Goals For August:
1. exercise 3 times a week ( every other day)
2. organize home office and finances.
3. menu plan/shopping list
4. make time for me every day.
5. unless we are on vacation, get dressed in real clothes every day.
6. help Mike with his work to do list.
I know that seems like a lot, but its all really the same thing, said differently...use my time more wisely.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
the things kids say...
This morning on the way to school...
Peter says, "Mom, could you just pop out a boy next time 'cause we already have enough girls?"
I almost spit coffee all over my dashboard! Where does he come up with these things?
_____________________________
In her Letter To Jesus written in english class, Katherine wrote,
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for all that you have given me. I am sorry that I have not thanked you for that! I am happy that Easter is very close. I am very lucky to have a lot of things to eat and drink. Thank you for giving me a mom and a dad. Thank you for giving me ancestors and thank you for giving me a really nice life.
Do my ancestors watch over me? What is heaven like? What color skin do you have? I love you! Please help me to suck it up and go to First Communion. I don't like to wear fancy things thats why I need help for First Communion. You are very kind and I know it. Thank you Jesus, thank you.
Love, Katherine"
Its gold. She has no idea how funny she is...
Peter says, "Mom, could you just pop out a boy next time 'cause we already have enough girls?"
I almost spit coffee all over my dashboard! Where does he come up with these things?
_____________________________
In her Letter To Jesus written in english class, Katherine wrote,
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for all that you have given me. I am sorry that I have not thanked you for that! I am happy that Easter is very close. I am very lucky to have a lot of things to eat and drink. Thank you for giving me a mom and a dad. Thank you for giving me ancestors and thank you for giving me a really nice life.
Do my ancestors watch over me? What is heaven like? What color skin do you have? I love you! Please help me to suck it up and go to First Communion. I don't like to wear fancy things thats why I need help for First Communion. You are very kind and I know it. Thank you Jesus, thank you.
Love, Katherine"
Its gold. She has no idea how funny she is...
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
lyrics i needed to read today...
These are the days, ohh
These are days, you'll rememberNever before and never since, I promiseWill the whole world be warm as this and as you feel it
You'll know it's true that you are blessed and luckyIt's true that you are touched by somethingThat will grow and bloom in you
These are days, you'll rememberWhen may is rushing over you with desireTo be part of the miracles you see in every hour
You'll know it's true that you are blessed and luckyIt's true that you are touched by somethingThat will grow and bloom in you
These are days
These are the days you might fill with laughter until' you breakThese days you might feel a shaft of light make it's way across your faceWhen you do you'll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaningIt's true, you'll know how it was meant to beHear the signs and know they're speaking to you, to you
These are days, you'll rememberNever before and never since, I promiseWill the whole world be warm as this and as you feel it
You'll know it's true that you are blessed and luckyIt's true that you are touched by somethingThat will grow and bloom in you
These are days, you'll rememberWhen may is rushing over you with desireTo be part of the miracles you see in every hour
You'll know it's true that you are blessed and luckyIt's true that you are touched by somethingThat will grow and bloom in you
These are days
These are the days you might fill with laughter until' you breakThese days you might feel a shaft of light make it's way across your faceWhen you do you'll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaningIt's true, you'll know how it was meant to beHear the signs and know they're speaking to you, to you
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Things kids say
This morning while reading my email, 5 appears at my side in need of a bey blade launcher repair which requires duct tape and scissors (for the duct tape).
5: "Mom can you fix this? I already got the duct tape."
Me: "Sure. Let me get my scissors"
5: "Mom, be careful...don't cut off my fingers!"
Me: Hahahahaha "I will never cut off your fingers, but you might if you use these sharp scissors."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Yesterday after a visit to fire station.
Neighbor: "6, what do you say to the fireman?"
6: "Thank you"
Neighbor: "Tell him good bye"
6: "Bye, for now. I coming back"
5: "Mom can you fix this? I already got the duct tape."
Me: "Sure. Let me get my scissors"
5: "Mom, be careful...don't cut off my fingers!"
Me: Hahahahaha "I will never cut off your fingers, but you might if you use these sharp scissors."
_________________________________________________________________________________
Yesterday after a visit to fire station.
Neighbor: "6, what do you say to the fireman?"
6: "Thank you"
Neighbor: "Tell him good bye"
6: "Bye, for now. I coming back"
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Letter to me when thinking of having #8
Dear Stupid Head;
If you are reading this you are considering having another baby. While we think that babies are wonderful gifts, let me remind you of some of the things you have forgotten in the last year(?).
- You will be super sick for 15-16 weeks. Not get out of bed sick. Want to die sick. The medicines that help make you not throw up make you sleep. After a few weeks, Mike looses it and cannot handle you not helping. Then the crying begins. That's really fun. You cry because you don't feel well. You cry because you cannot do anything but sleep and throw up. You cry because you fail at simple things. You cry because your kids fight. You cry because they don't listen. You cry because you cannot stop crying. Hormones are awesome.
- Then the vomiting stops, and the crying lets up. You are at least 2 sizes smaller than you were when this all started. And your appetite returns, with a vengeance. You eat everything in sight. You eat like a man for a while. You cannot function if you are slightly hungry. The voice in your head tells you to curb that eating spree because it is so hard to lose that weight after the fact, and then you are more miserable. You continue to walk/exercise but that only lasts until the exhaustion hits again.
- Then the third trimester hits. With that comes extreme exhaustion. You are so tired all the time. You need 12-15 hours of sleep, but only get 8. Mike becomes that warm body in the bed that you never talk to because you are always sleeping. He resents that. The kids are mad because you make them go to bed at 7 every night because you cannot keep your eyes open another minute. They fight you, they win. You don't get enough sleep. You try napping at nap time, but then are late to pick up kids. If you don't nap, carpool becomes a battle to stay awake. Coffee is the only hope. Don't forget that pregnancy brain is in full effect. Write everything down because you will forget. EVERYTHING.
- Start cooking and freezing meals now, because you will not want to cook anything for the first 15-16 weeks , and will burn whatever you try to cook for the last 10 weeks. Then you have the baby and cooking becomes that biggest challenge because you have to use a brain that doesnt work, and do it with one arm tied behind your back. Pulling food out of the freezer is even a challenge for a while because you have to think about it in advance.
- The first 7-10 days postpartum are incredibly hard. You hurt. No getting around that. Things take time to heal. You are feeding baby all the time. That hurts too. Everyone tells you what not to do, but no one does it for you. You and Mike are so tired that neither of you can think or speak coherently. People ask why we don't ask for help, but we cannot think far enough in advance to ask you to put it in your calendar. We survive that time, but it's not pretty.
- Babies don't care that you have to get up and stay awake all day with 7 other kids.
- Babies spend the first 2-4 weeks with their days and nights backwards
- Babies cannot tell you what they want; and you cannot read them for a few weeks.
- Your family doesn't understand that you need a solid month to figure out which end is up. After 2 weeks you are so sleep deprived that driving is more dangerous for you now than when you were younger and would drink and drive.
- Kids don't understand that you are only one person and will drive you crazy with the nonstop requests for attention. There is not a break from the demands with 7 kids. It will only get worse with 8.
All this said...it all passes. By the time you are a year out (9 months of pregnancy and 3 months of a newborn) things get much easier. The light at the end of the tunnel appears, and gets a little brighter each day. By the time you get to nine or ten months with baby, you have forgotten all of this. And it is all worth it.
