Adventures in Everyday Life

Kidspeak- limes

2012-01-21T01:28:00.001-06:00

Ardyn, 1:22 am: "Mom, what will Key Lime Cove smell like?!? Limes??"

Hammacher Schlemmer- the definition of awesome!

2012-01-20T20:02:00.001-06:00

Hammacher Schlemmer is awesome. Five years ago I purchased an IRobot Roomba from Hammacher Schlemmer. When purchased through this company, the Roomba has a lifetime warranty.

Recently we had issues with the battery not charging and we were receiving a battery error. After troubleshooting with I robot customer support it was determined that we needed a new battery.Initially we called Hammacher Schlemmer and were told they would be able to replace the battery for free. After several weeks of waiting the battery did not arrive as it was expected. I called the company back and was told that they had discovered they did not have any more batteries to send us for replacement. I was initially upset because they have not called to notify me of the problem. But after just a moment on the phone they notified me that instead of purchasing a new battery they would replace the entire rumba for free. I didn't even have to pay to ship the Roomba back to them!

they e-mailed me a prepaid UPS shipping label, I packaged the old Roomba in a box and sent it back to them at no expense... and in two weeks received a brand-new Roomba. I would highly suggest looking at Hammacher Schlemmer for any of your electronics purchases. This lifetime warranty is amazing and is something that you do not find from very many companies these days.

The cherry on top was the fact that in addition to a brand-new Roomba I got a credit of $21.25 posted to my credit card! Why you ask? Simply because the rumba was now $21 less than it had been four years ago and they refunded my money! Simply amazing and there was no arguing, no stress, very simple very efficient & extremely pleasant customer service.

Thank You Hammacher Schlemmer!!!

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Kidspeak -just breathe

2012-01-13T12:29:00.001-06:00

Ardyn, In the van:
"I'm holding my breath till we get to Grandma's house."

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Kidspeak: Beard

2012-01-12T13:06:00.001-06:00

Marek, while walking through the snowy windy Parkin lot to the pediatric ophthalmologist

"When my birthday comes (March 31st) I am gonna grow a beard."

Very matter of fact, like he has been pondering it and really thought through his timing. He will be "big" and 3 after all....

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Let It Snow!

2012-01-10T00:49:00.001-06:00

We make our own window decorations. We hand cut snowflakes and other seasonal items, or use our cricut. Then I laminate them (so they last longer and aren't affected by condensation in the winter) and we use double sided scotch brand poster tape to affix them to mirrors and windows. These snowflakes are in their third year on our windows now. Some of them are two layers of paper in blue and white. Nice dimension :) the kids love to hang them and make them!

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

That pretentious guy at the library

2012-01-03T19:10:00.002-06:00

Oh how I love the library. And oh how I love the people at the library. Usually. Tonight when I arrive there is this "guy" sitting at the table next to me and he is talking to another guy and they are openly and pretentiously discussing Arabs, Genocide, etc. *sigh* All I wanted was a quiet night. To surf the web, upload some photos, design a belated holiday card, and sit in peace. But my neighbors are Mr. Know It All and Mr. Know It All Better-Than-You.

I try to ignore them and then happily get to my card design when the MrKIA (standing) declares that he will let MrKIABTU "get back to it" as though he is most likely researching the cure for cancer with his headphones on over there. *sigh*

Next up I see a cute girl with a cool camera coming around and talking to people and taking photos. Of course, curious. She comes to me next. She's with the News Tribune and wants to ask me a question. Would that be okay? Sure. Neat. Then she asks "What Living American would make the best United States President and why." I see MrKIABTU (who is NOW talking on his cell phone in the library???) glance sideways and immediately I do not want to answer. I am NOT politically involved or motivated. I vote. I try to make the best decision that I can with my limited knowledge. In the end I make what seems to be a gut decision. I either like them, or I don't. But this huge, open ended question. Seriously? Living American? As president? I know what I want to answer. But I don't want to answer it. Somehow telling everyone reading the newspaper seems sort of invasive. Especially with MrKIABTU is watching and obviously listening now since he has REMOVED HIS EARBUDS. I tell her that I don't think I can answer the question. I tell her that it is too broad and that I can't possibly know all Americans suited for president. In the end, I tell her how I really feel, with MrKIABTU looking on with an air of superiority and a sickening gleam in his eyes that says he is DYING to have her come ask him next. I can tell that the reporter can feel it too as she doesn't want to even ASK him but at this point she may have decided it would be rude not to ask. Maybe she won't publish him :) Or me for that matter.

I told her that I would choose Barack Obama. I told her that he may not be the best suited American for president but that he is best suited for me. I explain that he is the first presidential candidate in my lifetime that I have identified with, that I trust. I tell her that I believe him and that I see him fighting for families and what he feels is best for families, and that is what is most important to me. I don't tell her that his diverse background and ethnicity is a huge bonus that should not be overlooked, and that we need more diversity in this country and in our government in general. And I see the MrKIATBU chomping at the bit. When she finally asks, he looks at her as though the answer is OBVIOUS and that it is UN-arguably Ron Paul. I almost snicker out loud when I hear her say "WHO?!" Oh my. Snicker. Snicker. When she asks why, he proceeds to tell her (with this look and air about him that oozes confidence as though he knows Ron personally and can guarantee his success) Ron Paul will Restore this country to it's constitutional correctness. Immediately I know that this guy, this MrKIABTU is THAT GUY. I kept feeling badly that I was so harshly judging him without knowing a thing about him. I kept telling myself that I am rude and insensitive and uneducated and that I have no business thinking things about people next to me in the library.

