All you mothers know what I'm talking about here. It's the phenomenon where you've just come off a quasi-vegetarian diet, so you decide to actually fix chicken for dinner for the first time in well over a year. Forgetting the conspiracy, you nonchalantly open the package of chicken breasts, take 'em out, put them on the cutting board, and get your hands all over their sliminess while cutting off all the gnarblys (as co-worker calls them), and paring them into more manageable, kid-friendly pieces. Suddenly, elbow deep in salmonella and other funky bacteria juices, you hear the call/scream from the other room. ONE of the children has just gone poopy and needs you to wipe, or he/she ran around the corner WITH SCISSORS, banged into the armoire, and has an open, gushing wound OR more simply, your hair tie falls out and suddenly all your hair falls in front of your face--you can't pull it back due to the sliminess, but you can't leave it DOWN, either, 'cause then you're getting HAIR in your dinner!!!!
AUGH!!!!
The first event happened to me last night. I completely forgot about the conspiracy. And even worse, I KNEW the kid was on the potty. I kept checking and checking on her, but after no go for several minutes, I thought "Oh, I'll just start dinner while I'm waiting for her." Oh yeah. There's a REASON you don't want to start dinner until AFTER potty time. 'Cause Lord help you if you leave that kid sitting there for more than 15 seconds after they've gone. Not only does their butt get stuck in the butt insert, but then they start freaking out and might, just might, start viewing potty training as a scary, freaky event, stop doing it, and then not re-learn it again for another six months! It's a precarious time! You CAN'T screw it up!!
My friend Sybill had the second event happen to her. I completely forgot her words of foreboding and how she now wrangles every kid (she now has four) into one small circle and barks, "Whatever you do! Don't move! I'm touching the chicken now!"
Yes, I fell victim to the conspiracy again. But I remember now. I'll be more diligent now.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Dog Tired
Another exciting weekend of painting. Yes, I got brave and decided to get up on that ladder. John was busy with other household maintenance. I couldn't stand walking past that half-done room. So, another coat of orange, and one coat of blue at the top. Sounds scary, doesn't it? But actually, it looks quite nice. When we slap on that outer space border, it should bring it together (along with the comforter) quite nicely. If not, I don't care. I just want this room done! (Worse comes to worse, Keith could always become a Broncos fan. Ick!)
When not painting, I was tackling the non-stop laundry. Seriously, WHERE do all these clothes come from? Even when I attempt to do a load a day, I STILL can't keep up. There is absolutely NO reprieve here!
I also bundled up the kids and let them play out in the snow yesterday. They had a ball. Until Keith accidentally got hit in the face with a snowball (um...by ME). We all tried to be careful after that, but it's not easy for a seven and (almost) five-year old to control their aim--especially when the snow was just powder--and then the seven-year old realizes just how much the five-year old hates it! Izzy had a lot of fun picking up snow and throwing it at me. "I got you!" she'd say. What fun.
But, oh, I was completely achy and exhausted last night. I tried going to bed early, but I still couldn't sleep. Then the alarm didn't go off this morning. Then the mini-van wouldn't start (probably from sitting in the cold garage all weekend?). So then I was late for work--um....more than usual.
Yeah, I'm beat.
When not painting, I was tackling the non-stop laundry. Seriously, WHERE do all these clothes come from? Even when I attempt to do a load a day, I STILL can't keep up. There is absolutely NO reprieve here!
I also bundled up the kids and let them play out in the snow yesterday. They had a ball. Until Keith accidentally got hit in the face with a snowball (um...by ME). We all tried to be careful after that, but it's not easy for a seven and (almost) five-year old to control their aim--especially when the snow was just powder--and then the seven-year old realizes just how much the five-year old hates it! Izzy had a lot of fun picking up snow and throwing it at me. "I got you!" she'd say. What fun.
But, oh, I was completely achy and exhausted last night. I tried going to bed early, but I still couldn't sleep. Then the alarm didn't go off this morning. Then the mini-van wouldn't start (probably from sitting in the cold garage all weekend?). So then I was late for work--um....more than usual.
Yeah, I'm beat.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Rooms and Contracts
I actually got another coat of paint up in Keith's room on Saturday. I'll have to do a third though, because you can still see a little pink showing through here and there. John has to do the top 1/4 of the room, which is being painted a different color. Anyone who knows me knows I should NOT attempt painting while standing on a ladder. While it would be amusing for most bystanders--or maybe America's Funniest Home Videos--I'm in no mood to go out with a back injury just now. So, here's hoping we get more done this weekend and maybe get the kid his bedroom by his the time he's five--um, in four weeks.
Sunday we were feeling a bit boxed in, so we took the kids to the science museum. John and I get bored with it when they haven't changed exhibits and planetarium shows in a while, but the kids still have a blast there. That wore us all out so much, we ALL took a nap. No Sunday painting, sorry.
It's snowed every day this week with more coming. I'm not minding it since it's just been steady and nothing major. Three years ago we had over 100 inches of snow in just January alone. I'd HAD IT with snow by this point that year!
I'm in a union here at work, and we're going through contract negotiations right now. As always, it gets pretty ugly in the early stages. Right now we've got one department that's probably getting shut down (really not new news since our company is building a new customer service center in Florida right now), and the company is even talking about taking away the work MY department does. They are claiming no lay-offs, but I'm not sure what my department will DO if they take away those responsibilities--unless of course the company REALLY means that they are going to make our jobs non-union and force us to go management. THAT would be interesting. I'm trying not to worry or speculate too much yet since many proposals get dropped or changed or "forgotten" before the actual contract gets signed. Anyway, there may be big changes coming my way by the spring. We'll see....
