Chicken Sook for the Soul

It's been a looong week here at our house. Ace started running a temp Monday night. A little vomiting and a serious lack of appetite. We kept him home all week from daycare (and Abby too).

One night (I don't remember which- they all run together) I put the babies to bed only to hear Ace crying about ten minutes later. I went to check on him and this is the conversation we had:

Me: "What's wrong?"
Ace: "I'm MAD."
Me: "You're mad?"
Ace: "YES."
Me: "What's the matter?"
Ace: "Pillow messy." (points) "Elmo messy."(points again) I wish I could express the tone of his voice. He was completely exasperated. lol

Yep, he had urped. Nice.

By Friday, 1) I needed to get. out. of. the. house. and 2) I decided maybe I should get him in to the doctor. So I worked for the first half of the day and then ran home to pick him up and go to the pediatrician. Thankfully Dr. K has always made time to see them the few times they've been sick.

They looked him over and did a strep test. **Note to self: strep test triggers Ace's gag reflex. Additional note to self: surefire way to get him to stop urping is provide a receptacle to urp into. If he can't hurl directly onto his own clothes or mine, it's just not worth doing.**  The rapid test came back negative, but we should know Monday about the lab test.

Here he is on the way out. By then he had a sucker and was pretty happy. I can't believe how blonde his hair looks!

So yesterday we did soccer games, etc. And Abby starts running a fever. Fantastic. 

This morning, they slept in after a 6 am diaper change. We went straight from their bed to the couch. We watched a ludicrous amount of Barney and they didn't seem to want to move. I figured since I was trapped anyway, I might as well read a little. 

I'm in the process of rereading the Sookie Stackhouse novels. They're the ones the HBO series TrueBlood is based on. I've never watched it, but the books are good in a semi-trashy romance novel kind of way. 

And then it happens. Ace wants to read too. And Abby. So you'd think they'd want their own picture books. Nope. Has to be mine. Has to be a Sookie book. I got them each one and they sat beside me, each with a book cracked open and they "read" with me for at least 30 minutes. I would have taken a picture, but none of us were dressed decently. Who would have thought they could be entertained with a non-picture book for so long? And at this point I'm just grateful they can't actually read. SO not age appropriate. But hey, if it makes a sick baby happy, I'm all for it.

The Eleven (Finally!)

The Eleven 

I was tagged my my TMOM friend, Jayna, inviting me to participate in The Eleven...Which is pretty much like giving me homework. Which I handled just as I would have in high school. I put it off. And really thought about not doing it. But since she's not really a teacher or anything, I decided to do it anyway. I reserve the right to hold a grudge, though. (Kidding! It's kind of fun, actually.)


Here are the rules:


1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random facts about you.

3. Answer the questions given to you in the tagger’s post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag new people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and let them know they’ve been tagged.


So, here are my picture and random facts about myself.




1. I'm scared of mice, slugs and frogs. Random and not necessarily scary, but there you have it. Like really scared. I once had a nightmare that a slug had evolved to the point that it had the ability to jump like a frog. A slug's only redeeming quality is that I'm pretty sure I can outrun it. But if it could jump?  


2. I have some OCD traits. Obviously not when it comes to cleaning. But I do things in sets of 4. Stirring cake batter? It's going to be a multiple of 4. I sometimes still count my steps when I walk. I used to ALWAYS count my steps when I walked home from school.


3. I never liked Peeps growing up. Or really any marshmallows. But I love the Peeps with chocolate on the bottom. And those little mini marshmallows dipped in chocolate. 


4. I don't know all of the Presidents. A lot of people learned that in grade school, but not me. I probably should learn them just so I can say I know.


5. I have never smoked. Anything. It's just disgusting to me. 


6. I have the hardest time spelling the word "weird." If it wasn't for spellcheck, I'd get it wrong at least half the time. I'm a pretty good speller, but that one gets me.


7. I used to be painfully shy. I couldn't go through a drive thru by myself in high school. Nor could I go to the concession stand for myself. My friend, Nicole, always had to get my Dr. Pepper for me after lunch. And if she wasn't there, I went without. I still have some of those tendencies, I just disguise them better now. 


8. This kind of ties into my being shy thing, but I didn't pump my own gas until I'd been driving for more than a year. Either my dad or my brother would do it, or I'd go to a full service station (back when they still had those). 


9. If you ask me, I'll tell you I'm not a picky eater. But here's a little secret: I really am. I don't like any kind of seafood. I don't like meat on the bone (sometimes ribs are okay, or I can cut the meat off of a porkchop). I don't like mayo or mustard. I don't like spicy food. Or peas. Bleck! And the list goes on...


10. I have a problem with speech impediments. I wouldn't ever pick on a child or anything like that, but the Wonder Pets make me nuts. That baby talk goes all over me. It's bad enough that all of my big boys have known the term "speech impediment" for quite some time. And they know not to ask to watch a show that features characters with a lisp. Or to imitate someone with any type of speech issue. 