I feel better now. :) I don't care who you like for president. That's your business and everyone has a different thing they are looking for in a candidate. But it's how you present them that makes you a jackass.

I don't know anything about him, but when a good looking girl keeps coming over to him asking him homework questions and he keeps alternately correcting her and attempting to flirt with her, I just want to smack him. Why oh why can't I like him. this guy at the library? Oh well. I like lots of people at the library.

Kidspeak "switch heads"

2012-01-02T11:49:00.001-06:00

Marek to Ardyn- "when we grow up we can switch heads. I'll be sissy and you be Marek."

Marek to Mommy- "Mommy cut my head off."

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Kidspeak: Sunshine

2011-12-22T20:05:00.002-06:00

Ardyn today while in the van "Mama, will the sun ever come out again?"

I know Ardyn, I know. It's terrible isn't it? All brown and dead. No snow to brighten up the days. No sunshine for weeks now. :(

Cup of Freaking Cheer

2011-12-22T20:04:00.001-06:00

I feel like I could rant for hours. Except I don't have hours. I don't know what the deal is, but I suspect it is most likely that PMS and Christmas do NOT mix.

I have decided to direct my rant one direction for a brief moment. Walmart's one hour photo center. THREE TIMES in the past two weeks I have tried to place a one hour photo order and have been told that there is a problem with the one hour photo in the local walmart and that the order will take longer than an hour. Now, am I the only one that thinks there might be a good inkling that something is going on over there? Should customers be charged for 1 hour photo prices when it takes more than three hours to process your order? Hmmmm. I am super frustrated with this whole scenario.

I ran away tonight. My kids weren't awful today, but they weren't especially good either. I tried to think of when I was away from them last, and it seems like it might have been about a week ago tonight. Since then we have had preparing for the cleaning ladies, violin lessons, Christmas Present shopping and wrapping, Church Christmas Pageant practice, the Church Pageant, Caroling, Fellowship and movie after caroling, movie night (Chipwrecked) with just me and the two kids, Took the kids to see the Festival of Lights with my parents, followed by supper at Steak and Shake and a visit to the most awesome new Outdoor World at Bass Pro Shops. Then last night we finally got to spend some time with daddy and ate supper at the Mexican restaurant. This is all good, but also all stressful, because the majority of it was done by myself with kids, or luckily with my parents.... Frustrating. I don't want to choke the life out of my husband with my eyes each time I look at him, but tonight when I saw the opportunity to get milk I decided that I was not coming back until after bedtime. When you start to feel at 2:30pm that the rest of your day would be best mellowed by alcohol and cigarettes (and you don't drink or smoke) you know it's time to escape. I have been away from them for nearly an hour and my jaw is still clenched so tight that it hurts.

I get so furious at how much these seem to be ALL my kids. I shouldn't rant about that I guess, but man it gets difficult. It's the stay-at-home mom's curse. It's the thing that makes me want to scratch my husband's eyes out when he acts like making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for two kids is over his head. I am probably exaggerating that a bit, but man, that look that he gives me like How DARE I ask him to do such a thing.... just boils my blood.

I told my husband that I wouldn't be home until the kids are asleep. Period. I just need to breathe a bit. I just need no one screaming at me or talking over me for a few hours. I need to get my wits about me. I started a big load of diapers before I left so I have those to look forward to when I get home, and I need to do some dishes and a serious lot of laundry so I have something to wear for Christmas. I also have just a few presents that I need to wrap yet for the kids. There are three under the tree right now and they are just killing themselves with excitement and curiosity over what might be inside.

I decided to high-tail it to the library. Quiet. With Internet Access. and My own clear horizontal space. I have my laptop and KK's, because his has a virus and some malware and I have been working on it all day to get it cleared off and updated and running smoothly with fresh AVG and Zone Alarm. Problem being we are on week two of no internet at home, which is a stress in itself, considering that I do EVERYTHING Online, including pay all my bills. So I have my computer working on all the things I need to get done, and his right next to mine doing software updates and virus and malware scans.

I love that when coming to the library I see so many people who I adore, and just happen to work or hang out here. Tonight I was blessed by encounters with Ron and Ann and also saw Jax and Laura and Cullen. All in less than an hour. I could sleep here, I swear. It's so QUIET here. I saw a mom back in the children's section of the library, working on her laptop at a table, while her children sat quietly on the floor reading books. I was like, seriously? Did she DRUG them? Will my kids EVER act like that? Ever? Oy. Bless their overactive and loud little personalities, straight from their parents (me being loud, Evan being overactive, in childhood at least)

