My Kids, My Husband and I

The Snake In Our Yard and the Leaking Roof...All In One Day

2013-05-09T11:42:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was quite the day. My toddler loves to spend time outside. It is the best part of her whole day, except for when her brothers and sister get home from school. Since the weather has started to get warmer, we have started to spend a lot of time outside. She will bring me her shoes first thing in the morning. For about a week, she wouldn't want me to take her socks and shoes off at night. She wanted to wear them to sleep. I would wait until she fell to sleep and then carefully take them off. When my sister was here visiting, I took my toddler's sock off after she fell to sleep and she woke up immediately crying, "Why, why, why?" We got a kick out of that.

Anyway, on Tuesday, after I picked my son up from preschool, my toddler and I went out back. I was walking over to put my chair down where I wanted it when I heard slithering. I, of course, quickly looked down and saw a snake. I took many quick steps back, to get my daughter. I then took a picture of it with the camera on my phone. I wanted a picture to show my neighbor to see if he knew what kind it was. My 5 year-old son had gone to the zoo with his class on Monday. I asked him what his favorite animal was. He told me the rattlesnake. I figured he might get a kick out of seeing this one.

I came inside and yelled "Guess what is in the backyard!"
He said, "What?"
I said, "A snake."
He said, "Really?"
I said, "Yes."

He then ran outside to see it. I told him not to get too close to it. He couldn't see it at first so I had to grab the rake and point it out. I wasn't going to get close. I don't like snakes at all. He told me that it was sleeping. Sounded good enough to me. We then headed across the street to my neighbor who has helped me kill black widows. I showed him the picture of the snake. He didn't know what kind it was, but he knows he doesn't like snakes. He said he hasn't seen snakes around here. I guess I am just lucky! :( By the time I got back here, the snake had slithered away. I have no idea where the snake went. It is making going outside a little hairy. I look all around for a snake. I have been told it is most like a garter snake. I am not going to get near them anyway.

Later that evening, we had a torrential rainstorm with some hail. I was upstairs cleaning the bathroom. My 9 year-old daughter ran up and told me that I had to cover our peach tree. I told her that I didn't have to. We were covering it when there was a frost. Then, my 10 year-old son ran up to tell me that there were cracks in the playroom. I had no clue what he was talking about. I asked him what he meant. He said the water was coming in. I knew that at that moment I had to run downstairs and see what was going on. The water was leaking where the playroom meets the kitchen wall. It was only in about a 2 foot area along that wall.

The playroom was added on after the house was built in 64. I don't know when the playroom was added on but where the ceiling meets the original house was where it was leaking. I think that with all the snow we got in the winter, there might have been a time when it started to melt and then refroze, which might have put a bit of a separation at the add-on roof. I don't know if that makes sense reading it, but I know what I mean :) My husband is going to go up there and see if it is something we can just tar, or if it is something that is going to take someone that is a professional at roofs. We are hoping it is an easy tar job!

We had rain yesterday and it didn't leak. I just think that the rain was just coming down so fast and furious that it caused the problem. We shall see!

Happy Ninth Birthday!

2013-04-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

Nine years ago, last night, I was hard at work at the Internal Revenue Service. I started to feel some contractions coming on. I went to the nurse's office and we timed them. I was allowed to go home. That would be the last time I would work there.

Upon my arrival home, I called my midwife. She gave me some advice to see if they would lessen or go away. I took the advice, which included a warm/hot bath. I love hot baths, couldn't pass that up. The contractions seemed to not be as bad. So, I went to sleep. I had contractions throughout the night, but I was able to get a decent night of sleep.

First thing in the morning, I woke up and headed to her office. I didn't even make an appointment. I didn't want to waste any time. When I got in to see her, it was determined that I would give birth in a matter of a couple of hours. I had to go and get my husband from work and head directly to the hospital. I also had to find someone to watch my 13 month-old son.

I started calling people frantically. There was no one that would answer my phone, except for my Visiting Teacher from church, Sister Pryzbyla. She had a baby herself and she didn't know if she could make it. As the nurse was getting ready to bring me down to the operating room to deliver my baby via C-section, Sister Pryzbyla walked through the door. If she hadn't been able to make it, my husband was going to stay with my son while I gave birth. She was such a Godsend. It was wonderful to have my husband by my side.

My beautiful baby girl was born at 12:07 pm. She cried immediately at birth. Hearing her cries made me cry. My son hadn't cried at birth. They brought her over the curtain so I could see her and then brought her out to be cleaned up and everything. My husband asked me if he could go and I said yes. He went and hung out with our baby girl.

The next time I saw her, she had a bow in her hair. Well, she had a serious lack of hair, so it was more on her scalp, but it was there. She looked amazing. Her feet were turned inward. The nurse was concerned that she had club feet. When the doctor came and took a look, she said that her feet would be fine. It must have just been the way she was positioned in the womb. I was told to hold her feet flat whenever I could. This became a regular event whenever I was holding her. Her feet are perfect.

The first time her "big" brother saw her, he got the biggest smile. You could tell there was a recognition. He remembered her well from the pre-existence. He was excited to see his little sister again. They have been best friends ever since.

Fast forward several years, she is an amazing girl. She has a marvelous smile. She is very outgoing. She can make a friend wherever she goes. She is a great leader. She enjoys playing school with her siblings. She is the teacher. She makes certificates for them. They do art class, reading, and other fun things. She was in her first theater production last year. She did great. I would have passed out. I do not enjoy being in front of a crowd.

I was blessed to have her join our family nine years ago today. I believe you can love someone before you ever see them. I have done it four times with my own children. I have done it several more times with my nieces and nephews and younger siblings.

Happy Ninth Birthday to my Little Beauty!

Happy 110th Birthday Crayola Crayons and Chance to Win a Trip!

