The Tennyson Family

Sorry Aunt Judy--I really suck at updating this.

2011-06-30T18:01:00.000-05:00

We've spent the summer just trying to enjoy summer. Lots of pool time nd lots of play time for the kids. The kids spent their mornings the first week of break at VBS and this week Chase is at baseball camp every morning. I've been reading whatever I can get my hands on poolside, or in the backyard. I've also been hitting the gym regularly and am strangely proud of my first gym-related injury, which involved my backside and pilates. My sister in law the trainer suggested I double up on mats! I'm trying an ab class tonight. For once I'd like a six pack that doesn't have anything to do with Diet Coke. We'll see.

Cassie is absolutely obsessed with all things Hello Kitty right now. She got a motherload of Hello Kitty Cat stuff for her birthday this year and is coloring a picture on the couch while I type. She also has several boyfriends ranging in age from 4 -12. Seriously. We're keeping our eye on that one.

Chase is still obsessed with all things Lego & video games. I limit his screen time even though it is summer. He's my happy-go-lucky one these days. Well, him and Sherman. Sherman is totally recovered from his surgeries and the perfect mellow pup. He's also 20 some odd pounds lighter, despite his penchant for stealing crayons.

All in all, life is good. Busy. And good.

Dear IRS: After the amount of time and money shelled out this week, the dog is officially the third child. Does that mean we can deduct his care-related expenses? Or at least use the HSA account?

2011-05-06T11:33:00.001-05:00

What does it mean when your regular vet finds out how much you spent ($1785.34--it honestly doesn't even seem like real money) on emergency surgery for your dog, he doesn't charge you on your next visit to irrigate a now infected incision, give an antibiotic shot, and dress the wound? Besides the fact that I have the best vet on the earth, I think it means your vet feels sorry for you and your Mastercard. Not as sorry as I feel for Sherman. The incision is infected. So on top of recovering from major surgery, he's sick. Ever try to change a dressed abdominal wound on a loopy golden retriever who weighs about 14 lbs less than you? I need a drink.

To get the proper context why I wish I were drunk before noon, I should start at the beginning with my morning yesterday. I intended to drop the dog off at Dad's so I could be parent helper in Cassie's class. Except that my alarm didn't go off. And when I woke up (LATE!) I noticed that Sherman didn't sleep with his weeping wound on the towel I provided to protect the carpet. So my bedroom looked like the scene of a minor homicide. A can of Spot Shot and 20 minutes later, I got ready. We were crazy late and I didn't have time to run by Dad's. I left the dog in the laundry room with his lampshade. The Parent Helper gig went swimmingly until my little princess BIT a kid on the playground. He pushed her first, but still...she BIT HIM! The Mother's Day Tea was nice, but I was honestly still trying to get over my horror at being the mom of a biter. We'll call that the cloud over the tea. When we got home, the laundry room was the site of homicide 2 (much easier to clean that floor). So I called the vet and they wanted to see him.

This time I dropped Cassie off at Dad's and made it to the vet right on time. (Late for human kids, on time for canine kid. Clearly, I'm a mom with my priorities in order. Which may explain why it is the 30 pounder who bites instead of the over-90 pounder...) The vet took one look at the incision, decreed infection and irrigated the wound. It took three of us to hold him down while they did that. And still his tail wagged. Then he gave him an antibiotic shot and dressed the wound. Mostly b/c I complained how gross it was that it wasn't dressed. This morning, as I changed the dressing, I learned why dog wounds aren't usually dressed. Adhesive tape + fur. YOUCH! Being MacGuyver Mom (and out of that cool adhesive tape that sticks to nothing but itself), I ace-bandaged a new dressing on. The incision doesn't look any less infected to me though. I hope I'm wrong. If he ends up septic and I'm out almost 2 grand AND my dog--MacGuyver mom is gonna go postal.

And that's why I'm comptemplating a vodka tonic before noon...although I may settle for shooting the bird in the vent w/an air soft rifle instead...

The Most Expensive Ear of Corn EVER (otherwise known as there is no ear of corn on earth that tastes as good as $1,785.34--therefore we're now a corn-free home)

2011-05-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm on the couch in my bathrobe, listening to Cassie play with a pair of toy binoculars and a baby monitor (perhaps she's a secret agent?) and Sherman do this wheezy whine thing. On Saturday afternoon, Jamie's dad came up to look at a piece of farm equipment (I'm not going to try to tell you what is was because I will undoubtably get it wrong). He brought a cooler full of fish and corn. Jamie's local siblings came over and we had a fish fry. I made two delicious apple crisps, we all had a lovely time and all was right with the world.

Sunday I went to church w/Cassie, Jamie went to baseball with Chase. When we got home, I decided to try to take a sick day (HA!) and went upstairs to sit in my chair with my latest crochet project. Sherman followed me. To make a very long story short, he ended up puking. A lot. Multiple times. At one point a chunk of corn cob came up. At that point, my mother's intuition (and let's be real here--this just proves that mamas don't get sick days) was shrieking "BLOCKAGE! Intestinal blockage!" When he refused steak for dinner and puked again, I decided a trip to the doggie ER was in order. Jamie disagreed. I went anyway.

3 days and $1785.34 later, Sherman is recovering from major abdominal surgery. He did have an intestinal blockage (they saved the surgically removed corn cob to show me) and my intuition saved us another $700-1000 in additional surgery costs. It also saved Sherman's life.

Now I know some of you reading this are astounded at the amount of money we shelled out for our dog. I know. I threw up a little in my mouth when I handed over the Mastercard. But when push comes to shove, Shermy is a part of our family. We love him, he loves us and you can't put a price on that.

