Hi! I'm back and better than ever!

Well, maybe not better than ever, but feeling almost normal! Isn't the flu crazy? One minute you feel fine. The next minute you feel like you were hit by a train.

I got up Wednesday. Got Christina to school, blogged a bit, did laundry, gave Caroline a bath, cleaned the kitchen etc, etc etc. At 11:30, I put Caroline on her bus and suddenly got an overwhelming feeling that I need to sleep. NOW.

Kallie was up early that day (her great new habit, not) so I just said "naptime". I didn't care if she had enough to eat. I didn't care if she was ready. I could NOT stand it for one more second. I put her to bed and laid down and was OUT.

An hour later I woke, she was crying and still up. I literally crawled up the stairs. She wanted to get out of bed. No WAY. She still didn't nap, and I could absolutely NOT handle taking care of her. I gave her a book that she usually isn't allowed to have in bed (it is a library book) and she was OK. I went back to the couch and didn't move for the rest of the day.

And I just went downhill from there.

Everyone pretty much left me alone for the rest of the day. Hubby came in once in a while to check if I needed anything.

Christina came in once to ask a very important question:

"Mom, next summer, can I have a lemonade stand?"

"Maybe" I mumbled, in my half-dead state.

"Mom, maybe the night before, I can be a really good girl and then you can let me have a lemonade stand the next day."

"Yeah, we'll see."

VERY important question there.

But the next day I was much better, just weak. I have eaten a bowl of cereal and one piece of pizza since Tuesday. At least maybe I lost a few pounds!?

And today I feel normal. And isn't it funny how great you feel when you finally feel better? I am so excited to feel good enough to do my normal daily stuff. Now hopefully Caroline will wake today happy and healthy too!

And, it is good that I feel better today. Because according to Christina, today is a VERY busy day! Last night she told me she needed to get a good nights' sleep because she has a lot to do today, including:

1. Eat lunch with Daddy (he is coming to school to see her).

2. Go to gymnastics (today is her first class).

3. Turn the calendar page to March.

Yes, this 6 yo has an action packed day planned.

Well, hubby has his big district swim meet this weekend. He hopes his guys will win. If they do, I plan on stopping by to take pictures of them accepting the award. Hopefully one will be good enough that the local paper can use it (they never send reporters).

Have a great weekend!!

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and then there were none

Just when I thought a couple of us were safe from the flu bug.....we got hit, hard.

It hit me yesterday at noon like a train. And I was down for the count. I'm feeling better today, just very weak.

And then Caroline woke up today sick and vomiting.

This bug started a week ago Tuesday! When it hit Christina.

Then Wednesday, it hit hubby.

Then Saturday, it hit Kallie.

Then Wednesday, it hit me.

Then Thursday, it hit Caroline.

This is the bug that will not die. And this is the first time that every single one of us got it. Usually a couple people are spared.

Not so lucky this time.

So I will now crawl back to my bed.

Good night.

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Oh my, what a MESS!!

Over the weekend, Kallie had the shortest bout of the flu on record. Sort of.

She woke Saturday morning, and threw up. She then cried and cried until she got something to drink (we were trying to hold off). We finally gave in and gave her some water. Which she quickly threw up as well.

But, about a hour later, she had donned her tutu and was off and running, not to show any signs of illness for the rest of the day.

But then she got, shall we say, a bit of stomach flu from the backside. This "flu" is not going away very quickly. Although, other than that, she is just fine.

So, last night I was reading Christina some stories while Kallie was playing downstairs. I could hear her gibber jabbing, but then I heard a strange sound. I wasn't sure if it was a cry or what. Next thing I knew Kallie walked into Christina's room crying. "Mommy, I no like it!!"

Kallie, the cute little tutu-wearing 2 year old, was literally covered, elbows to ankles, in, well, you can hazard a guess.

Yeah, yuck.

So story time was quickly cut short and I dumped Kallie in the tub. I stripped her and washed her as best I could.

She was NOT into it. She just cried over and over "Mommy, I no like it!". "Mommy, I want UP!" Yeah, sweetie, I love you, but there is NO way I will pick you up right now.

I finally got her cleaned up and took her downstairs and she was back to her happy self.

But then I find the "mess" was also on the family room floor. Luckily, it was only confined to a small spot. I crawled around our floor for a while, sniffing, but couldn't find any other spots. And I spent the majority of the night scrubbing the floor with every known carpet cleaning solvent I could find.

Oh, the joys of motherhood! What a glamorous job!

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I am humiliated, but I'll admit it...

My name is Irene and I am a woman driver.

My husband has always been one to point out "woman drivers". I don't know if this topic is offending, if so, I apologize. I definitely do NOT believe that all woman are, shall we say, "notsogood" behind the wheel. But I have come to realize, there are a LOT who aren't.

I used to take some offense, and argue with my husband when he was making this point. But, over time, I have to admit. Sometimes he is right.

Like a few weeks ago, when we saw a car on the highway behind us veering and jerking across lanes. His comment? "Look at this lady!" But we couldn't see into the car yet, so we didn't know what gender was behind the wheel.

As the car passed (still driving erratically), we noted a lady driving who was talking on her cell phone while apparently trying to take her coat off. Yeah, not so smart.

Or the therapist who came to visit Caroline a couple years ago and decided it would be a good idea to do a 3 point turn on our snow covered, one lane, driveway. Yup, she drove right up into our lawn. Spun her tires for bit and tore up our lawn pretty nicely before my hubby had a chance to hurry out and push her out. Why she couldn't just back out of our short driveway, onto our desolate street, is beyond me.