Once again this year comes the stress of trying to be at three Christmases in 24 hours. This year another was added to the mix, and we declined. We made our decision two years ago that we would go to ONE Christmas Eve celebration. It seems that although last year we went to one, and this year we are supposed to alternate, we will still be eating at one from 6-8, then going to church at 8:30, and then AFTER church (when any sensible parents would have their 2 and 4 year olds into bed for Santa) we will be going to another Christmas celebration in order to not piss anyone off. I already want to cry. I want to bawl and scream and stomp my feet. I love our families. But WHY can't they understand and let it go, and realize that we DO NOT ENJOY dragging two toddlers to three locations in one night, particularly when at least one of them has to be after their bedtimes. It isn't anything personal. It ISN'T favoritism. It's plain ole logic. I don't know a better way to deal with it. It makes me want to smash my head into a wall, and this is without PMS. THIS IS NOT HOW CHRISTMAS IS SUPPOSED TO FEEL! Even though we implemented this last year, and went to just one Christmas Eve, as soon as this year came along and we were due to switch to my family on Christmas Eve, the guilt trips started rolling in. What about their presents? Couldn't we just "stop in" after church? Do You Think You Could Find The Time to come to Aunt Patti's on Christmas Eve? Oh my. We can not go four places on Christmas Eve. WE CAN NOT. This isn't something personal. It really really really really is NOT. I now feel really really really upset with myself for giving in and saying that we would go to a second Christmas Eve after church. This is entirely breaking the "every other year" thing that we had agreed to two years ago. I didn't "cheat" and go to my family last year. We completely went with his family on Christmas Eve, but this year I am already being made to feel like I am choosing a favorite, which is NOT the truth. But here I am back to square one. Back to the year when I had to start taking Anxiety medication right before Christmas because everyone demanded so much of us right after I started to go back to work after having Ardyn. *sigh*

Dear Lord, please help me to enjoy this Christmas and not go postal on any family members.
And Please Please Please bring snow. This warm and brown and un-sunny Christmas is horrid.

Kidspeak: Santa

2011-12-13T14:46:00.001-06:00

the kids are playing Mr and Mrs Claus.... Overheard from the living room.

Ardyn: "Mr Claus! You're feet are freeeeeeezing! You'd better go put on your big black boots!"

Then a few minutes later...

Ardyn: *heavy sigh* "Santa, this checking twice thing is killing me!"

Lol

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Waiting....

2011-12-12T15:27:00.000-06:00

I really do not like waiting. Even though I have no "plans" this afternoon or tomorrow, today we are expecting the Comcast guy from 1-4 and tomorrow the Sears repairman from 1-5. I HATE Waiting. I HATE the time range. I badly want to take a nap when the kids do today, because I didn't get much sleep last night. But in order to do that, I have to wait until the Comcast Guy gets here. And since I don't have any CLUE as to when he will arrive (It's already 2pm now) I am trying to weigh in the factors of when exactly I give up and put the kids down to sleep without getting a nap myself.

The worst part is that there isn't a real exciting reason for him to come, just that they are doing equipment upgrades and it's our turn. *sigh*. I don't like planning my day around waiting. I have picked up the house and done some vacuuming, and some other chores, but I just want him to get here already, get in and get this done, and then let me be so I can nap. :(

Then of course I will feel the exact same way tomorrow as I wait for the Sears guy to arrive. Oy. the waiting part tempts me to cancel my appointments every time. I always think "this is stupid. He can just come another time."

The kids watched the Grinch (animated version) after lunch and I thought FOR SURE that the second they got all locked in to that, he would show up requiring me to turn it off and make them cranky. I was even okay with that.... but nothing yet.

I am having a hard time believing that it's getting so close to Christmas already. I haven't gotten my cards out, which is UNHEARD OF for me, because I always send cards out ON December 1st. But this year we got some really cute pics of the kids taken by Nicole Isaacson Photography, and I just need the FUNDS to pay her for the photo disk, so that I can go make the cards and get them mailed. Surprisingly, it is two weeks till Christmas, and we have only received cards from four people this year. That's stranger than usual, that's for sure. Hopefully we do get some soon because the kids love opening them and especially displaying them. We put a string of flashing rice lights around the doorway to the playroom and I am taping (with painters tape) the cards around the door frame woodwork this year. Simple but effective. We are at such a prime for space here there isn't an inch to display them anywhere else!

I still haven't found the tree topper (Well, to be honest I haven't really looked either) and I think I might be okay with that. I did want to get the peg rack painted to hang stockings, I have had it like, oh 11 months and not done it yet. Lot of good that was, considering it's so cold out it's not like I can just step out and spray paint it now.... but I will anyway. Spray it outside and bring it in to dry and see how it turns out. Hopefully before Christmas.

This week I have a ton to accomplish, from just the everyday things like preparing for the cleaning lady to arrive (she hasn't been here in over a month because of our incredibly knack for spreading sickness around amongst ourselves) and also next weekend is the Christmas Pageant at church and I need to make an angel costume and a shepherd costume this week. I have the fabric from a bin in the basement and it is washed and ready to go to the dryer, but I just need to get that whipped up. Ardyn also has Violin this week per usual, and we need to make a serious effort to practice. I also have my BUNCO Christmas Party, the Health Ministries Team Christmas Party (for our church team) and Ardyn has Dance and School. Add in the Cable guy, the Sears Guy, and Friday night hoping to get everything off layaway and wrapped or opened accordingly for Christmas.... and I am only mildly annoyed with the schedule. This weekend Evan has a gig, and so that will mean at least 36 hours of me and kids, and during those hours we have practice for the church program and then the program itself. This Sunday is also caroling to the sick and shut-ins, which Ardyn fondly remembers from last year (and me too!) so we are looking forward to that!

