It's time for the obligatory year-end post.
A few things I'm looking forward to in 2012--
Jack will start Kindergarten. Woo hoo!!! (I'm really going to try to finish this last semester with him at home with a great attitude. I know I won't get this time back.)
Sarah will start 2nd grade. My favorite grade because it's the grade I taught. :)
Caroline will start preschool. She needs to go to school. I need her to go to school. It's a good thing.
We will be a diaper-free house in 2012. For the first time since 2005.
I have friends that will be having babies. Hooray!
I will FINALLY be done with Celebrate Recovery. Good grief. I started in January of this year and won't be finished til April 2012. Such a long process at Watermark. It's been amazing, but I'm ready to not have that meeting every Monday night.
And there are other things I'm looking forward to as well.
It's gonna be a great year! I can feel it!!! :)
(I tend to like even years better than odd years. Don't ask me why. Who knows.)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Vacation, All I ever wanted. Vacation, Had to get away.
Last night I got a night off from work. A night alone. Thank you, Jason!!
This semester has been a lot of work and stress that neither of us saw coming. Of course, I'm referencing Jason's dad's cancer.
BTW: UPDATE-- Jim had an MRI done and his tumor has shrunk by 55%! It's amazing! We were told to hope for a 10% reduction. But it's decreased by more than half!! Praise the Lord!!
Jason has been gone a lot, which throws everything off. Even though I'd still argue that I do 98% of the work around here, Jason does do laundry on weekends and he watches the kids so I can go to a Zumba class or grocery shop alone. And I haven't gotten that downtime as often as I've needed it the past several months.
And, even though I know that coming home isn't exactly a restful break for him, it's also not his 9 - 5 job. So it's a different kind of work. A work that doesn't bother him as much as it can get to me. He comes home and uses a different part of his brain and different levels of energy.
I needed time away!! A vacation from work.
Jason told me to book a night at a hotel and get out.
I told no one. I didn't call a friend to hang out. I didn't tell my parents I was getting the night off. I just took a night alone.
I love being alone. Eating alone. Movies alone. I don't think of myself as anti-social, but if I need to recharge, I need to be completely alone. If I'm with Jason, then we end up talking about the kids or money or something not fun. If I'm catching up with friends, I end up talking about kids or money or something not fun. LOL. It ends up being a gripe session for me in some ways. When you're trying to escape your job for a night, the last thing you want to do is discuss your job. Ya know?
So I booked a room at aloft in Plano. They had a deal where you could get a room for $80.
I checked in at 4:00. Can I tell you that even checking in to a hotel by myself was fun? No bags for the kids. No Jason to do it for me. No friends to share a room with. I got to be by myself.
I like to handle things alone sometimes. To not be taken care of but be a little independent. Even on small things like hotel stays. I'm usually the one watching the kids while Jason's checking in. And I'm watching the kids while Jason gets our bags. My job is to watch the kids. His job is to handle everything. Which is chivalrous and I appreciate it. But Jason knows that sometimes I want to prove to myself that my brain does actually work, and the brain cells are all connected how they should be. And I can do more than watch kids. Even if it's as dumb as being the one who gets to talk to the adult behind the counter and check in to the hotel.
I felt like a grownup last night. Like someone who might travel for business. Or like my life was much more glamorous than it actually is most days. I was checking into a hotel alone. :)
(The next step is to someday rent a car by myself.)
Aloft is very cool. Very contemporary. I think that added to my pretending that I'm cooler than I am last night. :)
I watched TV and rested until just after 6:00.
Then I got up and headed to Fairview to do something else that I've never done before-- a movie at ipic Theaters.
This is the fancy theater where your chair completely reclines, and they give you a blanket and pillow. People serve you really yummy food and the drink(s) of your choice.
I started off with a drink at the bar and checked facebook and stuff while I waited to go into the theater. Then I found my seat probably 15 minutes before the show started.
My waiter's name was Chris and he was the NICEST guy ever.
Well, maybe he wasn't, but the fact that my feet were propped up and I was lying down and he brought me Pinot Grigio made him seem like the nicest guy ever. Plus the food was really good. Or maybe it's because I didn't have to cook it. And--again--it was brought to me as I was fully reclined.
I saw "Young Adult" which I enjoyed, but I probably could've seen "The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" and been equally as entertained. I was so glad to be somewhere fun and have my feet up.
The seats there are mostly in pairs, and luckily no one had the seat next to me. I think it would've been a little weird to be lounging in the dark next to someone I don't know.
I got out of the movie just before 10 and headed back to the hotel. I debated whether or not to have a drink at the hotel but decided I'd just go to bed instead. I was asleep before 11 and slept til 8 this morning. :)
And when I got up, I didn't have to jump up and make breakfast or start a pot of coffee.
Nope.
I went to the fitness center at the hotel, grabbed a bran muffin, and went back to the room to shower and pack up.
I was home a little after 10, I think, this morning, and the kids rushed to say hi to me. Shortly after I settled in, I was a customer at Sarah's hair salon. I helped make a fort. I put laundry away. I broke up a few arguments. I cleaned the kitchen counters.
And I had a good attitude doing all of it. Because I had a break from it for a good 18 hours. And I got to do what I wanted to do. And spend time in peace and quiet. And listen to my music in my car. And get in and out of the car by myself. And not consult with anyone. Or ask anyone else what they wanted to eat or watch or do.
It was HEAVENLY. And I really appreciate that Jason gave me the time off. And I appreciate that I can tell him that I'm losing my mind and he's not offended. He thought of a way to give me some relief. And he's not offended that I find solace in being away from everyone, even if that includes him. I'm very grateful that he understands that about me.
It was a great night.
This semester has been a lot of work and stress that neither of us saw coming. Of course, I'm referencing Jason's dad's cancer.
