring an appetizer to the game night on the 30th. I'll have to think about that one.
--Other than that, my main "to do" is to spend time with my family!!
What have I accomplished?
--We just celebrated Christmas, didn't we?? One major accomplishment!!
--After Christmas shopping produced a great start on Christmas shopping for next year!
What's bugging me?
--Mary bit off the pointy ends of all Ben's new, big crayons (not in one day)
--I wish our Christmas break wasn't so overbooked. I would prefer some more down time. We do have the daytime together at least.
--Sam is spending the night at his Grandparents tonight and I forgot his 2pm dental cleaning tomorrow! Do I reschedule? Ugghhh!!
--My friend Theresa has been in town since the 18th and I haven't been able to talk to her yet.
--My cycle is all screwed up. I need to go to my Gyno. TMI...I know....
What's my latest obsession?
--My new "Master Cook" software. I can enter a brand new recipe and it will calculate the nutritional info based on the ingredients and portions I enter. It's also a database of 8000 recipes!! It will create a shopping list for me based on my recipes I'll be making.
--Spending time with my family. Playing board games.
--Buying Christmas bargains! At Bath and Body I got a bunch of pumps of hand soap with gorgeous gift boxes. I will give them at the family get togethers where we need something small for each person (next Christmas). I'll also give them as Teacher gifts next year. They were only $2 each! I bought 15!
What's been making me happy?
--Ted is on Christmas vacation! He goes back 1/3.
--I got to go shopping today!!
--We have a date night coming up!
--Ted got all these gift cards: a huge one to Best Buy as a bonus for a contract signed, a $110 TJ Maxx one which he gave to me, and a $100 dinner to a nice steakhouse. He also got to take a couple of things out of their "Marketing cabinet"...a signed jersey by Marshall Faulk and a PSP. Neither of which he really cares to own, so we will probably sell them on Ebay. These are nice perks through his job.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
9 Year Old Boy Humor
The above picture is that of our dry erase board...handy for writing down whatever we have just run out of and need to get at the grocery store. My son, Sam, injects a little bit of his 9 year old humor..."POOPFARTS". He means "POPTARTS", of course (strawberry flavor).
Another good example of 9 year old boy humor...a website called " http://www.santasez.sig-ad.com/ " On this site you see a video of Santa. I guess you could call it an "interactive video". You can tell Santa to whatever you want and he does it! There are only a few things he will look at you like he didn't hear you well and not do the performed act. When Ted and I were on the site we thought of very boring things like sit, lay down, etc. Sam, however, with good 9 year old humor, had Santa farting, crying, doing cartwheels, handstands, taking off his clothes, peeing, throwing up, etc. All of this is done in good taste, though. You have to check it out. I've never heard Sam laugh so loud. You can even make Santa knock the tree down and give you a present. Oh, what Christmas fun. :-)
Friday, December 16, 2005
Productive? Or Counterproductive?
So much of what I do is counterproductive.
I started this morning with doing the dishes. Mary was climbing on the dishwasher door while I put the dishes in. I used to fight these things...not anymore. It just gets tiring. I found myself putting cups back in that she had taken out, trying to watch her and make sure she doesn't fall, all while loading the dishwasher. She started crying because I took something away from her and so I gave up. I took her off the dishwasher door and shut it. I'll come back later. So I sit with her on the couch. Give her some attention. She jumped off and started playing. Whew.
Ben wanted orange juice. I put a little in a cup and told him to stay at the end table. Mary grabbed the cup as I was on my way beck into the kitchen and spilled it on the carpeting. Ben cries at Mary for spilling his drink and asks for more. This time I was smart and put him at the kitchen table. I go to clean up the juice which will always leave a piece of itself with my carpeting, I'm sure. It's joining my nice collection of dripping sippy cups of milk and apple juice along with whatever ground in food is in there. In a way, it's a comfort knowing my carpeting is old and totally imperfect. I'm waiting for Mary to turn 4 before we replace it.
I finished up the dishes and then start on making some peanut butter balls. Notice I said "making" not "baking". That's because this batch is a no-bake treat. You've probably heard of it "Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Balls". Mmmmm...peanut butter mixed with butter and Rice Krispies and topped with melted chocolate chips. You cool them in the fridge and that's it! Well, Mary hunted me down and cried at my feet while I'm attempting to assemble these balls. I have peanut butter gook all over my hands and she's got her arms wrapped around my legs begging for attention. I continue on. Sometimes I just drag her along with me as I move about the room to accomplish my task. She was distracted with the cabinets a couple of times so that was good. But finally, she couldn't take it anymore. I finished the job and then held her.
Mary just seemed to be way to crabby and clingy. I decided to lay her down. Now I can get things done much easier! I decided the floor needed a good scrubbing. It was pretty gross. I have a laminate floor in my Kitchen and Breakfast Room. When it needs a good cleaning, I take a small bucket of hot water and get on my hands and knees. I use the Pampered Chef stone scraper (that thing has hardly ever seen a stone) and use it for all the stubborn, dried up stuff. It works wonders. Anyway, Ben comes along and wants his own scrubber. So I look around for one and can't find one. I end up giving him a scrub brush with a handle. I thought that would be fun. He's dunking his brush in the water and spreading puddles all over the floor. *sigh* (God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the peace of mind to get through it all!!!). I abandoned the project. When I leave, he will. He did. Then I came back and started again. So did he. I thought, oh well, I'll clean it up later...at least he's happy. I did get my floor clean. As best as I could anyway. My body was getting tired from all the elbow grease.
Now I'm taking a break. Writing this blog. There is peace in the house as Mary sleeps and Ben is fiddling with the VCR. I don't feel like checking this out. Oh...now he's playing his favorite train video. All by himself! Ahhh...God gives us little delights in the middle of a hectic day. It's like He's saying, "See! It's not all that bad!" Yes. And look what I accomplished!