Chicken Coop

2011-12-12T01:05:00.001-06:00

I realized tonight that I never did post a finished photo of the chicken coop on the blog :) Sorry readers! Apologies! I just facebooked them and forgot :(

Here you go... The top left is Marek helping me to remove the old siding from the dog house, which belonged to my in-laws and was what we revamped into a coop. The upper right is a photo of Ardyn admiring the coop in progress, the day that we added the nest box and got the side door opening cut.

The bottom left is the coop with the run attached to the front.... and the bottom right is the side open on the coop, with the double doors and the screen in place. the screen is out for the winter and the doors stay shut unless I am cleaning out or checking in or if it's a warmer day and we just need to air out a bit :) The ladies are so at home :) The coop features two rear 12x12 ish nest boxes with a hinged roof, an interior two leveled perch with room for six fluffy and heavy breed hens, a nice front ladder, an adjacent and removable front run with hanging feeder and waterer (a heated waterer in winter) 24x24" concrete diamond paved floor for easy washing, a hinged front door with a pulley so I don't have to go IN to the run to open the door, and a double "barn door" on the side for easy access and cleaning. The siding is recycled concrete style siding painted "Victory Red" and it features white vinyl trim and corner caps and a green steel roof with a handcrafted galvanized ridge vent. The house itself is fully insulated.... the nest boxes are not, but are filled with pine bedding.

There is an entire album of "coop in progress" photos here, if you are interested :)

Kidspeak- naked fries

2011-12-10T19:09:00.001-06:00

Ardyn: "mom, some of these fries were showing their potatoes. I hid them at the bottom of the box"

Me: "what?!"

Ardyn: "naked."

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Chicken Sweaters! FREE Pattern for Personal Use :)

2011-12-09T21:30:00.000-06:00

Yes really. I really truly crocheted a sweater for my chicken. I saw a blog post this evening that had each of their chickens in sweaters. I thought it seemed incredibly unnecessary and that my chickens would not be happy in the winter without them. Absolutely no way, no how. Since I seem to have tons of Yarn remnants left from my recent scarf escapades.... I decided that while the kids were watching the Grinch after supper, I would make one. I actually took some orange yarn and a hook to Ardyn's dance class and while Marek napped in his seat and Ardyn was dancing, I was going to make one. I had found patterns online but only one crochet pattern, and I wasn't really happy with the coverage that the particular pattern provided, so I thought I might have to modify it as I went. Especially because my chickens are all heavy breeds and I didn't know what hens this sweater was made to fit, but it looked more like a smaller regular sized hen. Plus, I don't like to check gauge and never do check gauge, so I was just gonna see how the pattern went. Well, fast forward to dance class and I ran out of the house without the pattern. Grrr. So I sat in the van and thought, you know, I can totally wing it (pun intended, lol) and make my own chicken sweater.

So, I started. I visualized and I conquered. And I like mine better than the other pattern so I was happy. I will go ahead and share with you here. But first, a few photos and a feature overview....

1. No ties. I was nervous of the ones that tied and if a chicken would strangle or hang themselves.
2. Covers more of the chicken's back.... and dips a bit lower to cover a few tail feathers
3. Keeps wings free and allows flight if desired :)
4. Covers the chest/breast area while still leaving the feet free and the rear end clear for poo and eggs :)

So, I don't write patterns so please let me know if my rules screw you up. The first rule of crochet is, there are no rules :) If you have followed enough patterns, hopefully you will know what I am doing.
I used what I would consider to be regular medium weight yarn, very washable, and a J hook because that's what I could get my hands on. Like I said, I don't do gauge. Just start and try to visualize your chicken :) That's how I did it.

Row ONE- Start Your Work: Chain 31. This is not really a set number. You can chain whatever you want. This is the length of your chicken's body. Eyeball it. Chain whatever you want. the pattern will work no matter how many you chain.
Chain Two and Turn

ROWS 2 thru 6- *Double Crochet in each Chain till end.... Chain Two and Turn again (repeat from star until you have six rows completed)

ROW 7- After you have chained two and turned to begin your SEVENTH row, DC in next SIX stitches. Then, Chain Six (not in previous stitches) to create a chain that will make your wing opening. On the 7th Stitch, instead of chaining, DC back into your work again. This will make a "hole" that is six stitches long.
Continue to DC in each stitch until you reach the THIRD Stitch from the end. You should have THREE STITCHES to fill,
in the first stitch DC TWICE (increase)
In the Second stitch DC TWICE (increase)
In the LAST stitch in your row, DC once, then chain two and turn.

ROW 8- DC in first stitch
DC twice in each of the next TWO stitches (increasing twice, Rows 7 and 8 will create a longer tail area, which you can eliminate if you don't like that idea, but I like the way it looks and fits.)
DC in each stitch till end, Chain two and turn

ROWS 9 and 10- *DC in each stitch till end, Chain two and turn (repeat from star to create row 10)

ROW 11 - DC in each stitch until you are five stitches from end. Then DC once in next two stitches (Decreasing) and DC again ONCE in next two stitches (Decreasing a second time) and then DC once in last stitch.... Chain two and turn, completing row 11.

ROW 12- DC once in first stitch (not in turning chain) and then DC once in next two stitches (DECREASING) and then DC again once in next two stitches (DECREASING AGAIN.) then DC once in each space until end of chain. Complete Row 12, Chain two and turn.

ROW 13- DC once in each of next six stitches, then Chain 6 (creating other wing opening.) In the next stitch (stitch 13 from end) DC again and continue DCing in each stitch until end, creating wing hoed and ending Row 13. Chain Two and Turn.