BTW: UPDATE-- Jim had an MRI done and his tumor has shrunk by 55%! It's amazing! We were told to hope for a 10% reduction. But it's decreased by more than half!! Praise the Lord!!
Jason has been gone a lot, which throws everything off. Even though I'd still argue that I do 98% of the work around here, Jason does do laundry on weekends and he watches the kids so I can go to a Zumba class or grocery shop alone. And I haven't gotten that downtime as often as I've needed it the past several months.
And, even though I know that coming home isn't exactly a restful break for him, it's also not his 9 - 5 job. So it's a different kind of work. A work that doesn't bother him as much as it can get to me. He comes home and uses a different part of his brain and different levels of energy.
I needed time away!! A vacation from work.
Jason told me to book a night at a hotel and get out.
I told no one. I didn't call a friend to hang out. I didn't tell my parents I was getting the night off. I just took a night alone.
I love being alone. Eating alone. Movies alone. I don't think of myself as anti-social, but if I need to recharge, I need to be completely alone. If I'm with Jason, then we end up talking about the kids or money or something not fun. If I'm catching up with friends, I end up talking about kids or money or something not fun. LOL. It ends up being a gripe session for me in some ways. When you're trying to escape your job for a night, the last thing you want to do is discuss your job. Ya know?
So I booked a room at aloft in Plano. They had a deal where you could get a room for $80.
I checked in at 4:00. Can I tell you that even checking in to a hotel by myself was fun? No bags for the kids. No Jason to do it for me. No friends to share a room with. I got to be by myself.
I like to handle things alone sometimes. To not be taken care of but be a little independent. Even on small things like hotel stays. I'm usually the one watching the kids while Jason's checking in. And I'm watching the kids while Jason gets our bags. My job is to watch the kids. His job is to handle everything. Which is chivalrous and I appreciate it. But Jason knows that sometimes I want to prove to myself that my brain does actually work, and the brain cells are all connected how they should be. And I can do more than watch kids. Even if it's as dumb as being the one who gets to talk to the adult behind the counter and check in to the hotel.
I felt like a grownup last night. Like someone who might travel for business. Or like my life was much more glamorous than it actually is most days. I was checking into a hotel alone. :)
(The next step is to someday rent a car by myself.)
Aloft is very cool. Very contemporary. I think that added to my pretending that I'm cooler than I am last night. :)
I watched TV and rested until just after 6:00.
Then I got up and headed to Fairview to do something else that I've never done before-- a movie at ipic Theaters.
This is the fancy theater where your chair completely reclines, and they give you a blanket and pillow. People serve you really yummy food and the drink(s) of your choice.
I started off with a drink at the bar and checked facebook and stuff while I waited to go into the theater. Then I found my seat probably 15 minutes before the show started.
My waiter's name was Chris and he was the NICEST guy ever.
Well, maybe he wasn't, but the fact that my feet were propped up and I was lying down and he brought me Pinot Grigio made him seem like the nicest guy ever. Plus the food was really good. Or maybe it's because I didn't have to cook it. And--again--it was brought to me as I was fully reclined.
I saw "Young Adult" which I enjoyed, but I probably could've seen "The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" and been equally as entertained. I was so glad to be somewhere fun and have my feet up.
The seats there are mostly in pairs, and luckily no one had the seat next to me. I think it would've been a little weird to be lounging in the dark next to someone I don't know.
I got out of the movie just before 10 and headed back to the hotel. I debated whether or not to have a drink at the hotel but decided I'd just go to bed instead. I was asleep before 11 and slept til 8 this morning. :)
And when I got up, I didn't have to jump up and make breakfast or start a pot of coffee.
Nope.
I went to the fitness center at the hotel, grabbed a bran muffin, and went back to the room to shower and pack up.
I was home a little after 10, I think, this morning, and the kids rushed to say hi to me. Shortly after I settled in, I was a customer at Sarah's hair salon. I helped make a fort. I put laundry away. I broke up a few arguments. I cleaned the kitchen counters.
And I had a good attitude doing all of it. Because I had a break from it for a good 18 hours. And I got to do what I wanted to do. And spend time in peace and quiet. And listen to my music in my car. And get in and out of the car by myself. And not consult with anyone. Or ask anyone else what they wanted to eat or watch or do.
It was HEAVENLY. And I really appreciate that Jason gave me the time off. And I appreciate that I can tell him that I'm losing my mind and he's not offended. He thought of a way to give me some relief. And he's not offended that I find solace in being away from everyone, even if that includes him. I'm very grateful that he understands that about me.
It was a great night.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saw the GI today...
And Jack is now on a clear liquid diet and drinking 64 oz juice mixed with 17 capsful of Miralax.
He'll be feeling better by tomorrow.
And we won't be going ANYWHERE today. Lol.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
At the library
Sarah's teaching Jack how to make a powerpoint.
It won't be long before she knows more than me.
My Christmas gifts
This year I got a blender AND a food processor. Apparently I have a lot of things to finely chop.
I'm pretty happy! This blender is glass and fancy.
(My last blender had a plastic cup...or whatever the main part of the blender is called. I've had it since my apartment days. It's made a few strawberry daiquiris in its day. But it quit working.)
And my food processor makes me want to make a pie crust without the hassle of using a pastry cutter. Or a pesto. Or salsa. I don't know. Things just need to be chopped.
But I will say that, given my insane fear of knives, those food processor blades FREAK ME OUT. I know I'm gonna be the moron that sticks my hand in the bowl to clean it out and forgets about the blade.
But I guess, on the upside, that's something I would only do once.
On my to do list today
First of all, thank you for enduring so much intestinal talk over the past few days. Not a fun topic. It was on my mind and I don't filter my thoughts on here very much.