Then there was our neighbor lady who got her car stuck in the snow in her driveway. But the strange thing? There wasn't a lot of snow. My husband watched her from our house for few minutes. Another lady was at her house and was trying to help. They had a shovel from the sandbox (OK, slight exaggeration, but it was small) and they were trying to push the car.

I couldn't stand watching them for a second. I urged my husband to get over there asap! I was humiliated for them! (He was getting his coat on, but at a relaxed pace while watching the scene and chuckling.) He sauntered over and got in the car. He drove up and back and, in about 30 seconds, got the car out of the driveway. Apparently she must have turned the wheel too much.

My husband came home, still chuckling and muttering "women".

And then there are the drivers in the hammer lane going about 5 miles under the speed limit with no intention of moving out of that lane. Yeah, in my experience, they are usually woman too.

So, I am come to often agree with my husband. As much as I hate it, he is usually right about this.

And then there is me.

Yesterday, I went out for a walk to take some pictures (see prior post). I drove over to our local park. It a gorgeous day and I parked in the sled riding area. Well, I tried to.

I pulled in to a spot, backed out a bit to adjust the car, and got stuck. Humiliatingly, STUCK.

I sat there for a few minutes, wanting to crawl out of the car and slink into the woods, unnoticed. But my car was halfway in the road and blocking another car. So I got out, and looked over my "situation" until someone came by to help.

Yeah, two men pushed me out. After thanking them profusely, I got the heck out of dodge.

I was absolutely, completely, totally, humiliated because I know, those guys who pushed me out were walking away, chuckling and muttering "women".

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Sunday Snapshots

It was a relaxing weekend - sunny skies, temps in the 30's (whoo hoo!) and nothing really going on at all.

It felt great! We all got lots of fresh air and exercise, I cooked some good dinners. I drank some good wine. And I got out in the woods to play with my camera!

I took a little walk in the neighboring park on a beautiful little trail that my hubby and I used to mountain bike (back in the old days - pre-kiddo). It was quiet and beautiful and I took about 80 pictures in about 45 minutes! Here are just a few of my favorites:








Well, hopefully this will be an uneventful week - no illness, no snow days, no teacher confrontations! Can I be so lucky?

Have a great one!

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My week in a nutshell

Well, it has been a crazy week.

We started out with a 4 day week due to President's Day. After all these snow days, that is just what we needed, more days with the whole family stuck at home during the dead of winter. Actually, it wasn't that bad, it was very nice in fact.

I then had a little "misunderstanding" with Caroline's school. And first, I wanted to thank everyone for their support.

I was quite perturbed at the school's obvious offense at my request for a daily note about Caroline. Granted, they are usually very good at writing something every day. But there were 2 days in a row that nothing was written, so I felt a gentle reminder was in order.

I initially felt like including my own 2 1/2 page reply to their reply. But later I decided that it is better to just be nice, I mean, they are taking care of my baby, so I just said:

"I hope I didn't offend you with my note. You usually are very good at communicating with me. I really look forward to reading about Caroline's day and hadn't received anything for a couple days. "

I didn't get any response the next day, just an account of Caroline's day. Which apparently was quite taxing. She fell sound asleep on the couch that night and looked so cute and comfy I just had to snap some pics.



The other exciting thing that happened this week was the stomach flu.

Yes, the bug that has been circulating in blogland landed in our world for a bit. Christina woke early Tuesday morning and threw up in her bed. We cleaned her up and put her in our bed (hubby went downstairs). A couple hours later she threw up again, most of it in the bowl, some on our bed. So she was home for the day, again.

We slept in a bit and a few hours after she woke up, she seemed to be feeling just a little better, as evidenced by the following photo:


Yes, at 10 a.m. she was dancing in her bathing suit and glass slippers.

But, actually, she didn't eat all day and barely drank anything. She played a bit, but definitely had a lot of down time. She was back to school the next day.

Then ole hubby caught the bug and was down for the count the following day. He is back to work today. Luckily, this bug seems to only last a day or so and, so far, the rest of us have been spared.

And lastly, as everyone knows, there was a lunar eclipse this week. I don't think I have ever seen one up close and personal. It was SO cool. Literally and figuratively. I got outside to take some pictures, but at about 10 degrees, I didn't last long. I watched the majority of it through the window. This was the best picture I was able to capture. If you click on it, I think you can see the detail better.


Well, we have more snow, more cold this weekend. And absolutely nothing exciting planned at all.

Hope you have a great one!!!

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Roll out that red carpet....It's award time!

There have been a lot of awards floating around lately. Must be the Oscar thing? Isn't that this weekend? I don't know.

I sometimes watch the Oscar's "red carpet"(which is growing old IMO). Since I rarely get out to actually see a movie, I am not familiar with any of the "best picture" nominees. And I couldn't care less about who won for "best art direction" or "best sound" (does the average joe have any idea what that really means anyway?) And has anyone really ever seen the "Best short film"?

Does anyone really get "into" the Oscars other than the recipients?

So the first award came from my sister at Mommy of Four. With this award, you are to share 3 writing tips and pass the award onto to three bloggers who are "worthy of recognition and esteem".

I enjoy writing, but don't consider myself a great "writer" by any stretch of the imagination. So my tips (taken with a huge grain of salt) are:

1. Try to write in short paragraphs. Personally, it is just easier to read (at least for me). I like to read a lot of blogs and, in order to read a lot in a short period of time, I tend to skim long paragraphs. Unfortunately, I most likely am missing interesting information.

2. Don't be afraid to be real. There are some blogs I read that I enjoy, but I also wonder if that person really is THAT positive and funny in real life. I mean, don't we all have the days where we feel miserable for no real good reason? I love my kids, I love my husband, but seriously, some days they drive me batty. I am not going to pretend otherwise.

