Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Organized? No, not me...
...but I did come a little bit closer today. I cleaned out Livvy's drawers and packed away all her 18 month and 2T clothes. I mentioned previously the spice cabinet was organized as well. I have now also cleaned my room (this was a CHORE-it was collecting everything that we didn't have time to deal with whenever people came over). I even cleaned off the dresser and put my sewing machine and other supplies up there so it isn't scattered all over the living. It felt good to accomplish so much today. Seriously I need like a whole week off to accomplish things that I have been putting off because I have no time. I have done a lot of 'work' today but it has been on my time, when I wanted to do it and not because it had to be done. So I am feeling pretty good about my day off. It's drawing to a close though which makes me sad-who knows when I will get another! The next day off I take though I am determined to take one while the kids are in school-though really they haven't been too bad. They are playing with playdoh right now-which is a testament to how I am feeling because I hardly ever let them play with playdoh. It's been a really good day. Really it's been a good week. I have felt so good this week-emotionally/mentally. I can feel God at work in my heart and I know that is a big part of the 'boost' in my mood.
Safe and sound...
Well so far no one has broken into our house-so that is a good sign!
It's about time to sit down and write again. Today I am writing with time to write. I am not writing because I feel like I should because I haven't blogged in a week. I am writing because I took the day off work (granted the kids were out of school so someone had to stay home with them) and because I have time to write! It's been a lovely day so far.
The kids actually slept until 8am which was wonderful! I slept until about 6:30, but still laid in bed until 8. Kris didn't get up for work until then either. Last night I asked him what time he needed to get up-he said the kids would get him up. While he didn't get to work until almost 9 probably, I'll bet he appreciated the sleep! I have discovered that if I take the Rozerem at night it doesn't really help me sleep AND I have trouble getting out of bed. If I DON'T take it, I am falling asleep easier than I used to at least AND I am able to drag myself out of bed before 7am. So I am going to stop taking the Rozerem. I have been going so much lately that I am exhausted by the time 10pm rolls around anyway.
I had breakfast with the kids today. It was nice. We had pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that I made last night. They were delicious! Then I cleaned my kitchen up a little bit and sat down and did nothing. Then I played with Livvy while the other kids were off entertaining themselves. And then I sat down and did nothing. And then I organized my spice cabinet. And then I sat down and did nothing. See the theme? Then I took the sheets off my bed and started a load of laundry--yes people--that's right. I actually started a load of laundry! I MUST BE FEELING GOOD!!! I folded a load of laundry too and put that away and gave the kids a snack. Lunch is started and one again I am sitting down and kind of doing nothing! I am hoping to finish cleaning the living room and take the kids to the thrift store-Katherine and Livvy need winter coats that fit them. And when I get back I am hoping once again to sit down and do nothing! Is this what a day off feels like???
We have started going to a new church. We have been two weeks in a row and really like it. Beyond that, Kris and I have decided it's time to find a place and settle in. I wouldn't have guessed we would wind up at a Southern Baptist church because neither one of us raised up Southern Baptist but it doesn't really matter as long as the core beliefs/doctrine are sound. And they are. And to top it off, they have programs for the kids on Wednesday nights. RA's and GA's that Katherine and Kaleb can get involved in. It seems to me to be like a church sponsored Girl/Boy Scouts which is cool. Abbey will be in Mission Friends and Livvy is too young so she will be in the nursery. We are going to our first ever Wednesday night church. I think it will be a really great experience for the kids and I am looking forward to getting to know this body of Christ. I really feel like God is going to bless us with relationships in this church.
It's about time to sit down and write again. Today I am writing with time to write. I am not writing because I feel like I should because I haven't blogged in a week. I am writing because I took the day off work (granted the kids were out of school so someone had to stay home with them) and because I have time to write! It's been a lovely day so far.
The kids actually slept until 8am which was wonderful! I slept until about 6:30, but still laid in bed until 8. Kris didn't get up for work until then either. Last night I asked him what time he needed to get up-he said the kids would get him up. While he didn't get to work until almost 9 probably, I'll bet he appreciated the sleep! I have discovered that if I take the Rozerem at night it doesn't really help me sleep AND I have trouble getting out of bed. If I DON'T take it, I am falling asleep easier than I used to at least AND I am able to drag myself out of bed before 7am. So I am going to stop taking the Rozerem. I have been going so much lately that I am exhausted by the time 10pm rolls around anyway.
I had breakfast with the kids today. It was nice. We had pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that I made last night. They were delicious! Then I cleaned my kitchen up a little bit and sat down and did nothing. Then I played with Livvy while the other kids were off entertaining themselves. And then I sat down and did nothing. And then I organized my spice cabinet. And then I sat down and did nothing. See the theme? Then I took the sheets off my bed and started a load of laundry--yes people--that's right. I actually started a load of laundry! I MUST BE FEELING GOOD!!! I folded a load of laundry too and put that away and gave the kids a snack. Lunch is started and one again I am sitting down and kind of doing nothing! I am hoping to finish cleaning the living room and take the kids to the thrift store-Katherine and Livvy need winter coats that fit them. And when I get back I am hoping once again to sit down and do nothing! Is this what a day off feels like???
We have started going to a new church. We have been two weeks in a row and really like it. Beyond that, Kris and I have decided it's time to find a place and settle in. I wouldn't have guessed we would wind up at a Southern Baptist church because neither one of us raised up Southern Baptist but it doesn't really matter as long as the core beliefs/doctrine are sound. And they are. And to top it off, they have programs for the kids on Wednesday nights. RA's and GA's that Katherine and Kaleb can get involved in. It seems to me to be like a church sponsored Girl/Boy Scouts which is cool. Abbey will be in Mission Friends and Livvy is too young so she will be in the nursery. We are going to our first ever Wednesday night church. I think it will be a really great experience for the kids and I am looking forward to getting to know this body of Christ. I really feel like God is going to bless us with relationships in this church.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
And here's another one...
I am a bit worked up tonight...anxious. An 'interesting' thing happened tonight. Let me preface this by saying I am a skeptic and Kris always thinks the best about everyone. Put us together and we can usually balance one another out. So this guys comes up to our door this evening. I don't know how old he was-I didn't see him. Kris thought he was about our age, maybe a little younger. And he says his house got broken into today and wanted to know if we saw anything. He said he lived behind us and whoever it was came through the backyards. I immediately did not trust this guy. Kris immediately felt sorry for him. Completely different thoughts and reactions.
