Just so you know...

Cavities on your tooth next to the gum line - are not fun.

I had two that I learned about a few weeks ago and today was the day to fill them.

Here's the mini recap for ya!
I have a swab of the "dentist orajel" put on my gum to make the shot easier.
Ten minutes later, I have a second swab applied. I'm thinking I'm good to go and won't feel the shot.

I have the shot. Still feel it. (BTW) Just thought you would like to know that. ....Still feel the shot.

A few more minutes go by.

"Is your lip numb ma'am?? Does it feel big and fat???"

Nope. Bum. Here comes shot number two.
"Don't worry ma'am, between the swabs and the other shot you just had, you won't feel this second shot."

Baloney. Felt that one too. (not much - but who wants to feel a needle in their gum - ever???)

Now my lip is big and fat and numb. And my tongue. And my cheek.

They begin work.
The first drilling didn't hurt. But, just so you know.... I felt all the other stuff they did.

Apparently.... cavities on the gum line can still be felt when getting them filled, because it is a sensitive area. This is what the nice lady tells me when we are all done and I say I'm sure glad I had that second shot!

Moral of the story: Don't get a cavity on your tooth near the gum line. That area will NOT numb completely, even after two shots, and it is no fun..... just so you know.

My Hot Date

First of all, I would like to say that my son can spell 'love' - but I guess when you are learning so many words at once, some of them slip your mind once in awhile.... (this is regarding yesterday's post)

So, yesterday was a great day. Wowsers. I would love to have a day like that everyday. We had a rockin' awesome (and healthy) dinner, I ran errands, the kids were good, and the house got attention. After dinner, Alex asked me if he could go on a date with me.

Awww... :) heart swells....

He wanted to go to the mall, and I knew why: the .25 candy carts. I made sure to put a quarter in my pocket and we were off. I asked him as we drove there, what his plan was for our date. He said he wanted to find a candy cart (of course) ;) and then we could go to the pet store, and then to the store that started with an "M".

"Macy's??" I asked.
"yeah"
"Why do you want to go to Macy's??"
"To look at dresses."
Okay. Weird. Why does my six year old BOY want to look at dresses? But I drove along and let it go.

We get to the mall. We find the candy cart. We eat candy Lego's. We go to the pet store. I fall in love with a Yorkie similar to one we had as newlyweds. We go to Macy's.

My son stops short. "Okay mom," he says, "you can look at dresses now. This is your part of the date. You can do whatever you want."

Oh be still my heart. He planned for ME to look at the dresses. He thinks that is important to me (and apparently a girlie thing to do). Awwww.... So we looked at a couple fancy dresses and I asked him if he had enough energy to walk down to Sears to see the carpet shampoo-ers. (I mean, if it is my part of the date - that is something I actually want to do...)

So we go to Sears, we have a good time over the course of the date and we head home. While driving, I say that looking at the puppies was fun. My sweet boy tells me that the best part of the date - was spending time with me. He says this a few times on the way home.

Sometimes, as much as you or I may not want to admit it, one child may be our 'tough' one of the moment, or our 'easy' one of the moment. Lately, Alex has been a challenge. Tough. Keeping my on my parenting toes. But yesterday he just won himself a spot right back to - 'best child EVER'! I am a blessed mama!

I still luve you

Where to start... I feel like this could be a really long post, but I'll try to keep it to the main points and not lose you.

Regarding in our home: We are a family that uses spanking, time outs, time out from toys/games/TV... etc.

Really, it comes down to what works. What works for one child may not for another, or what works for one child may not work on the same child for a different "crime".

This being said, lying is a behavior I cannot stand. In any form. Even the 'little' ones. So this morning, the oldest two kids were having it out about something while I was washing up. The girl began to scream in annoyance. I called them both back to my bathroom and asked what was going on. (I knew what was going on, but wanted to hear it from them.)

My precious son lied to my face by telling me he did 'nothing'. Twice. So, as I was brushing my teeth - an epiphany came - actually it was most certainly the Holy Spirit whispering parenting advice as He usually does. I would go "old school" and have him, much like the boys and girl of the 1950's writing on chalk boards, write the sentence I will not lie ten times.

This seemed to do it. It broke him in just the right way. He didn't like the punishment (which is a good thing).