11. I can NOT sing. Like, it's horrible. But I still sing lullabies to the babies. And I love to sing in the car.



Here are Jayna's questions for me:


1.When was the last time you cried?

When I read Jamie Boley's "You Are My Sunshine" post. For those of you who don't know, Jamie is a TMOM friend of mine. She lost one of her twins. He was 4 months old and healthy. He started crying, then stopped breathing. The first thing she posted on Facebook after several days was: 


‎"***You are my sunshine my only sunshine you make me happy when skies are grey you never know dear how much I love you please dont take my sunshine away,the other night dear while I lay sleepin I dreamt I held u in my arms but when I woke up I was mistaken and I hung my head and I cried....*** mommy lovesyou bryan, a piece of me is missing now..but u will always be in my heart!"


See? I cried again just looking for it to copy and paste. Ugh. 


2. What is your favorite physical feature?

On me or someone else? It probably means on me, otherwise it's too vague, huh? Probably my eyes? But I'm very critical of myself so that is hard to say.


3. What's the one thing you look forward to each day?

Well, there are really two. One is my bottled Starbucks in the morning. I'm hopelessly addicted. Some mornings that is literally what gets me out of bed. And the second is bedtime- when I change into pajamas and the kids are all settling down. I tuck the babies in and sing them their lullaby. And that means we made it through one more day with everyone in one piece and I'm not in any kind of institution. 

4.Where do you want to be in five years?


In another house. Maybe in the KC area. My life is good. It never hurts to make more money, but I'm truly blessed and there's not a lot left to ask for.


5. How did you meet your significant other?


AOL Chatroom. And I am not even making that up.


6. What is your biggest pet peeve? 


Just one? But there are sooooo many. Probably people grinding their teeth. (Like Randy- in his sleep. Some day I'm going to smother him with his pillow. When the officer asks you, play dumb though, okay?)


7. Could you ever be a contestant on Fear Factor? 


Eww. No. You have to eat weird stuff.


8. What is your guilty pleasure? 


Phineas and Ferb. I have episodes recorded and I watch them as I'm going to sleep at night.


9. What is your favorite smell? 


Lilacs. (And they're purple- win!) And of course clean babies.


10. What is the first perfume you ever purchased/wore? 


Xia Xiang or Joop! (I'm not excited about it- the "!" was part of the name, if I recall.)


11. Sweet or Sour? 


Sweet. Always. 






And now for my 11 questions:


1. What is your favorite book- or a few of your favorites?


2. If money were no object (and you could work OR stay home -whichever is your preference) would you have more children? How many?


3. What is your favorite color and why? It's got to have some memory tied to it, or remind you of something. How did it start being your favorite color? (Mine is purple, because of KState.)


4. Where would you go on a dream vacation? And would you take the kids (or anyone else, for that matter)?


5. If you were to have a baby tomorrow (Don't panic! It's not real! Breathe...) what would you name it if it was a boy? And a girl?


6. Were you better at math, English, or science in school?


7. If they ("they" being NASA or some other reasonably-trustworthy organization; if the Iranian Space Program offers, I'm definitely out) offered you a ride on a space shuttle, would you go?


8. What is your favorite recipe and where did it come from? (And don't hesitate to share, if it's not a Top Secret "If I tell you, I have to kill you" recipe!)


9. What is your most embarrassing moment?


10. What is the best piece of advice you ever received about raising kids? In general?


11. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?




And I'll be tagging Ashley, Robyn, Leanna and Donna. Hopefully a couple of them will participate. Even if you all don't want to do the whole thing, maybe you could just answer my questions- that would be fun to see. 

Why the Hunger Games is like Turkey Bacon

So I caved and took Jacob to see the midnight showing of the Hunger Games. I'd read the whole series (twice) and Jacob was about halfway through the second book. We both love the books and had talked about them at some length. It was Spring Break and I got ambitious. Normally I'm near comatose by midnight.

Facebook was littered with posts from like-minded book lovers with movie tickets bought days in advance. So we saw the movie. And as I was leaving, I wondered what I would say if someone asked me what I thought. I had no answer. And that bugged me.

Why?

Why didn't I know if I liked it or not? I thought about it all the way home. I thought about it while I was trying to unwind enough to go to sleep. (Overshot the necessary caffeine intake.) I thought about it for several days. And this is what I came up with: the Hunger Games movie is like turkey bacon.

Think about it. If you'd never had bacon of any kind and someone gave you turkey bacon, you'd think, "Man, that's awesome!" If I had never read the books, I would have thought, "That movie was amazing!"

However, if you are a bacon lover like myself - it's a different story. Turkey bacon is... good. It's certainly not bad. It's better than going hungry. It's better than a lot of stuff. Like guacamole (shudder). But let's be real - it's not bacon.