I don't know if this guy's house really got broken into. If it had happened during the day, surely he would have called the police. If he had, I would HOPE that the police went around asking the neighbors if they had seen anything. Of course we wouldn't know about that because neither one of us were home before 3:30. But my next question is why is this guy coming to our house now, after the fact to ask if we saw anything. If he got broken into, surely the police would have already tried to track down some witnesses. Second, if he had just found out about it, then he should have called the police, been talking to them and let THEM ask us if we had seen anything.
I told you I am skeptical, not to mention just a little bit (UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR!!!) paranoid. So I immediately think that this guy is checking things out so that later when we are not home, he can break into our house. I always tend to think the worst in this kind of situation. Kris at first thought me absurd. And he actually told this guy that neither one of us saw anything because we were at work. I don't blame him. He's a nice guy and wanted to do what he could to help. He couldn't know how my crazy mind was going to twist it-though after 10 years he could guess! Anyway...so now I am anxious that when we are not home someone is going to break into our house. And it isn't about possessions. I don't care about 'stuff'. It's just that I don't want to go through that feeling of violation and fear again. We have been robbed twice and it is not a pleasant experience. And maybe I am totally overthinking the whole thing and the guy's house really did get robbed. He mentioned to Kris he wasn't the first in the neighborhood-which if that were true then it seems all the more likely that the police would be 'canvassing' the neighborhood talking to people.
Anyway...I just needed to get that off my chest. Kris is emailing the police chief, mostly I think to make me feel better because he can hear all my anxious sighing over here and knows neither one of us will sleep if I can't calm down.
I don't know if this guy's house really got broken into. If it had happened during the day, surely he would have called the police. If he had, I would HOPE that the police went around asking the neighbors if they had seen anything. Of course we wouldn't know about that because neither one of us were home before 3:30. But my next question is why is this guy coming to our house now, after the fact to ask if we saw anything. If he got broken into, surely the police would have already tried to track down some witnesses. Second, if he had just found out about it, then he should have called the police, been talking to them and let THEM ask us if we had seen anything.
I told you I am skeptical, not to mention just a little bit (UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR!!!) paranoid. So I immediately think that this guy is checking things out so that later when we are not home, he can break into our house. I always tend to think the worst in this kind of situation. Kris at first thought me absurd. And he actually told this guy that neither one of us saw anything because we were at work. I don't blame him. He's a nice guy and wanted to do what he could to help. He couldn't know how my crazy mind was going to twist it-though after 10 years he could guess! Anyway...so now I am anxious that when we are not home someone is going to break into our house. And it isn't about possessions. I don't care about 'stuff'. It's just that I don't want to go through that feeling of violation and fear again. We have been robbed twice and it is not a pleasant experience. And maybe I am totally overthinking the whole thing and the guy's house really did get robbed. He mentioned to Kris he wasn't the first in the neighborhood-which if that were true then it seems all the more likely that the police would be 'canvassing' the neighborhood talking to people.
Anyway...I just needed to get that off my chest. Kris is emailing the police chief, mostly I think to make me feel better because he can hear all my anxious sighing over here and knows neither one of us will sleep if I can't calm down.
What's wrong with me???
I've gone a whole week without making a quilt-what is wrong with me?
Oh yeah...I have pretty much worked non-stop! The only day 'off' I had was Friday and I spent the entire day cooking and cleaning getting ready for Abbey's birthday party. On Saturday, I went to a wedding and worked for 4 1/2 hours. I went to church and then worked again for 4 1/2 hours on Sunday. And I feel like I haven't stopped since. Tonight I decided I wasn't going to work extra after I got home and that I would cut the pieces for Abbey's quilt (which is going to be really cute by the way). Well, I didn't work...but I didn't cut material either. Maybe tomorrow...
I haven't felt like blogging lately. I keep coming up with cute/funny stories from my children and think "I need to write that down" and then I just don't do it. It annoys me now that I can't remember any of it. I do have a funny picture though. When I got home today Katherine had decorated the house for Halloween. Outside the house, that is. We did have to scold her for coloring on the side of the house with chalk, though her pictures were cute. The second picture you will see was just really a strange and funny site. You have to understand, Katherine is constantly bugging me to buy Halloween decorations. She seems to really like that holiday in particular. Well, apparently we didn't have enough decorations so she created some of her own.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Another quilt, another blog...
I promised there wouldn't be another blog about Brandi's quilt. And to stay true to that promise, this is not about Brandi's quilt, but about Katherine's quilt. She turned 8 on Sunday and I bought her some material to make a quilt for her. She loves Tinkerbell, so of course that is the theme we chose to use. There are a TON of imperfections in this quilt. I am SO thrilled that I didn't run into the same problems on Brandi's quilt-really-it's about Katherine's quilt! I swear! I had a lot of trouble with this quilt-between my machine being tempermental and somehow ending up with extra material on the top of the quilt, which led to 'bubbling' as I call it. In addition, the top stitch I chose was very tricky to work with and I probably will not use it again without a significant amount of experience with it. And on top of all that, the batting was pinned down when I started but somehow along the way I lost a pin in one corner so the batting bunched up...anyway...I am thankful that I was making this for Katherine and not for someone outside of my immediate family because I fear they would be disappointed with the outcome. Forntunately for me you cannot really see the imperfections in the pictures so I am posting them. Kris and I are both pleased with the pattern we came up with and the colors really represent Katherine and what she likes. Overall and from a distance I really like the quilt. It is just up close that I am pretty disappointed with it and am not skilled enough to really know how to fix it and I am certainly not patient enough to take it apart and start again!!
What do you think?
What do you think?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Lucky for you...
...this is probably the last post about this Very Hungry Catepillar quilt. But since I just finished it, I wanted to show off the finished product. I can't wait to give it to Brandi!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Different views
Here are some other quilts people have made with the "Very Hungry Catepillar" material. Personally I am not a fan of any of them, though I can at least tolerate the first one. I like mine better.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
It's not mine...
Kris had to remind me that the quilt is not mine. That's right Jamie. It is NOT yours! It is Brandi's. She bought the material. You cannot keep it. No matter how cute you think it is!
I am about 1/3 of the way done with the top stitching. It's getting really close now. My hip was starting to hurt though so I decided to stop for the evening. But here are some pictures of my progress. I am quite pleased with how it is turning out.