He began to write sloppily. I told him to fix his handwriting, or I would pull out a new paper and he would begin again. Meanwhile I am just doing my morning routine... hair...makeup...lotion. I am calm. His writing is still a bit sloppy but he is on sentence number 8. I tell him to write it two more times and then put the paper on Daddy's pillow for him to see when he comes home.

Oh snap!! That did it. He was even more careful about the penmanship now. He finished and put it on my side of the bed. I think he hopes over there dad won't see it! :)

Then, as we were about to leave for school I see this propped up on the computer for me:



Is that so sweet!! His 6 year old communication of love is sweet. The kids are each so different and he is probably the least boldly affectionate, but this gesture was grand! It's gonna be a great day!

Food, Shmood.....

It is really quite a lot of work to eat healthy.

We as a family want to eat healthier. Well, maybe not the kids. They informed me at breakfast that they wish they lived on cream soda. But, in general, hubs and I want to live past 45. Ya know??

However, you can take it to the far reaches of healthy eatting where you buy your own wheat berries, grind your wheat into flour, make your own bread and cakes and muffins and cookies. Even your own granola.

You can buy raw milk and make your own organic ice-cream and yogurts.

You can have a whole bunch of vegetables you otherwise would not have bought delivered straight to your door and you can Google how to make something with Delicata Squash. I know, I never heard of them either.

All of this, however, takes a tremendous amount of work. And I am tired. I barely have time to ....(fill in the blank) and you want me to grind flour and wait for yogurt to set?!?!?

Anyway - just in case you are wondering what we had for dinner tonight - we ordered Domino's.



What???

That's right you heard me. I said I'm tired....

Good News/Bad News

Good news: Avi didn't pee on the kitchen table yesterday. (see the previous post)
Bad news: She peed in her bed at 11:22pm last night. And on her pillow, and her favorite blankie, and the..... basically she must've had a LOT to drink before bed.

Good news: We still have some diapers in the house that fit her. We will use them tonight. :)
Bad news: We've never had a child not *instantly* potty-trained through the night, and we are slow to learn our lesson with this new situation.

Good news: I survived yesterday.
Bad news: I lost it with my husband last night. I was super-grouchy girl. :( Sorry dear hubby! I love you really I do! :)

Good news: I vacuumed the van today! Woo woo!!
Bad news: The house itself hasn't been vacuumed in.... a long time. Eewww!

Good news: We are hoping to get our son in a charter school for next year and he is not rejected yet, as of today.
Bad news: He is pretty far down the list, so it'll take a miracle!

Good news: Overall life is pretty sweet. God is doing miracles here, in Haiti, and everywhere around the world if you just stop and look. He is still Lord of our life, even when we don't *feel* it in the chaos.
Bad news: ... all of a sudden... I can't think of any!

Donde esta el bano?? (Where is the bathroom??)

I was cleaning the main bathroom toilet this afternoon during the kid's naps when I hear shoes/chairs/clanging in the kitchen. Weird. Better go check that out. Nap time should last another 30 minutes....who is there? A burglar?? An animal??

I go into the kitchen and this is what I see~
Our three year old is standing on a kitchen chair.
She has tennis shoes on - the wrong feet.
She has her play dress hiked up.
Her panties are down.
Her bare bottom sits on the table....

"What are you doing?!?!?" I quickly ask.

"going pee pee...."

I scoop her up and run down the hall to the bathroom. I quickly wipe the chemically wet toilet seat I was cleaning, and set her down. She starts crying. I mean crying.
She pees. I ask what is wrong. She is disoriented.

OMG - I think she was sleep walking!!! AAGHHH! She almost peed on the kitchen table!!!
The bizarre part is - she got up and put tennis shoes on first. Did she think we were camping and she had to put shoes on to go outside???

Well, I'm glad I was within earshot and not in the shower or in the laundry room!! Sheesh. The adventures never cease!

How to lose weight - by yours truly

I had my last baby 8.5 months ago. I have generally always been trim without having to exercise. Never counted calories in my whole life. I mean, I see the calories listed. I'll glance and check them out once in awhile, but I have never counted them for a day or meal or anything like that.