Kids are a blessing. They make your days brighter and challenge you in ways no occupation ever could.
Just some food for thought. Be prepared for it all. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You've done it before and can do it again, if you really want to:)
love,
you
If you are reading this you are considering having another baby. While we think that babies are wonderful gifts, let me remind you of some of the things you have forgotten in the last year(?).
- You will be super sick for 15-16 weeks. Not get out of bed sick. Want to die sick. The medicines that help make you not throw up make you sleep. After a few weeks, Mike looses it and cannot handle you not helping. Then the crying begins. That's really fun. You cry because you don't feel well. You cry because you cannot do anything but sleep and throw up. You cry because you fail at simple things. You cry because your kids fight. You cry because they don't listen. You cry because you cannot stop crying. Hormones are awesome.
- Then the vomiting stops, and the crying lets up. You are at least 2 sizes smaller than you were when this all started. And your appetite returns, with a vengeance. You eat everything in sight. You eat like a man for a while. You cannot function if you are slightly hungry. The voice in your head tells you to curb that eating spree because it is so hard to lose that weight after the fact, and then you are more miserable. You continue to walk/exercise but that only lasts until the exhaustion hits again.
- Then the third trimester hits. With that comes extreme exhaustion. You are so tired all the time. You need 12-15 hours of sleep, but only get 8. Mike becomes that warm body in the bed that you never talk to because you are always sleeping. He resents that. The kids are mad because you make them go to bed at 7 every night because you cannot keep your eyes open another minute. They fight you, they win. You don't get enough sleep. You try napping at nap time, but then are late to pick up kids. If you don't nap, carpool becomes a battle to stay awake. Coffee is the only hope. Don't forget that pregnancy brain is in full effect. Write everything down because you will forget. EVERYTHING.
- Start cooking and freezing meals now, because you will not want to cook anything for the first 15-16 weeks , and will burn whatever you try to cook for the last 10 weeks. Then you have the baby and cooking becomes that biggest challenge because you have to use a brain that doesnt work, and do it with one arm tied behind your back. Pulling food out of the freezer is even a challenge for a while because you have to think about it in advance.
- The first 7-10 days postpartum are incredibly hard. You hurt. No getting around that. Things take time to heal. You are feeding baby all the time. That hurts too. Everyone tells you what not to do, but no one does it for you. You and Mike are so tired that neither of you can think or speak coherently. People ask why we don't ask for help, but we cannot think far enough in advance to ask you to put it in your calendar. We survive that time, but it's not pretty.
- Babies spend the first 2-4 weeks with their days and nights backwards
- Babies cannot tell you what they want; and you cannot read them for a few weeks.
- Your family doesn't understand that you need a solid month to figure out which end is up. After 2 weeks you are so sleep deprived that driving is more dangerous for you now than when you were younger and would drink and drive.
- Kids don't understand that you are only one person and will drive you crazy with the nonstop requests for attention. There is not a break from the demands with 7 kids. It will only get worse with 8.
All this said...it all passes. By the time you are a year out (9 months of pregnancy and 3 months of a newborn) things get much easier. The light at the end of the tunnel appears, and gets a little brighter each day. By the time you get to nine or ten months with baby, you have forgotten all of this. And it is all worth it.
Kids are a blessing. They make your days brighter and challenge you in ways no occupation ever could.
Just some food for thought. Be prepared for it all. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You've done it before and can do it again, if you really want to:)
love,
you
Monday, February 4, 2013
It's Monday!
Mike spent the wee hours throwing up. That's how our day started. I got the 7 dressed, fed, and packed for school, delivered 6 to assorted schools, came home, fed baby, fed sickling toast, cleaned up house, started laundry, dishes, and made beds. Now its time for me to eat. My stomach will not allow me to wait another moment. Okay. Now I can think. Let me update you on the kids
Oldest has baseball tryouts this week and has not touched a baseball in at least 6 months. I feel like he is our Sue Heck. Good thing there is Carrollton Boosters to play in the spring if the school team doesn't pan out. He is also on the chess team at school and is playing basketball at Carrollton. He has a very "Gambel" attitude towards school and grades and is driving his father crazy with his laziness. I wish I knew what to say or do to motivate him to do his best work all of the time. Unfortunately, I feel the same way he does. He received a drum set for christmas and is loving learning to play those better.
Second child is playing soccer 4 days a week and is loving every moment he is on the field. When not playing soccer, he is shooting hoops, playing with his friends, challenging someone to a chess match, or if all else fails, reading a book. He used his christmas money to purchase an electric guitar, and is learning to play. He is doing really well in school. His teacher and classmates think he hung the moon.
My Girls are getting so big. They both are playing in the chess club after school and taking piano lessons. They are also playing basketball together. 3 is the point guard for their team and plays with such fierce determination that is entertaining to watch. She loves making art and reading books. She is also a wonderful assistant. She loves to help cook dinner and is an excellent little brother wrangler. She still buts heads with her older brothers and is trying to find her place in this world. It can be hard to watch somedays, but it is definitely a more entertaining day when she is around.
4 has practiced shooting so much that they call her Automatic Ellen. She thoroughly enjoys learning and will ask a million questions about a subject, but does it so quietly that sometimes you do not hear her. She is reading and writing well beyond her grade level and is intrigued by math. She asks tons of math questions and selects leapster math game to learn more. She has lots of friends and is loved by her teachers. She is the middle man in our family and needs extra attention. I think she feels like the odd man out sometimes.
5 is playing his second season of soccer and is learning more and more with each practice and game. He is a natural athlete and has the determination to become something to recon with on the field. I am excited for him to be able to play baseball this summer. He has been playing with his sibling for years and it will be fun to see him on the field. He is often found riding his big wheel up and down the street, grinning from ear to ear, or killing the monsters with younger brother,6, in tow.
6 is my big boy. He is sweet to his baby sister and plays well with the older kids. He is thoughtful and sweet with his friends. He is also 2.5, so he is willful, and belligerent sometimes too. He loves books and puzzles and is very happy sitting quietly with a book or chasing down monsters for 5 to kill.
Baby girl is finally starting to settle down a bit and make life a bit more bearable. She laughs and talks and sleeps more and more each week. I'm hoping to get her schedule more defined so that I can better plan my day/weeks so as not to interfere with her sleeping and eating plans.
Mike is the assistant coach/stand in for the basket ball and soccer teams for the kids. He is also getting ready for his JPRD team to resume games is a few weeks. He is working really hard lately. Maybe harder than he ever has. I'm really proud of him and try to make things as simple as possible for him at home. I feel like I fail at that more than I succeed, but I'm trying and that has to count for something.
Me? Still tired, but not as badly in need of sleep. Two cups of coffee each morning with my protein shake gives me enough of a boost to make it through each day. I'm hoping to add some exercise time back into my life, but I know I have to take it slow. Maybe my Lenten promise will be to exercise everyday no matter what. It's just hard to find the energy. It's comforting to know I usually get my 10,000 steps in each day, so its not like I'm sitting on my but all day.
Oldest has baseball tryouts this week and has not touched a baseball in at least 6 months. I feel like he is our Sue Heck. Good thing there is Carrollton Boosters to play in the spring if the school team doesn't pan out. He is also on the chess team at school and is playing basketball at Carrollton. He has a very "Gambel" attitude towards school and grades and is driving his father crazy with his laziness. I wish I knew what to say or do to motivate him to do his best work all of the time. Unfortunately, I feel the same way he does. He received a drum set for christmas and is loving learning to play those better.