It's just odd to know some people do these things with little thought at how easily they did it. I have a friend whose kids are all in school. ALL DAY! No one is at home but her! And she doesn't work! Can you imagine??? Sometimes she'll complain about all that she has to do and I think, "You have oodles of time to do this stuff and no one in your way! What are you complaining about?" To be able to have so much focus on what you want to accomplish....*dreamylook*. I know my time will come. I know they aren't young forever. In the meantime, I'll continue to shower with kids at my feet, eat my meals with a million interruptions of needs or someone in my lap, go to the bathroom while a child is playing with the toilet paper, do dishes or make dinner with a little ones arms wrapped around my legs, etc...etc...
It's not that I didn't get anything done. I did. And it feels good to accomplish these things. But I just wish it wouldn't have to be so hard to do the simplest things. Oh shame on you, Missy, for throwing yourself such a pity part! No one enjoys them but you! Even if it's a party of one, sometimes I just need to vent. Thanks for listening.
I started this morning with doing the dishes. Mary was climbing on the dishwasher door while I put the dishes in. I used to fight these things...not anymore. It just gets tiring. I found myself putting cups back in that she had taken out, trying to watch her and make sure she doesn't fall, all while loading the dishwasher. She started crying because I took something away from her and so I gave up. I took her off the dishwasher door and shut it. I'll come back later. So I sit with her on the couch. Give her some attention. She jumped off and started playing. Whew.
Ben wanted orange juice. I put a little in a cup and told him to stay at the end table. Mary grabbed the cup as I was on my way beck into the kitchen and spilled it on the carpeting. Ben cries at Mary for spilling his drink and asks for more. This time I was smart and put him at the kitchen table. I go to clean up the juice which will always leave a piece of itself with my carpeting, I'm sure. It's joining my nice collection of dripping sippy cups of milk and apple juice along with whatever ground in food is in there. In a way, it's a comfort knowing my carpeting is old and totally imperfect. I'm waiting for Mary to turn 4 before we replace it.
I finished up the dishes and then start on making some peanut butter balls. Notice I said "making" not "baking". That's because this batch is a no-bake treat. You've probably heard of it "Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Balls". Mmmmm...peanut butter mixed with butter and Rice Krispies and topped with melted chocolate chips. You cool them in the fridge and that's it! Well, Mary hunted me down and cried at my feet while I'm attempting to assemble these balls. I have peanut butter gook all over my hands and she's got her arms wrapped around my legs begging for attention. I continue on. Sometimes I just drag her along with me as I move about the room to accomplish my task. She was distracted with the cabinets a couple of times so that was good. But finally, she couldn't take it anymore. I finished the job and then held her.
Mary just seemed to be way to crabby and clingy. I decided to lay her down. Now I can get things done much easier! I decided the floor needed a good scrubbing. It was pretty gross. I have a laminate floor in my Kitchen and Breakfast Room. When it needs a good cleaning, I take a small bucket of hot water and get on my hands and knees. I use the Pampered Chef stone scraper (that thing has hardly ever seen a stone) and use it for all the stubborn, dried up stuff. It works wonders. Anyway, Ben comes along and wants his own scrubber. So I look around for one and can't find one. I end up giving him a scrub brush with a handle. I thought that would be fun. He's dunking his brush in the water and spreading puddles all over the floor. *sigh* (God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the peace of mind to get through it all!!!). I abandoned the project. When I leave, he will. He did. Then I came back and started again. So did he. I thought, oh well, I'll clean it up later...at least he's happy. I did get my floor clean. As best as I could anyway. My body was getting tired from all the elbow grease.
Now I'm taking a break. Writing this blog. There is peace in the house as Mary sleeps and Ben is fiddling with the VCR. I don't feel like checking this out. Oh...now he's playing his favorite train video. All by himself! Ahhh...God gives us little delights in the middle of a hectic day. It's like He's saying, "See! It's not all that bad!" Yes. And look what I accomplished!
It's just odd to know some people do these things with little thought at how easily they did it. I have a friend whose kids are all in school. ALL DAY! No one is at home but her! And she doesn't work! Can you imagine??? Sometimes she'll complain about all that she has to do and I think, "You have oodles of time to do this stuff and no one in your way! What are you complaining about?" To be able to have so much focus on what you want to accomplish....*dreamylook*. I know my time will come. I know they aren't young forever. In the meantime, I'll continue to shower with kids at my feet, eat my meals with a million interruptions of needs or someone in my lap, go to the bathroom while a child is playing with the toilet paper, do dishes or make dinner with a little ones arms wrapped around my legs, etc...etc...
It's not that I didn't get anything done. I did. And it feels good to accomplish these things. But I just wish it wouldn't have to be so hard to do the simplest things. Oh shame on you, Missy, for throwing yourself such a pity part! No one enjoys them but you! Even if it's a party of one, sometimes I just need to vent. Thanks for listening.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Snapshot Thursday
What’s at the top of my to-do list?
--I got three family gatherings this weekend. Two on Saturday and one on Sunday...arrgghh. Actually, I am looking forward to them...it's just a lot in one weekend. I need to make something for all three. The first party on Saturday I will do something simple since we won't be there long. I will bring pretzels bites covered with Almond Bark with Christmas sprinkles. It's so easy. I just throw a big bag of Sourdough pretzel bites into a bowl. On the side, melt half a brick of almond bark in the microwave (only takes a couple of minutes) and then I stir them both together til all the pretzels are covered. Then I spread them out on wax paper, sprinkle, cool and break apart. EASY. For the place we are going afterwards, I'm bringing buffalo wings. It'll be my first time frying them instead of baking. I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Here's the recipe: http://chicken.allrecipes.com/az/RstrntStylBfflChicknWings.asp . Sunday, we are celebrating my mom's bday and Christmas with my siblings. I'm bringing mostaccoli (I always forget how to spell that word), and garlic bread. My gifts are wrapped and ready to go. I can't think of anything else beyond this weekend. There are other things I need to do but I have to climb one mountain at a time.
