croup, crap, and other ramblings

from KidsHealth-The term croup does not refer to a single illness, but rather a group of conditions involving inflammation of the upper airway that leads to a cough that sounds like a bark, particularly when a child is crying.(yep, he had this)Most children with viral croup are between the ages of 3 months and 5 years old.(yep, he is almost 9 months) Croup is most likely to occur during the winter months and early spring(winter time right now), and symptoms are most severe in children younger than 3 years of age(yep, as previously mentioned, he's 9 months).
Most croup due to viruses is mild and can be treated at home, though rarely viral croup can be severe and even life-threatening. Some children are more prone to developing croup, especially those who were born prematurely(nope, he was full-term) or with narrowed upper airways.
Treatment
Most, though not all, cases of viral croup are mild. Breathing in moist air seems to relieve many of the symptoms.(we sat in the shower in 10 minute spurts about 6 times on Friday) Doctors will also sometimes treat with steroids, which helps with the airway swelling.(we now have a Rx for a decongestant and a steroid)

so, if you haven't yet guessed, Luke was diagnosed with croup on Friday night. Erin had a cold with a cough for a few days, and then she shook it off and is now fine. Luke started with a cough on Thursday, and then on Friday it just deteriorated quickly. his cough became a bark, so we spent a lot of time in the closed bathroom with the shower running. I probably lost a few pounds from my sweating. Luke, however, did not seem affected by the steam at all. he enjoyed touching the foggy mirror, but continued to cough and then started wheezing with his regular breathing. the man was on his way home from working 3 days of crazy hours, so I decided to wait until he could get home to take over the other 2 kids. I was not taking all 3 of them to the ER(my original plan). I called my brother-in-law for advice(he's a respiratory therapist). he asked if we had a place nearby for pediatric urgent care, and yes, we do. I wasn't familiar if they were equipped for more than the common cold, but he suggested to go there. so, once the man got home, we were off. I can honestly say that that place, Nightlight Pediatrics, was awesome! if you ever need to have urgent care for a child, this is the place to go. I was starting to fill out the paperwork for Luke, and got to a line that said, "if your child is having any respiratory problems, tell us NOW", so I did. a nurse came right out to the waiting room to listen to his breathing and take his pulse. we were taken right back to get an oxygen sat. level taken, and from there to a room. a Dr. came right in and got a breathing trt. ordered and started within about 5 minutes. let me tell you, this 9 month old did NOT like the breathing trt. at all. he screamed and squirmed while I tried to hold him, hold the mask on him, and try to calm him down all at once. the Dr. came back in and said we'd try it another way...he took of the mask and I just had to hold the tube so that the steam would blow on Luke's face. he liked this for about 2 seconds, then we were back to the screaming. the only good thing about the screaming was that he was breathing the medicated steam in. I was in a sweat again by the time the trt. was done.
so, his breathing improved a LOT! I was so relieved. they had mentioned doing a swab for RSV if the trt. did not help. but, he was pretty certain it was croup, and gave me the Rx's and some printed sheets of info for what to do and what to look out for at home. we were on our way out of the door exactly 1 hour from arriving. that is great service!
we stopped by Walgreen's for the meds, and waited. I did not want to drive home and then turn around to go back, so we waited in the car and Luke slept a bit. we finally got back home and started the fun task of giving him his medications. it took both of us, and the majority of the stuff got into him, I think. there was a lot of crying and spitting and wiping up going on.
he is doing better now, on Sunday. his breathing is quiet and he has a runny nose and is just generally in the "I have a cold and I'm cranky" mode.
my son, the 8 year old, was very worried. he did, however, hear me wrong when I was telling him what Luke was diagnosed with. he informed the neighbors that Luke had "the crap". lol, I'm sure they thought "what????? you took your child to the Dr. because he went poop?". I saw her later, though, and explained what really happened. we got a good laugh at his explanation of it all!
well, I'm off to the grocery store while Luke is fast asleep. I'm dropping off the 8 yr old for a playdate at another neighbor's house, and I am getting a cold. my throat is itchy and I'm all stuffy. gotta love kids, they share absolutely everything with you, don't they?