So my sick day turned into nurse duty. Shermy has 10 pills a day to take until tomorrow, when it drops to 8 pills a day for 10 more days until the staples come out. I've got two more pills to shove down his throat and a shower waiting for me. As for the sick day? Mamas don't get sick days. I should know that by now...

Oops

2011-04-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

So I just got a FB message from a friend asking if I blog and where. As I replied, I realized it's been a while. Sorry. I've made a few more blankets and read 30 some odd books on the Kindle. We bought Chaser his own Nook. For the record, the Kindle is better. But don't tell Chase...

Cassie isn't really napping much anymore. Right now she's upstairs and quiet. She could be sleeping. Or she could be coloring all over herself like she was yesterday when she was supposed to be napping. Frankly, I'm afraid to go see.

UPDATE: She was napping and I woke her up. Awesome. I started this post during "nap" yesterday and am finishing while I watch Cass and babysit my niece, approx. 21 hours later. This may be why blog posts are few and far between. Life gets in the way. Last night after dinner I went to yoga (I joined a gym and gained five pounds. And lest you assure me it is "muscle" b/c muscle weighs more than fat, I'm pretty sure muscle wouldn't make my tush jigglier and jeans tight. More likely the mentality of "I just busted my butt at the gym, so I'm going to eat these Girl Scout Cookies" is catching up w/me), came home and fed the kids (again), got the kids in bed, read a bit and collapsed in bed. This morning was school drop off, shopping (Easter & grocery), hardwood mopping, preschool pick up, lunch, babysit niece while neighbor kid mows, catch up on email & various correspondence. Tonight is a baseball game for Chase (dear God, please rain after recess but before he gets home) 30 minutes from here less than an hour after he gets home. When I called his BFF to see if he could go w/them, I ended up getting to take along the BFF w/us instead. At some point in there I must make and serve a delicious but nutritious dinner.

I saw SAHM = vacation on Facebook today. Does that sound like a vacation to you? I could really use room service and a maid, but I've got a baseball uniform to find, laundry to put away and carpet to vacuum. Maybe I just need a wife....

SLACKER

2011-02-28T13:48:00.000-06:00

I'm currently reading Rummy's memoir and loving it. I think it is even better than W's memoir because it gives a view of American politics over the last 50 years. As a politics/history buff, it's a great read for me!

When I bought Known and Unknown, I also got a Kindle. It was my Valentine's Day present from Jamie. I'm loving it, but not as much as Chase is. He read for 6 or 7 hours straight yesterday. That's not a typo. He is completely obsessed with the Percy Jackson series right now. All he wants to do is read--it reminds me of myself at his age, when my mother would kick me off the couch and make me go outside to play. That kid is SO his mother's child!

Since he's been using the Kindle, I've been on a bit of a crochet tear. I made Cassie a new blanket (v-stitch) and Jamie a blanket (also a v-stitch w/six pounds of yarn, my biggest blanket to date and the current family favorite). I also made two baby blankets (1 large granny square and 1 waffle weave) and a baby hat to match one of the blankets. I'm working on a third baby blanket right now. There is no shortage of baby boys due to friends this spring/fall, so I've got plenty of stuff to make!

I joined a gym a few weeks ago and am loving the Zumba and yoga classes offered. I'd forgotten how much I loved yoga classes--it just doesn't compare to a tape at home!

Naptime for Cass means crochet (and laundry) time for Mama. Per my last update--the Allergy Mama's chocolate chip cookies are the new hands down favorite around here. They were a HUGE hit at church yesterday, too!

Adjusting

2011-01-04T21:44:00.000-06:00

I'm reading these two books and LOVING them! Decision Points is a fascinating look inside W's Presidency. Since I'm a fan of 43, I don't know if haters would enjoy the book. I am enjoying it tremendously. So much so that Cassie's new unicorn pillow pet is named George.

We are adjusting to a dairy-free life with her. Since she was already peanut/tree nut-free, the real challenge of her recent testing was eliminating dairy. It's been quite an adjustment for me (as the primary shopper and preparer of food in our household), but Cassie has adapted BEAUTIFULLY. She loves chocolate rice milk, loved soy pudding, liked strawberry soy yogurt, eats veggie slices american cheese daily--she has adjusted beautifully. Last night I made chocolate cake from the Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book. I iced it with Pillsbury Chocolate Icing (yes, it is dairy-free). It was a hit. So were her chocolate crinkle cookies tonight. My only complaint is that there is no calorie/fat/nutrition information for the recipes. That would elevate the book to just about perfect in my eyes. My true test comes tomorrow when I take some of the cake and cookies over to Dad's house. The immediate family gave the cookies and cake a thumbs up. Chase's friend Cody who was over tonight also enjoyed the cookies, so much so that I sent some home with him.

We are adjusting. It is a new way of life, but we are making our way...

Allergy Update

2010-12-22T15:45:00.000-06:00

So Cassie's allergy testing was yesterday. Some of the news was better than I anticipated: her peanut allergy isn't life-threatening and she isn't a candidate for shots (for her tree pollens & mold allergies) b/c of her eczema. The rest of the news was bad beyond my expectations: she is just as allergic to milk as she is to peanuts and she has a life-threatening allergy to tree nuts. We knew she was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. But to hear her doctor say "A walnut could kill her..." Unless you've been there, you can't possibly imagine the abject fear that strikes into a mother's heart. Until she is capable of advocating for herself and reading labels, I am what stands between her and an anaphylactic reaction to a seemingly innoculous food, innocently given to her by someone unaware of her allergy. Or a loved one who didn't read a label. Something that simple could kill my kid. I'm a control freak on a good day. At this point, if I could get away with putting her in a bubble to go through the rest of her life, I would. Parents want to protect their children. But I can't put her in a bubble. So we'll learn to manage it as best we can and pray that we never need to use her Epi Pen.