--We need to see the Christmas lights at Tilles Park! We've waited too long. There is not a free night until Wednesday (unless we want to battle the crowds on Friday night) :-(
What have I accomplished?
--Finished Christmas shopping...ok...only one more present to buy...IT'S NEVER ENDING!!
--Finished painting Abby's room. It looks great! Everything has been put back in and pictures are hung! Yahhh!
--Christmas Cards went out last week.
--Adopt a Family stuff all packed and went out last weekend.
--Bought a binder to hold all my printed recipes from the web. Got those nifty dividers too...labeled with "main dish", "desserts", "veggies", etc.
What’s bugging me?
--The fact that I'm watching the kids in the bath right now and I NEED A SHOWER!!
--All the e-mails about stores taking the word "Christmas" out of their advertising. Really...does it matter? I know what it means to me...does it matter what words they use? Will it change how I celebrate my holiday? No. I'm not boycotting Target. I refuse.
--My house is a disaster. Mary was clingy while Ben watched Thomas videos because they scare her...so I haven't gotten anything done...except for blogging...I know I know...how did I do that?
--Ben's latest trip: Dumping Lincoln Logs!!!
What’s my latest obsession?
--Recipes on-line. I'm still obsessing about all the other stuff I've mentioned before.
What’s been making me happy?
--Christmas is almost here!! Ted's taking off a whole week!!!
--Playing with my kids... on the floor, on the couch, in my lap. Sneaking hugs and kisses with the older ones. Telling them they're cute and that I love them.
--Appreciating Mary's size and age while it's here. I know she will grow up before my eyes, quicker than I want to imagine. I love marveling at her little body parts. I clipped her toe nails today. They are so cute and adorable. Soon they'll be all gnarly and smelly like the rest of ours. *snort*
--Thinking about Ben's Christmas Program and "Mom's Day Out". He sucked his thumb through the whole thing.
--My flannel sheets. Hmmm....so warm and fuzzy!
--We are all healthy and thriving again!
--I got three family gatherings this weekend. Two on Saturday and one on Sunday...arrgghh. Actually, I am looking forward to them...it's just a lot in one weekend. I need to make something for all three. The first party on Saturday I will do something simple since we won't be there long. I will bring pretzels bites covered with Almond Bark with Christmas sprinkles. It's so easy. I just throw a big bag of Sourdough pretzel bites into a bowl. On the side, melt half a brick of almond bark in the microwave (only takes a couple of minutes) and then I stir them both together til all the pretzels are covered. Then I spread them out on wax paper, sprinkle, cool and break apart. EASY. For the place we are going afterwards, I'm bringing buffalo wings. It'll be my first time frying them instead of baking. I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Here's the recipe: http://chicken.allrecipes.com/az/RstrntStylBfflChicknWings.asp . Sunday, we are celebrating my mom's bday and Christmas with my siblings. I'm bringing mostaccoli (I always forget how to spell that word), and garlic bread. My gifts are wrapped and ready to go. I can't think of anything else beyond this weekend. There are other things I need to do but I have to climb one mountain at a time.
--We need to see the Christmas lights at Tilles Park! We've waited too long. There is not a free night until Wednesday (unless we want to battle the crowds on Friday night) :-(
What have I accomplished?
--Finished Christmas shopping...ok...only one more present to buy...IT'S NEVER ENDING!!
--Finished painting Abby's room. It looks great! Everything has been put back in and pictures are hung! Yahhh!
--Christmas Cards went out last week.
--Adopt a Family stuff all packed and went out last weekend.
--Bought a binder to hold all my printed recipes from the web. Got those nifty dividers too...labeled with "main dish", "desserts", "veggies", etc.
What’s bugging me?
--The fact that I'm watching the kids in the bath right now and I NEED A SHOWER!!
--All the e-mails about stores taking the word "Christmas" out of their advertising. Really...does it matter? I know what it means to me...does it matter what words they use? Will it change how I celebrate my holiday? No. I'm not boycotting Target. I refuse.
--My house is a disaster. Mary was clingy while Ben watched Thomas videos because they scare her...so I haven't gotten anything done...except for blogging...I know I know...how did I do that?
--Ben's latest trip: Dumping Lincoln Logs!!!
What’s my latest obsession?
--Recipes on-line. I'm still obsessing about all the other stuff I've mentioned before.
What’s been making me happy?
--Christmas is almost here!! Ted's taking off a whole week!!!
--Playing with my kids... on the floor, on the couch, in my lap. Sneaking hugs and kisses with the older ones. Telling them they're cute and that I love them.
--Appreciating Mary's size and age while it's here. I know she will grow up before my eyes, quicker than I want to imagine. I love marveling at her little body parts. I clipped her toe nails today. They are so cute and adorable. Soon they'll be all gnarly and smelly like the rest of ours. *snort*
--Thinking about Ben's Christmas Program and "Mom's Day Out". He sucked his thumb through the whole thing.
--My flannel sheets. Hmmm....so warm and fuzzy!
--We are all healthy and thriving again!
Behind the Scenes
This morning I was putting some things in the kids' "special boxes". Each kid has his/her own box and anything deemed "special" gets put in there. For example, today I put in Sam's Iowa scores, a short story he wrote, a handprint Turkey Ben made (I'm a sucker for handprints), and a school paper of Abby's where she listed her favorite things. While I was doing this, I thought of all the things I do behind the scenes for them. Sometimes they'll realize what I did for them, sometimes they don't. Sometimes it's just expected or taken for granted...like picking up toys, doing their laundry, cooking their meal, refilling the toilet paper roll, changing their sheets, buying them clothes, buying their favorite food. They don't necessarily think about what went on behind the scenes to get them what they have. They know they have nice, warm, flannel sheets on their bed for the winter, they know that there is food to eat when they are hungry, the clothes are in their drawers when they need to get dressed, and somehow...they get exactly what they wanted for Christmas.