Today the outdoor lights are coming down. Books are being returned to the library. Laundry is being put away. And, if I can be sneaky enough, pics of kids' old toys will be taken and posted on craigslist. ;)
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
A few thoughts as I fill out forms...
for the Pediatric GI...
1. I love filling out forms. (It's weird I know.) I always have loved it. I remember sitting in waiting rooms with mom as a middle schooler and BEGGING to get to be the one to fill out the form.
I think what I love is the way the form looks once it's filled out. All neat and tidy. Everything in little boxes. Nothing left blank. Love.
2. In addition to filling out forms, I also would practice signing my dad's name on scratch pieces of paper in waiting rooms. And at one point, I could have been a pretty doggone decent forger.
3. It's a great idea to keep past calendars. Not only is it kinda fun to look back at what you were doing 6 months ago, sometimes it's helpful to have exact dates of past surgeries, etc.
4. I get my kids confused. For example, on medical history, they wanted to know if Jack's ever had pneumonia. Sadly, I don't know. One of my kids did. Can't remember who. I know it wasn't Caroline. But was it Sarah?
5. I have no idea about Jason's family's medical history. So Jack's paternal grandparents. No clue.
Jason doesn't know much more than I do. **sigh**
I really should call my MIL and say, "Tell me everything I need to know and I'm gonna write it down and file it somewhere."
6. I have to stop and think whenever I'm filling out medical history for my kids and remember that when they ask about "Family History" and "Parents/Grandparents" that I am the parent and MY parents are the grandparents. If I don't slow down, I'm writing down stuff about my PawPaw and Grandma Fishero.
7. It is so helpful that you can go to websites now and fill out these forms in advance. Much easier than filling out the forms with kids knocking into the clipboard and asking a million questions.
1. I love filling out forms. (It's weird I know.) I always have loved it. I remember sitting in waiting rooms with mom as a middle schooler and BEGGING to get to be the one to fill out the form.
I think what I love is the way the form looks once it's filled out. All neat and tidy. Everything in little boxes. Nothing left blank. Love.
2. In addition to filling out forms, I also would practice signing my dad's name on scratch pieces of paper in waiting rooms. And at one point, I could have been a pretty doggone decent forger.
3. It's a great idea to keep past calendars. Not only is it kinda fun to look back at what you were doing 6 months ago, sometimes it's helpful to have exact dates of past surgeries, etc.
4. I get my kids confused. For example, on medical history, they wanted to know if Jack's ever had pneumonia. Sadly, I don't know. One of my kids did. Can't remember who. I know it wasn't Caroline. But was it Sarah?
5. I have no idea about Jason's family's medical history. So Jack's paternal grandparents. No clue.
Jason doesn't know much more than I do. **sigh**
I really should call my MIL and say, "Tell me everything I need to know and I'm gonna write it down and file it somewhere."
6. I have to stop and think whenever I'm filling out medical history for my kids and remember that when they ask about "Family History" and "Parents/Grandparents" that I am the parent and MY parents are the grandparents. If I don't slow down, I'm writing down stuff about my PawPaw and Grandma Fishero.
7. It is so helpful that you can go to websites now and fill out these forms in advance. Much easier than filling out the forms with kids knocking into the clipboard and asking a million questions.
Monday, December 26, 2011
And we're back
A couple of hours in the ER to be right back where we started. He needs laxatives and time. And going to a Pediatric Gastrointerologist is a good idea.
I didn't want to be the crazy mom who took her constipated kid to the ER, but that's who I was tonight.
However-- I still think I did the right thing.
Jack is always right about how he feels. If he says that he's gonna be sick, he is. If he says he hurts, he does. And the only other time I've seen him cry about how he's feeling was when his epidural wore off after surgery and he could feel his stitches inside his cast.
So I had to take him seriously when he was asking to go to the hospital. And I feel better that they verified that it's not appendicitis. Or a hernia. Or testicular torsion. Or an enlarged spleen or liver. Etc, etc. I had no idea how many things abdominal pain could be.
AND...
I just got off the phone with Jason and he's on his way back home with the girls. Apparently Meridian was sort of a bust. So he packed up everything and started heading home when he heard that Jack wasn't feeling any better.
Hopefully this will all be behind us soon and we'll have a normal day tomorrow!!
Good night!
I didn't want to be the crazy mom who took her constipated kid to the ER, but that's who I was tonight.
However-- I still think I did the right thing.
Jack is always right about how he feels. If he says that he's gonna be sick, he is. If he says he hurts, he does. And the only other time I've seen him cry about how he's feeling was when his epidural wore off after surgery and he could feel his stitches inside his cast.
So I had to take him seriously when he was asking to go to the hospital. And I feel better that they verified that it's not appendicitis. Or a hernia. Or testicular torsion. Or an enlarged spleen or liver. Etc, etc. I had no idea how many things abdominal pain could be.
AND...
I just got off the phone with Jason and he's on his way back home with the girls. Apparently Meridian was sort of a bust. So he packed up everything and started heading home when he heard that Jack wasn't feeling any better.
Hopefully this will all be behind us soon and we'll have a normal day tomorrow!!
Good night!
So Jack's going to the ER...
He woke up from his nap crying and begging to go to the hospital. Saying he feels worse than he did yesterday.
So I'm taking him in.
Yes, I may be the mom who is overreacting to gas pain and I may be really dumb. But I have to listen to him and do what I need to do.
Right?
Right.
Ok. I sure wish Jason were here. But I keep telling myself that even if he were here, one of us would be staying with the girls while the other one tended to Jack. So either way I'd be alone.
And I'll call Mom and Dad once we're there. That's a built-in support system/ blessing.
I'll let you know when I know something....
So I'm taking him in.