I've exercised here and there. One time I kept it up for about two whole months!! Go me! But you should also know that out of the last 8+ years of marriage, I have spent about 90% of it pregnant or nursing a baby. Now we are done and I have found myself with an unexpected and unwanted 10 lbs. Unexpected, because in the past it has always....well... just disappeared.

Because I have always been trim, people I know laugh at me. Like, "You have to lose weight?!?!? Hahahahahahahaa" But I do. I appreciate their.....compliment???.... but I still don't like my stomach sticking out farther than my boobs. I want to be able to wear a swimsuit without looking pregnant.

The fact of the matter is though, I am too lazy to exercise or count calories. (And I am still nursing....) But the other day when I stepped on the scale I had an idea. As the digital scale was thinking about registering, I had a thought strike me.

Suck in!!!

I sucked. Sucked that tummy in as hard as I could. Now, mind you for the last four to five months that ten pounds hasn't moved. Well, once or twice I went up to twelve pounds overweight... but in general the ten pounds have stuck.

I was still sucking in as hard as I could.... and waa-laa! 1.5 pounds lighter. Woowoo!! From now on the diet and exercise are going out the window! I've found what works for me and I'm sticking to it! Suck it in baby, suck it in!

His Favorite

My son is in first grade. His school is not all that advanced - but average. Average in a good kind of way. I mean, he can read, but the first graders there aren't doing division or dissecting frogs.

That is the background that makes this statement all the funnier to me.
He is in the bath: "Mom, 'I have a dream', that is the speech from Martin Luther King Jr."
"Yep. I know...."
"That is my favorite speech. Well, actually... my favorite speech of his."

Clearly you can see what the current curriculum is at school. What is funny, is that I didn't know he had any other speeches to reference to make that his favorite. Nor did I know he was familiar with other MLK speeches. Whaddya know? Maybe that school is more advanced than I thought.

observations

~ If you own a computer and need to maintain it with updates and security features... you should have a glass of wine.

~ If you need to talk to someone about technical problems with the computer and it's security features... you should have a large glass of wine and a Valium.

~If said 'help' can't understand English, and you can't understand them.... you should breathe deeply, try to stop rolling your eyes, remember that with God we love all people, have a margarita and a few Valium.

~The phrase 'scream into a pillow' was not accidental.
At some point in time a woman probably screamed due to said problems above, and her kind neighbor thinking there was certain danger, probably called the police. Then the woman probably had to explain to the police that there was no danger and that she is fine even though there is a baseball bat shaped hole in her computer monitor.

~If you scream into a pillow you definitely will feel better....but you may still want to have a glass of wine or Valium in the house.

No Sleep For You!

We got home from our friends home Saturday night later than the kids usual bedtime and it showed. They were melting down in front of us and we hurried to get them in bed.

Avi, the three year old, was having a hard time falling asleep. She was complaining that her tummy hurt. She has weird eating habits though. She will eat like a bird for weeks, picking at all her meals, and then, BAM! - she eats ravenously. All food in sight ends up in her mouth. She has been like this since she was a baby. So I didn't really think much of her complaint since she had eaten almost everything our host had in her home.

10:30 - Waaayyyy past the kids bedtime, I'm still comforting Avi and her need for food. I bring her some more animal crackers. Small. Not too crumbly in bed. Hearty. Then it happens. The sound every mom knows. The whine/groan that instinctively made me run to the kitchen for a bowl before I ran in to see her. And I got the bowl just in time too....

In the next hour she threw up three times. Mostly in the bowl. A little on her comforter, a little in her hair and a little on me... but we all survived.

11:30 we lay in bed ever so cautiously, listening for the smallest groan from the girls room and planning how our night will go (who has what shift when) if the barfing continues.

When you are first married you whisper sweet nothings to each other. Eight years later you whisper the barf contingency plan....

11:45 - baby wakes crying. Ugh... she hasn't been eating well lately. Maybe due to teething??? So I get up and nurse her.

11:50 - Avi makes a cry out. Hubby gets up to check on her and thankfully it is a false alarm. We get back into bed just about midnight.

Did I mention I was up early?? I'm getting kinda tired now.

12:00 - BOOM! BOOM!

What the??? We both bolt up in bed. Was that a gun??? Firecracker?? We live next to a military base, and can sometimes hear canons - but I didn't think this was one of those times. We jump out of bed and go to the front of the house to look out the windows. We inspect the front and back yards. Don't see anything right away.