2013-04-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

I remember many times, as a child, pulling out a big pack of Crayola Crayons and a coloring book, or a blank piece of paper, and passing time. Crayola Crayons have been around a really long time. They are almost as old as my Great-grandma would be, if she were still alive. She lived to be 100 years-old. She lived in three millenia. She was born on July 31, 1899, and passed away on January 9, 2000. It is funny to think that she was around when the first Crayola Crayon was introduced. I was really close to her and the stories she would tell were amazing. I didn't realize that she was older than Crayola, or I would have asked her about when she got her first Crayola Crayon.

With that being said, Crayola Crayon is celebrating their 110th Birthday. Happy Birthday!
Here is some information I received from Crayola to share with you, my readers. If you enter the sweepstakes, good luck! Please let me know if you enter. It would be really cool to have one of MY readers win! :)

To celebrate their 110th birthday, the 8 original crayons are throwing a birthday bash at the new fun-omenal Crayola Experience, the world's only interactive Crayola family attraction. Right now, they're out on a colorful adventure to spread the news, and you're invited to join the fun!

How can you join in on the fun? You can FOLLOW the crayons on their adventure, LEARN more about each color and enter to WIN a trip for 4 to celebrate their birthday and the Grand Opening of the all new Crayola Experience this coming May, 2013!

Visit the Crayola Facebook page and click "enter now" for your chance to be first in line when the Crayola Experience reopens.

The new Crayola Experience features four floors of new interactive exhibits and one-of-a-kind attractions that will bring the magic of color and your child's creativity to life! The winner will be among the first to experience the fun, along with a three- night, all-expenses paid stay. It's an experience your kids will never forget - and neither will you!

Disclosure: Crayola provided me with the information that is posted about the Crayola Experience and their giveaway!

The Fertilizer Plant

2013-04-21T17:46:00.002-07:00

The news has been a bit overwhelming lately. My children have seen the Boston Marathon Bombing, the explosion of the Fertilizer Plant, the search for and capture of the Boston Marathon suspect. I have tried to explain things to them at a level I think they can understand.

I learned yesterday that I was far off on the explanation of the Fertilizer Plant. My ten year-old son, as my husband, both sons, and my toddler were pulling into a Wal-Mart parking lot, asked me what kind of plant is a "Fertilizer Plant." I told him that it is just a fertilizer plant. That was the kind of plant it was. He asked how a plant could cause such a big explosion. I told him that it was because fertilizer is flammable.

He then asked me something, to the effect of, why would someone grow a FERTILIZER plant if it is so flammable. I quickly answered, before thinking, that they had the fertilizer plant so people could grow things and have fertilizer. I then realized what he had been imagining. He thought that someone put a plant in the ground that grew fertilizer. He further thought that this plant exploded after catching fire and caused all the damage. He couldn't understand why anyone would ever have such a plant.

My husband and I then explained to him that this "plant" was another name for a factory. It was place where they made/stored fertilizer, which is very flammable. It soon made sense to him. I never thought that he would be imagining an actual tree or other kind of plant. I wondered how many other people had this vision in their head.

So, tonight at dinner, I asked my 8, soon-to-be 9, year-old daughter, what kind of plant she thinks a fertilizer plant is. She was the only child that wasn't with us yesterday, so I just wondered if she knew. She told me it must be something really hot, maybe a jalapeno plant. We then explained to her the same concept that it was a building, where someone works, that is called a plant. This made much more sense to her, as well.

I just wonder how many times, we as adults, assume that children understand that there are some words that have double meanings. I was glad that my son finally asked us about what kind of plant it was. He had been somewhat (considerably) concerned about the plants that could do so much damage and kill so many people. We were at Wal-Mart to buy seeds to start our garden. I just wonder if he was trying to make sure we weren't going to buy one of the "fertilizer plants."

I am in no way trying to make light of the explosion that killed and injured so many people, I am just trying to say that children might not understand everything they are hearing about these days. I realized I need to be a bit more thorough in my discussion with them. I was thankful that he felt like he could ask more questions and get answers.

"Let Go" and "Get Up"

2013-04-16T19:51:00.001-07:00

My toddler has started to use sentences. She may have been using sentences for a long time, but I can finally understand two of her sentences. They are "Let go!" and "Get up!" She makes a lot of very interesting sounds, which I am sure she thinks I can understand, but I just can't.

Last night I understood her perfectly when her five year-old brother had one of her legs pinned down with his leg. She yelled at him, "Let go!" I could understand it, so I told my son to let her go. This morning, my ten year-old accidentally sat on her leg. She once again proclaimed, "Let go!" He laughed and asked me if I heard what she just said. I said yes. It was very clear. When my daughter came in, he grabbed my toddler by the arm and told my eight year-old daughter to listen. When my toddler yelled, "Let go!" The kids got a good laugh out of it.

She also knows exactly what she wants. If she can't get it, for example, it is in the refrigerator, she will come over to me and say "Get up!" I will take her by the hand and she will lead me to where she wants to go. She enjoys being able to bring me places she wants to go in the house. She likes that she can let me know what she wants. It is nice that she is getting to an age where she can communicate some of her wants to me.

It is fun seeing how all of the children interact with each other. The children will all sit together and watch a show. They will play roll the ball. They range in age from 1 1/2 to 10 years-old, but they all enjoy playing together. They will watch shows together. My toddler's favorite show seems to be "Spongebob Squarepants." She has watched it since birth because that is a favorite of all the children.

After the events at the Boston Marathon yesterday, I pondered, once again, how fragile life is. A young child, age 8, was murdered as explosions went off. His sister became an amputee and his mother suffered a brain injury. This all happened as they waited for the father/husband to cross the finish line. Many months, if not years, went into this man's training. Many hours, much dedication! I know the excitement the children were feeling as they waited for their daddy to cross the finish line. I know the pride the mother was feeling as she waited for her husband to cross the finish line. Everything changed in a second. It just isn't right!

I am a runner. I am not a fast runner, but I am a runner. I have finished two marathons. My children, at the end of my second marathon, were waiting for me about 20 yards from the finish line. My husband and mother were there too. They were holding signs, cheering me on. As I crossed the finish line, they were there. They were giving me hugs and telling me how proud they were of me.