Yes, I may be the mom who is overreacting to gas pain and I may be really dumb. But I have to listen to him and do what I need to do.
Right?
Right.
Ok. I sure wish Jason were here. But I keep telling myself that even if he were here, one of us would be staying with the girls while the other one tended to Jack. So either way I'd be alone.
And I'll call Mom and Dad once we're there. That's a built-in support system/ blessing.
I'll let you know when I know something....
Today I'm home...
.. with a sick kid.
Jason took Caroline and Sarah to Meridian to see his family for the McGlamery Family Christmas. Jack and I are here.
He has complained for MONTHS about belly aches. But they've seemed very selective to me. His belly hurt if he didn't want to do something or go somewhere it seemed.
Then in the last 2 weeks it's been pretty regular. Almost daily. His stomach hurts.
In the last semester, he's thrown up 5 or 6 times. And those are the ONLY times he's been sick in his life.
Then yesterday-- on Christmas-- he was in the bathroom getting sick during the morning. And in bed vomiting at night. And spent a lot of the evening literally rolling around on the floor.
I didn't put this part into my Christmas post because.. well.... it just didn't seem to fit.
When he pointed to where it hurt, though, he always pointed to his bellybutton so I was pretty confident it wasn't appendicitis. We did our best to keep him comfortable and waited it out and prayed that we weren't making the wrong choice.
I always second guess myself in situations like those... Do I take him in? What if it's just gas pain and he has a low threshhold for discomfort? Maybe he can sleep it off.
I'm sure the right thing to do is to run the risk of overreacting and take him to the ER, but we didn't.
Thankfully he made it through the night just fine, and I took him to the doctor this morning. He had an abdominal xray done and we went away with 2 recommendations. 1. Laxatives, and 2. A referral to a Pediatric GI.
He's still in pain tonight and watching your baby hurt is a unique kind of torture. So I feel like I'm on the verge of tears. Especially because I understand intestinal pain. I had my first colonoscopy at 19. TMI? ;) I get how much he's hurting and I hate that I can't take it away. I'm left as the only adult here to make decisions about when/if it has gotten so bad that I need to take him to the ER.
I think I'll know if it gets that bad. I have to trust myself.
He's in bed now...
It's puzzling because he has a pretty balanced diet. Not so great on veggies, although he gets fiber in other ways. But lots of fruit. Lots of liquids. I don't know why he'd be having this much trouble. Now-- if this were Sarah, I'd understand it a little more and I'd be lecturing her about not being such a picky eater.
I hope that this referral doctor will be able to help. I want to get to the bottom of his pain.
Jason took Caroline and Sarah to Meridian to see his family for the McGlamery Family Christmas. Jack and I are here.
He has complained for MONTHS about belly aches. But they've seemed very selective to me. His belly hurt if he didn't want to do something or go somewhere it seemed.
Then in the last 2 weeks it's been pretty regular. Almost daily. His stomach hurts.
In the last semester, he's thrown up 5 or 6 times. And those are the ONLY times he's been sick in his life.
Then yesterday-- on Christmas-- he was in the bathroom getting sick during the morning. And in bed vomiting at night. And spent a lot of the evening literally rolling around on the floor.
I didn't put this part into my Christmas post because.. well.... it just didn't seem to fit.
When he pointed to where it hurt, though, he always pointed to his bellybutton so I was pretty confident it wasn't appendicitis. We did our best to keep him comfortable and waited it out and prayed that we weren't making the wrong choice.
I always second guess myself in situations like those... Do I take him in? What if it's just gas pain and he has a low threshhold for discomfort? Maybe he can sleep it off.
I'm sure the right thing to do is to run the risk of overreacting and take him to the ER, but we didn't.
Thankfully he made it through the night just fine, and I took him to the doctor this morning. He had an abdominal xray done and we went away with 2 recommendations. 1. Laxatives, and 2. A referral to a Pediatric GI.
He's still in pain tonight and watching your baby hurt is a unique kind of torture. So I feel like I'm on the verge of tears. Especially because I understand intestinal pain. I had my first colonoscopy at 19. TMI? ;) I get how much he's hurting and I hate that I can't take it away. I'm left as the only adult here to make decisions about when/if it has gotten so bad that I need to take him to the ER.
I think I'll know if it gets that bad. I have to trust myself.
He's in bed now...
It's puzzling because he has a pretty balanced diet. Not so great on veggies, although he gets fiber in other ways. But lots of fruit. Lots of liquids. I don't know why he'd be having this much trouble. Now-- if this were Sarah, I'd understand it a little more and I'd be lecturing her about not being such a picky eater.
I hope that this referral doctor will be able to help. I want to get to the bottom of his pain.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
CHRISTMAS
Well it was a great one! I hope yours was too.
We woke up early so we could get at least one cup of coffee in before the controlled chaos began. We tell the kids that they have to wait for us to come get them. No running downstairs until they've gotten the okay. (We need to set up the video camera and want to be able to catch their reactions when they first see everything on Christmas morning.)
Last night Sarah and Jack spent the night in Jack's room. He has bunk beds so it's fun to get to stay in there and climb the ladder, I think.
The kids were super excited about everything they got. Even the socks. Which I KNOW to appreciate. These days of socks making them happy will not last long.
And at one point, probably 10 minutes into opening presents, Caroline looked at Jason and said, "Merry Christmas, Daddy."
HEARTWARMING. For a couple of reasons. One... she's not the greatest talker. She's been really slow on the verbal front so to have an entire sentence was a pretty big deal. And Two... the way she said it was like "This is great, Daddy. I love everything." :)
After all the presents had been opened, our living room looked like this...
Exactly how it should look!
My parents stopped by after church....(They went. We didn't.)... to see what everyone had gotten for Christmas. And they were so tired. Especially mom.
