Thursday, October 31, 2013

Food Network Run Amok

Sometimes when my kids are asking to watch cartoons, I pretend there's nothing on and turn to the Food Network.

My thinking is this-it's generally cuss free, family-friendly, and if they learn to cook gourmet meals one day-it's a bonus!

So today Josh comes to me today and says he didn't drink all of his chocolate milk this morning.

When I ask why, his response is this......VERY SERIOUSLY.....

"It was a little too nutty."

I repeat his answer back to him and he repeats it back to me.  

So serious.  That was his critique of the chocolate milk.

Seriously?!?!?!?

Maybe I should think about turning on the Spanish channel.......

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Sick Baby

As some of you know, Macey was a very sick little girl.

It came on so fast!

Daddy was sick about a week and half ago, then shared with Mommy, whom shared with Josh, and then little Macey.  

Except by the time it got to Macey, it was B-A-D!

I had told Chad (insert wagging finger) that she was coming down with something.  Except, I just thought it was what we all had.....a cold with a cough.  

Hers turned worse.

She woke up after nap on Thursday and was snotty and just plain didn't sound good and you could tell she didn't feel good.

I immediately made a doctor's appointment for the next morning.  (Josh and I had just been to the doctor on Monday.)

By the next morning, she sounded like she had swallowed a duck.  Or made out with Donald Duck, not sure which.

I took her, like I always do, to drive Josh to the big city to go to preschool.  Then she and I killed time until her appointment.  We ran quickly to Lowe's to pick up something for Daddy.  (I literally had a print out and a picture in my hand of what I was sent for.  That's the only way I'll go into a home improvment store.)

By the time we had finished at Lowe's, she was worse.  It seemed as though she was having trouble breathing and she was breathing faster.  

Since our doctor ROCKS, I just went ahead and went 30 minutes early to our appointment.  Lucky for us, he was able to fit us right in.  God thing #1.

He diagnosed her with croup, gave us antibiotics and steroids.  While he was sitting there figuring up the dosages, he continued to hear Macey breathe and decided that a breathing treatment wouldn't hurt.

Yeah, not her but Mommy!  

I had small tears in my eyes and my baby was sick and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.  Then I'm supposed to hold this 'smoke' (or what it seemed to Macey to be) with a mask over her to make her breath better.

The doctor was WAY impreseed with the results of her breath sounds afterwards.  

He asked if we had a nebulier at home (breathing machine.)  I said no, BUT MY SISTER-IN-LAW does!

My sister-in-law is awesome and of course let us borrow.  (Thank goodness my brain was working fast.  God thing #2.)

So he prescribed another thing for the liquid to put in the breathing treatment.

Leaving the doctor with a sick, limp baby and 3 prescriptions, but the cough medicine I can give her that i have at home if I need to.

Boo.

Ran to the pharmacy, saw Mimi, and barely made it home.  

I mean seriously folks!  She was so bad breathing, I wasn't sure I'd make it!  

I was speeding to make it just to get to Chad.  I was going over my spheel I'd give the officer who pulled me over.  God thing #3.

We made it home and Chad was not happy that doctor let her leave the office sounding and breathing like she was.  

I explained that she wasn't this bad at the office. 

We weren't home much more than an hour until we decided to leave to go to the ER.

Josh was with us and was such a big help.  He was a little scared, but then Nana Janet came to take him home. 

After a 3 hour trip to the ER, this is Macey after she was better.







































She's sitting on her own, clapping, smiling, speaking, just all around better.

(None of the above she would have done before.)

It was scary, but I'm glad I had a partner to go thru it with.  There are many things that I do (some on a daily basis) that I wouldn't want to do alone.

Macey was touch and go that night (late) and the next day (Saturday), but seems to be better today.  Still has a nasty cough and not much energy at times, she even took a morning nap!  (Something she hasn't done in about a year or so!)

The only bad thing we've been dealing with is 'Roid Rage.'  The steroids are making her throw fits that a king would be proud of!  

Rough on everyone, but we've made it.  The worst seems to be behind us.

I'm never sure if things like this are harder on the parents or the kids.

My vote is for the parents!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Chalk one up for Mama!!

Some days, its all I can do to make it from "Son up to Son down"......know what I mean!

I really try very hard to give my kids the best.

Yes, I get short when they keep bugging me to 'snuggle' and won't let me clean.

Yes, I get frustrated when all I want them to do is play nicely and then I catch Josh pegging Zoey with a ball. 

(Then he has the audacity to ask why he has to go to Time Out!)

But, I saw this from a friend and it make me feel good.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/regular-bedtimes-help-kids-behavior/2013/10/14/9ffa5b26-31be-11e3-8627-c5d7de0a046b_story.html

It's a study that says that when kids go to bed at a set time regularly, they have less behavior problems.

All together now.....

DUH!!!!!!

