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Today could be the big day-the day the bleeding stops! That could be a small victory in itself. Really. Do you remember the old saying about 'how can anything bleed for seven days and not die'? Well, I'm at three and a half weeks-amazing. And I'm not dead yet! (ok..curiosity got the best of me..apparently George Carlin said it on one of his albums in the seventies, then more recently it was on South Park).
Ches has been sick since Sunday morning. We aren't sure what's wrong. He went to the doctor today for a flu test and blood work. We only know he doesn't have the flu, maybe a virus, and the bloodwork results should come back by tomorrow. He has a fever (around 102 on tylenol and ibuprofen), headache and muscle aches. I think the headache is better, but body aches may be worse. He's such a good helper around the house that I'm really missing him. It's hard to do all the work myself! : )
We opened the pool last week, and now we have one more thing to take care of. We keep testing the water, and it's off. The pH is off and so is alkalinity (they go together..)-and we just got the salt level up high enough to turn on the salt water generator (it's a salt water pool, and generates chlorine as it breaks down the salt). I think we added at least 50 pounds of salt! You'll be thanking me if you're swimming with us this summer! : )
My computer is down to 13%, so I won't be typing much more.. I don't want it to die!
I've seen TOO much twin stuff lately, bad memories...today I flipped to channel 48 for two seconds-long enough to see that now there is a show called.. something like Bringing Home Multiples. I watched a few crazy minutes, and turned off the tv. Then we got the American Doll catalog, and they sell twins. I'm sure I'm just in a more heightened state of awareness (fancy talk for I'm seeing them everywhere!!).
Mary Claire asked why our babies keep dying tonight-what do you say to a sweet little girl? I can't remember where the conversation was going, but I told her that it wasn't going to bring them back to get mad and yell and complain, so we had to move on. She asked if I still prayed for a baby, and I said yes, if God wants to give us one. I think I'm past my mad phase. Finally. Progress.
Made it to Florida, yay! We have crappy internet, so Ches is really frustrated-he wants to work! (only small giggle, as he's serious!) We paid for the hotel here in Tampa/Clearwater, so it's hard to leave. I don't know how it would work...
We have tickets to a Phillies game today at one, and I think they are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates (they are-I checked!). Ches wants to leave an hour early-you know how traffic is! The rest of our day is open, so hopefully it'll contain ShOpPiNg! Little for him, little for me... He actually needs new dress shoes and a new belt, among other things. I can shop for anyone, so it's all good for me.
Ok, I went down to the breakfast area and got some cereal to eat in the room (and got Ches some too), and I ate it in front of the computer (as it was dark and Ches was still sleeping!), (yes it's 9:30 and totally daylight, but you-know) and I spilled it on the pants I am wearing today! Ugh. We packed all "light" so we wouldn't have to check bags (and we ended up having to since we were on the second row, and maybe there was no more room?), so I have one more "extra" pair of pants (since I had *extra* room in my *carry-on* suitcase after I packed!!). I guess I'll wear them since the milk stain isn't drying so pretty. The last time I wore these (umm-over three years ago!), I must have had them dry cleaned or I washed and starched them. They were all perfect, creased, and smooth. Now the milk stain screwed up my crease, and it has icky lines around where it meets the clean fabric. Gross.
It will not get me down. I have a beautiful pool outside my window, and amazing sunshine streaming in on my desk. Happy! Oh, and palm trees..everywhere!
And guess what my wonderful husband found me last night? Yep, coconut M&M's! We went by a CVS to get him some snacks/drinks for the room (while I sat in the car, yes by choice, while a strange man loitered by our car and the CVS door creeping me out!!). He came out with three bags of the coconut kind, peanut, and peanut butter (thanks, Mom-they are on my mind again!). Ahh, so sweet. Actually he was sad on the drive yesterday that I didn't have any chocolate for him, so it may not have all been heroics and chivalry. But I'll take 'em!
Um, do you realize it's been over a year since we've flown out *alone*? We used to go all the time (a few times a year!), but now we're all Settled Down. Huh. Wonder when that happened?
Hmm..Today my tiny son brought me a caulking gun. Tells of what's going on at our house! The painters are still in knee deep (and 22 ft. shoulder deep too) and are getting it done. They did the foyer yesterday and I was so unhappy and got all worked up about it, but it's working out. They put Kilz over the water stain and then painted it, and it has a different sheen than the rest of the ceiling-so obvious! I wanted no Kilz on it, but either he didn't understand, or I don't know-a misunderstanding? He's doing the whole celing in Kilz then repainting. The color formula was changed in Nov of 2008, so it wasn't even the same exact color-the ceiling looked darker than the walls (further throwing me into hissy-fit mode). Again, it's going to be okay, but I wouldn't let him proceed with the kitchen/living room/stairs/walls until he got the color matched okay and promised no more Kilz. He did, so procedure tomorrow....