Second child is playing soccer 4 days a week and is loving every moment he is on the field. When not playing soccer, he is shooting hoops, playing with his friends, challenging someone to a chess match, or if all else fails, reading a book. He used his christmas money to purchase an electric guitar, and is learning to play. He is doing really well in school. His teacher and classmates think he hung the moon.
My Girls are getting so big. They both are playing in the chess club after school and taking piano lessons. They are also playing basketball together. 3 is the point guard for their team and plays with such fierce determination that is entertaining to watch. She loves making art and reading books. She is also a wonderful assistant. She loves to help cook dinner and is an excellent little brother wrangler. She still buts heads with her older brothers and is trying to find her place in this world. It can be hard to watch somedays, but it is definitely a more entertaining day when she is around.
4 has practiced shooting so much that they call her Automatic Ellen. She thoroughly enjoys learning and will ask a million questions about a subject, but does it so quietly that sometimes you do not hear her. She is reading and writing well beyond her grade level and is intrigued by math. She asks tons of math questions and selects leapster math game to learn more. She has lots of friends and is loved by her teachers. She is the middle man in our family and needs extra attention. I think she feels like the odd man out sometimes.
5 is playing his second season of soccer and is learning more and more with each practice and game. He is a natural athlete and has the determination to become something to recon with on the field. I am excited for him to be able to play baseball this summer. He has been playing with his sibling for years and it will be fun to see him on the field. He is often found riding his big wheel up and down the street, grinning from ear to ear, or killing the monsters with younger brother,6, in tow.
6 is my big boy. He is sweet to his baby sister and plays well with the older kids. He is thoughtful and sweet with his friends. He is also 2.5, so he is willful, and belligerent sometimes too. He loves books and puzzles and is very happy sitting quietly with a book or chasing down monsters for 5 to kill.
Baby girl is finally starting to settle down a bit and make life a bit more bearable. She laughs and talks and sleeps more and more each week. I'm hoping to get her schedule more defined so that I can better plan my day/weeks so as not to interfere with her sleeping and eating plans.
Mike is the assistant coach/stand in for the basket ball and soccer teams for the kids. He is also getting ready for his JPRD team to resume games is a few weeks. He is working really hard lately. Maybe harder than he ever has. I'm really proud of him and try to make things as simple as possible for him at home. I feel like I fail at that more than I succeed, but I'm trying and that has to count for something.
Me? Still tired, but not as badly in need of sleep. Two cups of coffee each morning with my protein shake gives me enough of a boost to make it through each day. I'm hoping to add some exercise time back into my life, but I know I have to take it slow. Maybe my Lenten promise will be to exercise everyday no matter what. It's just hard to find the energy. It's comforting to know I usually get my 10,000 steps in each day, so its not like I'm sitting on my but all day.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Day 5 - Superbowl Saturday
Another exciting Saturday in our house. 9am Basketball Practice, 2:30pm and 5:20pm soccer games, and an exciting excursion to Babies R Us to purchase a stroller!
That's right, you are correct, I finally did it! I finally picked a stroller that does everything I need it to for a reasonable price. I am so happy that they have finally created one. Gotta love Graco!!
The rest of the day will be chocked full of laundry, dishes and playing outside in this fabulous cloudless sky, 60 degree weather. There is always nap time though, so we are inside now and enjoying the peace and relative quiet.
There is an intense chess game taking place, and assorted leapster and leappad games being played. I'm sure someone will tire of that and resort to reading their latest favorite book.
I hope your Saturday finds you enjoying a peaceful moment too.
That's right, you are correct, I finally did it! I finally picked a stroller that does everything I need it to for a reasonable price. I am so happy that they have finally created one. Gotta love Graco!!
The rest of the day will be chocked full of laundry, dishes and playing outside in this fabulous cloudless sky, 60 degree weather. There is always nap time though, so we are inside now and enjoying the peace and relative quiet.
There is an intense chess game taking place, and assorted leapster and leappad games being played. I'm sure someone will tire of that and resort to reading their latest favorite book.
I hope your Saturday finds you enjoying a peaceful moment too.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Day 4 -- Its Friday
So today is the Friday before the Super Bowl here in NOLA. Of course 5 & 6 do not have school because of Parent Teacher Conferences. I think they really just wanted to go downtown today and enjoy the party. I, on the other hand, spent my morning at Sam's. Woo Hoo!
On the brighter side, Miss Thing had a bottle at 1am, woke up at 2am, and again at 3am looking for her nuk, and slept until after 8 this morning. That's what I'm talking about! Now if I could only get her to repeat this over and over again...
I can actually think clearly. Well, much more clearly than the day before:) Today just might be the day I pick out a stroller for this little one. Let me explain. I never struggle to make decisions, that is, unless I am not sleeping. Then I cannot make even the most simple of decisions. It is frustrating to say the least, given the enormous number of decisions I make any given day. Things as simple as "What's for dinner?", to "What are you going to do about it?" become impossible for me to answer and push me to tears. And not because of the questions, but because of my complete inability to answer them.
So back to the stroller...do I get a double or single? jogging or not? simple to fold and carry, or lots of storage space? What will I use it for? What stroller(s) do I already have? Do I really need a new stroller?
That one is easy...YES! Umbrella stroller is moldy and jogging stroller doesn't collapse.
I know it would seem simple, but then there is the ultra "thrifty" part of me that doesn't see why I should spend any money on another stroller. I could easily replace the umbrella for $20. But it doesn't have storage space, and it is not good for little babies. So I could get the latest and greatest Bob stroller, for the bargain price of $300...not!
So somewhere in between. Good, there are only 500 strollers that fall into that category. I'll look for a Graco (carseat) compatible stroller that folds easily and is rated well on Amazon, then just buy it. Unless the have it at Babies R Us. Then I'll go pick it up. Hope you have a great decisive day!
On the brighter side, Miss Thing had a bottle at 1am, woke up at 2am, and again at 3am looking for her nuk, and slept until after 8 this morning. That's what I'm talking about! Now if I could only get her to repeat this over and over again...
I can actually think clearly. Well, much more clearly than the day before:) Today just might be the day I pick out a stroller for this little one. Let me explain. I never struggle to make decisions, that is, unless I am not sleeping. Then I cannot make even the most simple of decisions. It is frustrating to say the least, given the enormous number of decisions I make any given day. Things as simple as "What's for dinner?", to "What are you going to do about it?" become impossible for me to answer and push me to tears. And not because of the questions, but because of my complete inability to answer them.
So back to the stroller...do I get a double or single? jogging or not? simple to fold and carry, or lots of storage space? What will I use it for? What stroller(s) do I already have? Do I really need a new stroller?
That one is easy...YES! Umbrella stroller is moldy and jogging stroller doesn't collapse.
I know it would seem simple, but then there is the ultra "thrifty" part of me that doesn't see why I should spend any money on another stroller. I could easily replace the umbrella for $20. But it doesn't have storage space, and it is not good for little babies. So I could get the latest and greatest Bob stroller, for the bargain price of $300...not!