Sunday we were feeling a bit boxed in, so we took the kids to the science museum. John and I get bored with it when they haven't changed exhibits and planetarium shows in a while, but the kids still have a blast there. That wore us all out so much, we ALL took a nap. No Sunday painting, sorry.
It's snowed every day this week with more coming. I'm not minding it since it's just been steady and nothing major. Three years ago we had over 100 inches of snow in just January alone. I'd HAD IT with snow by this point that year!
I'm in a union here at work, and we're going through contract negotiations right now. As always, it gets pretty ugly in the early stages. Right now we've got one department that's probably getting shut down (really not new news since our company is building a new customer service center in Florida right now), and the company is even talking about taking away the work MY department does. They are claiming no lay-offs, but I'm not sure what my department will DO if they take away those responsibilities--unless of course the company REALLY means that they are going to make our jobs non-union and force us to go management. THAT would be interesting. I'm trying not to worry or speculate too much yet since many proposals get dropped or changed or "forgotten" before the actual contract gets signed. Anyway, there may be big changes coming my way by the spring. We'll see....
Friday, January 19, 2007
Playing Catch-up
It's been a very busy week in the Q household, so I've been slackin' on the blog lately (not so much as OTHERS, though!). Here's what's been goin' on.
Let's see, I had Monday off work for the MLK Holiday (which meant I had to put in a couple of hours OT on Sunday), and since Mary was also off school, I kept all three kids home with me. I'm glad I did. The weather was so crappy, I didn't want to go anywhere. So I decided to take advantage of nap-time and actually take a crack at painting Keith's room--which hasn't been touched since October. Between all the fall yard work, not quite liking the initial design, and just general laziness, we just haven't even walked in there (except to hide a x-mas gift) for a while. I only got one coat of paint done (hey, there's only so much you can do when you're limited to a 2 hour sleep session), but at least SOMETHING has been done in there. Maybe over the Sat/Sun naps I can manage to squeeze in a little more painting this weekend. Not holding my breath.
Tuesday night Mary had her first violin concert. Of course, we couldn't HEAR her since there were 20 OTHER first and second-graders playing simultaneously, but she seemed to do pretty well from what we could see. Izzy spent the whole concert (which lasted less than an hour, thankfully) fidgeting, chatting, and flirting with the people sitting behind us. I was quite frazzled trying to keep her "contained." Methinks next time we'll attempt to find a baby sitter.
I got some bad news this week from my kin in Oklahoma City which makes me reflect on my life and how different it could have been if my parents had stayed there. Or maybe my parents were good parents after all (no way!). Well, I'm pretty thankful that they must have done SOMETHING right, and my brother and I turned out pretty well. You go, Folks! ;-)
Notice to all: I went ahead and "penciled in" June 21 & 22 as vacation days for Geekfest. If I have to take the kid out of school for her last day: so be it. She's only in first grade. These are the years I can still get away with it! If we don't go that weekend, that's fine--I thought I'd just go ahead and mark it just in case.
MR would be jealous of our snowfall. Still not Rochester norms, but at least we can use the snow thrower if we want to. John's been working a lot of late hours this week, so he hasn't used it yet--but the option is there! Maybe he'll catch up this weekend.
Let's see, I had Monday off work for the MLK Holiday (which meant I had to put in a couple of hours OT on Sunday), and since Mary was also off school, I kept all three kids home with me. I'm glad I did. The weather was so crappy, I didn't want to go anywhere. So I decided to take advantage of nap-time and actually take a crack at painting Keith's room--which hasn't been touched since October. Between all the fall yard work, not quite liking the initial design, and just general laziness, we just haven't even walked in there (except to hide a x-mas gift) for a while. I only got one coat of paint done (hey, there's only so much you can do when you're limited to a 2 hour sleep session), but at least SOMETHING has been done in there. Maybe over the Sat/Sun naps I can manage to squeeze in a little more painting this weekend. Not holding my breath.
Tuesday night Mary had her first violin concert. Of course, we couldn't HEAR her since there were 20 OTHER first and second-graders playing simultaneously, but she seemed to do pretty well from what we could see. Izzy spent the whole concert (which lasted less than an hour, thankfully) fidgeting, chatting, and flirting with the people sitting behind us. I was quite frazzled trying to keep her "contained." Methinks next time we'll attempt to find a baby sitter.
I got some bad news this week from my kin in Oklahoma City which makes me reflect on my life and how different it could have been if my parents had stayed there. Or maybe my parents were good parents after all (no way!). Well, I'm pretty thankful that they must have done SOMETHING right, and my brother and I turned out pretty well. You go, Folks! ;-)
Notice to all: I went ahead and "penciled in" June 21 & 22 as vacation days for Geekfest. If I have to take the kid out of school for her last day: so be it. She's only in first grade. These are the years I can still get away with it! If we don't go that weekend, that's fine--I thought I'd just go ahead and mark it just in case.