3. Don't write when you don't want to. I have forced myself to write a post, and then I look back on it with regret. To me, it sounds boring and forced and I am not surprised when it seems everyone else agrees.

OK, now to tag 3 bloggers for this award and challenge......I will tag some of everyone's favs, Oh Mommy, Amy and Kellan. No pressure, I know all three of you are very busy bloggers, so I completely understand if you are not up to the challenge. Just enjoy your award, you deserve it.

My next award came from Mimi. Actually, I think someone else gave it to me as well, but try as I might, I cannot remember who! I have searched, no luck. I am so sorry!!!

Honestly, I think I am the last sole blogger who has posted this award. Anyone who reads this post, and doesn't have this award, consider yourself awarded! And I am SERIOUS, please take it! I enjoy all bloggers for many different reasons. You are all extremely excellent!!!

And, one of my newest and favorite bloggers, Terri, gave me this award! She is addicted to my blog! That's crazy I tell you! I never have been considered "addicting". Annoying? well, yes. Addicting, well, no. But I am so honored! She is a way cool mom, stop on over and say "hi"!



I am just addicted to blogging in general, but I will pick a couple that have become my daily must reads. They are Nap Warden, Burgh Baby, and a new blog that I just discovered and really am getting quite a kick out of - Marlee.

Well, that it's for now folks! Have a good one!

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Life in a fishbowl

If you are the parent of a special needs child, you may sometimes feel like you are raising your child in a fishbowl. My daughter has many issues, so there have been many people in her life from day one.

She has had almost every type of doctor there is, many many hospital stays, many many routine check-ups.

She has had every type of therapist there is - speech, physical, occupational, vision and special teachers. And we spent 3 years of having these therapists in our home many times a week. EVERY week.

We have in-home nursing care for the occasional times that we want to go somewhere for the day but feel Caroline would be happier just to stay home.

And now that she is in the public education system, she has a whole host of people involved her care and her IEP meetings involve more people than I can keep track of.

And sometimes it just...shall we say.....sucks.

When you have so many people watching you and your child, day in and day out. And these people are required to record EVERYTHING about you and your child, it can get a little annoying.

Right now, Caroline is in a special needs preschool. She started at age 3. She gets all her therapies at school in addition to just some interaction with kids other than her sisters. The people at the school seem to be nice, her therapists are really good. So I have been happy.

But it still can get annoying being in their fishbowl.

Caroline has a notebook that we use to communicate with her teacher. They usually write a note about what she did in school and, if I have anything to tell them or ask them, I will write a note to them.

The last couple times she was in school, there were no notes at all. And I really hate when she comes home and I feel like I know nothing about how she was that day.

So yesterday I wrote a quick, very nice note, asking if they could at least just jot down "Caroline had a good (or fussy) day". I told them it is hard because she obviously can't tell me.

Well, the s&it hit the fan shall we say. I got a 2 1/2 page blow by blow of Caroline's day. WAY more details than I really needed. With many little slams back at me. Such as:

Can you please write about how Caroline is doing every day? She can't tell us.

I think we have been pretty faithful in letting you know how she does. You can just call us you know.

Well, you know, I WILL write about how Caroline is doing, when there is some information to pass on. If she is healthy, no issues, no need to write anything. And I think that, as her mom, I have more of a right to know her daily mood, activities etc, than they do. Right? And calling them? They are busy with other kids. I am busy with my kids. All I am asking for is a quick note. If I need to really discuss something I WILL call.

But honestly, I try NOT to call or write too much because everything I say, everything I write, is duly noted AND often critiqued.

And here is the other thing that drives me nuts about this school. They don't want kids coming to school if their nose is running. In fact, last year when I sent Caroline to school at the tail end of a cold (when she was feeling COMPLETELY fine except for a little mucus) I got a note reprimanding me. Seriously, can you imagine if the regular public school system had this rule? Would there be any kids in school?

Caroline had a cold last weekend - mild, no fever, just sneezing. But 3 weeks ago she was VERY sick and missed school for two weeks. Then the next week were snow days. So she has barely been in school and had any therapy for over a month.

So I sent her to school yesterday. They wrote that she was happy, but her nose was runny. And I think they were hinting that I shouldn't have sent her.

I absolutely do not want her miss school because of this. Especially after all the school/therapy she has missed. My husband insists I just send her.

Do you think I will get a reprimand note today? Most likely.

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The changing faces of a toddler

I have recently been amazed at some of the "about faces" in behavior my 2 1/2 yo has made over her very short life so far. I am sure my oldest had them, but I don't remember them as well. Anyway, I just find it amazing that just when you think you have your toddler's personality and likes and dislikes figured out, they do a complete 180 and throw you for a loop. For example:

Shopping: Kallie HATED grocery shopping during her early years. At about age 1, I would take her and she would be OK for about 1.2 minutes. Then she would get bored.

She would want to hold every single thing I put in the cart. From potatoes to potato chips and gallons of milk.

I would bring snacks, toys, drinks. That would keep her happy for about 2.2 minutes.

I would buy NEW snacks and open them up in the store for her. That would keep her happy for about 3.2 minutes.

By the time we reached the check-out (usually running at top speed), she would just be crying and want "UP!" and was DONE.

It was a really great time! I took her as much as I could (not).

Now, at 2 1/2, Kallie is the easiest child to shop with EVER. Seriously! She sits completely still and just watches the scene around her. She rarely grabs at anything. She never cries. I could browse and browse and she just sits there with a big ole smile on her face. Shopping has become FUN!!

Car rides: Kallie, at about 1, was not too keen on the car. She tolerated it for about 10 minutes and she never fell asleep. Seriously..NEVER (almost).