So somewhere in between. Good, there are only 500 strollers that fall into that category. I'll look for a Graco (carseat) compatible stroller that folds easily and is rated well on Amazon, then just buy it. Unless the have it at Babies R Us. Then I'll go pick it up. Hope you have a great decisive day!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Day 3
More ramblings from my day.... This morning started off crazy. Mad dash from bed, get kids up and moving, make lunches, make sure they are dressed appropriately. Mad dash back to bedroom to shower and dress before older 4 leave. Dress and feed 3 youngest. Load them in car, drop at school, head to HNJ to make float, turn around (forgot supplies and king cake for class) Head out again for HNJ, arrive a little late, but I got a great parking spot! Make float while nursing baby. TRy not to get super glue on said baby. Clean up, admire floats of others, smile. Load up and get out before fire drill begins. Baby screaming because she's still hungry (only ate one side). Head to Mikes office, but have to stop for gas...running on fumes. Still screaming...arrive at office and screaming stops. Typical. Hangs out with Dad for a while. I return emails. Then Mike has meeting so I feed her and the head out again.
Back home again. Feed dog, eat breakfast, baby spits up on me and herself. Change baby. Baby poops. Change baby. Change Mom's shirt. Start laundry. Run dishwashers. School calls...4 is sick with stomach ache. Teacher assures me its for real. Call Mike. no answer. Text mike to pick up 4 asap. She throws up on the way to the car. I picked up 5&6 from school, got pills for Dad, dropped them to Pat, refused a commercial, again, headed home to make lunch and run the sick ward. As of now, 4, 6 & 7 are sleeping. We need to leave NOW to go pick up carpools in order to be home again for music lessons, basketball games and soccer practice tonight
I guess I should cook dinner too. Oh and exercise.
Am I busy...nope;)
Back home again. Feed dog, eat breakfast, baby spits up on me and herself. Change baby. Baby poops. Change baby. Change Mom's shirt. Start laundry. Run dishwashers. School calls...4 is sick with stomach ache. Teacher assures me its for real. Call Mike. no answer. Text mike to pick up 4 asap. She throws up on the way to the car. I picked up 5&6 from school, got pills for Dad, dropped them to Pat, refused a commercial, again, headed home to make lunch and run the sick ward. As of now, 4, 6 & 7 are sleeping. We need to leave NOW to go pick up carpools in order to be home again for music lessons, basketball games and soccer practice tonight
I guess I should cook dinner too. Oh and exercise.
Am I busy...nope;)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Day 2
Here we go again. 6&7 are sleeping, 5 is playing with his Leapster laptop. I just arranged a play date for 2, signed up for camps for 1-4, paid some bills, arranged for a donation pick up and cleaned my house from yet another case of lice. Oh, and restrained myself from firing an architect who cannot seem to understand a budget. and that was all after I fed and cleaned up lunch.
Hello, my name is Super Mom, nice to meet you. The kids are all getting started in their spring sports, basketball and soccer, at Carrollton Boosters, and the daily schedule of games and practices is enough to make me want to force them all to quit. We limit them all to one sport at a time and we do seem to manage the chaos, but it is just that...CHAOS. I feel the stress of dragging a 2 month old to soccer practice in the rain. I feel the stress of impending hours of homework after practices. And then there are dreaded mealtimes that can best be described as feeding disgruntled gremlins who are hungry only for junk.
Yeah...fun times. This stuff doesn't bother the kids though. I am the only one who feels the stress of it all. I guess its good that its just me, because if the kids felt this, we would discontinue everything until stress subsided.
Oh, and Super Bowl is this weekend. Yay. And Mardi Gras is next weekend, followed by kids home for a week. Double Yay.
I am rambling. I have no focus. Maybe I will get better at blogging the more I do it. For now you will get these ramblings from the over worked, sleep deprived, stressed out mom of 7 young children who is still trying to figure out how to do it all.
Hello, my name is Super Mom, nice to meet you. The kids are all getting started in their spring sports, basketball and soccer, at Carrollton Boosters, and the daily schedule of games and practices is enough to make me want to force them all to quit. We limit them all to one sport at a time and we do seem to manage the chaos, but it is just that...CHAOS. I feel the stress of dragging a 2 month old to soccer practice in the rain. I feel the stress of impending hours of homework after practices. And then there are dreaded mealtimes that can best be described as feeding disgruntled gremlins who are hungry only for junk.
Yeah...fun times. This stuff doesn't bother the kids though. I am the only one who feels the stress of it all. I guess its good that its just me, because if the kids felt this, we would discontinue everything until stress subsided.
Oh, and Super Bowl is this weekend. Yay. And Mardi Gras is next weekend, followed by kids home for a week. Double Yay.
I am rambling. I have no focus. Maybe I will get better at blogging the more I do it. For now you will get these ramblings from the over worked, sleep deprived, stressed out mom of 7 young children who is still trying to figure out how to do it all.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Seven
I'm not going to sugar coat it...Life with 7 is pretty challenging. Baby doesn't like to sleep, although she is getting better each week. And the older kids are more and more argumentative each day. I want one day where they all do what they know they are supposed to do without a knock down, drag out fight to make it happen. It's exhausting. And I am majorly sleep deprived as it is. It is hard to remember what needs to happen each day, much less keep track of who sat where int he car last so we can "keep it fair". AHHH!
One day at a time, right?
This too shall pass, right?
Will I remember any of this?? Really? Will I?
Judging from the recollections of older moms I know, the definitive answer is NO. There is no way moms remember the first few months of life with new baby, because its really hard, and really exhausting.
I can remember being told that it only gets harder as they get older, so enjoy the little kids, little problems, moments in time. I'm not sure it gets harder, but it certainly changes. My 10 year old is difficult, but not any harder than the 2 month old. Just as challenging, though. I spend my days trying to translate what they are each telling me in their own way and dealing with their problems, no mater how big or small. Because I do know that no matter what it is, it seems HUGe to them, and they want help.
There in lies the problem of a big family. How does one very sleep deprived mom, and one over worked dad find time, energy and patience to interpret the requests and meet the demands of all these kids?
Rest assured...we do. But it is definitely at the cost of personal time, or as I call it... sleep.
They are staying after school today for Chess, and the 3 babies are sleeping...nope make that 2 are sleeping and one just came to ask for a snack. Guess its time to resume my day. Maybe I'll find time again to post some insights into my days. Til then....
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The smell
We spent a few days trying to figure out the source of "the smell" that had now taken over our home. We spent the weekend with windows open and candles lit, cleaning every nook and cranny for the source of the smell. Is it a lost diaper? Sippy Cup gone very wrong? maybe a kid hid food somewhere and its rotting? We noticed that with the A/C off, it seemed to get better. So on Monday, when the smell had gotten so bad that I couldn't get out of the house fast enough, I called Patrick and insisted that something must have died in our air ducts. Could he please send out someone who can help me look in them to determine what happened?
Well, the poor guy who came out could make it to the den before gagging. He exited through the kitchen door, masked up, and came back in armed with Febreze to lead the way. He agreed that it was horrible and could not find and evidence that anything was in an air duct. He got us some air neutralizer that helped with the smell, but certainly was not enough.
The next day, Billy and Alex arrived with sheetrock knife in hand and we began looking for the stinky animal. After 6 holes in the ceiling, and no dead animals, Alex climbed into the return air and began cutting holes in the wall. On his second hole he declared, "Oh, Mr. Billy, it's my lucky day!" He had found the dead animal, a HUGE raccoon had fallen into the wall and died. It was so gross that Mike and Billy exited the house. Poor Alex and I worked together to get the raccoon out of the wall and out of the house.
After cutting away the sheetrock from the other side of the wall and cleaning the 2x4's with bleach and lysol, Alex and Billy left and the sheet rock repair team arrived and began patching our holes. They finished the next day and we were happy that it was such a quick fix. The scent, however, took its time completely leaving our house.