I am about 1/3 of the way done with the top stitching. It's getting really close now. My hip was starting to hurt though so I decided to stop for the evening. But here are some pictures of my progress. I am quite pleased with how it is turning out.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
An almost finished quilt
I made really good progess the last two nights and have the top of Brandi's quilt done. I have quite a bit of work left still between putting the backing on and all of the top stitching but it feels great to have accomplished my goal and 'finished' the top of a quilt again. It's been over 3 years since I have been able to say that. What do you think?
My funny funny girl...
All of my kids have this ability to make me laugh. Things they say, things they do...they are just funny. God designed them this way. Today's funny story is about Katherine. Last year when she lost a tooth and wrote a note to the tooth fairy I posted pictures on my other blog so everyone could enjoy her thought process regarding her lost tooth. The tooth was literally LOST. We could not find it. Here are her notes to the tooth fairy-one was taped to her bed and the other on the dresser. This story sets up the next one.
With that in mind, let me just tell you what happened this weekend. Katherine lost another tooth. She actually lost the tooth on Saturday and we came home and put it in a ziploc bag for safe keeping. At bedtime she thought about putting it under her pillow, but decided she wanted to show it to people at church on Sunday. And then she decided she wanted to take it to school to show people. So finally, last night, she decides it is time to put it under her pillow. When she went downstairs the tooth was in a normal ziploc bag.
Before going to bed, the 'Tooth Fairy' went downstairs to exchange her tooth for the highly inflated fee of $1. She (the Tooth Fairy) grabbed the bag and put the $1 under Katherine's pillow. As I (I mean she) was coming back upstairs Kris said "You should've just put the $1 in the bag and left the bag" or something to that effect. I shrugged it off and then immediately something on the bag caught my eye. Apparently when she went downstairs for bed, Katherine decided it would be necessary to write the Tooth Fairy another note. Here is what she wrote on the bag with her tooth in it. There are so many things I could say, but I really feel it needs no explanation.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Let's talk about passion...
There is something to be said for passion, or for being passionate about something. Take me for instance. I am passionate about The Pampered Chef. I am passionate about food. I am extremely passionate about the dessert 'section' of food! I am passionate about my children. And yes, sometimes I am even passionate about my husband! ;-)
But one thing I am NOT passionate about, besides the obvious choice of laundry, is vacuum cleaners. They just don't 'do' anything for me. And if a vacuum cleaner demo takes 2 1/2 hours, what does that tell you about the vacuum cleaner? IT'S COMPLICATED. If I can't sweep it across my floor (or have my kids do it) in 5 minutes, it is SO not worth my time...and moreso...my money. And if you want to accuse me of being an irresponsible parent because I use a dry filtration system over a wet filtration system, well...go right ahead (well, please don't because I might just cry). You aren't going to hurt my feelings (yes you will). So, I am sorry Direct-Sell-Rainbow-Vacuum-Cleaner...you are just not the vacuum cleaner for me...and you really don't fit into my budget (perhaps a toothpick would fit). Don't get me wrong-I will support the Direct Selling industry whenever I am able and if you have a LOT of time and energy to spend assembling and disassembling, filling and emptying water, adding this and adding that...IN ADDITION to the actual time it will take to vacuum the floor, well then perhaps the Rainbow IS the vacuum for you.
What we need is a vacuum cleaner that is LIKE the Rainbow with all of it's features and attachments, COMBINED with the technology of the Roomba that will vacuum the floor for lazy people (like me and Kris)...you put those two together...and count me in!
I realize I haven't blogged for a while, and actually have more I wanted to share, but Kris is eager to watch House. We're almost finished with Season 3. We only have time for one episode tonight and with this infection I've been fighting for over 10 days I really SHOULD go to bed, but I just can't resist watching at least ONE tonight. Hopefully I will update beyond the scope of vacuums soon.
But one thing I am NOT passionate about, besides the obvious choice of laundry, is vacuum cleaners. They just don't 'do' anything for me. And if a vacuum cleaner demo takes 2 1/2 hours, what does that tell you about the vacuum cleaner? IT'S COMPLICATED. If I can't sweep it across my floor (or have my kids do it) in 5 minutes, it is SO not worth my time...and moreso...my money. And if you want to accuse me of being an irresponsible parent because I use a dry filtration system over a wet filtration system, well...go right ahead (well, please don't because I might just cry). You aren't going to hurt my feelings (yes you will). So, I am sorry Direct-Sell-Rainbow-Vacuum-Cleaner...you are just not the vacuum cleaner for me...and you really don't fit into my budget (perhaps a toothpick would fit). Don't get me wrong-I will support the Direct Selling industry whenever I am able and if you have a LOT of time and energy to spend assembling and disassembling, filling and emptying water, adding this and adding that...IN ADDITION to the actual time it will take to vacuum the floor, well then perhaps the Rainbow IS the vacuum for you.
What we need is a vacuum cleaner that is LIKE the Rainbow with all of it's features and attachments, COMBINED with the technology of the Roomba that will vacuum the floor for lazy people (like me and Kris)...you put those two together...and count me in!
I realize I haven't blogged for a while, and actually have more I wanted to share, but Kris is eager to watch House. We're almost finished with Season 3. We only have time for one episode tonight and with this infection I've been fighting for over 10 days I really SHOULD go to bed, but I just can't resist watching at least ONE tonight. Hopefully I will update beyond the scope of vacuums soon.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Three years ago tomorrow...
...I was in the hospital giving birth to my beautiful, curly-haired Olivia Morgan. My 'baby' will be three tomorrow. And true to form it is going to be a unique birthday. That girl, much like Abbey Rose marches to the beat of her own drum! It might seem strange to some, but in our family, the plans for tomorrow are perfectly normal and didn't surprise any of us, though we were very amused at the thought.
Ok, ever since she could EAT...Livvy has LOVED LOVED LOVED cereal. Any kind. She just loves cereal. She would eat it for every single meal if allowed. She would eat it for dessert. She just loves to eat cereal. It's really funny. It doesn't matter-no matter what-if you ask her what she would like to eat, 9 time out of 10 she will tell you cereal. The girl LOVES her cereal! All that being said, our fancy birthday dinner tomorrow night to celebrate our little one's 3rd birthday will consist of...
CEREAL
and...
CAKE.
I couldn't be more thrilled! Given that I struggle to cook most days anyway, I am loving that my baby wants cereal for her birthday dinner. She chose Rice Krispies as her cereal of choice. Isn't that funny? The cake is baking now--just a plain boxed yellow cake mix with chocolate frosting. Ahh...I love it!
Today was a good day. Aside from being completely cloudy from all the rain, the temperature was close to perfect!! I really wish I had GOOD windows in my house that I could open to let the air circulate. My windows either do not have screens, or just aren't where you need them to be to enjoy the beautiful, crisp, fall air. Some day...
