Monthly Archives: May 2011

Glamor-not!

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What are three words that describe being a mommy you ask?

Glamor, glamor, glamor.

Let me share with you a rather glamorous night at our house.

The day started rather uneventfully, just a typically school day. Everyone came home from school, had a snack, started homework, and played.

For snack, Andrew had fruit and fruit juice. He had been complaining of stomach pains due to constipation for about two days so he was on an all fruit and fiber diet. Caroline, on the other hand, had the opposite problem. She was on antibiotics for an ear infection so she had the runs.

Remember, all glamor at our house.

We met Derek at lacrosse practice where he handed me a jar of milk of magnesium.  Andrew, Caroline, and I headed home to start dinner. Grilled cheese, tomato soup, and pickles were on the menu. Fruit and yogurt for Andrew.

Once we got home, I encouraged Andrew as he drank small amount of the medicine. Every few minutes he would take a tiny sip followed quickly by some fruit juice. About thirty minutes later he really started complaining about stomach pains. I encouraged him to sit on the toilet and just “try and go.” Sitting on the bathroom floor holding his hand, I made pushing faces and sounds with him. Well, a few minutes of this, and he became hysterical. Any time he felt some pain, he would have this look of terror on his face and start screaming. I felt like an FBI negotiator trying to talk him down – “Andrew, you can do this. It’s going to hurt for a moment but you will feel much better once you go.”

After several unsuccessful tries, Andrew determined he needed to play with some Legos and wait. I changed Caroline’s runny diaper and decided to call the pediatrician’s after hours service. Maybe they would have an idea. I felt so bad for the little guy since he was in such pain. The after hours service picked up quickly but I only got a receptionist. I left  information giving the reason for the call and waited for a nurse to call back.

In the meantime, I managed to start the tomato soup and started putting together the grilled cheese sandwiches. I got out some plates, started filling cups with water, and managed to start unloading the dishwasher.

As I was putting silverware away, I was startled by Andrew. Running and screaming he made a beeline for the bathroom. I quickly followed but was met by a closed door. I heard a load scream and then nothing for about 3 seconds. All of a sudden there was yelling and singing, “I went poopy! Yeah! I did it!” I, in turn, started dancing and singing, “He went poopy! Yeah!” Once I was allowed in, the relief on Andrew’s face was clear.

For me the relief only lasted a minute when I turned around and realized Caroline had pulled down her pants and was pulling at the tabs of her diaper. Thankfully she only undid one side before I got to her. Of course, she was messy again so I went to change her.

The phone started ringing just as I finished changing Caroline so I ran to get it. The nurse was calling back to find out about our problem. I quickly explained that the situation had been resolved and we were doing the “poopy dance.” Strangely enough, the nurse seemed quite familiar with the “poopy dance” and didn’t need much of an explanation.

Feelings of happiness and joy were plentiful until I noticed a funny smell. I ran to the kitchen where I discovered the tomato soup had burned.

I quickly grabbed another pot, another can of soup, and remade it.  Thankfully, this time I didn’t burn it. I did burn one of the grilled cheese sandwiches but I’m sure that’s the way Derek likes them anyway.

Much later that night, I was awakened by Alex.

“Mom, I threw up.”

Sitting up in bed, “Are you okay? Is it all over you?”

“No, it’s not on me.”

“Good. Let’s get you some water.”

“I made sure to throw up on the ground.”

“On the new &^%$#@ carpet!!!!!!” I think to myself.

But I say, “It’s okay. We’ll clean it up.”

So… like I said…being a mom is full of glamor.

Constipation, diarrhea, and vomit…those are definitely glamorous in my book:)

Kitchen Bench

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We have a window seat in the kitchen which the kids use to sit on when they eat. The table gets pulled up close so they can eat easily. It’s practically been a year since we moved into our house so we thought we’d give them something comfier to sit on. Here’s the before picture:

Derek started by cutting two boards into the needed size. The seat is 116 inches long so two boards were necessary.
Next we bought 4 inch foam from the craft store & spray adhesive.
The craft store used an automatic knife to cut the foam so we  decided to cut our foam this way too. Great idea until we realized we didn’t have an automatic knife. Turns out stores don’t carry these unless it’s Thanksgiving. We finally found ours at Dillard’s.
Derek is cutting the foam – I would have loved a chance to try but I think he was enjoying it too much.
Next, we put the boards on top of the fabric. We used a staple gun to secure the fabric on either side. We spent plenty of time trying to get the pattern on the fabric in the center.
Once the long sides were secure, we folded and stapled the short sides.
Here’s a shot of one completed board. (I originally bought a different fabric for the project but it was about 5 inches too short –  Great measuring from a math teacher!)
Close up of the pattern: Waverly Sun N Shade Parterre Indigo – I bought outdoor fabric since it’s described as durable, and in this family, we need durable. When we finished making the boards, we used scotchguard to further protect the fabric.
The final product! I love it and more importantly, I think the kids do too.
My next goal for this area is to figure out buy some artwork for the wall.
Have you completed any home improvement projects recently?

