Pages That Might or Might Not Be of Interest to You!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Yeah, I got nuthin'

Last week our youngest had a stomach bug.  Eeewww.

This week, we have had one pitfall after another.  On Monday several things happened, but the worst was our car dying.  We had just been on a field trip and then I went to pick up our tickets for the Michael Bulbe concert(woohoo!) and we were almost home.  At a busy corner near our house, the car sputtered and died.  ugh  I tried to do the little trick that Steven showed me and nothing was happening.  As the cars started piling up behind us, they started honking.

The more they honked, the more frantic I became.  After almost ten minutes, it still wasn't starting.  I called Steven and he tried to talk me thorugh the little trick.  Nothing.  More honking with rude gestures thrown in.  The girls are starting to get hot and cranky.  I start crying.  Not because I was scared; but because I was powerless to do anything about the situation and crying was all I could do.

We continued to sit there and wait while Steven left work to come rescue us.  Finally an older gentleman came over and offered to push us out of the intersection.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't think he would be able to; I was just grateful that someone cared enough to offer.  As he started pushing, another younger guy came and helped.  They pushed us across the intersection to the far curb and left.  After a few minutes the police showed up. 

Niiice.

He asked if help was coming and if they could start the car.  If not, you need to have it towed.  Like I couldn't figure that one out.  Sorry, I was getting a little surly by this point.  Steven finally showed up after we had been sitting in the hot car for more than 40 minutes and we poured out of the car like roaches running from the light.  The van was towed to the mechanics.

I then was allowed to ride my bike to soccer practice with two of the girls.  On the way the 8yo crashed and flew over her handle bars.  She wasn't hurt; I'm not sure how.  We made it home without an incident.  whew!

Tuesday we were stuck at home, no car, and our youngest was still acting punky.  She wasn't eating and drinking very little.  She needed some hydrating fluid.  hmmm  It looked like I would be walking to the store.  No problem except she didn't want me to leave, she wanted held, and the older kids wanted to come with me.  We walked and I carried the 40something pound child the whole way there and back. 

That night the 12yo started complaining of stomach cramps and a few hours later was kneeling before the porcelain throne.  Super.

Meanwhile at supper, we were eating supper because I had ruined the potatoes I was cooking.  They were intended for Cheesey Potato Soup and I cooked them so long they were pulvarized.  :(  Steven graciously stopped for pizza w/o asking any questions.  So anyway, I was eating pizza when I bit down and felt a sharp pain and then a wierd empty feeling along my gumline.  I carefully moved my food around and discovered that I had broken a molar.  I snapped it clean off up to the gumline.  My tooth was just gone; at least half of it anyway.  It started hurting and I started getting cranky.

I called our dentist office to find out that they were already closed for the day and the next day they were closed as well.  It just gets better and better.  That night my mouth was hurting and our oldest was moaning in her sleep from stomach cramps.  Good times.

Steven woke me up at 6am, I had finally gotten to sleep around 2:30am, so I could take him to work.  The dentist let me come in in the afternoon and temporarily fixed my tooth.  I get a crown on Friday. 

And it's only Wednesday!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

An Absence So Great Blog Tour and GIVE AWAY!!!

An Absence So Great
by Jane Kirkpatrick

Inspired by the engaging stories told through her grandmother’s photographs taken at the turn of the century, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the tension between darkness and light in the soul of a young woman pursuing her professional dreams


While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning.


Jessie gains footing in her dream to one day operate her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep painful memories from seeping into her heart when the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.


With the sickness in my house lately, I haven't been able to really sit down and read this book.  I am in the fourth chapter and enjoying it.  I find myself being drawn in to the story and am curious about the characters.  I like the style of writing and love the old pictures scattered throughout with the background stories told with them. 


This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

RandomHouse.com:



http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781578569816


Now, I am seriously enjoying giving away books on my blog!  lol  It is so much fun.  So...I have a copy of this book to give away.  Just leave a comment and I will draw a name on Sunday the 5th. 

Monday, March 29, 2010

AND THE WINNER IS...

