Another One of Those Long Days

Those who are Moms know about the long day.

Long day: The worry, stress, and exhaustion that accumulates over the sick child.

Little did I know when I put Hayden to bed last night I'd be in for a long night. He'd been sniffling, coughing, doing the usual minor cold stuff - nothing worrisome. I'd jokingly said to Mark that it might be a long night since when Hayden is stuffy he tends have trouble sleeping and generally wakes up a few times a night.

I had no idea my definition of a long night would change radically. Hayden woke up at 10pm screaming and after waiting a few minutes to see if he'd settle himself down I went in to check. He sounded very stuffy and I figured he was just having trouble breathing out of his nose.

I got him to lay down again and went to bed myself. Then he started screaming again, so I went back in to calm him down. This time I laid down with him and tried to get him to fall asleep. He'd fall asleep for a minute then wake up screaming. Soon he was inconsolable even with me there. I went back to bed wondering what to do, he was crying off and on, but couldn't be comforted. At this point he was still just sounding congested.

So my next thought was to put him in bed with me, since he was still crying. He would fall asleep for about 2-3 minutes then wake up crying. At this point I'm not sure what to do, we go back to his room and I just held him while he cried. Mark was working late and came home around this time 2am I believe.

We decided to do a breathing treatment because his breathing was getting shallow and he was doing a little cough on the exhale. Mark did the treatment and I went to bed exhausted. He stayed with Hayden for a couple hours. At 5 I was back up, hearing him screaming again.

Mark decided to just take a shower and head to work without sleeping. I went in Hayden's room and got him to fall asleep, I went back to bed around 6am. He slept about 20 minutes and then woke up screaming. So we did another breathing treatment and by this time he was wheezing and sounding horrible.

Since the breathing treatments weren't working, we needed to do something else. My options at 7am were the ER or wait for the doctor's office to open.

I called Mark to have him come home so I could deal with taking Hayden to the ER. While I was waiting for Mark to get home, I called the pediatrician's after hours line to get their opinion on the ER. My previous experience with this was that if his oxygen sat is below 88 they make them go to the hospital. I had no way of knowing what his was.

The doctor didn't call back until I was on my way to the hospital, but they said to bring him to the office and they could treat him there. Luckily his oxygen stats were only at 93. He got a long breathing treatment and oral steroids. We also got a prescription to give him oral steroids for the next 4 days. He still sounded horrible when we left, but they were assuring that it would get better with the oral steroid. Basically, they call this episode reactive airway disease or "we don't know why he's having this". Before age 6 they don't like to label kids as having "asthma". Also, Hayden's episodes are always preceded by a cold which induces the breathing problems.

He started breathing a bit better by this evening, only a slight wheeze. We just put him to bed. I hope he can get the rest he and we need. He did take a 3 hour nap this afternoon, which is a good sign. Of course after no sleep last night and being unable to breathe, I would expect him to be exhausted.

The not so fun side of this is the steroids are supposed to make him more "aggressive". Hehe, Hayden even more wild than he already is? Grrrreat. They also make him hyper. Oh joy.

We go back for a follow-up tomorrow (this time with Corbin too, since Mark can't take off) which is always fun. Hayden HATES doctors. His words when we stepped into the office (heck even the parking lot) No, no, no, no, no.

I'm hoping he'll be on the fast track to health soon. There are few things scarier than watching your child be unable to breathe.

Now I am going to pass out. How I made it through this day without snagging a soda or chocolate, I'll never know.

P.S. Quick requests for prayers for Hayden to recover by Monday so my friend can watch him while Corbin has his doctor appointment. Also, for that appointment, praying everything looks good (or no change) since we'll be doing a kidney ultrasound.

What a Year Can Do

Hayden February 2008:

Hayden February 2009:

I am not in control

Today has been one of those days...where I come face to face with the knowledge that I am NOT in control. Of anything, not even a little bit.

How I could delude myself into every thinking I am (for even a minute) is hilarious!

And people (like me) who busily rush around trying to control both their (and your) world give me quite a laugh today.

