I feel like one of those magazine makeovers gone horribly wrong. Instead of an All New You! I've ended up with an All New Flu! And let me tell you, even Cosmo couldn't sell this one.
BabyGirl came down with the lovely bug from the pit of Hell just under 2 weeks ago. She woke up on a Thursday with a low fever and an upset stomach. My knee jerk reaction was, "OMG! THE FLU!" but Husband, who is normally much calmer in certain situations, said to wait and see.
So I waited all night.....and I was right. It was flu. I loaded up the girls and took them to see our new NP who promptly put the entire family on Tamiflu. Well, at least she tried. The kids scripts were all fully covered (once I hunted down a pharmacy that actually had the medicine in stock- can I just say dragging a child so sick she's threatening to pass out all over town looking for medicine that while my boys are probably infecting family members 15 miles away and I've been on the run since 5:30 in the morning is not the way to spend an afternoon? I'm going to say it anyway) but Husband and I were going to cost over $200. I decided that was a bit much to spend on a preventative.
I was wrong.
It would have been so very worth it.
BabyGirl was up and going by Wednesday. I, on the other hand, have been in my bed since Tuesday night. Well, in my dreams I have been. In reality I spent about 2 days there then Husband went back to work, Bitsy came down with a 24 hour stomach bug, and I had to move my base of operations from the bed to the couch.
Things are not pretty around here.
We are on a slow decent into chaos.
Actually, it's not been that slow. It's been more like riding The American Eagle.
Husband will be here. He will make sure everyone is fed and dressed and out the door to school and life is golden, or as golden as it gets when your temperature is hovering around 101.3 and you feel like your spinal column is trying to escape from your back of it's own volition. We will happily climb to the highest heights watching the world spin away beneath us. Then something will happen. Someone will touch a sibling. Someone will get to play 7.3 seconds longer on the Wii than someone else. Someone will decide they need to sing while everyone else watches The Avengers and suddenly we've gone as high as we can go. A rapid, terrifying decent commences. There's screaming. There's crying. Hands fly up in the air. People bargain with God and a certain heavily medicated mother goes bat crap crazy on everyone in a 3 mile radius.
The CDC was right. Flu shots do save lives. The lives of FarmHands left alone with a mother too sick to deal with their normal shenanigans.
So get those flu shots people. Do it for the children.
And yes, as a matter of fact, I am suffering from a serious cold medicine hangover. Why do you ask?
Showing posts with label Bad Days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad Days. Show all posts
January 26, 2013
September 26, 2012
Deep, cleansing breaths
Today can end at any moment. I'm done with it. In fact, if this week would like to be over, it has my full blessing.
Work has been less than pleasant this week. We've had real, life changing tragedies, mini-meltdowns, equipment failure on a massive level, and more than our fair share of mishaps in the past 3 days.
Without going into details, there is a family in our area dealing with the sudden and unexpected death of their 6 month old son. They truly need your prayers. That is how our Monday started.
Yesterday involved a rather lengthy power outage, an overly hectic lunch prep, and a freezer malfunction.
Today we faced an early morning fire alarm on the fritz, an extra messy lunch prep, a rather unpleasant game of "find the hidden roast in the extraordinarily over stuffed second freezer," and a last minute realization that roll dough had to be made before we could leave. In fact, we left 20 minutes later than usual because of the mess.
In fact, if it wasn't for the sincere affection I have for the people I work with (Miss T, in particular), and the honest joy I find in seeing a school full of children every day, I might be ready to toss in the towel.
I do love my job. I do enjoy being there. I do hope tomorrow goes more smoothly.
Work has been less than pleasant this week. We've had real, life changing tragedies, mini-meltdowns, equipment failure on a massive level, and more than our fair share of mishaps in the past 3 days.
Without going into details, there is a family in our area dealing with the sudden and unexpected death of their 6 month old son. They truly need your prayers. That is how our Monday started.
Yesterday involved a rather lengthy power outage, an overly hectic lunch prep, and a freezer malfunction.
Today we faced an early morning fire alarm on the fritz, an extra messy lunch prep, a rather unpleasant game of "find the hidden roast in the extraordinarily over stuffed second freezer," and a last minute realization that roll dough had to be made before we could leave. In fact, we left 20 minutes later than usual because of the mess.
In fact, if it wasn't for the sincere affection I have for the people I work with (Miss T, in particular), and the honest joy I find in seeing a school full of children every day, I might be ready to toss in the towel.
I do love my job. I do enjoy being there. I do hope tomorrow goes more smoothly.
August 13, 2012
I never should have opened my big fat mouth.
Just when I thought this summer was at it's super sucky pinnacle- the climb got a little higher.
BabyGirl fell off her cousin's ATV this afternoon and broke her wrist.
We were going to have an overlap of about 20 minutes between Husband leaving for work & me getting home (this was my second day to work this year, but the first day of my official full time job) so we asked J if he could keep the kids for us. About 30 seconds after I pulled into the drive totally exhausted, and in serious need of a few minutes of downtime, J pulled in to the back yard on his 4 wheeler. BabyGirl was crying and cradling her arm. Apparently they were going up a hill and she rolled off the side. She tried to break her fall with her hands.
After Rachie looked at it (she's our resident RN), I took BabyGirl to the ER. There must have been a memo that went out that said everyone in a 75 mile radius should come on into the ER this afternoon. Every bed was full. In fact, BabyGirl started to pass out in the waiting room (something she's prone to do) and they could only put her in a wheel chair in the ER hall way.
After 3 hours, an x-ray, splint, sling, and ice pack they sent us home with instructions to take her to see an orthopedic doctor as soon as we can.
The break is not bad. Her arm is cracked just below the wrist. The break didn't separate and the doctor said he thinks it will heal nicely but they want a specialist to be the one to make the decision on a cast.
Prior to all of this Baby, the cat that B.B. has had since he was 18 months old, died.
I'm so over this summer.
BabyGirl fell off her cousin's ATV this afternoon and broke her wrist.
We were going to have an overlap of about 20 minutes between Husband leaving for work & me getting home (this was my second day to work this year, but the first day of my official full time job) so we asked J if he could keep the kids for us. About 30 seconds after I pulled into the drive totally exhausted, and in serious need of a few minutes of downtime, J pulled in to the back yard on his 4 wheeler. BabyGirl was crying and cradling her arm. Apparently they were going up a hill and she rolled off the side. She tried to break her fall with her hands.
After Rachie looked at it (she's our resident RN), I took BabyGirl to the ER. There must have been a memo that went out that said everyone in a 75 mile radius should come on into the ER this afternoon. Every bed was full. In fact, BabyGirl started to pass out in the waiting room (something she's prone to do) and they could only put her in a wheel chair in the ER hall way.
After 3 hours, an x-ray, splint, sling, and ice pack they sent us home with instructions to take her to see an orthopedic doctor as soon as we can.
The break is not bad. Her arm is cracked just below the wrist. The break didn't separate and the doctor said he thinks it will heal nicely but they want a specialist to be the one to make the decision on a cast.
Prior to all of this Baby, the cat that B.B. has had since he was 18 months old, died.
I'm so over this summer.
July 27, 2012
Adventures in Colitis- Not for the Weak of Stomach
Many of you already know what has been happening on the Farm, but not the entire story....and then I'm sure there are those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about (assuming someone other than my cousin and best friend still read this).
It's been a tough week to say the very least. A week I pray I never have to relive. A week I really wish would be over & done with but unfortunately will have a few repercussions.
Monday afternoon Uncle Gick came to stay with the FarmHands while Busha took me into town to see Dr.R (the surgeon who took out my appendix). I fell asleep on and off all the way to his office. I was in more pain than I've been in since they made me get out of bed after my first c-section (on the 1-10 scale I was at a 10). When we walked into the waiting room, the receptionist asked if I'd gotten her voice mail. For the record, my voice mail message says, "I do not check this mail box. If you need to get in touch with me, keep calling." So, no, I hadn't.
She was trying to let me know that Dr.R wanted me to have blood work taken before I came into his office. Good news: the lab is 2 doors down from his office in the same building. Bad news: I have to walk half way around the building to get in the elevator, go back to the first floor, stand in line and register as a hospital patient to have the blood drawn in the first place. By the time I got back in his office, it was a full hour later and I was still in serious pain.
When the nurse came to get me, Busha and I started down the hall. A few steps in and I had to steady myself on a door frame because I was light headed. On the off chance that they would need a stool sample, I took one at home and brought it in with me (seriously unpleasant, I know, but after waking up to bloody diarrhea I thought it was a prudent step to take). I also wrote down everything that had taken place since my symptoms first began because I knew in my state of mind I would forget quite a few key points like days of the week. Dr.R looked over everything (including my sample), did a serious examination of my abdomen and torso and told me he was admitting me to the hospital. He was not a happy man.
I was seriously dehydrated. He ordered IV fluids in massive amounts and a CT scan once I'd had a full bag of fluid. Busha took me to the hospital and the real fun began. I look like I've been on a heroin bender if you go by all the track marks on my my arms. When you're dehydrated it's not easy to hit a vein and keep it from blowing out especially when you need a bigger needle to put CT contrast through. 2 nurses and 4 needle sticks later, they called in the anesthesiologist nurse to get my IV going.