If the explosions had happened at the marathon I ran, my three children (at the time), my husband and my mother could have been injured or dead. That was my thought as I watched, repeatedly, the coverage from yesterday. When I saw how close it was to the finish line, I knew there would be injured children. Children are always at the finish line waiting for their parent(s) to cross the finish line. My children were my biggest supporters! I spent hours a week running. They would spend that time with their grandparents, if my husband was at work, or they would spend it with my husband. They never complained about the time I spent away. They knew it was good for my health, both physically and mentally.

My heart breaks for the runners, their families, and all the spectators. My heart breaks for Boston. Let us remember the fragility of life. Let us love each other accordingly. There is no reason for this to ever happen.

Free Sample Finish Quantum New Power Gel For Dishwasher

2013-04-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Finish is giving away free samples of their new dishwasher gel. I love the Finish Quantum Dishwasher Tabs, so I am sure these will work just as great. Nothing else gets my dishes clean like Finish! I am not sure how many samples they are giving away, I just got mine at this link! Good luck all and let me know if you get one! Thanks!

http://www.finishdishwashing.com/offers/finish-quantum-new-power-gel/free-sample

Thank Goodness for Strawberries Among Other Things

2013-04-11T11:04:00.001-07:00

Strawberries, they are red, juicy fruit that taste really good. They have also seemed to be a lifesaver for my toddler. She is still recuperating from a one-and-a-half week illness. She has started eating again. She is a really big fan of the strawberry. She has eaten at least a pound of them in the last day. It is wonderful to see her delighting in food again, even if it is just a limited assortment. She says "strawberry" in her own special way.

There were a few days that I didn't know if she was ever going to eat again. I was literally afraid that she was going to die. I still nurse her, sorry if that is TMI, but I do. She is eighteen months old. I nursed my son who is now five, until a week before he turned two. I think that the fact that she would nurse, and she nursed a lot, might have helped her keep up enough strength to play with her siblings in the evening.

I expressed my fears of her dying to my husband. He just thought I was being ridiculous. She was obviously not on the brink of death, he would tell me, through my tears. This is my husband, I firmly believe that his body must produce really strong anti-anxiety hormones, or whatever they would be. He doesn't let things bother him. I then called my mom, who was understanding. I started with small talk and then I couldn't hold back anymore. I told her how scared I was, through sobs, since my daughter hadn't eaten anything of substance in a couple of days. I asked her if she had ever been scared. She told me of course she had been. She spoke of my youngest brother's chicken pox. He had them really bad, I remember because I was 10, he was almost 1. She made me feel better. It is nice to know that I am not as irrational as I thought I might have been.

I then spoke and cried to my little sister. She told me that if she had anything life-threatening, the blood work that had been done would have eluded to it. That helped me out more. My daughter, the next morning, woke up and wanted to eat. She ate a couple of Teddy Grahams. She then had some Gogurt. She had some strawberries and some mashed potatoes that day. She had some cereal too. I was happy that she started to eat again. She isn't completely back to normal yet. She hasn't thrown up since Sunday, but she still has some stomach ailments.

Today, April 11, I started chatting with my husband 12 years ago. It was a Wednesday. It was a good day. I am thankful to have him in my life. I am blessed to have him as my eternal companion and the father to my four wonderful children. 23 years ago today I got my driver's license. April 11 has been a good day for me. I will hope it continues that way :)

The Sickness...UGH

2013-04-07T18:59:00.001-07:00

I have had someone sick in the house, almost daily, for over two-and-a-half weeks. It isn't a fun sickness, not that any of them are, but it seems to spread like wildfire.

My ten year-old woke up puking in middle of the night, first. He felt better by about midday. My husband was sick for about a week. My brother, who came from Washington to visit, and my sister, got sick on Monday. We blamed sushi they ate the night before.

By Tuesday, my toddler had started throwing up. She had started to eat better on Saturday, so I was excited. The puking was a huge setback as far as that goes. By Thursday, I was throwing up. On Friday, my toddler threw up again, and then again today. My stomach felt like I was being stabbed repeatedly. It was almost an unbearable pain.

Today when my toddler threw up, it followed a bite of a fish stick. She kind of acted like she was gagging or choking, and then came the puke. I am wondering if she might have obtained a fish allergy. I am going to have to watch that.

She was diagnosed with a sensory issue, where she doesn't want to swallow certain foods. I am trying to figure out how to work my way through that. It is quite disheartening to have made some progress with the eating, and then have her get sick. She hasn't wanted to eat much since then but I keep trying. I worry about her a lot. I wish that she could talk

So far, my two middle children have avoided the illness. I am hoping they can continue that. Knowing the pain that it causes, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially them.

I just wanted to get caught up as to why I haven't been writing.

Free Box of Skinny Cow Chocolate

2013-03-27T09:26:00.002-07:00

Today Skinny Cow is giving away 15000 boxes of free chocolate. I love chocolate, how about you? If so, click here for your chance to get a box if any are left!

Mommy, If I Die...

2013-03-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

This morning, when I got my five year-old to school, this is what he said to me. "Mommy, if I die, I will be resurrected soon." With Easter being right around the corner, I believe that he learned about the Resurrection of Christ in Church yesterday.

I told him that I never want him to die. He replied to me, "With Jesus's super powers I could still come see you."

I believe in Christ. I believe he would still be able to come and see me. I would just have the huge problem that I would not be able to see him. I would not be able to hold him again or tell him how much I love him. We often have the "I love you more than..." conversations.

I can't imagine the void, the incredible loss, that people feel that have lost a child. These were far from the words I expected to hear this morning. The words broke my heart. I took a deep breath and walked him into the school. I prayed for his safety, as well as my other children's safety, as I left. I pray for them always, but this morning, I prayed again.

I picked up my son from school this afternoon. He is perfectly fine. The conversation continued on the way home. I would be resurrected really soon. I told him that Jesus was resurrected in three days, but it would be a lot years until we would be resurrected and that I would miss him. He told me he could still see me. I told him that he wouldn't be able to play with his brother or sisters. He wouldn't be able to play on computers. The conversation ended shortly thereafter.