I'm now in the process of learning how to provide her with a diet completely free of dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts. The allergist thinks dairy is the main cause of her eczema. While not life-threatening, it is a constant source of irritation to her. So the obvious way to rid her of that constant irritant is to rid her diet of dairy. I made my first trips to Trader Joes and Whole Foods last night. Trader Joes was disappointing. I did not find the store to be any more tree nut friendly than my local grocery stores. Most of the dairy free stuff was not tree nut safe. Whole Foods was more promising. I bought two types of rice milk (Cassie has already enjoyed the chocolate variety), soy pudding, veggie/vegan cheese, soy yogurt, rice milk yogurt & veggie mac & cheese. I didn't buy a lot of stuff, but I bought enough to sample and figure out what she likes and what is worth the return trip (all 40 miles round trip of it). It is going to be an ongoing process. I have a real level of concern about the effects of soy on her little system. But I have to weigh those concerns against what cow's milk is doing to her body right now. It sucks. I'm doing the best I can with the resources and information I have.

The Calm Before the Storm

2010-12-18T10:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I visited all three Targets within a 5 mile radius of my house. That might be a record. I knocked out the last bit of shopping for my kids (Cassie, specifically), picked up a bday gift for a friend of Chase, and found a pair of fabulous booties for me! Plus assorted other things: candy canes, bottled water, a white dress on clearance for Cassie for the Christmas play tomorrow at church--she's an angel.

The kids and I sandwiched lunch w/dad yesterday between trips to Target, which was nice. Then we headed home. Cass took a nap and I went on a cooking/baking binge. I made two pies (chocolate ribbon & pumpkin layer), a broccoli cauliflower & cheese casserole, enchiladas for dinner, and a loaf of cranberry bread. One of the pies and the casserole are for a funeral at church today. The other pie and bread are for church tomorrow (we're coffee hosts--I need to make one more thing today but have to buy eggs). Dinner was pretty good, a great way to use up leftovers! I did the Shred (level 3, w/heavier weights), made my third (and final) Target run, then walked Sherman. Today Chase has a birthday party, and I've got that funeral at church to help out with after doing my leg of the bday party carpool.

I am LOVING my new booties. It amazes me how the older I get, the stuff I crave gets simpler and simpler. Since I am perpetually cold from October-April, I live in booties (or super fuzzy socks) at home.The soles in my pair from last year were shot but I was reluctant to spring for a new pair until I saw bright red ones on sale yesterday! I'm so glad I did! Toasty toes make me happy.

On the First Day of Cycle Break...

2010-12-13T14:39:00.000-06:00

My QOTD today is courtesy of my Dad, who said "Do they have to fight over EVERYTHING?" as the kids were engaged in a shoving match over a keyboard at his house. Clearly the man has blocked out living with Mikki and me for 18+ years or he would know the answer to that question is, without question, "YES!"

Life, at the moment, is good. Chase is playing at a friend's house. Cass is napping. I'm procrastinating treadmill time. Despite my best efforts, the scale is about 3 lbs heavier than I would like. Jamie and my Dad say it is muscle from the strength training I've been doing. But I don't like the numbers. So I'm stepping up my workout efforts. Yesterday the dog got a walk outside and I did Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. Today I'm thinking the treadmill alone should do it. I wonder if I could use the laptop/Hulu and catch up on Glee...that would be a good 45-50 minute workout!

I went on a cooking binge yesterday: soup, white chili & pork shoulder. We'll have pulled pork for dinner tonight and I've got leftovers for lunch for the rest of the week. Nothing better than hanging in the kitchen by a warm oven when there are frigid temps outside! Have I mentioned lately how much I love my kitchen?

Enough procrastinating. Off w/the jeggings, into some sweats. I bought the coziest cocoon sweater at Target Saturday morning off the clearance rack. I LOVE IT! So does Cassie--there is enough sweater here to wrap her up with me! We had her Christmas "recital" this morning at dance--I'll post pics once I have them uploaded. Remind me of how cute she was today when she's a smartass teenager, would you? B/c I loved being a girl mom and seeing my little elf dance this morning!

'Tis the Season...

2010-12-09T17:11:00.000-06:00

Ho...ho...ho! Tis the time of year when I usually post a tongue in cheek review of our year in honor of all the "our lives are so perfect, don't you wish you were us" Christmas letters sent round the world. Yet after the week I've had, reality is so much crazier than anything I could make up! Saturday, Chase had an allergic reaction to Nita's cat that sent him to the ER. Allergy testing on Tuesday confirmed that he is seriously allergic to cats. Fortunately, he isn't allergic to anything else so he can avoid shots so long as he avoids cats! But guess how many holes were poked in his arm to discover this? The next day, Cassie ended up at the doctor. All we needed was a urine sample. Unfortunately her will is as iron-clad as her bladder, so she ended up experiencing a catheter. Much to my surprise (and her doctor's), she didn't have the UTI we suspected. If life were a Jeopardy game, I'd have pointless invasive medical procedures for $2000, Alex. Needless to say, I'm batting about 0 with my Mother's Intuition right now.