People have a hard time believing that she wouldn't sleep, but during our 12 hour car ride home from vacation (leaving at 5 a.m.), Kallie slept a grand total of about 2 hrs. That included about a 1 hr snooze at the beginning of the trip and a 1 hr trip at the end. In the middle? Lots o'crying! Movies didn't help. Snacks didn't help. NOTHING helped. It was fun I tell you!

Now, Kallie at 2 1/2 is amazing in the car. She literally sits completely still and just watches out the window. I rarely even pull out the DVD player because she is actually better without anything to do.

We drove to and from my parents (a little over an hour each way) this weekend and she was an angel. In fact, I spent much of the trip checking on her thinking she must be asleep. No, just a sitting there with a big ole smile on her face!

But you know what else? She sometimes actually DOES fall asleep! Now granted, I am not sure how she would tolerate a 12 hr trip, but I am much more excited about trying it this year than I was last year!

Bedtime: Kallie also had a strange preference in her earlier years. NO blankets. Yes, she had HER blanket, but that is just to hold and snuggle with. She refused to let us put any blankets on her. She would cry and kick them off. Luckily our house is fairly warm with our woodstove, so she was OK. But it was still hard to see her sleeping there with nothing on her during the dead of winter.

Now? Well Kallie recently did an about face and now insists on being snuggled with blankets up to her neck. Crazy!

Sharing: Now I know this is really just a maturity thing, but I am also amazed at how quickly she is learning to share with her sister. I remember reading that at 2, kids have no concept of sharing. Is that really true? Because Kallie does.

Last night, the girls had their bath. They have one Little Mermaid polly pocket doll. Since there is only one, they take turns playing with it. I am the referee. Every few minutes I would tell them "OK, it is so and so's turn" and they would happily pass the doll over. Kallie was even asking "Mommy, is it my turn yet?". And when I said "in a minute", she just said "OK". I know she has learned turn taking from her games with Christina. Christina is always teaching Kallie about taking turns. I am just amazed that she does so well at it!

Eating: Now this is still a tough one, but Kallie IS getting a little better in her pickiness. She actually, on rare occasions, will taste a new item. It doesn't happen often. My husband and I usually sit there pretending to not be paying attention. But it does happen more often than it ever did. Which gives me a glimmer of hope that she won't grow up eating only french fries and fruit snacks.

Crazy kids, you never know what they are going to do next!

On another note, I got some nice awards recently. Deb gave me the Kind Blogger award. Thanks Deb!!!


I will pass this on to Karen and PB&J in a Bowl .

Have a great day!!!

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A great date night......that ended with a MESS

Last night was the BIG date night.

We had a nurse at the house for Caroline, we dropped our other 2 off at the local church for babysitting and we were off for our big dinner.

I love this restaurant. It is small, cozy and beautiful. They have the most fabulous fresh breads and olive oil dipping sauce. I ordered a glass of merlot and perused the menu. One of the hardest parts of going out to a nice dinner is choosing! I was going to have the fillet mignon, but finally decided on an item that I would never make myself. I had the sautueed veal cutlets with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, pine nuts and prosciutto. It was incredible.

Our first "faux pas" was when my hubby, who ordered the fillet mignon, attempted to put some Worcestershire sauce on his steak and mistakingly grabbed his beer bottle that was sitting next to it. Yes, he instead poured beer on his steak.

Our second, much more obvious "faux pas" was done by me. I was finishing up with my dinner and decided to get a doggy bag instead of stuffing myself full. We also wanted to take our leftover bread.

The bus girl (or whatever her title is) walked by and just grabbed my bread to throw away. We stopped her, chuckled and took it back.

Then our waitress came back and, as she walked away, she grabbed the bread as well. Again, we stopped her.

And I, being the comedian that I am, joked that I need to hide this bread. I made a motion of hiding the bread on the other side of the table....only to dump the bread on the floor AND dump my 1/2 full glass of merlot all over the table (luckily, not onto anyone). Yes, EVERYONE noticed. And yes, I was (and still am) HUMILIATED.

They were very nice of course. They replaced my wine. They gave me MORE bread. But all I wanted to do was suck down the wine (can't let good wine go to waste) and crawl quietly out of there. I felt like Julia Roberts in the scene from the Pretty Woman where she is out at a classy restaurant for the first time, but really doesn't feel like she belongs there.

Other than that, the night was great. We met some of my husband's co-workers for a beer and then we picked up our little ones.

We have another gift certificate to use at this restaurant. But maybe we will wait to use it until the memory of us has long faded.

And thanks so much for the feedback so far on my computer questions below. I would love to hear more feedback!!!!

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New computer question! What do you have?

We, or actually I, am really itching for a new computer. Ours is celebrating its fifth birthday this month. Which is like 65 in computer years.

Our hard drive is only 30G. Our RAM is only 256K. We don't have a DVD drive or burner. Yes, we have a dinosaur. Our computer's hard drive is pretty much full. Our computer is always locking up and giving us "low virtual memory" errors. I love my computer and I am getting tired of this thing.

I would REALLY love a laptop. But other than the perk of being able to move it around the house, we really don't need to take our computer out and about much. I know that I can get much more computer if we stick with a typical desktop system.

I did a little research and was surprised at how much more I can get now for only a few hundred bucks. Now that I know the cost is about half of what our current system cost us, I really want to scratch this itch!

We bought our last computer at Dell. Their customer service was a little annoying, but we have had good luck with the computer and I really like how easy it is to pick and choose your features. We don't need a monitor (it would be nice, but ours is fine), so that would save us a lot of $$.

I would love to hear feedback on what type of computer you have, what features are a must for you, what brand you have. Any suggestions or thoughts.

Thanks!!