When I think about these things that I work so hard to do, I have one of two responses. Either I feel good that I'm doing a good job and they don't have to worry, or I feel taken for granted, underappreciated. Than I thought of our Father in Heaven. He knows exactly how I feel, because He's BEEN THERE. Think about it, who is the most underappreciated being?? GOD! I thought of all the things He does for me behind the scenes that I take for granted or come to expect. I can stay at home with our children, but I often complain about their behavior, or how I can't get anything done. I moan and groan about picking up the kids from school sometimes when there is a mother who was telling me how much she appreciates her part time schedule because she can pick up her kids from school everyday. She used to work full time. I've taken it for granted! What a gift! I roll my eyes when Ben wants me to carry him downstairs...yet I have working arms! I have legs that can go down the steps! I'm not in a wheelchair. I can care for my kids. I can be a mom. I have health, I have fun...and I take it all for granted. I worry about the future, when God has it all layed out for me. He has every detail figured out.
I will NEVER fully appreciate everything God has done for me because my mind can't fathom His scope. Sometimes, however, He'll give me a glimpse...like a glimpse through a porthole. I'm awed by what I see but I'm not even close to seeing it all. I'm hoping when I get to heaven, God will show me everything. Maybe it'll be just an instant understanding...or will it be scenes played out?
I know my kids will eventually get an idea of what's been done for them when they get older and have their own families. Until then, I hope that the next time I feel taken for granted, I realize I've done the same thing to God. I hope I start thanking Him for all He's done for me "behind the scenes". All the things He's done that I don't even know about yet. Ok...I probably won't do that...but it would be nice to try!
When I think about these things that I work so hard to do, I have one of two responses. Either I feel good that I'm doing a good job and they don't have to worry, or I feel taken for granted, underappreciated. Than I thought of our Father in Heaven. He knows exactly how I feel, because He's BEEN THERE. Think about it, who is the most underappreciated being?? GOD! I thought of all the things He does for me behind the scenes that I take for granted or come to expect. I can stay at home with our children, but I often complain about their behavior, or how I can't get anything done. I moan and groan about picking up the kids from school sometimes when there is a mother who was telling me how much she appreciates her part time schedule because she can pick up her kids from school everyday. She used to work full time. I've taken it for granted! What a gift! I roll my eyes when Ben wants me to carry him downstairs...yet I have working arms! I have legs that can go down the steps! I'm not in a wheelchair. I can care for my kids. I can be a mom. I have health, I have fun...and I take it all for granted. I worry about the future, when God has it all layed out for me. He has every detail figured out.
I will NEVER fully appreciate everything God has done for me because my mind can't fathom His scope. Sometimes, however, He'll give me a glimpse...like a glimpse through a porthole. I'm awed by what I see but I'm not even close to seeing it all. I'm hoping when I get to heaven, God will show me everything. Maybe it'll be just an instant understanding...or will it be scenes played out?
I know my kids will eventually get an idea of what's been done for them when they get older and have their own families. Until then, I hope that the next time I feel taken for granted, I realize I've done the same thing to God. I hope I start thanking Him for all He's done for me "behind the scenes". All the things He's done that I don't even know about yet. Ok...I probably won't do that...but it would be nice to try!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
One Last Time
Ok...making my picture smaller did not make the file size smaller so I had to downsize it before uploading...This is it...
Me
I know it seems vain...but I need a picture for my profile and the only way I know how to do it is to put it in my blog first.
*GASP* Yes...I'm Still Here
OK...so it's only been 6 days since I've posted last, but it seems like a long time to me. I was trying to post more often, but it's been a crazy 6 days.
Abby threw up in the middle of the night last Wednesday night. I guess she was running downstairs to tell us she needed to throw up and threw up her spaghetti all over the stairs. I would have preferred her telling the toilet first and then coming to tell me. Oh well...the slightly tinged pink stairs now match the orangish tinge outside Sam's door. She proceeded to puke on the hour for 3 more hours and continued the same pattern in the morning for another four times. Good thing she's a seasoned pro and knows to puke in the trashcan (the first one always throws her off).
I have two pukers in the family...Abby and Ted. Once is never enough for those guys. I kept Abby home Thursday and Friday. On Friday, Mary had some questionable spit ups. She doesn't usually spit up and these smelled sour. Sure enough, Saturday she throws up. She seemed fine despite these events, and didn't do any more after that.
Sunday, Ted started to feel sick (Oh No! My other puker!). Ted threw up Sunday and then crescendo'd with 3 more (actually, it was more like a "decrescendo" because the biggest one is always the first).
Sunday night I stayed up late, putting off sleeping in the same bed with the puker. For some reason I had a late dinner and ate a big one (leftover mannicoti his mom made) and some bread. What was I thinking eating a huge meal at 9pm!!?? I went to bed at midnight and at least had the satisfaction of knowing Ted would be staying home with me the next day instead of going to work...and maybe he'd skip Men's Group too! Boy...I didn't feel good at all. That mannicoti was sitting like a rock in my stomach. To top it off I had the worse diarrhea! I made runs to our freezing cold toilet seat about every 10 minutes (no lie!). That mannicoti wanted manni-OUTY!! The climax for me was puking. I hate to puke. I think it's the dread I hate more. The actual act is more of a relief, really. After puking, my body rested, it was 3:40pm and time to go to sleep!
Ted felt much better on Monday but stayed home to rest. Good thing he felt better because my body was worn out from all the calisthenics through the night. I was tired...and weak. I layed around. Ted did everything. I took long naps. Yesterday was more of the same. I was tired and crabby. Ted went to work to do some important things and then came back and I crashed in bed. Ahhh....relief. Today I feel much better.
If you are keeping track, 4 out of 6 people in our family were affected by this virus. Sam and Ben did nothing (*eyes to heaven* Thank you Jesus!!)...YET...anyway :-).
