Love my neighborhood mommies!

I just got a call from Ms. Martha, and by the conciliatory tone of her voice, I knew she had just read my blog. Wonderful mommy that she is, she offered to take Abi (the little girl I sometimes care for) to school so that I wouldn't have to take Zac out into the cold. And I said 'YES' ---for those who know me well, that was not easily done, I have a bit of a I can-do-it-all mentality that makes it very difficult to accept help. So yay, I live in a great neighborhood, with wonderful people who are very helpful and yay, one of my many life 'issues' just became easier to deal with! Oh and a thank you to Colleen for watching the kiddos today after school so I can get things done!

Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches....

Yesterday, have no idea how to impart what a bad day it was...but I'll try. The night before, Zac woke up screaming. I figured it was a nightmare, but as I was holding him, he threw up. Changed both of us, changed his sheets, gave him medicine and did that a couple more times that night. I woke up yesterday, TIRED (oh, TMJ thing still hurting, but calmed down to just some spasms and general ache, lucky me). Made an appointment with the pediatrician, then went upstairs to collect laundry. Hannah got up onto the counter and tore into two -12 oz bags of chocolate chips. So I call the Vet, he told me to take her into the clinic. But I have sick child who had appointment in half an hour. Threw Zac who was pajamas and spiderman slippers into the car, got Hannah into the car and drove to the clinic. In the parking lot, I took a spill, ok, face plant, and brought Zac down with me. Both of us were kneeling on the ground, Zac was crying, I wanted to cry and Hannah thought we were playing and started jumping all over us. Got her into the clinic, told the story, they took her back to get her stomach pumped, Zac and I got back into the car to go to the pediatricians office. In the waiting room I sat next to a new baby and its mother. Baby just upchucked all over itself and new mother, she's got stuff hanging off her hands, all over the baby and all over her lap. And she promptly burst into tears (I had post partum just looking at her) so I got up to get her a bunch of Kleenex and helped her wipe down until the nurse came out to help her. Zac got in, he has some icky upper respiratory thing that's going around and needs an inhaler for the next week or so (a quick thanks here that it's not strep). Go back to Vet clinic and the Vet tells me she was amazed how many chocolate chips were in the dog's stomach. They wanted to keep her there the rest of the day, give her some charcoal and some IV fluids. So Zac and I go to the store so I can pick up his Rx. We're at the pharmacy and I'm asking about cough medicine, she tells me where it is and Zac starts retching, pharmicist throws me a bag, I catch it and we catch Zac in time (woo hoo) guy behind Zac makes nasty comment...OH WELL. Other pharmacy tech, gets me the medicine I want from the aisle and pats me on the back, I tell the story about Hannah and I get the ooohs and aaahs about what a bad day I'm having and I feel so much better. Zac got a sucker and he's feeling better. We go home. I go to roast the pecans for some fudge I'm making (oh yeah, giving a party in two days) and forgot to turn off the oven and burned them. Then went to pick up Jake, there was a typo and karate started yesterday and so was there 45 minutes early. Bring him home, picked up Hannah, who is thankfully OK. Made dinner. Jason came home and I said, 'homework still needs to be done, Here's Zac's medicine, I'm going shopping' Finished shopping for the food, got everything on my list. Then I came home and realized I didn't buy the replacements for the chocolate chips that Hannah ate....ARGGGGGG. OH WELL. So I took my Vicoden and went to sleep (well for about an hour then Zac woke up crying and throwing up so again no sleep) But darn it, I'm looking forward to this party and I'm still cleaning and cooking because I plan on having a good time with my gal pals exchanging ornaments and eating!
But you know, I didn't cry, didn't even eat the WHOLE bag of oreos, just a few. I pretty much just laughed at the end of the day. Sometimes laughter IS the best medicine.

Open mouth insert foot

Thanksgiving was at my sister and brother in laws', they do a fantastic job and opening their home to their family and friends. One of Shaina's friends is a post operative transsexual. Nice lady, makes a mean hummus....but here's where I was a social buffoon.....I was relaying, what I thought, a cute Jake story. When he was younger he didn't quite get that men and women are different, and called the female 'private' area, "where your penis should be" well I screwed up the story and looking straight at Shaina's friend, I said "where your penis USED to be" . Color me fiery freakin' red....I quickly looked away, mumbled the correct phrase and realized (after a moment of silence from our side of the table) even that wasn't as funny for this particular audience as I thought it would be and promptly started another conversation with other people at the table.....I should not be allowed to speak! I could blame it on the vicoden...(oh yeah, bad case of TMJ, according to ER doc, I have an appointment next week with the dentist, I'm not ruling out some weird tumor at my temple, but I tend toward extreme flights of medical fancy at times), but it should have worn off by then....oh well.

