Crawfish Boil was a HIT!

Don't let these faces fool you....




The Crawfish Boil was actually a lot of fun... Much to my surprise...
Pics of set up... This is looking back at what was right in front of my house...



Directly across the street was a water slide...



Jack tried to take a couple of pictures of me...
Nice try...



And again...



Jason got a pic of me in some kind of heated conversation with the neighbors. Notice hand on hip and knee popped out.. Hmm, I wonder what I'm talking about...



But in the end, Jason took a couple shots of me and the kids that don't insist on being held every second of the day... (I'm always happy to get pictures with them)..






The crawfish boil was fun had by all....




Except for maybe the crawfish...

To All Pregnant Women in this RIDICULOUS Texas Heat:

I've been there. It SUCKS. And I sincerely feel bad for you.

I'm sorry if you're like me and wearing polyester-blend maternity clothes. I'm sorry that your pants have a big maternity band on them where sweat just pools and makes your skin itch. I'm sorry that it has to be 96 degrees outside IN MAY and you're carrying around a little heater inside you everywhere you go. I'm sorry that swimsuit season is upon us and you're pregnant...

because that's NO FUN. :-)



Go ahead, click on it... Get a good look at the misery. Too bad I'm holding Jack's hat and glasses so that you can't fully see me in all my 150 lb glory...

This picture was taken 24 hrs before I had Caroline... my 8 1/2 lb baby. This was my niece's 5th birthday pool party. The temp was literally over 100 and pushing 110 with the heat index.

I think people invite pregnant women to a pool party just to make themselves feel better. :-)

Clearly, I had no pride then... look at the hat... showing off the belly... check out those thighs... whoa! And clearly I have no pride now... because I'm showing all of you.

Honesty.... That's what I try to be about on this blog. ;-)

Tables and Chairs are here

I'm still waiting on whatever it is that's gonna block off the street for our block party tomorrow.

When I asked the Social Chair when the rental company would come back to pick up the chairs, she said, "Tuesday. Because of the holiday."

Niiice. :-) Well, I hope Ducky Bob's doesn't mind if their stuff stays out on my driveway until Tuesday. :-)

Antidepressant Anthem

Just heard The Beatles on the radio and it reminded me again....

I experienced some postpartum depression after I had Sarah. More than baby blues. A depression that lasted a little over 6 months. I didn't know what was wrong with me.

Looking back, in less than 16 months, I had gotten married, moved, quit my job and had a baby. Which means... in less than 16 months, my name had changed, my residence had changed, my job had changed, my body had changed. Nothing about who I had been was the same. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't recognize who I saw. And when people used my new last name, it still seemed weird. And the friends that I had seen every day for the past 3 years at work were gone because I wasn't working there anymore.

I cried. A LOT. :-) I would shrink something in the laundry and cry about it. I would try to get dressed and sit in the dark closet, alone... unable to pick myself up and put my clothes on. It was out of control. I worked really hard at shoving those feelings down when I was around other people, which was exhausting.

I never spoke up about it. I just thought I was a horrible mom. And I think Jason thought that maybe this is who I really was and I had hidden it from him while we were dating or something. :-)

I was doing a Baby Boot Camp workout, trying to make myself feel better. (This was all happening right around the time that Tom Cruise spoke out against Brooke Shields for using antidepressants. Remember that? He said all you need to do is exercise to feel good. And, not that I get my advice from Mr. Cruise, but I was trying to not seek medical help and instead, just "get over it".)

Finally 6 months in, I called my doctor's office in the middle of the night and left a rambling, semi-hysterical message. And I said that I needed help. He called me back the very next day and got me in to his office. He told me it was ok and that this sort of thing happens sometimes. He prescribed me some Zoloft.

And as I was driving home from the pharmacy, prescription in hand, "HELP" by the Beatles came on the radio.

I love The Beatles and started singing along, laughing at how accurate this song was to what I was feeling... especially the second verse. I needed some help. I had changed my mind about my opinions on prescription intervention. I sang the song TO my bottle of Zoloft, like it was an ode to antidepressants. It made me laugh. The first time I had sincerely laughed in 6 mos.


HELP

Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me?

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me

:-) Funny, right? I mean.... if you think of it as an antidepressant anthem. :-)

(A few days after I started the Zoloft, I found out I was 7 or 8 weeks pregnant with Jack. I got off the meds and the chemicals in my body--and brain-- naturally evened out during the second pregnancy. I never had postpartum depression with my other kids.)

Crawfish Boil Tomorrow

Our neighborhood is having a crawfish boil tomorrow. Mmm. Seafood where sucking the head is recommended. 90+ degree heat. What's not to love?

They're shutting down my street so that they can set up tables and chairs, an inflatable water slide for the kids, and all the big pots that will be cooking all the unsuspecting crawfish. Most of the festivities will be set up right in front of our house, in fact.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't kinda annoyed at the thought of neighbors camping out on our front lawn, eating and drinking. They'll leave trash behind. I know they will. But I'll be neighborly and try to get over it. (Big of me, don't you think?) haha

Well the person heading up this bash just received news that her grandmother passed away. The funeral is the exact same time as the party. So each of us on the HOA board is stepping up to throw this shindig.

I have I-don't-know-how-many tables and chairs being delivered today. I have the barracks to block off the street being delivered today. We've decided to pay a kid $80 to deliver and cook the crawfish on site for us. So we're not going to have to mess with that. The man across the street from me has GENEROUSLY agreed to supply the water for the water slide and he's going to grill hot dogs for the kids and anyone else who doesn't like crawfish. (People like me, for instance.)

