Sigh....

A few weeks ago I learned about a former classmate who had passed away. Our families were friends years ago. My father and his father played poker together, in fact it was while playing poker with this man that my father won a huge blue 1970's boat of a car. The car ultimately became my sister's. When we went to the Vineyard to meet this man and his family, the dock was teaming with people as we disembarked from the Ferry. I remember hearing my parents say, "How are we ever going to find him?" My response, "Look for a tall man laughing loudly!" He has a deep infectious laugh.

Our families have not been in touch in years and years. Such is life with divorce and moving away. I learned this morning that he has passed away. His children had not heard from him in a few days, the police were called for a well check only to discover he had passed. I can't imagine how horrible this is for his surviving children and his grandchildren, especially so soon on the heels of the death of his son. My heart aches for them and my eyes burn with tears.

And life goes on...

Kid's clothes

I have a personal rule, not to spend more than $10 on one single item of clothing for the kids. This rule has been broken, only a handful of times and excludes coats and shoes. With three of them, I must budget wisely and appropriately. Oldest always ends up with the most clothes, she is my living doll. The boys, well I can pass down Middle's to Baby, so I can spend more on his clothes or rather I justify spending more on his as it has to last through two boys. Middle is one size ahead of Baby. He is in 3T which Baby will be wearing all next summer. Similarly, Baby should be wearing all the 2T clothes from last summer, if I could locate them. But that is a whole other post!

This weekend I did some shopping for them. One of the outfits I purchased was this one for Oldest. I adore it! Absolutely adore it. I may wash it tonight so she can wear it to school tomorrow.

I also got this for Middle. He LOVES his "square" shorts!

And for Baby? I got him this... see the stitching under the arms? Yeah, matches the shorts!

I have not gotten around to getting their new crocs yet as Baby is wearing Middle's from last summer and Middle is wearing an identical pair that we received via hand me downs. Oldest's have been temporarily been misplaced. I am confident they will reappear shortly.

So tired

I was at a business meeting all day yesterday. The meeting itself, was ok, but the highlight? Dinner afterward! I am still thinking about it! Beyond description delicious! I was exhausted by the time I arrived home, being "on" takes a lot out of this Queen.

Tonight King Daddy is off to a Revolution Soccer Game, so we will order pizza and play outside. Looking forward to the weekend, for sure!!!

By the way, I have been remiss in making my rounds on all of your blogs, so sorry for that. I will be back with my quips and ridiculousness soon enough.

Yes, more pictures

Checking out the plants. Nothing yet! But how cute are they??

Upstairs in the barn. The place were all old toys go to "die." Of course these three prefer to resurrect them...ALL!

Going up to check things out.

Hmmm...more toys??? Why yes, young friend there are more toys, but why not play with the ONES IN THE HOUSE?!

The other project completed this weekend. A fence defining our walk way and reducing the vastness from the busy street. Note the bear who is strapped safely into the Princess bike helmet. Oh and the colorful decoration, which Oldest found in the barn.

I am into recycling

Really I am. Not because we are forced to by our town, but because I think being green is important. Do you detect a bit of tongue in cheek, here?

We have TEN ride on toys in our driveway, right now. Out of which we paid for TWO of them (scooter and push tricycle). Two of them we found at the dump (appropriately sized two wheeler bikes, one for Oldest (Ariel themed) and one for Middle (Hot Wheels themed)). Two were gifts from our respective families (Radio Flyer Retro Tricycle and scooter). The remaining four were hand me downs (Tractor, Jeep, mini-bike, Dr. Seuss mobile).

Not a bad average for recycling!!

A willing participant

I went out yesterday to do some sale shopping. When I returned I was greeted by children who had obviously gotten into the "hair thing" box. Luckily for you, King Daddy had captured it all.

Weekend Warrior

Digging

Team Work

Team Work take 2

Lunch Break

Hard work is tiring

Boxes done!


Keep the weeds OUT!

Best Friends
They each picked out at plant at the garden center. After planting them next to each other Oldest said, "They will be best friends, just like us Mid."

It's a HOME day!

Phew! It is finally the weekend!

We have bathed and eaten and planned! We are off to Home Depot to get lumber for our dilapidated raised beds and a post holder. Lots of sticks to pick up and grass to be mowed. We will be planting the seeds that the kids got at Easter as well as a tomato plant for Gommy. Finish Then we will prepare for tomorrow's cook out, shop for salad makings, make hamburgers and marinate the lamb.

Family - there is nothing like it!

Have a great day!

The Chosen One

Horses! A book about horses, as suggested by King Daddy, has been chosen. Thank God.

I left work a little early yesterday with a horrid headache. I literally went to bed at 5:00. I am without question sick. Headache is gone today, but the overwhelming uneasy stomach feeling is unmistakable.

TGIF!