I think that, as a whole, we all seemed to bite off way too much this holiday season. We were all exhausted. Christmas was fun, but it's almost like each of us felt that-- to a certain extent-- we were kinda going through the motions a little more than usual and checking holiday events off of a nagging "to do" list, instead of looking forward to them like we should. I'm not sure why this year was so taxing. But it was.
We're supposed to be heading down to see my in-laws tomorrow morning so I wanted to check one last thing off my holiday "to do" list. When we leave town, I like to clean house a little so we can come home to a clutter-free place.
So tonight THIS is what our living room looks like... :)
The only thing left to put away are the lights outside.
I hope you had a wonderful day with family and now we're just one week away from 2012! Woo hoo!!
Ok.. I have to add this.. I've probably said this on the blog before so forgive me. I can't remember what I said 5 minutes ago so you know I have no idea if I'm being repetitive on here. BUT yall do know that any time I take a pic of a fireplace in our house... either the one in the den or this one in the living room... the hearth is that tan color because it's covered in foam, right?? Have I said that before??
We had the old owners stop by once and they wanted to come in and look around at their old house. (Has THAT ever happened to you?? AWKWARD!!!) But what do you do? So we let them in. Anyway... one of the first things the lady said was, "Oh. You redid the fireplaces. Interesting." I was shocked that she thought we had covered either the brick or the marble... and that, if we had, we would have chosen something ugly and tan like that. And I said, "No! That's foam so that if the baby falls into the brick, she won't cut her head open."
Now whenever I show pics of the fireplace or if someone comes over, I feel the need to explain. It's foam. I don't have a half green/half tan fireplace. (And one day, when the skies start raining money, we're gonna get around to redoing that fireplace and it won't be green marble anymore at all.)
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. :)
We woke up early so we could get at least one cup of coffee in before the controlled chaos began. We tell the kids that they have to wait for us to come get them. No running downstairs until they've gotten the okay. (We need to set up the video camera and want to be able to catch their reactions when they first see everything on Christmas morning.)
Last night Sarah and Jack spent the night in Jack's room. He has bunk beds so it's fun to get to stay in there and climb the ladder, I think.
The kids were super excited about everything they got. Even the socks. Which I KNOW to appreciate. These days of socks making them happy will not last long.
And at one point, probably 10 minutes into opening presents, Caroline looked at Jason and said, "Merry Christmas, Daddy."
HEARTWARMING. For a couple of reasons. One... she's not the greatest talker. She's been really slow on the verbal front so to have an entire sentence was a pretty big deal. And Two... the way she said it was like "This is great, Daddy. I love everything." :)
After all the presents had been opened, our living room looked like this...
Exactly how it should look!
My parents stopped by after church....(They went. We didn't.)... to see what everyone had gotten for Christmas. And they were so tired. Especially mom.
I think that, as a whole, we all seemed to bite off way too much this holiday season. We were all exhausted. Christmas was fun, but it's almost like each of us felt that-- to a certain extent-- we were kinda going through the motions a little more than usual and checking holiday events off of a nagging "to do" list, instead of looking forward to them like we should. I'm not sure why this year was so taxing. But it was.
We're supposed to be heading down to see my in-laws tomorrow morning so I wanted to check one last thing off my holiday "to do" list. When we leave town, I like to clean house a little so we can come home to a clutter-free place.
So tonight THIS is what our living room looks like... :)
The only thing left to put away are the lights outside.
I hope you had a wonderful day with family and now we're just one week away from 2012! Woo hoo!!
Ok.. I have to add this.. I've probably said this on the blog before so forgive me. I can't remember what I said 5 minutes ago so you know I have no idea if I'm being repetitive on here. BUT yall do know that any time I take a pic of a fireplace in our house... either the one in the den or this one in the living room... the hearth is that tan color because it's covered in foam, right?? Have I said that before??
We had the old owners stop by once and they wanted to come in and look around at their old house. (Has THAT ever happened to you?? AWKWARD!!!) But what do you do? So we let them in. Anyway... one of the first things the lady said was, "Oh. You redid the fireplaces. Interesting." I was shocked that she thought we had covered either the brick or the marble... and that, if we had, we would have chosen something ugly and tan like that. And I said, "No! That's foam so that if the baby falls into the brick, she won't cut her head open."
Now whenever I show pics of the fireplace or if someone comes over, I feel the need to explain. It's foam. I don't have a half green/half tan fireplace. (And one day, when the skies start raining money, we're gonna get around to redoing that fireplace and it won't be green marble anymore at all.)
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. :)
Still in pj's at 1:00
New bracelets from Santa on her right arm.
Holding her new baby.
Watching Snoop Dogg sing "Going to Grandma's House" on Nickelodeon.
Merry Christmas :)
BTW, That's the same look I had on my face when I saw that Snoop was on Nickelodeon.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Ho, ho, who cares...
So the kids went to bed tonight... Excited about sleeping in the same room. Excited about presents tomorrow. But TOTALLY forgetting to put any cookies or milk out for Santa. I forgot too. Oops.
I guess Santa's just not a big deal at our house.
And here I was--- worried that it would be hard to let Santa go. They don't even seem to care. As my Mom would say, "90% of what I worry about never happens. So don't tell me worrying doesn't work!!" :)
And this is what Santa is leaving this year.
Mario Kart for the Wii and a steering wheel to play the game. And a scooter for Caroline. Stockings are filled with candy, lip gloss (For the girls. Just to clarify.), slippers, gloves. Little stuff.
Ahhhhh. All done.
Now to set the ol' alarm so we can hit it bright and early tomorrow morning.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
I guess Santa's just not a big deal at our house.
And here I was--- worried that it would be hard to let Santa go. They don't even seem to care. As my Mom would say, "90% of what I worry about never happens. So don't tell me worrying doesn't work!!" :)
And this is what Santa is leaving this year.