Eastery

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Here’s a funny little nugget I never posted:

On Easter morning after our Easter egg hunt, I took the boys to church. We sat in the back row and people watched until the service began. Alex quickly located a woman wearing a sundress which tied at the shoulder. Normally, this would not grab his attention but this woman happened to be completely covered in tattoos.

“Mom, mom, there’s a lady who has lots of tattoos.”

“I see her.”

“Mom, she’s got an eagle and some other things on her back.”

“Uh-huh, she does.”

“That’s not really Eastery.”

Andrew – “It’s not Eastery. She should have bunny and egg tattoos.”

Weight a Minute…that Can’t be Right

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I like…chicken flautas, chips and queso, chocolate, ice cream, cake, pizza, … and sadly that’s what I’ve been eating for the last 10 weeks. I got extremely lackadaisical when it came to my eating. If I thought about it, I ate it. What, no veggie today? Who cares! Pizza for dinner! That’s got green peppers and onions, right? Bound to be the 6 daily servings I need.

Sadly, my carelessness and poor eating choices have gotten me into trouble. I weighed myself a few days ago at the gym and was so very disappointed to find out I weighed 12 lbs more than when I got pregnant. Two more lbs than 8 weeks ago. The initial deal I made with myself was to eat whatever for 2 weeks and give into the grief – eat, eat ,and eat. Well, 2 weeks turned into 3 weeks which turned into 4 weeks. Now that I’m on week 10 I’m ready to tackle this issue.

I have always been a physically fit person so this is not where I want to be right now. I have a few motivating factors although the biggest one is not fitting into my clothes.

So I’ve taken steps. For the past week I’ve altered my eating to be much more aware and conscious of it. Here are my rules: 1. drink more water,     2. eat bread (tortillas, sandwich bread, buns, biscuits, pretzels) only once a day,  3. exercise when I can (three times this week),     & 4. nothing to eat after dinner.

I wanted to give myself some leeway since going cold turkey on most foods would lead straight to cheating. For example, for Mother’s Day we ate at a Mexican restaurant where I ate chips and enchiladas (my only bread for the day).  The following day I ate ice cream when Andrew’s team celebrated a baseball win (I did not have dessert for 5 days leading up to this).

I’m posting this after one week and here’s my progress….

I have lost 1.9 pounds so far. While I would have liked to see a 12 pound loss (um, probably not) I’m happy with the progress.

Since I initially weighed in with my shoes on, I thought about giving myself a boost of confidence for the weigh in by only wearing my bra and underwear.  I finally nixed that idea since the scale is located in the middle of the weight room. Could be just a tad awkward for the other gym members.

Perhaps my tennis shoes really weigh 8 lbs & I haven’t dug myself quite as big of a hole as I think:)

Do you have any goals you’re working on?

Summer Dresses

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I love to wear dresses in the summer – they’re both comfy and cool. Since it has started to consistently hit the 90’s, it is officially summer in my book.
So ladies… go out & get a new dress, put on some fun sandals or wedges, & hit the town -ladies night? date night?

Here are some of my favorites
Tropical Maxi Dress – Boden

dress

 Jersey Top Dress – Boden 
Jetty Dress –
J Crew
Pintucked Tie-Front Dress- Old Navy
Empire Waist Dress – The LOFT
Macrame Detail Knit Dress – The LOFT
Tropical Jersey Beach Dress – Boden
Braided-Trim Jersey – Old Navy

 
Strappy Jersey Dress – Boden

See anything you like?

Words

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Words are powerful.

They can be arranged in so many ways. The arrangement can be helpful or hurtful.

When I told people I was pregnant with my fourth child I received many responses. I wrote down several which left a negative impression on me.

*Congratulations, I guess

*Wow, every time I see you, you are pregnant

*You do know how this keeps happening, right?

*Wow, you and your husband need to buy a tv

This baby was very much planned for, he just happened to have been conceived several months earlier than intended. But still, he was most definitely wanted. The responses shocked me but I saved them with a purpose in mind. My plan was to print them next to a picture of our new baby and say how callous people could be about such an amazing event.

Well, that wasn’t to be. But I still remember the words.

Yesterday, someone’s words stung me unintentionally.

I had my yearly appointment with my gynecologist/obgyn. As I sat naked on the examining table with only two paper cloths covering me, I found it unbelievable I could hear the heartbeat check of someone else’s baby in the next room. As clear as a muffled beat can be, I could hear it.

My doctor came in and said, “Hello…How’s the baby?”

?

?

?

I finally managed to spit out, “You mean the two year old?”

“Sure, two is still a baby.”

Then she actually opened my file. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I forgot.”

I’ve seen this woman roughly four times in the past 9 weeks. I should look somewhat familiar. At the very least, she should have opened my file before coming in.

“How’s the baby?” 3 simple yet powerful words. Words that still make my heart hurt.

Spring & Summer Wreath

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Our front door has looked rather bare the last several months so I decided to make a wreath for it.

On a recent trip to Goodwill, I found a huge bag of raffia for fifty cents – score! I bought a styrofoam ring, brought out my glue gun, and went to work.

It took a little while to wrap the entire ring but I finally got it covered. Next, I cut off all the raffia pieces which were hanging off.

