My oldest son, who is almost 4, has quite a silly nature. From time to time we horse around and act funny. One day he will love me for this picture. I figured I should publish it here as a reminder of how funny he can be.
Notice the grey band? Yep, it is his underwear. The boy had just gotten out of the bath and would not put on his underroos! I was playing around and stuck them on his head. He thought this was a really great game and would not take them off.
We are starting to get our rainy season here in the dusty city we call home. Our spring storms come and go and almost always carry dust with them. Sometimes when it rains it is raining mud–quite interesting really. Last night when the rain was heading our way, we had just gotten out of the van (we went and ate dinner at Rosa’s–yummy!) I thought a wall of dirt was coming toward us and I commented to Doc, “Oh, great. Here comes the dust storm.” We were trying to get the garage door closed when we realized it was actually rain. This has happened to me two times where I saw a “wall” of something and it ended up being something completely different. One time we were driving to Lowe’s and nearly stopped and turned around because we saw a dark wall of something (we thought it might be a tornado) coming toward us. Now, I have never actually “seen” a tornado, so I am sure that to a more experienced person, this sounds hilarious, but to me it looked like a tornado.
Anyway, with the much needed rain (3 inches in 24 hours)–we got this:
Looks like snow, huh? It is hail. Here is a closeup:
Big Brother thought the show was quite cool. It was his first chance to ever get up close to hail. He thought it was cold and wanted to go out into it. We had to tell him that walking out into the hail would hurt because it would bop him on the head and give him an owie. (like the little kid talk?)
I noticed for the first time that hail has a “core”–the layers of the ice are frozen over each other. I had never realized that before. The “scientist” in me had to learn a little more about this because I wanted to get an explanation. I found this really cool animation:
I love learning new things like this–I am such a nerd!!
Oh, and I went to check on the garden after the hail storm. I discovered that our vegetables are quite hardy!! Only 1 broken leaf. I imagined a garden that was destroyed and felt bad because Big Brother would be sad.
It seems Baby Brother is a very aggressive little boy. He likes to Climb and play. Now he has taken up bothering Big Brother. First it was just that Baby Boy was pulling up on Big Brother (and grabbing his arm/leg/shirt/shorts while doing it.) Now Baby Boy likes to hit Big Brother in/on the face/arm/leg/head with his hand or whatever toy he has in his hands. Upon doing this he just grins and giggles. Baby Brother knows the meaning of “No.” He doesn’t like being told “No.” I really am trying to say something other than the “N” word, but it doesn’t help much. From experience with Big Brother, I know that this will take time to teach him. The problem is listening to Big Brother tell me that Baby Brother is hitting him, or that he is doing “bad” things, or he is being “ugly” to him. The last two days Big Brother has actually asked me to put him into the play yard so that Baby Boy cannot get to him. It is really hard to explain to a 3 year old that Baby Boy doesn’t understand that he is hurting you or that he shouldn’t do it. I try to tell him that it will take a long time for baby Boy to learn these lessons. Big Brother’s response is: “He’s still doing it today–You taught him yesterday!”
Oh, fun. Any suggestions/advice/etc… is welcomed. I don’t think I should let it go–at the same time I don’t want Baby Boy to start saying “No” all the time either. I was really lucky with Big Brother. He didn’t say “No” all the time. I have heard of kids saying it all the time because they constantly hear it and realize it is a powerful word.
I was sleeping soundly this morning when, all of a sudden, I hear…”Mommy, I cannot sleep anymore.” I told Big Brother, “Do you want to get in my bed and watch TV?” First he said, “Sure, Mommy.” Then I heard wretching noises–He was vomiting all over my bedroom carpet. He started yelling and running to the kitchen–vomiting all the way. Ugh…some mornings I DON’T want to get out of bed.
When will I see 2 weeks without any sick kids?? This is one of the reasons I decided to only work part time next year.
Well, it has been about a month since we planted our garden in the back yard. Big Brother and I have been watering it every other day. I think it is about time to put the mulch on. I waited so that the seeds could get a good start. Now, I am thinking mulching would be good since everytime I go out to water the ground is cracked. We thoroughly soak the plantar every other day and the sprinkler system runs too. It should be interesting to see how they do when it truly gets hot outside.