Eventually a dose of Toradol and a bolus of fluid made me comfortable enough to stretch out so I could lay down for the CT. My second CT in 2 months, mind you. After I was settled and a bit more comfortable, Busha went home. Dr.R came in just after 9 to tell me I didn't have any bowl obstruction but that my entire colon lit up like a light bulb.
Sleeping in the hospital wouldn't have been bad if it hadn't been for the 800 times a night they had to come check and see if I was still alive. Toradol every 6 hours wasn't bad either. More samples were collected, more labs done, more blood drawn.
The next morning Dr.H came in to see why I was back in the hospital. I told him I had decided to spend my summer there. "If I had 37 kids, I'd spend my summer here, too!" he said. I love my doctors. He took me off all food or drink by mouth and went off to investigate what was going on with me. Dr.R said he thought Dr.H was trying to starve me to death when he discovered the NPO order a few hours later. I told him they'd have to duke it out amongst themselves. I didn't care so long as no one took my pain meds away.
I'm not sure when it happened, but eventually words like inflammation, ulcerative colitis, crohns, colonoscopy, and flexible sigmoidoscopy started getting tossed around.
Wednesday morning rolled around and Dr.R scheduled me for what is affectionately known as a flex sig (see above paragraph). He didn't want to go in for a full colonoscopy because there was a massive amount of inflammation and he didn't want to risk perforating my colon. Personally, I'd like to keep my colon un-perforated as well. That involved being put under conscious sedation (that is a bit of a misnomer). I don't remember anything before they moved me from the gurney back into my bed in my room. Ulcerative Colitis was his initial suspicion.
Wednesday they finally decided I could be put on a clear liquid diet. By that time I hadn't ingested anything since the glass of lemonade I nursed all Monday morning. Chicken broth has never tasted so good. Do you have any clue how many food commercials are on television each hour? At least 85,000.
After breakfast (my third meal of chick broth, orange jell-o, apple juice, and a Popsicle in a row) on Thursday, Dr.R came back and said all my tests had come back negative and I was feeling leaps and bounds better so he thought I should eat & possibly go home.
My pathology reports from the flex sig are negative. All my cultures, samples, blood work, and other various tests are clean. Right now it's a guessing game. Dr.R has me on medication for Ulcerative Colitis until I see him again Friday, August 3rd. He said there will eventually be a full blown colonoscopy but he wants to wait until he's sure my colon has healed from this flare up.
I'm praying this was caused by some kind of infection/bacteria that isn't going to be an on going battle (U.C. is a chronic condition and not something I'd wish on my worst enemy). Things are beginning to return to normal. QM is here taking care of all of us. I'm resting as much as I can.
Maybe next time I'll tell you about my rather entertaining neighbor from the hospital.
It's been a tough week to say the very least. A week I pray I never have to relive. A week I really wish would be over & done with but unfortunately will have a few repercussions.
Monday afternoon Uncle Gick came to stay with the FarmHands while Busha took me into town to see Dr.R (the surgeon who took out my appendix). I fell asleep on and off all the way to his office. I was in more pain than I've been in since they made me get out of bed after my first c-section (on the 1-10 scale I was at a 10). When we walked into the waiting room, the receptionist asked if I'd gotten her voice mail. For the record, my voice mail message says, "I do not check this mail box. If you need to get in touch with me, keep calling." So, no, I hadn't.
She was trying to let me know that Dr.R wanted me to have blood work taken before I came into his office. Good news: the lab is 2 doors down from his office in the same building. Bad news: I have to walk half way around the building to get in the elevator, go back to the first floor, stand in line and register as a hospital patient to have the blood drawn in the first place. By the time I got back in his office, it was a full hour later and I was still in serious pain.
When the nurse came to get me, Busha and I started down the hall. A few steps in and I had to steady myself on a door frame because I was light headed. On the off chance that they would need a stool sample, I took one at home and brought it in with me (seriously unpleasant, I know, but after waking up to bloody diarrhea I thought it was a prudent step to take). I also wrote down everything that had taken place since my symptoms first began because I knew in my state of mind I would forget quite a few key points like days of the week. Dr.R looked over everything (including my sample), did a serious examination of my abdomen and torso and told me he was admitting me to the hospital. He was not a happy man.
I was seriously dehydrated. He ordered IV fluids in massive amounts and a CT scan once I'd had a full bag of fluid. Busha took me to the hospital and the real fun began. I look like I've been on a heroin bender if you go by all the track marks on my my arms. When you're dehydrated it's not easy to hit a vein and keep it from blowing out especially when you need a bigger needle to put CT contrast through. 2 nurses and 4 needle sticks later, they called in the anesthesiologist nurse to get my IV going.
Eventually a dose of Toradol and a bolus of fluid made me comfortable enough to stretch out so I could lay down for the CT. My second CT in 2 months, mind you. After I was settled and a bit more comfortable, Busha went home. Dr.R came in just after 9 to tell me I didn't have any bowl obstruction but that my entire colon lit up like a light bulb.
Sleeping in the hospital wouldn't have been bad if it hadn't been for the 800 times a night they had to come check and see if I was still alive. Toradol every 6 hours wasn't bad either. More samples were collected, more labs done, more blood drawn.
The next morning Dr.H came in to see why I was back in the hospital. I told him I had decided to spend my summer there. "If I had 37 kids, I'd spend my summer here, too!" he said. I love my doctors. He took me off all food or drink by mouth and went off to investigate what was going on with me. Dr.R said he thought Dr.H was trying to starve me to death when he discovered the NPO order a few hours later. I told him they'd have to duke it out amongst themselves. I didn't care so long as no one took my pain meds away.
I'm not sure when it happened, but eventually words like inflammation, ulcerative colitis, crohns, colonoscopy, and flexible sigmoidoscopy started getting tossed around.
Wednesday morning rolled around and Dr.R scheduled me for what is affectionately known as a flex sig (see above paragraph). He didn't want to go in for a full colonoscopy because there was a massive amount of inflammation and he didn't want to risk perforating my colon. Personally, I'd like to keep my colon un-perforated as well. That involved being put under conscious sedation (that is a bit of a misnomer). I don't remember anything before they moved me from the gurney back into my bed in my room. Ulcerative Colitis was his initial suspicion.
Wednesday they finally decided I could be put on a clear liquid diet. By that time I hadn't ingested anything since the glass of lemonade I nursed all Monday morning. Chicken broth has never tasted so good. Do you have any clue how many food commercials are on television each hour? At least 85,000.
After breakfast (my third meal of chick broth, orange jell-o, apple juice, and a Popsicle in a row) on Thursday, Dr.R came back and said all my tests had come back negative and I was feeling leaps and bounds better so he thought I should eat & possibly go home.
My pathology reports from the flex sig are negative. All my cultures, samples, blood work, and other various tests are clean. Right now it's a guessing game. Dr.R has me on medication for Ulcerative Colitis until I see him again Friday, August 3rd. He said there will eventually be a full blown colonoscopy but he wants to wait until he's sure my colon has healed from this flare up.
I'm praying this was caused by some kind of infection/bacteria that isn't going to be an on going battle (U.C. is a chronic condition and not something I'd wish on my worst enemy). Things are beginning to return to normal. QM is here taking care of all of us. I'm resting as much as I can.
Maybe next time I'll tell you about my rather entertaining neighbor from the hospital.
July 23, 2012
The weekend of Art (and TMI)
Art came to see me this weekend. At first the trip was to be a surprise, but she gave up on that idea very early on in the game.
I was so excited to have her coming...and then Thursday hit. I ended up sick. Without going into gory details, I was having stomach issues. I figured it was no big deal. She wouldn't be here until Friday night & I'd be all better by then.
Well, I wasn't. Friday afternoon rolled around & I opted to take an Imodium AD thinking it would take care of the problem & I'd be good to go for the weekend. It took care of one problem, but seemed to lead to a whole mess of other issues.
I was in pain. A lot of pain. Like pre-appendectomy pain. Saturday, Art convinced me that I needed to go to the doctor. Unfortunately we made it to town a little late & ended up in the ER instead of the walk-in clinic.
3 hours later they sent me home saying there was no infection so my pain was probably related to my surgery (that happened a month and a half ago....that hasn't caused me pain of any kind in weeks). They gave me a shot of Torodol that wore off before we ever left the hospital.
Saturday was spent laying on the couch- hurting.
Sunday was spent laying on the couch - hurting. Sunday morning, when I found myself unable to pee, I called the hospital and made them page my surgeon. He was off on vacation and had a house full of people. But he told me he wanted me on clear liquids for the rest of the day (by this time the only thing I'd eaten in nearly 24 hours was 1/2 an order of McDonalds fries on Saturday afternoon- yes, the pinnacle of heath, but it was the only thing that sounded remotely appetizing and I was starved). He said it sounded like I either had a stomach bug and had blocked everything off taking the Imodium or I have scar tissue adhesion from my surgery that has caused a bowl blockage. Either way, he said the best way to go was clear liquids and wait to see if things being working on their own. If I was still in pain, he wanted to see me in his office this afternoon.