ROWS 14 thru 18- *DC once in each space. Chain Two and Turn (repeat from star until you have finished row 18 and are have chained and turned to begin row 19)

ROW 19- DC once in each space, FIFTEEN TIMES, Chain two and turn. (end Row 19)

ROW 20- DC once in each space, FIFTEEN TIMES (do not chain and turn. End Row 20)

To finish Sweater, Fold in half and match last fifteen DC's (the short rows that you finished with) up with first row. Join them together with 15 slip stitches. Finish off and weave in ends.

For durability, I actually Slip stitched it across twice, once each direction, before finishing off. Then I turned it right side out so that the slip stitched were inside the sweater. See photos and I hope to heck it turned out like mine. Sorry I am not a pattern writer. I can crochet any ol way but I am no pattern genius!

The End.
Feel free to share this and crochet away. This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not use this pattern to create sweaters for profit (this means don't crochet them and sell them!)

Meagan

Today I finished the sixth Chicken Sweater. That's six in about a day and a half. Today the chickens wore them out in the snow for the first snowfall. :) Here are a few pics :)

ETA: This post was my inspiration for finding a practical chicken sweater. Check it out for a smile: http://www.fadetofuture.com/2008/01/02/new-year-same-chicken/

Kidspeak: it snowed!!!

2011-12-09T09:18:00.001-06:00

Daddy: have you looked outside Ardyn?

Ardyn: let me get my drawers on first!

It snowed! We can go outside an build a snowman!!!

Mommy: I don't think there is that much snow on the ground.

Ardyn: well there is grass sticking up but we can use the grass as
His eyebrows!!!!

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Kidspeak: Salmonella

2011-12-05T16:30:00.001-06:00

I was putting away clean diapers in the kids' bedroom when I heard them busily cooking away at the kitchen in the playroom. Ardyn said "This is going to be some delicious salmonella when we get done!"

Launch discussion on salmonella as a bacteria that makes people sick.
Launch Ardyn's counter-discussion about how Salmonella is delicious and that people love it.

Oy.

Marek in his Glasses, with his new Christmas Ornament

2011-12-02T18:46:00.000-06:00

Today Marek wore his glasses for the first whole day! He got them last night and today he wore them from 7:30-9:30am, and then from 10:30am-2:15pm (when he took a nap) and from the time he woke up from nap around 3:30 until now (6:45) and he is still wearing them now! What a great first day! We celebrated by hanging his new ornament on the tree. He was all smiles!

The EyeGlasses that Took Forever....

2011-11-28T12:40:00.001-06:00

I don't recall if I have ever actually blogged about it, but we recently took Marek to a Pediatric Ophthalmologist for his eye. His right eye was showing signs of being lazy, and initially (like before he was 2) I only noticed it being very slight and only when he was very tired or very angry or upset. Then It started to become noticeable when he was thinking about something or trying to find the words he wanted to say. Eventually it became more prominent and more noticeable, and The pediatrician (who hadn't noticed it) said I could take him to a PO for evaluation. We had to wait close to 2.5 months to actually get in to see her. I had prepared myself for what I was sure would be patching of the good eye in order to strengthen the muscles in the traveling eye. What I was NOT prepared for was the announcement that he needs glasses. He has astigmatism in both eyes, and the astigmatism in his bad eye is preventing or making it more difficult for the muscles to pull the eye back to center. So while she can see the muscles working, she believes the astigmatism needs to be corrected so that we can see how his eye responds to the muscles.

So. I was kicking myself because never once, not even ONE TIME did glasses cross my mind. Oy. We have Health Insurance Through UHC of the River Valley, which does not include any vision coverage. Luckily, the lazy eye is a medical problem that would be covered under our health insurance.... but the vision/astigmatism and needing glasses part is not. Amazingly, we had JUST began to use a secondary insurance in November (the month of his appointment) which covered vision and 1 pair of glasses. Our income qualifies us for Illinois All Kids, at a premium level. This means that we pay a monthly insurance premium and get coverage in exchange. The monthly premium is fairly low (based on your income) and it eliminates or lowers most of our current co-pays and deductibles. I don't like to talk about this program, or WIC, with many people, because I often get to hear the "Popping out kids on welfare" crap that people like to spew.... and I don't want to be a part of that discussion. WIC and All Kids are not comparable to Welfare in my opinion, but again, not going to start that conversation because if I needed welfare to get my kids what they need I would have it.

Anyway. The Pediatric Opthalmologist that we had chosen was highly recommended locally by lots of friends and family who had been to her and her practice. She also was a Preferred Provider on our UHC PPO. Turns out that she also accepts Kid Care, which ended up being nice, but we didn't know that until we were there at the appointment, and it wasn't even relevant until we knew he needed glasses. So that day, after his appointment, we were taken right into the "optical" store in the Illinois Eyecare Center. It was very nice and everything they did at the center was AMAZING. They did so well with checking his eyes, I know already that there aren't many other places that would have had the knowledge, experience, and all those little tricks and tools to get his eyes checked. Well, we find out right away that the even though the doctor accepts Kid Care, the optical center in her office does not. This means that I get to spend the next 30 minutes in the parking lot on the phone with Kid Care and Illinois Health Connect trying to find somewhere that not only provides exams, but actual GLASSES. That proved to be very difficult. After searching unsuccessfully for a place in Peoria, we decided to go closer to home. Just by chance I decided to pull up my own eye doctor at Lifetime Eyecare in Geneseo, and they DID accept Kid Care and also provide glasses through the program. So Marek and I put gas in the van and called Grandma to see if they could keep Ardyn for a while longer, because we were going to drive from Peoria to Geneseo to get eyeglasses for Marek.

