The Laundry Mountain

Were there extra people here this weekend?  There were enough dirty clothes to cover an army!  I think each person had about 8 or 9 pairs of underwear (hopefully lots of swimming, and not accidents?) They think they get new undies after every dunk/bath/swim/clothing change-yes, I think it's a good thing)!  There were five loads-tons of jammies-I just had ALL the laundry done last Thursday before I left town!  I am all caught up, and (NewsFlash:) they are put away.  Don't get too excited, it only happens if I'm traveling.  Normally, there is laundry in progress ALL the time!


I also had to take Ethan to the grocery store.  We had no cereal (they claim that Cheerios and Special K don't count)!  We only kind-of stuck to the list.  He got this little dino-head juice drink (I think they are Tummy Ticklers-expensive sippy bottles of juice), then Fruit Loops and Rice Krispies, then Chuck E. Cheese cheesesticks (just his picture on the outside-but it works, Advertisers!), and by the time he wanted yogurt-covered raisins (I admit they are yummy, but mostly sugar!), I told him Enough!  He had to trade something-he'd gotten enough Special Foods (since he's the Only One Who Got To Go With Mommy To The Store!).  He ended up trading the cool dino-head drink for the raisins!  Wow.  At least it ended with him hugging a bunch of bananas-his last Special Food! : )


We took Ches to lunch (yes, I enable this bike-rider-to-work), then Ethan fell asleep on the way home.  He just loves his Veggie Tales, and they sang him right to sleep.  It didn't last long, and it powered him back up-enough to glue, and draw, and snack, and help me with laundry (well, he played a good game of Don't Let Mommy Get The Dryer Door Open), then some good ol' Tag!  We ran all over, but I figure it was our workout, so I count it.


Clay had boy scouts, and had to do lots of exercises, kind of like the Fitness Gram at school.  He did great!  He can do tons of sit-ups, he's super fast at running, but the only thing he didn't do too well in was the pull-ups.  Ches told him he'd have to practice since they are retesting next month.  When they pulled in the driveway, he asked if he could go practice! (at 8:15pm!)  What a sweetie.  He tries so hard!

I tested Mary Claire on her spelling words while she was in the tub-what hard words!  Distinct, Instinct, Suggest, Seldom, Tranquil-whew!  She did fairly well, but it means we'll have to do some studying this year!  Last year was a breeze.  Clay's are harder too, but I always think he can do anything.  Now, Mary Claire is in the hard work!  I can't believe she's in third grade.


Ahh, they are all in bed, and sleeping.  I've done a tiny bit of research (tiny for me).  I have a couple of books on miscarriage, and Asherman's Syndrome is not so common.  The outcome is about 80% better with surgery, and the books recommended leaving the "balloon" in for a month!  I'll take the books, and see what Dr. Miller thinks.  He didn't give me an exact time, but it sounded much shorter than that!  I can't imagine crampy-ness for a month!  Ick!


I'm always amazed-do you know that God knew exactly what was wrong with me from the beginning?  I do.  He was just waiting for me to find it-or encouraging me to keep looking.  I found the pages that discussed adhesions, and I'd folded the corner down, asked my doctor about it in May, and had let it go.  Now, I just think, why wasn't it starred and circled for me?  Ha!  God just doesn't work that way.  But I found something, and I'm thankful.  How many more things are laying in front of me that I don't really see?

I don't know EVERYthing

Have you ever cracked a coconut?  I took another pre-dinner trip to the grocery store ('cause I'm a slow learner), and guess what we came home with?  Yep, a coconut!  I have never bought one, so I couldn't say no.  (I had a friend over this weekend, and she'd never cut a watermelon or cantaloupe!  I think she's used her good looks to get out of it!! heehee)  When I have the kids asking for anything in the produce section, my rule is yes.  (Rule 34: Say yes to any produce, FYI)  I always admit when I've never had something (well, not fresh).  I had to tell them I had no idea how to get it open!  They just begged, and said to google it!  How do they know these terms?  And how do they know to use it as a verb?  I agreed, so tonight I googled, and learned.