From what I've seen of him, Jamie is well. He got back from a week of hunting in Kansas on Sunday night and has been playing catch up in the office ever since. His one "early" night this week, I walked the dog for an hour (several stuffed animals in our residence are now missing their eyeballs as a direct result of his lack of walks over the last 10 freezing cold days) and while I was gone, Chase deleted my most recent (unwatched) episode of Glee from the DVR. While usually I appreciate signs of my indispensibility around the house, this was NOT so appreciated! We may be coming soon to an episode of Snapped near you!

On food allergies...

2010-11-26T01:01:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, an old friend from my elementary school days updated his status with a rant about how ridiculous all the "peanut free" stuff is these days. A few years ago, I probably would have agreed with him. I love peanut butter and haven't met a nut I don't like. Nutella? Heaven in a jar, folks. I remember the seeing the "peanut free classroom" sign on Chase's kindy door and feeling really sorry for that kid and her mother! Life without peanut butter? I couldn't imagine! Until it was MY KID with the allergy...

At Cassie's 2 month well child check, I pointed out a mild rash all over her body to the pediatrician. She said it was eczema, likely an allergy to the scented baby wash and Tide I was using, and recommended that I switch to something free and clear. That was easy enough. But several months later, when she was crusing around the kitchen, she grabbed a plastic spoon w/peanut butter on it and went to town. She promptly broke out in a rash. I mentioned it to the ped at her 1 year appointment and she suggested allergy testing. Cassie had a blood test and all was negative. Six weeks later, following a family funeral, she grabbed a peanut butter cookie and after a few bites, large red welts broke out on her face. I snatched the cookie away, my cousin the RN said, "PEANUT ALLERGY!" and after I showed the ped my hastily snapped cell phone photos of Cassie's face, she agreed. We discovered her tree nut allergy after Jamie let her eat Nutella out of the jar...

We've been lucky. Thus far, her reactions tend to be rashy vs anaphylactic. But allergies are a funny, unpredictable thing and we never know if the next reaction will be anaphylactic. Which is why I tend to be something of a food nazi with my daughter. It is hard enough to try to explain to a toddler/preschooler why their snack/dessert/candy/treat/whatever is different than every one else's. But I can do that. What drives me absolutely batshit crazy is when virtual strangers hear about her allergy and start offering unsolicted advice like, "My mother's best friend's third cousin twice removed's sister in law had a kid with that allergy and she just gave him enough to build up his tolerance. He eats peanut butter every day now." Truly I tell you that it takes every iota of self-control I have not say, "Really? Well why don't you play a game of Russian Roulette with your toddler and let me know how that goes!" Because seriously? That's what I'd be doing if I just gave her "a little" every day. Immunotherapy is not something to screw around with, nor is it effective in treating food allergies. The mother's best friend's third cousin twice removed's sister in law's kid notwithstanding, of course.

My other pet peeve? Well meaning people who give her candy w/o my permission. The kid has a food allergy. If the label says "may contain peanuts or tree nuts or processed on equipment that processes peanuts/tree nuts" please don't feed it to my daughter. I will never forget when my sister-in-law made brownies with M&Ms in them and then was surprised when Cassie reacted to the M&Ms. Read the label, or don't give it to my kid. And if you know you're feeding my kid, please provide a safe alternative for her to eat. It sucks enough that half her Halloween candy disappears the minute she empties her sack and that she'll never know the joy of a fluffernutter sammie...

And to the assholes who think their kids have a fundamental right to PB&Js...I don't see that in the Constitution/Bill of Rights. I do see a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...in there. My kid and all the other peanut/tree nut allergic kids in the lunchroom have a right to keep on breathing in that lunchroom. I think you know where you can put that PB&J...

Tis the Season

2010-11-18T16:12:00.000-06:00

My sister the overachiever is writing something she is thankful for every day on her blog. While I think that's nice (and am anxiously awaiting my specific entry-no, that's not sarcasm, either), I'm not that dedicated or ambitious. But I am perfectly capable of counting many of my blessings in ONE post! This isn't all-inclusive, think of it as a Cliff Notes version of my gratefulness!

1. I'm grateful to God for all the many blessings he has bestowed upon me. Life isn't always easy, but God is good all the time.

2. I'm thankful for Jamie. I don't know too many other people lucky enough to meet their soulmate at the age of 18, but I did and will be forever grateful that he's put up with me for almost half of my life! He is the calm in the eye of the storm (yeah, that's me--force of nature is being kind, I think). He is such a hard worker and awesome provider. And he thinks Tony Parker and Tiger Woods were jackasses for cheating on their wives. I'm a lucky, lucky woman to be married to him. And I know it.

3. I'm thankful for my children. Motherhood did not come easily to me, but I think my struggle with infertility makes me appreciate my children that much more. Chase and 'Cassie are the greatest gifts of my life and if I've done nothing else, to be their mother is enough.

4. I'm grateful that my Dad and Mikki are more than my dad and my sister, they're also my friends. That's a rare gift and I treasure it very much.

5. I'm thankful for my friends--who are the family I've gotten to chose.

6. I'm thankful for my volunteer work. I learn so much more from it than I actually give...

7. I'm thankful for Sherman. He reminds me daily of the virtues of gentleness and patience.

8. I'm thankful for Diet Coke. No, really. I'm pretty sure it runs through my blood.

9. I'm thankful that I'm relatively healthy and able to manuever around w/o assistance. Everything but my thyroid works and I'm okay w/that.

Life is good. And I am grateful.

The Kitchen of My Dreams (I guess I'm officially a grown up since I now dream of things like kitchens...)