They're going to work me in at 3.
The QM says that when I get better I owe Art a visit in Tennessee to make up for the failed visit here. I think that's a splendid idea....or I would if I thought anything was splendid right now. It's hard to see the bright side when your stomach hurts like that chick who had an alien pop out of hers. I'm so glad Art was here. I only wish things could have been, "Way funner," to quote Elle Woods.
I was so excited to have her coming...and then Thursday hit. I ended up sick. Without going into gory details, I was having stomach issues. I figured it was no big deal. She wouldn't be here until Friday night & I'd be all better by then.
Well, I wasn't. Friday afternoon rolled around & I opted to take an Imodium AD thinking it would take care of the problem & I'd be good to go for the weekend. It took care of one problem, but seemed to lead to a whole mess of other issues.
I was in pain. A lot of pain. Like pre-appendectomy pain. Saturday, Art convinced me that I needed to go to the doctor. Unfortunately we made it to town a little late & ended up in the ER instead of the walk-in clinic.
3 hours later they sent me home saying there was no infection so my pain was probably related to my surgery (that happened a month and a half ago....that hasn't caused me pain of any kind in weeks). They gave me a shot of Torodol that wore off before we ever left the hospital.
Saturday was spent laying on the couch- hurting.
Sunday was spent laying on the couch - hurting. Sunday morning, when I found myself unable to pee, I called the hospital and made them page my surgeon. He was off on vacation and had a house full of people. But he told me he wanted me on clear liquids for the rest of the day (by this time the only thing I'd eaten in nearly 24 hours was 1/2 an order of McDonalds fries on Saturday afternoon- yes, the pinnacle of heath, but it was the only thing that sounded remotely appetizing and I was starved). He said it sounded like I either had a stomach bug and had blocked everything off taking the Imodium or I have scar tissue adhesion from my surgery that has caused a bowl blockage. Either way, he said the best way to go was clear liquids and wait to see if things being working on their own. If I was still in pain, he wanted to see me in his office this afternoon.
They're going to work me in at 3.
The QM says that when I get better I owe Art a visit in Tennessee to make up for the failed visit here. I think that's a splendid idea....or I would if I thought anything was splendid right now. It's hard to see the bright side when your stomach hurts like that chick who had an alien pop out of hers. I'm so glad Art was here. I only wish things could have been, "Way funner," to quote Elle Woods.
May 31, 2012
How to get an unscheduled day away from home.
Just come down with appendicitis.
Simple, right?
But I really don't suggest it.
Tuesday afternoon, around 5:30, I got sick. My first thought was that I had a wicked bad case of gas & no gas-x in the house. After trying every possible position to get comfortable I decided a hot bath would help. It did, but only very temporarily. It was Bucka's birthday and I had made him Cat Head Biscuits for dinner but had to call Busha and tell her we weren't coming because my stomach hurt too bad. Then came the vomiting. Fun. After 2 extra-strength Tylenol and an hour on the couch with my hot rice bag, I was comfortable enough to sleep....but only if I didn't move at all. It was a long night.
The next morning all 4 of the FarmHands had check-ups with our family doctor. Husband went with us & planned on sitting in the car while I took the kids in to see Doc. I told him I really thought I'd need his help inside. Doc took one look at me trying to walk & he new something was wrong. 15 minutes later I was on my way to the hospital for a CAT scan. By 1:30 that afternoon I was being wheeled down to surgery.
Grandma M&M had surgery in Indy on Monday so Mama was on her way to our neck of the woods when they took me back. That was a God send because we really need her help around here right now.
Apparently the surgeon asked me if I wanted to go home the same day and I told him no. I wanted to stay in the hospital over night because I didn't want to try to recover from surgery at home with 4 kids.
He opted to do an open appendectomy in stead of the laproscopic surgery because of how close my appendix was to the surface. He said it would be faster and easier to get to it if he just opened me up. I figured one opening as opposed to 3 sounded good to me.
I'm sorry if this post is a bit disjointed. Vicodin and I are buddy-buddy right now. I think it may be nap time.
Simple, right?
But I really don't suggest it.
Tuesday afternoon, around 5:30, I got sick. My first thought was that I had a wicked bad case of gas & no gas-x in the house. After trying every possible position to get comfortable I decided a hot bath would help. It did, but only very temporarily. It was Bucka's birthday and I had made him Cat Head Biscuits for dinner but had to call Busha and tell her we weren't coming because my stomach hurt too bad. Then came the vomiting. Fun. After 2 extra-strength Tylenol and an hour on the couch with my hot rice bag, I was comfortable enough to sleep....but only if I didn't move at all. It was a long night.
The next morning all 4 of the FarmHands had check-ups with our family doctor. Husband went with us & planned on sitting in the car while I took the kids in to see Doc. I told him I really thought I'd need his help inside. Doc took one look at me trying to walk & he new something was wrong. 15 minutes later I was on my way to the hospital for a CAT scan. By 1:30 that afternoon I was being wheeled down to surgery.
Grandma M&M had surgery in Indy on Monday so Mama was on her way to our neck of the woods when they took me back. That was a God send because we really need her help around here right now.
Apparently the surgeon asked me if I wanted to go home the same day and I told him no. I wanted to stay in the hospital over night because I didn't want to try to recover from surgery at home with 4 kids.
He opted to do an open appendectomy in stead of the laproscopic surgery because of how close my appendix was to the surface. He said it would be faster and easier to get to it if he just opened me up. I figured one opening as opposed to 3 sounded good to me.
I'm sorry if this post is a bit disjointed. Vicodin and I are buddy-buddy right now. I think it may be nap time.
April 18, 2012
Drum Roll Please......
I got the job!! Next year I will be the new head cook at the FarmHands' school. Both of the cooks are retiring at the end of this year so I thought I had a pretty good shot at one of the jobs. I'm a bit nervous about all the paper work involved, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes.
The day I found out was one of those days when any piece of good news is not only welcome, but necessary to one's mental stability. My laptop (that we bought in January) wouldn't let me get on line. I'd been on with tech support for our ISP for hours the day before & they assured me the problem was in the lap top.
After work on Monday I called Walmart to find out what to do with the computer. I talked to a woman in electronics and she told me I had until Friday (that would be 90 days from our original date of purchase) to return the lap top for an exchange. I had to take #1 Son to the lab in the hospital to have his cheek (and never ending case of impetigo) cultured, so I was going to take the computer back during that trip to town. I spent the next 40 minutes frantically dumping any kind of information we had put on the computer- programs, photographs, pass words, music- not knowing I could just restore the computer to it's factory settings. All the while, I was furious because it took me hours to get all those photos loaded and tagged and edited the way I wanted. And it took almost as long to get all my music transferred (and I really don't have that much music on my Zune).
By the time I threw Bitsy in the van and headed in to school (at the very last minute) to get the FarmHands, I was frazzled far too near to my breaking point. At the hospital we had to wait for 20 minutes to get registered (normally we wait less than 5 minutes) and with 4 kids in an environment that demands calmness, that is not fun. Finally got done there and headed to Walmart where they proceed to tell me they don't exchange computers after 15 days from the time of purchase. I explained that I called at 2 o'clock and spoke to a woman who assured me I could even after I gave her the date on our receipt. Everyone was baffled (including the woman working in electronics who said she hadn't spoken to me) and since I didn't get her name, I was out of luck. The did give me a warranty page so I could get a hold of HP (since there wasn't one in the computer box at all) and apologized profusely for the misunderstanding.
I loaded the FarmHands back up & warned them that I needed a totally silent ride home or I might just fall apart. For the most part, they listened.
As soon as I got home I called HP's warranty hot line and spent the next TWO HOURS and FIFTEEN MINUTES on the phone with my new Indian bff- Samantha. After trying 75,000 different things and eventually returning the computer (that still held a bit of the personalizations I'd stored) to it's factory settings, it still did not work. I finally had to tell Samantha I couldn't work on it any more. It was 7:35 and my children still needed to be bathed, fed, and sent to bed.
That night was the school board meeting that would decide if I would have a job next year or not. I spent the next 2 hours nervously fidgeting and waiting for a phone call that might not come till morning if it came at all. By 9:45 I was about to snap like an over tightened guitar string. I decided a hot bath was in order. I had no more than stretched out in the tub than the phone rang. Sure it was Husband calling to see if I'd heard anything about the board meeting, I answered from the tub. It was the principal.
He congratulated me and told me who got the other job then told me they'd let me know about a training schedule as soon as they get one worked out. I called Husband, Mom, and Art to let them know the good news then finally decided I'd better get out of the bath.
As I was getting ready for bed, I noticed the light was still on in BabyGirl's room (it was 11 o'clock at night by this point). When I got on to her for still being up she said, "But Mom, I read the end of the chapter and had to find out what was going to happen next! I just couldn't stop reading!" Since BabyGirl doesn't read willingly, I couldn't really get on to her.
Then I told her I was going to be a cook at her school full time next year & that's when the best thing that happened all day occurred. My daughter- willingly and of her own accord- hugged me! She not only hugged me, but she hugged me and said, "Awesome!"
It was a good day after all.
Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes.