We tried method #1, but Ha! that was hard.  So we combined method 2 and 4: we poked a hole in the weakest eye, drained the "milk" (really just clear dirty water), then after the taps with the knife on the "equator" didn't work, we put it in a big ziploc, went out front, and thumped it's equator on the brick steps,then on the corner of the house.  When the top popped off, out came the juice-I was not prepared!  It filled the bag, and came out the hole (they forget to mention that the brick smashing against the bag and hard, hairy nut (made myself laugh!) rips holes in the bag.  So, Mary Claire ran to get a big bowl, we drained off the fluid, and progress!

Then, you either scrape hard, or you bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  We chose the latter, and then you use a spoon to pop the meat off the skin!

Only thing is...it tastes gross.  I'm all prepared for a big bunch of that stuff you buy in a bag or can..Mmmm..or get inside Mounds bars.  Well, get your ugly face ready...it's nothing like that.  And: why do they call it coconut milk?  Yep, that's a manufactured product-creamed coconut and SuGaR!  So, Clay googled how to sweeten it.  I was so tired by then, I called it quits.  I'll let you know how it goes (or if it improves the taste).


In other exciting news..we had a friend to play (forgot to take a picture-I cleaned more today!), and while we were eating lunch, we had a visitor...

What do we call him?  Well, sometimes I admit I'm not-so-good at (coconut opening or) naming brown furry strange animals!  I think it's a ground hog-we had one last year, but it was much bigger.  So this is either a small groundhog-only about 12" tall-or a gopher.  I'm too tired to google it (heehee), I'll save it for the kids to examine.  (But did you notice my totally cool ferns-growing in the ground!?  They were even green in the icy winter!  I know-cool!)  So he put his super-long toes/nails up on the window and looked in a couple of windows, he checked out the deck (tried to climb the cedar siding on the back), crawled up under the grill cover to explore the grill (eat drippings out of it), and made sure to keep the kids coming back for more!  I don't know who would win in a free-for-all: all the wild cats around here, or the long-toed-brown-thing.  That could be quite a show!  I'll save it for July Fourth action.  To go with the super-yummy smores I'm planning! : )


P.S.  Because I am just not tired yet, or need to pour out EVERY thing in my head: I did (re)apply to grad school, and they waived the $40 since I've already been, but I found out that my hours I completed 10+ years ago will not count towards a degree.  So, I'd have to take those very same classes again.  Yes, seriously.  I also got all into it, and signed up for the Miller Analogy Test, bought a ($30) practice test online (and already started taking it!) before I found out about the hours.  Not all areas of study require the MAT, so I wasted some time and money.  I've totally done worse before, so I'm okay.  Now, I guess it frees me up to get a different degree.  Hmm..what to study.. Or is this God's way of telling me maybe I should wait?
P.P.S.  I'm going to Branson tomorrow and Saturday!  Shopping, night-time swimming, and sun!  ('cause I love alliteration)

Could you spell Paraphernalia without a spell checker? Correctly?

Whew. What a weekend! Need TMI? : ) We've had baseball, soccer, and the HOGS football!! There's been so much!

First was Clay's baseball game (in which he had a slide-into-home-plate run!) (which helps us get our money out of those sliding pants under his baseball pants that you can't even see!). Ethan successfully climbed the bleachers (!), whined to go play on the Park, desperately wanted popcorn, a drink, spilled my drink, wanted his *Clay*!, etc.

Then, we made it to Sam's, and they had Chester Cheetah outside, free Cheetos paraphernalia (which made it to our house..), a football throw, AmAziNg barbecue from Damon's BBQ (a vendor outside)-there was so much we couldn't made two meals out of all of all the ribs (FaLL of the bone-tender, seriously) and pulled, smoked pork. Then after an hour or so we made it inside the store to all the yummy samples (I just Love Food Day!), but I was too full to eat (note to self: game days are Food Days).