2010-11-08T17:24:00.000-06:00

The kitchen is FINALLY finished! While most of the decisions were relatively easy (the granite, the faucet, the backsplash), it took me DAYS to find the sink I wanted. But the final result was worth it all!

Because we've replaced every appliance but the refridgerator since we moved in, had the floors refinished last year, and the cabinets were in good shape, it was a relatively easy reno. Still, living without running water for three days in the kitchen completely sucked. I'm so glad to be finished. I'm also thrilled that all the things Jamie questioned: namely the tile backsplash (he wanted granite) and white oversized single basin sink (why not a double stainless bowl?) are among his favorite features! The sink IS amazing. I'm so looking forward to holiday entertaining now...

This morning this kids were particularly funny. Cassie came into my bed for a snuggle and some Dora watching. When Chase made his way in, she popped out with "hey, duuuuuude." Chase and I cracked up. A bit later Chase asked me if he and Cassie would still get presents when the Santa gig was up for her. I said yes. Then he asked if he would have to buy his kids presents when he was grown up. I said yes again. He said, "Man! I hope I get suckers who like $30 presents."Seriously. This from the kid who wants about a million dollars worth of Legos...

Cassie is demanding "noodles" for dinner. Last night I found pumpkin spice pudding at Schnucks. I mixed a box with 1 C of skim and 1 C of lite cool whip. Chilled & served w/more cool whip, it was a nice alternative to pumpkin pie! I really am cooking more and stressing less. The granite hides far more than the hideous white laminate and the tile is so much easier to clean than drywall. I am a happy, happy mom!

Stinky, Stinky

2010-10-25T17:28:00.002-05:00

So I've been up to my elbows in crap lately. Literally. On Thursday, we discovered the hard way that Cassie has chronic constipation. Remember my Holy Shit entry? Doesn't hold a candle to the mess I found Thursday...she's now on a daily dose of Miralax. Which means we've gone from constipation to diarrhea...SIGH.

Saturday night, Jamie and I were watching the game (WELL DONE TIGERS!) and I pointed out that the kids were entirely too quiet upstairs and that Jamie should check on them. Jamie because I'm the bigger football fan. He waited until a commercial break and discovered that Cassie had helped herself to leftover wings, which Sherman consumed. Chicken bones are as bad as it gets for dogs, but he seemed fine.

So after a nine and a half hour day at the Emmanuel UCC Sausage Supper serving up a record-setting 400 carry out meals, I came home to discover the worst craptastrophe of my life in the laundry room. The dog, the cage, the laundry room itself--all poo-covered. Despite the lightening, the dog went outside. Eventually the crate did as well and I hosed them both off. Yes, in lightening. You do what you gotta do. Then the dog and I got a shower to ensure he was fit for indoor living.

From the looks of it, we've lucked out w/a case of basic gastroenteritis from the spicy wing sauce. Which, while awful, is a whole lot better than the bowel obstruction or bowel perforation I initally feared. He's had quite a bit of ice and 6 tablespoons of pumpkin and seems so far, so good.

Despite all the crap, my house smells great right now because my sister introduced me to the Scentsy. You can check it out here: https://d3.scentsy.us/Buy?partyId=3732657. I'm currently using a full sized warmer in the kitchen and its cinnamon vanilla scent is so much better than the pervasive combo of toddler & retriever diarrhea. Walking into my house, you'd never know that I've been up to my elbows in crap the last few days. Thank God for my Scentsy...check it out in the link above. Even if you don't have my stinky combo, who couldn't use a little sweetness in their life?

SERENITY NOW!

2010-10-20T22:21:00.000-05:00

I'm having one of those weeks. My sweet angel Cassie has turned into hell on wheels. On a good day. Chase has been grounded for the last two days for not listening at bedtime. Hopefully the third time is the charm b/c he did it AGAIN tonight and I grounded him again. Pretty sure the definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result. I wonder which of us is insane...perhaps both. Tomorrow is an early release day. I'm not sure who I punished more...suspect it was me!

On the bright side, the Halloween costumes are ready. Made Cassie's (well I made an orange & black tutu & a bow for her hat) and bought Chase's (Harry Potter). I'd go as a witch myself, but I believe my children would tell you I'm witchy enough when it isn't Halloween.

I did the 30 day Shred AND walked the dog for 30 minutes today. And yet, I'd like to sign up for boxing right now...definitely one of those weeks!

One of those weeks...

2010-10-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

So I picked out (and paid for) my new countertops last week. Have a new sink (going w/polar white granite composite) and faucet (oil rubbed bronze pull down) tentatively picked out, and a referral/reference from a neighbor for a tile guy (have the tile for the backsplash all picked out as well). Now I'm just waiting to hear from the granite company about a templating date...

It is a crazy, crazy week: church sausage supper this weekend and a miles long to-do list almost every day. I started Jillian Michaels 30 day shred last week. Level 1 kicked my ass and I couldn't do level 2. I'm alternating it every other day (which means I'm doing it today at some point, 26 minutes 46 seconds of hell) w/some other form of cardio. Yesterday it was Zumba on demand. I don't think I'm as coordinated as I once was...although watching Cassie in dance class yesterday really made me miss dance. Perhaps I'll see about a parent class while the kiddos are in class. It would be fun.