I'm not superwoman. And I don't think I want to be. (No knocks to the superwomen out there, I'm just not one of them).

So there are some issues with the kitchen. Issues I'm not in the mood to discuss with anyone, let alone on my blog. But Mark said, "Let me take care of it". Of course, my first instinct is to want to know every single detail of every conversation and problem and give my input and solution and and and.

Who can add one minute to their life by worrying?

Mark said, "Let me take care of it'. And he did. I could have saved myself a day of worrying, by releasing my control over the situation. Why is this so hard for me?

There are many things I need to release. There are many times I need to stop "reinventing the wheel" and just go with it.

God is pointing out these things not so subtly on a day to day basis.

In other news, I went for my morning jog with the kiddos again! Another great morning. I'm thinking of doing that Mon/Wed/Fri. Seems like a good addition to our life. I get a bit of exercise and the boys get fresh air and time at the park.

The sugar/caffeine withdrawals have faded and I have gotten past one of the hardest parts. Now on to maintaining my diet changes - another difficult hurdle. You can do anything for a week, but the true test is to maintain those changes over a couple of months. My goal here is not to eliminate anything sweet from my life. But to slowly add in some healthy sources of sugar after 2 months - fruits, stevia, etc. I'm also not against the occasional donut or glass of white wine either! But first things first, must get past my cravings and need for sweet!

For those just starting, or restarting, or whatever - it CAN be done! I made it through! HA!

Running with the stroller has aggravated my back, I'm hoping it will calm down soon. It must be all my extra "jiggle" - hehe. This is a problem area for me that I've had for awhile (hence the chiropractor). I'm trying to just wait until my next appt on March 3rd, most of the time the pain settles on its own. It's hard going in with the kids. I usually have Mark go with me and all of us get adjusted.

I found the greatest outside toy for Hayden at the dollar store! It's a giant bubble wand! Now he can make his own bubbles. He has yet to figure out the whole blowing thing, so he makes me blow the bubbles. But now he can swing his wand around and make his own! He loves it.

He also surprised me today. I have taught him several signs over the past year, but the only one he uses consistently is "Please", the others I only saw him do the day I taught him. Yet today (several times), when his bubbles ran out, he came to the door and said "More" and signed it too. What the heck? Where did this come from? At first I thought it was a fluke, but then he did it 3 more times while playing with the bubbles. Crazy kiddo!

I have given up on the idea that Corbin will ever sit. HA! He will be 30 years old eating cheetos and watching TV on his tummy. He is just not interested in sitting. Every time I sit him down he kicks his legs straight and flips to his tummy. He'll be 8 months tomorrow, I would have thought by now he'd be sitting on his own, but he's not. Oh well, like I said earlier - I am NOT in control.

Well I have tons more, but it's getting late and this post is getting long.

Almost There...

Hehe, I found this - Hayden at 9 months. Corbin will be 8 months in a few days! I can't believe it.

So I'm almost past the worst part of the sugar/caffeine withdrawals. Today I had a slightly less annoying headache, but it seems to be gone now (after 9pm now). So that's good.

I'm also at the point where I really want something sweet, and NO OTHER food sounds good. My body would rather starve then NOT get sugar!!! I made chicken and asparagus tonight and my body was like, bleh - I'm not hungry if you won't feed me chocolate!

So my hunger levels have been really low, but my cravings have been super high. Whatever.

Anyone else still going? What's it been like for you?

Day 3 ... Withdrawal in full force.

I knew it was coming, and it came last night - the headache. Ugh. It's still here today. My whole body is screaming - give me a chocolate donut and large coffee! And make it snappy!

But I'm surviving. Another day or two and it should get better. Amazing how your body gets addicted to a food. Caffeine, sugar, whatever your poison(s).

Today I went jogging!! I loaded up the kiddos in the jogging stroller and hit the trails. It was awesome! I ran from Fern Bluff Park to Champion Park and walked back. I think that's about a mile. Hard to tell, but more than Wednesday.