Anyway, here are our updated pictures. I believe this is squash, green beans and radishes. The okra has not seemed to grow yet (unless, of course, one of these plants is okra). I still need to go buy a tomato plant as well.
I forgot to add, the following are pictures of our herbs. So far the cilantro and the basil are growing great. The chives are wonderful as well, although I suspect something is coming over and eating them (a black cat maybe? I have seen him in the neighborhood. Do cats eat chives??) The Thyme and the Oregano, on the other hand are a pretty sad sight (or not a sight at all). Here they are (or in the case of the thyme, here it is not).
Well, I thought I would other people’s leads and post my 2 week menu:
Sat: Ham, Potato, cheese Bake (45 min-1 hour)
Sun: Pizza (sausage) (20 min–I premake the pizza crust the day before) Marie Calendar’s Lasagna and bread
Mon: Shake and Bake pork chops, couscous, and green beans (20 min)
Tues: Leftovers Ate out at Rosa’s
Wed: Meatball and Macaroni soup with sandwiches (30 min) Leftover Ham, Potato, cheese bake
Thur: Chili Dogs (20 min) Meatball and Macaroni soup with sandwiches (30 min)
Fri: eat out Fend for yourself
Sat: Fend for yourself Chili Dogs (20 min)
Sun: Chicken Divan (30 min)
Mon: Steak, Potatoes Au Gratin, Green Beans (40 min)
Tues: Chicken Tetrazini (30 min)
Wed: Chalupas (20 min)
Thur: Fend for yourself
Fri: Eat out
Sat: Chicken Tortilla soup and sandwiches (30 min)
As you can see we have made some changes as the week has progressed. So Far we haven’t strayed off of our menu though. Now, if I could only get in the mood for chili dogs…
We are home! Baby Boy came through surgery with flying colors!! The doctor told us that he was glad he did the surgery because the fluid in his ears had become gummy-like. He said that he could literally pull out strings of clear gummy fluid. (Ooh, sorry for the visual image you are getting right now). He also said that the fluid had been in his ears for some time (a lot longer than 3 months) and that the problem would not have gone away. This could have permanently damaged his ears and we would have been going back and forth to the doctor many more times. Both ears were infected (particularly his right ear). The surgeon described it as a red balloon blown up and then squeezed. (sounds painful to me).
Our experience was pretty good. When we arrived at the hospital I checked Baby Boy in and was called into the prep room within 5 minutes. While in there they took his vitals, we dressed him in a gown and waited until they were ready for him in surgery. About an hour later we were escorted to another room where the surgeon, anesthesia resident and the attending anesthesia resident and about 2 or 3 nurses were waiting for us. They let Baby Boy play with the nose/mouth cover that they planned to use in putting oxygen on him (to get used to it). They talked to him and let him get comfortable with him. Then they gave him some medicine to make him “drunk-happy.” He took it pretty easily via mouth and about 20 minutes later he was all smiles to everyone and really loopy. It was pretty funny as he was incredibly happy. He could only smile at everyone. The nurses took him (he didn’t cry at all–because of the drugs, obviously). We waved goodbye to him and he waved back. The last time I saw him he was looking up at the nurse with the cutest little smile on his face.
Doc and I went to get coffee and a danish. By the time we finished (about 20 minutes later) they called Doc on his cell phone and we went to go see Baby Boy. He was drinking his 4th glucose bottle and immediately started crying when he saw me. He was aware, but the nurse suspected that he might still be hallucinating a little due to the anesthesia wearing off. I got him and we went to an observation room for about 30-40 more minutes. He cried quite a bit and drank most of his formula bottle. We finally got the okay to go home and once we left he didn’t cry at all anymore. By the time I was across town and almost home he had started clapping and cooing in the back of the van. I got him home and he immediately went to play. I think he was really happy to be home and away from the hospital.
Right now he is asleep. Here are a couple of pictures I took once we got home. Evidence that he is a healthy and happy boy.