Now come the downsides.... Please don't see these as "complaints" for KidCare, but more as things that I have learned from the experience. Firstly, KidCare gives you a limited amount of frames to choose from (which is not unreasonable) and for Marek's size, that meant there were TWO Frames that we could choose from. One metal and round and one plastic and squared. Luckily they did come in various colors :) Secondly, Kid Care and Family Care glasses are made at the State Prisons in Illinois. Which also means that ordering a pair of glasses takes 3-6 weeks to receive. Now, bear in mind that the PO's office had expected that we could take our glasses home THAT NIGHT, or perhaps the next morning. An average pair of glasses takes about a week to receive at the eye doctor's office. And the PO had made an appointment for Marek in one month, to see how his progress with the glasses would be, and to re-evaluate his eye periodically. But in one month, we wouldn't even HAVE his glasses yet, let alone be able to have worked up to full-time wear as we were asked to, or to be able to analyze how well they were working. Above all, this frustrated me and made me feel like the world's worst mom, because I couldn't just go drop $200 for glasses for my son who obviously needed them. Yuk. So now we wait.

During this waiting period I find a cool website and facebook group "Little Four Eyes" (group of parents who have small children with glasses) and get information on the different types of frames that are available for kids, unbreakable, or at least LESS breakable, and made of lightweight materials, twistable materials, and with warranties. This leads me to ask the girls at the eye doctor's office what happens "if" (when?) the two year old breaks the frames. is there a warranty? Will we need to wait another 3-6 weeks? This is when I find out that there is no "warranty" but that the Kid Care Program will replace broken glasses within reason. AND that the wait will then be TWO MONTHS because someone will have to approve that second set of frames and then the whole process will have to start over again. And Kid Care won't cover a spare pair because their program allows for a pair per year. I decide to make some phone calls and ask some questions. Kid Care tells me that if the PO writes a letter to the state to request that Marek be provided with two pair of glasses for the purpose of backup and necessary full time wear, that the state may allow two pair to be made. Might. And who gets to make this decision? Someone at the State Prison. So I get to call my PO's office and ask them to write a letter directed so the state prison, and then fax it to the eye doctor who is placing the frame order so that they can send it along to the prison and ask for a second pair. And the PO Agrees to do it, no problem, but tells me that she is pretty sure it won't happen anyway. So now we wait another week for the letter to be dictated and faxed... with me following up the whole way via telephone calls. AND it's been nearly two weeks since we requested the letter and it hasn't been received from the PO yet.

In the meantime I start to investigate how much it will cost to get glasses for him if we have to buy them. $179 for the frame package and lenses through my regular eye doctor, and that is a 2 year warranty on frames with complete replacement with any breakage. Isn't cheap but doesn't seem unreasonable. IF you happen to have an extra $200 laying around before Christmas in addition to your $200 of license plate renewals due, and your $300 power and gas bills. And IF you want to explain to a 4 year old and a 2 year old that Santa didn't come because mommy had to buy marek some glasses and couldn't get the gear off layaway in time. *sigh*

I decided to look into eyeglass assistance and programs. VSP (who I used to get my eye insurance from when I worked at the hospital) has an awesome program for kids with no insurance that allows them to get glasses free of charge. But that won't qualify us, because we technically have insurance (Kid Care) and this is more of a timing and replacement/spare issue. So next I contact the Lions Club and find that I have to go to Wal-Mart to get an application. In the meantime I hear from someone that Wal-mart has $9 kid frames and cheap lenses and that I should be able to get two pair of glasses from Wal-mart for him for $60 or less (for BOTH pair) So I need to go there sometime and get some better information on that. But hopefully with just ONE CHILD and not with both of them, so that if indeed there is a chance to get glasses for him there, I can actually try them on him right there and get them ordered. That's like 1/4 of the cost of one pair through the eye doctor. Nothing involving kids can be easy!

So, We Wait. More.

Feminism Kidspeak

2011-11-27T15:36:00.001-06:00

Ardyn "mom why can't girl reindeer pull Santa's sleigh???" with a VERY disgruntled look on her face.

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

"that's what ladies do" kidspeak

2011-11-26T14:30:00.001-06:00

Marek "Ardyn don't hit me wit yur purse!"

Ardyn "I have to! That's what ladies do when me aren't paying attention!"

Mama "where did you hear that!?"

Ardyn "it was on Tom and Jerry!"

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Chalkboard menu

2011-11-23T23:12:00.001-06:00

Nothing fancy, but just whipped up a little chalkboard menu for the kids play kitchen/restaurant :) they are gonna love it!

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Serious Book Shortage!

2011-11-23T22:49:00.000-06:00

I am starting to worry that my poor children do not have enough to read. I was cleaning and reorganizing rooms and the books had to be re-shelved.... Craziness! This doesn't include the pop up books and lift the flat books, which I keep put up, and it doesn't include ANY seasonal books (which rotate into a basket in the living room when in season) OR the clothes basket full of "baby" board books in the attic. OR the little paperbacks I am saving for them, like Indian in the Cupboard, Matilda, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.... etc. Oh. My.