Kids did fairly well, Hayden was a bit restless after the run, but he got to burn his energy at the park at the end. He's getting so big - he was doing all kinds of things that amazed me. Climbing difficult playscapes, etc. Corbin got his first swing ride! I shoved a blanket in the back and he loved swinging!! His face lit up, he was so happy.

What's awesome is that I got all that done before 10:30am! Just in time to get home for Hayden's ECI appointment.

I really hope I can keep up the running, I'm really enjoying it. By the way, if anyone wants to just go to a park, I'm done running by 10am and could meet you at one of the park's on Brushy Creek trail to play!

Time for lunch - soup today yum!

Fun With Glass

So today could definitely be one of those willpower wrecking days, but I didn't give in...yet. This morning I'm doing my usual Thursday routine, getting the kids ready (Ladies bible study today), and I start thinking about the morning. One of the things I LOVE about thursdays - sipping on my yummy coffee and munching on the goodies that show up on the breakfast buffet line before the study starts. If I don't get coffee, I usually go for a Diet Coke.

Uh, huh. So no drink, and since I comment about every week that they only food on that buffet table is full of sugar (think donuts, dessert breads, one time there were even cupcakes! Yes cupcakes, people - at 9:30am? You better your booty I had one...) So to curb my disappointment I decided to put my teapot on (remember, no microwave currently) the stove and at least make some tea for myself.

This is where things went horribly wrong. In a very Melissa-like move (I don't know why I have some much trouble with this!), I turned on the wrong burner. The burner I turned on had a glass pyrex dish and a baking sheet on top of that (no countertops remember). Anyone have a clue what happens when you rapidly heat (I wanted to boil the water so I had that baby on high!) glass?

So there was an explosion, I seriously thought my cabinets had fallen down onto the stove (there was like smoke and "dust" er, glass particles flying up. But no, it was just my dish exploding into a million different pieces and flying ALL over the kitchen. Luckily we were all in other rooms at the time or this could have really been bad.

So after cleaning all that up I finally get to head to bible study (of course I still went!!). I'm feeling pretty miserable at this point. Afterwards, I went to pick up Hayden and Corbin. Hayden usually is all smiles when he sees me and runs to the door to get picked up. Not today. :( He actually threw a tantrum because he DIDN'T want to go. Sheesh, way to make your momma feel good. So I took my baby and my toddler who didn't want to come home with me to the car.

I mean, I want him to be independent and such, but dang. I guess my days are numbered.

Tonight I'm cooking a meal for someone - hopefully I don't cause anymore explosions. I kind of just want to curl back under the covers and start over.

Oh and I spilled our drive-thru food all over the floor of the car on the way home too....

But I haven't resorted to stuffing my face - so hey, if I can do it - maybe you can too?

We have our own button!!!

Our amazingly talented blogger Amanda has made us a button!!!

And the donut is so appropriate here!!!

Thanks sweetie!

<a alt="60 Day Challenge" href="http://justm3lissa.blogspot.com/2009/02/death-to-sugar-cravings.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONfIEVtLz0r6vt_A0gNqPj1V7Ithtch0_P-n18SRgiy7HBlTV5E0_CF85GZeaQKOaR-yGjb7aAIhl9CDntvd1m1cLMTWRqu4rqdqiX6RkSejW2Bv9nOm5wMOjujRUzNX0eFtMV7-t1vU/s1600-h/60days.png" /></a>

Make Your Plan!!

So it seems we may have a few takers! I've laid out my plan, if you like that GREAT! Your work is done. But, hey, if you have an even better plan, I say go for it!

I really hope that everyone would tailor this so that it works for them. Otherwise, it's not gonna work.

Any reduction in sugar, is well, a reduction! If taking out all sugars is too rough, than cut the obvious ones. If it's not rough enough, pull out your trusty Glycemic Index and nix everything that raises the blood sugar! (But, from personal experience, I've done this one, and uh, well have fun eating those proteins and veggies!)

Nutrition fascinates me. My only problem is my body is the one that controls me. I love learning about the contents and makeups of different foods - and could probably (with in a gram or two) give you the carb count of most foods (years of Atkins taught me well, if I can't give you the exact carb count I can definitely tell you whether it's low-carb or not) and/or if they contain saturated fats or non-saturated fats (years of Mark's low-fat MS diet).