Luke's 1st Christmas 2007

me and my smiley guy on Christmas Eve

giving Eskimo kisses

and in his little Santa outfit playing with some new toys on his 1st Christmas Day

and of course, we had to go out for a swing!

(complete with drool!)

we survived Christmas 2007!

it's the day after. the day otherwise known as finding homes for all of the new stuff day. I'm currently taking a break from that fun to do laundry.

I can honestly say that the kids had an awesome Christmas! everything was a big hit gift-wise. Jack got his much asked for Nintendo DS, and 3 games for it. he was so excited when he found out it was all charged up and ready to go(Santa had the forethought to charge it for him). he has also had so much fun with the 2007 Hess truck. my Dad gets this for all of the boy grandchildren every year, even the 12 yr old one loved it! next year Luke'll get one, too:)

Erin has been playing with her pink Leapster a lot, and who can complain when she's counting and spelling????? put a Princess in the game and she'll add, subtract or spell her name a million times, it seems! she also got a pink scooter and matching pink helmet! that was given a test drive first thing Christmas morning:) she also loves this little set of horses that she got. she has arranged them over and over.

Luke seemed to enjoy eating wrapping paper and bows best of all this year:) he has played with new toys, but he got the most upset when I had to hold him down and pry out a wad of wrapping paper out of his mouth. mean Momma I am, huh?

we had the family over yesterday for ham sandwiches and leftovers from my sister's Christmas Eve party. it was fun. exhausting, but fun. hubby had to go back to work today, so it's been the kids and I looking through all of the goodies again. Erin has a bad cough and slight fever, so she's been laying on the couch sleeping off and on. poor thing, it's beautiful outside and I know she doesn't feel good if she'd rather lay down rather than play out there with Jack.

being Santa can be exhausting and mysterious

we went to see Santa yesterday. our old favorite Santa moved away last year. he was a funky, casual Christmas Santa who wore striped knee socks and a flannel shirt. the nicest man and best Santa I had ever seen. my oldest has pictures with him from 3 months old to 6 years old. but, Santa moved...to Georgia I heard. oh well, hope the Georgians are enjoying my Santa.

anyways, back to Santa. I dressed my 3 children in matching Christmas pajama pants with coordinating red, green and white shirts. the baby threw up all over himself in the car on the way to see Santa, so we made a quick trip into JCPenney with a naked baby(can we say the white trash family look is not my favorite one to wear...omg, I was mortified). found a new white onesie, and got him dressed again to match the family. the line was not too horrible, we waited about 20 minutes.

so, while we were in line, we ask the kids what they are going to ask Santa for. of course, the shopping and wrapping is done, so we had a pretty good idea of what they were going to say. this was our mistake. never assume your children will stick to their previously agreed upon Christmas lists. both of them, both of them.....wanted some completely new item never before talked about. well, that's not exactly true..let me explain.

the 8 year old happily told us that he was asking Santa for pinart. my first reaction was, wth is pinart? apparently, that is what the little toy thing is called that you press your hand in and it leaves an impression in metal. they come in colors now. he wants green. the 4 year old had other plans. she loudly tells us that she is asking Santa for something but it is a secret. she won't tell us. shit!

so, the husband and I devise a plan. after the kids have talked to Santa, I will take them over to pay for the picture, and the husband will covertly ask Santa what our daughter asked him for. brilliant, right? they may have killed some brain cells along the way, but we're still on top of the game, the man and I!

she wants My Little Pony Pinkie Pie. I have never heard of this creature. so, I did a search and found 5 pages of items that have Pinkie Pie either in them, on them, or shaped as this pink pony. I had to look through every item to try to figure out what my daughter would be wanting. prices ranged from $2.99 to $150.00. I chose something in the $20.00 range and thank the Lord, Target had that and the pinart and they will ship them to my house in 3 days. no shopping. no crowds. just the click click click of credit card numbers. whew, crisis averted...Santa will be the man yet again.