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Yeah....that's what I'm talking about...

Being the wife of a high school coach can be hard. They put in a lot of hours and the "hourly" pay is probably less than a job at Mickey D's. But there are a few perks.....

Like this:

A dozen of the MOST fabulous chocolate covered strawberries EVER. Given to me by one of my husband's swimmer's parents. They do this every year. My husband couldn't care less about them, so I get to indulge in the whole bunch of them. Yum.

I keep hinting to my husband that if HE ever showed up with a box of these strawberries, I would be overjoyed. He still hasn't gotten the hint.

And this:
A wonderfully expensive dinner at a cozy local restaurant. We got two fairly nice sized gift certificates to this restaurant for Christmas. One from the swim team and another from a swimmer's family.

This restaurant serves the most wonderful food, but they are priced way out of our league for anything but the most, once in a lifetime, occasion. The team gave us gift certificates from this place, a couple times before. And it is definitely my favorite gift!!!! It almost makes all the long hours and small paycheck worth it!! Now, thanks to his team, this year we will be able to visit this place TWICE without forking out a cent.

So, Saturday night is our big date night (and BIG date nights don't happen much over here). The local church offers babysitting tomorrow from 6 to 9. They charge a mere 2 bucks a kid. They do this about once a month. It is SO nice. The kids get to watch movies, do crafts, have a snack, play games. The kids love it. And it isn't even our church. It is just open to anyone. One of the perks of living in small town USA!

Well, obviously, I am pretty excited about my weekend. I don't get nights out like this very often. Hope you all have a great one as well!!!

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Me and My Valentines

Since I have been complaining a lot lately about being stuck at home with my crazy kids and my pesky hubby, I thought, since it IS Valentine's Day, I decided not to complain at all. So, my Valentine's gift to my hubby is no "you won't believe what my husband did" posts today! Yeah, I don't think he appreciated my last few posts.

So I will instead share photos from yesterday's snow day of me and my most absolute favorite valentines of all time!

Tina Wina, who played outside for FIVE straight hours yesterday:


Kallie Wallie, my little princess:

Daddy and HIS little princess:



And me and my SWEETEST sweetie, Caroline:



Anyway, yesterday was our second snow day. It was actually a much nicer snow day than usual. Everyone was busy and there was minimal fighting. I got out to the Y for a nice, unhurried workout. Christina and her Daddy got lots of fresh air. It was a great day afterall!

Today, school is back in session! And the skies were sunny, yet cold. Christina was SO excited to be back to school. Today they have a field trip to see "Alice in Wonderland" at our local theater.

And the day started out on such a sweet note.

When Christina was getting ready for school, and I was fixing her hair, she said:

"Mom, today is Valentine's Day".

"Yes it is." I said sort of off-handedly.

"Mom, I love you SO much."

And my heart melted.

On a related note, I am reading a very good book right now. It is "In an Instant". It is the story of journalist Bob Woodruff, his wife and his 4 kids. He almost died from a extremely serious head injury while reporting in Iraq. And this book is about his career, his recovery and his relationship with wife both before and after the accident. I highly recommend it.

Bob was in a coma for 5 weeks, when he woke, although doing quite well considering, he still had significant issues which required months and years of treatment and therapy. About 3 months after the initial accident, while he was still hospitalized, his wife Lee was sitting with him, watching him sleep. She had no idea now much he would recover from this accident. She didn't know if he would ever be even close to the same as he was before. And she got an overwhelming ache to just lay with him and hold him and go back to those lost days. She wrote:

"I remembered all those times as a wife when I'd been too tired, when the thought of conjugal duty had felt like just that. I would have bartered years off my life, forgone untold luxuries, traded fingers and toes like coins to steal some of those nights back. We'd squandered all that time together, I thought now in retrospect, it was as though we'd used up precious oxygen in a room we'd never known was airtight."

That paragraph really hit me. It is such a true remark about our time with ALL of our valentines. Our time IS limited, it is going to end, no one knows when. Don't waste a second! Be happy! Have fun!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day,

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My husband, my biggest kid (part Deux)..and an award!!!

Yesterday I told you about my husband and his inability to find most anything in our house. Apparently it isn't just my husband, it is just husbands in general. Some DNA thing I guess.

Well, we had another snow day. Everyone was home, even though it really didn't seem to snow that much and I personally think it was a waste of a day. But anyway, they WERE predicting a pretty good storm, so they were being cautious, I guess.

The one thing I was a little worried about was that Christina and Caroline are having their Valentine party on Thursday. And, if a big storm was coming, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get out and get their valentines and treats! Important stuff, right! (Yes, again, bad mom, I waited until the last minute to buy anything.)

So, early yesterday, I told my hubby to take Christina, while the roads were still OK, and get her Valentine stuff, along with just a couple of other things I needed.

Mistake.

My grocery list consisted only of valentines, ibuprofen, potatoes, fries and bird food.

When they got home, Christina burst in the house and announced "Daddy bought a lot of junk!" Hubby followed in behind her, with a big ole smile on his face and many Walmart bags held up high in his hands.

In addition to my necessities, he added a few of his own including:

Count Chocula - junk

Chips Ahoy - more junk

Doritos (family size bag, of course) - even more junk

Realtree hunting chewing gum - can't even be classified - I have NO idea why this is necessary

What he doesn't seem to understand is that when you bring this crap in the house, the kids are going to want to eat it. And it is nearly impossible to say no to a 2 year old when she sees this stuff on the counter.

So Kallie had a healthy lunch of Doritos and a bowl of Count Chocula. Great.

Note to self: You know your husband's trip to the grocery story only results in a pile of unneeded junk. I would probably be better off just sending my 6 yo by herself. Next time? Just DO IT YOURSELF.