We brought our camera but did not take any pictures. I did, however, take pictures of Hannah getting her Thanksgiving bath. Poor girl is not particularly fond of bathing.


Oh look, I cut and colored my hair...quick Papi, go get Mom, she won't believe it.

And this is why people should listen to me!

You are The High Priestess
Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?

Take the Test to Find Out.

What I gather from above, I'm a moody know it all! haha, I like it.

This week's blog challenge

Rite of passage 1.Anthropology. a ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person's change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan.2.any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another. Write about a rite of passage. It can be your own experience or someone else's. It can be an event that you're anticipating, or one you're anticipating for your child. It can be a long forgotten memory, a touching ancedote, or a funny story.There are so many many rites of passage in this life - your first kiss, learning to ride without training wheels, noticing your first gray hair, standing up to your Mom as an adult, cooking for the new inlaws for the first time.... Think about it, and have fun writing!

Rites of passages fill me with dread. In all my anthropology courses, I read about someone getting maimed in some form or another during these 'rites'. And even more scary, it's about CHANGE, going from one part of your life to the next, even when you were fine and dandy in your life to begin with. I wasn't too keen on starting any of the new phases of my life. My dad even moved to New York when I was a freshman in college because he knew I wouldn't move out (whose Dad moves out because his kid won't?). I did get my degree, but I didn't really want to finish, I just happened to have enough English classes that they booted me out with a degree. Marriage was very important to me but it was a stabilizing force in my life; an anchor, less a passage into a new life and more a desperate need to be brought to earth. Frankly, I can say that having children was about the only 'rite' that didn't fill me with dread, the thought of raising them, although terrifying was exciting, an adventure, a life worth living. The pregnancy was wonderful, even though I was sick every day for the full nine months; knowing these fantastic beings were being nourished by me and growing into the perfect little baby boys that they became was overwhelmingly wonderful. And, OH MY GOSH, when I first looked into their eyes and I KNEW (don't try and convince me otherwise) that they knew I was their mother and they were 'saying' in their first glance at me, "thank you mom, it's so good to meet you" and the pain, and everything else was gone by staring into those lovely eyes and my glance to them said 'you are loved with my whole being' and they knew that (again you can't convince me otherwise). It's been a wild ride, but the rite of passage into motherhood is one of great wonder and joy and I'm very happy to have gone through that.

__________________

Ponderings

Why can't I just order a hamburger? Why do I have to order a cheeseburger without cheese...sheesh

Domestic Help

I emailed friend to find out this weeks Blog Challenge. She emailed back that there wasn't one this week, so I email back offering to do one. Now this was an EMPTY offer because I assumed she had one in her very clever mind to offer me and Colleen, but NOOO she says, absolutely! Yikes. That's what you get for offering, someone may take you up oni it. So here it is: As I sat here thinking, "I have no time to do this or anything else" because I have to clean, get some invitations out for a party I'm giving later and yes, start my holiday baking, I wondered if, given the chance, and could only choose one type of domestic help, would it be a housecleaner, cook, errand boy, what would I pick? What would you pick and why? (errand boy could be pretty buff and a masseuse, but that may be another blog topic)

I'm torn, only ONE, what was I thinking I need a TEAM. As you can see by my study/guest room a personal organizer would be at hand. The sad thing is I'm actually good at organizing, I just don't do it, or can't for myself. The Container store is my favorite place in which to drool. I just get STUCK trying to figure out the PERFECT system (notice the various filing boxes in the corner...thrown there because I decided baskets and horizontal boxes where more my thing).

But then there's the whole house thing of getting things done...also able to be seen here is the unfinished wall. My plan is to put some bead board paneling up, but have yet to do it (two and half years later). So my other choice would be handyman.

Housekeeper would be a fantastic thing, but right now in my life I just need to get to a place where a cleaning person (gosh how PC of me) wouldn't run screaming from my house. Really, how do I get organized if the rooms in my house aren't even finished enough TO ORGANIZE, so I guess I'd have to go with handyman....perferably of the dark haired sultry eyed awesome rear variety (oh that would be my hubby, but he's working all the time).