As it turns out, a large burned out end of a firecracker landed on our deck. Sooo glad it didn't catch the roof or deck on fire!! Hello people. First of all, it is midnight. It is NOT a holiday. If you are trying to celebrate the new year - you are just TEN days late. And you are seven months early for the fourth of July.
Second of all - it was midnight.


We ended up getting about five hours of sleep. Which, if you have a kid with a stomach bug and a fussy baby all in one night - that ain't so bad. But still, a little too much night life for me.

Su Casa es Mi Casa

I'm back! Being gone for the weekend felt like a long break from y'all!! Sheesh!
Here's what went down in our family life on Saturday:

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner that night. They are really good friends and we feel comfortable hangin' with them. And, I know, if you didn't already catch it - that the title of this post is, not only Espanol, but reversed. I just thought it was appropriate for the title since we apparently consider their house our house.

During dinner I decided the meatloaf wasn't enough... I needed.... something.... I know! -Ranch Dressing. Maybe BBQ sauce, but I knew for sure they had Ranch. Know what I did? Even though the Ranch was not on the table or even offered.... I stood up during dinner and went hunting for it. I did this without even asking or announcing what I was doing. I just started rummaging through the fridge. Is it insulting to find a sauce for your host's meat dish?? Probably. The meatloaf was really good! Mind you, these people could open a restaurant because that is how talented they are in the kitchen. But, that didn't stop me...

I know, I know... appalling. You are wondering how many friends I actually have?? Well... a couple. And now you know why..... *wink wink*

Then, as if that is not crazy enough behavior - my three year old who is wearing their daughter's dress up clothes (yes, both older girls basically got naked at their house) didn't make it to the toilet in time and peed on their rug and bathroom floor. Hello!!! Actually, she tried to get there, and she did - but just failed to get the beautiful and elaborate dress-up dress hiked up past her waistline.

She comes and tells me about the accident (thank God) and I ask our host what she would like me to clean it up with. My daughter, in the meantime, is running through their house completely buck naked. Oh.... so fun..... so fun....

We get invited somewhere for dinner and this is what our family acts like??? ;) We definitely need to get out more!!

The adventure doesn't end there though. The night got even more exciting once we got home. Check back tomorrow so you can find out what I mean!

How Low Can It Go....?

The temp I mean. It is so cold! (I will avoid the "how cold is it?" jokes)

My hands are frozen! The yard is frozen. The van is frozen - and it is parked in the garage! I pity my poor hubby in and out of his car all day long in this freezing frozen world of ours.


I would like to say, that yes, we are running the home furnace at an appropriate temperature, but we are all still cold. Perhaps it is because although the sun is out, the view from our windows looks like the house was relocated to a vast frozen winter ice-land. I imagine something a-kin to when Dorothy was in her house and blown to the land of OZ. I think a few nights ago when we were sleeping, the house got up and moved to Antarctica. Brrrz!

Well, enough about that. We are all living through this, from Florida to North Dakota. So, no need to lament any further.

Here is an update on my cleaning out our stuff process:
In the last two days I got rid of a pair of my husbands pants. That's it. One pair of pants. But on the up side, it has been too cold to go ANYWHERE, so I haven't bought anything, or brought anything home. Yea! One positive thing about the deep freeze - I'm saving money!

I can conquer the world!!

Well, at least my computer world, for right now, at this time, this morning. But I sure do feel victorious!!!

Our mouse stopped working correctly last night - on the internet ALONE. Weird. Worked on the computer itself (programs, hard-drive) but not on the net. I FIXED it MYSELF. I am sooooo proud! (Actually it was simple, but that is beside the point)

I am not techie, so this feels like I just conquered Everest!

Notice the new blog style??? I have been eyeing this for weeks, and now, with my new 'fix' on here, I can actually 'grab' this background now. Seriously folks - I am flying high. My typing as probably jumped to about 200wpm!! I might play with the background still, but let me know if you like it. Readability, looks, etc.

Well, as long as I am conquering my known world, I think I'm gonna go work in the kitchen. Lord knows that room need attention - so toodles!! :)

Flying high with the Hubs

We went to watch Avatar last night. I would have prefered to watch a chick flick, but agreed to go anyway. I wasn't initally interested in the movie - but I figured, hey, he's watched thousands of hours of chick flicks, so I'll do this with him.