Check out this site Amanda referenced for a REAL sugar detox (wow!). Okay, I'm not going that far - but if this interests you, I'd be impressed! HA!

My main goal here is to get to a mind/body place where my emotions are not being driven by food. Sugar is a main source of that for me, which is why I'm "taking a break" from it.

Anywho, enough about Sugar! I'll be back to my regular mommy antics tomorrow. As I'm going through the initial withdrawal symptoms I'll be posting daily on my struggles/victories, then I'll switch to once a week so I don't bore the crap out of the rest of you!

Woohoo! Here we go.

Ok, so I might have some Suga'holic readers who are up for the challenge. The rest of you can eat your chocolates in peace - no judgments here!

So there was a question about what to drink - yes water, coffee (no sugar), tea, or unflavored sparkling water is what's on the menu. Milk actually has (at least on my nutrition label for 2%) 11g of sugar!!!!

As for the sweeteners, I prefer to remove them ALL. For me, even the hint of sweetness triggers cravings, so I can't keep them. I'm no diet guru (for sure) so do what you feel it right.

It does make life interesting. Tonight as I was headed to small group,

Small group: Occurs every Wednesday. A group of us get together for some God talk, and food. Much laughter, joy, and peace ensues.

Okay, so I was headed to our small group and starting thinking about what I would eat and drink there. I generally have Babs delicious coffee with plenty of sweetener. But that option was out. Then I thought about having to just sip on some water and that didn't sound good. I had made tea (with nothing in it) before I left home, but had forgotten it!! I quickly pulled into Starbucks and got a green tea - what a rip - I can't believe they charge that much for green tea!

Once I got there, the usual spread of sugary goodies was there, but I refrained. I had instead a few pieces of meat, and chips/salsa. I avoided the yummy cookies and grapes.

Obviously, you will encounter sugar in most things - especially processed food. So maybe you can't avoid it completely, but you can certainly minimize it by trying to follow it the best you can. For instance, I'm sure the salsa had sugar in it (many do), and since the bottle wasn't there I couldn't check. So I used my best judgment and got only a teaspoon of salsa with 3 chips.

Oh and for the record - it depends on the wine. Whites are typically out, but red can actually lower your blood sugar. So if you need to indulge do it with a red - and not a port wine! HA!

This will be even more interesting for me because I've basically cut out most sources of caffeine in my diet. I don't like coffee without Splenda or sugar, and I'm not drinking sodas. Many of the teas I like are also decaf! So I'm getting a double detox.

Hey I survived the first 5 hours...maybe I can make it.

Death to Sugar Cravings

Ok, so who got the GIGANTIC box of chocolates?

Who ate it all already?

Who is craving sugar ALL THE TIME?

Who is feeling sluggish?

Who has mood swings?

Who wants to lose a few pounds?

Who wants to be healthier?

Okay, did I ask enough questions to cover most of you?

I'm tired of the above mentioned issues, and have resigned myself that I need to detox my body of SUGAR. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's day I've had more than my fair share. What's that stat about the number of lbs of sugar Americans consume each year? Yeah, double that. Ugh.

So starting right now (yes right now, not tomorrow, or monday, or March 1st - you know what I'll do, I'll eat all the sugar in our house until that time) I'm detoxing. No sugar, no significant sources of natural sugar (fruits), no artificial sweeteners (ACK), nothing. Nothing for 60 days. 60 days!!!??!! Yes, 60 days.

Wanna join me? It seems easier to do something together, no? Put down that donut and let's go! (Okay that was directed to me).

And I'm not saying sugar is bad, or any food is bad, or that I'm never eating sugar again (HA like that would ever happen). But I do know my body is addicted to this yummy stuff and I need to curb the cravings.

Hello, my name is Melisa(er, MelisSa), and I'm a Suga' Holic.

Sound off my fellow Suga' Holics.