I once told one of my older children, when he was three or four, that if he runs into the road and gets hit by a car he could die and go to Heaven. He got a big smile on his face. He wanted to go to Heaven and see his Heavenly Father. He didn't realize that would entail not coming back here and seeing us. From then on, I told him if he ran into the road he would get big ouchies. That wasn't nearly as enticing.

I have discussed my anxiety problems on here recently. Since then, my toddler has decided to not swallow a lot of different kinds of food. I brought her to the medical center on Friday and they diagnosed her with a sensory problem. If she doesn't like the texture, she is not going to swallow it. They gave me ideas on things to do. She is going to see a GI specialist on Friday to see if there are any gastrointestinal issues that could be accompanying the problem.

Between the conversation this morning and the recent issues with my daughter's eating, I decided I should call the doctor and get some medication. I am heading to the appointment and hoping to be given a prescription for Zoloft. I have been prescribed Zoloft in the past, and it really does help me. Sometimes it is hard to admit that I need medication to feel normal, but the way I have been feeling recently, I know I need it. Sometimes I feel like I can't even breathe, but of course, I am still breathing.

Happy Tenth Birthday

2013-03-17T22:40:00.003-07:00

I gave birth ten years ago today, for the first time. My son was born at 7:21 pm. I remember that while I was pushing, President George W. Bush was on TV declaring war against Iraq. I had to ask that the television be turned off. It was not something I wanted to see while trying to give birth, and that attempt wasn't going very well.

The baby was absolutely stuck. They tried to get him out using forceps. He was not budging. The baby was in distress, so I was rushed in for an emergency c-section. I didn't know what was going on, they didn't seem horribly panicked, so I wasn't very concerned. All I knew was that I needed to have a c-section. I was okay with that.

Upon the removal of the baby, they ran him directly out of the room. I kept asking my husband to find out what was going on. There were a lot of doctors and nurses and no one was telling me anything. Finally, someone came to get my husband and asked him if he wanted to go and see the baby. He looked at me, and I nodded yes.

I was informed that the baby wasn't breathing at birth. They had to get him into the NICU and get him breathing. Thankfully, they were successful at that. I got to see him momentarily as I was wheeled back to my room. I smiled at him, and through tears, told him I loved him and that I was his mommy. It would be several hours before I would see him again. All I did see at that moment was his little face. He was very well wrapped up.

I am blessed to have him. He has been a wonderful son and a great big brother. He became a big brother at 13 months and 13 days old. He has never known life where he wasn't a big brother. He doesn't remember not having a little sister.

He is amazing at math. He has been nicknamed the "human calculator." He has always amazed people with his mathematical ability. From the time he was about 2 1/2, he has known numbers well enough to impress people. His favorite color is green, because he was born on St. Patricks Day.

I asked him yesterday what he wanted for dinner tonight. He told me he wanted tuna casserole. That is the same thing I asked for when I was his age. When I could have had anything I wanted, that is what I picked, and he did too. I asked him what he wanted for dessert. He said an Oreo pie. I bought a Marie Callender's Chocolate Satin Pie and added Oreos to the top of it. We all enjoyed that.

I was absolutely blessed to have him enter my life ten years ago today. I am so thankful that I have been able to raise him. Although I didn't get to hear him cry at birth, I have been blessed to hear his laughter. He has filled my life with laughter. I love his smile and his wonderful sense of humor. His heart has always been in the right place. He cares about others and how they feel. He is a wonderful son.

Springing Forward

2013-03-12T09:40:00.002-07:00

I live in a state where we had to "spring forward" early Sunday morning. For me, that is the most dreaded time of the year. I never look forward to only 23 hours in a day. To be honest, it is because I need that extra hour of sleep. It takes me a while to get caught up on that hour of sleep I lost. I don't know if it is because I am getting older or the reason behind it.

My children seem to adapt a lot faster to it than I do. Sunday and Monday morning were quite interesting in our household. They were groggy and moping around. They didn't want to be awake anymore than I did. This morning, they were much more lively than I was. I could attribute it to the fact that my toddler didn't sleep well at all which, in turn, caused me to not sleep well. When it warmed up a couple of weeks ago, she got the runny nose, sneezing and red eyes. Now that it has warmed up again, the runny nose, sneezing and red eyes are back. I am quite sure this is allergy-related. My kids all seem to have allergies like their daddy.

I love the longer days that we get after springing forward! That is an amazing bonus to the loss of sleep. I was able to run last night, with sunlight, after my husband got home from work. That was wonderful! Soon, it will be 9 pm and we will still have daylight, how I look forward to that!

My toddler is resting now. I might see if I can get some rest as well. I'm a tired Mommy!

"Peponi" by the Piano Guys and Other Music

2013-03-06T20:20:00.002-08:00

My 17 month-old daughter absolutely loves the Piano Guys. Have you heard of them? They play amazing music. One of their songs is called "Peponi." My daughter will come over to me at random times of the day and say "Poppo Poppo" which is her way of letting me know that she would love to hear Peponi.

I will put it on my phone or on my sister's iPad or on my computer. If it is on the phone or iPad, she will walk around the house looking at it. When it gets over, she will bring it back to me so I can press play again. She likes all of their music, but this one, by far, is her preference. I have heard this song A LOT, but I don't mind. It really is good music.

My older children also know that this song will calm her right down. If she is having a bit of a toddler meltdown, they will grab an electronic device and put it on for her. It is wonderful to know something that helps to calm down a toddler.

My children have always loved music. Up until my husband discovered the Piano Guys, they would listen to a lot of Victoria Justice or Taylor Swift. There was always "Old McDonald had a Farm," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," and church songs as backups.

Music is a great thing. I am thankful for the calming effect it has. I am grateful that my children appreciate music. I am not a good singer, by any means, but I enjoy singing. I sing to my toddler as she dozes off for the night. I love to sing the hymns from church. I sing those to her, some of my favorites are "Because I Have Been Given Much," "I Stand All Amazed," "I am a Child of God," and "Families Can be Together Forever."