A sure sign of the Apocolypse may have occured today. I bought another Christmas present for Cassie. I have three things (pjs, Beauty & the Beast movie & Belle doll) for her upstairs in the guest room closet. For a somewhat notorious procrastinator like myself, that may be a true sign of the Apocolypse. Or maturity. I'm going with Apocolypse though. I'm making a concerted effort to keep them together and not forget about them (they're in plain sight of the wrapping paper). I bought some stuff after Christmas for her bday and forgot about it until well after her bday. She loved the "just because" presents but I'm trying not to do THAT again! I haven't started on Chase b/c he wants Harry Potter legos and I'm hoping to find some Black Friday deals for that. And of course I haven't started on the rest of the fam--I've got to get through Halloween first. I bought tulle to make part of Cassie's costume today but I think I'm going to break down and buy Chase's. By the time I factor in fabric + pattern + several hours of my time, I might as well just buy his Harry Potter costume! Still need to find orange & black striped tights for Cass, Dad picked up a hat today. She wants to be a mean, scary witch. I'm making a sparkly orange, silver & black tutu to pull over one of her leotards, plus orange & black striped tights & a witch's hat. Don't know how "mean & scary" she'll be...but she does love her tutus. Joann's fabric had black footless tights in my size 50% off today--HELLO? That's so a fall/winter staple & not just a Halloween thing. I just wish they'd also had some in her size! That place + Costco in one day is like shopping heaven. Just throw in Target & Ikea and I'd never need anywhere else to shop again...

My three hours of freedom are over--time to pick up a princess from preschool...

When I Grow Up...

2010-10-14T11:34:00.000-05:00

I've been spending a lot of time figuring out what I want to be "when I grow up." Once upon a time I wanted to be a teacher. I showed a knack for marketing and got a marketing/pr/communications degree instead. Subbed the second semester of my senior year and realized I probably should have gotten that education degree. Instead, I took a marketing and pr job. It was a GREAT job. But I was miserable. So I got another marketing/pr job. That was really more of a technical writing job for a field that bored me to death. I was even more miserable. At the time, my dying grandfather gave me some advice I've never forgotten. He said, "Christi, I worked in a job I hated my whole life because I didn't have a choice. You are smart. You are educated. You don't have to do what I did." Three months after he died, I quit the job I hated and started working on a Masters in Teaching and my teaching certification.

Six months into that, I found out I was pregnant. With an ectopic pregnancy. I consider myself incredibly lucky that we caught it in time to treat it with methotrexate instead of surgery. But the whole thing was a pretty dark time in my life. I ended up dropping out of the Masters program, subbing part-time, and focused on trying to conceive a viable pregnancy the rest of the time. 11 months later I missed my best friend's wedding in Mexico because I was in the middle of a miscarriage and the doctor didn't want me travelling out of the country. Fast forward a year to a new ob/gyn, a round of clomid, and my grandmother's funeral--and Chase was conceived. Getting pregnant with Cassie was even more involved: we moved from an ob/gyn to a reproductive endocrinologist and from clomid to injectible meds and assisted reproductive therapies. If I add it all up, for six years, getting pregnant was very much like a full time job for me.

So now I find myself at age 35 with a marketing degree I have no desire to use and a knowledge that when my sweet girl is in school all day that I'm going to need something else to do. I know I don't want to get back into the corporate life or work full time. That much I know--I've always known that. I'm slowly formulating a plan and am so excited about the doors opening for me--doors that I didn't even know existed until I finally made a phone call and gave voice to the thoughts I'd been afraid to speak for so long. More than that though, I'm finally at peace with what the future holds. Despite lots of logistical questions and a distinct feeling that Jamie thinks I've lost my mind, I'm feeling good about what the future holds and confident that things will work out how they're meant to work out. Once again I'm finding that God laughs when I make plans...but I'm also finding that his plans are always so much better than my own!

Family Vacation

2010-10-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

I can't type that title w/o the National Lampoon's Vacation music (by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac fame, no less) echoing in my head. While we did have our inevitable Griswold family moments (like walking 1/2 a mile uphill through fog in FREEZING temps to a "scenic outlook" where we couldn't see 5 feet in front of us, much less the two states and panoramic view promised), the fun far outweighed the not-so-fun.

The bulk of our adventures preceeded the trip. 72 hours before our departure, Chase came home from a playdate sobbing and holding his arm. He fell off a rock wall in the waning light of dusk. He could wiggle his fingers, but my mommy sense told me that my baby's arm was broken. We headed to the ER (note to self: no more bragging that we haven't needed an ER visit for over 300 days when questioned about our "fast pass" status) and my suspicions were confirmed. He has a buckle fracture on his left arm/wrist. We visited Dad's orthopedic the next day, so he's rocking a green cast and the envy of his friends.

We spent some time at my sisters right before we left. She blogged about it, so I'll just link you to that. http://www.hodgefamilyhappenings.blogspot.com/

I spent all of Saturday morning doing laundry and packing and we left right at 1. We made it to Harriman, TN just outside of Knoxville. Sunday morning we had a short, rainy drive to Gatlinburg. First up was Ober Gatlinburg. We had lunch and played a bit, but couldn't do the outside stuff because of the rain. So we headed down the mountain and hit the aquarium and touristy museums. Monday we ventured into the park and did Cades Cove. That took about 1/2 the day--we spent the rest of the day back at Ober Gatlinburg (the boys rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain) and in town exploring. Tuesday saw us climbing Clingman's Dome (it was cold and foggy), exploring Cherokee, NC (not impressed), and visiting Newfoundland Gap. Then we headed to another entrance to the park that my Dad recommended and did some nature walks--that was probably our favorite part of the trip. A quick trip back into town for a trip up the space needle and a fabulous dinner at the Peddler. I didn't really want to come back Wednesday--which is surely the sign of a good vacation!