<a alt="60 Day Challenge" href="http://justm3lissa.blogspot.com/2009/02/death-to-sugar-cravings.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONfIEVtLz0r6vt_A0gNqPj1V7Ithtch0_P-n18SRgiy7HBlTV5E0_CF85GZeaQKOaR-yGjb7aAIhl9CDntvd1m1cLMTWRqu4rqdqiX6RkSejW2Bv9nOm5wMOjujRUzNX0eFtMV7-t1vU/s1600-h/60days.png" /></a>

I'm Hooked...

So I'm lazily sitting at the laptop after the "mad morning rush"

Mad morning rush: Time period that takes place after I crawl out of bed to the sound of a crying baby. Make bottles (Corbin is drinking 10 oz in the morning!), fill sippy with milk, feed hayden breakfast, change diapers, and feed myself something.

Yes, so I'm sitting there right, and I get a message from a friend - Let's meet somewhere! It takes us a minute to decide that we'll meet at a park and go walking. I suggest Champion Park - great trails and a sandbox for Hayden to play in.

I throw clothes on the kiddos and load up the jogging stroller (and inflate the tires!). I bring our goodies and snacks.

Unfortunately, my friend ends up at the wrong park and with no cellphone we don't meet up. So I'm heading back to the Explorer to go home, but Hayden starts fussy about leaving the stroller - he wants to walk (or ride) and we haven't yet. I think for a minute. Maybe there's a reason I'm out here, alone. I mean the kids are already in the stroller, might as well walk a little.

So I turn around and head for the trail. I'm thinking maybe I'll have some good thinking, prayer, meditation time, but it's just not happening. My mind is distracted and the kids distract me every now and then too. I'm talking to God. What's up? What do you want me to do out here? Silence. Hmmm...

So I walk for about 20 minutes and then turn around (it's a long trail). On the way back, I'm again thinking What was the point of this excursion? Then I start thinking about my jogging stroller. Jogging stroller. Man, I used to love running - especially the trails. Pavement hurt my knees to much, but trails - yeah. I starting thinking how weird it would seem to run with a stroller. I bet is feels awkward. I bet it's hard.

Then I check out what I'm wearing. Running shoes. Check. Nursing sports bra (and I'm not nursing anymore, don't ask - I need more bras). Check. Lightweight clothing. Check.

I start thinking, Well I COULD run if I wanted to. I am dressed for it. Except for the whole pushing 70 lbs of kid/stroller part which I'm sure will be hard. Maybe I'll just do a fast walk. Yeah.

So I start walking a bit faster. I look around. Well no one is watching, so if I wanted to just try to jog I could do it without witnesses if it went badly.

So I do it. I just do it. Jog, hold on to stroller, keep jogging. Wait a minute. This is good. This is really good. This isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I could totally do this. And it's fun.

So I run all the way back to the car, maybe 1/2 a mile, nothing big. But it was exhilarating. The nature, the breeze, the pounding of feet, the kids enjoying the faster pace jogging gave. Could this be the exercise I've been looking for?

Yes. I believe it is. Morning jogs here I come!

Don't Turn Your Back...

Have I mentioned that Corbin has a passion for all things diaper related? Diapers, wipes, changing pad, you name it.

In this house you must keep a 5 foot distance from Corbin and the changing area - or this might happen:

Tuesday and still raining

Today is another cloudy, drizzling day but I'm still enjoying it. A great opportunity to visit with wonderful friends, and just do indoor stuff. Yesterday I got 4 loads of laundry done, I still have more that I'm slowly working on today.

The Turkey Lasagna turned out great!!! My own "special" recipe and super easy. In fact I just ate the leftovers for lunch and I'm wishing I had made a bigger batch!

I was able to use up half of the lasagna noodles, as well as the left over random cheeses in our fridge. My lasagna was a combo of mozzarella, Monterrey Jack, and Sharp Cheddar! HA, but it was awesome.

Corbin has started to do lots of "babbling". Often times I can't tell the difference between him and Hayden. He's growing up fast! He still prefers his tummy to any attempt at sitting, so I'm not sure when he'll learn to sit!