Because we were sick:
--Abby missed school for two days
-- Ted missed work for 2 days and missed Men's group
--I missed a Saturday night dinner at Ted's mom and dad and stayed home with the younger two because of Mary
--We canceled our babysitter on Sunday and I went to a Christmas lunch without Ted
--Abby missed a marketing appointment on Tuesday morning to give feedback on some toys since I didn't have the heart to let her miss any more school.
But now we're BACK. And ready for Christmas!!
Abby threw up in the middle of the night last Wednesday night. I guess she was running downstairs to tell us she needed to throw up and threw up her spaghetti all over the stairs. I would have preferred her telling the toilet first and then coming to tell me. Oh well...the slightly tinged pink stairs now match the orangish tinge outside Sam's door. She proceeded to puke on the hour for 3 more hours and continued the same pattern in the morning for another four times. Good thing she's a seasoned pro and knows to puke in the trashcan (the first one always throws her off).
I have two pukers in the family...Abby and Ted. Once is never enough for those guys. I kept Abby home Thursday and Friday. On Friday, Mary had some questionable spit ups. She doesn't usually spit up and these smelled sour. Sure enough, Saturday she throws up. She seemed fine despite these events, and didn't do any more after that.
Sunday, Ted started to feel sick (Oh No! My other puker!). Ted threw up Sunday and then crescendo'd with 3 more (actually, it was more like a "decrescendo" because the biggest one is always the first).
Sunday night I stayed up late, putting off sleeping in the same bed with the puker. For some reason I had a late dinner and ate a big one (leftover mannicoti his mom made) and some bread. What was I thinking eating a huge meal at 9pm!!?? I went to bed at midnight and at least had the satisfaction of knowing Ted would be staying home with me the next day instead of going to work...and maybe he'd skip Men's Group too! Boy...I didn't feel good at all. That mannicoti was sitting like a rock in my stomach. To top it off I had the worse diarrhea! I made runs to our freezing cold toilet seat about every 10 minutes (no lie!). That mannicoti wanted manni-OUTY!! The climax for me was puking. I hate to puke. I think it's the dread I hate more. The actual act is more of a relief, really. After puking, my body rested, it was 3:40pm and time to go to sleep!
Ted felt much better on Monday but stayed home to rest. Good thing he felt better because my body was worn out from all the calisthenics through the night. I was tired...and weak. I layed around. Ted did everything. I took long naps. Yesterday was more of the same. I was tired and crabby. Ted went to work to do some important things and then came back and I crashed in bed. Ahhh....relief. Today I feel much better.
If you are keeping track, 4 out of 6 people in our family were affected by this virus. Sam and Ben did nothing (*eyes to heaven* Thank you Jesus!!)...YET...anyway :-).
Because we were sick:
--Abby missed school for two days
-- Ted missed work for 2 days and missed Men's group
--I missed a Saturday night dinner at Ted's mom and dad and stayed home with the younger two because of Mary
--We canceled our babysitter on Sunday and I went to a Christmas lunch without Ted
--Abby missed a marketing appointment on Tuesday morning to give feedback on some toys since I didn't have the heart to let her miss any more school.
But now we're BACK. And ready for Christmas!!
Friday, December 09, 2005
Snapshot Thursday (A Little Late)
What’s at the top of my to-do list?
--Wrap and box up Adopt a Family gifts...we drop them off tomorrow.
--Finish painting Abby's room and hang pictures.
What have I accomplished?
--Cleaned Kitchen junk drawers
--Painted most of Abby's room (still need to do closet wall).
--Went through a bunch of Abby's toys. Got rid of all the little pieces she doesn't play with and organized what she does want to keep.
--Rearranged her furniture and got inspired to do new decor based on two letter paintings (one "M" and one "A" that will go over there beds. Decorating people say to always start with something you love and build an entire room around it. I think that's a good way to figure out where to start. Well I LOVE these "letter pictures" Maybe I'll post a photo of them.
Allow me to digress: Currently, I have some pretty bold colors in Abby's shelving, drapes, and bedding. Now I'm thinking about going with softer colors based on these pictures. I'll show the bolder colors later too. Luckily, the bold bedspread I want to get rid of was inflicted with dark green marker scribbles when Abby was three. And it was cheap...so I don't feel bad at all getting rid of it (after all she's 7 now). I held onto it because I wanted to make sure she was through the scribble stages (This is the same girl who tore her border in the old house, strip by strip). The curtains, were also cheap. They are two table clothes split in two to create panels and then hung on clip rings. They were purchased after valentines, on clearance, because they were supposedly valentine theme merchandise. I just loved the color. All of these things came from Target, BTW, my favorite store. The shelving is in great condition, however, and I feel a little bad getting rid of that. It was my little "splurge" for something that was very "kiddish" and would be outgrown quickly (I'm so darn practical that it's hard for me to buy things like this). But maybe total, I spent $50-$60 on 3 pieces. Maybe I can give them to someone.
I can't wait to see the final results. You will definitely see pics.
What’s bugging me?
--Poptart filling ground into my carpeting
--Stawberry applesauce on my white kitchen curtains
--The same strawberry applesauce stained on my white bedspread
--The fact that we took the time to read the Narnia books as a family so we could see it together as a family (minus Ben and Mary). That we bought our tickets in advance, got a sitter for the little ones and planned on going to opening night (tonight), then Abby got sick. She seems better today...but just 26-34 hours ago she was puking her brains out (pasta and koolaid...not pretty). We are 26 hours puke free. We are playing today by ear. She spent most of the morning on the couch, but now she is up and about. Those are the signs I look for. That, and appetite. She's eating again...thank God. We'll see...
What's my latest obsession?
--There is a CD out there called Master Cook ( http://www.valusoft.com/products/mastercook.html ). It has 8000+ recipes. You can do searches on keywords (whatever you want to make) and it will find the recipes for you. You can create a shopping list off of the recipes and you can import from the web. Doesn't it sound cool? All for $20 and it doesn't take up the space of cookbooks!
