Happy Halloween

It's been built up for a month now, and now it's over.  Anti-climatic at it's best.  The kids and I went to one neighbor's, but otherwise sat out front and passed out candy until we ran out.  Met some of the neighbors.  Chatted with a few of the neighbors I already knew.  Got the cold shoulder from a couple of the neighbors, lol.  Oh, well.  I wished them a Happy Halloween all the same.  I am trying not to be a bitter old lady. 

The kids were super wired all day long.  I have hidden all of the sugar.  I was going to get pictures of them dressed up tonight, but they didn't want to dress up.  They kind of threw on dress up clothes and called themselves  happy.  Figures, huh?  Oh, well.  They had fun passing out candy.  I'm beat.  I have my normal work to do.  Tomorrow will be busy, again.  Today was so busy that Jake's bus driver thought she would add to the fun.  It wasn't the normal driver.  She came from the opposite direction than normal, so I didn't see her coming.  Therefore, I was not outside.  Therefore, she just drove right on by.  Jake and I ran outside and kind of stared after the bus like sad puppies while the kids on the bus waved out the back window.  At least they have a sense of humor at such a tender age, hehe.    So I had to grab a sleeping baby and quickly transition three other children who normally require a LOT of warning before a transition.  They did remarkably well.  I was proud of them. 

Happy Halloween, and a spooky night to all.

My first Parent Teacher Conference...

was last week.  Jacob's Teacher was nervous.  I was just happy to have been able to walk the 20 minutes there and sit quietly while I waited with only Robby with me, lol.  I also had the 20 minute walk home to look forward to.  Anywhos, I sat with one butt cheek on the little kid sized chair and found out that Jacob's behavior is actually pretty good at school.  The only concern his Teacher has is his fine motor skills.  His Handwriting still needs work, but it has improved a LOT.  I already knew that, but then she showed me something from the first weeks of school and then something he had written just last week.  WOW.  Way to go, Jacob.  You still have work to do, but you are getting the hang of it.

I hefted my one butt cheek off of the chair and walked home with one giggling Robby and walked home to reward Jacob by taking all the kids trick or treating at the mall.  Fun was had by all.  Even Alan went with us, dressed up as a Pirate.

Frightfully Hilarious

So, last night dh and I were watching a movie.  I had him pause it so I could go downstairs to switch out laundry.  All of our cats followed me, so I shut the laundry room door when I went in.  I did my thing and opened the door and saw some cats right outside the door - but they were all staring behind the door.  So I looked up and saw a cat levitating at the edge of the door right about eye level.  I was a little confused, as I was lost in thought (not a very hard place for me to be,)  and I made a funny noise and jumped back a little.  That was bad enough...you know...levitating cats...but then this bald man jumps out and smiles from behind the door and I lost it.  I made even funnier noises, started crying...and yes, I peed myself.  Not sure why I am admitting this publicly.  Maybe because someone might need a good laugh.  Dh had moved so quietly I didn't even know he was there.   I thought he was still upstairs.   Dh hugged me and I was laughing and crying and was not quite sure whether to be angry or just keep laughing.  I chose laughing and crying.  With a few "Hmmph's" and hurt looks while dh kept on chuckling. 

Congratulations, Alan, you got me.  :-)

Ugh, I did it again!

Two days of Halloween frenzy and I didn't get a single picture.  Not one.  That is like three years in a row.  I am so awful at the taking pictures thing.  I just snap the pictures in my mind.  I feel like when I am trying to get the picture on camera, it's not "real," and I miss the "real" stuff.  KWIM? 

 

A Mommy's take on some products

If your baby has a diaper rash, these are my top three picks. 

a.) Boudreaux's Butt Paste

b.) Lansinoh Brand Lanolin (Yes, the nipple cream for Breastfeeding, lol)

c.)  Desitin.  NOT Desitin Creamy.  The Creamy version did nothing for my children.  Desitin used to be my number one pick, but I am pretty sure it BURNS when you put it on your baby's bottom.  You know, the kind of burn you get when you pour rubbing alcohol on a cut.  Or that Methailayde stuff.  Man..I cannot spell that word, and spell check and Websters have no clue what I am talking about.  LOL.  I am so glad that stuff isn't used widely anymore.  My mom used to keep them in her purse and crack one open everytime my brother and I got a scrape.  "It won't hurt, I'll blow on it!"  Ha!  Anyway, because I suspect Dsitin burns like that, I stopped using it.  I will use it if nothing else works, but the above listed things work wonderfully.