My backspace key has decided to work only when it's in the "mood" - this is interesting...I use it a lot and it's getting annoying pushing it twice each time I make a mistake. ARGH.

Corbin is not napping today, so my blogging time is cut short!

Retired??!!!

Today we got a general email from our contractor's email today saying he's retiring and that his "associates" are taking over.

RETIRING?!!

What about my kitchen? And who are these "associates"? Our contract is with just him. And he's not returning our calls.

Okay, now I am worried...

No Place Like Home

Even if my house is still a demolition zone (no they haven't been back since the last post), there is seriously no place like home for me. Some days I forget this, but most of the time I love when I open up my planner and there are NO appointments that week.

Part of me just relaxes at the thought of a whole week at home. Just me getting a few things done (a few, I am realistic - 2 kids + 1 "me" = limited time), enjoying the kiddos, and taking a slower pace. My goals are minimal - catching up on the mountains of laundry and putting away clothes that have drifted out of closets and drawers. Hopefully, that goal is small enough to be doable this week.

Between feeding the boys, changing diapers, playing and supervising, I have about 3 hours (broken up into chunks of 15-30 minutes) to actually DO something. This realization has come to me somewhat recently. Adjusting my expectations of what I can actually do vs. what I want to do has helped me feel less stressed.

Be right back...must move laundry. Okay, one more load and the kids laundry is done. Then I can start on ours. Sheesh. And I actually did laundry last week. These kids go through so much laundry, I had no idea. 2 full loads JUST for them??

Lunch time is always interesting around here (I miss my microwave and countertops were a nice invention too). Yesterday I got lazy and when we went to the store I picked up one of those family size chicken enchilada meals you throw in the oven. That was dinner...and lunch today. I have to say, I much prefer MY enchiladas to these. Bleh. Too bad I'm lazy, I could have made my own.

I am doing better tonight and making Turkey Lasagna - from scratch with no recipe. HA! I'll let you know what happened. I'm sure it will be fine...I've had these lasagna noodles in my pantry begging to be used - and I'm gonna use them!! All part of my "using, reusing, recycle" philosophy I started way back when. I'm loving not have a bunch of food sitting around in my pantry. Not only is it a lot easier to find things, I never worry about stuff expiring. I also get a chance to "experiment" when I have a random ingredient left over that needs to be used - like my lasagna noodles.

It's overcast today and looking like it will rain - again. Kind of nice though because it totally closes the door on us going to the park. One less thing to squeeze in. Plus we just went to the park yesterday.

Corbin is snoozing and Hayden is finishing up lunch (soon he'll be down for his nap, or quiet time or whatever - some days he snoozes and some days he just plays in there). Of course right about that time, Corbin will be getting back up! Haha. Having two definitely cuts down on any "alone" time. I generally get about 1 hour from around 3-4, that is unless Hayden wakes up early or Corbin decides not to nap. So no, our "schedule" is and has never been one that works perfectly or is set in stone. It's more of a guideline.

Most days our schedule is usually wake ups at 8am followed by breakfast and diaper changes. Playing for Corbin until 10 then a nap until 12. Hayden eats at 12 followed by a nap at 1 or 2 depending on the day. Corbin goes back down for a nap between 2-3. Hayden naps until 4-5pm, although sometimes earlier. If it's a bath day I do that before dinner. Dinner is at 6:30, although Corbin eats dinner at 5:30 usually when I start making dinner. Corbin gets a bedtime bottle and medicine at 7pm and off to bed when he finishes usually by 7:30. Hayden is in bed around 8pm.

And that's the day. Not a ton of time for anything else in there, but a little.

Okay, enchilada lunch is gone, so that's the end of my blogging time!

Have you seen this yet?

Okay so this is on a bazilllllion blogs, but in case you're like me and way behind the times....this is hilarious.

I know, i know, i never watch videos that people throw up on their blogs either, but I promise this one will make you laugh. (Just click the link if it loads too slow for ya)





Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

iTunes Saves Me Again

iTunes has saved my booty about a million times these past few years. Whether I needed a quick "happy" song, a lullaby for the kiddos, or just needed to wind down after a crrrrazy day (like today) - iTunes has rocked it. I'm sure just about any other digital download software would rock my world too, but I latched on to iTunes first.