It has been my experience the past 4 years that I am unable to keep our house clean if I am working fulltime. Heck, I had a hard time keeping it clean even when I was home with Big Brother. Recently I put much of my efforts into keeping just our living area and kitchen clean each night. I actually did well–The area remained clean for almost a month. I dusted regularly, vaccumed a couple of times each week. Each night I did all the dishes, cleaned off the kitchen counters and the dining room table. I would clean up all the toys in the living room and straighten any mess that we had made. I did this without fail and went to bed exhausted each night. I had worked all day, picked up the boys, come home and made dinner, put the boys to bed and then cleaned the kitchen. Now, I don’t want to sound like a martyr–My husband helped me, as he always does. Anyway, I was exhausted. Then, night float came…and I couldn’t hack it by myself. The house went to shit–and now here we are. The house is once again a mess (back to its normal look) and I am typing on the computer.
Any suggestions? I have tried the method of cleaning certain parts of the house at different times of the week, but let’s face it–I was only trying to keep the living room and kitchen clean. I was not even worrying about the rest of the house. I am thinking I am probably not quite organized enough to tackle a different part of the house at different times of the week. The other thing that bothers me is not ever having things clean because when I only clean part of the house it is impossible to ever see all of it clean at the same time. Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Now, you have to understand…I love our daycare. Big Brother has been attending for almost 3 years. Baby Boy has been there since August. With that said, there are some things I hate about daycare. Ear infections and green snot springs to mind. Oh, and when you come to pick up the boys and you have written on your sheet that Baby Boy walked today!!! Now, don’t get me wrong–it is great that they wrote it down for me. They are not at fault here. It just chaps my hide that he can do it and I wasn’t the first one to see it. It also chaps my hide that he will not do it for me!!! That is right! The boy will walk for his daycare worker, but not for the lady who birthed all 9 lbs, 11 oz. of him!!! I better start seeing some pitter-pattering of the feet—let me tell you!
With that all said, I realize that the last thing I want is for him to be walking. He is already trying to climb onto the fireplace via his rocker bike or whatever other toy he has that he can stand on. Yes, Doc and I have decided that Baby Boy is a little more rambunctious than Big Brother ever was. We definitely have our hands full.
Well, I have been shopping for groceries by the month for 2 months now. I really like it because I only have to go shopping (hardcore) once a month. I also like it because I feel like I am saving a little money. Here’s the problem…I have started shopping more with coupons at CVS and Walgreens and Walmart and now I realize that I will have to go grocery shopping more often or I won’t get the deals that I would get if I shopped each week or every other week. So, I am planning to go shopping this next time for a two week period. I have to admit–only shopping once a month was spoiling me BIG TIME! There are things that I can still buy in “bulk” that won’t matter, but there are other things that I can save money on (and plan to).
I have to give a special “Thank You” to my friend at AJandCompany for inspiring me to earn Extra Care Bucks at CVS and save a little money. So far it has gotten me about 5 bottles of tylenol (generic) and a man’s speedstick for free! I am planning on mastering this game pretty quickly. I am enjoying it too! Here is AJ’s website if you would like to take a peek: http://www.freewebs.com/ajandcompany/
This girl makes her own laundry detergent!! I am so impressed!
Anyway, just thought I would share with you my new plan to shop for 2 weeks worth of groceries. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Our Baby Boy is getting ear tubes. We found out today. He is getting them to prevent permanent hearing loss and damage to the inner ear from reoccuring ear infections and fluid buildup in his ears. He will have his surgery on Thursday morning. I got some additional info from Web MD.–
There is also a great diagram of the ear in that article on Web MD.
For those of you who are going through this or may go through this–these are the things we tried to overcome the ear infections (without any luck).
-Antibiotics such as: Amoxicillan, Omniceph, and Augmintin
-Shots: Rocephin
-Singulair and Zyrtec
Anyway, hopefully this will help some of you going through the same thing or wondering about it. Talk to your doctor–ask questions. That is the best advice anyone can give you.
I have tried twice to write and publish posts tonight–with no luck! I have somehow not saved them or published them. I try to view them and they are gone!!! UGH!!! Well, I guess we will try a third time!
While watching the returns on Pennsylvania last night, I saw this commercial. I was truly excited to see a prominent Democrat and a prominent Republican working together toward saving our planet. Check it out and definitely go see the website.
As gas prices go up and electricity gets more expensive, I am wondering…how do all of you keep your budget within your means?? As I prepare to become a stay at home mom/part-time professional, what are some things that I could do to save money. Right now we have a budget, I cook as much as possible, and we’ve trimmed some money off our grocery bill. Any other suggestions?