New Work Schedule

2013-03-04T20:22:00.003-08:00

My husband has a new work schedule. He got it today. I think it is much better for family life than his current one. He starts a 9 am to 6 pm schedule tomorrow. He had been working 11 am to 8 pm for a couple weeks, and then 11:30 to 8:30 pm for several months prior to that. Those were a hard schedule, especially with the children in school. They didn't get to spend much time with their dad. It is nice he will continue to get weekends off as well.

It is amazing to see how much my children have grown. The baby runs around now. She makes a lot of sounds. Very few of her words are understandable. I am working on learning some sign language to teach her so we can communicate better. She knows "more" and "chocolate." We are working on "yes" and "no." We are also working on "apple." It is hard to know what words we should really be going after.

It is fun to see how the older children play with the baby. You wouldn't imagine that they could all have fun together, but I walk in and they are just having a great time. They have a lot of good times together, laughing and playing.

Today I went out and bought some stainless steel trash cans. My two youngest children decided that they would be fun to use as drums. I didn't imagine that use for them, but thankfully, they aren't bad drummers. :)

Since my husband has his new schedule, I need to get all the children to their respective schools now. The mornings should be quite interesting!

Sick Baby and Pinewood Derby Car

2013-03-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

Last night seemed like a common night. I fell to sleep before midnight, as did the rest of my children. The baby sleeps with me. I feel more comfortable having her close by. I fell to sleep on the couch.

At about 3 AM, I woke up to my baby coughing. Then I felt it, the unmistakable feeling of being puked on. I grabbed her and ran upstairs. I first ran into the bedroom and alerted my husband of the happenings, he was sound asleep. He told me to bring her into the bathroom. I should have realized that was where I should have headed to begin with, but being 3 AM, my head wasn't really working correctly.

Once I got into the bathroom, I hovered her above the toilet so she could finish puking. After she was finished puking, I brought her in to my husband so she could get a blessing. That was the only time she puked last night, but I stayed up for a few hours just holding her and making sure she was okay.

We think that she just had a lot of phlegm in her throat which caused the problem. She seems to be feeling better today. For breakfast I gave her a piece of bread, for lunch she had some dry cereal and for dinner she had some crackers, noodles and some tuna fish. I didn't want to overwhelm her little stomach in case it still didn't feel good.

This month is my son's Pinewood Derby for scouts. He is excited to get to work on it. I hope that it turns out well. I am going to have to figure out how they work on those. I don't imagine that nine year-olds should be working with power saws or anything like that. I value my son's appendages. I imagine that if we do have to use a power saw, I will have my husband do that part, while all the kids are at school. Yes, this is the anxiety I previously discussed speaking...

A Trip to PetSmart

2013-03-02T21:48:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I decided to go to PetSmart. Our female guinea pig appears to be pregnant again. I guess that as soon as she gave birth last time, she was irresistible to the male. I had caught him in the act, and had my husband separate them. I had hoped that she wouldn't get pregnant, but by the size of her now, I think she is.

Gracie and Harry haven't been together since that night. She has either been eating a lot more than what she is given (including her sawdust) or she is pregnant. She is in a cage that doesn't really have a place to hide. Guinea pigs like to hide. I went out and bought her an igloo, which is a place for guinea pigs to hide. She immediately ran over to it and hung out there.

My 8 year-old daughter and 5 year-old son went with me. They were exceptionally good. I didn't expect them to be so well-behaved, especially in a pet store. While I paid for the purchases, they went and looked at some animals. They were very excited to have seen a corn snake and a chameleon. I am not a fan of snakes, I assured them that we would never own one.

After we finished at PetSmart, we continued to a grocery store. They were having a case lot sale (selling things in bulk) so I stocked up on some spaghetti sauce, cream soups, honey, chocolate chips and mushrooms. Since the children were good there, I bought a package of Peeps (the sugar frosted marshmallows) and gummy worms for them. They had the gummy worms finished before we got home,except the ones they saved for my nine year-old.

It was a beautiful day today. I did my running around in a t-shirt and wasn't cold. It was really nice! This evening, after dinner, we all went on a walk. I put the baby in her baby carrier and walked with her. She always loves to see that, knowing she will be going on a walk. We don't go on walks often since it has been so cold.

In other news, my van didn't pass inspection yesterday, so we had to get the rear brakes replaced. That is never fun. It was nice that it cost less than $100 to get them replaced. I filled out the online paperwork today so we could get the van registered effective today. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to drive the vehicles, since the registrations ended in February. We need to register our vehicles annually here, and it costs more than the 2 year registrations in NY. No fun!

Major Anxiety

2013-02-26T21:35:00.000-08:00

I have terrible anxiety. Having anxiety is a horrible form of mental torture. I worry about my children a lot. If my baby gets sick, I literally start to shake. I start to feel sick to my stomach. I have these physical signs of my anxiety and it is no fun. I worry about what is actually wrong with her, since she can't tell me. It is so much better when they are old enough to tell me this or that hurts.

My husband doesn't have anxiety. I have tried talking to him about this. He just tells me I overreact to everything. He tells me that I just shouldn't worry about things. I wish it were that easy. I have joked with him that if someone could take his blood and analyze it, the perfect anti-anxiety drug could be made. I am not saying this to bad mouth, I am actually envious. I wish I could live day-to-day life without worrying about what might happen. Does this make any sense?

I hope that my children get my husband's lack of anxiety. I sometimes can see some anxiety in my oldest son. He worries when his little brother runs ahead of us, and he will chase him down and tell him not to do that. I worry about that too. I often tell him not to run ahead because a car could back out and not see him or he could run into the street. I usually have the baby in her baby carrier so it is hard to chase him down. He will usually walk beside me, unless we are out with the older children on a walk.

I am tired so I am going to call it a night. Hope it has been a great day for everyone!