Let's take a little trip down memory lane...
Ok, ever since she could EAT...Livvy has LOVED LOVED LOVED cereal. Any kind. She just loves cereal. She would eat it for every single meal if allowed. She would eat it for dessert. She just loves to eat cereal. It's really funny. It doesn't matter-no matter what-if you ask her what she would like to eat, 9 time out of 10 she will tell you cereal. The girl LOVES her cereal! All that being said, our fancy birthday dinner tomorrow night to celebrate our little one's 3rd birthday will consist of...
CEREAL
and...
CAKE.
I couldn't be more thrilled! Given that I struggle to cook most days anyway, I am loving that my baby wants cereal for her birthday dinner. She chose Rice Krispies as her cereal of choice. Isn't that funny? The cake is baking now--just a plain boxed yellow cake mix with chocolate frosting. Ahh...I love it!
Today was a good day. Aside from being completely cloudy from all the rain, the temperature was close to perfect!! I really wish I had GOOD windows in my house that I could open to let the air circulate. My windows either do not have screens, or just aren't where you need them to be to enjoy the beautiful, crisp, fall air. Some day...
Let's take a little trip down memory lane...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Not so sure about this whole school bus thing
I interacted with another human being tonight. It was nice.
I hardly ever get outside of my home anymore unless I am working. But one of the only neighbors I like was outside on her swing tonight so I decided to go chat with her for a few minutes. We had a nice conversation and then her daughter started talking about something my son did on the bus this morning.
I wasn't there, so I don't know the whole story, but I listened to the girl and later confirmed with Kaleb that it had happened. Apparently there were two older boys-5th grade possibly-who were telling Kaleb to touch this little girl in inappropriate places. And my son desperately longing to fit and being 'silly' went against what he knew was right and did what they told him to do.
This upsets me. On so many different levels. First of all, why are these other kids even thinking about that? Second, why are they trying to entice a FIRST GRADER to participate? Third, why is MY son listening to them? Fourth...I could go on and on...
I talked to Kaleb about it-told him up front he wasn't in trouble but I wanted him to tell me the truth. He told me they told him to hit this girl and I kept pressing him and he told me what I already heard from the little girl. We talked about it and I told him it worried me that he listened to those boys and that I know he wants to fit it and make friends but those are the kind of people I want him being influenced by. He listened and nodded and seemed to really take in what I was saying.
And then he made me very proud. He suggested (all on his own) that he should sit up in the front of the bus, even though that would mean he couldn't sit with Katherine and her friend Rebecca because they always sit in the back. I thought that was a great suggestion and the fact the he had that idea all on his own really made me proud. He was thinking ahead! He was trying to figure out how he could avoid the situation! What a good boy. I told him I would talk to Katherine about sitting up front, even if it meant that Rebecca didn't sit with her, though I would hope that Rebecca would still sit with Katherine. So Kris and I are going to talk to the kids to re-emphasize that what was happening was not right and Kris will stay down at the bus stop to make sure all three of our kids sit near the front of the bus.
I hardly ever get outside of my home anymore unless I am working. But one of the only neighbors I like was outside on her swing tonight so I decided to go chat with her for a few minutes. We had a nice conversation and then her daughter started talking about something my son did on the bus this morning.
I wasn't there, so I don't know the whole story, but I listened to the girl and later confirmed with Kaleb that it had happened. Apparently there were two older boys-5th grade possibly-who were telling Kaleb to touch this little girl in inappropriate places. And my son desperately longing to fit and being 'silly' went against what he knew was right and did what they told him to do.
This upsets me. On so many different levels. First of all, why are these other kids even thinking about that? Second, why are they trying to entice a FIRST GRADER to participate? Third, why is MY son listening to them? Fourth...I could go on and on...
I talked to Kaleb about it-told him up front he wasn't in trouble but I wanted him to tell me the truth. He told me they told him to hit this girl and I kept pressing him and he told me what I already heard from the little girl. We talked about it and I told him it worried me that he listened to those boys and that I know he wants to fit it and make friends but those are the kind of people I want him being influenced by. He listened and nodded and seemed to really take in what I was saying.
And then he made me very proud. He suggested (all on his own) that he should sit up in the front of the bus, even though that would mean he couldn't sit with Katherine and her friend Rebecca because they always sit in the back. I thought that was a great suggestion and the fact the he had that idea all on his own really made me proud. He was thinking ahead! He was trying to figure out how he could avoid the situation! What a good boy. I told him I would talk to Katherine about sitting up front, even if it meant that Rebecca didn't sit with her, though I would hope that Rebecca would still sit with Katherine. So Kris and I are going to talk to the kids to re-emphasize that what was happening was not right and Kris will stay down at the bus stop to make sure all three of our kids sit near the front of the bus.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Cops and Robbers. Fairies and Indians. Same difference.
Today was an absolutely CRAZY (there's my favorite word again...) day at work. I worked on the same problem claim for over 2 hours today (more mentally). It was really draining (I've decided to put lots of things in parentheses today apparently!).
And then I stepped outside. Oh the weather! Perhaps it was a little dreary. Perhaps it was wet and rainy. Perhaps most people would have rather been inside. But something about the weather today lifted my heart. I thought it was just the PERFECT temperature. I'm not sure it really got much above 70 degrees today and the fact that there was a nice breeze and the sun was nowhere in sight made me long for FALL! It was like a fall day today and I could feel the difference. I could feel the weight of the last several weeks lift from me. I felt so strange...so...good! It's a rare feeling.
And then I stepped outside. Oh the weather! Perhaps it was a little dreary. Perhaps it was wet and rainy. Perhaps most people would have rather been inside. But something about the weather today lifted my heart. I thought it was just the PERFECT temperature. I'm not sure it really got much above 70 degrees today and the fact that there was a nice breeze and the sun was nowhere in sight made me long for FALL! It was like a fall day today and I could feel the difference. I could feel the weight of the last several weeks lift from me. I felt so strange...so...good! It's a rare feeling.