The day I found out was one of those days when any piece of good news is not only welcome, but necessary to one's mental stability. My laptop (that we bought in January) wouldn't let me get on line. I'd been on with tech support for our ISP for hours the day before & they assured me the problem was in the lap top.
After work on Monday I called Walmart to find out what to do with the computer. I talked to a woman in electronics and she told me I had until Friday (that would be 90 days from our original date of purchase) to return the lap top for an exchange. I had to take #1 Son to the lab in the hospital to have his cheek (and never ending case of impetigo) cultured, so I was going to take the computer back during that trip to town. I spent the next 40 minutes frantically dumping any kind of information we had put on the computer- programs, photographs, pass words, music- not knowing I could just restore the computer to it's factory settings. All the while, I was furious because it took me hours to get all those photos loaded and tagged and edited the way I wanted. And it took almost as long to get all my music transferred (and I really don't have that much music on my Zune).
By the time I threw Bitsy in the van and headed in to school (at the very last minute) to get the FarmHands, I was frazzled far too near to my breaking point. At the hospital we had to wait for 20 minutes to get registered (normally we wait less than 5 minutes) and with 4 kids in an environment that demands calmness, that is not fun. Finally got done there and headed to Walmart where they proceed to tell me they don't exchange computers after 15 days from the time of purchase. I explained that I called at 2 o'clock and spoke to a woman who assured me I could even after I gave her the date on our receipt. Everyone was baffled (including the woman working in electronics who said she hadn't spoken to me) and since I didn't get her name, I was out of luck. The did give me a warranty page so I could get a hold of HP (since there wasn't one in the computer box at all) and apologized profusely for the misunderstanding.
I loaded the FarmHands back up & warned them that I needed a totally silent ride home or I might just fall apart. For the most part, they listened.
As soon as I got home I called HP's warranty hot line and spent the next TWO HOURS and FIFTEEN MINUTES on the phone with my new Indian bff- Samantha. After trying 75,000 different things and eventually returning the computer (that still held a bit of the personalizations I'd stored) to it's factory settings, it still did not work. I finally had to tell Samantha I couldn't work on it any more. It was 7:35 and my children still needed to be bathed, fed, and sent to bed.
That night was the school board meeting that would decide if I would have a job next year or not. I spent the next 2 hours nervously fidgeting and waiting for a phone call that might not come till morning if it came at all. By 9:45 I was about to snap like an over tightened guitar string. I decided a hot bath was in order. I had no more than stretched out in the tub than the phone rang. Sure it was Husband calling to see if I'd heard anything about the board meeting, I answered from the tub. It was the principal.
He congratulated me and told me who got the other job then told me they'd let me know about a training schedule as soon as they get one worked out. I called Husband, Mom, and Art to let them know the good news then finally decided I'd better get out of the bath.
As I was getting ready for bed, I noticed the light was still on in BabyGirl's room (it was 11 o'clock at night by this point). When I got on to her for still being up she said, "But Mom, I read the end of the chapter and had to find out what was going to happen next! I just couldn't stop reading!" Since BabyGirl doesn't read willingly, I couldn't really get on to her.
Then I told her I was going to be a cook at her school full time next year & that's when the best thing that happened all day occurred. My daughter- willingly and of her own accord- hugged me! She not only hugged me, but she hugged me and said, "Awesome!"
It was a good day after all.
December 22, 2011
An email I just sent to Walmart
Yesterday as I was in the check-out of the (insert nearest location to the Farm) Walmart, my 10 year old daughter passed out as she was walking out of the bathroom. I left my order on the line & ran to get her. As I was helping her up & trying to walk back to our line she collapsed again. I picked her up & put her in an empty cart sitting at the end of an aisle & went back to the register where my groceries were. Not a single Walmart employee offered to help & there were quite a few in the area watching us. The cashier who was checking me out asked what was wrong & I told her my daughter was sick & had passed out. After finishing my order & waiting for me to pay, she finally asked if I needed help getting my cart out to my vehicle. At that point I needed to get my daughter home as quickly as possible so I didn't want to wait any longer. I told her no & left the store.
As I was pushing one cart, pulling the other, and trying to keep an eye on my 4 year old who was also with me, the gentleman who works in the parking lot bringing in carts asked me if I needed assistance. When he saw my daughter laying in one of the carts, he did not wait for an answer. He immediately said, "You cannot do this alone. Let me help," as he took the cart full of groceries from me. He asked if my daughter was Ok and he unloaded the dog food I had under my cart. He then asked if I wanted him to finish unloading my cart as I was getting my girls buckled in. I said, "No thank you. I can handle it from here. Thank you so much for your help!" He told me he hoped my daughter would get better quickly & ended with, "God bless you. Merry Christmas," as he took both of my carts & walked away.
The man who helped me was obviously mentally disabled. I've been told his name is Keith. I was very shaken up & very worried about my daughter & he was the only person to come to my aid. He should be commended for his kindness & his desire to help.
Yeah, it's pretty well self explanatory. I thought about adding that the rest of the staff could really use a lesson in kindness from Keith & probably some training in what to do in case a customer has an emergency, but I decided to leave well enough alone. I think I got my point across without being overly critical. There are some really great people that work at our local Walmart but for some reason, none of them were around when I needed them.
As I was pushing one cart, pulling the other, and trying to keep an eye on my 4 year old who was also with me, the gentleman who works in the parking lot bringing in carts asked me if I needed assistance. When he saw my daughter laying in one of the carts, he did not wait for an answer. He immediately said, "You cannot do this alone. Let me help," as he took the cart full of groceries from me. He asked if my daughter was Ok and he unloaded the dog food I had under my cart. He then asked if I wanted him to finish unloading my cart as I was getting my girls buckled in. I said, "No thank you. I can handle it from here. Thank you so much for your help!" He told me he hoped my daughter would get better quickly & ended with, "God bless you. Merry Christmas," as he took both of my carts & walked away.
The man who helped me was obviously mentally disabled. I've been told his name is Keith. I was very shaken up & very worried about my daughter & he was the only person to come to my aid. He should be commended for his kindness & his desire to help.
Yeah, it's pretty well self explanatory. I thought about adding that the rest of the staff could really use a lesson in kindness from Keith & probably some training in what to do in case a customer has an emergency, but I decided to leave well enough alone. I think I got my point across without being overly critical. There are some really great people that work at our local Walmart but for some reason, none of them were around when I needed them.
March 3, 2011
Because I obviously didn't have enough to deal with this week.....
BabyGirl has head lice.
I will now pause a moment for you to get fully creeped out & scratch your head a few times because your skin just started crawling.
Done?
OK. Last night she was digging at her scalp shortly before bed time. I called her in to the kitchen where the light is the best & flipped her hair back from her neck.
There are no words to describe the feeling you get when you see bugs crawling on your child's scalp. None.
BabyGirl finally went to bed at just before 2 am after 3 1/2 hours of shampooing & nit combing. I made it to bed around 3.
This is so not a battle I want to fight right now. Thank goodness for www.headlice.org and all the info they've gathered.
I will now pause a moment for you to get fully creeped out & scratch your head a few times because your skin just started crawling.
Done?
OK. Last night she was digging at her scalp shortly before bed time. I called her in to the kitchen where the light is the best & flipped her hair back from her neck.
There are no words to describe the feeling you get when you see bugs crawling on your child's scalp. None.
BabyGirl finally went to bed at just before 2 am after 3 1/2 hours of shampooing & nit combing. I made it to bed around 3.
This is so not a battle I want to fight right now. Thank goodness for www.headlice.org and all the info they've gathered.
October 4, 2010
It just kept getting better.
Yesterday did not start off well. I was worn thin. Saturday was spent in E'ville with Husband and the kids while BabyGirl & #1 Son got caps & fillings at the dentist. Yuck. Especially since BabyGirl was so nervous she spent the morning crying & refusing to get ready to go, then got nauseous on the drive down.
We came home & I realized my kitchen was trashed & I had 4 loads of laundry that had to be washed. Daddy called & said he & QM would be bringing Grandma & Grandpa M&M by our house on their way home from vacation. That meant I couldn't leave the mess for later.
Yesterday I woke up to the boys fighting in the dark living room. It was 6 am (they're not supposed to leave their room before 8 am on the weekends) and they were looking for our Iron Man 2 DVD. They plugged their night light in under my bird cage and were rifling through the entertainment center. The DVD was in the Blu-ray player they're not allowed to touch. This did not go over well with Mama.
There was quite a bit of foot dragging & arguing while getting ready for church, one toy box completely dumped in the floor, some serious refusal to clean up any kind of mess, then entirely too much fidgeting & arguing during church. These things in combination do not do good things for this Mama. Add to that a husband who does minimal housework, worried about the state of the dishes & household affairs (most of which were taken care of prior to church) who's telling his wife what needs to be done, and the last remaining shreds of my composure were destroyed.
Husband took the boys & Bitsy outside to play. BabyGirl sequestered herself in her room. I finished my chores and crashed out on the couch with a DVD Que full of Criminal Minds. After a brief nap, things started looking up.