Some of my top songs (on my upstairs comp, hehe I've yet to "reconcile" the tunes on all my computers):

Fire - Ferry Corsten
Love Song For A Savior - Jars of Clay
King Without a Crown - Matisyahu
Give Me Your Strength - Stillpoint Band
If I Stand - Rich Mullins
Stir it Up - Bob Marley
Gone - Switchfoot
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Big Blue Sea- Bob Schneider
Clocks - Coldplay
Solaris Soundtrack - Cliff Martinez
Breathless - The Corrs

What are those songs that you can't live without?

Feeling Good

Today is a good day. Not because anything wonderful happened, just because. Maybe someone slipped me a happy pill, but either way I feel different today. Like I'm out of a fog. Corbin is 7 months now, and it's interesting that I had a similar fog-lifting experience when Hayden was 7 months. I just feel more confident, less stressed, and more motivated.

Today I'm looking at the house with fresh eyes, putting things away, organizing, doing the laundry, playing with the babies, going to the park, starting up a new website project, etc.

I'm sitting on the back deck (thank you wireless) blogging in the beautiful weather while my toddler plays in the back yard. I'm enjoying the sunset and the nice crisp, but not cold air. I'm getting ready to make two dinners (one for a friend) and not feeling the least bit overwhelmed about it - even though I have half a kitchen right now, HA!

I've started new ways of getting Hayden's cooperation and positive behavior and it's working. He's also learning new things all the time which just blows me away.

I'm even finding time for reading and playing WoW.

I don't know, things are just...working. I've found my groove, and the fog has lifted.

"God Made Me Special"...he sure did...

So last week I picked up Hayden from his toddler class that he goes to while I do ladies bible study, and he had made the cutest picture. (I use made loosely here, I'm a bit suspicious he had anything to do with it at all). I had planned on adding this one to the fridge.

Of course my hungry toddler had other plans...this is what happens when he's left alone in the backseat with his "craft":



This is so "Hayden"... I hope those glue covered cheerios hit the spot!

There's something cooking in the kitchen...

We have cabinets!!! Okay, so that might not have doors or drawers, or even counter tops, but hey - I can't complain.

They came on Saturday and installed all of the cabinets:



So there's a quick preview. There's a LOT more work to do still. Namely, counter tops, sink, faucet, doors, drawers, a new shelf above the window and in the laundry room, door trim, tile back splash, cabinet hardware, installing microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, water softener faucet, etc. Hehe. Oh and Mark and I need to finish painting eventually. The color in the pictures is what it's going to be, but we need to do the top coat with the sand texture.

Wow. Can't wait until it's done though. Although if I ever do any other remodeling, I don't think I'll tell ANYONE. I get a daily call from my Mom asking if it's finished yet. Then again, I don't ever want to do any remodeling...ever. (I may have some ideas for our upstairs bathroom though...a little cutting of the roof, extension out the top...) Of course that would be in like another 8 years when I'm not poor from THIS remodel.

I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but last Christmas ('07 not '08) I crushed my glasses (I still blame Mark for moving them, blind people don't do well with changing locations of things!!) Anyway, I was forced to dig out my old pair (with an older prescription) which had barely survived when they were "the" pair. They were held together with a screw that was too long for the hole and actually sticks up out of the top...uh huh. Yeah, well I've been wearing those babies now for over a year and my contacts were running out! So I finally took the time to head to the optometrist and got some new glasses/contacts.

I'm not sure why I wait so long to go - it's a rather quick and painless process. I'm just lazy I guess. Here's me sporting my new SUPER cute glasses (and rockin out too). Of course, anything is cute compared to the hideous ones I was suffering in this past YEAR.

Allergic To The World

As I write this I have tears streaming down my face, not from joy or sorrow, but ... ALLERGIES. I am allergic to Texas. From January until March, I should seriously consider taking an extended vacation.

Excuse me while I sneeze 10 times in a row...