Last night, we did NOT make it to the great tailgating party that was at Pratt Barn, and was so cool! We are uncool (and have kids). We did, however watch the Razorbacks vs. Georgia Bulldogs (and were sad they didn't WiN!), at the same time as Minority Report and Sweet Home Alabama (yes, all at the same time!). We were up until MR went off at 12:12 last night (this morning!). We should totally not do that. We do it every night. I'm usually in bed by 11, then Ches moves his big eating party to our bed (yes, includes sandwiches, chips, cottage cheese, and ice cream in FRoNT of me!), and watches Jimmy Kimmel (and he DoeS make me laugh!), but last night we pulled the triple header, and we were so tired this morning!

I think part of it was Mary Claire. She was so low all evening. She was between 48-88 all evening. I was giving that girl free juice, sugar tablets, popsicles, and she was still staying low! We also turned down her pump's basal rate to 0% almost all evening. She was still dropping! I think I learned from it though. (Was there ANYthing good to come of it?) I think her basal is too high, even though her doctor thought it was too low in March. And I think her bolus ratio for food in the evening is too low. I think that might be why we have so many problems with irrational (unreasonable) blood sugars in the evenings (usually 9pm-12am). When her basal drops down at midnight to about .25 units an hour, I no longer have to worry about her. So, I'm still learning, five and a half years later. . .

Today, was church, and the first day of PRE for the kids for the year! Mary Claire was most excited, since this is the year she'll make her first communion! She just can't wait! : ) Sweet girl. Clay was only nominally excited, as he's peaked for a while. He did have fun in class since he found fellow boys to horse around with. (I did note the preposition, but it works for me)

Then, we had the seating dilemma. We don't really have a pew staked out, per se. We just sit in the same general area every week, and our church can get full. So. We planned (well, Ches planned. I really don't care. Really.). He dropped me off (not at the door I requested), and I went to get the kids from their rooms (two different buildings, but I got to see old friends!). I was supposed to take them to church, get Ethan from Ches, and take him to the nursery, all the while Ches would save us seats. Well. When we (me and oldest kids) got in there, Ches was alone! Come to find out, Ethan pitched a big ol' fit about No Church!! Play! so he didn't even bother trying to explain that I was going to take him to play, he just took him. (Yes, I know, it's going to be rough when he transitions back into church with us, but it works today, and I'm all about making it today.) So, we had seats, even room next to us, so crisis averted. : )

Today, my kids made a Space Ship out of all the tubs I bought to clean out their closets! I'll post pictures if I can get my camera battery charged enough to upload the pix! They are having very loud fun (which is almost as good as sneaky, quiet fun) since people get to know how great it is!

Ches' Biggest Issues:
Travel (includes, but is not limited to: car traffic on busy/game/event days and Wal-Mart employee traffic to Bentonville around 8am and toward Fayetteville after 5:30pm; plane travel: making it to the airport, getting through security, getting to the gate, food at the airport, getting kids through the airport, getting internet at the airport, parking at the airport, getting a rental car at the airport, getting a big enough car at the rental location, finding our way around a new city, finding the hotel)
Food: having enough (must go to grocery store multiple times a week, must always have Breyer's neopolitan ice cream, fat free cottage cheese, Hiland fat free milk, Coke bottles (small, 12 oz), his Diet Dr. Pepper cans, Diet A&W Root Beer cans, Sugar Free popsicles in Fruit Flavors, Tropical Flavors, Sargento cheddar jack cheese sticks, Smucker's grape jelly in the upside down squeezy bottle, Reduced Fat peanut butter, crackers, bread or buns...) Missing these items involves a trip to the grocery store. Even at 10pm. Must go to grocery store immediately after landing in a new city, usually before the hotel. Takes snacks on every road trip (even on the way to church-10 minutes away, on the way to take Clay to a practice, or on the way to the grocery store), Takes food to the movies (even though he buys popcorn and Coke every time)
Ok, I should stop. It's getting longer! : O