From top: Dancing at Ober Gatlinburg, outside the aquarium, in the park in front of the Smokies, on the outlook at Clingman's Dome, the view from Newfoundland Gap, playing in a stream in the park.

We got home Wednesday night. Thursday found me catching up on laundry (while Chase caught up with his friends) and Friday we headed to the Pumpkin Patch to celebrate the last day of cycle break!

Tomorrow Chase heads back to school with his actual third grade teacher (who went on maternity leave the third day of school) and Cass heads back to dance class, which she missed very much last week. I've enjoyed the last three weeks with the kids, but am looking forward to getting back to our normal routine. My volunteer activities are kicking up, so 7 hours a week of "kid-free" time is appreciated! I have a call scheduled during dance class tomorrow, but Tuesday morning, I'm hitting the nail salon for a fill and pedi. It's been too long!

Rough Weekend

2010-09-26T20:03:00.000-05:00

Strep test came back positive this morning. I'm functioning well so long as I've got ibuprofen in me. I'm even letting Chase's BFF spend the night tonight. Lest you freak out, I know from my ridiculously frequent previous bouts that it isn't super contagious. I worked the church sausage supper with it last year and worked the conference meeting with it this afternoon.

It appears that my big girl is finished with naps. I suspected this day was coming, but it sucks nonetheless. Chase napped until he was five. For 2-3 hours a day, every single day. I knew I was lucky, and I hoped I'd get that lucky twice. Not so much. So instead of 2-3 hours of nap and a later bedtime, the princess is now in bed by 8pm. She's getting the same amount of sleep, just in one overnight chunk instead of split up. I'm trying to be excited about the flexibility of our new schedule, but mostly I'm just sad to see another part of babyhood slip away.

It's been a pretty shitastic weekend all the way around really. I'm happy for my sister and her new job and new house and all of that. But I was not happy with her last night. I didn't feel well, I was having a bad day (see previous paragraph about the nap thing), and she immediately launched into 110 reasons why Christmas needs to be moved up so she can hightail it to Tulsa faster. Mere days after she promised me that our holidays would not be affected by her move. Jamie has hunting trips on the calendar already. And honestly? As batshit crazy as she drives me, with my mom gone, she and Dad are all the family I have left. I can't imagine a holiday without her. I was grateful I'd have this year as it's always been before she moved (see my previous post about hating change), so her complete about face yesterday completely pulled the rug out from under me. On top of the strep, the not-napping daughter...and on it goes.

To top it all off, there was drama at church today. Sometimes I wonder why I try at all. Thank God for old friends who listen to my pity party and love me anyway. I know everything happens for a reason. I'm realizing that my sister's move is a good reminder that my friends are the family I've chosen. Plus, Stacy is moving back--I know Jamie's brothers prefer to spend Christmas Day with their immediate families, but Jamie and I always include his dad and stepmom in our festivities and I will extend that invitation to Stacy this year and the next. And the next...it will all work out.

On the bright side, got a great deal at my favorite consignment store and a super cute rug on sale at Target for Cassie's room. And now the season premiere of Desperate Housewives is on...I haven't watched it regularly, but with Vanessa Williams joining the cast, I'm curious...

Rough Day

2010-09-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

I spent the better part of today in bed. I woke up feverish with the worst headache EVER. Jamie took one look at me shivering on the couch, felt my forehead, and sent me back upstairs to bed. I slept until almost three. I've still got a sore throat and headache, although the fever seems gone. I've got an event at church ALL DAY tomorrow, am hoping I can scoot out for a bit to hit urgent care. I'm thinking it is either strep (hence the sore throat) or sinuses (the headache). At the moment, I'm leaning towards strep b/c my advil/tylenol cocktail has worn off and the sore throat is back w/a vengance. Plus, it's that time of year...

Spending the day in bed derailed my granite shopping. Do any of my readers have recommendations? My neighbors just used Granite Transformations, but I want real stone, not the man-made stuff.

Back to bed for me.

Serendipity

2010-09-21T17:19:00.002-05:00

Our renters called over the weekend and asked if we were willing to let them out of the lease because they're preapproved to buy a house. Since they signed the lease in July, I was a bit taken aback, but I agreed to it. Quite honestly, I imagine if I hadn't, they wouldn't be happy and if they aren't happy, they aren't going to take care of the place...I'd rather have someone in there who wants to be there. So I threw an ad up on Craigslist, posted a notice on Facebook and waited.

This afternoon I got a phone call from Jamie's sister Stacy. She's moving back to Missouri around Thanksgiving and has been looking for somewhere to live. Since we spent our first six years of marriage there, she's familiar with the house (and landlords). She's going to rent it. She needs a place to live, we need a tenant, what I thought was going to be a royal pain the rear has turned out beautifully! I couldn't be happier. I can't wait to help move her in!

I need that good news today because we got some not so good news at the vet. The beast weighed in at 95 pounds. I weighed him six times because I couldn't believe the numbers on the scale. Ignoring how ridiculously close to my weight that is, it's also a good 10-12 pounds over where the vet wants him. So squirmy Shermy is now on a diet. Good thing he got his own ice cream at McD's last night, because it's going to be a while before he gets another one! (Don't judge me. He's the well behaved child, he actually deserved the ice cream cone. As opposed to the human children, who got ice cream, but didn't exactly deserve it.) Mama may be putting the gym plans on hold for a while since we're going to be stepping up the Sherman cardio & walks. Poor guy.