MR would be jealous of our snowfall. Still not Rochester norms, but at least we can use the snow thrower if we want to. John's been working a lot of late hours this week, so he hasn't used it yet--but the option is there! Maybe he'll catch up this weekend.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Back to Business
The Girl Scouts have finally gotten it together and scraped together a troop for Mary and me. And what a troop! Basically, they're putting all the "leftovers" from our school district into this one troop. (I guess most of the troops around here were just too full for newbies.) So far it looks as if I'll have girls from three or four different elementary schools--and they range in age from kindergarten to third grade! Thank goodness another mother volunteered to be the co-leader right away. There is no way I could have handled that kind of hodge-podge troop on my own. But with only five months left in the school year, I'm hoping it won't be so bad. How weird that I will have to teach all the fundamentals to one half of the room while at the same time get the other half ready to bridge to the next level! Well, THIS will be interesting!
Monday, January 08, 2007
More barfing flu sitings
Mary's teacher and HER daughter had the barfing flu last week. Not even a six degrees of separation going on here, folks. Soon we will all be DOOMED.
DOOMED, I SAY!!! DOOMED!!!!
Ugh, is that why I don't feel well today?
Took having three kids for me to become a hypochondriac.
DOOMED, I SAY!!! DOOMED!!!!
Ugh, is that why I don't feel well today?
Took having three kids for me to become a hypochondriac.
Going on a Treasure Hunt
We are supposed to register Keith for kindergarten this week (already?!). One problem: can't find his birth certificate. Actually, I can't find ANYONE's as they are all kept together in a pink manilla folder along with the kids' social security cards and our marriage certificate. I KNOW I had the darn thing last July--in fact the week we moved--'cause that was when I had to pull out Mary's birth certificate to register HER at her new school. The folder was not in all the obvious places, so this weekend I determined I had to begin the search.
I probably spent two hours Sunday looking for that darn pink folder. I started by going through all the "computer desk" boxes that are still piled up around John's computer desk. That would be the obvious place for it, since that's basically where we keep the darn thing when we're actually unpacked and organized. Then I started on the piles of boxes in the basement--just in case the folder got set in one when they were all sitting in our den and then got moved down there.
This is what I found:
1. My elusive address book (yay!)
2. Keith's most-missed Spongebob slippers
3. AAA batteries (needed for Mary's mermaid toy she got for X-mas)
4. A dead mouse (poor thing probably hadn't been there too long....)
5. The baby books
6. Our photo albums and miscellaneous to-be-hung-up pictures
What I did NOT find:
1. The @#$% pink folder with all our important stuff
I finally told John "I give up. You can search later." I figured I would just register Keith without the birth certificate and take it over later when/if we found it (or had to order another copy from City Hall).
Later, after the kids had gone to bed and I'm folding laundry upstairs (the never-ending cycle), John comes up and throws a big pink folder in my lap. "Took me five minutes!" he claims triumphantly. Where the freak was it???? In the stupid "computer desk" boxes piled around his desk--in the VERY FIRST ONE he looked at. WHY didn't *I* find it?? No clue. I SWEAR I looked in every single one of those boxes (and multiple times over the last week and half since I've known I needed it).
*sigh* Must be the sinus headache that I've had for the last MONTH.
I give up.
I probably spent two hours Sunday looking for that darn pink folder. I started by going through all the "computer desk" boxes that are still piled up around John's computer desk. That would be the obvious place for it, since that's basically where we keep the darn thing when we're actually unpacked and organized. Then I started on the piles of boxes in the basement--just in case the folder got set in one when they were all sitting in our den and then got moved down there.
This is what I found:
1. My elusive address book (yay!)
2. Keith's most-missed Spongebob slippers
3. AAA batteries (needed for Mary's mermaid toy she got for X-mas)
4. A dead mouse (poor thing probably hadn't been there too long....)
5. The baby books
6. Our photo albums and miscellaneous to-be-hung-up pictures
What I did NOT find:
1. The @#$% pink folder with all our important stuff
I finally told John "I give up. You can search later." I figured I would just register Keith without the birth certificate and take it over later when/if we found it (or had to order another copy from City Hall).
Later, after the kids had gone to bed and I'm folding laundry upstairs (the never-ending cycle), John comes up and throws a big pink folder in my lap. "Took me five minutes!" he claims triumphantly. Where the freak was it???? In the stupid "computer desk" boxes piled around his desk--in the VERY FIRST ONE he looked at. WHY didn't *I* find it?? No clue. I SWEAR I looked in every single one of those boxes (and multiple times over the last week and half since I've known I needed it).
*sigh* Must be the sinus headache that I've had for the last MONTH.
I give up.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Borg Germs
Resistance is Futile.
Izzy didn't take to her antibiotics. She was fine in the morning, but every evening, she would just crash and become feverish, clingy, and just plain miserable. We got her in to the doc Saturday morning, and sure enough--her ears hadn't cleared up AT ALL. The borg germs had assimilated the antibiotics and taken over. The doc gave her a prescription for a much stronger drug. After her first dose, she was immediately 100% better. Poor kid.
Our New Year's was spent playing Mario Kart and Guitar Hero with Mary and Keith. We watched the ball drop, then everyone went to bed. Not as exciting as New Years' past but still pretty fun.
John and I are now officially off the quasi-vegetarian diet--at least for another year. Frankly, I don't think we will eat much meat this year, either, but we're keeping the option open. We jumped the gun a day and used our Outback giftcard we got from John's Dad on New Year's Eve day. John ordered a steak. Remembering the LAST time we did this, and how my body did not take to the switch from no-meat to meat too well, I was more cautious and ordered the tilapia (most excellent).