I was eager to DO something today. This is a good thing. If you know nothing about depression, know that those caught in the claws of it find it extremely difficult to do normal everyday things. Getting out of bed is difficult. Taking a shower is difficult. Cooking is difficult. 'Dealing' with anything at all is difficult. Living life in general is just extremely difficult. Lately I've struggled to do anything I normally do. Grocery shopping for example. I hadn't gone to the grocery store in oh, maybe 5 weeks. I used to go every week to two weeks. We were down to ice and a couple of frozen corn dogs. It was pretty bad. We had been eating out a lot. The other day though Kris and I took all the kids and finally got groceries! I suggested to Kris that we get a lot of 'easy' meals because I didn't want to spend our money on hamburger and chicken and things like that that only I knew how to cook, on the off chance that I didn't 'feel' like cooking. So we bought a lot of frozen things, lunchables for the kids, pizzas. It's pathetic I know-but it's the reality of where I am at right now. Kris has had to shoulder quite a bit lately.
Where was I going with all that? Oh yeah...the beautiful (to me anyway) fall weather we had this afternoon. Because I actually felt like doing something, I decided to take advantage of that and when the older kids got home from school we loaded up and drove to Dollar Tree. This wasn't in the original plans-the original plan was to go get a Redbox movie (I had a free coupon) for family movie night, which we try to do on a weekly basis. Kaleb still had $10 birthday money and he wanted to take that with him, so I decided I felt up to taking my kids to Dollar Tree. Kaleb said everyone could spend $2. The boy is SO possessive of his 'stuff' including money, but he is SO generous at the same time.
Here's my theory with Dollar Tree. Well it's probably not technically a theory or anything but who cares. This is my blog and I'll call it whatever I want! ;-) Kris and I decided a couple of years ago it was pointless to waste our money on expensive toys that will just get broken, lost, or remain 'unplayed' with. We decided to start doing the majority of our Christmas and birthday shopping at Dollar Tree. The kids are young enough that they still really LOVE the toys from Dollar Tree and we will get away with it for as long as they will let us!
So the kids all found themselves some 'treasures' at Dollar Tree today and I have pictures below of my beautiful fairies and my little Indian. After Dollar Tree I took the kids to Sonic for a little snack and slushes, then we headed to get the movie from Redbox. When we got home we actually cleaned up the living room, which has also been extremely difficult for me lately. But I propped my front door open (don't ask-it needs replaced) so the breeze could come in and we set to work. It was the first 'real' work I've done around the house in WAY TOO LONG! Kris loaded the dishwasher for me when he got home and I even managed to bake some cookies. Baking is a cook sign in the change in my moods! I think Kris was pleased with the 'new' me (or perhaps it is truly the 'real' me), however short-lived it may be. I know the kids benefited and saw a difference! It felt good to enjoy them today. We watched "Nim's Island" for movie night, which turned out to be a fairly enjoyable movie. Then the kids went to bed and here I am. I primarily wanted to put the pictures of my adorable kids on here-but felt you needed an extremely long explanation for the pictures. Most things are cheap and break easily from Dollar Tree but if you need some GREAT fairy wings, I suggest $1 at Dollar Tree! Every little girl will LOVE them and they are actually quite impressive on the quality!
So the kids all found themselves some 'treasures' at Dollar Tree today and I have pictures below of my beautiful fairies and my little Indian. After Dollar Tree I took the kids to Sonic for a little snack and slushes, then we headed to get the movie from Redbox. When we got home we actually cleaned up the living room, which has also been extremely difficult for me lately. But I propped my front door open (don't ask-it needs replaced) so the breeze could come in and we set to work. It was the first 'real' work I've done around the house in WAY TOO LONG! Kris loaded the dishwasher for me when he got home and I even managed to bake some cookies. Baking is a cook sign in the change in my moods! I think Kris was pleased with the 'new' me (or perhaps it is truly the 'real' me), however short-lived it may be. I know the kids benefited and saw a difference! It felt good to enjoy them today. We watched "Nim's Island" for movie night, which turned out to be a fairly enjoyable movie. Then the kids went to bed and here I am. I primarily wanted to put the pictures of my adorable kids on here-but felt you needed an extremely long explanation for the pictures. Most things are cheap and break easily from Dollar Tree but if you need some GREAT fairy wings, I suggest $1 at Dollar Tree! Every little girl will LOVE them and they are actually quite impressive on the quality!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
They won't stay young forever...
My kids are growing up. I realize this. Kaleb just turned 7. Katherine is STILL 7 for another month and a half. Nice, huh? Abbey is going on 6 in October and Livvy will be 3 next week. How fast the years fly by. My baby...isn't a baby anymore and hasn't been for quite some time, and yet that's how I still refer to her when talking to people. I have to pick up the baby, or the baby is sick, or the baby is at school. Ok...since when do actual babies go to school? That should be a good indicator that I need to break this habit I have of always calling her 'the baby'.
What prompted this was thinking about how excited my kids always seem to get when I walk in the door. It's the same with Kris-it's not like I'm just the coolest, nicest mom ever-FAR FROM IT!! If I come home from work, or if I have been gone for a few hours, the kids run to the door screaming 'Mommy! Mommy!' and it reminds me that I can't be doing a horrible job raising them. Abbey and Livvy I think capture my heart the most with this. They are still just so excited...beyond excited really. I LOVED picking the kids up from Grace last year because EVERY day, no matter what, Abbey would take off running the minute she saw me, screaming 'Mommy! Mommy!' and give me a hug.
This year, for the most part, Kris drops Livvy off and picks her up at preschool. But today I had the priviledge of picking her up. When I walked in, she was busy playing (unsupervised by the way which concerned me but I am choosing not to blog about tonight beyond this run on sentence). She kept on playing while all these others kids just stared at me...and I just watched her for a couple of minutes. Finally, I said "Olivia..."
And there it was. Her face lit up, her eyes grew wide and she took off running towards me screaming 'Mommy! Mommy!'. I swept her up into my arms and hugged her. It was a great 'mom moment' for me. I needed that after this crazy "kids-still-sick week". Of course the moment didn't last too long because as soon as I put her in the Explorer she said "Why is Daddy not in here?" Oh well...it was great while it lasted.
This whole thing makes me realize a day will come when my kids will cease being THAT excited to see me. They will inevitable become more independent, more distant, and less excited to see me. Hopefully it will just be your normal teenage phases and we will come away from those trying years close and connected. It's little moments like that though that remind me to slow down and enjoy these years now. I can already see Katherine and Kaleb becoming more independent and before long they will all four be entering those crazy pre-teen and teenage years. I have to savor these moments because they will not always be there.