My cute kid

Zac and I were walking to the school today; it's one of those brisk autumn mornings. When we hit a sunny spot he said, "I'm warming up." Then when we hit a shady spot he said, "I'm colding up now." hahaha

Ok I was tickled and wanted to share.
(unrelated pictures, but he's so cute)
I'm a sickening mother, I know!

Before and After

Yay, our house if finally painted and our gutters up. I probably shouldn't dwell on the 'what's next' and be content for a few moments on what is finished! It was an intense year of getting the front of the house in order. We ripped out the front yard, put in a walkway, planted a bunch of bulbs, put in new grass and VOILA.

Because she's just so cute!

Lone Liberal

One thing about living in the suburbs is that there aren't many liberals around, and as a side note, when did 'bleeding heart' become a bad word? And how is caring about the poor and forgotten, 'not Christian' So I feel like this very small minority of a suburbanite Christian liberal (scl) there are a few of us over here, we meet occasionally speak quietly of issues, it's nice to find a like mind or two out here in the sea of republican always right people....who have NO PROBLEM telling me I'm wrong...hubby, although one of THEM, has yet to tell me I'm wrong, well in so many words. However, when asked he does say, 'yes I'm a republican and my wife is just wrong'. We have other mixed marriage friends and it does work out. Another funny mixed marriage note; on our trip to Spain, Gina said something that perked my ears, she referred to both her and my brother being Democrats...My Brother???? so I asked her if he was (and you'd have to hear both he and my step-father talk to understand why I was so surprised) and she said, 'yeah, he's a democrat, he just doesn't know it' hahahha, score one for Gina, hope she can get him to come out of the political closet too. Almost 15 years in our marriage and still hasn't happened (love him dearly none the less).
So today hubby and I are going to go to the polls and cancel each other out. But we're both still voting!

Well I guess it's nursing school then.....

A few days ago I have this great talk with a friend, Shannon, who is a teacher and I settle it in my mind that teaching is the way to go, it can happen in less time, the classes would be less hard and I'd walk away with a masters, yeah you have to deal with parents and have very little respect from those around you but it would have worked well with the family and I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO ANY SCIENCE....Then, that night I get my letter from Araphaoe that my number came up and I can start nursing school. I call dear friend, Shannon, again (whose head had to be spinning, but I do that to her often, even with, should I paint this room green or blue?) and she helps me figure it out and it's settled AGAIN. I'm going to nursing school. I mean if that's not a sign from the divine....me going back and forth back and forth, what do I want to be when I grow up, what fits with the family blah blah blah, I'm sure even in all of HIS compassion and wisdom he was fed up with me too and I got the letter to finally shut me up and go on with it....Yet I still talked to more girl pals...shared my angst of, 'am I smart enough, will people still like me if I'm not as there for them, will Jason handle the pressure of picking up the slack in the house' and the consensus was 'shut up and go already'...Ok, friends were so much more gracious but really that was the end result.
But really it would have been cool to say I had a Masters, but now I'm getting an Associates, which feels a little backwards but it is in a totally different field, way out of my element...so I need to get over that bit of snobbishness

Griswold Halloween

Wow, some people really like Halloween...Here's a house in our neighborhood that was decorated to the hilt. They even had a pirate walking the deck and the lady of the house was serving hot cocoa while she was wearing a serving wench costume...some people just have too much time on their hands and I say this will total envy!

I know it's not 'cool' to live in the suburbs. I did the cool downtown thing in college and we even may move to some trendy loft when we're empty nesters, but this stage in our life the suburbs is sometimes so Normal Rockwell I feel like I'm in this 50's sitcom dream come true! Yeah yeah there are issues, but easily ignored by one such as me (denial just ain't a river in Egypt). Mostly, it's just a place where the kids can learn and play and I have some lovely laid back friends (ok, minus an alpha-mom or two)...Yes hippy gay professor dad probably rolling in his grave that eldest daughter isn't some intellectual somewhere, but really I'm happy and love my life in suburbia...Where else are you going to get Griswold halloweens?




Very strange; I had a post today about this already today and when I went back on my blog it was gone...it may appear again later so this may be a double posting, I have no idea...but now I have pictures since Martha emailed me some...yay Martha.

ooooh scary

Just photos, what can I say, Halloween, lots of candy (and can I say there is a benefit to a kid with a peanut allergy...I get all the Reeces peanut butter cups!---score) (zac's party at school, they sang songs about pumpkins)

Guess what I did....

Her name is Hannah, she's a boxer mix and 11 weeks old, she's just a perfect fit for the family. The boys adore her and yes, Jason fell in love within minutes.