I am happy to report that the scent is now gone and we are back to the usual culprits of stink in our house...dirty diapers:)
Well, the poor guy who came out could make it to the den before gagging. He exited through the kitchen door, masked up, and came back in armed with Febreze to lead the way. He agreed that it was horrible and could not find and evidence that anything was in an air duct. He got us some air neutralizer that helped with the smell, but certainly was not enough.
The next day, Billy and Alex arrived with sheetrock knife in hand and we began looking for the stinky animal. After 6 holes in the ceiling, and no dead animals, Alex climbed into the return air and began cutting holes in the wall. On his second hole he declared, "Oh, Mr. Billy, it's my lucky day!" He had found the dead animal, a HUGE raccoon had fallen into the wall and died. It was so gross that Mike and Billy exited the house. Poor Alex and I worked together to get the raccoon out of the wall and out of the house.
After cutting away the sheetrock from the other side of the wall and cleaning the 2x4's with bleach and lysol, Alex and Billy left and the sheet rock repair team arrived and began patching our holes. They finished the next day and we were happy that it was such a quick fix. The scent, however, took its time completely leaving our house.
I am happy to report that the scent is now gone and we are back to the usual culprits of stink in our house...dirty diapers:)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Our Katrina Stories
In our post Katrina life we found ourselves the parent of 3 kids 3 and under. There are a lot of things about that time I'd rather forget, and some I will never be able to forget. After evacuating to Atlanta, while still nursing an infant every 2 hours, we spent the week there with my in laws, trying to avoid TV and anyone who knew where we were from. We found ourselves in a pediatricians office because #2 was extra snotty and it was greenish, #3 was 2 weeks old and I wanted to be sure she was gaining weight, I had pink eye and I had no idea when we'd see a doctor again. They were so nice to us, gave us lots of samples and extra prescriptions just in case, and then didn't charge us for the visit. It was one of the strangest feelings to have people truly pity you.
We eventually decided that the best thing for Mike was to be closer to home where he could see what needed to be done and what the state of business was at the time. So we packed up and headed to Hammond, LA where we stayed with my brother and sister in law and their 3 kids. I have some pretty cute pictures of #1 sleeping with his oldest boy cousin. #2 was still in a crib and #3 was an infant. So we slept , just the 4 of us in one room and one down the hall with his cousin for a week. We tried to make as little mess as possible and be good guests. I don't think they will ever forget #3's cackle or the theme to Dora the Explorer.
One quiet afternoon I found myself alone with the kids. We were following our usual routine and trying to get the naps in before everyone got home, #1 had finally fallen asleep on the sofa after watching Dora for the millionth time, #2 had gone down for his nap easily in his pack n play in the room with the door closed, and I had just finished nursing #3 who was now sound asleep in my arms. I went to put her down in the room where #2 was sleeping, and he was not there. I looked around the room to see if he was hiding, but he wasn't there, I searched the house and couldn't find him, I ran out the back door to the yard and started screaming for him. After searching high and low, in bushes and under steps, I started to the street to beg the next person who I could find to help me, baby in arms. AS I rounded the corner, my heart dropped. The street was full of police cars, lights going and my mind hit panic. I tok off in a full sprint, tears pouring from my eyes. As I got closer to the scene, I spotted our dog, Isabel running in circles around #2, not letting anyone near him. Talk about relief. I must have screamed because the crowd turned to look at me as I came closer to Isabel and her ward. They explained to me that an off duty fireman was driving home and saw an unusual sight. My almost 2 year old, with a six-pack ice chest bag and a huge dog out for a stroll in the middle of the street. He blocked the street with his car and got out to see who this kid belonged to. There was a neighbor with a swing set in the yard and he assumed that they would know him. But we're from New Orleans, and we were in Hammond, and no one knew who my kid was or where he came from. They called the police, who were trying to get control of the dog to hopefully get some information off her collar tags, when I appeared. They were so nice to me and didn't fuss or anything. I expected a lecture and a fine or something, but they were happy it was a good ending. everyone needed happy ending during those days of high stress. They walked me back to my brothers house where they figured he went out the seldom used front door and closed it behind him after closing the bedroom door. I tell you what, I am not much of a crier, but I couldn't turn off the water works that day. Oh and did I mentioned, this was the first time he had climbed out of a crib. He had never even attempted before that day.
So, we survive #2's stroll through the neighborhood and move forward. Mike had been home to check on our house and business, as well as the homes of family. We had water in out back playroom, but not in the main house. My parents and in laws had a good bit of damage. Our neighbors all had water throughout and 3 houses down the street had burned to the ground. Our foundation had been miss poured and they had to add to it to make it level, so we missed all of the devastation. We were the luckiest people I knew.
We realized we could stay in our house, but the city was still mostly uninhabited. We decided to move ourselves out to Ponchatoula once the power came on. There were trees down everywhere and getting power was not easy. My parents saw a crew working on Hwy 22 and asked if they could hook us up, as we have a bunch of babies that could really use some electricity. They obliged and got us up and running way ahead of schedule. At that point, Don and Virginia needed to be closer to town as well and they moved to the country to live for a while. We spent our days feeding chickens, chasing butterflys, swimming and trying not to think to much about the chaos that surrounded our little bubble.
Mike, unfortunately was never around. Their temporary offices were in Baton Rouge, and the commute to and from was ridiculous. He left at 6am and got back between 9pm and 10pm each night. Under normal circumstances, that drive is only 45 minutes. So, as soon as they could, they got moved back into their new orleans office. In order to get things as close to normal as possible, Mike had offered our house to a couple who had a lot of water and she was pregnant and didnt want to be in all of that. It was fine by me because we were not moving home anytime soon and it seemed like the right thing to do. After a few weeks of driving from New orleans, Mike moved home. He insisted that we stay put a little bit longer, until the groceries were better stocked and more neighbors were around. Shortly after Rita hit, we had taken a drive into town to evaluate the conditions. He and I agreed that after halloween, at the beginning of November, the kids and I would move home to our house.
Never mind the 2 extra people still living there. So it was just the 7 of us in our 3 bedroom home, living like college kids, We ate take out almost every nights and tried to keep things cordial. All was fine until the couple found out the baby had severe chromosome deficiencies and would not make it. They decided to abort and I had a really hard time with their decision. Shortly after they returned from their trip to Texas to have that procedure done, they moved out of our house and into their home.
So back to my crazy life with 3 kids. In the midst of all of this craziness, while the house guests were in Texas, #1 and #2 decided to scare the wits out of me again! I woken at 2 am to feed the baby and had just put her back in her crib shortly after 3 am. Everyone was sound asleep and I quickly climbed back in be and fell asleep. I was woken again just after 5am to a pounding on the door. I immediately thought it was a burglar and tried to wake mike who rolled over and went back to sleep. I walked to get the baby who was now crying and then proceeded to the door to see what was going on. I looked thru the peep hole to see police, lights and my kids! I quickly pulled open the door and asked, "How did you get my kids?" They police chuckled at my question and proceeded to tell us the story. Mike was by my side at this point and the police came in to see if we were druggies or what. They figured out that the kids had gone out the back door, out the side gate and taken a walk, aka a monster hunt sometime before dawn. They got all the way to oaklawn and the interstate before a passerby saw the scene and called the police. Again, Isabel was with them and wouldn't let anyone near the kids. The good samaritan tossed powered donuts for Isabel and managed to get the kids in her car and out of the cold while they waited for the police to arrive. On the first cool night of the season, the kids had gone out in boxers and flip flops to hunt monsters. That person didn't want to be acknowledged but she will forever be an angel in my heart. There are culverts surrounding that intersection and the boys could have easily fallen into one and drown. They police wrote up a report and assured me it was just a formality. No one will take our kids away for this. The silver lining to this story was we didn't know they were gone until they were home again. We were vigilant about locking door, but the bak door had a deadbolt and they could open it. We installed and chain on the top of the door and never forgot to lock it again. After these crazy moments, everything else seems so boring!