At Goodwill I also found this sisal grass in a bag. Since it was fifty cents I thought it was a great deal – wrong, I will never buy this again. It’s a PAIN-IN-THE-REAR. When you pull it apart, millions of little pieces fall off. Huge mess.

I managed to get a few chunks of it to glue around the wreath.

I bought three wooden pre-painted flowers for 69 cents each and glued them onto the wreath.

Here’s the final product – I thought about adding the word “spring” to the wreath but decided this will probably be a spring/summer wreath so best to leave it blank.

Have you completed any crafty projects recently?

craftKeeping It SimpleThe Girl CreativeSumo Sweet StuffMakingBWS tips button

Just Say No

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Never say yes to your children. Whatever it may be. Just say no.

I should have followed my own advice on Monday night.

Typically Mondays are crazy nights for us. We usually have several activities going on at the same time. Because of rain on Sunday night, our field activities were cancelled leaving about an hour of playtime we typically don’t have. The boys begged to go outside and ride bikes.

I looked at my watch, calculated there would be 45 minutes of bike time, 15 minutes for dinner, and then we would be off  to Andrew’s music class.

Before going out I placed frozen meatballs on a cookie sheet and some marinara sauce in a pot. Quick and easy meatball subs for dinner was the plan.

All 3 kids rode bikes up and down our street for 30 minutes.

Caroline and I were in the garage when Alex rode in.

“Mom, I need a styrofoam ball for school tomorrow.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re making the sun and I need to bring in the ball for my group.”

“How long have you known about this?” my voice getting loud

“Just today.”

“I don’t think so. A teacher’s not going to ask you to bring in a styrofoam ball with 1 days notice.”

“My group just decided today that we were going to make the sun.”

“What’s everyone else in the group bringing?” my voice getting louder

“Lucy is bringing paint pens and Hoyt is bringing a picture of the sun.”

“Why are you bringing the styrofoam ball? When did you plan on getting this? Why didn’t you tell me about this when you first came home from school.” my voice getting even louder

“I don’t know.”

I grab the phone and call my husband. In an extremely irritated voice I say, “Your son needs a styrofoam ball for school tomorrow. Can you go by the craft store on your way home? Here talk to him. I am so annoyed.”

They discuss the situation while I calm down.

I decided to start dinner so I gathered the kids and tell them to stay in the garage. “Get off your bikes and stand here. I just need to go in and put the tray of meatballs into the oven. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay mom.” Also known as,  “We haven’t heard a thing you’ve said. Nor do we care.”

I walked into the house, into the kitchen, grabbed the tray of meatballs, and put them in the oven. I was turning around to walk back outside, when Andrew came in running, “Mom, Caroline is crying and her chin is bleeding.”

In disbelief I say, “What? How did she get hurt?”

Alex (walking in calmly while his sister can be heard screaming in the background), “I was pushing her on her bike and she turned the handle bar quickly and fell off.”

I quickly think to myself – 1. she’s not supposed to be on a bike, and 2. you are not supposed to be pushing her!

I grab Caroline and inspect her chin. There is quit a bit of blood and I can see she’s got a gash. I quickly way the pros and cons of taking her to the hospital – on one hand the hospital visit will be expensive but on the other hand I don’t think she will especially enjoy looking like a turkey when she’s older.

I grab a bag of ice, throw everyone in the car,  and call Derek. “We’re on our way to the hospital, meet us there.”

After arriving at the hospital I must retell the story of how Caroline hurt her chin probably fifteen times. Each time I try to emphasize certain parts of the story to lessen the chances that CPS will make a visit to my house – I was inside the house when she fell off her bike BUT SHE HAD A HELMET ON. I don’t know if she hit her head on the concrete BUT SHE HAD A HELMET ON.

I think I managed to evade a home visit but just barely.

Turns out Caroline only needed a band aid on her chin. I can’t wait to get the bill for that band aid.

While waiting to be discharged Derek mentions he got a styrofoam ball. With his hands, he   demonstrates it’s about the size of a baseball.

I look at Alex. Alex looks at me then turns to Derek, “But it has to be bigger. It’s supposed to be the sun.”

Now it’s Derek’s turn for his voice to get louder. “You didn’t tell me it had to be big.”

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaad, it’s for the sun. The sun is huge,” whines Alex.

So after taking a post hospital trip to the craft store for a $15 styrofoam ball, we went home, ate cereal, and put the kids to bed.

Oh, and I threw the bikes in the trash.

At least I wanted to.

100th Post

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Wow! Can you believe this is my 100th post? When I started writing back in November I thought my posts would focus mainly on my crafty endeavors. But overtime I realized I didn’t produce projects at a quick enough pace, and to my surprise, those weren’t the most satisfying posts to write. I also discovered I actually enjoyed writing about the everyday mundane occurrences in my life.  I never thought I would write about our drive through dinners , getting my haircut , or share my intimate thoughts… so I guess this blog has turned into a hogde podge of everything.

As you know, these past 6 months have been a bit of a roller coaster for me and I thank you all for going along on the journey. Thank you to everyone out there who reads everyday, once a week, or whenever you get a chance. I appreciate every comment, kind word, and suggestion.

THANK YOU!