speaking of Santa getting all of the credit, I'm wondering how much longer my 8 year old will believe. some of my friends who have children the same age have informed me theirs no longer believe. I can't remember exactly when I stopped believing in the man in the red suit, but I love that my kids believe and believe with such wholeheartedness(is that a word?).

the kids have also informed us that they will be getting up super early on Christmas. they have been instructed that they can see what Santa brought them, check out their stockings, and no more until we are up, coffeed and camera ready. the baby seems more interested in eating presents...thank goodness there are some under the tree exactly for that purpose!

so...I have some food preparations to do and then I think I'll be ready. I have 1 dozen cupcakes frozen, a bunch of Christmas toffee frozen, the ham...and the menu is ready. I am hoping to make Christmas cookies with my daughter tomorrow afternoon. so, pink 3 headed snowmen are on their way to creation. (she already told me that was she wanted to make. I just smiled and said OK. it's best not to question creativity sometimes.)

the child is trying to kill me

OK, it is 3:35PM right now as I type, and I seriously need a drink. a strong drink. maybe 2.

my 4 year old just up and decided to go over to a neighbor's house to play. without asking me! I was doing laundry, going in and out of the garage. she was watching PBS, and then when I came back in, she wasn't there. I assumed she was in her room playing, so I continued to fold and put away a load of laundry. then, when I was done, I realized it was really quiet. Luke is asleep, but usually when Erin plays by herself, she talks or sings to herself. no noise.

I looked in her room, empty.
I looked throughout the rest of the house, nobody home but the baby and myself.
just then, Jack got home from school. I asked him if he had seen Erin outside, he said nope.
then, I panicked.
I asked him to stay home with Luke while I went outside and looked in a few spots where she plays in the yard.(behind a big tree, in the bushes, in the playhouse)
then, I walked next door and knocked. who comes to the front door with my neighbor? Erin.
omg, it was one of those "do I want to strangle you or hug you first moments"! my neighbor apologized, she said she assumed I knew where she was.

so, all of my chicks are home now, safe and sound. the 4 year old chick will remain home for the remainder of the day, in her room. I'm ready for that drink now. my hands have stopped shaking enough to pour one now......whew

ahhh, December in Florida

we're getting ready for Christmas here.... we have lights up outside, including some cool lights on the swingset! however, this is Florida. so we put up those lights and got a slight tan, a few mosquito bites, and yes, we were in shorts. I'm still in shorts, and it is December 3.
however, wait! what did the weatherman just say? we're getting a cold front! in Florida, a cold front is when the wind blows enough to slightly mess up your hair and you might need to wear real shoes instead of flipflops. so, a cold front is heading for us, and tomorrow it should be about 10 degrees cooler than it is today(80 today). my maple trees are just now starting to loose their leaves. so, here in Florida we're enjoying Fall. meanwhile, the husband has a few ski resorts set to his favorites so he can see the webcams whenever he wants to see snow. poor hubby. he should have been born in Colorado.
on the topic of Christmas decorations....umm, am I not correct in that the whole frickin point of an advent calendar is that it is UP and VISIBLE for the children on December 1st? and where is our advent calendar? it is still up in the attic, in a box, where it will most likely stay until next weekend when I will go apeshit on him until he climbs up there and gets it. (I refuse to climb up there)

November is almost gone

where has this month gone? it seems as though it was just last week that I posted, but, looking at the date, I see I am once again wayyyyy behind.

hmm, major highlights of November include:

Luke has started crawling! he does an Army crawl(just like J did) and he can get to wherever he wants to, and fast! watch out for any toys that you do not want to be chewed on! he also really likes to eat. he has no teeth yet, but that has not stopped in at all. he has had spaghetti, turkey, pizza crust, and scrambled eggs.