MIL came by with some pictures she found when they were cleaning out Husband's grandmother's house (she moved in with one of his aunts a few years back). Later she came by with 2 yellow creamer pitchers she'd saved from 2 of Husband's great-grandmother's kitchens. They are the sweetest little things & I promptly put them up with some things from my grandmothers kitchens.
A few minutes later NM & A Starry Night came by for a visit. NM was bringing a movie over for the boys & they ended up staying & chatting for more than an hour. It was so nice to get to have a real face to face conversation with grown ups while my kids played in the yard.
QM, Daddy, and The Grands got here about a quarter 'til seven. We sat around the dining table we inherited from Grandma & Grandpa M&M while they ate dinner (we'd had ours earlier) and we looked at vacation pictures. Bitsy even talked (she never does when there are people around). They didn't get to stay very long, but I will take what ever time with them I can get. And both Grandma & Grandpa were thrilled with the way their table & chair cleaned up (I have film being developed now so I should have pictures to post by the weekend).
I turned in early last night & watched a bit of Pride & Prejudice in bed before falling asleep.
It's nice when a day redeems it's self like that. I'm hoping the rest of the week follows suit.
We came home & I realized my kitchen was trashed & I had 4 loads of laundry that had to be washed. Daddy called & said he & QM would be bringing Grandma & Grandpa M&M by our house on their way home from vacation. That meant I couldn't leave the mess for later.
Yesterday I woke up to the boys fighting in the dark living room. It was 6 am (they're not supposed to leave their room before 8 am on the weekends) and they were looking for our Iron Man 2 DVD. They plugged their night light in under my bird cage and were rifling through the entertainment center. The DVD was in the Blu-ray player they're not allowed to touch. This did not go over well with Mama.
There was quite a bit of foot dragging & arguing while getting ready for church, one toy box completely dumped in the floor, some serious refusal to clean up any kind of mess, then entirely too much fidgeting & arguing during church. These things in combination do not do good things for this Mama. Add to that a husband who does minimal housework, worried about the state of the dishes & household affairs (most of which were taken care of prior to church) who's telling his wife what needs to be done, and the last remaining shreds of my composure were destroyed.
Husband took the boys & Bitsy outside to play. BabyGirl sequestered herself in her room. I finished my chores and crashed out on the couch with a DVD Que full of Criminal Minds. After a brief nap, things started looking up.
MIL came by with some pictures she found when they were cleaning out Husband's grandmother's house (she moved in with one of his aunts a few years back). Later she came by with 2 yellow creamer pitchers she'd saved from 2 of Husband's great-grandmother's kitchens. They are the sweetest little things & I promptly put them up with some things from my grandmothers kitchens.
A few minutes later NM & A Starry Night came by for a visit. NM was bringing a movie over for the boys & they ended up staying & chatting for more than an hour. It was so nice to get to have a real face to face conversation with grown ups while my kids played in the yard.
QM, Daddy, and The Grands got here about a quarter 'til seven. We sat around the dining table we inherited from Grandma & Grandpa M&M while they ate dinner (we'd had ours earlier) and we looked at vacation pictures. Bitsy even talked (she never does when there are people around). They didn't get to stay very long, but I will take what ever time with them I can get. And both Grandma & Grandpa were thrilled with the way their table & chair cleaned up (I have film being developed now so I should have pictures to post by the weekend).
I turned in early last night & watched a bit of Pride & Prejudice in bed before falling asleep.
It's nice when a day redeems it's self like that. I'm hoping the rest of the week follows suit.
September 28, 2010
And now for something completely different.
OK, not really. Actually I do this fairly often....or did this very often & am trying to get back in the habit. Enough rambling. It's time for FarmWife to answer your most pressing queries.
Vic (who asked for another installment of Ask FarmWife Day) sent me her question on FaceBook. Is there a certain age young girls should shave their legs? Is their a magic number or just when you need it. Do little girls even care?
Ahhh, growing up. It's tricky. I'm constantly asking myself these kinds of questions. When I found out my oldest niece was starting to shave I was shocked. She seemed really young to me...until I thought back to how old I was when I took up a razor. She was going into seventh grade (I think) so that would make her 12 years old. To me just seeing the number 12 means you should still be playing Barbies & dress up & riding bikes & watching Disney cartoons. But such is not the case.
I was in sixth or seventh grade the first time I snuck out my mom's razor & took a swipe down my shin. That's it. Just one pass of the razor about 6 inches long right down the middle of my shin. Then I panicked and put it away. A day or two later, QM noticed the bald spot on my leg & decided it was time to get me my own razor & shaving gel before I made a mess of things.
Being a brunette, my leg hair was pretty obvious even before it started growing as puberty set in. In middle school we had to change into shorts for gym class. That's when I started getting a little self conscious about it. It's about the only category in which I was not a late bloomer.
I'm hoping my girls won't get on the bandwagon too soon. I don't think there's a magic number but I do think girls pay more attention to that kind of stuff than we think they do. My biggest hope in that area is that my girls will broach the subject with me before they take it up with Lady Bic....but I'm also hoping they'll wait until they're at least out of grade school. I don't want them growing up & feeling that kind of pressure too soon.
Next, Penny asks about my meal planning & canning. Do you plan menus for your week? Since you have 4 kids and a hubby who works a not normal daily schedule...how do you plan meals? I know Kork does lots of canning and preserving, do you?
I would love to say that I plan out our weekly menu before ever leaving for the grocery. But sadly that is not normally the case. I try to have an idea of what I want to cook for the week, but I often find myself at the grocery with 1/4 of a list & no clue what I need. I try to plan for at least one major meal every day all week long & the rest is left overs or small stuff.
I can tell you that our "big meal" of the day is lunch. With Husband working nights & the kids gone, I normally make a full meal at lunch time so he can have enough to eat before he leaves & left overs to take with him. At dinner time the kids & I eat smaller, simpler meals. Often sandwiches or mac & cheese or even breakfast for dinner (that's their favorite).
As for canning & preserving, I really love to do that but haven't had a good run with our garden the past 2 years. In fact, I didn't put anything up this year. We only had enough corn to eat with a few meals & my green beans withered & died without producing enough to fool with. There's nothing I love more than to look in my freezer & see bags & bags of corn that we grew & put up...but lately that hasn't worked for us.
I hope I've helped & haven't rambled on too much. And now for something really & truly different...and if you're weak of stomach or cannot handle the thought of blood, you might want to stop reading right now.
Last night I shut the back door over top of my big toe. To say it did not feel good would be an understatement. When it happened I felt something give way. I looked down in horror thinking I'd ripped the skin off my toe or broken it. Instead everything looked normal...except for the blood seeping out from around three sides of my toe nail. That's when I realized I had just ripped off my toe nail. This entire though process took about 3/4 of a second. The reason it took that long is because the nail didn't actually come off...it just detached from the nail bed entirely.
I hobbled into the bathroom where the 3 youngest were supposed to be bathing, wrapped my toe in a cold wet cloth & called Busha. I was pretty sure there was little to be done about it, but though I should ask someone, anyone, and try to fend off going into shock by talking to a grown up.
Busha told me she didn't think they'd do anything at the ER if I went & asked if I needed her to come over. I told her no & realized I should have called Rachie since she's an RN & might know something about it. Busha thought that was a good idea. I called Rachie & told her what was up & she gave me her expert medical opinion.
If I could get the nail off, that would be the best thing. Then clean it, put on some triple antibiotic ointment & ice it down. I was OK with everything but the clipping. That though made my stomach roll. After a few minutes I realized there wasn't much feeling left in my toe & that might be the best time to tackle a nail removal.
15 minutes later I was down to about 1/4 inch of toe nail left just at the base. It's not actually attached but I couldn't get it cut down that far. I smeared some Neosporin on some gauze, wrapped it up, and spent the rest of the night with my foot elevated & my toe on ice. At bedtime I took a vicodin left over from having my wisdom teeth taken out.
That helped until Bitsy decided she was done sleeping at 2:30 this morning. That's when we headed to the living room to sleep on the couches & that's also when the nausea hit like a freight train. I spent the next 30 minutes hugging the porcelain god & praying to the Real One that I could just vomit or fall asleep (which I'm pretty sure I did a few times while hanging my head over the toilet bowl...that's a rather precarious position to be in).
This morning my toe is very tender & walking is a bit of a task. The thought of putting on shoes makes me sick to my stomach (as does the thought of vicodin). This could be a long couple of months before my nail grows back. Bitsy is sporting matching gauze on her index & middle fingers of her left hand. She has sucked them so much she's broken down the skin. They're a mess. I've greased her up with Aquaphor & put on a mitten or sock, but that doesn't last long. So I've moved on to Neosporin & gauze taped on. I'm hoping they'll heal & she'll give up the finger sucking.
This week can end now.
Vic (who asked for another installment of Ask FarmWife Day) sent me her question on FaceBook. Is there a certain age young girls should shave their legs? Is their a magic number or just when you need it. Do little girls even care?
Ahhh, growing up. It's tricky. I'm constantly asking myself these kinds of questions. When I found out my oldest niece was starting to shave I was shocked. She seemed really young to me...until I thought back to how old I was when I took up a razor. She was going into seventh grade (I think) so that would make her 12 years old. To me just seeing the number 12 means you should still be playing Barbies & dress up & riding bikes & watching Disney cartoons. But such is not the case.