It became common place to find #1 and the dog sharing a box of cheerios on the floor in front of the TV, and soon #2 joined in the breakfast tradition. Mike and I talked about locking the pantry to keep the kids out, but decided it was only cheerios and we liked the extra sleep.
A few months later, I woke up to 1 & 2 , who were 3 and 2 at the time, playing sword fight, while jumping on the bed in their infant sisters room. I know, why is that so incredible? Well they had scaled the shelves of our pantry to obtain the longest, sharpest knives they could find to play this game. After a brief panic moment, I realized no one was bleeding, yet, and that we could live through yet another shocking moment that had become our lives. We also installed a lock on the top of the pantry door that day.
Since the pantry was locked, they had to resort to other ways of entertaining themselves. Like the morning they tried to bathe Isabel, our german shepherd/lab mix breed dog. In the hall, with a bar of soap, and a mardi gras cup of water. There were clumps of black hair and chunks of dove soap everywhere. I spent the rest of that day cleaning up their mess.
Not too much longer passed and they were up to mischief again. We spent a lot of time playing outside and they were always covered with bug bites. I had recently purchased, and only used once, Yard Guard bug spray from Sam's. Yes, it was the wholesale club size double pack. When they woke that morning, before the crack of dawn, they saw a bug and just knew what they needed to do. They scaled the (fortunately child-proofed) 8 foot shelves to get the bug spray off the top. They then proceeded to spray the entire can all over the sofa, chair and Dad's laptop computer. Yikes. We had to open all of the windows and evacuate because it was toxic. Mike called Dell and asked if a child using the computer was covered under the warranty. They instructed him to ship it to them and they'd see what they could do. 2 days later a brand new laptop arrived, no questions asked. I wonder if the recipient opened the box and passed out!?!
So we survived the chaos of Katrina and Rita and 2 little boys. I think I know why our baby girl is so tough! Thankfully, now we can laugh about it.
And all of this happened in 3 months.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited to include the parts I had forgotten:
I know its hard to believe, but there are stories I forgot to add to this exciting adventure. We got back to our home and LRSH started school again in November. About a week in, #1 came home doing this grunting thing with each exhale which was weird. Then he started throwing up, and was clearly not feeling well. So I called the pediatrician who fit me in at the end of his day. Poor #1 spent the afternoon on the couch grunting and puking, and not really moving much. I am just naive enough at his point to not be worried, just annoyed at the vomiting. When we got to the pediatrician, he looks at #1, listens to his chest, and then calmly informs me not to worry, but I need to go to Children's Hospital, now. Oh wait, let me make sure they are open... Not kidding. So after we establish that the ER is open, and this is their first day open since Katrina. I call Mike and ask him to meet me there. I still don't know exactly what's going on, as Dr. Hales didn't diagnose him, or at least I didn't hear it. I think he's dehydrated from the vomiting and needs fluids, which would explain the lethargy. They triage him and take him to the back immediately. (again, too naive to know that's not a good thing) They give him shots of epinephrine and steroids and put an oxygen mask on him, which he hates. After a few treatments of albuterol through the mask, he perks up. Then the pulminologist comes in and tells me its asthma and he will need a puffer every 4 hours, and a nurse will show us how to administer a puffer to a 3 year old. They send us home. I get a call from Dr. Hales that evening, checking on #1, surprised that they let us go home. Still, too stunned or naive to see the signs.
This was the beginning of our hospital adventures. Thanksgiving Friday, we were at the hospital in Hammond. They admitted him this time and put him on antibiotics. I pleaded with my Pediatrician to get him released, and finally after 24 hours of no doctor listening to a word I said, we were released, on the condition we went straight to our pediatrician when we got to New Orleans. Fortunately, they know me and assessed him from my descriptions and told me to call if he got worse. He didn't. At least for a few weeks. I think it was 4 weeks later when we ended up at Children's again. It was every 4-6 weeks until the summer that we were in the hospital with #1. #3 gave up on me and decided a bottle was more reliable, and #2 was much more interested in Dora and Diego than me. Which was good, because I was up all hours doing breathing treatments and monitoring breathing.
I still cannot believe that I forgot to mention all of this. I guess that's how crazy our lives were.
We eventually decided that the best thing for Mike was to be closer to home where he could see what needed to be done and what the state of business was at the time. So we packed up and headed to Hammond, LA where we stayed with my brother and sister in law and their 3 kids. I have some pretty cute pictures of #1 sleeping with his oldest boy cousin. #2 was still in a crib and #3 was an infant. So we slept , just the 4 of us in one room and one down the hall with his cousin for a week. We tried to make as little mess as possible and be good guests. I don't think they will ever forget #3's cackle or the theme to Dora the Explorer.
One quiet afternoon I found myself alone with the kids. We were following our usual routine and trying to get the naps in before everyone got home, #1 had finally fallen asleep on the sofa after watching Dora for the millionth time, #2 had gone down for his nap easily in his pack n play in the room with the door closed, and I had just finished nursing #3 who was now sound asleep in my arms. I went to put her down in the room where #2 was sleeping, and he was not there. I looked around the room to see if he was hiding, but he wasn't there, I searched the house and couldn't find him, I ran out the back door to the yard and started screaming for him. After searching high and low, in bushes and under steps, I started to the street to beg the next person who I could find to help me, baby in arms. AS I rounded the corner, my heart dropped. The street was full of police cars, lights going and my mind hit panic. I tok off in a full sprint, tears pouring from my eyes. As I got closer to the scene, I spotted our dog, Isabel running in circles around #2, not letting anyone near him. Talk about relief. I must have screamed because the crowd turned to look at me as I came closer to Isabel and her ward. They explained to me that an off duty fireman was driving home and saw an unusual sight. My almost 2 year old, with a six-pack ice chest bag and a huge dog out for a stroll in the middle of the street. He blocked the street with his car and got out to see who this kid belonged to. There was a neighbor with a swing set in the yard and he assumed that they would know him. But we're from New Orleans, and we were in Hammond, and no one knew who my kid was or where he came from. They called the police, who were trying to get control of the dog to hopefully get some information off her collar tags, when I appeared. They were so nice to me and didn't fuss or anything. I expected a lecture and a fine or something, but they were happy it was a good ending. everyone needed happy ending during those days of high stress. They walked me back to my brothers house where they figured he went out the seldom used front door and closed it behind him after closing the bedroom door. I tell you what, I am not much of a crier, but I couldn't turn off the water works that day. Oh and did I mentioned, this was the first time he had climbed out of a crib. He had never even attempted before that day.
So, we survive #2's stroll through the neighborhood and move forward. Mike had been home to check on our house and business, as well as the homes of family. We had water in out back playroom, but not in the main house. My parents and in laws had a good bit of damage. Our neighbors all had water throughout and 3 houses down the street had burned to the ground. Our foundation had been miss poured and they had to add to it to make it level, so we missed all of the devastation. We were the luckiest people I knew.