J is doing great in karate, almost ready to test again. this time, he will get a red stripe on his yellow belt, then the orange belt is next. he made the all A/B Honor Roll for 2nd grade! and, he's doing great with his reading, he reads for 30 minutes every night, and we don't have to remind him every night anymore, which is nice:)

E is just into everything, as usual. she is loving school, and will add a 4th day to her school week after the holidays. the girl never stops talking/singing/humming/whistling. it's a little exhausting. OK, a lot exhausting. she is also very artistic these days. she has started a little gallery in our bedroom, adding a picture here and there.

as for me, I had a procedure done the week before Thanksgiving called Essure. it's a new alternative to the standard "getting your tubes tied". why did I get this done? because my husband is a chicken shit and couldn't possibly go through a vasectomy. anyways, I'm fine, procedure was relatively easy and in 3 months I will not have to take birth control pills ever again.

I also hosted Thanksgiving dinner for about 12 people. everyone else brought side dishes, so I didn't have to do a huge amount of cooking, but I did do the turkey(and it came out really yummy!). I stuffed it with sweet onions and navel oranges, then glazed it with honey and butter. thank you Food Network!

the man is doing well, too:) he is getting over a cold, so he has been a little more grouchy lately, but he is now able to breathe through his nose again, so he's getting nice again.

my son is training to be a lean, mean, fighting machine

he is taking karate. this is his 1st organized sport. he is 8 and looks so damn cute when he bows to the mat. and the little outfit is cute, too. he earned his yellow belt last week, and is very proud of himself(me, too)!

and yes, he's the only child without the outfit on...I didn't know he was supposed to wear it to the congratulations/pizza party. Momma is a newbie at this karate business.
karate is a sport of discipline...something he sometimes is lacking in. he has definitely learned a lot, and he is having fun at the same time. I wish me telling him to do something had the same impact as Sensei A....she says "give me 10 push-ups", and he drops and does them. if I said that to him, he'd look at me as if I'd grown another head.
his sister goes to the majority of classes with him, but she cannot officially take them until she turns 5. she watches and absorbs it all, then shows us what she learned when we get home. she has quite a punch and her fighting stance is perfect. I don't know if she'll still want to take karate when she turns 5 or not, but if she does, watch out! I can see her going in and taking over the class.
I'm really hoping they don't get into it with each other and decide to try to out-karate one another. I think the 4 year old would win.....

well, so much for October!

can we say October seemed to be an extra busy month? I kept meaning to update here, but I see now it has been almost a month since my last entry. what to say? I suck.
so, a recap of October.... we went to Disney's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for the first time! it was so much fun, we really had a great time, all of us.(meaning the man admitted to having fun at Disney...this is a feat in itself as he works there and he almost NEVER goes except to work). anywho, it was fun, kids loved it! (Momma loved it too, the Headless Horseman was awesome!) E loved the fireworks, that girl would watch fireworks every night if she could see them from Disney(in our backyard, I mean, the man would not agree to seeing Disney fireworks on a nightly basis...ever.). she was dancing around, ooohing and ahhhing, she's a lot of fun. J was very much into "scary" this year. which surprises me, because he will not even ride Splash Mountain...but hey, whatever floats his boat is OK with me. L slept through the majority of the evening. guess the stroller is nice and comfy:)
trick or treating was a huge success. both J and E came home with a bulging bag of loot. I have somehow managed to convince them both that Reese's is a disgusting candy that only Momma's like to eat. I scored about 5 of them, I think. and yes, I did eat every single damn one of them Halloween night. so much for the dieting on October 31st!
OK, guess I should start on November now......

this Momma feels old

I had one of my very best friends here this weekend! she flew down from Minnesota and spent the weekend with me. (everytime I say Minnesota I have to mentally say it like Minneeeesoooota) we had a Momma Spa Day on Saturday and omg, it was wonderful! we each had a massage that was followed by this wrap me up in hot towels and then close up a cocoon of foil around me and let me sleep for 20 minutes thing. (which, by the way, I could have stayed there all cocooned for at least an hour. they also put a warm compress on my face. I could have lived there for the weekend easily. nice spa music, nobody asking me for anything, people rubbing me...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)
then, we went to Epcot for the Food and Wine Festival. which, really should be renamed as "come to Epcot and get as drunk as you possibly can" fest. we saw some extremely drunk people walking around in the 90 degree heat, going from country to country to sample the local alcohol. much more drinking than eating was going on.
had a yummy lunch at Japan...my hubby does not eat sushi, so it was a treat to eat some and not have someone sitting across form me with a completely disgusted, pre-vomit face on.
it was so much fun to have a weekend with my friend. but man, I am exhausted. I am so not used to staying out all day and late at night. I actually had 2 meals without someone asking to eat my food and I did not have to cut up anyone else's food, either.
but, back to the topic..... I need to sleep for about 24 hours to recover from my fun. I remember when I was in my 20's and I could stay up until 3AM, get up for work at 6 and not even yawn. no more. I need a coffee IV and some double shots of expresso to get my vertical.
however tired I am, I am still ready for another girl weekend! come on back whenever you're ready, S!