On a good note, I got an award!!! From one of my new blog friends, Lizzie! I really enjoy reading her blog. And her story about her husband and his 10 pound can of beans was hilarious!!! Husbands make great blog material, don't they!


I think almost everyone has had this award - so, instead of continuing my search for a recipient, I will just say that when I find one, I will definitely pass it on!!!

The last thing I wanted to add is that today is day 2 of our winter snow days. We had freezing rain last night (our yard was literally glazed with ice over the snow) and then it snowed like crazy this morning. So, instead of heading out into the world's biggest ice skating rink, they canceled all school in our area. Hopefully the roads will get better by the afternoon and at least a couple of us can get out and about.

I need some serious Spring.

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My husband, my biggest kid

So most everyone in our house has a bit of a cold/sore throat this week. Nothing major, but enough that the kids and husband are just a bit crankier than usual.

Last night, my hubby came downstairs to complain that he can't find our cough drops ANYWHERE.

"They are in our bathroom" I said.

"No, I looked THREE times, they are NOT there."

"Yes they are! Remember, I put them up on the shelf so Christina wouldn't keep eating them!"

"NO! I swear they are nowhere to be found. I LOOKED!"

So, as usual, I went upstairs to find them, because, for some reason, my husband just can't seem to find things even when they are literally right in front of his nose.

When I went into our bathroom, this is what I saw (please ignore the mess):



Do you see them? I will zoom in:


Still no? OK, maybe a little lighting will help.


Yup, I think we have spotted the item in question. Hmmmm, I didn't have any trouble finding them. Did you?

I was back downstairs, with the missing cough drops in hand, in about 1.2 seconds. My husband wanted to know where I hid them.

"They were exactly where I said they were. And they were in plain sight."

"No, you had them hidden."

And this is not even close to being the only time this has happened. He can NEVER find anything. He tells me we have no milk, and I find it smack dab in the front, center of the fridge. I just don't get it. Is it my husband? Or is this just husbands in general?

Anyway, after I had a good laugh at him, I told him I may have to write about this incident in my blog.

He looked at me, completely unimpressed and sarcastically said "Yeah, that would be the best blog entry EVER!"

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Supernanny would NOT be happy.

Trying to teach my kids to sit quietly and eat dinner has been a struggle. Especially since Kallie, the typical crazy 2 yo, likes to be the comedian and is always looking for a laugh.

I thought I would share a scene from our dinner the other night which pretty much represents most dinners at my house. The very beginning of the video is the funny part (in my opinion) and the rest is just kind of goofy. I tried to figure out how to edit out the end of it, but to no avail. So you get the whole thing.

This is her rendition of "Ten little monkeys":




I wanted to add that Kallie is eating the "custom" grilled cheese sandwich I made her because I knew she wouldn't touch what the rest of us were eating. I guess we weren't having french fries or spaghetti that night.

So yes, I do it ALL wrong Supernanny! I do offer her other things, I don't make a big deal if she does or doesn't eat (I pretend that I am not paying attention). But she still is the pickiest eater ever! Of course, when she gets a little older, I told her, "Your days of custom meals are OVER sister!"

And no, she doesn't know she is being recorded in this video. If she did, she wouldn't sing, she would instead insist on looking at the back of the camera saying "I wanna see Mommy!!!". But if she is always on the backside of the camera, there will never be anything to see because she never gives me enough time to even start recording. Obviously, she doesn't understand. Anyway, all video usually has to be taken incognito. You see in the video that she keeps eyeing the camera, but because I am not touching it, she doesn't think it is on.

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Sunday stuff

I feel so much better than the other day. Yesterday was my day out. It really was only a morning/early afternoon out, but it was enough.

I do feel a little remorse about even complaining about being stuck in the house. It is funny, just when we start complaining about the menial things in life, life gives us a wake-up call to make you remember how nice the mundane things can be. Luckily, I didn't get a wake-up call, but you never know when one lurking around the corner.

So yesterday I went shopping, found some great deals at our local outlet mall, and and just enjoyed browsing while NOT being in a hurry, for once.

I did feel a little guilt and urge to hurry up a bit when Christina, my 6 yo, called my cell phone after I had been gone only about 1 1/2 hrs.

"Mom, are you in the car now?"

"No dear, I am still shopping."

"But Mom, you have been gone a LONG time!"

"I will be home soon (which wasn't really true)." Bad mom.

Yeah, I know she was fine, but I still felt a little bad. She just wants me home all the time. Hey, that's normal, I felt the same way when I was a kid and my mom would go somewhere for the day. It wasn't that she would play with me or that I needed her for something specific, but I just hated knowing she wasn't there if and when I did need her. Yes, I had my dad, but that just wasn't the same.

Anyway, I took a nice backroads drive home. When I got home, gave my girls the couple treats I picked them up. We also all went over to my SIL's for the evening. We ordered wings, had a few beers while the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. It was a great day.

So today, the weather has taken a turn for the worst. It is in the teens, blowing and whipping snow around like crazy. It is NASTY out! But, it is a great day to be stuck inside the house keeping warm by the woodstove. And, since I was out and about most of yesterday, I don't mind being housebound one tiny bit. In fact, I am kinda happy about it!

Other than the fact that my husband is driving me nuts.

When I am at the computer, he plops down in my lap.

When I am in the kitchen, he is always grabbing and poking whatever he can get a hold of.

And he has the most annoying habit.

Do you know when someone says something and you know you heard them wrong because what you thought they said made no sense? So what do you do? You say "what did you say?".

No, not my hubby. He ALWAYS repeats what he THOUGHT you said, asking you why you said that - no matter how insane or ridiculous it sounds. He never just assumes he heard you wrong.