What prompted this was thinking about how excited my kids always seem to get when I walk in the door. It's the same with Kris-it's not like I'm just the coolest, nicest mom ever-FAR FROM IT!! If I come home from work, or if I have been gone for a few hours, the kids run to the door screaming 'Mommy! Mommy!' and it reminds me that I can't be doing a horrible job raising them. Abbey and Livvy I think capture my heart the most with this. They are still just so excited...beyond excited really. I LOVED picking the kids up from Grace last year because EVERY day, no matter what, Abbey would take off running the minute she saw me, screaming 'Mommy! Mommy!' and give me a hug.
This year, for the most part, Kris drops Livvy off and picks her up at preschool. But today I had the priviledge of picking her up. When I walked in, she was busy playing (unsupervised by the way which concerned me but I am choosing not to blog about tonight beyond this run on sentence). She kept on playing while all these others kids just stared at me...and I just watched her for a couple of minutes. Finally, I said "Olivia..."
And there it was. Her face lit up, her eyes grew wide and she took off running towards me screaming 'Mommy! Mommy!'. I swept her up into my arms and hugged her. It was a great 'mom moment' for me. I needed that after this crazy "kids-still-sick week". Of course the moment didn't last too long because as soon as I put her in the Explorer she said "Why is Daddy not in here?" Oh well...it was great while it lasted.
This whole thing makes me realize a day will come when my kids will cease being THAT excited to see me. They will inevitable become more independent, more distant, and less excited to see me. Hopefully it will just be your normal teenage phases and we will come away from those trying years close and connected. It's little moments like that though that remind me to slow down and enjoy these years now. I can already see Katherine and Kaleb becoming more independent and before long they will all four be entering those crazy pre-teen and teenage years. I have to savor these moments because they will not always be there.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Um....why?
I guess I have no right to complain. I mean, I am the one (with the assistance of my husband of course) who had four children. I SHOULD have known that 4 kids means 4 times the sickness and trials. But can we not catch a break? I mean, REALLY!
Ok, Livvy was released from the hospital two weeks ago yesterday. Last Monday night, Abbey was sick, throwing up during the night and kept home from school on Tuesday. Kaleb got sick Friday night into Saturday, which also happened to be his birthday. We had planned to go camping for his birthday. When everyone woke up Saturday morning and found out he had been sick and we weren't going camping, there was quite a bit of disappointment in our home. Kaleb even said sadly "So I'm not going to see Grandpa Ken on my birthday?" Well, wanting the kids to still get to enjoy what we had planned for Kaleb's birthday we made it through the morning and lunch without Kaleb getting sick again. So we decided it would be ok to go ahead and take the kids an hour and a half out to St. James where our friends were camping.
We had a nice time out there. Kris' dad (Grandpa Ken) brought a cake over and we celebrated Kaleb's 7th birthday and he got to play with his friends. He didn't eat much and seemed a little worn out from time to time but for the most part, he was fine. And then, around 11:30 pm...he threw up again. After almost 24 hours NOT throwing up...
We decided it would be best to get all the kids up and in the van and drove back home and got in around 2:30am Sunday morning. We hung out at the house all day and waited for the next kid to get sick. We didn't have to wait long-Katherine started throwing up Sunday night/Monday morning. More resting at the house yesterday and we went a whole night with no one throwing up.
When my phone rang at work this afternoon, though I didn't recognize the number, something (mother's intuition?) told me that it was either Armstrong Elementary or Livvy's school. It was Armstrong. Kaleb had an accident and his stomach was hurting him. And could I come and pick him up? Oh sure...I mean, it's not like no one has been sick for the last two weeks. Wait...it's exactly like that!
So Kaleb and I are sitting at home now watching a HORRIBLE claymation version of Hansel and Gretel. And to top it all off, Livvy hasn't even gotten this round yet...and Kaleb can't go back to school tomorrow. So Kris and I are really hoping that if Livvy is gonna get it she gets it today or during the night since he is planning to stay home tomorrow anyway! I am a little worried about Kaleb since he has basically been sick with some stomach bug since Friday night. The girls only had it for about 12 hours. He's going on 4 days now. If he isn't better tomorrow I suppose I should call the doctor.
*sigh*
Ok, Livvy was released from the hospital two weeks ago yesterday. Last Monday night, Abbey was sick, throwing up during the night and kept home from school on Tuesday. Kaleb got sick Friday night into Saturday, which also happened to be his birthday. We had planned to go camping for his birthday. When everyone woke up Saturday morning and found out he had been sick and we weren't going camping, there was quite a bit of disappointment in our home. Kaleb even said sadly "So I'm not going to see Grandpa Ken on my birthday?" Well, wanting the kids to still get to enjoy what we had planned for Kaleb's birthday we made it through the morning and lunch without Kaleb getting sick again. So we decided it would be ok to go ahead and take the kids an hour and a half out to St. James where our friends were camping.
We had a nice time out there. Kris' dad (Grandpa Ken) brought a cake over and we celebrated Kaleb's 7th birthday and he got to play with his friends. He didn't eat much and seemed a little worn out from time to time but for the most part, he was fine. And then, around 11:30 pm...he threw up again. After almost 24 hours NOT throwing up...
We decided it would be best to get all the kids up and in the van and drove back home and got in around 2:30am Sunday morning. We hung out at the house all day and waited for the next kid to get sick. We didn't have to wait long-Katherine started throwing up Sunday night/Monday morning. More resting at the house yesterday and we went a whole night with no one throwing up.
When my phone rang at work this afternoon, though I didn't recognize the number, something (mother's intuition?) told me that it was either Armstrong Elementary or Livvy's school. It was Armstrong. Kaleb had an accident and his stomach was hurting him. And could I come and pick him up? Oh sure...I mean, it's not like no one has been sick for the last two weeks. Wait...it's exactly like that!
So Kaleb and I are sitting at home now watching a HORRIBLE claymation version of Hansel and Gretel. And to top it all off, Livvy hasn't even gotten this round yet...and Kaleb can't go back to school tomorrow. So Kris and I are really hoping that if Livvy is gonna get it she gets it today or during the night since he is planning to stay home tomorrow anyway! I am a little worried about Kaleb since he has basically been sick with some stomach bug since Friday night. The girls only had it for about 12 hours. He's going on 4 days now. If he isn't better tomorrow I suppose I should call the doctor.
*sigh*
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Smoking: Should I Start?
So lately I have been wondering about the question that prompted today's subject line.
***PLEASE NOTE***
I am not seriously considering smoking.
I'm just thinking...if it would help with my anxiety, and if it would help me maintain my weight...well...what's the harm??
Oh yeah...cancer. Yellow teeth. For me, blood clots. So perhaps it isn't the best idea...
Anyway...