One Bad Idea

2013-02-21T22:13:00.001-08:00

I had the ~~brilliant~~ stupid idea that we should all move out west. On paper, it all looked good. We would all move to Nevada. It would be nicer out there, the sun would shine more and it wouldn't get as cold. There would be jobs for everyone... there were engineering jobs for one of my brothers, there were casinos for my other brother and my husband (they had both worked at a casino in NY), and it was close to dear relatives. I could find a job quickly doing data entry, I always had. It is something I am good at. My parents are retired, so they wouldn't need to work. They would be close to family and we could all hang out together, but on the other side of the country.

As it has turned out, I now have 2 brothers in Washington, a brother still in New York, a sister that lives with me here and a sister in Wyoming. My parents are still in New York also. Me and my ~~brilliant~~ stupid idea, has my family spread out all over the country. Now, when someone is hurting, we are not a few blocks away, where we can go and surround someone and give them all the love they need, and then some. Instead, we are several hours, or days, away from each other. It makes it quite impossible to be there for each other when needed.

My husband was all over the idea of moving away from New York. He didn't like some of the laws, he didn't like his job and the neighbors we shared a wall with made life complicated when it came to sleeping. I don't think there will ever be a way that I can convince him to move back to New York, especially since we have bought a house.

Knowing that a sibling of mine is hurting is absolutely killing me. Knowing that a couple of years ago we lived less than a mile away, pangs me more. It is some inhumane form of torture to be stuck here and there is nothing I can do, except to pray. People that love you are not supposed to hurt you, at least that is what I would like to believe.

I am thankful for each member of my family. I wish we lived much closer, like we used to. I hope one day we can live close again.

Clubs = Bullying... Apparently

2013-02-16T19:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I got a call from my childrens' school. I didn't really think anything of it, since it is the day before a long weekend. I generally get calls that tell me that they don't have school on Monday, or whatever day it may be. I played the message, but this time, it wasn't an automated message, so I had to listen closer. It was a voice telling me that my daughter had gotten in trouble at lunch time and issued a citation. I am still not sure what a citation means, but she got one. I returned the call and left a voicemail. About an hour later I got a phone call back.

During the time between getting the voicemail on my phone and me returning the call, I questioned my children. They both looked at each other, then at me in a state of shock when I asked what they did at lunchtime. I knew this was not going to be good. They said they took ketchup from the cafeteria and squirted it in the snow. They weren't the only ones involved. One of the girls was saying it was blood. I was mortified, thinking that could lead to expulsion. I was thankful my children didn't go along with that train of thought.

The school had all the children involved, 5 girls and 1 boy, write statements about what was going on. My daughter, being the aspiring writer that she is, wrote a long statement apparently. She put it all on paper, didn't hold anything back. First of all, I don't like the idea that the school had them write a statement without consulting the parents, or at least this parent, first. I don't think that children should be made to implicate themselves, anymore than adults should. That being said, it happened, and I can't change it now.

Before the school called me back, I got these details from my children. They took ketchup from the cafeteria, sprayed it in the snow. My daughter had to go to the bathroom, one of the girls that was doing ketchup squirting went to the bathroom to, and squirted it on the walls, and put it under the seats. I asked her why she was in the bathroom with the girl, my daughter said she really had to go. I guess that is a good enough reason to be in there.

When I talked to the school, I learned that my daughter and the other four girls were issued these citations. They will have to read an excerpt from a book that discusses bullying and write what they learned from it. This will take place in the office during first recess. During second recess, they will get to hangout with the school counselor. This will take place Tuesday through Thursday, as long as they finish the book excerpt and the essay.

I was told that my daughter was the leader of the club. That certainly doesn't surprise me, she was a born leader. She loves the spotlight. She is my opposite when it comes to those things. I prefer to be in the back of the room and not noticed.

She wrote in her statement that it was the "Ketchup Taking Club." Clubs in school, I learned yesterday, are a form of bullying. This is because not everyone is included. I guess it was disturbing to the administrator that my daughter wrote that one of the girls brought another one out to spray ketchup without permission. My daughter explained to me that she just wanted to know the name of people in the club. I think, personally, that the school should be thankful that she didn't open up the club to the whole school because they would have been out a lot of ketchup and there would have been a big mess outside.

I am not in anyway condoning the activity of my daughter and my son. He didn't get cited because in his statement he wrote, "I have no idea why I was doing this." He doesn't like to write. It might have kept him out of trouble.

I am just thinking back to the day when I was in elementary school. We would make up little clubs. I think it is just something that children do. Am I wrong? The administrator told me that she could have a club, but it has to go through the proper channels, and allow everyone. I don't think the "Ketchup Taking Club" will ever be approved.

Another problem, which is not good, was by them taking the ketchup from the cafeteria, they were stealing. I guess they figured since it was supplied, it was theirs to take. They are not in trouble for that, since they didn't understand that, but they do now.

I explained to my children that I was often the child that was left out. I further explained that I expect them to be a friend to everyone. I would have really liked it if people would have said, "Hey, do you want to come play with us?" I asked the children to make sure to be the person that includes everyone, regardless of how they look or talk. Everyone needs a friend, and it can change someone's life. I hope they have learned from this experience. I know that I did. I would have never equated clubs with bullying. Bullying is no good and I let my children know that.

I just hope that this incident doesn't follow them through school. I hate the whole idea of the "school record." I will have to find out. My children are good children, they just made a bad decision.

Happy Valentine's Day

2013-02-14T21:21:00.001-08:00

I started getting Valentine's Day gifts yesterday. My husband had flowers delivered to me. They are beautiful. I am not sure what kind they are, I know they are not roses or tulips. They look more like yellow and purple daisies (if that is possible).

Today, while my husband was bringing my older two children to school, I put his gift on the bed. It was a Valentine and a package of Dark Chocolate Mounds and Andes Candies. I enjoy both, and I know he does too.

When I got home from bringing my son to preschool, he thanked me for the gifts. He then gave me my second gift... a bag of Dark Chocolate Bliss candy. Good stuff! He knows I'm a big fan of dark chocolate, and I dropped the hint about the Bliss a week ago. It was on sale at one of the stores.