So far my only "resolutions" are to start mall-walking again (did it for almost a year straight before my walking buddy stopped, and then I started to lose interest), and to continue to work on my patience/temper with my kids (the short patience always leading to the sharp temper).
Side note: another co-worker has fallen victim to the barfing flu today. Not good.
At least my cold is waning.
Izzy didn't take to her antibiotics. She was fine in the morning, but every evening, she would just crash and become feverish, clingy, and just plain miserable. We got her in to the doc Saturday morning, and sure enough--her ears hadn't cleared up AT ALL. The borg germs had assimilated the antibiotics and taken over. The doc gave her a prescription for a much stronger drug. After her first dose, she was immediately 100% better. Poor kid.
Our New Year's was spent playing Mario Kart and Guitar Hero with Mary and Keith. We watched the ball drop, then everyone went to bed. Not as exciting as New Years' past but still pretty fun.
John and I are now officially off the quasi-vegetarian diet--at least for another year. Frankly, I don't think we will eat much meat this year, either, but we're keeping the option open. We jumped the gun a day and used our Outback giftcard we got from John's Dad on New Year's Eve day. John ordered a steak. Remembering the LAST time we did this, and how my body did not take to the switch from no-meat to meat too well, I was more cautious and ordered the tilapia (most excellent).
So far my only "resolutions" are to start mall-walking again (did it for almost a year straight before my walking buddy stopped, and then I started to lose interest), and to continue to work on my patience/temper with my kids (the short patience always leading to the sharp temper).
Side note: another co-worker has fallen victim to the barfing flu today. Not good.
At least my cold is waning.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Is the suspense killing you?
Just in case you were wondering about my poor kids and their recent winter wonderland minivan sleigh ride, the dealer was able to fix our window yesterday. The window regulator bolt fell. Whatever--as long as you fixed it.
Izzy was still pretty miserable last night, despite the antibiotics. Mary woke up this morning with a nasty cough. I'm waiting to see how much of that was "forced." Keith seemed right as rain this morning.
And then a co-worker came down with the stomach bug yesterday (poor thing was puking right at her desk). And her sister. And then there was an article in the paper about this bug making its way through Rochester.
Anyone want to place bets on how long until we catch it? Not all the hand-washing in the world will help us now. We are soooo doomed.
Izzy was still pretty miserable last night, despite the antibiotics. Mary woke up this morning with a nasty cough. I'm waiting to see how much of that was "forced." Keith seemed right as rain this morning.
And then a co-worker came down with the stomach bug yesterday (poor thing was puking right at her desk). And her sister. And then there was an article in the paper about this bug making its way through Rochester.
Anyone want to place bets on how long until we catch it? Not all the hand-washing in the world will help us now. We are soooo doomed.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Even Better
The driver's side window in the minivan got stuck DOWN last night. Then the plastic John put up didn't stay up. The kids and I had to drive 25 minutes this morning in the FREEZING, WINDY COLD.
That little trip will probably give the already sick ones pneumonia.
And I'm catching a cold.
Lovely.
That little trip will probably give the already sick ones pneumonia.
And I'm catching a cold.
Lovely.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
I give up (Christmas in OUR home)
Forget it. John and I shouldn't even attempt to celebrate the holidays, 'cause it just hasn't worked out for our poor kids lately!
Let's start by telling you about way last Tuesday. The school called (and hour and a half before school let out) and asked me to pick up Mary because she had a stomach ache. No other symptoms, no fever, "but she just LOOKS miserable". Well, I couldn't get out right away, so the kid had to sit in the nurse's office until the end of school. I knew what was wrong the second I walked in the door: NOTHING! She bamboozled the nurse! Actually, to give the kid credit, she probably DID have a tummy ache. Come to find out that she had snuck some poptarts into her bedroom and had a feast of 3 and a half of them! (Yikes! I can barely eat ONE of those suckers, they're so super sweet!) But the kid didn't look ANY kind of sick. I know I know my kid better than the nurse, but come ON. Anyway, I was most displeased, but I bit my tongue. But if the nurse calls me again, and that kid isn't vomiting or feverish, I'm going to tell the nurse to stick that kid RIGHT BACK IN CLASS!
Fast forward to Thursday. Mary wakes me up at 5:00AM and complains her eyes are "blurry." Well, it's 5AM, kid, mine are blurry, too! No, I'm NOT a sympathetic parent at 5AM! I sent her back to bed. A more reasonable hour later, she gets up, and I see that her eyes are indeed RED. Hmmmm...is that because she has pink eye or because she's been rubbing her "blurry" eyes for the last hour? Told John to keep an eye on her and went to work.
Mary's eyes seemed to improve a little, and they weren't hurting or itching or anything, so John took her to violin lessons and school and went to work. I was "on call" all day figuring I'd get the call to get my pink-eyed kid any minute. No phone call. When I picked her up from day care I saw that her eyes were indeed quite pink again. So, she went through a whole day at school AND at her after-school provider's house and NO ONE saw the pink eyes? (Maybe she should have complained of an upset stomach!) So, revision: the nurse can call if the kid is vomiting, feverish, OR has pink eyes.