I like the song "Johnny and June". It makes me smile.
The other day we were getting Livvy ready for school and I had her in a jumper and white shirt. And she kept calling it a 'jump rope'. It was really cute.
I am perplexed. We took Livvy to the doctor today to talk about her blood test results from her hospital stay. The fact that the had us come into the office instead of discussing it over the phone led me to believe there was a lot to talk about.
Boy was I wrong. Her blood test came back negative. They tested her for trees, grass, mold, and nuts. Not allergic to any of them. Now the doctor did say that she was really too young to do that blood test but from what they could tell she wasn't allergic to anything. He didn't realize he hadn't tested her for cats and dogs, so that one is still up in the air. So her 'allergies' are not contributing to her asthma. So what does this mean?
We still can't give her peanut butter or nuts. The doctor wanted us to go see an allergist before giving clearance to give her those things. Specifically with peanut butter, Livvy breaks out in hives wherever it touches her. There are other food items that have the same result. Ranch dressing, sometimes. Dog saliva too I believe. I am not upset that she tested negative-just confused. She was very clearly choking the last time we consciously gave her peanut butter. I took it away and started giving her benadryl right away and she ended up being just fine. But in addition to choking that time, she had hives almost all over her body. So if she isn't allergic, why is she breaking into hives??? I don't get it. So strange...
***PLEASE NOTE***
I am not seriously considering smoking.
I'm just thinking...if it would help with my anxiety, and if it would help me maintain my weight...well...what's the harm??
Oh yeah...cancer. Yellow teeth. For me, blood clots. So perhaps it isn't the best idea...
Anyway...
I like the song "Johnny and June". It makes me smile.
The other day we were getting Livvy ready for school and I had her in a jumper and white shirt. And she kept calling it a 'jump rope'. It was really cute.
I am perplexed. We took Livvy to the doctor today to talk about her blood test results from her hospital stay. The fact that the had us come into the office instead of discussing it over the phone led me to believe there was a lot to talk about.
Boy was I wrong. Her blood test came back negative. They tested her for trees, grass, mold, and nuts. Not allergic to any of them. Now the doctor did say that she was really too young to do that blood test but from what they could tell she wasn't allergic to anything. He didn't realize he hadn't tested her for cats and dogs, so that one is still up in the air. So her 'allergies' are not contributing to her asthma. So what does this mean?
We still can't give her peanut butter or nuts. The doctor wanted us to go see an allergist before giving clearance to give her those things. Specifically with peanut butter, Livvy breaks out in hives wherever it touches her. There are other food items that have the same result. Ranch dressing, sometimes. Dog saliva too I believe. I am not upset that she tested negative-just confused. She was very clearly choking the last time we consciously gave her peanut butter. I took it away and started giving her benadryl right away and she ended up being just fine. But in addition to choking that time, she had hives almost all over her body. So if she isn't allergic, why is she breaking into hives??? I don't get it. So strange...
Monday, August 25, 2008
A little bit of random thinking
The song "Fat Bottom Girls" by Queen makes me laugh. Especially the line about his naughty nanny.
Certain 'Monster Ballads' from the 80's make me smile no matter how many times I have heard them.
Remember when we were kids (those of you close in age to me) and we had those toy phones? The rotary type ones? Sometimes you could pull it on a string. Remember how much fun as kids we used to have playing with phones or pretending to talk on them? Boy have times changed. Technology is an interesting thing. The other day in the van my children were playing with pretend phones, only their phones were, of course, cell phones. But beyond that, their phones had a variety of ringers and could vibrate. And...my favorite of all...Kaleb was pretending he was sending an email on his phone! Isn't that funny?? Makes me wonder what my grandchildren will be pretending to make calls on!
Abbey hasn't had any accidents at school since we discovered that the toilets at school flush automatically. She will only use ONE certain toilet and though I can't be sure, I think she is actually going potty at school now instead of holding it or having accidents.
Kaleb's meltdowns seem to be increasing. Today, because I voiced some concerns to his teacher, the school counselor sent home a brochure on a program Hazelwood has with Florissant PSYCH, so we can actually call and get 4 free visits with a psychologist. I will definitely be calling to make an appointment. Kaleb told me the other night that when he is mad or upset he has bad thoughts. I asked him what kind of bad thoughts and he said thoughts about getting hurt or killed. This concerned me, as I cannot place where he would have HEARD anything like that.
It's 5:22pm and I should go make dinner for the kids. Yet as usual, I am really tired and don't feel like it. Fortunately we are just having sandwiches so at least it is easy and won't take long.
Olivia likes her Alphabet Soup school. She is basically completely potty-trained now which is just GREAT! I can't beleive for the first time EVER I don't have any kids in diapers! My first three were so close together...for the last 7 years I've always had at least one (usually 2) in diapers!
Katherine...nothing new really. She's enjoying 2nd grade, though she told me today that she didn't miss anything on her spelling test because her words were SO easy. It amazes me how easy the spelling words are for both Kaleb and Katherine. Transferring to public school from private school there is a significant difference. I don't know that they are specifically testing Katherine's reading yet, but Kaleb is in first grade and has already passed the end of first grade and the end of second grade reading. They are now testing him at the third grade level. It's amazing...
Kris and I are hoping to play bridge again at the club tomorrow night. We were able to go last week thanks to our friend Faith. Anyone want to quite literally sit at my house for about 3 hours while my kids sleep??? Please? Pretty please...!
Certain 'Monster Ballads' from the 80's make me smile no matter how many times I have heard them.
Remember when we were kids (those of you close in age to me) and we had those toy phones? The rotary type ones? Sometimes you could pull it on a string. Remember how much fun as kids we used to have playing with phones or pretending to talk on them? Boy have times changed. Technology is an interesting thing. The other day in the van my children were playing with pretend phones, only their phones were, of course, cell phones. But beyond that, their phones had a variety of ringers and could vibrate. And...my favorite of all...Kaleb was pretending he was sending an email on his phone! Isn't that funny?? Makes me wonder what my grandchildren will be pretending to make calls on!
Abbey hasn't had any accidents at school since we discovered that the toilets at school flush automatically. She will only use ONE certain toilet and though I can't be sure, I think she is actually going potty at school now instead of holding it or having accidents.
Kaleb's meltdowns seem to be increasing. Today, because I voiced some concerns to his teacher, the school counselor sent home a brochure on a program Hazelwood has with Florissant PSYCH, so we can actually call and get 4 free visits with a psychologist. I will definitely be calling to make an appointment. Kaleb told me the other night that when he is mad or upset he has bad thoughts. I asked him what kind of bad thoughts and he said thoughts about getting hurt or killed. This concerned me, as I cannot place where he would have HEARD anything like that.