Dierbergs has one of these too with all of their recipes which many people rave about. Theirs is only $10. These are both on my Christmas list.
--I know I said this before, but I love my new Ostrich feather duster! I'm dusting more than I ever have because it's so much easier! No spray, and no knocking over knick knacks because it's so light. It gets into all the knooks acranniesy's (that just felt funny typing those words out...not sure I spelled them right).
--Microsoft Outlook!!! OMG. I'm doing all my organizing in this program. I thought it was just e-mail!! I had no idea you could organize your life on it! I have a to do list in "Tasks" and have put everything on the calendars which you could view weekly, monthly or daily. Every "task" has room to put additional information if you click on it. Then you have a separate "Contacts" sections where you can put e-mail addresses. If you click on the contact, you can see more info like mailing addresses, phone numbers, directions to that person's house, etc.
Everything is in one place! I used to use a paper planner, but I find this easier. I'm a quicker typer than a writer and I am on the computer a lot so it's a great fit for me. I print out my calendar monthly and post it on my fridge. I hang a more detailed, weekly calendar below it. I'm not writing things three times on three calendars. I just print the same calendar out as many places as I want it...like my purse. Or if someone wanted one at work than they'd print an extra for work.
Also, you can rank your tasks by priority or put deadlines on it and the computer will prompt you with a reminder when the deadline is nearing. You can use this reminder function in the calendars for daily activities like cleaning your house, monthly activities like meetings, and annual activities like birthday's, dental appointments, etc. So I haven't even got close to using it to it's full potential but I am planning to try. It's awesome...and it was hiding in my e-mail all along.
What's been making me happy?
--Thinking about Christmas and Ted's week off of work
--My friend Theresa is coming in town from Australia and I can't wait to see her
--Holding other peoples babies. Being happy to do so without the urge to have another of my own.
--Dusted surfaces
--The little heater we put in our bathroom...ahhh no more cold toilet seats and showers...
--The fact that I had a chance to write this blog! (Mary's much less clingy today)
--A wonderful outing with my mom to see Riverdance. It was awesome...and it was good bonding time with my mom. We had some great conversations in the car. I always thought because we are so different, that we could never be that close. But I realise now that I accept her as she is and she accepts me as I am...and we laugh a lot when we're together. I realised how much I love her...just the way she is. And sometimes, different is better.
--Wrap and box up Adopt a Family gifts...we drop them off tomorrow.
--Finish painting Abby's room and hang pictures.
What have I accomplished?
--Cleaned Kitchen junk drawers
--Painted most of Abby's room (still need to do closet wall).
--Went through a bunch of Abby's toys. Got rid of all the little pieces she doesn't play with and organized what she does want to keep.
--Rearranged her furniture and got inspired to do new decor based on two letter paintings (one "M" and one "A" that will go over there beds. Decorating people say to always start with something you love and build an entire room around it. I think that's a good way to figure out where to start. Well I LOVE these "letter pictures" Maybe I'll post a photo of them.
Allow me to digress: Currently, I have some pretty bold colors in Abby's shelving, drapes, and bedding. Now I'm thinking about going with softer colors based on these pictures. I'll show the bolder colors later too. Luckily, the bold bedspread I want to get rid of was inflicted with dark green marker scribbles when Abby was three. And it was cheap...so I don't feel bad at all getting rid of it (after all she's 7 now). I held onto it because I wanted to make sure she was through the scribble stages (This is the same girl who tore her border in the old house, strip by strip). The curtains, were also cheap. They are two table clothes split in two to create panels and then hung on clip rings. They were purchased after valentines, on clearance, because they were supposedly valentine theme merchandise. I just loved the color. All of these things came from Target, BTW, my favorite store. The shelving is in great condition, however, and I feel a little bad getting rid of that. It was my little "splurge" for something that was very "kiddish" and would be outgrown quickly (I'm so darn practical that it's hard for me to buy things like this). But maybe total, I spent $50-$60 on 3 pieces. Maybe I can give them to someone.
I can't wait to see the final results. You will definitely see pics.
What’s bugging me?
--Poptart filling ground into my carpeting
--Stawberry applesauce on my white kitchen curtains
--The same strawberry applesauce stained on my white bedspread
--The fact that we took the time to read the Narnia books as a family so we could see it together as a family (minus Ben and Mary). That we bought our tickets in advance, got a sitter for the little ones and planned on going to opening night (tonight), then Abby got sick. She seems better today...but just 26-34 hours ago she was puking her brains out (pasta and koolaid...not pretty). We are 26 hours puke free. We are playing today by ear. She spent most of the morning on the couch, but now she is up and about. Those are the signs I look for. That, and appetite. She's eating again...thank God. We'll see...
What's my latest obsession?
--There is a CD out there called Master Cook ( http://www.valusoft.com/products/mastercook.html ). It has 8000+ recipes. You can do searches on keywords (whatever you want to make) and it will find the recipes for you. You can create a shopping list off of the recipes and you can import from the web. Doesn't it sound cool? All for $20 and it doesn't take up the space of cookbooks!
Dierbergs has one of these too with all of their recipes which many people rave about. Theirs is only $10. These are both on my Christmas list.
--I know I said this before, but I love my new Ostrich feather duster! I'm dusting more than I ever have because it's so much easier! No spray, and no knocking over knick knacks because it's so light. It gets into all the knooks acranniesy's (that just felt funny typing those words out...not sure I spelled them right).
--Microsoft Outlook!!! OMG. I'm doing all my organizing in this program. I thought it was just e-mail!! I had no idea you could organize your life on it! I have a to do list in "Tasks" and have put everything on the calendars which you could view weekly, monthly or daily. Every "task" has room to put additional information if you click on it. Then you have a separate "Contacts" sections where you can put e-mail addresses. If you click on the contact, you can see more info like mailing addresses, phone numbers, directions to that person's house, etc.