I'm also bringing a side dish and providing a cooler.

It'll be fun. I guess. It's just that I've gone from being an attender to being an organizer. And Jason doesn't like for me to be busy with things on the weekend. He needs me to be with the kids because he has yard stuff and other stuff that he needs to get done. And the weekends are his only time to do them. Plus you throw Sarah not feeling well into the mix. She won't be able to do the water slide. But Jack can. That'll cause problems... I can tell you right now. And I don't know how much setting up and running around I can do with Caroline on my hip.

So we'll see how it all unfolds. Never a dull moment.

Bump in the road

Sarah had a low fever all day today. Tonight it went to 102. Sarah was irrational again and refusing the Tylenol. I called the doctor, just to see what he thought I should do. I wasn't sure if I should force it on her and run the risk of her throwing it up. Or should I let her sleep it off? I don't know these things.

Well, we were told she was most likely dehydrated and to force her to down at least 16 oz of fluids in the next hour. Sarah is a lot like me and is not a big drinker.(What? I'm NOT a big drinker... coffee and alcohol don't count. I'm not a big drinker of things that actually hydrate me.) So forcing her to drink seemed like it would be challenging... That is, until they told me that the option was: she drinks at home or IV fluids in the ER.

I woke that sleeping child up, gave her a Gatorade, and held the threat of hospitalization over her tiny fevered head. Good parenting strategy? Maybe not, except for the fact that it worked. Her fever broke in no time. Now it's almost 10:30 and she's slept most of the afternoon away. She's just now having dinner and might not fall asleep again until close to midnight.

Oops.

but i would like to point out that she's fever free :)

Recovery Buddies

Jack is so ready for Sarah to be 100%. He's sooo bored without his buddy to play with. But he's been very sweet with her while he waits for her to recover. He crawled up next to her and got under the blanket with her to watch "Tom and Jerry" this morning.

Pics of Caroline (just because)

I'm pretty sure that's a partially eaten Cheerio on her tongue. Gross. Sorry.

Dance Recital (Rehearsal) Pics

A few weeks ago, Sarah had her dance recital. I don't have any pictures of the actual night uploaded, but here are a couple of rehearsal pics.

A couple of cooking questions...

At the risk of making myself sound incredibly stupid (of course, when have I ever cared about that?), I have a couple of questions that I need answered. Please enlighten me...

1. I get confused as to when a recipe is referring to weight or volume. Let me give you an example, and you tell me whether "weight" or "volume" is referenced.

Let's say a recipe calls for 8 oz of grated cheese.

Eight ounces = 1/2 pound. Eight ounces = 1 cup.

I find it hard to believe that 1 cup of cheese would weigh 1/2 pound. So they're either talking about a cup (volume) or they want me to add 1/2 pound of cheese... which makes no sense. OR maybe I'm supposed to get a block of cheese, cut it in 1/2 (if it's a 16 oz block) and grate it. And however much that is ( 1 cup or more) add it.

I've been told I over-think things sometimes, but curious minds want to know...


2. Dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups are not equal. True or False.

So far, so good

It was a good night last night, and after lunch, it was a good day yesterday.

Sarah ate pancakes, pudding, and ice cream. She's back to her old, happy self... for now. I've been warned that her pain will decrease steadily over the next few days and then should spike towards the end of the week. So I know we're not out of the woods yet.

She slept with me last night, and Jason slept in the guest room. I set my alarm to go off every 4 hrs so that I could keep her on a steady regimen of pain meds... (something I had not done in the hospital.) I think it helped. She woke up a lot happier today.

Jason's going to go to work today. Hopefully I'll have 3 agreeable, cooperative kids all day long... :) (And if I do, then I'm going to buy a lottery ticket because today is my unbelievably lucky day.)

Tonsils Out (Post #2)

Well, we're home.

Sarah couldn't have done any better yesterday. She was a trooper.

She watched movies...




and colored...



Then came last night.

Wow. This morning, I am tired. I am irritable. I'm glad to be home.

I stayed the night with her on that oh-so-comfortable couch. I, of course, woke up every time the nurse came into check on her, but Sarah stayed asleep.

At about 6:30, though, she was up. The nurse, Suja, came in and started messing with Sarah's IV, right as Sarah was beginning to stir. I think Sarah woke up confused. She didn't really know where she was. She didn't see me over on the couch. It was a weird way to wake up. She started to cry. Suja left. I got up and tried to comfort Sarah, who immediately started kicking and clawing at her IV. She crawled from the head of the bed to the foot of the bed, wailing. This was something that she had not done yesterday. (It may have been a side effect of one of the meds that Suja had just administered.)

I tried to get her to calm down, tell me what was wrong. I couldn't get anything out of her. She wouldn't talk to me. Just wailed. So of course, I'm thinking... she's gonna throw up. She's gonna aggravate the scab. She has to calm down.

And this was so out of nowhere. So I called Suja back in. She was NO help. She asked me what was wrong with her. I told her I didn't know. She just started doing this. So Suja grabbed pain meds in an oral syringe and had me give it to her. (Parents had to administer all oral meds. The nurses didn't do that.)

So I was fighting with her to get her calm down and swallow this medicine. Meanwhile the nurse is just looking at me. And I said, "I need help!" (I mean whatever training she has about to how to either calm down a patient or to give medication is more training than I've had. A little help here.) And so she said, "Sarah...Sarah.. calm down." Gee thanks. What a lifesaver you are.

When I finally got her to rest again and fall asleep (without the nurse's help), Suja came in and shook Sarah's leg to wake her up to ask her if she was feeling better now. This, of course, startled Sarah, which started the crying again.