We don't go out on Valentine's Day, never have. The restaurants are too busy. We will likely go out a week from Saturday, since my sister will be going out of town this weekend. She is the person that watches the children when we go out.

My children got Valentines at school, and most of them included candy. I don't remember that kind of Valentine when I was younger. They love Valentines Day. It is a fun day, lots of sweets.

Valentine's Day was not always a fun day for me. It used to come and go without any acknowledgement. There was times that I wish it didn't even exist. People would get flowers and chocolate; I would wish there was someone that even felt somewhat propelled in the direction to acknowledge my existence on that day. It is wonderful to have that person in my life now. My problem was that he lived across the country from me... he was in California, I was in New York.

I am so thankful for my husband and my children. They make me feel special. I am blessed to have them as my Valentines.

The First Time Holding My Children

2013-02-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

I don't know of a single parent that isn't amazed at how quickly their children grow up. I am one of those parents. I can remember holding my oldest son for the first time... I can remember holding each of them for the first time. I held my oldest for the first time in the NICU. He wasn't breathing at birth. Thankfully, I gave birth in a hospital with a NICU attached to the C-section room. When he was born, he didn't cry, due to the fact that he wasn't breathing. They delivered him and ran to another room. I knew something was wrong because I had watched enough "A Baby Story" shows to know they will show you your baby if nothing is wrong. I got to see him after they stapled me up and started bringing me back to my room. My husband was holding him, and I started to cry, and told him I was his mommy. My husband then returned him to the NICU nurses.

It was several hours after giving birth that I was wheeled down to the NICU. While I was holding him, I couldn't get over how tiny he was. As I was holding him, one of the alarms starting going off. It was the worse feeling in my life. The monitor showed he had flat-lined. Thankfully, the wire had come unattached. I was so thankful for all the nurses that took such good care of him for the four days he was in there.

I remember the first time I had to change his diaper, I felt like such a novice. I had changed my siblings diapers, and the diapers of children I watched, but after seeing how efficiently the NICU nurses could do it, I knew I had a long way to go.

When my daughter was born, I was scared to death that something was going to go wrong. I still had my wonderful midwife, Karen McBride. The birth went absolutely perfectly. She was a scheduled c-section, because of the complications leading to my first c-section. She didn't wait until the scheduled day, she came six days early. I had worked the night before I gave birth, I went home early since I was having contractions.

She cried at her birth, which made me cry. I didn't get to hear my firstborn cry at his birth. I had to wait to hold her also, but not as long. I remember they brought her in to me, and they had attached a little bow to her head. I took a good look at her and couldn't believe how much she looked like her ~~little~~ big brother. He was only 13 months and 13 days old. The first time he saw her, he got the biggest smile on his face. I believe he remembered her from the pre-existence.

Someone (one of my brother-in-law's ex-girlfriends) came to visit me that evening, and asked me if I hated needing to wait to see what color the baby's eyes are. I told her I knew they were blue, she said I couldn't know that. I assured her that I had seen them, and they are blue. She told me that babies do not open their eyes for a few days. I was wishing I was dreaming, but I wasn't. I assured her that human babies open their eyes at birth, puppies and kittens do not.

My five year-old was born back east in NY. He was the only child I didn't have my midwife for. I was blessed to find Dr Chauhdry. He was a very caring doctor. By the time I was pregnant with my son back east, I had been through a few doctors with really bad bedside manners. When I met Dr. Chauhdry, I assured him that I knew I was overweight, and that I didn't want him to tell me that I was. After laying that groundwork, we were good to go. I don't think he would have ever told me I was, but after the doctors before him, I didn't want to take the chance. I will never understand why doctors think they have to tell someone they are overweight. We know it... That is just my rambling after seeing the news on Chris Christie, the Governor of New Jersey. Some people are just rude...

Anyway, my five year-old came 6 days before his scheduled c-section also. I was excited that he was going to be born before Christmas. The room the c-section was done there was about 1/4 the size, or less, of the rooms my older children were born in. I was quite shocked that they had to maneuver in such a small room. I was so concerned because there wasn't a NICU at the hospital. Thankfully, we didn't need one.

I once again didn't get to hold the baby right away. My whole body was itching shortly after birth. I didn't know if I was allergic to something or what, but it was terrible. I now know that it was the Pemphigoid Gestationis, but I wouldn't be diagnosed until I moved back to Utah.

I learned later that my blood pressure would drop so low that they couldn't let me have the baby due to needing to monitor me. There were times that they would tell me to breathe, when I thought it was obvious that I was. I guess it wasn't as obvious as I thought. I got to hold him a few hours after he was born. He was my biggest baby yet. I couldn't believe how big he seemed, at a whole 7 lbs 8 oz. He latched on quickly. He was hungry. Right after his birth, he sneezed seven times in a row. It was funny.

When my baby was born, she was also a scheduled c-section, after doing an amniocentesis to make sure her lungs were developed, she didn't seem to want to come out. It seemed to me that she had hooked her little feet under my rib cage and wasn't about ready to budge. I could feel the pressure of my midwife pushing on my upper stomach, by my higher ribs. The table was moving while they were trying to get her out. She cried at birth. It is amazing how you look forward to that cry, since you didn't hear it at the first birth.

After they got me sewed back together, they brought me to my room. My husband got to carry the baby to the room. I was a bit nervous he would drop her, I don't know why since he had never dropped any of our babies. For the record, he didn't.

My sister and my children were all in the room waiting for us. They all held her. I don't remember who held her first. I do know she is my first baby that I didn't have to wait to hold. She was so tiny. I did know how much she weighed, but no one knew how long she was. My husband wasn't in the room when they measured her. She was 6 pounds, 3 ounces. So, when a nurse finally told me that she was 21 inches long, I couldn't believe it. At that weight, I thought she would look like a string bean. The nurse was mistaken, she was 18 1/2 inches. She was a tiny little thing. She was swimming in the newborn clothing.