Jack Frost

2011-11-23T14:27:00.001-06:00

Ardyn "he's evil!"
Mom "Why is he evil?"
Ardyn "because he has cobwebs in his house!"
Mom "we have cobwebs in our house... Does that mean we are evil?"
Ardyn "no, he has cobwebs all OVER his house!"

.... The narrator says "he
Is evil and cruel"

Ardyn "see I toldya!"

Meagan ~ via blogpress on my iPhone :)

Papercrafting and Play

2011-11-22T14:31:00.000-06:00

It is Tuesday, but we aren't going anywhere. Ardyn complained of her stomach hurting all day yesterday and right as she was getting ready for bed, she threw up once, and then one more time an hour later. It's really tough to tell how much of her complaints are real or fake or just the degree of seriousness that might be involved, especially when they arise right around the time of a meal that includes a vegetable she doesn't want. I have pretty much gotten to the point that when you tell me your tummy hurts, you go lay in your bed and then if she feels okay she seems to be out about 5 minutes later. We also make it clear that if you are sick you can't attend school or dance or violin lessons, and that often works well too. But last night after she threw up she was convinced that she was going to school tomorrow, and I felt bad because she was going to indeed miss her class Thanksgiving Feast and also the opportunity to add her decorated feather to the class turkey. But that's how things go sometimes and we don't want her spreading germs to other families right before Thanksgiving, or throwing up during the thanksgiving feast! So today we have pretty much done nothing. She has been eating crackers and drinking pedialyte and watching TV and I have tried to make Marek follow suit with a chilled out day. We did get LOTS of sleep last night, I went to bed at 9 right after we got them all settled, and besides being woke up at 10 to help her, I went back to sleep and did fairly well until about 8-8:30 this morning. The more sleep we have the less likely this bug will be rampant or prolonged. Although she had the same issue about a month ago where she complained her stomach hurt and threw up once. I don't know if it's a little bug or what, but last time Marek then got diarrhea that lasted almost 2.5 weeks and was certainly no joke.... and I had been sick before her... so I guess we will see what this Thanksgiving Week germ brings.

Around lunchtime Ardyn declared that she would like a piece of string cheese, and I gave her one. She didn't even get the whole thing eaten (well she did, but barely) and she told me she was going to throw up. But then she proceeded to remove her dress up dress and sparkle shoes so they wouldn't get puked on, and then she argued with me about which COLOR bucket she wanted to throw up in, so.... I took that with a grain of salt. Then once she chose her color of bucket she proceeded to cough into it in a way that made me think she might be making herself throw up for attention, and when I reminded her that people who throw up can't spend the night at Grandma's or go to Thanksgiving.... she promptly spun around, put down the bucket, and started jumping on the couch. Um.... yeah.

In other news, we are going to be putting the bunk beds back together soon, in favor of a bedroom and a playroom, and because they are now spending more time PLAYING with their toys during naptime than actually napping.... and we will bring the kitchen back down for the winter so they can play with it. You may recall that we swap toys and circulate them in and out of service by stashing some in the attic. The kitchen hasn't been out for a while, so it's time. This time around I decided to also make them some Menus so that they could play restaurant. But since I still screw up spelling restaurant, I decided to call it the Sunny Day Cafe. I was going to look online for printable play menus, but all of them I found had only words, which was no help to kids who need food pictures and can't read. Ardyn is starting to read words here and there by sounding them out (Thank you WORD WORLD and Super Why!) but not Marek. Finally I found some AWESOME Printables for menus and matching tickets for the waiters and waitresses... at Delightful Distractions. Gotta love a fellow blogger. :) While I loved her photo concept and the part about there being a dollar amount with photos of the actual money so that kids could visionalize (is that a word? Did I totally just screw that up?!) VISUALIZE what the food cost.... I was really wanting a fun and personalized outside to the menu. So I made up my own and added some pie to the back cover. Although I didn't really check out her prices before I just randomly priced my pie, so you can get a $2 steak but a slice of pie costs $2.50. Um. Oops. So much for realistic. LOL. But we tried to center it around fresh eggs since we have those right here at home, and the hens that lay them. The kids are gonna love these!

The other fantastic paper craft of the day is a set of cash envelopes. I don't follow Dave Ramsey's principles... mostly because I am still convinced we don't have enough money to do all the things he talks about.... but I do have his DVD's on loan from a friend and they are WAY overdue to be returned to her. Oy. Anyway, I do use cash envelopes myself, and I can't credit Dave at all because my mom has been trying to pound this into my head way before he came on the scene as it was her method of choice years ago. I just keep cash in bank envelopes and other envelopes labeled what it's for. I saw this free printable on Pinterest and thought it couldn't hurt to make pretty ones with cool labels (you know how much I like pretty things with labels!) and although I really liked her other envelope method better, I wasn't planning on paying for it when I knew I could make my own easily, including making my own SVG files for the cricut if I wanted too. Plus I didn't want to pay for something that I may or may not use or lose or destroy... so I thought I would start by making the free template ones and go from there. I had seen some fabric ones on Pinterest that a woman was selling on Etsy, and I thought, I can sew these with a zipper or velcro if I decide I want them to be more sturdy... but that's a bit excessive from the get go.