Suja unwrapped the bandage around Sarah's IV and wiggled it a little and rewrapped it. Never once explained to Sarah or me why she was doing that or made an effort to reassure Sarah.

At this point, I was near tears. Sarah was crying. She was scared. The nurse was making it worse. For no good reason that I could tell. The IV wasn't even hooked up. They had just left the needle in her hand in case they had to hook her up later. So why are you jiggling it around? And if you must, please explain to the child (or at the very least-- the mother) what it is you're doing and why. You don't need my permission to do your job, but I would like to be in the loop.

For those of you who don't know, we had the procedure done at a different hospital than I am accustomed to. We were NOT at my dad's old hospital, but that's not where my contempt for our experience this morning comes from. This morning I was a mom, who has never been through something like this before. And I needed a nurse that could help me help my daughter. That's not what I got. And I finally asked the nurse to leave.

As a teacher, there are certain parents that I hate to have to work with. I'm sure the same is true of nurses. This morning, I may very well have been that parent. My goal was not to be rude to her. I was scared, tired, stressed, and I was looking at the lady in the scrubs to know what to do. And when she looked back at me, asking ME what I thought we should do, it set me off. And when, through my eyes--from my perspective, she made my job harder (by expecting me to give oral meds while my daughter is irrational and freaking out, by waking her to check on her after she had calmed down, by messing with a needle in her arm without speaking in a kind voice to her) I was frustrated.

I have TONS of respect for any and everyone in any type of medical field. They see people at their worst... sick and/or scared. This wasn't a children's hospital. She may not have had any training on how to handle a small child and manage a crazy, stressed out mom. (And I definitely needed to be managed this morning. Talked to in a certain way. Handled with care. I know that can be hard to work with.) She's probably great. But our personalities clashed, pretty majorly.

The PA came in at 8:30. He's wonderful. He was very helpful and kind. He said we could leave. I told the nurse I wanted to sign paperwork and get outta there.

We were home by 9.

Sarah is glad to be home, but she's grouchy. She doesn't feel well. She's discontent. She doesn't want to lay around anymore, but she doesn't want to color or do puzzles either. She's just unhappy.

I'm tired. Glad to have Jason home with me today to help me. Jack's jealous of the attention Sarah's getting and is acting out. Caroline is Caroline. :) Good moments mixed with fussy ones.

I know it's going to continue to get worse as the week wears on. But I'm hoping she'll start feeling a lot better next week.

Tonsils Out (Post #1)

Sarah and I have been reading the story "Going to the Hospital". It's a pop-up book that was written in the 70s. It was given to me when I was 2 yrs old and headed in to have my hands operated on. (I've kept the book nice for close to 30 yrs, and in the last month, the pop-up parts have been torn to shreds. Oh well.)

In the book, Andy has to have his tonsils out. With the exception of some of the pictures being of out-dated equipment, the book is incredibly accurate. Everything from registration to recovery. They cover the anesthesia, the sore throat afterwards, the doctors and nurses, all of it. It really was a great tool to prepare Sarah.

Last night we packed a suitcase (that we purchased at Target yesterday. I tried to steer her towards a cuter one, but she insisted on the pink and yellow one with the scene of Parisian buildings.) with movies, Pjs, and her favorite doll. She was ready to go.



You would have thought she was going to Disney World. She practically skipped out the door this morning at 6 a.m.

My dad jokingly accused me of over-selling her on the idea that surgery = lots of ice cream.

She really is super sweet. She's happy and easy-going. She did really well this morning. Even waking up from the operation, she was kind and polite. No whining or pulling at the IVs.

Post #2 coming soon..

Right now she's in her patient room (staying over night), and Jason and I are taking turns staying with her during the day. So I'm at home now with Jack and Caroline, doing a few things (like blogging) and will head back to the hospital after lunch.

Dr. Fishero

I'm SO proud of my brother. This weekend he graduated from medical school. He has wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. And he made it! Dr. Fishero at 26 yrs old. Future ENT.

I have to brag on him... He's my little brother and that's what big sisters do.

He has worked so hard, and he did so well. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He received the Aust Award for Outstanding Performance on the NBME Surgery Examination. (Which means he scored higher on that surgery exam than anyone else in his class. His name was in the program for having that distinction. Just sayin'.) Some doctors get out of medical school by the skin of their teeth. He's not that guy.

He would never tell anyone any of that. He didn't even tell us he received the honor until this week, and he got the award back in April. He's very grounded and down to earth. Full of compassion and will make a great doctor.

Thank you for letting me gush a little and brag a lot. I just love him. :)

Now having said that, let me say this...

One of the reasons that this graduation is a big deal is because neither Hilary nor I are doctors. If we were doctors, then he would be just another Fishero kid graduating from medical school. Ho hum.

So you're welcome, Brian. You're welcome for setting the bar at "average". You are great, in part, because I am mediocre. You should be forever indebted to me. (And one of the ways you can pay off that debt is with a prescription every now and then.) :) JUST KIDDING! LOVE YOU, B!!!



Note: If you're wondering if I'm sweating in every picture, yes... yes I am. San Antonio was H-O-T this weekend. But I hear Plano wasn't any cooler. Sheesh! It's only May.

Movies I was probably supposed to enjoy as a kid but didn't

1. Alice in Wonderland
It just makes no sense. I know it's supposed to make no sense, but that drives me nuts. To this day... makes me crazy. And everyone's mean to her. They won't answer any of her questions directly. And the walrus and the carpenter who eat all the oysters... that part makes me sad.