I think the good rental news totally overrules the fat dog news today. I reserve the right to disagree after stepping up the canine exercise...

PS--Went granite shopping this morning. Decided on black vs. blue. Amy, the interior designer BFF, agrees that black is a better choice. She also thinks that my cabinets are keepers. Am thinking I may have new counters by Halloween! Now I just need to price a backsplash. Leaning towards subway tile, but haven't ruled out beadboard. I'd also like to wrap the island in beadboard, must check on the feasibility of that. Yay for moving forward. Hideous white laminate countertops? Your days are NUMBERED!

Well, they're not fighting...

2010-09-20T13:42:00.000-05:00

Chase played his DSi non-stop this morning, until I finally told him to give it a rest! So now he's playing Princesses with his sister. Jamie would be HORRIFIED, but I think it is cute. He had friends over last night and one left the gate open, which resulted in Sherman going exploring. A neighbor we don't know picked him up, and my cell phone was on silent so he spent about an hour in their backyard before it was all said and done. I really appreciate the neighbor doing that, but as an FYI, leaving me a message that you found my dog on the side of the road probably isn't the best way to phrase that...we had a rough few minutes there...

Cass had dance this morning. They combined the 9:30am 3s and 4s with the 10:30am 4s and 5s. So they do acro together, then split up. The younger girls are all together in one room for tap and ballet, and the older girls are in another room. So now Cassie only has about six girls in her class--which is good. She LOVES it and was showing Grandpa how to point his toe this morning. They also did a little barre work. So cute. I'm thinking about asking the other mothers if anyone would be interested in asking them to set up a Zumba class for the moms during class. If we're going to be there for an hour, may as well be getting in a workout, right? Better than sitting...

It was kind of a rough weekend. Chase puked right after my last post. That was unexpected and disgusting. Got some family news that means big changes--I'm trying to stay positive, but I'm a conservative and loathe change. I'm trying. I also got a call from my renters that they want to break their lease. They're flexible (as they should be because I don't HAVE to let them out of it)--but finding new renters is a pain when you're expecting it. When you're not... Again, I'm trying to look on the bright side. I haven't raised the rent in the 3 years they've been there, so if I price it with the comps I saw this weekend, I can gross an additional $1800 a year. That's a plus. I'm trying to focus on the positives...

Naptime. That's ALWAYS (!) a positive. I'm starting to budget for groceries and household expenses. Jamie the financial advisor isn't a fan of budgeting because he says it teaches you how NOT to be poor versus how to build wealth. I can totally see that. Nonetheless, I got him to agree that whatever I shave off my household expense bills can go towards new countertops. If I'm really good, I'll have them by Christmas. Of course this little niggling voice is wondering about the sense in putting new countertops on 10 year old cabinets...so perhaps I'll look into cabinet refacing while I'm at it...

SwagBucks

2010-09-19T20:58:00.002-05:00

I'm doing SwagBucks and you should too.

Cycle Break!

2010-09-17T13:35:00.001-05:00

It never ceases to amuse me that many friends have kids who just started school, and my kids are already finished with their first quarter and off for the next three weeks! We've got lots of plans for cycle break, lots of baseball games scheduled, the usual playdates and sleepovers on the calendar, but I'm most looking forward to just relaxing and going with the flow. Last night Chase had a sleepover, the boys turned his room into a fort with most of the blankets in the linen closet and I loved it. Right now Cassie is playing w/Dora, Cinderella and Kai Lan in the living room. She does love her pretend play. It is almost naptime for her...

I've got two wicked canker sores right now, discovered Canker Cover at Walgreens last night and am a total convert now. I was miserable yesterday, but after using that stuff last night--I'm back to normal today. AWESOME! I was actually back to normal last night after I used it...

I was parent helper in Cassie's class yesterday and saw someone who remembered me from my teaching days. I subbed for her when she had a hysterectomy. 10 years ago. I'm flattered she remembered me! I'm also thrilled to realize that I still love working w/kids that age in the classroom, I was worried that I wouldn't have the patience for it anymore or wouldn't enjoy it anymore, but I really do. So there is another option for me when Cass starts kindy! I like having options...

We did Cassie's parent teacher conference during recess yesterday. Her teacher said she is a "delight." No argument here. She's also at age level or waaaaay above for everything she should be doing, save for articulation, and that's why she's in speech! Another great conference. Thank God for that. I'm having one of those weeks where I wonder what on Earth I ever did to deserve the life I lead...I am blessed beyond measure.

I stayed up ridiculously late the other night to read A Dog's Purpose. It was a very enjoyable (and quick) read. I loved it. If you've ever loved a dog, you should read it.

YAY for Chase!

2010-09-15T21:34:00.000-05:00

I really loathe parents who brag about their kids' report cards, about as much as I loathe parents who seem to think that their child's IQ is a direct result of their parenting. So I'm not going to do that. I am going to say that we had a GREAT parent/teacher conference tonight and while I've never been disappointed in one of his report cards, I am super proud of him tonight. That kid really did get the best of his Daddy and me. And for the areas that need improvement? When I figure out how to fix them in Jamie and myself--I'll fix them in Chase! ;)) But hearing, "I've loved having him. He's just a good kid. He cares so much...." really made my night. I've always known he was smart, so I can't take any credit for him doing well in school. But the comments about his character? It's nice to hear from a professional that I don't completely suck as a mother and that I'm doing something right! Even if she doesn't agree w/my decision to let him read Harry Potter...

Cassie's conferences are Friday. Chase's gifted teacher wanted to test her tonight...