well slap an orange apron on me and make me a Home Depot manager

I am a handy Momma.I can say this with confidence. I have tiled. I have ripped up carpet(prior to the tiling, of course). I have painted. and repainted. I have wallpapered and un-wallpapered. I do lots of yard work. but this latest accomplishment....crown molding. I did it all by myself. yes, I realize I sound like a 3 year old who just pooped in the potty and flushed without assistance, but damn, I'm proud!
women are really amazing. we birth babies. and I do not care whether you do it via natural childbirth, loaded up on an epidural and narcotics, or a c-section or adoption. once you are a Mom, you change. forever.
when I was a little girl, I always played with dolls. I always knew one day I would be a Mommy. (however, I a NOT a Mommy...I am most definitely a Momma) however, when I played Mommy as a child, I left out SO much stuff! omg, I had no idea that being a Momma would include home repair, unclogging essential plumbing, decorating a home in a child friendly(aka child-proof)way, covering all exposed outlet covers, making sure your children wash their hands before leaving the bathroom, and the correct way to blow your nose. they really need to make a manual for this shit. I'm telling you, if half the girls today knew what they were risking by having unprotected sex, there would be LOADS more condom sales. I think if every teenager had to spend 24 hours being "Mommy" or "Daddy" (and I mean a real parent, none of that fake doll stuff), we would see a decrease in teen preganancies.
well, I've gone off on a tangent. I tend to do that a lot. I think I have so many things in my brain at any one time that they all sort of fight it out and whatever comes out, comes out. this is yet another side effect of Mommahood. you have been forewarned.
where was I? oh yes, Home Depot. I love this store. my husband will complain about the lack of helpfulness, but I tell you, put an infant in your cart and have a piece of paper that looks somewhat like a list, and BAM! you get helped.the orange aproned ones come out and offer assistance. and boy oh boy, tell them something like, "my husband gave me this list and I have no clue where to start" and smile, and BAM! they will find you your stuff in a flash. and yes, I realize this is not the way to promote feminism....but hey, if I can get in and out of Home Depot in 30 minutes, I'll do it.
and guess where we get to go tomorrow? you got it, Home Depot! the man says he need a new weed whacker. anything that will make his portion of the yardwork fun and exciting to him, I'm all for. he also needs to get 4 more corner pieces for the other bathroom's crown molding. (my next project) and mulch...in Florida we seem to need way too much mulch. it's a never ending thing...the mulching.
allrighty, time to clean up the kitchen and bathrooms and get the kids ready for bed. thank goodness it's the weekend, they don't absolutely have to bathe if they don't want to. and I can finally have my wine