2. Pinocchio
Disturbing all the way around. Especially when the boys go to that island and turn into donkeys. They cry and cry for their mothers. I had nightmares for weeks as a kid.

3. Neverending Story
I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but there's a creepiness to that movie. Maybe it's the sci-fi nature of it. But it was too weird for me.

4. A Christmas Story
I like it now, but as a kid, I remember being afraid of the dad, feeling bad for the kid who gets his tongue stuck to the pole, and thinking the Santa at the mall was mean when he steps on Ralphie's face as he pushes him down the slide.

Movies I enjoyed as a kid... Up to a point

1. Mary Poppins
Nothing wrong with it at all. I really like it actually. I just got a little bored towards the end. The part where the lady feeds the pigeons... Man, that's a long song. When the dad goes to the bank and they turn his umbrella inside out and punch through his hat... I was bored as a child.

2. The Wizard of Oz
Enjoyed some of the songs. Scared by some of it too.

3. Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Liked it but I was conflicted about whether or not I should like it. She was a witch after all. I was a very serious child raised in a very Baptist home. :)

4. Willy Wonka
Candy factory.. Good. Cool inventions... Fun. Taking his lame grandfather instead of his hardworking mother to the factory... Irritating. The boat ride where the snake crawls across that person's face... (it's just a really quick scene but I remember it like it was yesterday...) Scary. Oompaloompas... Never was sure about them.

(As an adult though I really enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp.)

I'm sure I could think of more if I really gave myself time. But these are just off the top of my head.

What made me think of this?
Sarah rented "Alice in Wonderland" to watch while she's laying around this week.
I tried to talk her out of it... seeing as that it makes no sense!!.. but she insisted. :)

Renewed and Energized

Jason and I took Caroline to San Antonio this weekend for my brother's med school graduation (more on that later), and I am returning feeling a lot better. It is AMAZING what a difference it makes to only have one child. Wow! I had forgotten.

I only have Caroline on Tuesday/Thursday when the kids go to school, but I didn't remember how easy it is to only have Caroline AND have Jason. It was so nice. If she got fussy with me, I could hand her to him. And then I was KID-LESS. I didn't have to then turn and see what the other kids needed. We weren't outnumbered. It was a breeze. Just what I needed. Not a complete kid-free vacation, but it was a wonderful break.

And, being away, I was reminded how sweet Sarah and Jack are. They follow directions. They sit still. They're polite... most of the time. I was getting in to such a weird place where I was focusing on things that were going wrong. I had forgotten how good I have it.

Another bonus to the weekend... I spoke to them for the first time over the phone. It was sweet to hear their voices while I was away.

P.S. It's a sign that you need to get out more if you've never spoken to your preschool aged children over the phone. :)

So... I'm 100 times better than I was a few days ago.

I'm ready to tackle tomorrow morning--Sarah's tonsils are coming out!

Preschool Pictures

Sarah had a great year! Her teacher, Missy, sent home 2 CDs of pictures from the year. Can you imagine? I'm so glad she loved to take pictures because it really let me see what she did during the day.




Just a few highlights...

My dad came to eat lunch with her. I don't take for granted that my parents live so close. I'm glad they take advantage of it too.



Jason had a special Dad's Night on Valentine's.



I helped out with a couple of different parties.




Rowdy kids. Read a book. Always works. ;)



One of the biggest blessings of our year was when Molly joined the class in February. Sarah played with all the kids, but I knew that she really needed a friend that she could pal around with. Someone with her temperment. A best friend. Molly was that for Sarah these last few months.





Sarah and Molly already have play dates set up this summer. :)

Preschool was great! Thank you, Mrs. Missy! We'll miss you!

Things I want to do someday soon...

And these are all plausible. Nothing crazy.

1. Whiten my teeth. I need to have it done. My orthodontist (not to throw him under the bus) killed one of my front teeth when he was straightening my smile. As in, it was gray when my braces came off because it was bleeding on the inside. Gross, huh? I've always been insecure about it. I've had a root canal done and have to bleach it from the inside just to get it semi-white. I've considered having it capped or something, but I want my smile to look natural. So I'm just not sure about veneers.

2. Travel somewhere alone. I don't care if it's a road trip to Houston. I want to get in my car and drive. I love driving. It's so relaxing. I like choosing the music. Stopping when and if I need to. Not anyone else's schedule.

3. Rent a car. I've never rented one. You have to be 25 yrs old to rent a car, and by the time I was 25, I was married with a kid. Anytime Jason and I have gone somewhere that we needed to rent a car, he always did it. And he usually ends up driving it. Not that it's a big deal or anything. I just want to do it for myself. Rent one. Drive it. All by myself. (And I really want to drive a VW Bug. Who knows why. Just think they're cute.)

4. Go to a dermatologist. I don't have horrible skin, but I do have more breakouts than a girl at 30 should have, in my opinion. Plus it's probably time I got the skin cancer lecture. I figure who better to give it to me than a dermatologist.

.....................

I don't know... lately I've felt a little unrest stirring up. Not discontentment. Just unrest. I want to do some things by myself. (Like the traveling or the renting the car.) Some of it stems from constantly being surrounded by children who need me and hang on me and drool on me. And some of it comes from being a mom since I was 25 and being under Jason's wing, so to speak, since I was 24. Don't regret getting married relatively young at all. Don't regret relying on Jason to be able to support me. I know I have a degree in my back pocket. I know I'm viable. I know I'm smart. But I think I just want to feel like it. I want to stretch different muscles. Use different parts of my brain.