Mario Kart for the Wii and a steering wheel to play the game. And a scooter for Caroline. Stockings are filled with candy, lip gloss (For the girls. Just to clarify.), slippers, gloves. Little stuff.
Ahhhhh. All done.
Now to set the ol' alarm so we can hit it bright and early tomorrow morning.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
Christmas Eve
Tonight we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. It was nice.
Caroline squirmed for about 45 minutes in my arms. I gave up and passed her off to Jason where she SLEPT for 15 minutes. Ugh. Of course.
Then we went to my sister's house.
Yay for lots of cousins who are--at most-- 1 yr apart! Although, when they were younger, having so many cousins close together wasn't as great. Not gonna lie. Too many needy babies and toddlers. Yuck.
Anyway-- They always do the nicest Christmas Eve dinner for us. My brother-in-law does a beef tenderloin. My mom brings a couple of sides. Hil and Al provide a few appetizers and festive drinks for those over 21. ;) And I brought an appetizer, the salad, and a dessert.
This is always fun but a little more formal than Christmas Eve Eve. We bust out the china tonight and sit in the fancy dining room. That sort of thing.
I ALWAYS look forward to Christmas Eve dinner at the Valentes.
My only family pic... Here are the women. :)
This is the year of half-smile Hilary. She's decided that she has smile lines/wrinkles now that she's 34 and will only do half smiles. It's hysterical! :)
She says Mom and I don't have smile lines. Um, hello.. That's because we have rounder faces, loser. ;) And I keep telling her that we'll just do Juvaderm or Botox or something. So smile away!! But no. This is half smile Hilary. LOL. Oh well.
Caroline squirmed for about 45 minutes in my arms. I gave up and passed her off to Jason where she SLEPT for 15 minutes. Ugh. Of course.
Then we went to my sister's house.
Yay for lots of cousins who are--at most-- 1 yr apart! Although, when they were younger, having so many cousins close together wasn't as great. Not gonna lie. Too many needy babies and toddlers. Yuck.
Anyway-- They always do the nicest Christmas Eve dinner for us. My brother-in-law does a beef tenderloin. My mom brings a couple of sides. Hil and Al provide a few appetizers and festive drinks for those over 21. ;) And I brought an appetizer, the salad, and a dessert.
This is always fun but a little more formal than Christmas Eve Eve. We bust out the china tonight and sit in the fancy dining room. That sort of thing.
I ALWAYS look forward to Christmas Eve dinner at the Valentes.
My only family pic... Here are the women. :)
This is the year of half-smile Hilary. She's decided that she has smile lines/wrinkles now that she's 34 and will only do half smiles. It's hysterical! :)
She says Mom and I don't have smile lines. Um, hello.. That's because we have rounder faces, loser. ;) And I keep telling her that we'll just do Juvaderm or Botox or something. So smile away!! But no. This is half smile Hilary. LOL. Oh well.
Christmas Eve Eve
On the eve of Christmas Eve, we always get together with my family at my mom and dad's house.
Not to be confused with when we get together with my family at my sister's house on Christmas Eve. Totally different. ;)
Christmas Eve Eve is all of the presents to the kids... from my parents, from aunts/uncles/cousins. And so on.
We start the night off with opening presents to keep the kids content. And the adults have a few goodies to open and/or assemble. :)
Then Mom has a VERY low key dinner planned for us. Eat when you want, as you can. Then we go home early but late enough that the kids stay up past their bed time.
It's a great time had by all!
Next month we'll do our traditional "As Seen on TV" gift exchange when my brother, Brian, and his wife, Abby, are in town. They've never been able to partake of the fun of that... so that'll be exciting! :)
Not to be confused with when we get together with my family at my sister's house on Christmas Eve. Totally different. ;)
Christmas Eve Eve is all of the presents to the kids... from my parents, from aunts/uncles/cousins. And so on.
We start the night off with opening presents to keep the kids content. And the adults have a few goodies to open and/or assemble. :)
Then Mom has a VERY low key dinner planned for us. Eat when you want, as you can. Then we go home early but late enough that the kids stay up past their bed time.
It's a great time had by all!
Next month we'll do our traditional "As Seen on TV" gift exchange when my brother, Brian, and his wife, Abby, are in town. They've never been able to partake of the fun of that... so that'll be exciting! :)
Friday, December 23, 2011
IKEA
Today I went to IKEA for the very first time. How long has it been 10 minutes from my house? And I've never been. But we decided that would be our family outing for the day.
Wow!! I'm hooked.
First of all, I loved that they had a play area for the big kids...
It was unfortunate that Caroline wasn't tall enough to play there, but at least she had things like this throughout the store to amuse her.
(Sorry about my finger in the shot. As I was taking pics in IKEA, I felt like a big dork who had never been to the big city and seen a store before. But I wanted to take pics so I could blog about our enlightening experience at this superstore. ;) So I tried to take them quickly.)
And then I heard about people eating in IKEA. Didn't understand why. Until today.
We ate for less money there than we do at McDonald's. And it was so family-friendly. They sold Gerber baby food by the chips. They had a microwave to warm bottles. (Not that we needed either of those ammenities. Just saying that I've never known a store to think about families and small children so much.)
Jason went on and on about the stackable trays on wheels. This was genius!! Have you ever had 2 adults and 5 trays? It sucks. In fact, we were just at Luby's last week and struggled to get to the table to eat. We think Luby's needs to take notes and get some of these...
And the kids loved having their own little table and chairs by a TV.
Anyway, so many great, cheap finds. And what Jason was really looking for were some cabinets for the garage. In the "As Is" meaning, of course, "slightly damaged and/or returned" section of the store, he found some for a steal!