THE WINNER OF HERE BURNS MY CANDLE IS...SHERI!!!



How Do You...

handle it when a truly non-competitve child wants to play a competitive sport?  We have one.  It's tough.  She is 8yo and just about the most sensitive soul I have ever met.  She is compassionate, giving to a fault, thoughtful, loving, gentle, sweet, funny, quirky, sharp as a tack, and couldn't care less about winning a soccer game.  The problem?  Well, she wants to play soccer.  She's on a team at AYSO, which is good because they are a non-competitive league (supposedly); BUT her team wants to win. 

This child has been known to do cartwheels in the goaly box and just watch the other kids fight over the ball.  Seriously.  She will just watch the kids and the ball go right past her and just watch.  It is a little frustrating!  I am not terribly competitve, I like to win but if I don't, okay no biggie. 

With the kids the thing I care more about is if they are playing their hardest.  Doing their best.  I do not like to see my children out there giving only half an effort.   Play hard or go home.  Right?

Well, I can't do this with this child.  The pushing and jostling of soccer makes her cry.   She takes it as a personal attack against and it hurts her feelings! lol  She thinks they are being mean to take the ball from her.  I have tried to explain that that is the point of the game.  She just looks at me and says, "They do all that just to get a ball?"  I didn't know what else to say!

We are taking the approach of Toughen up a  little.  Be a little more aggressive.  Fight for what you have.  Don't give up so easily.  I don't know how else to say, Quit being a baby!  roflol  I'm not completely serious, but I kind of am.  She needs to toughen up a little or the world is going to eat her alive.


Friday, March 26, 2010

Catching up on pics

My new coffee maker!  I got this for my birthday and let me tell you, it gets a workout everyday!  heehee





My mom's dog, Bailey...she is a beast!  An absolutely adorable, fluffy, beast.  :-D





She really wanted to go on the field trip, but soon tuckered out.  :(




Sweetness...




Gettin' her game face on!




Up close and personal.  Can you see the cut in the corner of her eye?  She got it at soccer practice when she took a ball in the face.  lol


I have more pics, of course, and will try and finish putting more pics on later this weekend.


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Oh No Not Again

Well, last week I was feeling sick.  Nothing too bad, just a cold.  I ignored it.  I wanted at least one week that we didn't go to the doctor.  Seriously. 

It was a mistake.  By the time Tuesday, this week, came around I was done for.  I finally went to the doctor to find out that I have bronchitis, again.  :(  So not cool. 

I got a shot and more antibiotics and a firm warning to call if I start feeling this coming on again.  Evidently my immune system isn't what it should be.  Really?  Who knew?

On top of that, our youngest was compaining on Tuesday night about a tummy ache.  She fell asleep on the couch and about an hour later threw up in her sleep.  Lovely.  I hopped up and started talking to her and she started wretching again.  Her eyes were closed and she was trying to go back to sleep  LAYING DOWN IN THE VOMIT!  Okay, I don't do vomit.  No, really that is Steven's job.  I clean up the kid and comfort them.  Steven cleans up the, um, stuff.  But, as luck would have it, I was alone.  Steven and the older girls were at BSF.  So what did I do?  I started yelling at our 5yo.  Yeah, not one of my finest mommy moments.  But, she would wake up.  She was completely out of it. 

I was holding a limp 5yo that was wretching her guts up, literally.  Luckily I had made a barf bag and had it at the ready.  It wasn't too much of a help when her noodly body convulsed and the stuff missed the sack, twice.  When she finally woke up, she looked up at me and smiled.  Ugh talk about guilt crashing down on you!

I got the mess cleaned up just in time to help her again.  She threw up every thirty minutes all night long.  It was not fun.  Bless her hear, after she had been at it for a few hours, I was comforting her and she looked up at me and smiled so sweetly.  She never complained or cried.  It was pretty pitiful. 

She didn't eat or drink much until today.  We knew she was feeling better when she wanted to get up and dance to the music on a commercial!

Hopefully spring will bring less germs.