I was in sixth or seventh grade the first time I snuck out my mom's razor & took a swipe down my shin. That's it. Just one pass of the razor about 6 inches long right down the middle of my shin. Then I panicked and put it away. A day or two later, QM noticed the bald spot on my leg & decided it was time to get me my own razor & shaving gel before I made a mess of things.
Being a brunette, my leg hair was pretty obvious even before it started growing as puberty set in. In middle school we had to change into shorts for gym class. That's when I started getting a little self conscious about it. It's about the only category in which I was not a late bloomer.
I'm hoping my girls won't get on the bandwagon too soon. I don't think there's a magic number but I do think girls pay more attention to that kind of stuff than we think they do. My biggest hope in that area is that my girls will broach the subject with me before they take it up with Lady Bic....but I'm also hoping they'll wait until they're at least out of grade school. I don't want them growing up & feeling that kind of pressure too soon.
Next, Penny asks about my meal planning & canning. Do you plan menus for your week? Since you have 4 kids and a hubby who works a not normal daily schedule...how do you plan meals? I know Kork does lots of canning and preserving, do you?
I would love to say that I plan out our weekly menu before ever leaving for the grocery. But sadly that is not normally the case. I try to have an idea of what I want to cook for the week, but I often find myself at the grocery with 1/4 of a list & no clue what I need. I try to plan for at least one major meal every day all week long & the rest is left overs or small stuff.
I can tell you that our "big meal" of the day is lunch. With Husband working nights & the kids gone, I normally make a full meal at lunch time so he can have enough to eat before he leaves & left overs to take with him. At dinner time the kids & I eat smaller, simpler meals. Often sandwiches or mac & cheese or even breakfast for dinner (that's their favorite).
As for canning & preserving, I really love to do that but haven't had a good run with our garden the past 2 years. In fact, I didn't put anything up this year. We only had enough corn to eat with a few meals & my green beans withered & died without producing enough to fool with. There's nothing I love more than to look in my freezer & see bags & bags of corn that we grew & put up...but lately that hasn't worked for us.
I hope I've helped & haven't rambled on too much. And now for something really & truly different...and if you're weak of stomach or cannot handle the thought of blood, you might want to stop reading right now.
Last night I shut the back door over top of my big toe. To say it did not feel good would be an understatement. When it happened I felt something give way. I looked down in horror thinking I'd ripped the skin off my toe or broken it. Instead everything looked normal...except for the blood seeping out from around three sides of my toe nail. That's when I realized I had just ripped off my toe nail. This entire though process took about 3/4 of a second. The reason it took that long is because the nail didn't actually come off...it just detached from the nail bed entirely.
I hobbled into the bathroom where the 3 youngest were supposed to be bathing, wrapped my toe in a cold wet cloth & called Busha. I was pretty sure there was little to be done about it, but though I should ask someone, anyone, and try to fend off going into shock by talking to a grown up.
Busha told me she didn't think they'd do anything at the ER if I went & asked if I needed her to come over. I told her no & realized I should have called Rachie since she's an RN & might know something about it. Busha thought that was a good idea. I called Rachie & told her what was up & she gave me her expert medical opinion.
If I could get the nail off, that would be the best thing. Then clean it, put on some triple antibiotic ointment & ice it down. I was OK with everything but the clipping. That though made my stomach roll. After a few minutes I realized there wasn't much feeling left in my toe & that might be the best time to tackle a nail removal.
15 minutes later I was down to about 1/4 inch of toe nail left just at the base. It's not actually attached but I couldn't get it cut down that far. I smeared some Neosporin on some gauze, wrapped it up, and spent the rest of the night with my foot elevated & my toe on ice. At bedtime I took a vicodin left over from having my wisdom teeth taken out.
That helped until Bitsy decided she was done sleeping at 2:30 this morning. That's when we headed to the living room to sleep on the couches & that's also when the nausea hit like a freight train. I spent the next 30 minutes hugging the porcelain god & praying to the Real One that I could just vomit or fall asleep (which I'm pretty sure I did a few times while hanging my head over the toilet bowl...that's a rather precarious position to be in).
This morning my toe is very tender & walking is a bit of a task. The thought of putting on shoes makes me sick to my stomach (as does the thought of vicodin). This could be a long couple of months before my nail grows back. Bitsy is sporting matching gauze on her index & middle fingers of her left hand. She has sucked them so much she's broken down the skin. They're a mess. I've greased her up with Aquaphor & put on a mitten or sock, but that doesn't last long. So I've moved on to Neosporin & gauze taped on. I'm hoping they'll heal & she'll give up the finger sucking.
This week can end now.
August 16, 2010
How to break in a new van.
There are many ways you can break in a new vehicle.
You can spill your early morning half-caf, soy, no foam, mocha latte grande all over the passenger seat.
You can drop your drive-thru chili cheese dog on the carpet.
Your six year old can vomit all over the back seat.
You can loan it to a 19 year old with loose morals & hope to get it home before the week is out with a bare minimum of bodily fluids on the seats. (OK, sorry, that was a bit gross.)
Your 18 month old can have the mother of all diaper blow outs that manages to escape not only her diaper but the car seat as well.
Or, you can do just what I did on Friday & back it into a concrete post scraping the paint all the way around the corner of the driver side back bumper.
You can spill your early morning half-caf, soy, no foam, mocha latte grande all over the passenger seat.
You can drop your drive-thru chili cheese dog on the carpet.
Your six year old can vomit all over the back seat.
You can loan it to a 19 year old with loose morals & hope to get it home before the week is out with a bare minimum of bodily fluids on the seats. (OK, sorry, that was a bit gross.)
Your 18 month old can have the mother of all diaper blow outs that manages to escape not only her diaper but the car seat as well.
Or, you can do just what I did on Friday & back it into a concrete post scraping the paint all the way around the corner of the driver side back bumper.
April 19, 2010
Yawn. Um...wha?
That's pretty much how I've felt all day today. The massive amount of pollen swirling around out doors has finally hit me....like a Mack truck. I can breath now, but I would happily sleep this day away....if someone little hadn't peed in my bed this morning.
Yesterday was an exceptionally busy day making all 4 FarmHands plus their Mama sleep like the dead last night. In turn, that made Bitsy lose bladder control sometime early this morning as she slept stretched across the foot of our bed. Since she gave up diapers & pull-ups back in November, she's only wet the bed 3 times & one of those times was at Grammy & Pa's at Christmas. I'm so very thankful. This is also the first time she's had an accident in our bed. For that, I wasn't so thankful...but since I was already up & going, it didn't bother me much. Husband, on the other hand, wasn't real happy to be wrenched out of his warm bed by a big wet spot.
But yesterday was a great day. Church, the baptism of a cousin, playing at the cousin's house with my girls, fishing with a large chunk of Husband's family, a sanded picnic table, a nap for Bitsy, a failed wiener roast (I realized, way too late, that I only had 3 hot dogs in the fridge), lots & lots & lots of roasted marshmallows, stories by the campfire, and a serious ring around the bathtub.
I think I fell asleep around 9:30 last night. I think I should beat that time tonight. Then, possibly, I'll get my mommy mojo back tomorrow. Ohhhhh, and I have to make a red t-shirt look like a ladybug's shell for BabyGirl's Spring musical on Wednesday.
Yikes.
Yawn.
Yesterday was an exceptionally busy day making all 4 FarmHands plus their Mama sleep like the dead last night. In turn, that made Bitsy lose bladder control sometime early this morning as she slept stretched across the foot of our bed. Since she gave up diapers & pull-ups back in November, she's only wet the bed 3 times & one of those times was at Grammy & Pa's at Christmas. I'm so very thankful. This is also the first time she's had an accident in our bed. For that, I wasn't so thankful...but since I was already up & going, it didn't bother me much. Husband, on the other hand, wasn't real happy to be wrenched out of his warm bed by a big wet spot.
Somehow, that one little incident made this morning more hectic than I thought possible. Suddenly, instead of getting 3 kids fed, teeth brushed, hair combed, lunch packed,and out the door, I had to add, empty dryer, toss wash in dryer, toss comforter in wash, spray down mattress & clean it, bathe wet Bitsy, dry & dress Bitsy, and run around like a chicken with my head cut off. It was fun. ADD at it's best.
But yesterday was a great day. Church, the baptism of a cousin, playing at the cousin's house with my girls, fishing with a large chunk of Husband's family, a sanded picnic table, a nap for Bitsy, a failed wiener roast (I realized, way too late, that I only had 3 hot dogs in the fridge), lots & lots & lots of roasted marshmallows, stories by the campfire, and a serious ring around the bathtub.
I think I fell asleep around 9:30 last night. I think I should beat that time tonight. Then, possibly, I'll get my mommy mojo back tomorrow. Ohhhhh, and I have to make a red t-shirt look like a ladybug's shell for BabyGirl's Spring musical on Wednesday.
Yikes.
Yawn.
February 26, 2010
Why?
Why is it that the worse I feel, the more my children act up? Do they have some kind of built in mom-feels-like-crap radar that kicks in as soon as I feel the first twinge of a head ache?