I can't believe I had never been before. I wouldn't want to have a house filled with IKEA but there are some things that it would be PERFECT for. And it's got great space saving ideas.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Thanks to the lady who works at Sephora...
Who painted my kids' hands with makeup so I could shop in peace.
The gold glitter that makes the hair on the girl on Sarah's hand is gold eyeliner. Who knew.
I have no idea what the blue and green is on C's hand. I'm guessing more eyeliner.
Jack got a masculine bumblebee.
Christmas Break Randoms
I'm having a hard time keeping Sarah entertained. Obviously. She's built towers out of cups. She's reeeeaaallly bored being at home. She has grown accustomed to the activity and structure of school, and being home with a 2 year old is a MUCH different pace of life.
.......
I forget that I should budget for entertainment for these 2 weeks. I know putting puzzles together and playing board games are free. I know that baking together is a minimal cost. But sometimes you just have to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. And, unless you go to the play area in the mall or the library, you spend money when you get out of the house.
.......
I accidentally put my "dry clean only" cardigan in the washing machine and--even worse--dryer. What's weird is that it seems to have drastically shrunk my left sleeve more than my right sleeve.
Either that or I have a much more bulging left forearm than right.
.......
Even though the sweater is not right, I'm still wearing it. Because I like it. So there.
........
One of the ways I knew I needed to call my doctor when Sarah was about 4 months old (when I FINALLY figured out I must be battling postpartum depression) is because I shrunk a shirt in the dryer. And I cried about it nonstop for more than a day. I couldn't get over it. Couldn't move past it. Laid on the floor and cried about the shirt.
That's not normal. FYI. ;) Body chemistry is cuckoo if that happens to you. Remember that.
.......
The other way I knew I was battling postpartum depression is because I cussed Jason out. A lot. Over not being able to find a parking space at the store while he was at work. Things like that. Crying and wacky rage. I needed help.
.......
Those last few items were certainly not very Christmas-y. But they do fit the "Random" part of this post's title.
........
I think I'm going to take the kids to that indoor trampoline park again today. It really helps to wear them out.
........
I thought we should get a trampoline for the kids for Christmas. I still think it's a good idea but what I'm afraid of is exactly what happened to Holly.
........
Jason takes the kids to the office every year around this time. (Well, the big kids anyway.) He works near the Galleria which is really fun for them to see the big tree and the ice rink on their lunch break. And the rest of the time they sit in Jason's office and play on his extra computer and typewriter.
That might sound boring, but they LOVE it. And look forward to it. It's part of our Christmas tradition.
This year Jason got hit HARD at work with... well, work... and so he can't take them until next week. Talk about disappointment. For all of us. ;) I was supposed to have only one child this morning. Oh well.
........
Sarah sold all of her mistletoe thanks to very kind neighbors and friends. She made over $80! Split the cash with Jack. And bought her Bitty Baby. (Which is what she could afford but is too baby-ish for a 6 yr old really. So Caroline has kinda taken her from Sarah... unofficially, of course.)
........
I haven't really fed my kids any lunch for the last 3 days. We've all sorta snacked all day on cookies and things. That's ok over the holidays, right?
........
Starting on Friday I'll have Christmas things to post. Dinner with my mom and dad. Christmas Eve with my sister and her family. Christmas Day. Etc.
I'm just sort of in a lull over here at the McGlamery house. We're trying to survive Christmas Break.
Hope you're enjoying yours! :)
.......
I forget that I should budget for entertainment for these 2 weeks. I know putting puzzles together and playing board games are free. I know that baking together is a minimal cost. But sometimes you just have to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. And, unless you go to the play area in the mall or the library, you spend money when you get out of the house.
.......
I accidentally put my "dry clean only" cardigan in the washing machine and--even worse--dryer. What's weird is that it seems to have drastically shrunk my left sleeve more than my right sleeve.
Either that or I have a much more bulging left forearm than right.
.......
Even though the sweater is not right, I'm still wearing it. Because I like it. So there.
........
One of the ways I knew I needed to call my doctor when Sarah was about 4 months old (when I FINALLY figured out I must be battling postpartum depression) is because I shrunk a shirt in the dryer. And I cried about it nonstop for more than a day. I couldn't get over it. Couldn't move past it. Laid on the floor and cried about the shirt.
That's not normal. FYI. ;) Body chemistry is cuckoo if that happens to you. Remember that.
.......
The other way I knew I was battling postpartum depression is because I cussed Jason out. A lot. Over not being able to find a parking space at the store while he was at work. Things like that. Crying and wacky rage. I needed help.
.......
Those last few items were certainly not very Christmas-y. But they do fit the "Random" part of this post's title.
........
I think I'm going to take the kids to that indoor trampoline park again today. It really helps to wear them out.
........
I thought we should get a trampoline for the kids for Christmas. I still think it's a good idea but what I'm afraid of is exactly what happened to Holly.
........
Jason takes the kids to the office every year around this time. (Well, the big kids anyway.) He works near the Galleria which is really fun for them to see the big tree and the ice rink on their lunch break. And the rest of the time they sit in Jason's office and play on his extra computer and typewriter.
That might sound boring, but they LOVE it. And look forward to it. It's part of our Christmas tradition.
This year Jason got hit HARD at work with... well, work... and so he can't take them until next week. Talk about disappointment. For all of us. ;) I was supposed to have only one child this morning. Oh well.
........
Sarah sold all of her mistletoe thanks to very kind neighbors and friends. She made over $80! Split the cash with Jack. And bought her Bitty Baby. (Which is what she could afford but is too baby-ish for a 6 yr old really. So Caroline has kinda taken her from Sarah... unofficially, of course.)
........
I haven't really fed my kids any lunch for the last 3 days. We've all sorta snacked all day on cookies and things. That's ok over the holidays, right?