So today was Mary Claire's room and ceiling. Ugh. I asked them not to put anything back up on the walls or ceililng (yesterday they took down those stupid stars/planet things ticky-tacked to Clay's ceiling *Insert Expletive Here for The First Time they got put up* and then PUT THEM BACK UP! after they painted OVER the ticky-tack!). Again, today I said not to put the junk (stars! stickers! etc.) back up on Mary Claire's walls or ceiling when they were done. Can you guess? They did, of course, put it all back, and not quite in the right places. I could've SCREAMED when I walked in there and found her paper chain (scrapbook paper in pink toile, solid light and dark pink cardstock, and pale lime scrapbook polka dot and cardstock-not hideous, very PB!) poked back into the ceiling and not in the measured spots where it's lived for three years! They apparently pulled out the tacks, laid them somewhere (painting over the reminder holes, I guess?) and then attempted to "redecorate" with them. It looked like Mexican Fiesta. Crazy. Some were hanging low, some poked way higher (on a sloping wall). It was awful. So now we have NeW, CRooKeD holes! ahhhh!! I don't do well with change, maybe? Or gross mess up changes? Now the chains look uncool.
I will live through this $4500 change (don't freak out, of course it's insurance money), I will live, I willl live. There are more important things in the world. Remind me if you see me of all the other problems in your world. Mine won't look so awful.
Okay, so Ethan. STiLL sick! BAck to the dr. after two long nights up with him with fever. We have started ear drops (Ciprodex for his tubes), and yesterday morning he woke up with dried yellow drainage all over (good news, meaning his tube unclogged and let all the fluid out). Well, not good enough news. He had a double ear infection, and both ear drums were bulging. Even WITH the tubes for drainage (or not.). So now he's on Omnicef for 10 days (we'll be in Disney in 7...), has to use his Ciprodex for 7 days, and use his inhaler four times a day for 7 days. Ahh, good times.
My very good news: I got to play outside, clean the pool deck-sweep and hose down all the nasty oak pollen stringy things, and rearrange furniture-it was so cleansing! And I even let the kids put on their swimsuits for the first official time this season and swim (yes, granted, in the polar water), but they were entertained (well, along with the creepy poop and toot jokes that Clay currently thinks are all the rage), and I got lots done! THen, even better, I laid out, and fell asleep! It was so relaxing! Then ...
My SCARE! I woke to Ethan standing next to me with his hand on mine. I woke with a start, started mumbling (in an attempt to think out loud how he was OUTside!), remembered that we turned the beepy thing off the alarm since the kids were opening/closing the door so much and were going to wake him up, wondered where on Earth Ches was! not watching our baby, tried to figure out how he got out of his bed, then felt his diaper to see if it was changed (did Ches get him out?), then was freaking out over the possibility that he'd walked out on his own, and how did God protect him and keep him from deciding to go for a swim (I mean, Ethan and water? like pb and j!) and then I looked around to see Ches on the other side of the pool snickering. Yes, giggling as he could see I was clearly about to have a heart attack in the 10 seconds all this was going through my head! He'd brought Ethan out and stood him by me (knowing I was out cold), then when I didn't wake up for FiVe minutes, he put Ethan's hand on mine, then walked off. Enter me-crazed and panicked. Ethan just sat calmly in my lap for a good 15 minutes as he woke up too. For that, Ches had to make dinner. I was clearly not in a Happy Place. I still feel all freaked out.
I let Ethan put on his swimsuit and put his feet in (he, being smarter than the other two, knew that if the feet are freezing, you should not put more of your body in!), while Ches grilled.
So...I must not have high blood pressure or tons of cholesterol, or God's not ready to see me up close yet, because I didn't have a heart attack and die today!! I'm alive to live another day. I hope I live an amazing day tomorrow, cause I consider it a gift! A Bonus in the cereal box of life!
Ok, so baths, stories, and I'm more tired than the kids! I read to them for over an hour (it just flew by!) and I'm headed to bed early. I've decided I need it once a week to catch up after all my midnight nights. They are SO productive, but then I get worn down. (I made a wreath last night, vacummed, dusted, did three loads of laundry, mopped the kitchen, cleaned my desk, cleaned my bathroom, cleaned up the wreath mess, rearranged the hearth room and rehung pictures all after the kids went to bed last night-and I had a coffee, heehe). That shall NOT happen tonight! : ) G'night!
Well, after Oprah's cool show (which I was too busy blogging and parenting to see), I've decided to sign up for ads!! : ) Apparently one woman, an equally busy mom, is earning $40,000 a month. Her husband quit his job, and Ches thinks ads are a great idea now!! heehee : ) So, please see the messages/info below, it's kinda like bulletin boards used to be: extra information about the students' work! But now, extra info about blogging/parenting! : ) Be patient with me, as it is one more new thing I will figure out slowly, but surely.