I get a horrible kink in my neck & B.B. spends all afternoon trying to sit on Bitsy.
My kidney issues flair up again and BabyGirl feels the need to scream at anyone who walks near her.
Cramps=endless arguments over The Sweet Life on Deck.
An achy back means Bitsy will run through the house with Buddy's chew toy clenched between her teeth.
Princess & HT will be here tonight. They're staying with us for Aunt M's funeral. I'm really excited about them coming, but if I don't feel better soon, 5 wild kids tearing through my little house could awaken the banshee that lives in me.
Please, Lord, let me feel better soon.
I get a horrible kink in my neck & B.B. spends all afternoon trying to sit on Bitsy.
My kidney issues flair up again and BabyGirl feels the need to scream at anyone who walks near her.
Cramps=endless arguments over The Sweet Life on Deck.
An achy back means Bitsy will run through the house with Buddy's chew toy clenched between her teeth.
Princess & HT will be here tonight. They're staying with us for Aunt M's funeral. I'm really excited about them coming, but if I don't feel better soon, 5 wild kids tearing through my little house could awaken the banshee that lives in me.
Please, Lord, let me feel better soon.
February 15, 2010
The snow day from Hades.
I'm beginning to think who ever coined that phrase about the snow ball in hell, had never really been there (hell, that is). Snow can & does survive in hell. Otherwise, there is no explanation for what has happened around here today.
Last night the snow was softly covering everything in sight. At the rate it was falling, I knew school would be called off this morning. I began fantasizing about a world wrapped in a white muffled silence, sleeping in, watching movies, reading, playing with my children, and enjoying our surprise day off.
Then four o'clock in the morning reared it's ugly head.
Buddy decided it was time to play. I was not easily convinced. After 30 minutes of arguing with a 7 pound dog I lost the ability to fall back to sleep. After an hour & a half of Facebook & Reality Bites, I crawled back in bed....only to have Buddy wake up & decide it was time to play again.
This time it fell to Husband to deal with the fluffy pain-in-the-neck while I snuggled back down in bed & pretended/tried to sleep. That lasted about 8 minutes. I continued to try until nearly 9 am, when the screaming & fighting & "he's trying to kill me" & "she won't stay out of my room" & "Can we have a cup cake?" & "That's MINE!" got too loud & I dragged myself out of my cocoon.
Since then, I've fallen asleep twice, had to suffer through 90 minutes of UFC Ultimate Knock-Outs, 45 minutes of women's cross country skiing (we don't watch it any other time, why must we watch it when it's on the Olympics?!), hours & hours & hours of bickering children, a puppy who's pooped in my house twice today, and the lingering ickyness of last week's head cold.
OK, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. It's not really been hellish. It's just not been much fun.
But this is:
It was sent to me by my old friend (old as in "we've know each other for years" not as in "she's of an advanced age") Layla. She knows how much I miss the sun & warmth, so she sent a bit my way. Thank you, Layla!!
Last night the snow was softly covering everything in sight. At the rate it was falling, I knew school would be called off this morning. I began fantasizing about a world wrapped in a white muffled silence, sleeping in, watching movies, reading, playing with my children, and enjoying our surprise day off.
Then four o'clock in the morning reared it's ugly head.
Buddy decided it was time to play. I was not easily convinced. After 30 minutes of arguing with a 7 pound dog I lost the ability to fall back to sleep. After an hour & a half of Facebook & Reality Bites, I crawled back in bed....only to have Buddy wake up & decide it was time to play again.
This time it fell to Husband to deal with the fluffy pain-in-the-neck while I snuggled back down in bed & pretended/tried to sleep. That lasted about 8 minutes. I continued to try until nearly 9 am, when the screaming & fighting & "he's trying to kill me" & "she won't stay out of my room" & "Can we have a cup cake?" & "That's MINE!" got too loud & I dragged myself out of my cocoon.
Since then, I've fallen asleep twice, had to suffer through 90 minutes of UFC Ultimate Knock-Outs, 45 minutes of women's cross country skiing (we don't watch it any other time, why must we watch it when it's on the Olympics?!), hours & hours & hours of bickering children, a puppy who's pooped in my house twice today, and the lingering ickyness of last week's head cold.
OK, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. It's not really been hellish. It's just not been much fun.
But this is:
It was sent to me by my old friend (old as in "we've know each other for years" not as in "she's of an advanced age") Layla. She knows how much I miss the sun & warmth, so she sent a bit my way. Thank you, Layla!!
February 8, 2010
Monday Weigh-in
Ang posts her weekly weigh-ins on Monday. I'm going to take a page out of her book & twist it a bit. I'm going to weigh Monday all on it's own. Just 2 short lists to decide if it should continue to be Monday or if we should just skip on through to Tuesday.
Monday's good list:
Monday's good list:
- I finally saw the urologist about my kidney issue.
- B.B. saw the urologist at the same time about some issues he's having.
- I got Bitsy in to the walk-in clinic with only a 30 minute wait.
- I got a pair of jeans on clearance for $7.
- I finally caved in & bought a temporal artery thermometer.
- The people at the hospital lab were accommodating & helpful & they gave B.B. & Bitsy suckers.
- Buddy is doing pretty well with the potty training business.
Monday's crappy list:
- I've started a 2 week round of Cipro for my kidney which may be followed by a 60-90 day preventative regiment of antibiotics depending on my culture & how this antibiotic works (this is on this list because I have a hard time remembering to take my Prozac once a day much less an antibiotic twice a day....and I hate the idea of being on it for months at a time, but I have to get rid of this stinking infection).
- B.B. has retractile testes (I'm sure he'll be thrilled that I've shared this on the interwebs) and has a hernia.
- Friday we have to drive 3 hours away to see a pediatric urologist to find out if B.B. needs surgery to repair the hernia.
- I had to take Bitsy with me to town today & she is one ill little girl.
- Bitsy has a double ear infection & possible bladder infection that kept her from sleeping last night.
- The urologist put a bag on her to attempt to get a urine sample for us to take to the clinic.
- Bitsy screamed bloody murder when the nurse put the bag on, then she refused to pee in it at all.
- They needed her to pee in a cup at the clinic & she flat refused.
- Wal-Mart says the prescriptions will take 20 minutes to fill, but they really mean 40 minutes to an hour.
- I'm sick with a bad head cold that kept me from sleeping last night.
- After driving home, Bitsy finally peed in the little potty & I got the urine sample we needed.
- That meant a second drive in to town to drop off the sample at the hospital lab.
- Husband was getting ready to leave for work, so I had to take a tired B.B. & sick Bitsy with me back to town. They were not happy campers.
- Bitsy had to be registered at the hospital so I could leave a cup of pee on a counter (but see #6 in the list above).
- My lips are chapped wicked bad from all the mouth breathing & nose blowing.
- We're being threatened with 4 inches of snow tonight & tomorrow.
Yeah. Monday sucks. It's a mathematical fact.
October 12, 2009
At ten-thirty last night, the phone rang. That always scares me, but usually it's foundless. Last night it wasn't.
Inkling was on the other end of the line & she was fighting to talk. My heart dropped like a rock.
Her youngest brother & his wife were expecting their fourth child. She had passed her due date by a few days. Something went wrong. The baby didn't survive.
They found this out last night & Inkling's sister-in-law was in the hospital having her labor induced.
Inkling said, "I don't know how they aren't dying." At the time I was numb. I was so shocked I didn't know how to react. I mumbled & stuttered & kept saying, "Oh...oh no...oh my." Inkling said it on her blog: There's nothing to say.
After I hung up the phone, I went in to tell Husband. I barely choked out the words before I called QM to tell her. Even with tears, I was oddly numb.
Eventually I crawled into bed & my mind went into overdrive. How do you carry a baby for 9 months only to say good bye before it's even drawn breath? How do you deliver a baby you know is already gone? How do you explain it to the three small children waiting at home for their new baby? My heart ached desperately for my cousins. My mind continued to drift back to Bitsy. How would we have survived without her? I sobbed into Husband's chest for a few minutes until I realized I needed to process this alone.
There was an empty place in my chest that physically hurt. If I'm hurting like this, how are my cousins still breathing? How are my aunt & uncle able to make the necessary phone calls? How is anyone any closer to this even functioning? I'm only feeling a small fraction of the pain Inkling is in so far from her family.
In front of our fire, my prayers, which had been mumblings & stutterings up to this point, took on more specific questions & pleas. My heart broke not only for them, but for my mother who lost a baby when I was three, my aunts who'd lost babies they'd never met, my cousin who miscarried early on, my grandmothers, my great grandmothers....for all of them.
As I poured out my heart to my God, I knew He heard my cries. I knew He was hearing the cries of my family. I knew He was in the hospital room with my cousin & his wife. And I knew that this precious baby would never feel pain, never suffer, never be broken hearted or hungry or cold or ill. I knew that she* was in the arms of the Lord. I knew that she was meeting her Great-grandma Christmas Gift & our Granny. I knew that my baby brother and her cousin, Grasshopper's older sibling, were there. She is surrounded by people who love her in paradise just as she would have been here on Earth. My heart didn't ache for her any longer, but it still aches for her parents, her siblings, her grandparents, and the rest of us waiting here.