Show and Tell, a reprieve

The darling Mrs. B responded "ABSOLUTELY" to my pathetic request. We will be making our choice of items shortly.

Mother of the Year

Oldest had show and tell on Monday. I completely forgot, until I saw the crumpled May Pre-K calendar on the floor of my car, Monday afternoon.

I have written Mrs. B to inquire if we could get a "do-over" on Friday.

Sigh.

Musings

Time is flying past. The kids are growing faster than I ever imagined. The lawn needs to be mowed, again. The weeds must be wrestled. So much needs our attention and yet nothing gets attention. We are like pin balls, flying this way and that. Planning when we can get to certain projects. I contemplated calling in sick on Monday. Instead I went in 15 minutes late. I wrote checks for all of our bills. On Monday night I wrote a list of every meal that our children will eat.

Progress.

Yesterday our cleaning people came. GLORIOUS! I am one of those people that doesn't "see" the mess, but when it is gone I am stunned at the magnitude of cleanliness and organization.

Deep breaths keep me present. Sleep keeps me refreshed. Altering my diet will detox my body of the awful chemicals that I ashamedly exist on. Baby steps.

All in all it is a good life. Love abounds. Laughter is constant.

MAN ip PU LAy shun

Let me tell you...

Oldest has gotten into this pattern of manipulation that makes me want to SCREAM! It is awful. She tells me that she doesn't want to go to our babysitter when I pick her up from school. She tells me that she is going to hang on tight to her seat. My response is always the same, "I won't be able to pick you up if this keeps up." Today her teacher told me that she was "missing me today." She was crying and Ms. J said she just held her and she finally calmed down. It is ridiculous. RIDICULOUS! I am to the point now that I won't pick her up any longer, it just causes me stress and clearly causes her stress.

I don't know what to do anymore!

We were in Maine this weekend and had a lovely time. The kids love staying at a hotel, with a pool. It was fun. However, they stayed up late and woke early. Both days. So it was not all that surprising that we had two melt downs from two out of the three.

Middle's occurred while we were trying to go for a walk. He wanted to be carried. We finally got him calmed down. King Daddy and he arrived back to the house before we did, so as soon as he laid eyes on me, he started again.

Oldest's occurred at LL Bean. I was a spectacle as she screamed all the way back to the car. It was OUT of CONTROL! But as her parents we knew we were going into a situation with that possibility. And it happened. No one to blame. It is a cumulative effect.

We got everyone into the car with a little extra effort concerning Oldest. We listened to her scream and yell, King Daddy could not control his laughter. Not a good thing to do when a child is angry. By the time we got to Portland they had mercifully fallen asleep. I was hopeful that bed time would be early last night. But alas, it was not. Oldest and Middle each came down stairs, they punched each other and tears ensued. Sigh...

King Daddy is off to a Red Sox game tonight so it will be just us chickens. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all will be well.

Kitty Cat

So we are in Maine this weekend. He is supposed to be taking antibiotics every day, twice a day. We were going strong on that after his infection. But lately, not so much. It is hard to give it to him when you are by yourself as he has realized how disgusting the taste is and has wised up. He is supposed to stay in the house for TWO weeks. I let him out on Wednesday. He stayed in for one. Now we are away for a day and a half and he is 1. outside, when he should be in and 2. not getting antibiotics when he should be getting it twice a day.

What kind of pet owner am I??

Whoa

$61.35

I spent that amount filling up my gas tank this morning. I don't remember the last time I did that. I paid $3.79 per gallon. We are driving to Maine to spend the weekend with family. So a full tank is necessary. But you can BET that I will make sure that our tires are properly inflated to maximize our fuel efficiency.

TGIF

Mother of Invention OR

Poster child for the definition of insanity. I am not sure.

Some days it feels like I do not accomplish anything. But here is the thing, I don't TRY to accomplish anything and then I get frustrated and annoyed when things aren't done. Definition of insanity? Doing the same things over and over expecting different results. BINGO!!!

Admittedly I am not a super organized person. Admittedly I am not a person who follows a plan or has a routine. For example, I don't do dishes every night after dinner nor laundry every morning. Many people are like that, I am not. I doesn't make me a bad person, it makes me a crazy person!!! I often put pressure on myself and compare myself to people who are like that. I need to stop doing that. It is deleterious.

I feel overwhelmed a lot of the time and know that I need to take major steps to attack things in our home. When I think about my previous job and how I never felt like this then, I am reminded that 1. I had only two children and 2. I worked from home 2 days a week. I think I will ask if I can work from home one day a week. Just being able to throw a load of laundry in will assuage my anxiety.

What I really want? A person to do all of my laundry and make dinner for us. Everyday. How awesome would that be?!!!!

Say what?!

Some things are not meant for children's ears.