I am so blessed to have had four healthy, wonderful children. I have been blessed to have my husband by my side during all of their births. He has held my hand as I have gone through major surgeries to have the children. I think it is wonderful that they allow the husband to be in the room while they do a c-section.

After the birth of my first child, they didn't let him in the room right away. When they asked him if he wanted to go, he looked at me. I told him to go. I wanted the baby to have a parent with him. By the time our last baby was born, he just got up and went.

Getting Older...

2013-02-08T20:15:00.001-08:00

My kids are 9, 8, 5 and 1 (16 months). It is hard to believe that my baby is 1! It is hard to believe my oldest is 9 and will soon be in the double digits. They truly amaze me! They get along so well, when they want to. They make me smile, knowing the age difference, and how well they get along with their younger siblings.

My one year-old likes to hang out with me during the day, but once her siblings return from school, she prefers to be with them. I used to be the best thing in the world to her. She seems to hold her sister and brothers in that regard now.

My children make me smile much more often than not. They try to be a friend to everyone. They make me proud when I see how they treat others. Today was designated as #BeAFriend day in Utah. They invited a friend over after school that they hadn't seen in a while. I made a batch of brownies while they were at school so they could bring them to another friend.

I can tell I am getting older. I have pains that I have always hoped would subside but it seems at times that they are just getting worse. I have been in two car accidents in my life, one someone backed into a vehicle I was exiting, the other someone rear ended my vehicle. Both ended up messing up my back, and one screwed up my left shoulder. Some days those injuries really bother me. Today, on my run, the shoulder injury really started throbbing. I try to move it around to ease the pain, but it doesn't seem to work.

My husband will be 38 at the end of the month. I married him when he was 26, I was 27. He hasn't really changed in the last (almost) twelve years that I've known him. I don't think he has gained more than 3 to 5 pounds. He still works out whenever he can. We don't have a gym membership so it mostly consists of push-ups, sit-ups, and going on walks.

I am thankful that we are all getting older. It sure beats the alternative :)

The Snow is Melting

2013-02-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that our snow in the front yard is not as deep as it was last week. I am not a fan of snow now, nor do I ever expect to be. I have had people question why I would move from Western New York to Utah if I hated snow. I did it because my midwife, Karen McBride, is awesome. If I hadn't been pregnant when we made this move, there would be no way I would be living in Utah right now. She delivered my first two children and then my last baby. My third child was born in Western New York, and thankfully, I was blessed to find a wonderful doctor there also.

My children have enjoyed being able to play outside again. There is still snow, but it is warm enough that they can be outside and not suffer frostbite in a number of minutes. The melting snow makes me very happy. I think it will take about another week of temperatures above freezing for it to completely go away. I am not sure that will be happening anytime soon.

My sister and her family visited us this weekend. It was wonderful to see them again. I am thankful that I have a sister that lives with me. I always look forward to having family visit. It seems like so long between visits.

Has Anyone Ever Told You.... ?

2013-01-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

Has anyone ever told you that you have a hole in your left eardrum? That is what I heard from the doctor today. I went to see him because I have an earache. My ear starts itching horribly so then I scratch it. That is where I always seem to go wrong. I don't know if the scratching leads to the ear infection or if it itches because there is an infection.

That all said, I think that is his way of telling me I have a hole in my left eardrum. He prescribed ear drops for me, to use 4 times a day.

My oldest son and my youngest daughter don't have strep throat. That is the good news of the day!

Tonight is Parent/Teacher Conference for my two older children. I always look forward to that. My husband is only working a half a day so he can go with me. My sister will watch my kids while we are gone. I am thankful for evening hours for conference.

The Midnight Wake Up Call

2013-01-28T15:02:00.001-08:00

My one year-old daughter had a half hour nap yesterday. That was it. She usually takes a few naps a day, and for longer periods of time. I wasn't surprised when she cuddled up to me and went to sleep at 8 pm. The shock came at a few minutes before midnight when she woke up. She wanted to play. She wanted a whole lot of mommy time and mommy, who is me, was exhausted. It took all I had to stay awake. I found Sesame Street on TV. They seem to have a marathon of Sesame Street on Sundays around midnight around here. I never knew it until last night. I am not one to stay awake to watch Sesame Street. She enjoyed one episode. It seems like it was about bullying.

We then got up and went upstairs into the bathroom. She likes the bathroom. She likes to open the doors under the sink and play with the drawers around it. There are a lot of mirrors in the bathroom. She loves mirrors. She flirted with herself for a little while.

We came back downstairs. We had been hanging out for an hour and a half at this point. I was far beyond exhausted. It didn't help much to know that morning would be arriving in a matter of a few hours. I enjoyed every moment with her in middle of the night though. She doesn't do this often, thankfully. We played with my phone for a little while. I let her play with the remote control buttons. I changed her diaper. I figured that since she was awake I might as well change it. I usually wait until morning to change her, unless she wakes up in middle of the night.

She likes prayers. She will randomly fold her arms. I know that it means she wants to hear a prayer. I often wonder if babies and toddlers pray. I believe they remember being with their Heavenly Father. I believe they miss that connection. It wouldn't faze me to think that they pray to Him in their own language, whatever baby language may be. I believe He understands what they are saying also.

She finally cuddled up to me and went to sleep at almost 2 am on the dot. I was asleep within minutes of her falling to sleep.

We had a freezing rain storm on Thursday, so essentially, it was an ice storm. When I went to pick up my children after school, there were kids falling down left and right. I didn't really understand why they didn't close school, but apparently they have never had such a phenomenon around her. I think they might cancel it next time.

I literally slid my baby's car seat on the ground to the front doors of the school. It slid easily on the ice. There was no effort needed. I didn't want to fall carrying her and her car seat served as a bit of a crutch. I spent 1 1/2 hours getting the ice off of our driveway. It was about 1/8 inch thick and very slick.

I have been limiting my time online lately. If I don't want the children spending so much time online, I figure I need to lead by example. Well, the baby is resting now, I am going to see if I can join her.