Take today. After he sat on my lap the 105th time, I got up and left the room. I told him "See, this is why I love Mondays. You leave and don't bother me all the time!".

So, what does my hubby say?

"You rake the leaves all the time? No you don't!"

UGH!!! WTH would I be talking about raking leaves in the dead of winter?

That's my hubby for you. The good news is that Monday is just around the corner....let's just hope this Sunday snow doesn't turn into a Monday snow day!

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Funkity funk funk funk...

That is how I feel today. Funky. Not funky good, but "in a funk" funky. Like I need to get out the house, for a good chunk of time, all by myself. NOW.

This is always a hard time of year. My hubby is a high school swim coach. He coaches every weekday night. He has meets often twice a week.

On practice days, he gets home early enough that I have a few hours to get out and do something. But he leaves right after dinner and doesn't get home until well after the girls' bedtime. So I am responsible for all the clean up, baths, bedtime stories etc. Sometimes it isn't too bad. Sometimes it is crazy.

On meet days he is home about 15 minutes, then takes off, not to return until the girls' bedtime.

And then there are the Saturday meets when he is gone all day.

And then there is the state meet where he is gone for almost 4 days.

We are at so complete opposite ends of the spectrum at this time of year. He is incredibly busy, usually very happy (he loves coaching) and just has so many exciting things going on. While I continue washing clothes, cleaning house and changing diapers.

So here I am. During the dead of winter, stuck in the house doing the same ole, same ole. Caroline goes to preschool 3 afternoons a week, but other than that, she is home with me and I can't go anywhere. There is pretty much no way I can manage a wheelchair and a 2 yo in the winter snow. And even if I could go, there just aren't that many places to go this time of year, in my little rural part of the world.

So I sit at home. And sometimes I get very stir crazy.

Today I feel like I have HAD it. Yesterday, I talked to my mom on the phone in the morning. I talked to my husband for about 10 minutes because it was their last swim meet and it was a big one.

(On a side note, both teams won yesterday and his guys' team is now undefeated for the THIRD year in row, no other team has done that in the school's history! He is an awesome coach).

So, other than a couple adult conversations, my only other conversations yesterday were with my kids. Who, of course, I love to death. But sometimes you just need a break. Badly.

So tomorrow is it. I told my hubby I am actually going to leave the house in the morning, not to return until the mid afternoon. I will shop a little, browse a lot, eat lunch, just enjoying being out of my house a bit, alone.

Then I can go back to appreciating being in my cozy home again.

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My little mermaids

Lately, my little ones have really been into mermaids. I don't know if it was seeing Disney on Ice, or if it was because I pulled the Little Mermaid movie out of the closet and they started watching it again. And again. And again.......


But they spend a lot of time playing mermaids. Whether it is when they are in the bath pretending to be mermaids. Or whether it is when they are playing with their little Little Mermaid polly pocket doll. Or whether it is when they are talking on their Little Mermaid phone. They are crazy about mermaids

One funny (actually not so funny) thing is that this tiny mermaid/polly pocket type doll they are playing with has been sitting, untouched, in the toy bins for months now. MONTHS.

My oldest pulled out her Polly Pockets over the weekend, to play mermaid. And my youngest went NUTS. She just fell in love with the Little Mermaid doll.

Now, of course, they are BOTH obsessed with this toy. Why IS that!? Why is it that kids couldn't care less about a toy until someone else wants it. It drives me batty!

I even went so far as to see if they still have this doll at Wal-Mart. Yes, I am a wimp, I would be willing to shell out a few bucks so we can have 2 Little Mermaid dolls in the house and stop this madness.

Anyway, last night, Kallie had the doll firmly tucked into her fist (she had won the "my turn" fight). When it was time for bed, she wanted to bring it.

No, I said, put the mermaid away.

She looked at me.

She looked at the doll.

And she just open her hand and let it fall. Right in the middle of the kitchen.

And she happily danced right over it.

Nononononono Kallie, I said. Put it where it BELONGS.

She picked it up, thought about it for a second and walked to her kitchen and plopped it down. Right in a pot. I guess that is where mermaids go when you are 2. Alrighty then!


So at night, I have been reading a children's bible to Christina (yes, this IS related to this conversation). She loves it, although I know some of the concepts are just way beyond her. I try to get her to understand just the basics.

Like the fact that God can do anything.

Anything? she says.

Yes, anything. I said.

Christina sat there in thought for a while, and I wasn't sure whether she was thinking about what I said. Or thinking about what she is going to do tomorrow. Or thinking about what she is going to do next summer. You never know.

But, after a long pause, she says with all seriousness: "Oh, I wish I were a mermaid!"

Well, dear, I guess I didn't mean ANYTHING. I mean, I know God CAN do anything, but I don't think changing someone into a mermaid is what he is going to be working on anytime soon.

Later, I said "you don't really want to be mermaid do you? Think about it, you couldn't live with Mommy and Daddy anymore."

Christina, always one step ahead of us, replies:

'Mom, you can just come down to the river and I will swim up to see you!"

I guess she has it all figured out.

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A little lesson from a Kindergartener

My 6 yo, Christina, likes to play games. All kinds of games, from regular board games to the games she makes up. She recently started playing the opposite game. She names an object, you tell her the opposite. She was playing this game with my husband the other morning. It went something like this:

Christina: What is the opposite of up?

Hubby: Down.

Christina: What is the opposite of big?

Hubby: Small.

Christina: No, little (insert eye roll here).

Then her questions get tougher.

Christina: What is the opposite of a rectangle?

Hubby: Ummmm???

Christina: A square! What is the opposite of a table?