Please pray for my cousins. They need it most of all.
*I really have no idea if the baby was a boy or a girl. In my mind I pictured a girl. It made things a bit easier to process....easier is the wrong word, but I hope you understand.
*****Updated*****
At seven thirty this morning, my cousin gave birth to a baby girl. She has a beautiful name & is well loved. Please continue to pray for our family as her absence will leave a huge hole in all our hearts.
Inkling was on the other end of the line & she was fighting to talk. My heart dropped like a rock.
Her youngest brother & his wife were expecting their fourth child. She had passed her due date by a few days. Something went wrong. The baby didn't survive.
They found this out last night & Inkling's sister-in-law was in the hospital having her labor induced.
Inkling said, "I don't know how they aren't dying." At the time I was numb. I was so shocked I didn't know how to react. I mumbled & stuttered & kept saying, "Oh...oh no...oh my." Inkling said it on her blog: There's nothing to say.
After I hung up the phone, I went in to tell Husband. I barely choked out the words before I called QM to tell her. Even with tears, I was oddly numb.
Eventually I crawled into bed & my mind went into overdrive. How do you carry a baby for 9 months only to say good bye before it's even drawn breath? How do you deliver a baby you know is already gone? How do you explain it to the three small children waiting at home for their new baby? My heart ached desperately for my cousins. My mind continued to drift back to Bitsy. How would we have survived without her? I sobbed into Husband's chest for a few minutes until I realized I needed to process this alone.
There was an empty place in my chest that physically hurt. If I'm hurting like this, how are my cousins still breathing? How are my aunt & uncle able to make the necessary phone calls? How is anyone any closer to this even functioning? I'm only feeling a small fraction of the pain Inkling is in so far from her family.
In front of our fire, my prayers, which had been mumblings & stutterings up to this point, took on more specific questions & pleas. My heart broke not only for them, but for my mother who lost a baby when I was three, my aunts who'd lost babies they'd never met, my cousin who miscarried early on, my grandmothers, my great grandmothers....for all of them.
As I poured out my heart to my God, I knew He heard my cries. I knew He was hearing the cries of my family. I knew He was in the hospital room with my cousin & his wife. And I knew that this precious baby would never feel pain, never suffer, never be broken hearted or hungry or cold or ill. I knew that she* was in the arms of the Lord. I knew that she was meeting her Great-grandma Christmas Gift & our Granny. I knew that my baby brother and her cousin, Grasshopper's older sibling, were there. She is surrounded by people who love her in paradise just as she would have been here on Earth. My heart didn't ache for her any longer, but it still aches for her parents, her siblings, her grandparents, and the rest of us waiting here.
Please pray for my cousins. They need it most of all.
*I really have no idea if the baby was a boy or a girl. In my mind I pictured a girl. It made things a bit easier to process....easier is the wrong word, but I hope you understand.
*****Updated*****
At seven thirty this morning, my cousin gave birth to a baby girl. She has a beautiful name & is well loved. Please continue to pray for our family as her absence will leave a huge hole in all our hearts.
September 30, 2009
A much needed reprieve
I was supposed to take #1 Son to see the ENT for his 6 week, post surgery check-up today. It's an hour & 20 minute drive. It meant taking BabyGirl & #1 Son out of school an hour early & taking all 4 FarmHands for an appointment that would take about 45 seconds. To top it all off, I have a head cold & would much rather spend the day wrapped in blankets reading on the couch while the FarmHands watch videos & live on Pop-Tarts.
When I got home from picking B.B. up from school, Husband was standing on the porch with the phone in his hand. "It's Dr.S's office. They want to know if you can come early." EARLY?! They're an hour & a half away! No, I can't come early! He shrugged & handed me the phone.
The nurse explained that Dr.S had an add on surgery this afternoon & it would interfere with our appointment. I was beyond frustrated by this point. Then she looked at #1 Son's chart & said, "Is this just his post-op follow up?" Yeah. "Is he having any problems?" No. "None?" None at all. "OK, that's great. You don't need to come in at all. If he develops any issues, call us & we'll get him in, otherwise, there's no need for you to bring him in."
Thank you, Lord for small graces!
When I got home from picking B.B. up from school, Husband was standing on the porch with the phone in his hand. "It's Dr.S's office. They want to know if you can come early." EARLY?! They're an hour & a half away! No, I can't come early! He shrugged & handed me the phone.
The nurse explained that Dr.S had an add on surgery this afternoon & it would interfere with our appointment. I was beyond frustrated by this point. Then she looked at #1 Son's chart & said, "Is this just his post-op follow up?" Yeah. "Is he having any problems?" No. "None?" None at all. "OK, that's great. You don't need to come in at all. If he develops any issues, call us & we'll get him in, otherwise, there's no need for you to bring him in."
Thank you, Lord for small graces!
June 4, 2009
Saying Goodbye
It's all over. Andrew has gone where ever it is good dogs go when they die. It's been a tough morning, but we're doing pretty well.
The kids & I got to say goodbye to Andrew this morning, then we left & went to Uncle E's for a while. I wanted their last memory of him to be a good one. Husband stayed behind to take care of all the hard stuff. The kids & I didn't come home until there was a fresh mound of dirt to put flowers on. Husband took the kids & me up to the hill by our house to pick daisies. The kids & I each made a bouquet while Husband dug up a bunch to plant at the head of Andrew's grave. BabyGirl wanted to plant honeysuckle, but it would cover the grave completely. Instead Husband took some scrap lumber & he & the FarmHands built a cross to mark the grave. We'll paint it later this weekend.
It's not been an easy day, not by a long shot, but it's also not been nearly as bad as it could have been. I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to tell Andrew goodbye & that we loved him. And I'm thankful that he is no longer suffering.
The kids & I got to say goodbye to Andrew this morning, then we left & went to Uncle E's for a while. I wanted their last memory of him to be a good one. Husband stayed behind to take care of all the hard stuff. The kids & I didn't come home until there was a fresh mound of dirt to put flowers on. Husband took the kids & me up to the hill by our house to pick daisies. The kids & I each made a bouquet while Husband dug up a bunch to plant at the head of Andrew's grave. BabyGirl wanted to plant honeysuckle, but it would cover the grave completely. Instead Husband took some scrap lumber & he & the FarmHands built a cross to mark the grave. We'll paint it later this weekend.
It's not been an easy day, not by a long shot, but it's also not been nearly as bad as it could have been. I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to tell Andrew goodbye & that we loved him. And I'm thankful that he is no longer suffering.
June 3, 2009
Things are not looking good for today
Today, I fear, will be one of those days. It's 8:56 in the morning & I'm already looking forward to bedtime. This does not bode well for the rest of the day.
Yesterday we all lounged around sweating on each other. Why didn't we turn on the AC, you might ask? It's not been on yet & I keep putting off the inevitable because our electric bill is supposed to do some serious climbing this year (in the range of 20% or so). I've been hanging clothes out on the line & trying not to run the stove too much in hopes of keeping the temperature at an acceptable level in the house. Yesterday it was in the mid 90's, but I knew a cold front & rain were on their way, so we suffered through it.
At about 4 o'clock, our patience was rewarded & the temperature dropped 10 degrees in 20 minutes. I loaded the FarmHands up on the 4 wheeler & we headed out to have an adventure....and adventure that left us racing home in an attempt to beat the rain that was quickly approaching. But they loved it!
This morning the three oldest kids have alternated between best friends & worst enemies every 45 seconds or so. I'm waiting for blood to be shed. It's a real possibility today. And since the rain has stuck around leaving our yard a swampy mess, they'll be housebound again today. Yippe skippee.
To top it all off, Andrew (my mini daschund)is not doing well. I fear his system is shutting down & he'll not be with us much longer....as in probably before the weekend. That makes me sad. I bought him shortly after Husband & I were married. Even though he's become the proverbial bump on a log the past year or so, I will still miss him.
Yesterday we all lounged around sweating on each other. Why didn't we turn on the AC, you might ask? It's not been on yet & I keep putting off the inevitable because our electric bill is supposed to do some serious climbing this year (in the range of 20% or so). I've been hanging clothes out on the line & trying not to run the stove too much in hopes of keeping the temperature at an acceptable level in the house. Yesterday it was in the mid 90's, but I knew a cold front & rain were on their way, so we suffered through it.
At about 4 o'clock, our patience was rewarded & the temperature dropped 10 degrees in 20 minutes. I loaded the FarmHands up on the 4 wheeler & we headed out to have an adventure....and adventure that left us racing home in an attempt to beat the rain that was quickly approaching. But they loved it!
This morning the three oldest kids have alternated between best friends & worst enemies every 45 seconds or so. I'm waiting for blood to be shed. It's a real possibility today. And since the rain has stuck around leaving our yard a swampy mess, they'll be housebound again today. Yippe skippee.
To top it all off, Andrew (my mini daschund)is not doing well. I fear his system is shutting down & he'll not be with us much longer....as in probably before the weekend. That makes me sad. I bought him shortly after Husband & I were married. Even though he's become the proverbial bump on a log the past year or so, I will still miss him.
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