we survived our 1st sleepover party

well, I can now say I am the Momma to an eight year old. an eight year old....how the heck is that possible?
my son somehow convinced me that a sleepover party was a good idea. we invited 5 eightish year old boys, and we had 3 spend the night, plus my son. we went to DisneyQuest first, and took the boys on some virtual reality rides, tons of video arcade type games, and dinner. eight year old boys are not really good at ordering dinner. 1 asked for something completely different after I sat his ordered dinner in front of him. I had to explain that this was not my kitchen nor was it his Mom's kitchen, he told me he wanted pizza and therefore he will eat pizza, not a hotdog. he seemed to grasp that info and sat down and ate his pizza.
I only had one heart failure that night. from the time it took us to walk from one game to another, 1 boy disappeared. yes, I was frantic. turned out that missing boy was also line-cutter boy, and had cut in line to hop into a car to ride Nascar. without the rest of us. like we had planned on riding next. all together. did I mention the all together part? we found him, I used my "Mommy would be very upset if you did not come home and I would be in so much trouble if you had really disappeared please do not even let go of my hand for the remainder of the night thank you very much" speech and look and that seemed to do the trick. the boy did not so much as cough without telling me about it for the rest of the night.
my husband was along for the party, and he entertained us with his motion sickness pale, ashen face following one virtual reality ride. then, he found a jet flying game and he was fine after that:) I did admit that for about the last 30 seconds of that ride I was thinking, "OK, I'm done....great visuals, fantastic animation, don't really care where the eff the jewels are, though, Aladdin, dude", but hubby was very close to barfing, I think. lol...ahhh, the joys of getting older.
so, we get home and my niece had babysat the other 2. daughter was up and wide awake and ready to tell us all about the newest Barbie movie. baby was awake, but almost asleep. niece looked like she was about to kiss the floor in gratitude that we had, indeed, come home. got boys to change into jammies, opened presents, had Sponge Bob cupcakes. everyone was happy and we got them all situated as to who was sleeping where and let them have the power of the remote, which ended up on Cartoon Network.
niece and daughter went to bed. brought baby to bed with us since I knew he would not go to sleep with all of the racket in the family room. plus, he's a cuddler. I like sleeping with him, he snuggles and makes cute little sighs.
sorry, got off on a tangent of baby love.
well, all was good until 1:30AM when 1 boy decided he was "bored" and wanted to go home. (I seriously wanted to ask him what was so exciting going on at his house at 1:30 that we were considered boring, but thought better of it and said OK). I called up Dad in our neighborhood and he came over and picked him up. the rest of the 3 slept through the night until 1 little darling came in and woke me up at 4:30 to tell me he had to go home at 8:30AM because he was going to have his 1st Communion soon and he had to go to school for it and it was really important because it was for God. (how I remember this I have no clue, because I sure did not set my alarm for 8:30 or anything, but I do clearly remember telling him OK and that yes it was very important to be on time for God). back to sleep.....
they woke up at 7 and had doughnuts and milk. also a few leftover cupcakes. hey, you only turn 8 once, right? lol all kids were gone by 9:30AM and my house was a complete wreck. did a quick clean up and went back to bed, leaving hubby in charge(he had slept in). family arrived around 2PM for cake/BBQ/more presents. did the family stuff and had fun. rained/poured/torrential rainstorm while hubby BBQ'd...lol.
all in all, it was a fun birthday. not going to be inviting multiple boys over for a sleepover again anytime soon, but it was fun. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep. I don't think I'm ever actually going to, though!
the next day I took cupcakes and juice for his 2nd grade class. I'm sure his teacher loved me. let's load up the kids on cupcakes and then settle down for Science. (sorry, Mrs. B!)
oldest son was happy. he had the first sleepover party of his group of friends. he told me I was a cool Momma.

did I mention my son started karate?

he went to a birthday party at a local karate school, and got a free pass for 2 weeks of lessons and a free outfit(yes, I know it has a name, but to me, it's an outfit). he is a white belt and loving it. we go 2 times each week. however, last night he woke up and came into our bed at some point(do your children have this ability? they can now get into bed with us and we do not even hear/feel/sense them until the morning. or if a stray arm or foot is laying on your face, then you wake up just enough to reposition the little blessing and then go back to sleep).well, he then proceeded to have a dream about karate class and double punched me in the back and then screamed "KYAHHHHH" into the back of my head. the boy has a nice punch, I'll say that much. needless to say, I woke up. first, I made sure who exactly was punching me. if it had been the husband, there would have been words and perhaps a pillow onto the face(just kidding, sweetie). however, it was my firstborn, so I kind of shrugged it off and made a note of his forceful sounding Kyah. in my sleep induced state, I was willing to let this pass and be proud of him.
then, at approximately 3:42AM, he did it AGAIN. this time was not quite as "cute". he is going to be 8 this weekend, the kid can punch, and I do not know karate. I decided then and there I needed to pay more attention in karate class and learn some blocks. he only gets into bed with us maybe once a month or so, so maybe I'll have time to hone my skills before the next surprise attack.
oh, and when I told him what happened...he thought it was hilariously funny and then asked, "but did it hurt, Momma? we're supposed to make it strong, but I never thought I would hit you". awwwwwww, he is so sweet. makes those little fist shaped bruises on my back almost bearable.
now, the 4 year old wants to sign up as well. they do not take kids until they are 5, so perhaps she'll decide macrame or pottery is more up her alley by then. I can only hope.