So for the second year in a row, Mary missed out on celebrating her birthday at school due to illness. Last year she had a stomach bug (that proceeded to go through the whole family Christmas week--bleh!). We took her to the doctor as we thought we had to do to get her diagnosed and on meds. The doc told us that next time Mary (or Keith, even) gets what is obviously pink eye, to just call her, and she would give us a prescription for the eye drops over the phone. I guess Mary and Keith are old enough to tell us/the doc if their ears/throat hurt. If not, the doc has no problems just sending along a prescription without seeing her. Gee, and I thought NO DOCTOR on Earth would do that! So, if we'd called her when we first suspected the pink eye, we could have gotten a script and sent her back to school on Friday, where she could have enjoyed her rice krispie treats with her classmates AND the Polar Express movie they were supposed to watch that day! *sigh*
John and I both had Friday off, so after the doctor's and pharmacy visit, we took our freakish-looking kid to see Charlotte's Web. Cute.
Saturday: I had to come in to work for a little bit to get in payroll (I so hate my job during the holidays). I brought Mary since she had soccer in this part of town at 12:00. She starts complaining of an ear ache. Keith had complained that morning, too. Great. Now I seem to have an epidemic on my hands. I remind Mary that if her ear honestly hurts that badly(and I KNOW ear infections hurt horribly), then she will have to miss soccer, and we won't get to take her to get her ears pierced for her birthday as promised. So does it REALLY hurt? Within five minutes, her tune has changed, and she's all ready to go to soccer.
Saturday night we took Mary to the mall for her birthday. Newly pierced ears and an outfit for her Build-a-Bear. She's a most happy 7-year old--and no more complaints at all of an ear ache.
Sunday I realize that neither Izzy nor Keith are acting quite right. Yup. Both have a fever. Keith's is pretty mild, but Izzy's is at 102-103. On Christmas Eve? Lovely! But at least it's not pink eye or the stomach bug (Oh good grief, I'll take pink eyes and fevers over that stomach bug ANY DAY).
Christmas morning. Keith wakes up with a pink left eye! Most of the day Christmas, both Keith and Izzy are not quite with it. Izzy had a feel-good spell of several hours, so I got brave and stopped giving her meds (Keith's fever was so mild--99--I wasn't giving him any). She did pretty well until naptime when the fever came back with a vengeance--102 again. Now, I'm not going to call some on-call doctor on Christmas day about fevers and pink eye (especially when Lord only knows where the closest OPEN pharmacy is, anyway!), so we let it go until today.
Today I had to work, and since both our day care providers were closed, John got to spend the day home with the kids. He took them in to the doctor even though their fevers really hadn't come back yet. Keith has pink eye (duh) and an ear infection in one ear. Izzy has an ear infection in BOTH ears. *sigh* Good thing he took them in.
So, that was our Christmas. Fevers and Pink Eyes. I say again: at least it wasn't the stomach bug!
Besides all the medical drama, it was quite a nice Christmas. I want to thank you all for the gifts and for the contributions for the swingset. John found one a Home Depot that he kind of liked and is on sale, but we're going to keep looking over the next few days/weeks. It's not going up until the spring, anyway, so we've got plenty of time to pick one we really like (and maybe isn't too much of a bear to put together?).
Favorite gifts so far:
Izzy--baby doll and stroller
Keith--Spongebob Leapster game
Mary--Littlest Petshop pets
Me and John--Guitar Hero--IT ROCKS!!!!
Let's start by telling you about way last Tuesday. The school called (and hour and a half before school let out) and asked me to pick up Mary because she had a stomach ache. No other symptoms, no fever, "but she just LOOKS miserable". Well, I couldn't get out right away, so the kid had to sit in the nurse's office until the end of school. I knew what was wrong the second I walked in the door: NOTHING! She bamboozled the nurse! Actually, to give the kid credit, she probably DID have a tummy ache. Come to find out that she had snuck some poptarts into her bedroom and had a feast of 3 and a half of them! (Yikes! I can barely eat ONE of those suckers, they're so super sweet!) But the kid didn't look ANY kind of sick. I know I know my kid better than the nurse, but come ON. Anyway, I was most displeased, but I bit my tongue. But if the nurse calls me again, and that kid isn't vomiting or feverish, I'm going to tell the nurse to stick that kid RIGHT BACK IN CLASS!
Fast forward to Thursday. Mary wakes me up at 5:00AM and complains her eyes are "blurry." Well, it's 5AM, kid, mine are blurry, too! No, I'm NOT a sympathetic parent at 5AM! I sent her back to bed. A more reasonable hour later, she gets up, and I see that her eyes are indeed RED. Hmmmm...is that because she has pink eye or because she's been rubbing her "blurry" eyes for the last hour? Told John to keep an eye on her and went to work.
Mary's eyes seemed to improve a little, and they weren't hurting or itching or anything, so John took her to violin lessons and school and went to work. I was "on call" all day figuring I'd get the call to get my pink-eyed kid any minute. No phone call. When I picked her up from day care I saw that her eyes were indeed quite pink again. So, she went through a whole day at school AND at her after-school provider's house and NO ONE saw the pink eyes? (Maybe she should have complained of an upset stomach!) So, revision: the nurse can call if the kid is vomiting, feverish, OR has pink eyes.