Plus... a night out without kids... who can not be excited about that??

Turns out, the movie ain't half bad. ;)

(This is not, repeat, not, a spoiler) If you have not seen the movie, there are these giant bird-type-dinosaur things that the people fly/ride on. It's cool. (said ever so nonchalantly)

But to men - it seems they are COOOOOOLLLLL! I'm only saying this, because when we got in our minivan to go pick up the kids after the flick, my husband starts driving the van as if he is on the back of a giant beast. Swerve....zoom..... pull up....dive right.... It was kinda fun to watch, and at the same time kinda terrifying. ha!

Actually, I was holding on for dear life.

I was seeing one of my husband's fantasys (flying - not stunt driving) lived out in front of me. "Did you like the movie?" I ask.
"Yeah. Totally cool. ....Wouldn't it be fun to fly on birds like that??"

Ah-ha!! I knew it. I encouraged him to drive like a not-crazy person, so we could survive the ride home and potentially dream about flying once asleep safely in our beds.

I used to dream about flying when I was a kid. And I still think it would be totally awesome - just not from the passenger seat of a minivan! :)

Thanks for a great date night honey!! You make life so very full of memories and fun!

Cleanliness is next to....

....insanity???

Problem: I have three and four year old girls sharing a room. I can't get them to clean it/keep it clean. Every once and a while I declare it a national disaster area and step in and clean it up for them.

My son has been "cleaning" his room since he was one. He is so good at it!! He doesn't keep a perfect room, and lately he has been cheating by putting all his clothes - dirty or not - in the laundry just to have a clean result faster. But... still, it is good for a six year old.

Apparently.....we never really taught the girls how to clean. This baffles me as I'm sure I have spent hundreds of hours doing just that. But this morning, when I asked the four year old to go back to her room and finish it - she fell on the floor lamenting that she can't!.

I am also baffled that they would prefer to walk on all their toys than to have a beautifully clean spacious floor to play on. Once, I told them that "we do not live like pigs". Know what my daughter said to me??? Guess. That animal lover.... She said "But Mommy, I do want to live like a pig." Hmmph.

There goes that argument. Bribery. Threats. Delayed gratification. Check, check, check.... I can't find anything that is working. I am hanging on by the tip of my fingernails though, because in just a few months they will each have their own room, and I'm hoping their own mess will be more disgusting to them. More motivation to keep it tidy. One can hope!

In the meantime, they have really really learned to play together in their room for hours and hours on end with no TV or movies.... and lots and lots of imagination. That part is a success story for any mom. So, maybe I need to 'chill' about the mess (a little) and be glad for the great memories and bonding time they are having together.

I'll just try to pretend it isn't making me crazy.

Resolute Resolution

We all make resolutions at the new year, don't we? Okay, okay, maybe some of us are 'above' that.... but I'm not. And I have never learned my lesson. Each year I make more and more new resolutions.

Sometimes they are really dumb. Here is my current dumb one: I want to be nicer. To whom?? you may ask? My kids. I can yell pretty quickly when say... one of them draws on the other ones face with my Sharpie marker. But I don't like the sound of my voice like that. (Whoa - childhood flash-back there...)

Point is, I can't be nicer just by being resolute. I need to probably talk to God about it. And learn that yelling won't get the marker off the face any faster.

Today is the 4th. But oh well, I'm setting a new resolution today even if I did miss the "cut off" date. If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you will get the sense I have a love-hate relationship with my house. I love that we have a house, yada yada, yada. I hate that it is not running at top speed due to clutter. Ugh..

I realized this many times last year, but once again today I shout it from the top of the mountain. (or just from the post on this little blog)

WE. HAVE. TOO. MUCH. STUFF.

There. I said it. Out loud. To someone other than my kids. I am dragging you along on my journey for less. Here's a profound thought: since we are finally done having kids, I can actually get rid of stuff that they outgrow!! Hallelujah!!

So here is my accomplishment for today: From the girls room I got rid of a sweater, two athletic jackets, a nightgown, and fleece pj's.

I know, I know... it's not much. But for today it will have to do. And it is a start. And you have to start somewhere. Right?