Hubby: Chairs! (good answer dear!)

Christina: What is the opposite of rug?

Hubby: ??????

Christina: Carpet! of course. What is the opposite of a bunny?

Hubby: A bunny? I have no idea.

Christina: Dad, the opposite of a bunny is a frog!

OK then!

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Doin' the touristy thing in da Burgh!

It was a crazy busy weekend. Some good, some not-so-good. But it ended on a great note with that awesome Superbowl game! I really wasn't too excited to watch the game since the Steelers weren't playing. But I did and I like to root for the underdog. And boy did they pull it off! What a great game!!!

Anyway, on Saturday we decided to take the kids on a little day trip into the burgh (Pittsburgh that is) to do some tourist stuff. I used to live there years ago (now we are a couple hours away). We decided to visit the Aviary. It is the only national aviary in the U.S. I had never been there before.

It was nice. A little pricey, but not too bad. They are also very camera friendly. You can take pictures (with flash) of everything. I guess you can also bring a tripod in (I didn't).

It is a very family friendly place. They have lots of interactive activities throughout the day. And they have lots of very cool birds like the famous Bald Eagles:


And then there is Mr. Sea Eagle. He hails from Russia and other nearby areas. He would definitely gobble up Nugget as a Scooby snack!

And they have areas that are like enclosed rainforests where you can walk in and the birds are just flying and walking around. Very cool.

And we got to go see and play with the Lories. They are in a big area where the birds are flying everywhere. For 2 bucks, you can feed them, or you can try to play with them. They will take the ball out of your hand. And they play with each other and the toys. They reminded me of cats when they were rolling around with each other!


The Aviary also has penguins that you can see up close and very personally during designated show times. We decided not to wait for the show because the girls were getting restless. So we went on our way to our next destination...the incline.


This is a definite must do for any Pittsburgh visitor. I have taken many a friend and relative up the incline, but had yet to take my own kids. They loved it. There are 2 inclines in Pittsburgh, the Monongahela and the Duquesne. The inclines ride up Mount Washington where you can get an awesome view of the city.

The Mon incline takes you up to great viewing areas along Mount Washington. It is a great place to go at night. Pittsburgh at night is gorgeous!!

(The two above pics are not mine, they are from the incline website)

The Duquesne incline takes you up Mount Washington to the restaurant area. Of course, all the restaurants offer fabulous views, but many are very pricey. We decided to go up and have lunch at the sole casual place on the hill, the Grandview Saloon. I guess it is now called the Coalhill Steakhouse at the Grandview Saloon. I think it is the only place up there that you can wear jeans and get a plain ole hamburger. And it is not too pricey. We went at an off hour so we got a great seat right against the window. The girls loved looking at the city and watching the boats and trains and cars.

We did a little bit of driving around the city and then headed home. I do miss some aspects of living in Pittsburgh. There are so many fun things to do. And I lived right in the heart of Shadyside which is a very cool area of town.

But I think I have since become a country girl. The traffic and people and congestion never bothered me much when I lived there, but now I definitely prefer the quiet country life of home.

Have a great week!

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Caroline...was tagged????

How hilarious is this! Caroline was tagged by Riley! So she gets to tell you all a little about herself.

Caroline's needs are simple. She has a rare chromosome disorder, a part of her 17th chromosome was duplicated. She wasn't supposed to survive birth, but she is still here and doing quite well. Just remember...doctors do NOT know everything...not even close...

Some people may feel sorry for her, yes she is 4 1/2 and in a wheelchair. No, she probably will never walk or talk. Yes, she has a feeding tube because she developed a huge aversion to food due to reflux. But, NO, you should not feel sorry for Caroline.

She is one of the happiest kids I know. She is so loving. She couldn't care less what anyone thinks of her, or what she looks like, or what her hair looks like or any other superficial thing. Just give her lots of attention and love and she is good to go. We all need to take a lesson from her.

Anyway, Caroline's tag was to talk about what she loves and what she hates.

Caroline loves:

1. Her mommy (more than anything or anyone). I always say that no one loves me more than Caroline. She never holds a grudge, she never talks back, she never throws a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted. I can get busy and be running around the house all day and not be giving her much attention at all. When I finally sit down for some snuggling, all I get is smiles and this look of completely, absolute love from her. Yes, she also loves her daddy and sisters, but nothing compares to mom. Sorry guys.

2. Throwing toys. I try and try and try. Caroline will hold toys, and hold them quite well, but only for about 1.2 seconds before whipping them literally across the room.

3. Warm baths. Well, who doesn't?

4. Being sung to. Start singing and Caroline will become completely silent no matter how vocal she is at the moment. Doesn't matter what the song is, any little ditty will do. Playing a CD sometimes works, but only a real live person belting it out will do it every time.

5. Grinding her teeth. Drives us batty, but she thinks it is pretty cool.

6. Being snuggled into bed at night. If I put Caroline to bed awake, she literally has a giggling fit as I am tucking her in. She just loves her bed.

7. Horseback riding. Caroline started therapeutic horseback riding last summer. She hated every second the first 2 days. Then suddenly, day #3, she was all smiles. She had a great time for the rest of the summer and we are look forward to doing it again this summer.

Now for the Caroline dislikes:

1. Doctor's visits - and she has too many.

2. Bright sunshine. Her eyes are very sensitive to light. She likes being outside, but just keep her in the shade.

3. When her sisters start getting crazy. I don't know if it is just the loud noises or what, but when her sisters start revving it up, Caroline often starts crying.

4. Being sick. Well, don't we all, but Caroline's illness often get a little more scary than ours. And the fact that she can't tell us what is wrong is frustrating for both her and us.

Thanks for the tag Riley, this was fun!!

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