So for the second year in a row, Mary missed out on celebrating her birthday at school due to illness. Last year she had a stomach bug (that proceeded to go through the whole family Christmas week--bleh!). We took her to the doctor as we thought we had to do to get her diagnosed and on meds. The doc told us that next time Mary (or Keith, even) gets what is obviously pink eye, to just call her, and she would give us a prescription for the eye drops over the phone. I guess Mary and Keith are old enough to tell us/the doc if their ears/throat hurt. If not, the doc has no problems just sending along a prescription without seeing her. Gee, and I thought NO DOCTOR on Earth would do that! So, if we'd called her when we first suspected the pink eye, we could have gotten a script and sent her back to school on Friday, where she could have enjoyed her rice krispie treats with her classmates AND the Polar Express movie they were supposed to watch that day! *sigh*
John and I both had Friday off, so after the doctor's and pharmacy visit, we took our freakish-looking kid to see Charlotte's Web. Cute.
Saturday: I had to come in to work for a little bit to get in payroll (I so hate my job during the holidays). I brought Mary since she had soccer in this part of town at 12:00. She starts complaining of an ear ache. Keith had complained that morning, too. Great. Now I seem to have an epidemic on my hands. I remind Mary that if her ear honestly hurts that badly(and I KNOW ear infections hurt horribly), then she will have to miss soccer, and we won't get to take her to get her ears pierced for her birthday as promised. So does it REALLY hurt? Within five minutes, her tune has changed, and she's all ready to go to soccer.
Saturday night we took Mary to the mall for her birthday. Newly pierced ears and an outfit for her Build-a-Bear. She's a most happy 7-year old--and no more complaints at all of an ear ache.
Sunday I realize that neither Izzy nor Keith are acting quite right. Yup. Both have a fever. Keith's is pretty mild, but Izzy's is at 102-103. On Christmas Eve? Lovely! But at least it's not pink eye or the stomach bug (Oh good grief, I'll take pink eyes and fevers over that stomach bug ANY DAY).
Christmas morning. Keith wakes up with a pink left eye! Most of the day Christmas, both Keith and Izzy are not quite with it. Izzy had a feel-good spell of several hours, so I got brave and stopped giving her meds (Keith's fever was so mild--99--I wasn't giving him any). She did pretty well until naptime when the fever came back with a vengeance--102 again. Now, I'm not going to call some on-call doctor on Christmas day about fevers and pink eye (especially when Lord only knows where the closest OPEN pharmacy is, anyway!), so we let it go until today.
Today I had to work, and since both our day care providers were closed, John got to spend the day home with the kids. He took them in to the doctor even though their fevers really hadn't come back yet. Keith has pink eye (duh) and an ear infection in one ear. Izzy has an ear infection in BOTH ears. *sigh* Good thing he took them in.
So, that was our Christmas. Fevers and Pink Eyes. I say again: at least it wasn't the stomach bug!
Besides all the medical drama, it was quite a nice Christmas. I want to thank you all for the gifts and for the contributions for the swingset. John found one a Home Depot that he kind of liked and is on sale, but we're going to keep looking over the next few days/weeks. It's not going up until the spring, anyway, so we've got plenty of time to pick one we really like (and maybe isn't too much of a bear to put together?).
Favorite gifts so far:
Izzy--baby doll and stroller
Keith--Spongebob Leapster game
Mary--Littlest Petshop pets
Me and John--Guitar Hero--IT ROCKS!!!!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Have a Great Holiday!
I'm pretty sure I won't have a chance to log on until after the holiday, so I just wanted to say "Season's Greetings" to ya'all. :-)
Monday, December 18, 2006
My sincere apologies
A good number of the X-mas cards have gone out. But not all "intended" cards are going to make it this year as I still have not located my address book. (And frankly, I haven't even looked. My nights/weekends are so busy that just walking through that myriad of boxes down in the basement on my way to hurridly throw in a load of laundry so that Mary will have clean shin guards on time for her soccer practice in two hours gives me a sense of panic and urgency that I just can't bear.) So maybe next year, but for this year, I'm basing who gets cards on 1) addresses I have memorized (getting fewer year by year), 2) cards that have been sent to us this year--AND actually have return addresses on them, or 3) the return addresses from the stack of cards received last year that for some strange reason I DID find. I have two scrap pieces of paper somewhere in the house with hurriedly written addresses of family/friends that have moved within the last year. If I find those, those people will get THEIR cards, too. (Although I'm missing the now-too-small baby gift that was already packed and ready to ship for the new Shellenbach baby. Maybe I'll find it and can send it out when/if they have a second!)
Also, there are just a few of Mary's school pictures going out in said cards. We don't have enough pictures for all, and there are just no pictures of Keith and Izzy right now. Intentions were swelling; I even got Keith and Izzy's hair cut for the pictures for which they were supposed to be sitting. It just didn't happen. We're hoping to get some done post-x-mas craziness.
Speaking of the x-mas craziness: John and I split up the kids and took them shopping on Saturday so they could look for something for each other. John took the boy to Toys R Us, so I took the girls to Target. What a freakin' nightmare. The crowds, the navigation of the narrow aisles WITH the crowds, the trying to get your (almost) 7-year old to pick something for her BROTHER and NOT for herself. I still had a couple gifts to buy, but I'd had enough and got out of Dodge. Forget it. John's not getting ANYTHING this year, but the Guitar Hero thing we bought for the whole family! So sorry, honey! Buy yourself a CD at a later date! I can't take the pressure!!!!