We asked the kids what they really wanted for Christmas, as they are old enough to only get one nice present, and we're tired of traipsing all over town for every little adorable thing to come along (And they're rooms reflect it!). This year, we started earlier than usual (we're usually done by Halloween-it works well for planning, but not so much for budget since we miss all the sales). Clay has decided on a Nintendo (I think) DSi (and he wants Mario Bros. game with it-yes, he called it bros. rather than brothers!), and Mary Claire wants either at DSi since she can play games AND music with it, or a pink iPod nano (and if she gets the DSi, she wants the Barbie horse game). So, I told them that now we've discussed it, and shopped at Sam's, we shouldn't speak of it anymore. Well, Clay was *game shopping* today, and locked up Ches' computer!

Clay: But, Mommy, I was just...
Me: No Buts. No more speaking of it, or it won't be a surprise on Christmas morning!
Clay: Ok, but don't forget Mario Bros!

Helpers Shall Be Bribed (Unofficially)

Enough groceries to feed an army (well, a small one). I got to grocery shop-AlOnE! heehee : ) It was so fun, but surprisingly, took just as long as it takes with three small kids attached to the cart. Hmm.. how did that happen?

I'm now thinking JDRF. Not panicking, just HaVe to get working on my letter to send out. I have to finish the t-shirt design (or be able to tell the designer what to do), reserve a time slot the week before for printing, and umm.. I'll be gone till the week after next. So, time's a wastin'. Why, oh why, haven't I had any volunteers for the shirt design? Some help would be awesome! : ) Hint, hint. Shall I pay for ideas? Host a design contest?
Ps-Mom, I need the letter you wrote! Can you type it, and email a copy? Pretty Please?
Would anyone like to make mailing labels, fold letters, stuff envelopes, or HeLp in general? I Love helpers! : ) And most of all, can you WALK with us?? Register by following the link at the upper right corner of this blog (just click on the words Register To Walk With Us!). We need all the people we can get at Mary Claire's annual Great-Day(only day it's fun?)-to-Have-Diabetes-Party!

I have started preparing for the trip: snacks for the plane rides, toys, coloring books, and cards for the trip, new books, working on planning clothes, new swimmy floaties (inner tubes/rings), sand toys, cameras, etc. Everyone is getting excited, so I need to get packing! I have Bunco the Tuesday night before and Bible study the morning of (if I'm not horribly behind by then!), so Early Packing would pay huge dividends.

New News: You can buy CoFFiNs online. Here. For only $1199. Just FYI.

Newer News: Tanning not so bad *thanks for the link, Mom!* Avoiding sunlight exposure can be just as bad (causes vitamin D insufficiency, and may cause breast and prostate cancer, or TYPE I DIABETES)! Ok, so he doesn't promote tanning, per se, but he does think you need sun. So my naps in the afternoon? Not helping my cancer risk, so I'm upping my every other day-ish needs for sunlight. Real or Recreated.

Newest News: Walter Cronkite has passed away. One of the most trusted television newscasters. He's in my top lineup with Peter Jennings and Dan Rather. I remember him from childhood. And we didn't watch tons of news. May he rest in peace, and may his name be remembered fondly. And that's the way it is.

Home Again

I'm just speechless. The outside is horrific, and the inside has water stains on the ceilings, a stick through the ceiling, water stuff leaked out the fridge, I had to catalog everything I threw away, clean out the fridge(s)/freezers, clean the hearth room of sheetrock and insulation. Bought new groceries at WM, stocked them, tallied up amount of groceries ($741-no exaggeration). I'm tired, it's now 1:42am, and I'm supposed to have a CPA appt. at 9am-yeah, right. I have the insurance adjuster at 10:30am, which is more important right now.
Did I mention I missed my hair appt. last Tuesday? I have icky roots. Also, very important right now. Must get sleep for more chaos in morning. Have to clean floors! ONly got vacuuming done. Oh, and laundry. Sleep well, electricity-bearers. : )