So anyway, Here are mine, made with some double sided coordinating Papers that I bought on sale from my Creative Memories Consultant that was clearing out product stash.... And I just cut a 6.5x3.5 cover and back cover from cardstock that matched, and used my Crop-a-dile to punch holes and then used some funky trim ribbon to sew them together. I think I might prefer if they were bound like those notebook binder things that schools have that you can buy in the scrapbooking section at Hobby Lobby and such, but I don't have one and her idea was the best one I could think of, so that's what I did :) I thought of split rings but they wouldn't lay flat in a wallet IF that's what I want them to do. So. Here it is. I used 1.5" round avery labels that I ran thru the printer, and various large scalloped circle punches to make my tags. :)

Oh, and are YOU on Pinterest? Addicting!

Dance Recital, Laundry, and Christmas Walk.

2011-11-20T22:16:00.001-06:00

This has been an amazingly productive weekend! Friday night was Ardyn's First Holiday Dance Recital and it was awesome. She did SO well and our favorite part was the moment that she discovered that there was a stage "set" behind her. Normally all the decorations are up at Dress Rehearsal, but there was an incident at the school the night before Rehearsal and they were unable to get in and decorate the stage. So the first time Ardyn saw the candy themed decorations was the moment she was dancing ON stage. She didn't notice them when they walked out, but after she made a turn she caught the giant candy castle that was all sparkly behind her, and she stopped mid dance and pointed at it, and then looked at her "assistant teacher" and also the crowd with a look on her face like "DID YOU seeeeee that?!?!" It was hysterical and I hope they caught it on the DVD, but with our luck they were panning to someone else at that moment :)

She did beautifully and she also really was in good spirits because I finally DID get her to take a nap that day, which really made it a better experience than the spring recital when she was so excited that she didn't sleep at all. She was even more excited when she started to hear the song that she danced to on the radio.

I was able to do her hair myself this year and found my inspiration and photo tutorials on girlyhairdos.com which I highly recommend. Very nice and fun ideas. Grandma Susan and Grandpa Bob got her an adorable little nosegay style bouquet that she adored, and Kyle and Liz brought her a dozen red roses which matched her costume as well. Grandma Deb and Grandpa Dave brought her a beautiful ballerina ornament for the Christmas Tree. She was thrilled.

Marek spent the evening with Monica and a few of her girlfriends, and when we got home we all ate a late supper and went to bed. I was thrilled that the kids slept in for the first time since the time change, and we didn't get up until 9:45 on Saturday. Then the kids and I got ready to head to Princeton for the Annual Christmas Walk. Our Church hosts the Christkindl Markt and there are fun activities for the kids like decorating miniature gingerbread houses made of graham crackers and frosting. I wasn't able to work the Christkindl Markt this year (last year I was working all day) so Ardyn and I made soft pretzels to donate ahead of time and I was also able to go help make some gingerbread houses the week before. I took the kids for the first time this year, and Ardyn made a gingerbread house while Marek and I visited and saw Father Christmas.

We also did lots of other fun things, like riding the Christmas Train, visiting Santa and sitting on his lap, Taking a stroll through the Clark House for the PJWC Vendor Fair, Meeting the "reindeer" named Grace, Listening to Carolers and the Hand Bell Players, Riding the Horse Drawn Carriage, and Lunch at McDonald's with Lisa and Hallie. It was so much fun, and the kids really had a great time. Evan had a gig that night that was a ways away, so we were on our own. I rearranged the living room to make room for the Christmas Tree this week, and hit the laundry HEAVILY. I have nearly caught up, which hasn't happened for close to a year. No joke. I am working diligently to get the kids helping to put the laundry away, and also hoping to implement the "socks in the mesh lingerie bags" to keep it all separate. I also liked the tip from the mom who takes her laundry to the basement EVERY NIGHT and sorts it before bed, so that she can start a load here and there when she gets a full bin of some type. First I have to get caught up and get the laundry room picked up. I am nearly there. Nearly.

The worst part is all these random socks and washcloths and things that come out of the laundry when you are trying to catch up. And then I have a bunch of random stuff that I need to put away. I also have a sudden shortage of kid hangers.

Tomorrow is Monday already. But it doesn't matter much around here because we don't have any plans. Probably just work around here, the kitchen is my next task to tackle. I have a ton of dishes to do. And I need to check the animals and refresh their feed and water. I haven't been able to do that all weekend, but they generally are good for about three days, especially with their heated waterers. I would prefer to check them all daily, and hopefully that will happen more regularly. The hens have ceased laying in the cool dark shorter days, so there aren't really eggs to be gathered daily now.

Another bit of good news, Marek is back in Cloth. I got tired of buying diapers or pull ups and I decided that part of the difficulty we are having potty training is because the disposable diapers make it difficult for him to feel he is wet. Just one day in cloth and he is already telling me every time he pees, which will help immensely. It sure did with Ardyn.

I am watching the episode of How I Met Your Mother where Ted gets all drunk and gets a tattoo.... a butterfly tramp stamp. Hysterical.

I took a nap this afternoon and now I am NOT tired and it is 11pm but feels like 8pm. This does not bode well for my tomorrow morning. Although the kids didn't get to bed till 10, so maybe I can get lucky enough to sleep till like 8 or NINE. :)

Evan brought home Subway for supper tonight and brought me some pretty fall flowers.And that. Is all.