Also, there are just a few of Mary's school pictures going out in said cards. We don't have enough pictures for all, and there are just no pictures of Keith and Izzy right now. Intentions were swelling; I even got Keith and Izzy's hair cut for the pictures for which they were supposed to be sitting. It just didn't happen. We're hoping to get some done post-x-mas craziness.
Speaking of the x-mas craziness: John and I split up the kids and took them shopping on Saturday so they could look for something for each other. John took the boy to Toys R Us, so I took the girls to Target. What a freakin' nightmare. The crowds, the navigation of the narrow aisles WITH the crowds, the trying to get your (almost) 7-year old to pick something for her BROTHER and NOT for herself. I still had a couple gifts to buy, but I'd had enough and got out of Dodge. Forget it. John's not getting ANYTHING this year, but the Guitar Hero thing we bought for the whole family! So sorry, honey! Buy yourself a CD at a later date! I can't take the pressure!!!!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
And other news....
With all the chaos after our trip, and my pc crashing, and my sudden increase in work load, I did forget to mention one thing: our littlest is now TWO! Yes, on Monday, November 20, while we were in Indianapolis actually, Izzy became officially no longer a "baby".
Thanks to the family/friends who sent gifts. I haven't been able to send thank you cards yet as I misplaced my address book in the move and heck, I don't even know where the thank you cards are, for that matter. Oops. Don't expect any X-mas cards this year either, folks!
Anyway, I finally took Izzy for her first hair cut this week. She sat like the little princess she is and didn't fuss one little bit. Well, until it was time to leave, that is, and she discovered she couldn't take the Dr. Seuss book she was "reading" with her. Darn those beauty shops wanting to keep their books and not let toddlers steal them!
Thanks to the family/friends who sent gifts. I haven't been able to send thank you cards yet as I misplaced my address book in the move and heck, I don't even know where the thank you cards are, for that matter. Oops. Don't expect any X-mas cards this year either, folks!
Anyway, I finally took Izzy for her first hair cut this week. She sat like the little princess she is and didn't fuss one little bit. Well, until it was time to leave, that is, and she discovered she couldn't take the Dr. Seuss book she was "reading" with her. Darn those beauty shops wanting to keep their books and not let toddlers steal them!
Ho, Ho, Hurl
Well, I got my pc back--but not my file. So I have to recreate a database from scratch. But I've had no time to do it since I got another project handed to me that was a bit more important. I had to call up some files from storage and make copies of stuff from 2004. It was not fun. Especially when at one point it became apparent that SOMEONE in 2004 did not do their job right (and no, it wasn't me). Made for a very stressed-out Carrie for a few days there.
Mary got her report card this week. It reminded me of employee reviews now-a-days. "You see this 5 here? We're putting it down as the highest rating--but you can't actually achieve that rating. It's just there to taunt you and give us a lame-ass reason to not give you a raise." Mary actually did really great on her report card. But seriously, if they are not going to grade at a 5 point level, why the freak is the 5 even there? It's just WRONG!
John and I braved the Super Wal-Mart this weekend and loaded up the cart with all new lights and stuff with which to decorate our new house. Then John went back and got more. The problem: how on earth do you decorate a house that faces the road side-ways? Seriously, our house is built straight back off the garage, so all you see from the road is the garage. John thinks he'll have to string up lights down the front of the house (which is the side), the garage (which is the actual front), AND the back (um...the other side) in order for it to look "just right". Hmmm....maybe this year we'll just stick the animated deer out in the lawn and call it a day!
I told John that I'm a bit confused about what to do about X-mas gifts. John and I have a standing rule: gifts are optional--NOT obligational. And this is for ALL holidays, including birthdays and especially those dumb-ass hallmark holidays. If we decide to get each other something, we usually search around for something unique that we know the other person will like. But now we've got a house and stuff we actually NEED for it. John drools down the aisles at Home Depot and Lowe's every weekend. Are we really at that place in our lives now where we're going to buy each other stuff for the house and NOT for each other? So, what the heck do I get John for X-mas? A gift card? 'Cause I haven't a clue what high-powered tool he wants. Well, YUCK. How impersonal! So what do you get John for X-mas when he already owns a comb--AND a snowblower????
Mary got her report card this week. It reminded me of employee reviews now-a-days. "You see this 5 here? We're putting it down as the highest rating--but you can't actually achieve that rating. It's just there to taunt you and give us a lame-ass reason to not give you a raise." Mary actually did really great on her report card. But seriously, if they are not going to grade at a 5 point level, why the freak is the 5 even there? It's just WRONG!
John and I braved the Super Wal-Mart this weekend and loaded up the cart with all new lights and stuff with which to decorate our new house. Then John went back and got more. The problem: how on earth do you decorate a house that faces the road side-ways? Seriously, our house is built straight back off the garage, so all you see from the road is the garage. John thinks he'll have to string up lights down the front of the house (which is the side), the garage (which is the actual front), AND the back (um...the other side) in order for it to look "just right". Hmmm....maybe this year we'll just stick the animated deer out in the lawn and call it a day!
I told John that I'm a bit confused about what to do about X-mas gifts. John and I have a standing rule: gifts are optional--NOT obligational. And this is for ALL holidays, including birthdays and especially those dumb-ass hallmark holidays. If we decide to get each other something, we usually search around for something unique that we know the other person will like. But now we've got a house and stuff we actually NEED for it. John drools down the aisles at Home Depot and Lowe's every weekend. Are we really at that place in our lives now where we're going to buy each other stuff for the house and NOT for each other? So, what the heck do I get John for X-mas? A gift card? 'Cause I haven't a clue what high-powered tool he wants. Well, YUCK. How impersonal! So what do you get John for X-mas when he already owns a comb--AND a snowblower????