........
Starting on Friday I'll have Christmas things to post. Dinner with my mom and dad. Christmas Eve with my sister and her family. Christmas Day. Etc.
I'm just sort of in a lull over here at the McGlamery house. We're trying to survive Christmas Break.
Hope you're enjoying yours! :)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Because I bake when I'm bored...
This is what I did today.
I wish cleaning up the mess was as much fun as baking is.
Breakfast with Santa
So... since I decided to not ruin Christmas with silly things like truth and honesty about SC... we had breakfast with him on Saturday. :)
Mom and Dad treated my family and Hilary's family to a breakfast at Neiman Marcus where Santa and one of his elves made an appearance. This was the PERFECT age to do this.
It's funny. I thought by the time Sarah was 2 yrs old, Christmas would be magical. But it really hasn't hit them until this year. (At ages 6, 5, and 2. And the only reason Caroline finds it exciting is because she feeds off the big kids' energy.)
Anyway... THIS is the first year they've wanted to shake the presents under the tree to see what's inside. THIS is the first year they've counted them and sorted them to see how many they're getting. THIS is the first year Charlie Brown's been a cartoon they've been willing to sit and watch. THIS is the first year Sarah wrote a letter to Santa... and that's only because it was an assignment at school. (Persuasive writing.)
So waiting until they were older to do something like a breakfast with Santa was great. Sarah and Jack weren't scared of him anymore. Caroline was old enough to know who he was and say Hi to him. And it was really fun for me to watch them be so happy to see him.
Here are the pics... This might be picture overload. I apologize.
We started off with hot chocolate in little cups.
Then Mistletoe, the elf, came around and made balloon bracelets for the girls and a candy cane for Jack. Caroline got a poinsettia. And Sarah got a snow globe.
Breakfast for the kids was a Mickey Mouse waffle, fruit, sausage, and a muffin. (For the adults, eggs, bacon, fruit, and a muffin.)
And THEN Santa came in and spoke to each child individually. Such a treat.
After breakfast, everyone got to sit in Santa's lap, take a pic, tell him what they wanted for Christmas, and get a candy cane.
They were nice to let us take our own pics with our camera as well. We have tons but here's one. (They're all basically the same, ya know. ;) )
Thanks, KK and Papalu for the fun morning!
On a tangent:(My mind works in tangents, you know.) This was the only time that the kids have had breakfast (or any meal) with a character. It makes me want to take them to Disney World really badly. I've wanted to go for a while, but I don't regret that we've put it off. Being a family of 5-- up til now, I think some of the rides would have been really tricky. If the kids were too short and an adult had to ride with them, we wouldn't have enough adults. We've chosen to wait for the kids to be a little older... or at least a little taller...before we go. But someday it's gonna be really fun--and not just for the kids but for me too. Hopefully they'll be old enough to appreciate it a little bit more--and say THANK YOU. (As expensive as I know Disney World can be, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna want to hear a "Thank you". Or at least a "This is really fun!" And not so much "I'm tired of walking." "My feet hurt." Whining, crying, and Caroline needing a nap. You understand, I'm sure.) :)
I'll end with a dump of some of the other pictures from the morning.
Mom and Dad treated my family and Hilary's family to a breakfast at Neiman Marcus where Santa and one of his elves made an appearance. This was the PERFECT age to do this.
It's funny. I thought by the time Sarah was 2 yrs old, Christmas would be magical. But it really hasn't hit them until this year. (At ages 6, 5, and 2. And the only reason Caroline finds it exciting is because she feeds off the big kids' energy.)
Anyway... THIS is the first year they've wanted to shake the presents under the tree to see what's inside. THIS is the first year they've counted them and sorted them to see how many they're getting. THIS is the first year Charlie Brown's been a cartoon they've been willing to sit and watch. THIS is the first year Sarah wrote a letter to Santa... and that's only because it was an assignment at school. (Persuasive writing.)
So waiting until they were older to do something like a breakfast with Santa was great. Sarah and Jack weren't scared of him anymore. Caroline was old enough to know who he was and say Hi to him. And it was really fun for me to watch them be so happy to see him.
Here are the pics... This might be picture overload. I apologize.
We started off with hot chocolate in little cups.
Then Mistletoe, the elf, came around and made balloon bracelets for the girls and a candy cane for Jack. Caroline got a poinsettia. And Sarah got a snow globe.
Breakfast for the kids was a Mickey Mouse waffle, fruit, sausage, and a muffin. (For the adults, eggs, bacon, fruit, and a muffin.)
And THEN Santa came in and spoke to each child individually. Such a treat.
After breakfast, everyone got to sit in Santa's lap, take a pic, tell him what they wanted for Christmas, and get a candy cane.
They were nice to let us take our own pics with our camera as well. We have tons but here's one. (They're all basically the same, ya know. ;) )
Thanks, KK and Papalu for the fun morning!
On a tangent:(My mind works in tangents, you know.) This was the only time that the kids have had breakfast (or any meal) with a character. It makes me want to take them to Disney World really badly. I've wanted to go for a while, but I don't regret that we've put it off. Being a family of 5-- up til now, I think some of the rides would have been really tricky. If the kids were too short and an adult had to ride with them, we wouldn't have enough adults. We've chosen to wait for the kids to be a little older... or at least a little taller...before we go. But someday it's gonna be really fun--and not just for the kids but for me too. Hopefully they'll be old enough to appreciate it a little bit more--and say THANK YOU. (As expensive as I know Disney World can be, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna want to hear a "Thank you". Or at least a "This is really fun!" And not so much "I'm tired of walking." "My feet hurt." Whining, crying, and Caroline needing a nap. You understand, I'm sure.) :)
I'll end with a dump of some of the other pictures from the morning.
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