Someone please tell me you've been there before. I feel a little crazy. But every now and then, I just get that restlessness. Need a change.. if only for a weekend.

Maybe that's called a "vacation". :)

Different Parenting Styles

Marriage is all about compromise. I don't mind. I'm willing to meet Jason halfway. But, I will confess, when it comes to the kids, our different styles are sometimes hard to mesh.

I should preface all of this by saying that I think of the kids as mine. (That's wrong, I know!) I know they're ours. He's a GREAT dad. I'm not implying that he's not. What I am saying is that I quit my job to raise our kids. I've been doing this gig for almost 5 years, without another job on my plate. This is solely what I do. I have struggled and fought through every grueling moment of every rough phase while Jason was at work. I have watched every rewarding moment of every exciting phase while Jason was at work. I know these kids and their personalities like the back of my hand. Jason will admit to that.

So when differences in parenting styles arise, I (very wrongly) feel that my way should trump his. :) I don't want him to come home and make crazy rules that he won't even be around the next day to enforce. I don't want him to undo a schedule that I've worked hard to implement.

Thus the conflict.

And we don't fight over it. We discuss it after the kids go to bed. We sort of re-hash the day and talk about things the other person may have done that we disagree with. But in the moment, we try to back each other up so that the kids see a unified front.

Some things that we disagree on...

Bedtimes: I want Jack and Sarah in bed at 8:00. Jason doesn't get home until close to 7. They get super excited to see him. The winding down process then takes longer. He doesn't put them to bed until 9:00. He doesn't see a problem with that... except on the days when he's been at home with them all day. Then all of a sudden, he CAN'T WAIT to get them off to bed. It's been a long day for him and he's ready for a break. Hmmm... funny how that happens. Walk a mile in the other person's shoes and you just might understand where she's coming from.

Cartoons: Jason gets sick of Dora. He loathes "The Wonder Pets". So he's introduced the kids to Cartoon Network and Boomerang. I'm sure everyone knows that not every cartoon is kid-friendly. I've expressed to Jason that I don't want the kids watching "Kick Buttowski". Simply because I don't want the kids to tell anyone they're watching a show called "Kick Buttowski". Maybe if it were called "Kick Bottomowski", I wouldn't mind. Hearing the word "butt" come out of my kids' mouths, though, makes my skin crawl. :)

Jason has conceded on this one. He has agreed that some of them may not be appropriate for preschoolers when I told him that Jack started calling Sarah "stupid" because Dexter says it to DeeDee on "Dexter's Laboratory".

Ghost stories: The kids like to pretend to go camping. We make all kinds of tents and forts in our living room. Part of the camping experience that they enjoy is for Mommy to tell ghost stories. My scaaaary ghost story is about Dora who is skipping along the sidewalk and trips. It starts to rain, but everything's ok because her mom comes to find her. Something like that.

I walked in on Jason telling a story about a neighborhood cat that likes to eat little kids.

You should have seen Sarah's eyes. HUGE. WIDE.

I can laugh about it now, but at the time I could've killed him. All I could envision were 2 children wanting to sleep with us that night.

Kids' Clothes: We have different ideas about what matches and what fits.

Words like 'Never' and 'Always': I try to use these words sparingly. Only if I can back it up. Jason throws them around all the time and will then expect me to enforce whatever rule has just rambled out of his mouth. I know I should be more strict, and he knows that he needs to lighten up. We're works in progress.

What it all boils down to is that we both love the kids. They are well taken care of. We would do anything for them. What I'm trying to work on is that, when we disagree, it doesn't have to always be my way. I need to compromise.

Except that it's not like he has to try my way or ask for my opinion on the way he does his job at the office...

Just saying... :)

Seriously? You don't know how to do this?

Sarah:

I mentioned this on Elizabeth's blog, but Sarah has NO idea how to open car doors. None whatsoever. An interesting side effect to having a minivan with sliding doors that open at the push of a button on my key ring. She's never had to open one.

Daddy's taking her to school next year in his Yukon and so we're honestly having to practice how to open a car door. Pull the handle. Push the door open with the other hand. It's crazy.

Jack:

He can't drink from a cup. It's the most bizarre thing to watch him try to do. He laps it up like a kitten drinking from a saucer.

He can't use a spoon. Weird. He stabs pudding until the spoon is coated and then licks the spoon. It's like he's eating Fun Dip. Remember that? With the candy stick and you'd dip the stick in powder and lick the powder off. The idea of "scooping": foreign concept to him.

He doesn't hold a pencil even close to the way it should be held.

And yet when I have conversations with him, he'll talk about how a fountain reminded him of a geyser or that my shirt is aquamarine.

??

Maybe with Sarah out of the way this Fall, I can focus more on Jack and getting some of his motor skills on track.

Plus I think some of his "inability" to do things is just stubbornness. He knows that if he doesn't try very hard, someone will come along and do the work for him. So why try?

No creative juices flowing...

And yet I feel the need to blog.

Maybe it's because I have soooo much to do and no desire to do any of it.

This week is crammed... jam-packed... FULL.

Yesterday I took Sarah to do all of the necessary pre-op paperwork for her tonsillectomy on Monday. She also had to have her blood drawn... AGAIN. No tears. So I was super proud of her because, as sweet and gentle as the nurses try to be, there's just no way around the facts that: (1) it's gonna hurt, and (2) it's not as quick as a shot.

Then last night I went to my mom's house, and we had a prayer shower for my sister's baby that's due in a few weeks. It's just a really sweet time where a few friends get together and pray blessings over the baby. I've written down the things that were prayed over each of my kids, and it's amazing to watch God answer the prayers that were spoken before they were even born.