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Back to reality
We're back! Although apparently some of you never realized we were gone--or just were too busy doing other things (obligatory family feasts, etc.) to pay attention. Don't worry. We're not that offended. Well, much. I think JJ and Dave were actually relieved that Friday night ended up just being a "quiet" night at home as both were exhausted from their work week and unplanned baby-sitting escapades on turkey day. Just the five exta Q's there to mess up their home.....
Anyway, I'm glad we got to see the folks we did and sad we missed the folks we missed. It's getting harder and harder to do the whirlwind Indiana tour. Here is an official apology to those we missed (specifically to the Michigan folks whom it was just impossible to fit in this go-around). Maybe next time.... And please everybody don't forget that I-90 DOES run both ways. (That's how we get HOME every time). Now we've got a house and can put you up for a visit!
I came back to work Monday morning to a blue screen on my pc. It's been downhill from there. Last week was a horrendous week for my co-workers (not sure if my presence there would have made it much better or if I just would have been yet another person "dealing with the drama"). Anyway, I've been spending the last two and a half days attempting to clean up THAT mess plus get my day-to-day work done, and I STILL don't have my pc back. And the IT guy can't find a certain folder that I have to have--and I'm the only person in the company who had access to it. Uh oh.
It's hump day. Surely the next two days will be better, right?
Anyway, I'm glad we got to see the folks we did and sad we missed the folks we missed. It's getting harder and harder to do the whirlwind Indiana tour. Here is an official apology to those we missed (specifically to the Michigan folks whom it was just impossible to fit in this go-around). Maybe next time.... And please everybody don't forget that I-90 DOES run both ways. (That's how we get HOME every time). Now we've got a house and can put you up for a visit!
I came back to work Monday morning to a blue screen on my pc. It's been downhill from there. Last week was a horrendous week for my co-workers (not sure if my presence there would have made it much better or if I just would have been yet another person "dealing with the drama"). Anyway, I've been spending the last two and a half days attempting to clean up THAT mess plus get my day-to-day work done, and I STILL don't have my pc back. And the IT guy can't find a certain folder that I have to have--and I'm the only person in the company who had access to it. Uh oh.
It's hump day. Surely the next two days will be better, right?
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
You say it's your birthday?
Well, it's my birthday, too, YEAH!
Other folks who share a birthday with me:
-my step-mother
-an old friend from high school with whom I've sadly lost contact (HB, Michelle, wherever you are!)
-a co-worker (Lisa, you can share my cake with me)
-Petula Clark (Finian's Rainbow; Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
-Edward Asner (wow--miscellaneous)
And please note it is also America Recycles Day AND National Teddy Bear Day.
I'm still waiting for my honorary trash and teddy bear gifts to appear in the mail from you all.
And onto a different subject: YES, the rumor is true, and I'm pregnant. OH, GOD, NO!!!! NO! NO! NO! BITE YOUR TONGUE, DAVE!! But, yes, we ARE coming to Indiana next week. Problem is that we can't figure out where and when yet. And no clue with whom we're spending Thanksgiving day. We have four cities to visit and scattered viewing availability for our relatives/friends. (Reminds me why we haven't done this in a year.)
So, the tentative plan is: Indy, Monticello, Fort Wayne, Three Rivers.
Wait, no, no: Fort Wayne, Indy, Monticello, Three Rivers, Fort Wayne again.
Wait, NO, that won't work, either: Three Rivers, Fort Wayne, Monticello, Indy?
NO: bun, bun, patty, ketchup, SHOE.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!
*sigh* Screw it. We're staying here and ordering Chinese.
Other folks who share a birthday with me:
-my step-mother
-an old friend from high school with whom I've sadly lost contact (HB, Michelle, wherever you are!)
-a co-worker (Lisa, you can share my cake with me)
-Petula Clark (Finian's Rainbow; Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
-Edward Asner (wow--miscellaneous)
And please note it is also America Recycles Day AND National Teddy Bear Day.
I'm still waiting for my honorary trash and teddy bear gifts to appear in the mail from you all.
And onto a different subject: YES, the rumor is true, and I'm pregnant. OH, GOD, NO!!!! NO! NO! NO! BITE YOUR TONGUE, DAVE!! But, yes, we ARE coming to Indiana next week. Problem is that we can't figure out where and when yet. And no clue with whom we're spending Thanksgiving day. We have four cities to visit and scattered viewing availability for our relatives/friends. (Reminds me why we haven't done this in a year.)
So, the tentative plan is: Indy, Monticello, Fort Wayne, Three Rivers.
Wait, no, no: Fort Wayne, Indy, Monticello, Three Rivers, Fort Wayne again.
Wait, NO, that won't work, either: Three Rivers, Fort Wayne, Monticello, Indy?
NO: bun, bun, patty, ketchup, SHOE.
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!
*sigh* Screw it. We're staying here and ordering Chinese.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Flickr account
Just downloaded the whole camera onto flickr. It still needs to be organized, but hey, at least the pics are out there.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47576375@N00/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47576375@N00/
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