My other products of choice are L'oreal Kids Tangle Tamer for wet & dry hair.  It even works on my hair.  I love the kids L'oreal shampoo and conditioner in one, also.  You can take a comb right through my daugher's hair with no problems.  Johnson's and Johnson's just doesn't cut it for her.

Kid's and Pets.  Oder and stain remover.  Good stuff, but it takes A LOT of it!

Huggies Baby Wipes are good stain removers, too.  And I use these on my kids bottoms and faces? :-\  I swear by Huggies Wipes, though.  Love them.

Faded Symbolism

I have been a little sad about something lately.  I really don't talk about it to anyone, because in the end, it's a little silly.  I guess it's silly, anyway.

My Grandma lived in her house for over fiftey years.  It's always been "Grandma's House."  Family gatherings were always there.  The night my mom passed away, it just seemed natural for my dad to take my brother and I there.  When I left "home," (meaning the state),  I left from my Grandma's House.  Whenever something good, bad, difficult, exciting, happy, etc., happened, my family always went there.  We always knew when we headed out that Grandma would be there.  It was a given.

Well, the house is still there.  Grandma told my Aunt to sell it in August.  I thought it would be on the market for a while, but it sold in two weeks.  Everyone was kind of shocked, I think.  No one talked about it, though.  My family isn't like that.  If it's painful, we gather together and make jokes.  We don't talk about what is paining us.  We have known for a while that it wouldn't be "Grandma's House" forever.  I still feel kind of empty though.  Next time I go to my Aunt's and drive by the house, I know I will feel a pang knowing it isn't "Grandma's House" anymore.  A stranger lives there.  He says they used to live across the street, but no one remembers them.  My dad said he drove by there and it was "kind of weird," but that is all he would say about it.

On the subject of houses, I have always held the house that my family lived in together for seven years close to my heart.  Whenever I made it back home, I would drive by there.  My mom liked that house.  It was comfortable.  It had that cozy feel about it.  After we moved out, it had some history.  HUD took over a couple times, and I think it was even abondoned once.  Well, I just found out yesterday that a tornado ripped through that area about two years ago.  It took my old neighborhood.  Took most of the houses, including the one I used to live in.  My friend said the chimney was still standing.  She is sure that the area has probably been rebuilt by now, but it's not "my house" anymore.  I'm sure they put a bigger house there.  More modern. 

I can't help but feel a little sadness at the thought of the house where so many happy memories were created is gone.  I also think that I knew about the tornados in the back of my mind, but may have blocked it out.  Not sure why.  I feel for the families that lived there and pray that they are all safe, even two years later.

So many memories were created in those two houses.  I feel some contentment in the fact that those can't be taken from me.  Not yet, anyway.

Brief Update

Aidan seems to be doing fine.  Keeping him quiet is impossible.  This morning he woke up with a lot of bruises from his fall, but his head looks ok.  He's sleepy, but they told me to expect that.  He's sleepy and he had problems sleeping.  I woke him up a couple times to see if he was dazed and confused.  I have news for his doctor.  If you wake up a two year old at 3 A.M., he's going to be dazed and confused.  Regardless of leaps off of 8 foot walls onto concrete. 

Jacob had a solid gold week at school.   Happy faces all week.  I'm very proud of him.  Alexia is doing great.  Her speach is improving.  She has little excercises she does and they are helping tremendously.  Robby is drooling and growing.  He wears 12 months clothes because he is so long.

Alan discovered that he is not loosing his hair because of the Shampoo.  It's something else entirely.  I will respect his privacy and just say that he assures me it is not life threatening.  I feel awful for him, though, at what he has to go through.  My loving husband brought me home roses today.  So I can stop and smell the roses when I start getting stressed.  Better yet, a package from him came in the mail today.  Metal roses scented with rose oil.  So, I can stop and smell the roses whenever I want.  And they will always be red.  Have I mentioned how much I love him and that it would destroy me if anything happened to him?

 

Kittens and Hospitals

We have two new kittens.  Tiffany and Pumpkin.  Info and pics soon.