Every morning on the way to our babysitter we go over the rail road tracks fast, it is a pretty big bump and they shriek with glee! We slow down to check out the water fall and always keep our eyes peeled for turkeys. This morning as we were driving we passed a house that we pass every day. On Saturday our neighbor was helping us with our lawn mower and we got to talking. He asked us if we had heard of the man who was arrested for a string of murders, who lived in our town. "Of course we have heard of him," I replied. The neighbor went on to tell us that this guy actually lived in the house on the other side of his house and that they used to play when they were growing up. Needless to say my eyes were wide open and I inquired, "Did he torture animals?"

So while on the way this morning, it was on my tongue, as we passed this house to say, "That is the house where the murderer lived!" I refrained, remembering my audience. But chuckled to myself at the sheer inappropriateness of the comment. Sometimes my brain is beyond ridiculous!

Mother's Day

I remember the moment when I became a mother. It was breathtaking. I don't know if I was in love that first moment, but I had a deep understanding of my role. There were some bumps along the way, but I wouldn't change a thing. I am a good mother, I can say without hesitation. I am not a perfect mother. I have short comings, I am human. But inspite of all my flaws and defects, I respect my role and the influence I have over my children.

I love you Oldest, Middle and Baby, thank you for making me a mom!

This does not compute

On the way to our babysitter's we drive past a trailer. Parked next to the trailer is a Volvo Cross Country.

I just don't get it!

Um, yeah those would be MY kids

Back to the vet we went last night. Kitty was not walking on the injured paw. Severely infected. Mainlining antibiotics.

I had to bring all of the kids as King Daddy had an appointment with a potential client. I was in a horrible mood when I got home, so needless to say packing everyone up to bring them with me was not something I was looking forward to.

I was horrified by their overall behavior at the vet last night. They were wild and disrespectful to the other people in the waiting room. Once I had them all corralled in the exam room Middle stood up during the exam and turned off the light.

When we were done with the visit, I was standing at the desk waiting to book a follow up appointment for Kitty. There were many pet owners standing about and it was chaos. It was then that a kind vet tech told me that my children had run out of the building.

YES, my children, all three of them ran out of the building, through the parking lot. By the time I got out side, Oldest and Middle had opened the doors to the car and were getting in their seats, while Baby was standing at the end of the ramp with another pet owner. I couldn't freaking BELIEVE it! I was seeing RED! I strapped everyone in their seats, locked the doors and went back into the clinic to finish up. I returned to the car and started YELLING. Really yelling. Baby's actions were due to the mob mentality, so he dodged this bullet. Oldest and Middle were sent STRAIGHT up to their room the minute we walked in the door.

This incident demonstrated to me that my children have no regard for our rules. We have many MANY rules. Here are a sampling of them:

1. When getting out of the car in a parking lot, they are to put both of their hands on the car, until I am ready to cross.
2. They MUST ask permission to open a door, ANY door.
3. NEVER EVER go in the street. NEVER EVER (we live on a very busy street).

The kicker? On the way home, they asked if they could have dessert. My response? "You must be OUT OF YOUR MINDS if you think you are having dessert after this!"

My head hurts

King Daddy took a cold shower yesterday. We were out of oil. He called our oil company and they delivered 100 gallons. He wrote a check for $419.

I would like some advice and/or comments on how it is that we (the we at large not only my family) are supposed to live? How are we supposed to go about our daily lives, put gas in our cars, heat our homes and make sure that we have hot water? How?

My income has not gone up as fast as oil prices and it will never increase that much at the standard 3% increase annually. King Daddy is a teacher and bound by the union. His increases are even smaller as his salary caps out.

Since I went back to work in August of 2007 gas prices have increased by 47%. We were in a price guarantee with our oil company until May 1st of $2.82/gal. The price currently at our oil company is $3.94/gal, an increase of 28%.

I know this issue affects everyone, so what are we to do? My plans for redoing the porch and adding more fabulous landscaping are cancelled. We now must asses our home's insulation needs, research a wood pellet stove and perhaps new windows for upstairs.

We will not be able to afford to heat our home with oil prices at $3.94/gal. Our oil tank has a capacity of 250 gallons+/-, in order to heat our home to 63 degrees in the coldest months, it would cost my family approximately $985 every 6 weeks. Something we simply cannot afford.

Are we now officially part of the Working Poor?

Life, all around

Yesterday I learned that a former co-worker of mine had been hit by a car, underwent an 11 hour surgery and still has no feeling below the waist.

This morning I learned that a high school classmate of mine passed away on April 3rd, suddenly. He leaves behind his wife and their three children. His children are 9, 6 and 2. I have not seen or spoken to this classmate since 1986. I am devastated nonetheless. Our families were good friends. We spent time on the Vineyard together. His mom was so very kind to me during a time when I was unable to spend time with my family. I feel deeply saddened for his parents, his brothers, his wife, but especially his children.