Everything is in one place! I used to use a paper planner, but I find this easier. I'm a quicker typer than a writer and I am on the computer a lot so it's a great fit for me. I print out my calendar monthly and post it on my fridge. I hang a more detailed, weekly calendar below it. I'm not writing things three times on three calendars. I just print the same calendar out as many places as I want it...like my purse. Or if someone wanted one at work than they'd print an extra for work.
Also, you can rank your tasks by priority or put deadlines on it and the computer will prompt you with a reminder when the deadline is nearing. You can use this reminder function in the calendars for daily activities like cleaning your house, monthly activities like meetings, and annual activities like birthday's, dental appointments, etc. So I haven't even got close to using it to it's full potential but I am planning to try. It's awesome...and it was hiding in my e-mail all along.
What's been making me happy?
--Thinking about Christmas and Ted's week off of work
--My friend Theresa is coming in town from Australia and I can't wait to see her
--Holding other peoples babies. Being happy to do so without the urge to have another of my own.
--Dusted surfaces
--The little heater we put in our bathroom...ahhh no more cold toilet seats and showers...
--The fact that I had a chance to write this blog! (Mary's much less clingy today)
--A wonderful outing with my mom to see Riverdance. It was awesome...and it was good bonding time with my mom. We had some great conversations in the car. I always thought because we are so different, that we could never be that close. But I realise now that I accept her as she is and she accepts me as I am...and we laugh a lot when we're together. I realised how much I love her...just the way she is. And sometimes, different is better.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
This is the picture that's going out in our Christmas cards. Snapshot Thursday will have to be a day late. Mary was very clingy. It was a two child shower day. In other words, no break for mom. And Abby stayed home sick today with the stomach flu. Whew. Hopefully I'll be back in full swing tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
St. Nicholas Left Us A Light Dusting This Morning
Happy St. Nicholas Day! Here's a picture of the dusting we got this morning which totally got the kids excited. To the right are my newly painted "Cinnamon Cerry" doors.Ted woke me up at 5:30 this morning and said, "It's St. Nicholas Day". OMG!! How could I have forgotten?? Luckily, I had already figured out who was getting what in their stockings. Ted went out to the car and got the bags of presents from when I wrapped them at my Mom's (yes...they were STILL in the car!). I searched through them and pulled out the gifts. Thank God we remembered in time! Abby said something to Ted last night. I was at Women's Group all night so he forgot to tell me. We've been known to forget our duties as the Tooth Fairy. St. Nicholas day ranks about second as "most almost forgotten" duties. With the teeth, it's the most prominent thing in that child's mind. Put tooth under pillow...Tooth Fairy will come and give me MONEY!! What's going through our minds? Have kids do homework, go through back packs, have kids do their homework, make lunches for tomorrow, have kids brush their teeth, read books, say prayers, put kids in bed so we can RELAX!
Abby is the queen of remembering these things. Sam will come down and forget that his tooth was under the pillow to begin with. For Abby, however, it's the first thing she does after her eyes open in the morning. If there is no money, she comes down very depressed. We hang our heads in shame of what we forgot, then say, "Are you sure you checked really well??" We grab a dollar and head upstairs. You would think we were trained magicians the way we reach inside the pillow case saying, "OH! You didn't check the pillow case...sometimes she puts it in here." One time, Abby dictated a note to us for the Tooth Fairy that said, "Dear Tooth Fairy, You were right that I would lose a tooth very soon. Don't forget the tooth like you have before. From, Abby" Ouch. That note must have been after the magicians performance and she remembered to check her pillow case too. Our Tooth Fairy likes to leave notes. One other time we forgot, we wrote a note the next night saying something like, "Sorry I missed you last night. I was in China and Australia...there were a lot of teeth lost there. You get $2 instead of $1 because I was late."
This morning, as predicted, Abby rushed downstairs and said, "I'm going to check my stocking!!" Ted and I looked at each other with relief. Everyone was happy with their presents. It was a little hard to get them off to school.
It's hard to think of a day when we won't be the Tooth Fairy, or St. Nicholas, or Santa Clause. It kinda makes you feel like a Super Hero to have so many hats. Some day the magic of the holidays will be a little dimmer because these easily pleased kids will no longer believe in Santa and won't jump off the walls at the mere mention of a party with their cousins. They might even actually be bored. EEww. Yuck. I don't want to think about that. Right now I'll just enjoy their shrieks of excitement and joy...so I can be caught up in their euphoria...and it can spread a smile to my face too.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Kitchen Drawers Clean!!
BEFORE 
AFTER
Whew! Just looking at these pictures makes me feel better! And YOU held me accountable. I did the first drawer and in usual Missy form, I put off the second drawer and moved onto another project. I put off that second drawer until today when I knew that I had to clean it so I could post my after picture. There was so much in those drawers that just didn't belong there. I now have a place for coupons, rubberbands, scissors, note pads, and calculators. I started with containers for organizing...but somewhere along the line we got lazy. I want to stick with it this time. I found things that we need: Sam's "Progress Towards Ranks" chubbiest shirt tag, a game piece we've been missing, a Schnucks coupon for $10 off a $75 purchase. I threw away all the pencils with no erasers. I had to resist the urge to keep them because I thought I could go out and buy those eraser caps. Then, I told myself I might NEVER get around to doing that and that we always have plenty of pencils. I threw the Spiderman watch away because the new battery will never happen. Sam's getting a new watch for Christmas. It was someone else's junk given to me. Why do I always accept other people's junk?? Am I afraid of hurting their feelings? I need to be STRONG! Or be weak and take it and then get rid of it.
Either way, my clean drawers are a good motivator to keep them that way. The project I got distracted by was Abby's room. Abby has so many knick knacks that have accumulated. Stuff she never plays with. I threw out a bunch of this little stuff and organized all that she wants to keep. You see, we are in the middle of painting her room. Which, to me, is a GREAT excuse to organize her stuff. Since we had to pull everything out anyway, how could I put all that junk back in?? So I'm taking the opportunity to get it clean. In fact, I wish I did before and after pictures on Abby's closet. I bought some three drawer containers for her closet and boy has it made a difference! We had a lot of wasted vertical space in her closet. The drawers helped utilize the space so we could gain some floor space. I'm not finished, but it's already a world of a difference.