We realized we could stay in our house, but the city was still mostly uninhabited. We decided to move ourselves out to Ponchatoula once the power came on. There were trees down everywhere and getting power was not easy. My parents saw a crew working on Hwy 22 and asked if they could hook us up, as we have a bunch of babies that could really use some electricity. They obliged and got us up and running way ahead of schedule. At that point, Don and Virginia needed to be closer to town as well and they moved to the country to live for a while. We spent our days feeding chickens, chasing butterflys, swimming and trying not to think to much about the chaos that surrounded our little bubble.
Mike, unfortunately was never around. Their temporary offices were in Baton Rouge, and the commute to and from was ridiculous. He left at 6am and got back between 9pm and 10pm each night. Under normal circumstances, that drive is only 45 minutes. So, as soon as they could, they got moved back into their new orleans office. In order to get things as close to normal as possible, Mike had offered our house to a couple who had a lot of water and she was pregnant and didnt want to be in all of that. It was fine by me because we were not moving home anytime soon and it seemed like the right thing to do. After a few weeks of driving from New orleans, Mike moved home. He insisted that we stay put a little bit longer, until the groceries were better stocked and more neighbors were around. Shortly after Rita hit, we had taken a drive into town to evaluate the conditions. He and I agreed that after halloween, at the beginning of November, the kids and I would move home to our house.
Never mind the 2 extra people still living there. So it was just the 7 of us in our 3 bedroom home, living like college kids, We ate take out almost every nights and tried to keep things cordial. All was fine until the couple found out the baby had severe chromosome deficiencies and would not make it. They decided to abort and I had a really hard time with their decision. Shortly after they returned from their trip to Texas to have that procedure done, they moved out of our house and into their home.
So back to my crazy life with 3 kids. In the midst of all of this craziness, while the house guests were in Texas, #1 and #2 decided to scare the wits out of me again! I woken at 2 am to feed the baby and had just put her back in her crib shortly after 3 am. Everyone was sound asleep and I quickly climbed back in be and fell asleep. I was woken again just after 5am to a pounding on the door. I immediately thought it was a burglar and tried to wake mike who rolled over and went back to sleep. I walked to get the baby who was now crying and then proceeded to the door to see what was going on. I looked thru the peep hole to see police, lights and my kids! I quickly pulled open the door and asked, "How did you get my kids?" They police chuckled at my question and proceeded to tell us the story. Mike was by my side at this point and the police came in to see if we were druggies or what. They figured out that the kids had gone out the back door, out the side gate and taken a walk, aka a monster hunt sometime before dawn. They got all the way to oaklawn and the interstate before a passerby saw the scene and called the police. Again, Isabel was with them and wouldn't let anyone near the kids. The good samaritan tossed powered donuts for Isabel and managed to get the kids in her car and out of the cold while they waited for the police to arrive. On the first cool night of the season, the kids had gone out in boxers and flip flops to hunt monsters. That person didn't want to be acknowledged but she will forever be an angel in my heart. There are culverts surrounding that intersection and the boys could have easily fallen into one and drown. They police wrote up a report and assured me it was just a formality. No one will take our kids away for this. The silver lining to this story was we didn't know they were gone until they were home again. We were vigilant about locking door, but the bak door had a deadbolt and they could open it. We installed and chain on the top of the door and never forgot to lock it again. After these crazy moments, everything else seems so boring!
It became common place to find #1 and the dog sharing a box of cheerios on the floor in front of the TV, and soon #2 joined in the breakfast tradition. Mike and I talked about locking the pantry to keep the kids out, but decided it was only cheerios and we liked the extra sleep.
A few months later, I woke up to 1 & 2 , who were 3 and 2 at the time, playing sword fight, while jumping on the bed in their infant sisters room. I know, why is that so incredible? Well they had scaled the shelves of our pantry to obtain the longest, sharpest knives they could find to play this game. After a brief panic moment, I realized no one was bleeding, yet, and that we could live through yet another shocking moment that had become our lives. We also installed a lock on the top of the pantry door that day.
Since the pantry was locked, they had to resort to other ways of entertaining themselves. Like the morning they tried to bathe Isabel, our german shepherd/lab mix breed dog. In the hall, with a bar of soap, and a mardi gras cup of water. There were clumps of black hair and chunks of dove soap everywhere. I spent the rest of that day cleaning up their mess.
Not too much longer passed and they were up to mischief again. We spent a lot of time playing outside and they were always covered with bug bites. I had recently purchased, and only used once, Yard Guard bug spray from Sam's. Yes, it was the wholesale club size double pack. When they woke that morning, before the crack of dawn, they saw a bug and just knew what they needed to do. They scaled the (fortunately child-proofed) 8 foot shelves to get the bug spray off the top. They then proceeded to spray the entire can all over the sofa, chair and Dad's laptop computer. Yikes. We had to open all of the windows and evacuate because it was toxic. Mike called Dell and asked if a child using the computer was covered under the warranty. They instructed him to ship it to them and they'd see what they could do. 2 days later a brand new laptop arrived, no questions asked. I wonder if the recipient opened the box and passed out!?!
So we survived the chaos of Katrina and Rita and 2 little boys. I think I know why our baby girl is so tough! Thankfully, now we can laugh about it.
And all of this happened in 3 months.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited to include the parts I had forgotten:
I know its hard to believe, but there are stories I forgot to add to this exciting adventure. We got back to our home and LRSH started school again in November. About a week in, #1 came home doing this grunting thing with each exhale which was weird. Then he started throwing up, and was clearly not feeling well. So I called the pediatrician who fit me in at the end of his day. Poor #1 spent the afternoon on the couch grunting and puking, and not really moving much. I am just naive enough at his point to not be worried, just annoyed at the vomiting. When we got to the pediatrician, he looks at #1, listens to his chest, and then calmly informs me not to worry, but I need to go to Children's Hospital, now. Oh wait, let me make sure they are open... Not kidding. So after we establish that the ER is open, and this is their first day open since Katrina. I call Mike and ask him to meet me there. I still don't know exactly what's going on, as Dr. Hales didn't diagnose him, or at least I didn't hear it. I think he's dehydrated from the vomiting and needs fluids, which would explain the lethargy. They triage him and take him to the back immediately. (again, too naive to know that's not a good thing) They give him shots of epinephrine and steroids and put an oxygen mask on him, which he hates. After a few treatments of albuterol through the mask, he perks up. Then the pulminologist comes in and tells me its asthma and he will need a puffer every 4 hours, and a nurse will show us how to administer a puffer to a 3 year old. They send us home. I get a call from Dr. Hales that evening, checking on #1, surprised that they let us go home. Still, too stunned or naive to see the signs.
This was the beginning of our hospital adventures. Thanksgiving Friday, we were at the hospital in Hammond. They admitted him this time and put him on antibiotics. I pleaded with my Pediatrician to get him released, and finally after 24 hours of no doctor listening to a word I said, we were released, on the condition we went straight to our pediatrician when we got to New Orleans. Fortunately, they know me and assessed him from my descriptions and told me to call if he got worse. He didn't. At least for a few weeks. I think it was 4 weeks later when we ended up at Children's again. It was every 4-6 weeks until the summer that we were in the hospital with #1. #3 gave up on me and decided a bottle was more reliable, and #2 was much more interested in Dora and Diego than me. Which was good, because I was up all hours doing breathing treatments and monitoring breathing.