I am thankful for my precious friends who think about me (and bring me cake, and strawberries, and books, and spend time with me (and my wild kiddos), and dvd players...). Sometimes I get sad if I think someone is mad, or we aren't having a connection/haven't seen them in a while. I love my friends. They are sweet, and have their own lives, I know. I think God just gives us friends as another way to wrap His arms around us! : ) Aren't they precious when we have time with them? : )
Today we carpooled with the MDO kids-they were so funny!! Because my dvd player is broken (still functioning as a piggy bank), we had lots of time to talk today! We pointed out all the things we saw (and didn't), and where everyone lives/goes to school/works, all the backhoes (thanks, Wagon Wheel expansion!), front-end loaders, dumptrucks, bucket trucks (on New Hope Rd!), big trucks, school buses, dirt, cows, stinky (what? Yeah, Isabella said that the poop was stinky, and laughed so hard!! I think she was laughing 'cause she got to say poop out loud!!), monkeys-yep, none of them, oh, what fun!! I remember that's how Clay was talking so much when he was that age-we named EvEryThiNG back then, made the noises, talked and did lots of praying (Lord, can I have a dvd player? just kidding!). Now, I don't think I'll tell them when it's fixed! It was so fun, they made me laugh out loud, and they didn't even come close to falling asleep on the ride home! It was great.
I was quite the pack horse coming out the door of the church: two backpacks, lunchboxes, Easter baskets, gift bag, dress/sweater, jackets, leftover strawberries and juice boxes-it was quite a sight!! I had to go back to get the kids-I couldn't have managed!! Crazy-but a sweet day!
I think I'm coming down with a cold. I'm sure it's all the late nights, not so much sleeping, and I haven't had my orange juice or vitamins for two days-I get preoccupied with all the lunches, notes, book orders, brushing teeth, backpacks, shoes, combing hair, etc. on the way out the door, then my mind gets back onto my work. My fault. Would the oj and vitamins have helped? Probably not. My throat hurts, and I'm sooo sleepy! I did take a short nap today, and it helped so much-then I wasn't quite the bear I could've been to the kids! We had dinner out on the deck-gosh, so perfect and beautiful-not kidding-it was about 65 degrees, and no wind!
After dinner, Ethan started for the pool. The dirty, filling-up, cold pool. He kept yelling, "Bath!" Crazy boy wanted in that thing! I don't think you could PaY me to get in there! Besides I know the chemicals it needs to be balanced, and it's wayyy off! We took him in, got him undressed, and he just screamed for the pool!! He kept throwing his body on the floor (yeah, kinda funny since he was naked) and screaming!! He was just insistent that HE GET A BATH IN THE POOL. OUTSIDE!! Ahhh!! He definitely began to try my patience. I finally let him put on a swimsuit (foolishly thinking it'd help the situation-WRONG!), and told him he could take a bath (of course, he thought I meant outside). I put him in the bathtub while he WAILED (no, I don't kid), hit the water, and screamed more. I quickly washed him (while he stood up), rinsed him, and got him out. He continued to throw himself around (Yes, a good 'ol fashioned Temper Tantrum). I got him a diaper, and carried him down *quietly* to the Naughty Chair. I had myself a seat on the loveseat, as I wanted a time out from the noise, while he yelled some more (but amazingly, stayed in the chair). They always surprise me. When I'd waited a minute or so, I put my finger to my lips, and he got quiet (but it NeVeR works in church), and he stopped. I walked over there, and got him. He was okay. We did some other stuff (he crawled all over my bed, ate pretzels in it-till it was good & crumby and uncomfortable), then got snack, stories, and bed. I was so tired (the one-two punch: sick plus tantrum=so very tired).
I have to wrap it up early-I'm off to bed. I don't want this to get worse (you know, tamper with my weekend!). I am hosting Easter (non-traditional lasagna) dinner-and we have to have an egg hunt and maybe I'll clean if I'm feeling better! I Clorox-wiped the bathrooms, and I've vacuumed/dusted, so I may call it good. Laundry is washing now, so I just need to work on towel-washing, wood floors, and deal with the pile of junkish-stuff called my desk. It ends up as the family catch-all (art, permission slips, assignments, computers, arty paper bits, pens, awards, library books, newspaper clippings, mail, magazines, baggy with ear tube that fell out-yes-gross, notepads, paper towel, calendar, pictures, oj glass, ribbon). You get the idea. It gets cleaned, and within 24 hours, it's a mess again! : O
ok, right now there are Pirates (real ones) who've tried to Take Over an American Ship. Does this STILL happen?