We are painting Abby's room now and all of the upstairs so we can be ready to replace the baseboards and doors which are all a cheap dark wood circa 1980. The white six panel doors and baseboards will totally brighten up her room. I'll try to find an old picture of her room so I can post before and after pictures. We need to do the whole upstairs. My sister asked me if I was crazy doing this during Christmas season. It's really not too big of a deal because I'm not hosting anyone at my house (well actually, I probably will have Theresa--visiting from Australia--over for dinner). My Christmas shopping is mostly done and presents are mostly wrapped...and it's upstairs. I don't have to stare at it. I don't know, maybe I am crazy. I just want to get it done this winter. And I know how we do things. If we never start chipping away at the big old block, it will never happen. I have to be the one to say, "OK! It's time...LET'S GO!" persistence pays off, and the end product is my reward. We've gotten a lot done on the first level and I know we can do the same on the second level. We just do it one income tax check at a time.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Clutter Spots
^^ BEFORE^^First of all, before I continue....I'm SO sorry I forgot to mention how much I got for my breast pump!! Ann told me last night (gradeschool friend that I went out with last night) that I left the little teaser out there (see previous blog) and totally forgot to tell you the amount it sold for. It sold for $127.50!!! Can you believe it? I'm telling you, if you have something of value and don't need it anymore....SELL IT ON EBAY AND MAKE MONEY!!! It makes you look at your things in a totally new light. Even my kids look different! (Mmmm....what could I fetch for Ben?) JUST KIDDING!!!!
Anyway...back to the topic. Wanna know what's in my clutter spots? I keep telling myself I'm going to get to these areas, but because they are mostly out of view I put them off. Here are my top clutter areas and the junk I'm having trouble just THROWING OUT! By showing you this I'm hoping it will motivate me to do something about it.
Kitchen Drawer: Scissors, tape measurer, screwdrivers, small scrap paper, dry erase markers, Thank You notes for the two boys Sam took out for his birthday and I NEVER wrote the thank yous (hangs head in shame), three staplers, chip clip, packing tape, way too many pens, pencils, highlighter, safety pins, a batteryless spiderman watch, index cards with chores written on them, a crumbled up drawer liner (no longer lining), kitchen timer, hair cutting comb, lip balm, 3 rubber pads for opening jars (I never use these!!!), matches with a toppless girl on them with her boobs scribbled out (from Dick's Last Resort in Chicago -- Great place we visited B4 kids...would that make those matches 10 years old???? ARggghhh), small hand lotion bottle, one expired coupon (by two years!) for Swifter Wet Jet (I already have one!).
Other Kitchen Drawer: Bully flyer, bandaids, birthday cards for future birthdays, Church bulletin, phone recharger, Abby's soccer portraits, a card from Theresa telling me when she's coming in town (I'm sorry your in my clutter drawer!!!! You are more important than this!), To Go menus, school pictures, pizza coupons, a Homeopathy catalog (never used it...won't use it), Chlor Out water treatment for fish we no longer have, rubberbands, marble run toy piece, medicine cups, die (singular for dice), Abby's lip balm, post it notes, Mary's socks, pokemon card, hot pink ruler...OMG I could go on.
I guess this is what you get for all those "drawer sweeps" I did when I needed a clean counter before people came over. I only did it about 3 times (I hate the thought of facing later), but there have been plenty of times a just threw the miscellaneous item in the drawer because I was too lazy to figure out where it needed to go. See, this is motivating me to clean these drawers. I will do a before and after picture. We can pretend this is Mission Organization, only for two drawers. Just wait, you'll see...and I'll tell you how I did it!
Anyway...back to the topic. Wanna know what's in my clutter spots? I keep telling myself I'm going to get to these areas, but because they are mostly out of view I put them off. Here are my top clutter areas and the junk I'm having trouble just THROWING OUT! By showing you this I'm hoping it will motivate me to do something about it.
Kitchen Drawer: Scissors, tape measurer, screwdrivers, small scrap paper, dry erase markers, Thank You notes for the two boys Sam took out for his birthday and I NEVER wrote the thank yous (hangs head in shame), three staplers, chip clip, packing tape, way too many pens, pencils, highlighter, safety pins, a batteryless spiderman watch, index cards with chores written on them, a crumbled up drawer liner (no longer lining), kitchen timer, hair cutting comb, lip balm, 3 rubber pads for opening jars (I never use these!!!), matches with a toppless girl on them with her boobs scribbled out (from Dick's Last Resort in Chicago -- Great place we visited B4 kids...would that make those matches 10 years old???? ARggghhh), small hand lotion bottle, one expired coupon (by two years!) for Swifter Wet Jet (I already have one!).
Other Kitchen Drawer: Bully flyer, bandaids, birthday cards for future birthdays, Church bulletin, phone recharger, Abby's soccer portraits, a card from Theresa telling me when she's coming in town (I'm sorry your in my clutter drawer!!!! You are more important than this!), To Go menus, school pictures, pizza coupons, a Homeopathy catalog (never used it...won't use it), Chlor Out water treatment for fish we no longer have, rubberbands, marble run toy piece, medicine cups, die (singular for dice), Abby's lip balm, post it notes, Mary's socks, pokemon card, hot pink ruler...OMG I could go on.
I guess this is what you get for all those "drawer sweeps" I did when I needed a clean counter before people came over. I only did it about 3 times (I hate the thought of facing later), but there have been plenty of times a just threw the miscellaneous item in the drawer because I was too lazy to figure out where it needed to go. See, this is motivating me to clean these drawers. I will do a before and after picture. We can pretend this is Mission Organization, only for two drawers. Just wait, you'll see...and I'll tell you how I did it!
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