I still cannot believe that I forgot to mention all of this. I guess that's how crazy our lives were.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sports schedules
I always said I wouldn't be one of those parents who allow their kids to run their lives, and yet somehow I have let that happen. I haven't had a completely free night in months! I think I should explain that statement. I haven't had the luxury of sitting down at the table with everyone at 6 p.m. (our usual dinner time) and serving a complete meal, then sending them to bed at a decent hour, so that I then can have a free night to read, or sleep or watch a recorded show from 3 months ago.
We spend the after dinner hours hurrying to finish homework and trying to get babies to bed while older kids are just finishing a late dinner. By the time the kids are all in bed, its an hour past my bedtime and its all I can do to wash my face and brush my teeth before I pass out and start the vicious cycle all over again!
Things started off well. We had 3 playing fall soccer which only had games on Saturdays, and boy scouts for the oldest. And music lessons at our house on Thursdays. When soccer ended, fall baseball began for #2 and then christmas break (aka the longest 2 weeks ever).
Now spring soccer and spring basketball have begun. Oldest talked his way into playing for 2 different leagues. I agreed only because it was not going to start until other league was over. Oops, he got the dates wrong. And now I chase my tail and try to keep the proper gear clean and ready to go. 4 kids, 5 leagues and not enough hours between 3:30 and 8 pm. The poor babies are exhausted from all of the late nights. This too shall pass, right?
Not! Just got the email to sign up for baseball this summer. And all of the fun will resume. I really do enjoy watching them grow and learn different sports. And I think its important to learn to be part of a team, but when does it end?? And when will we all have time to sit down and do nothing? Or something other than team sports? Does it get easier when they can drive themselves? It has to! Right?
We spend the after dinner hours hurrying to finish homework and trying to get babies to bed while older kids are just finishing a late dinner. By the time the kids are all in bed, its an hour past my bedtime and its all I can do to wash my face and brush my teeth before I pass out and start the vicious cycle all over again!
Things started off well. We had 3 playing fall soccer which only had games on Saturdays, and boy scouts for the oldest. And music lessons at our house on Thursdays. When soccer ended, fall baseball began for #2 and then christmas break (aka the longest 2 weeks ever).
Now spring soccer and spring basketball have begun. Oldest talked his way into playing for 2 different leagues. I agreed only because it was not going to start until other league was over. Oops, he got the dates wrong. And now I chase my tail and try to keep the proper gear clean and ready to go. 4 kids, 5 leagues and not enough hours between 3:30 and 8 pm. The poor babies are exhausted from all of the late nights. This too shall pass, right?
Not! Just got the email to sign up for baseball this summer. And all of the fun will resume. I really do enjoy watching them grow and learn different sports. And I think its important to learn to be part of a team, but when does it end?? And when will we all have time to sit down and do nothing? Or something other than team sports? Does it get easier when they can drive themselves? It has to! Right?
Friday, February 3, 2012
Happy Friday to you!
It's Friday again. Tim's birthday. Julie and Maggie are in town, Pop's birthday party is tonight, at the same time as everyone's practices. Who would have thought that the parent coaches would want to have Friday practices? We have a weekly ritual of doing something fun on Friday afternoons, since there is no homework rush home to complete. I have a few ideas in mind for a fun friday event, but will let the kids pick what we do. They all have gift cards to Toys R Us to spend, and Aunt Julie is in town...so maybe we hit TRU on the way home and then visit at Gran E and Charlie's for a while before we head over to Grammy and Pop's house for the big party. Or we could go home and play with our neighborhood full of kids and Aunt Julie can come over here!!
I have started keeping a food and exercise journal in hopes that one day I'll meet with someone who can tell me what I'm missing. I wish I looked as good as I feel. I'm not upset about the hard work I've put in, it's more about the lack of obvious results. Oh well, it took 8 years and 6 kids to get my body to this point, lets hope it doesn't take that long to regain the old one!
I have started keeping a food and exercise journal in hopes that one day I'll meet with someone who can tell me what I'm missing. I wish I looked as good as I feel. I'm not upset about the hard work I've put in, it's more about the lack of obvious results. Oh well, it took 8 years and 6 kids to get my body to this point, lets hope it doesn't take that long to regain the old one!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Kids activities - January 2012
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| Who are my companions for the HNJ Book Fair Lunch with Parents? |
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| Peek-a-boo! They see you!!! They are SOO funny! |
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| 1 is ready, he thinks, for the camp out on the battleship |
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| Here he is, ready to board, with the USS Alabama in the background |
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| This is his group heading on board. |
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| The Submarine at 7am the next morning |
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| 1 on the deck of the submarine at 7am. |
The days before Christmas
A few glimpses into the hectic schedule that we call the days before Christmas. I have more, but these were easy to get
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| 4's PK concert |
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| Visiting Santa at NOCC to tell him what we want. |
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| Our house, all lit up for the season. |
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| 2's Fall Baseball Team |
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| 2, 5, Daddy, and 3 trying to get the candy on without having the house fall apart. |
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| 3 is focused on the design of her house. |
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| 4 is working hard |
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| Aren't my big boys cute? |
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| 1 has learned to just go with it and pose for mom. |
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| And the princess is always ready to smile for me |
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| Even Batman finds time to pose for the camera |
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| Here are the finished houses. They actually stayed assembled for us! Yay! |
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| "Surprise! Its us! Bet we scared you, huh?!?" |
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Camp out/City Park Weekend
So if you were wondering who mom of the year is...
1 on his first camp out.
Here he is, at 5 am, getting dressed to go see the animals at the lake near our campsite. Had to be this early because thats when the animals get there. Duh.
Everyone has things they cannot possibly survive without...these are mine: coffee, water, iphone and kindle, in that order.
On Saturday morning we went hiking at Tunica Falls in Mississippi. This is the leader giving the boys a quick review of leaving no trace.
In hindsight I would have brought #2, as his best friends were there as well.
This is 1 in front of 1st waterfall,
and the group heading on to the next fall.
This is where the boys got wet...and were not to thrilled about the temperature of that water! There was a drop off about 4 feet in, and 1 was the first of our group to discover that drop off.
This was obviously something placed there by a dad...no mom would encourage kids to walk across a wet board to sit on slippery rocks.
Look how high I climbed Mom! Take my Picture!!!
Notice how the Moms were closely watching the kids around the slippery rocks and freezing water...Dads took a more "keep myself dry" approach.
Aren't we so cute!
this is the little store at the beginning of the trail. It's really old. The kids wanted snacks after all that hiking and swimming.
I needed a break from chatting with dads, so wandered off down the road and found this old barn
and these cabins.
When I got back I took pictures of our traveling companions, the Mikes boys.
Upon our return to civilization the next day, we celebrated 2s 8th birthday and went to the City Park Celebration in the Oaks Kids Preview Party.
Taylor came with us to be another set of hands to ward off losing any kids.
This is #6 on the Gambel carousel horse. I have pictures of all my babies on this horse.
Of course #5 insisted that he get his picture on the Gambel horse as well!
The cousins enjoying their ride on the carousel.
The birthday boy chose to ride a lion, because that's much cooler than a silly horse!
The truck ride was a favoite in the 2-3 year old crowd,
as was the airplane ride.
It took me to wednesday to recover from this weekend. I was exhausted from the camp out and birthday activities. It really is depressing to get old.
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