Okay, now let me blow my nose..

One more time...

Okay, sorry about that. I don't think I've breathed out of my nose since January 1st. Seriously.

Poor Mark has to put up with my Darth Vader sleeping and blowing my nose all night long - I think he suffers just as much. He also has to deal with the Kleenex that seems to be trailing from one end of the house to the other. When you go through a box of Kleenex a day, that tends to happen.

So sorry if my blogging has been a little sporadic, I'm in hibernation mode until the cedar, mold, and DUST IN MY HOUSE goes away.

P.S. No the kitchen isn't done. NO WORK HAS BEEN DONE THIS WEEK. Supposedly, he is coming tomorrow with our cabinets. Unless he gets hit by a truck, or his dog dies, or it rains, or my cabinets fall off the back of his truck, or...you get the picture.


Counts during this post:
Sneezes: 14
Tissues: 5
Minutes to write this post: 3

Monday Morning Musings

1. I can't believe it's already February. I am desperate to decorate with my little valentine's trinkets, but this house is still in nuclear bomb mode - I'm not sure a few hearts here and there will actually change the environment.

2. We went to the park today! It's a little chilly, but the sun was out and Hayden really needed to burn off some energy. I'm really enjoying this age - he's big enough to use almost all of the playground equipment! And he has so much fun.

3. While we were at the park, another mother and her 4 children came. She was pushing them on that one piece of equipment, I don't remember the name, but it's the one where you spin in circles while someone pushes you. Anywho. One of her little ones kept trying to stick his feet off and ended up falling twice. In the process of all this, she was yelling at him about not listening to her and to sit down, etc.

A young man (sheesh, I'm getting old when I refer to another adult as a young man), probably like 19 or 20, walked by and said, although rudely, what I was kind of thinking. "Quit yelling at your kids!".

It made me think of my own behavior on those days when Hayden is out of sorts and not behaving. Is that what I look like from afar? I was thinking back to that day when we went to the mall and Hayden was crumbled in a pile of goo on the floor and I'm yanking and yelling at him to "STAND UP!". Yeah...

Then I actually started talking to her, she was really nice. And it was obvious she really did care about her kids. She has 4 kids, 2 girls, and then two boys who are twins (and are 3). They had JUST driven 13 hours from Las Vegas, and she was letting them run around after the long trip. With all that knowledge, it put the whole scene in perspective. The one she was yelling at, she explained was her "difficult" child who always pushed the limits.

Just goes to show that we should hold our judgment, yet it still reminded me not to be that "Yelling" Mom we all hate. Not like yelling really works anyway - not with Hayden at least. Hehe. He kind of has his own mind about things these days, and we are usually at odds.

4. Right now I'm listening to the sound of my washing machine, and it's one of the best sounds in the world because it means I can actually do laundry!!!! It's amazing how much you LOVE doing laundry when you're faced with 2 weeks of no washer and dryer.

5. No my kitchen is not done. Although we do have tile floors now with grout. Yet, they still need to put the wooden transition strips (between the carpet and tile) back, and the wooden strip on the baseboard connecting the tile. And, THEN we can start thinking about getting everything else. Mark and I moved the washer, dryer, and stove back in their general location, since the crew can work around them.

6. The floors really do look nice, he did a wonderful job. I just wish it hadn't taken 2 weeks.

7. Heroes is back on tonight!!! Heroes has become quite the "event" in our house. It's the one thing we look forward to during the week. HA! We even put the kids down 15 minutes early so we can watch it in peace! That, and it's a little violent for the wee ones.

8. I'm really SICK of fast food. But when you have NO kitchen and aren't rich, fast food is the only option, haha. Now that my stove is hooked back up I can at least do some simple foods. We don't even have a microwave! Although I can't go to crazy, cause I have no sink, so washing larger dishes, is well, interesting.

9. For some reason, I'm super psyched about making a paper bag sheep puppet for children's ministry this week, hehe. I'm not exactly sure why, but it just sounds fun!

10. I'm not looking forward to the insane amount of dusting and vacuuming I have ahead of me once this kitchen is finished...