Today I went to church and spent 2 hours prepping materials for Vacation Bible School. I'm teaching with a really fun group of girls about my age. We've got Sarah's age group, so it should be a good week.

The scary thing is that I'm the music teacher for the group. I can't sing. But music for 4 yr olds is mostly about being willing to make a fool of yourself and do a bunch of goofy motions. I can do that.

Tomorrow I need to clean the house and return some clothes. I went shopping for a few things and somehow wound up spending WAY more than I meant to. (But I really did need some shorts and shirts.) However, I will be returning most of it tomorrow.

Thursday is the last day of school. Say it isn't so!! And instead of having one last day to knock some things out while the kids are in school, they have end of year parties that I will be setting up and attending the entire afternoon. If you hear a little bitterness in my tone, it's intended.

That night I have to get packed and everything clean and ready for my in-laws.

Friday morning, Jason, Caroline, and I are headed to San Antonio for my brother's graduation. I'm sure I'll have pics to post. My in-laws will stay here with Jack and Sarah. Should be a fun weekend!

We'll be back from SA on Sunday afternoon and we'll head to the hospital at about 6:00 on Monday morning for Sarah's surgery.

Whew. I guess I should start being productive and stop playing on the computer now.

Cheap Kids' Movies this summer at Cinemark

I love a good deal. So here's my FYI to any moms who are looking for something to do this summer. (Or non-moms who like to be in the theater with lots of small kids, watching old kids' movies.)

Cinemark does this thing over the summer where, for FIVE DOLLARS, you can buy tickets to 10 movies. They all start at 10:00 on Wednesday mornings... at least ours are Wednesdays. These are not new shows. It might be "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs". I think they're doing "Alvin and The Chipmunks". If you buy all 10, it's $5, or if you pay at the door, it's $1 per show.

It's a great, inexpensive, AIR CONDITIONED activity.

Cinemark does this all over the country. So check out their website and see if your local one is doing it too.

Also.... Free activities to kill time, take the suggestions or leave it...

The Poor Man's Zoo (as I like to call it): You might call it the pet store. Whatever. :) Animals in cages that you can look at for free. I call that "The Poor Man's Zoo".

You might say, "Yes but kids 2 and under are free at the REAL zoo." True. But have you ever taken a kid under 2 to the zoo??? They darn well better be free because either (A) they only last for 2 or 3 exhibits or (B) you're pointing to the elephant... saying, "Look, baby. Elephant." And they're looking who knows where. Or they're fascinated by the ant that you could have seen in your own backyard.

Splash parks/Spray parks... Find one near you. Fun, fun if your kid likes to get wet.

Safaris... Or Bass Pro Shop. You say tomato, I say tomahto. Lots of taxidermists' works on display. Stuffed mountain lions. Stuffed tigers. Air conditioned and free. If you buy disposable cameras, the kids can even take pictures of their exotic finds. White trash? Maybe. Shut up. Judge not lest ye be judged. ;)

I also shop the sales at OrientalTrading.com for art/craft supplies like rubber stamps and ink pads that the kids can play with throughout the summer.

And I think we're gonna tie dye some Tshirts this year.

If you have any suggestions of ways to kill some time for the next 3 months, send them my way...
:)

T-Ball Videos

Tis the season for T-ball. Neither Jack nor Sarah have started playing yet, but next spring, I'm all about it. I love being at the ballpark this time of year. There's just something about it that brings back childhood memories of being sprayed with Off and playing T-ball.

I have such fond memories of the game, which is ironic. Because I sucked. Bad.

Maybe I just liked it because of the people on the team. Or because of Coach David, Elizabeth's dad. :) Or maybe, in my head at the time, I was good.

Well, I watched some old videos of my T-ball days and this is what I saw...

Let me set the scene. My dad is taping from the old worn out wooden bleachers. He has one of the first models of camcorders. Huge thing. It sat up on his shoulder. The year is 1986-ish.

It was my turn to bat. I can hear my dad yelling, "Come on, Julie. You can do it." I dragged the bat behind me, like it was the heaviest thing I had ever tried to pick up. Once I got to the tee, I took a few practice swings and then *bump* hit the tee, knocked it over.

Got out of the way so the umpire could set the tee up again.

Dad: "That's alright, Julie. Just take your time, Take your time."

Second try. Swung over the ball with such force that the swing (with what was apparently a 500 lb bat) almost made me fall down.

Dad: "Doing great, baby. Lower the tee. Lower the tee. Maybe that'll help."

I lowered the tee, knocked it over a couple more times and I sat down.

The deal with T-ball... for those of you who INACCURATELY believe that it is impossible to strike out... is that if you swing over the ball 3 times, you're out. If you knock the tee over 4 times, you're out.

What are the odds of that happening?, you ask yourself. Who would be THAT uncoordinated? Hmmm...

This continued for a while... I could hear my dad on the video...

"Alright, Julie. You can do it! Come on! Woo hoo!"

Three minutes later...

"Don't worry about it, babe. You'll get 'em next time."
:)

So one day my dad said to me, "Here's what I want you to do. Step towards the 3rd baseman... because wherever you step, that's where the ball will go. And then run as fast as you can."

He was trying to buy me as much time as possible to get to first obviously. Hit it towards 3rd.

Well I did. But I didn't always run fast enough. So even when I did make contact with the ball, I was out at first.