I may be known as the schedule Nazi around here, but by golly, my kids are better for it.  And by schedule Nazi, I mean Sleep Nazi. 

Even when Josh was younger, I didn't miss naps.  

I once read a book and it talked about how you should protect that sacred time-not only for your sake, but mostly for your kids.  

A well-rested kid (and a Mama given a break) is a happy kid (and Mama!)!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Inventive...

My kids can take ordinary things and turn them into extraordinary things. 

Josh's favorite toys are wooden spoons.  

It all started with him pilfering mine from my kitchen drawer.  Then I just gave him all of mine and bought new for me.

But then he took more of mine, so I had to mark on his "J+M" so he would quit taking mine!

Anyway, Mom and I went to an Estate Auction and I bought some kitchen stuff for our new giant sandbox.






Then after dinner we did our "Dance Party".  We turn on the 90's channel on our cable and the kids dance.  




I think Chad and I just like to reminise about when we were young, carefree, and skinny.  
Ok.  
Maybe the last one was just me.

Then Josh found a Pepsi container that I was about to recycle and turned it into a space ship.  Or a space suit.  Something creative.



























Just an ordinary day with extraordinary people.

I'm callin' Bull.......

So......

Many of you, unless you've been living under a rock, know that Josh is SUPER creative, which most times, leads to trouble.

And he's curious.

Let me set the stage for you.

We went out to eat and got a balloon at the END of our meal.  

(It took about one balloon during a meal, while wrangling a toddler, trying not look like I was a crazed psycho, all while shoveling dinner while being bonked on the head constantly with a balloon to realize that the balloon would NOT be collected until we are walking out of the restaurant under ANY circumstances.)

Brought the balloon home in the Kansas wind, miraculously.

As we come in, Josh accidentally flips on the ceiling fan with the light in the living room.  I promptly turn it off, remind him that it'll get caught in the ceiling fan and we CANNOT turn on the fan with balloons in the house.

So, I'm silly enough to think that this situation has ended. 

Then Josh comes in the kitchen and tells me that he needs my help.  

And then he tells me I might need scissors.




















And that is what I found.  

He immediately told me it was an accident and he was sorry. 

I'm callin' bull crap on the accident thing.

Yep, I was right.  When I cornered him under interrogation he admitted it wasn't a mistake.  Yeah, I knew I smelled bull.

The string on the balloon was about, no kidding, 5 feet long.  

And it's all wrapped up.  In the motor thing.

Thus, he got the balloon taken away for the rest of the evening.

Da-dunk.  



Monday, October 7, 2013

I am officially.....THAT Mama

It's official.

Today, October 7th, 2013....I became THAT Mama.

Let me explain....

Today is picture day at Josh's preschool.

We've known about this for some time.

I've had his outfit picked out for weeks.

We even went and bought more "man shoes" yesterday after church.  

We've talked about picture day for a day or so now.  Specifically last night after bath.  I told him I had to make sure and clean out his ears because it was picture day tomorrow.

Then when we were brushing his teeth, I made sure and said something about an "awesome smile" and "ooohhhh, that'll be a good smile for picture day!"

And then this morning, he knew it was picture day.  

Mom put a towel over him in the car to make sure as to not mess up his clothes while he ate in the car. 

(FYI-it did cross my mind to take him in his PJs and change him there, but then I thought, a boy has to grow up......and so does his Mama.)

We get there, get out of the car, wipe the cream cheese from his bagel off with a wet wipe in the parking lot and happily walk in.

He gets about 5 feet from his classroom door and runs in.  He's so darn excited to be there!

Then he pops back out in T-E-A-R-S!

WTH?

His teacher reprimaded him for running into class. 

Excuse me?!?!?  My son is excited to be there!  He's so excited that he couldn't I wait to come!

We talk up his teacher in our house.  We always say nice things, encouraging words, and NEVER say anything negative.  He worships his teacher.  He loves school.  And that woman just made him cry.

So........

I console Josh, push him in his room, and then........go cry in the car. 

After I pull myself together, I do what any normal person would do......

CALL THEIR MAMA!

I called Mom and vented.  I was so mad........I was madder than Ike and Tina Turner during PMS week!

I got a pep talk and decided I'd have to pull up my big girl panties. 

But DOGGONE IT....I'd super freakin' tired of pullin' those damn things up.

In fact, this past craft fair in H town, I got a plaque that says, "If I have to pull up my big girl panties one more time, the elastic is gunna break and I'll REALLY have to show my butt!"

It's proudly displayed by my coffee pot.

So..........

I talk to the director, she makes me feel a little better, will talk to the teacher and explain that he wasn't running wild, just excited to be there.  

Whatever.  I guess I've officially become THAT MOM.  

But.....

It's my job to protect my baby and make sure that he has a great life.

Because....



HE is my priority.