Security Cameras...every Mom needs at least 1

why have I not thought of this sooner? it took me 3 children to realize that a security camera would be a useful tool for the kid's bathroom. that way, I could at last have positive proof who is spitting all over the mirror every morning and who is wiping their butt and choosing to throw the toilet paper away INTO THE TRASHCAN. (don't get me wrong, I am tickled pink that the child is wiping, is going to the bathroom and putting all "deposits" into the toilet...but why oh why is the child refusing to flush the paper????) you see, Moms have these little mysteries to solve. we stay up at night worrying about why our children are doing such things. did I say something when he/she was potty training that has somehow scared them into thinking something horrible will happen if they flush the used toilet paper? are they so ecologically aware that they are doing their own little part by not flushing more paper? do they think I like to see their proof of being in there? no one will admit to doing it. both of them say "not me", and the baby is still in diapers, so he's off the hook...for now. as for the mirror spitting, I seriously think they are in training for the 2012 Olympics when they will add the sport, Competitive Mirror Spitting. I swear to you, I Windex that mirror once a day. every morning it looks as if someone took a toothbrush dipped in toothpaste and spit and flung it onto the mirror. maybe they are using it as a creative outlet and I am erasing a masterpiece daily. hmm, we have paper and crayons and paint and markers for that. I can't live with a spotted mirror. I have my issues, I suppose.
anyways, back to my brainstorm about the security camera. yeah, yeah, yeah.....privacy issues. hey, I promise I'd turn it off if anyone other than my children used that bathroom. I'm not interested at all in anyone else's bathroom habits, just my kids'!

I Saved my Husband Thousands of Dollars

we really need new furniture. the set we have in the family room is 14 years old and was not the highest quality to begin with. we have definitely gotten our moneys' worth from Rooms To Go out of it. the plan was to get new furniture after our daughter was 4 or so. (up to age 4 is the highest incidence of furniture staining/ripping/bodily secretions getting on, etc.) well, we were blessed with a surprise 3rd child, and thus, furniture plans have been postponed until this child is 4.(and no, it really will happen this time, there will be no more blessed, beautiful babies coming out of this body...ever...really)this takes me to how I save my husband so much money. I found some slipcovers that work well over leather furniture. the ones I tried before were too slippery and anytime someone actually sat or leaned or just got too close to the furniture, the slipcovers would, slip. off. looking like a rumpled mess of a bedspread that someone chucked onto their furniture. not a good look.I found these slipcovers at Target. they are stretchy and have an elastic bottom. they are wonderful. you can also throw them into the washer and dryer. I bought the loveseat sized one to try, and have now ordered the sofa and chair ones. I have a whole new living room for about $200. the husband has not said a word. he watched me put it onto the loveseat, tuck it all in, and saw the kids try it out. (they were given specific instructions to jump/fall/roll/skip onto the loveseat and sit on it for a while to test it out) it passed the child test, so I'm hoping any adult we have on it will be mainly just sitting and or laying on it. my house is not that exciting that I could hope for anything more.husband is now putting together the new shelves/bookcases I bought (Target) to add some storage to our living room and yes, they match the new slipcovered look of the living room. he's handy with a screwdriver and will usually happily assemble anything if he is able to incorporate a power tool into the project. he is, in fact, off to buy a nail gun later today. do we need a nail gun? our neighbor offered his for us to use, but husband thinks we actually NEED a nail gun for future nailing purposes.