So then my dad pulled me aside and had this gem of an idea. "When you go up there, take 2 big practice swings, like you're really gonna hit it hard." (Yeah, I'm sure the other team really believed I was about to knock it out of the park.) "But on the third swing, just tap the ball off the tee. Drop the bat, and run."

IT WORKED.

I'm not entirely sure it's ok to bunt in T-ball, but it's the only way I could get on base. The third basemen or the pitcher would have to haul butt to home plate to pick up the ball that I had barely tapped off the tee.

My dad went nuts! He was so proud of me! And I was so happy to be on base.

When I wasn't batting and was in the field, the 2 positions I played were center field (The ball very rarely made it out to centerfield in T-ball) and catcher (My responsibility was to put the ball on the tee. If it got knocked over. If the wind blew it off. Whatever. I loved it because I was super successful at that job... and I got to wear a cool mask.) The position of catcher in T-ball is so unnecessary that some teams didn't even have one.

And then at the end of every game, we lined up to high 5 the other team. You know how that goes. And we'd say, "good game, good game, good game.." all the way down the line.

Then our team would get in a circle and do one little cheer for ourselves and throw our gloves up in the air. Well, I was always afraid that, if I threw my glove up in the air, I wouldn't be able to catch it and it would hit me in the face. I wasn't coordinated, you know. So I would barely toss it...maybe 3 inches out of my hand... and catch it again, hoping that no one would notice.

Good times, good times.

Poor Coach David. He didn't have anything to work with when it came to me. But he was always so nice and never yelled at me. He must have had the patience of Job.

:)

Commercials

Sarah is a walking advertisement for all things "As Seen on TV".

About a month ago, she told me I needed one of those things so that I could do my exercises better. Hmmm... "one of those things"???? You're gonna have to be more specific.

She got down on all fours, planted her knees in the carpet and started swiveling her hips.

Ah! Now I know! The Ab Circle...



We were in the grocery store recently, and I bought some grape tomatoes. She said, "You know, Mom, we wouldn't have to buy tomatoes if we could plant them upside down."



When she couldn't find her shoes, she suggested that she could put them "in those pockets and keep them under her bed."




I told her we need to think of some calm, quiet things that she could do in bed after she gets her tonsils out. She said, "We could get the play dough that never dries out."

Moon Sand, of course...




I wonder when she'll stop memorizing commercials and start tuning them out like the rest of us.


And I'm also wondering how much time she spends watching TV. Oops.

There's nothing worse than having a sick kid...

Unless you have 3 sick kids. Someone catches something and it gets passed around. What are you gonna do?

Sarah is sick, but I'm writing it off as, "This is why your tonsils are coming out in 2 weeks, honey. You'll be fine."

Jack was sick last night. I could tell because he was very agreeable. Almost as if he didn't have the strength to argue. I asked him to do something, and he did it. RED FLAG. Something's up. Sure enough he was running a fever.

:)
Cooperation?... From Jack?... Get me the thermometer.

Then Caroline. Runny nose. Pulling at the ear. Ear infection.

Jack was tested for strep this morning. Negative.

Caroline was given a shot of Rocephin. (sp?) And a prescription to be started tomorrow.

It took us 2 hours in the doctor's office this morning. Lots of waiting. Then the strep test. Now wait 6 minutes for the results.

Then, oh, your daughter needed a shot? I didn't see that on the chart. Give us a minute.

Three minutes later she gets the shots. Then we had to wait 15 minutes to make sure she didn't have a reaction.

Meanwhile she's having a meltdown. Jack is letting me know that he's tired of being there. And I'm trying to get out of there in time to pick up Sarah from speech.

Jack: Mommy, is the doctor going to look at you?
Me: No, buddy.
Jack: Why? Are you too big to get sick?
Me: No, but this doctor doesn't give out the kind of medicine Mommy needs.

:) Happy Wednesday!

Tales from the lunchroom

I was on FB and saw an old post of Robyn's. Robyn and I used to teach together 5 years ago. She has 3 boys now and works with preschoolers. So she still has lunchroom stories to tell...

Her post was about a preschooler who brought Vienna Sausages to school and then drank the juice from the can after she ate the sausages.

LOL!!! Isn't that so disgusting??

She then reminded us that there was once a kid who brought a can of tuna to school and drank the juice from it. WHAT??

I'm dying. You can't make that stuff up!!

First of all, why? Why do parents send cans of Vienna sausages and cans of tuna to school? (Actually the better question is why are Vienna sausages even in existence. They're sooo gross!!)

But seriously, when you draw the short stick and have to be the teacher to open one of those cans, it's impossible to do so without some of that juice/water junk splashing on your fingers. And there's no amount of scrubbing that can be done to remove the smell. You have to walk around all day with your finger tips smelling like sausage juice. [insert joke here]

The things parents pack. I swear, sometimes they're just being passive aggressive towards the teacher.

My other not so favorite thing to open for my students were the syrup packets on "Breakfast for Lunch" day at school. You're a fool if you try to open them with your bare hands because I'm willing to bet that the child tried to open the packet himself first... using his teeth. You only make the mistake of grabbing a slippery, slobbery packet once. Then you learn to tell the child to hold the syrup packet while you get some scissors and snip the top.

The only problem is that then your scissors are sticky and useless and are banished to the lunchroom supply box.

A little self-diagnosis

I go through phases where I am OBSESSED with webmd.com. I love to go to the symptom checker and start plugging away all my aches and pains, just to see what malady the computer comes up with.

Have you ever done this?

You can tell the computer where you're hurting, how severe the pain is, what brings the pain on, etc. And then it it'll give you a list of possible ailments. The most likely being at the top of the list.