On a happier note...Middle has learned how to "water a tree." Last night as I was doing dishes when I looked up and saw this little man walking across the lawn. I wondered where he was going as he looked to have purpose in his stride. I laughed out loud as I saw him as he reached his destination. He pulled down his pants and pushed his bum forward. I have never been more proud!

No, I am not kidding

We spent 3 hours at the Animal Hospital yesterday. We walked out $217 lighter with a eunuch and a pet carrier. Kitty is doing better.

When he came home on Friday night, he was bleeding. Saturday he was still bleeding, although not as copious. Yesterday the tear in his pad began to emit a putrid odor. When in the figuring out what to do stage, I called a local vet who was open on Sunday, explained what had been going on. Go to the Animal Hospital and wrap him in a blanket. While waiting in the Cat Waiting Area I held him in the towel and swayed back and forth. Another anxious pet owner observed and said, "It's a good thing that cat found you otherwise you would have a 4th baby." I laughed out loud.


Since he adopted us, I ashamedly have not brought him to a vet, however, we have an appointment on Saturday for his shots. The ER vet offered to neuter him while she was fixing his paw. SCORE! Clearly neutering is not an emergent condition. Upon further examination she found bruising on his leg, but no lacerations. She has surmised that he suffered some kind of trauma either by getting stuck somewhere or he was struck by a car moving at about 1 mph. This morning he is still coming out of the sedation. It took several doses of sedation, being that he was an unneutered mail and it is Spring.

I am happy to report this morning brought some purring.

p.s. I forgot to mention the couple who brought a kitty in who looked exactly like ours. They brought their cat into the hospital in a copy paper box. Its hind paws were sticking straight up giving away its condition. Oldest inquired, "Is that our cat?" "No, it isn't our cat. That cat is very tired."

Insult to injury

She had a tick, embedded and engorged on her head. I don't know if she feels like she has had a bad week, but I sure do!

Luckily we went off to a birthday party and all was forgotten, at least until the way home.

Sigh...motherhood...

The conclusion

This is the man who retrieved the forgein body from Oldest's ear. He removed it in 3 seconds flat with a tiny vacuum. King Daddy watched the whole thing on a t.v. screen. Oldest kept her eyes clenched shut the entire time. When he entered the room, King Daddy said to Oldest, "He is the handsomest, gentlest doctor I have ever seen!" To which this doctor chuckled.

I came home from work and went to bed. I am totally spent.

TGIF!

Oldest II

9:02 p.m. As I write, King Daddy, is driving faster than he should, with some very precious cargo, on the way to the emergency room. You read that correctly. On the way to the emergency room. Oldest put the wire antenna, from the CD/radio that sits on her bedside table, with a small cap into her ear.

We put her to bed tonight and while doing so we were able to uncover the impetus was for her "episode" at school yesterday. Of course on the way to bed she said she didn't want to go to school. So I was supremely optimistic when she shared with me, after some gentle prodding, what it was that bothered her. You see there were some counting cards with pictures on them that she didn't like. "I like table 1," she reported. I assured her that I would talk to Mrs. B about the counting cards and perhaps Mrs. B would put them away.

I kissed her goodnight, gathered laundry, came downstairs, started the washing machine when she descended the stairs screaming. I hurriedly emerged from the laundry room, to see her and King Daddy sitting on the stairs. She was telling him that she put the antenna "really far into her ear." I ran up the stairs to examine the wire antenna, no cap. SHIT. SHIT. SHIT.

Without an otoscope I can't be sure the little cap isn't lodged in her ear. I sent King Daddy to the pediatric emergency room. In her fragile state she needs people who know how to take care of children.

While they were pulling out of the drive way, I called the doctor on call to confirm our course of action. She concurred. I am praying that the little cap is hiding amongst her stuffed animals, amongst her sheets or is forever lost in the dust bunnies.

10:59 p.m. - A forgein object in ones ear is not as dire as it is in my head right about now. I think my distress is caused, in part, becuase I pride myself on analyzing situations. Situations that pose potential harm to my children. She had been playing with the stupid antenna for a while. I took the antenna away from her several times and instructed her that it wasn't safe to play with it. I am now bloody from the self beating. I should have put the CD/radio player back on the bureau where she would not have been able to play with it. I will be dragging it behind my car tomorrow.

Another cause of my distress is due to the discomfort she has experienced this past week with her "episodes." She doesn't need this on top of everything else.

It is now 11:07 p.m. and no word from King Daddy.

11:35 p.m. I just thought - Maybe they have had a long wait. Maybe she has fallen asleep as they wait for an MD to attend to her. MD looks in her ear while she continues to sleep and there is nothing there. King Daddy carries her to the car and they speed home.

11:49 p.m. Ring. Ring. I was on that phone like a lion on a zebra! They are on their way home! The resident was unable to remove it. It is in deep. Off to the ENT tomorrow!