An explanation of the name

so, when I was a little girl, I always played with my dolls and pretended to be a Mommy. and I was always referred to my the dolls as "Mommy". I call my own Mom, well...Mom. I never in my life ever have called someone Mama or Momma(whichever spelling you prefer). but, when my now almost 8 yr old son said his first word, it was Momma. and it has stuck. he still calls me Momma, my daughter calls me Momma, and I'm sure when the baby talks, I'll be Momma to him, too. I guess the word had some negative connotations for me, but now, I've embraced it. I like it. I can always tell in a room full of kids when one of mine needs me because I am pretty much always the only "Momma".
I have also gotten used to the term because of a website I go to, AmityMama. I was not around it when it was first started, but now I visit it almost daily. nice, interesting bunch of women there. a bit more "crunchy, granola, cloth diapers and such" than I will ever be, but I like it. I get a lot of good ideas from them and have become a slightly less commercially driven buyer because of the sites they have exposed me to. things like wooden toys instead of plastic colossal structures. 100% cotton simple clothing rather than dressing in what everyone else in suburbia has on today. (but don't get me wrong, when I am skinny again, I will be dressing in fitted clothing and flaunting my skinny ass! lol)
but, I digress.... I am Momma.(and this spelling is because this is how Jack decided it was to be spelled. when he was having such a tough time learning to write and spell, this is how he liked the word to look, so that is how we spell it. the firstborn has spoken, and that's how it is).
Momma must now get off of the computer and go be a Momma. today, this includes such excitement as laundry, putting away the dishes that some have now been washed twice that are in the dishwasher, getting family ready for a family pic tonight for our church pictoral directory, and I think following that I will drop off the fam and go grocery shopping by myself. we officially have no juice in the house except for Gatorade, 1 mushy banana and a boatload of apples. think i could convince the husband to become vegan for a night?
S

I've joined the bloggers

hmmm, how have I survived Motherhood, Wifedom, and life in general without having my own blog? I keep a running blog in my mind, it goes 24/7 and documents every tiny thing that happens to me, my husband, my children and things that I wish would/would not happen. now, I'll type those interesting little tidbits out.
3 children are a LOT of work. the never stop. they always need food, water, clean clothing, and someone always needs some body part wiped. I strive for 3 things daily....a shower with no interruptions(best achieved at 6AM or 11:25PM), a nice strong cup of coffee with flavored creamer, and for myself and my children to get dressed each day. well, the last one now happens since school has started and the teachers generally frown on ScoobyDoo or Ariel jammies. and me, well, I kind of have to get dressed, too, since I have to walk the 4 yr old into class. and how are these other Moms so put-together and have styling products in their hair? there are a few who actually were outfits. I used to wear outfits. I used to wear make-up and get regular haircuts. now my ensemble of choice is shorts and either a white or black t shirt. I brush my hair and hope for the best that it will stay in somewhat of a part and when all else fails, a ball cap works wonders. sometimes, if I have an extra 3 seconds, I even put on lip gloss.
the husband is pretty much my 4th child. the man went through college on a basketball scholarship and yet his clothes land in a pile on the floor right next to the hamper. every freakin day. but, I love him and it's not like I don't pick up way grosser things than his smelly socks daily.
we have a dog. she's black and I can prove it....her hair makes little black piles all over the house. I vacuum daily. I think she must run through the house at night and shake any loose hair off of her body and remakes the piles. maybe it's some super secret doggie CIA mission and she's pissed that I keep vacuuming it all up?
we also have a hamster. I will admit here that I love the hamster. genius! small cage, small food dish, water bottle....done. I clean the cage once a week and then do not have to do anything else for her except give her an "O" of Apple Jacks or Cheerios every morning as her treat.
OK, I think that's a good first post. in other words, the kids are all asleep and I if I'm going to have my shower in peace, I have to go take it now or else someone will hear me up and decide that they cannot live without water, an extra blanket, or a bandaid on something.