Well that's not the way I like to do it. I click on the one that sounds the most serious and can dang near convince myself that I am afflicted by the horrible disease.

The computer may tell me that I most likely have a muscle cramp or maybe it's a strain. It could be PMS. Or at the very bottom of the list, there's a slight chance I'm experiencing symptoms of ovarian cancer.

THAT'S IT, I tell myself. Ovarian cancer. What am I going to do? And then the pain will go away in a day or 2 and I'll think.. Oh, I guess it was just a cramp.

Ah, I love webmd. I'm sure it's a doctor's worst nightmare. All kinds of crazies diagnosing themselves. Nothing like internet access and no freakin' clue about anything that has to do with medicine to empower hypochondriacs everywhere! :)

It's been a great day...

Jason let me sleep in. He made the coffee. He fed the kids. He had cards from everyone. He has apparently coached the kids to be agreeable and cooperative today because it's "Mommy's special day." We went to the late service at church and saw lots of our friends do baby dedication. Caroline is in bed. We're about to head outside to plant a flower that Jack gave me.

Ahhh... This is what I've waited for Mother's Day to feel like... a day unlike every other.

Thanks, kids!! (and Jason)





note to self: Must hang that iron thing in the background of this picture. It's been propped up against the wall for almost a year.

Happy Mother's Day

I had this up, then took it down because I thought maybe it was too sappy. (I delete several posts after re-reading them. I'm always analyzing how a post might seem. This surprises no one I'm sure.) But I really do like this. So sap and all here it is.... I think there's truth in it.

This is an abbreviated version. For the full excerpt go here.

Perspective on Motherhood: The Invisible Woman

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

•No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
•These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
•They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
•The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.


A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."
And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Preschool Graduation

Most of our documentation is on the new video camera... and I could pull still pics from the video... (I'm sure Jason would tell me that's it's REEEAALLLY easy to do)... but I'll stick with the few shots I got with the regular camera.







She memorized the "H" Bible verse and got to say it on the microphone. She was pretty excited. :)
"Honor my father and my mother. Exodus 20:12" Good one to remember. ;)

Rambling, it's what I do best...

On classic cartoons...

My kids love Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry. I love hearing them laugh at the stupid slapstick humor of it all. But I must be getting old and/or crazy because I think they're way too violent. :) I know, I sound ridiculous. But I seriously had to tell the kids after I caught one of them TRYING TO STICK A BOBBY PIN IN AN OUTLET that just because that's funny on Tom and Jerry , it could kill you so DON'T DO IT!

(To set the record straight on other cartoon concepts... It will hurt if you hit each other with hammers. You can't just push the bump on your head back down. It's not ok to jump from windows. Don't shoot anyone in the face. And if a coyote sends you a mechanical rabbit, it's probably a homemade bomb.)


Caroline update...

In the last week she has started crawling, (she was already pulling up and cruising), soooo close to standing up by herself in the middle of the room, feeding herself (for some reason she hadn't been doing that) and... she called me "Mama". Just me. Not Jason. When she sees me or reaches for me, she says it.

She may call the nursery workers at church "Mama" too, I don't know. But I'm going to tell myself that's not true.

We also need to get more serious about babyproofing. She almost pulled a lamp on top of herself. Scared me to death!! We were crazy babyproofing freaks with Sarah and I think we've gone too far the other way now. We need to step it up so she doesn't get hurt.


Preschool graduation...

Sarah had her preschool graduation/ Mother's Day luncheon. Good times. I'm so excited that she's going to Kindergarten next year. I'll post pictures later.

I was thinking... she's leaving preschool right as Jack is entering preschool. And he'll head off to kindergarten the year that Caroline starts preschool. I'll have someone in preschool for the next 4 years. I bet I'll have all the sweet artwork and cutesie performances memorized by the time Caroline goes to school.

Poor Caroline. It'll be Mother's Day when she's in preschool, and I'll be like, "Have a great day today, sweetie. Have fun making your handprint into flowers and writing that poem for me. I promise to act surprised and like I haven't already seen it every year... for the last 4 years." J/K I'll love it!

New HD camera...

We got a new HD video camera. Our old one was still recording on VHS if you can imagine and was super grainy on an HD TV. So we upgraded. Can we afford to upgrade? No. But we have more and more performances and reasons to film than ever before so we wanted to make the investment.

The investment of technology that probably became obsolete the second we purchased it. ha!

Children's Museum

Today we went to the Fort Worth Children's Museum. So much fun!! I loaded everyone up around 10:30, hoping that Caroline would nap in the car on the way over. She did. We stopped at the Whataburger Drive-thru once we got to FW and got some lunch. From there we went to the museum parking lot and ate our lunch as a little picnic in the van. (Yet another bonus to having the Swagger Wagon. haha) The kids ate lunch sitting on the floor of the van...(one of the captain's chairs has been removed)... and watched a DVD while they ate.

When we got there it was OVERRUN with school-aged kids on field trips. "3,000 students" is what I was told. But the kids stayed with me and it was great.

There was a kid-sized grocery store...




A hospital...





A baby area...







A dinosaur exhibit, complete with a dinosaur dig...



We also built a house, played with water guns, went to the Ranchers' museum and saw the exhibit on Mexican toys.




Everyone had a great time and the kids slept the entire way home.

Totally redeemed myself from the Arboretum disaster.

Oh, and I just realized that C is wearing the exact same thing she did at the Arboretum. Oops. She owns other clothes, I swear. We just really like this dress. ;) (Thanks, Holly. You probably don't even recognize it as being one of the ones you gave her.)