It's 5:22pm and I should go make dinner for the kids. Yet as usual, I am really tired and don't feel like it. Fortunately we are just having sandwiches so at least it is easy and won't take long.
Olivia likes her Alphabet Soup school. She is basically completely potty-trained now which is just GREAT! I can't beleive for the first time EVER I don't have any kids in diapers! My first three were so close together...for the last 7 years I've always had at least one (usually 2) in diapers!
Katherine...nothing new really. She's enjoying 2nd grade, though she told me today that she didn't miss anything on her spelling test because her words were SO easy. It amazes me how easy the spelling words are for both Kaleb and Katherine. Transferring to public school from private school there is a significant difference. I don't know that they are specifically testing Katherine's reading yet, but Kaleb is in first grade and has already passed the end of first grade and the end of second grade reading. They are now testing him at the third grade level. It's amazing...
Kris and I are hoping to play bridge again at the club tomorrow night. We were able to go last week thanks to our friend Faith. Anyone want to quite literally sit at my house for about 3 hours while my kids sleep??? Please? Pretty please...!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The ups and downs of parenting
Today is more about the 'downs' of parenting. My son...well...it's hard right now to really put it all into words. I've expressed my concerns before with his attitude and erratic behavior. This school year hasn't started off too well. Ok, well there were 2 days last week that Kaleb didn't really get into too much trouble, and one day this week. HOWEVER, the other days, today included, did not go as well. He earned himself an hour of detention today. In addition to being silly and not listening at school, his attitude at home (and HIS MOUTH) have just been horrible. He's disagreeable the majority of the time. And he is hateful and mean. He screams at the top of his lungs when he doesn't get his way. It just seems that he should have outgrown some of this. Last night he got spanked (by dad) for being rude and disrespectful over and over again. So rather than take his punishment and cry, he threw himself around and got himself into more trouble. So Kris spanked him and then Kaleb proceeded to throw himself onto the floor and thrash around. All the while screaming "I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!" We just walked out and shut the door. When I went back in there, he had put his jammies on and was laying in his bed. What is so infuriating is that when he is in the midst of that, there is NOTHING we can do to diffuse the situation. You can't leave the room because he can't be trusted. He has this thing for destroying objects so I don't really like to just walk away and leave him to tear things apart. If you stay in there and try to talk rationally to him he just screams over you. Spanking obviously isn't effective. I just really don't know how to help him express his emotions in a way that is healthy for everyone involved. I love my son. SO MUCH. And I hate to see him lose control of himself so quickly and so often, and sometimes with absolutely no provocation at all.
And then there's Abbey. She never has accidents, or I suppose I should say she very rarely has accidents. But yesterday she had an accident at school and they wrote a little note to tell me about it. She took 'extra' bathroom breaks in the afternoon, and THEN had an accident when she came back to the room. Well this afternoon the nurse called me because she had another accident and they were wanting to know if maybe she had a UTI or something. I was perplexed. I told them she was just fine and I just did not understand why she would be doing that. So her teacher calls me after school today to talk to me about it and I am just so confused as to why all of a sudden this is happening. All of a sudden, I got this thought as the teacher and I were talking through it all. So I asked the teacher "I don't really understand because the toilets don't flush on their own do they?" And the teacher told me that yes they do. Imagine my surprise. Well, it is more difficult for you to imagine if you don't understand that my Abbey has a fear of public toilets, ESPECIALLY those that flush on their own. In public she can now go potty by herself as long as they don't flush on their own. If they flush on their own, she will FINALLLY go, as long as someone else goes in with her and covers ('tricks' as she calls it) the sensor. She still jumps right up and backs away as soon it starts to flush. I believe what was happening is this: Abbey needed to go potty. She would ask to go to the bathroom, and then she would go to the bathroom, probably intent on going, then get in there and be terrified of the stupid automatic toilet. And then she would go back to class, not having gone potty and when she couldn't wait any longer, she would have an accident. So...the REASON she is having accidents is finally clear to me, and once I realized the toilets were automatic it made much more sense. However, now the question is how do we help her overcome her fear? I actually took her over to the school this afternoon and made her get up on the potty three times assuring her that when it flushed nothing bad happened. I think (I HOPE) I have her almost convinced that she can get up on the potty and go before it will flush. We will see what happens tomorrow. Poor girl.
It's been a long day.
And then there's Abbey. She never has accidents, or I suppose I should say she very rarely has accidents. But yesterday she had an accident at school and they wrote a little note to tell me about it. She took 'extra' bathroom breaks in the afternoon, and THEN had an accident when she came back to the room. Well this afternoon the nurse called me because she had another accident and they were wanting to know if maybe she had a UTI or something. I was perplexed. I told them she was just fine and I just did not understand why she would be doing that. So her teacher calls me after school today to talk to me about it and I am just so confused as to why all of a sudden this is happening. All of a sudden, I got this thought as the teacher and I were talking through it all. So I asked the teacher "I don't really understand because the toilets don't flush on their own do they?" And the teacher told me that yes they do. Imagine my surprise. Well, it is more difficult for you to imagine if you don't understand that my Abbey has a fear of public toilets, ESPECIALLY those that flush on their own. In public she can now go potty by herself as long as they don't flush on their own. If they flush on their own, she will FINALLLY go, as long as someone else goes in with her and covers ('tricks' as she calls it) the sensor. She still jumps right up and backs away as soon it starts to flush. I believe what was happening is this: Abbey needed to go potty. She would ask to go to the bathroom, and then she would go to the bathroom, probably intent on going, then get in there and be terrified of the stupid automatic toilet. And then she would go back to class, not having gone potty and when she couldn't wait any longer, she would have an accident. So...the REASON she is having accidents is finally clear to me, and once I realized the toilets were automatic it made much more sense. However, now the question is how do we help her overcome her fear? I actually took her over to the school this afternoon and made her get up on the potty three times assuring her that when it flushed nothing bad happened. I think (I HOPE) I have her almost convinced that she can get up on the potty and go before it will flush. We will see what happens tomorrow. Poor girl.
It's been a long day.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
She's home
I just realized I forgot to update on here that Olivia came home from the hospital yesterday around 11am. She is doing well. She started preschool today (was supposed to start yesterday). She had a good first day.
There's nothing more to say right now.
There's nothing more to say right now.
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