The movie was not bad. I highly recommend it for someone who has not read the books. But if you did read the books, it's just not...satisfying. That's the best way I can describe it. You order bacon, you get turkey bacon. It just doesn't quite measure up.

What did you think?

Makeover!

Okay, so how much do you love the new look?! Amazing, right? My cousin (? second cousin? whatever) Robyn designed it for me! Isn't it fabulous? She gave me four to choose from and it was almost more than I could do to pick one.

Thanks, Robyn!

Skipped a Day

Although I did post for Tuesday- on Facebook- that I'm thankful for my TMOMs friends.

Today, thanks to an email conversation I was party to, I would like to express my gratitude to my aunts and uncles. A lot of them are (or were) special to me in different ways. Some lived far away so I didn't know them very well but I knew they loved me all the same.

My Uncle Vince and Aunt Marge lived close to us. He used to sit in the floor and let me put barrettes in his hair for hours on end. Poor guy. But you know what? When I grew up I think he almost missed it. I think he's part of the reason for my love of corny jokes to this day! And Aunt Marge taught me so much about living with pain and not letting that stop you. She also taught me to play chinese checkers. They always had those round pink mints on their coffee table that reminded me a little of Pepto Bismol.

 

And Aunt Joyce showed me that a woman could work outside the home and raise a family. And she and Uncle Doc taught me that just because a family does a lot of yelling, doesn't mean they don't love each other!

Uncle Bob and Aunt Jo - man oh man! I love those two! They taught me that you could have a strong faith and still have a good time and cut a rug.

Aunt Helen taught me that you don't have to hold your tongue, just because you're a woman.

Uncle Howard and Aunt Peggy- they lived so far away. I didn't know what they looked like when I was growing up, and I always imagined Aunt Peggy looked like the character "Barbara" on one of the soaps.

I also thought she might be evil, since she's the one who supposedly taught me to suck my thumb when I was a toddler. Turns out she's not- she's a hoot!

Uncle Glenn and Aunt Carrie were probably the first people I remember being "frugal" on purpose. Isn't it funny what you take away when you're a kid? Aunt Carrie sent cards every birthday and by golly, you're giving her sugars when you see her. 

Uncle Garry and Aunt Char- they lived pretty close so I got to stay with them once in a while. That was fun. And of all the silly memories- I remember shopping for furniture with them once when they got a dividend check. I had no idea what that meant, but I figured it must be a good idea! And of course, Uncle Garry was living proof that it didn't matter how old you were, you could be a kid. And drive like a maniac.

Uncle Richard and Aunt Lill's house was always a fun place to stay when we went out west. I remember Uncle Richard rolling us up in sleeping bags and then giving them a flip so we rolled across the carpet. We like to never got that basement cleaned up that day. 

And my Aunt Connie had one of the most memorable moments in my young life. I remember her telling me I shouldn't try so hard to cover my lips no matter how big they are. Women in the city paid big money for lips like mine. That got me through- and still does- a lot of self-conscious moments. 

And I can't forget my "honorary" aunt. Aunt Joanne- she was the big kids' aunt, but I always claimed her. Mostly I think because my mom loved her so.

I nearly forgot my Uncle Larry- Garry's twin (of course). He died at age 26 in a construction accident leaving a family of his own behind. This taught me at a very young age the reality of how fleeting life is. 

And sadly, today we found out that Josh's only Aunt on his dad's side chose to take her own life. I don't know what she must have been going through to make a choice like that. I do know that Josh adored her and they shared a birthday. She will be missed. 

Josh was a ring bearer at Steph's wedding. This is a sweet moment someone caught. 

Thankful Day 6 & 7

Okay, so maybe every other day, huh?

Today and yesterday, I'm thankful for a roof over my head. One that seems to have stood up to the earthquakes we've been having!

As much as I complain about my house most of the time, it's important for me to step back and acknowledge I AM grateful. We have a warm house full of love. There are people who would give anything to be able to provide a safe haven for their children.

So no matter how cluttered and messy it may be, it's home. It's ours. And I am blessed to have it.

Thankful Day 4 & 5

Okay, again I'm a day late. But it is what it is.

Today, I'm thankful that I had the mom I had. Goodness knows we didn't always get along, but now I'm realizing how much of an impact she had on the person I've become.

What made me think of this? Probably making a cake. I spent countless hours watching her and my cousin Anna decorate the most beautiful cakes. I learned not just about making cakes, but that grownups need friends too. They had a great friendship, one that I think anyone would envy.

I also learned from her that you reap what you sow. And giving, even if it's just of your self or your time, is always worthwhile.

I am glad I learned that lesson. I spent several hours tonight with a new mom of twins who needed some pointers. She nor her husband has ever been around babies, and bless their hearts, they had twins the first rattle out of the box. It was fun to get to love on some little babies and I think she appreciated me stopping by. (I'd like to think so anyway.)

So she gets 2 days- one for her cake decorating ability and one for her give 'til it hurts attitude. Both traits she passed on, in varying amounts.