Aidan took an eight or so foot fall onto concrete.  He's a lucky little boy.  He walked away from that with a puncture wound on his head.  Scared the daylights out of Mommy, though.  We got back from the ER about an hour ago.  He thought the CAT scan "Was cool, Mommy!"  I seem to recall another little boy about this age thinking his head injury was "So cool, Mommy!"  Jacob thought getting stitches was cool when he had just turned three. 

I just have one thing to say.  When Robby is about to turn three, I'm wrapping his head in bubble wrap.

::Yaaaaawwwwn::

Ok.  Squeaky has a new game.  For two nights, he stopped with the waking every hour and he actually only woke up twice.  Then, wham.  For the past two nights, he has been getting up, and not going back down.  He will be all snoozy and warm on Mommy, but the minute I put him down, he starts squeaking.  I am so exhausted.  In fact, I woke up this morning to the children yelling "Mommy, Lexi's Bus is here, Lexi's Bus is here!"  Sure enough, Alexia's Bus was sitting out front wondering what was going on.  Poor bus driver sat there for five minutes while I tried to get dressed and down to tell her I overslept and would take Alexia in.  Alexia had gotten dressed, but she was wearing a purple skirt, a neon pink sweater, and a deep read over-sweater.  LoL.   So I needed to change her around a little bit.  I am going to try to stay awake today.  Wish me luck.  We all sat down last evening for a movie together and I put my head on dh's lap and fell fast asleep.  Squeaky was asleep on top of me.  I felt so bad.  Ok, I felt bad that I fell asleep, but felt better after the nap, lol.

Wilting Bloom

My Grandma is my light.  She has shone love on me ever since I can remember.  Even when I have made mistakes, she was right there, blooming with love for me.  She is an incredibly strong woman.  She has done so much in her life, and worked through so many challenges.  I have so much admiration for her.  I wish I could be half the person she is. 

We went to see her today.  My Aunt called early this morning saying she (My Aunt), was not  able to be at the nursing home when she went.  So she warned me that Grandma has been severly depressed lately.  So depressed, that they are considering medication for her.  My Aunt indicated that she hoped the kids', Alan's, and my's visit would cheer her.

Upon arriving, a nurse was just wheeling her down the hallway from her dinner.  Alan, the nurse and myself had to tell her we were there several times.  The nurse stopped and asked my Grandma to repeat what she had just said.  She was telling the nurse that "My Granddaughter should be here any minute to see me."  My heart about broke.  My Grandma looks nothing like the picture above.  She is a Wilting Bloom.  I always have to hide the tears in my voice when I first see her.  In this picture...she still has so much life about her.  She could move, take care of herself...she was still free.  She was still blooming and praising life's richness.  Now, she is a shell.  I hardly recognized her today.  It's like that every time we go to see her.  And there we were, standing right in front of her and talking with her, and she couldn't see or hear us.  I was ecstatic when she told me she could see Robby smiling at her.  I had placed him right up next to her face and she was playing with his foot and he gave her a huge gummy grin.  My Grandma's face lit up as if the sun had finally reached it after all these months.  It was so wonderful to see her smile again.  I haven't seen her smile in months.  Literally.

No one is surprised at Grandma's depression.  She has always done for herself up until over a year ago now.  First, she had to move in with my Aunt, and now she is basically in the nursing home until God calls her home.  This is not how she wants to live.  I will respect her and not list what she "can't do."  The list is vast...and it wears on her every single minute.  I told her the truth today when I left.  I told her, "Grandma, just know that you are thought of and loved every day.  The kids talk about you all the time, wanting to know when we will come see you again."  My Grandma cried.  I kissed her good-bye, and it was so hard to walk from the room.  I knew I had to, though.  My wonderfully, good husband was out in the van with the kids waiting on me to finish my visit. 

This picture was taken well over a year ago.  I like to remember my Grandma this way.  I know she wants us to remeber her this way, also.  A thriving bloom in the love of her family.

It's back, it's back!

Fall teased me a little, then retreated into the heat of the summer and taunted me with little drifts of scent on the wind, or by shadowing me from the sun for brief moments of time.  The heat has been winning, however.   Tonight, it's back.  I went outside to take out the trash and there is a chill in the air and a light drizzle.  Just enough to wet my excitement for Fall. 

My floors are mopped, my downstairs bathroom is "soaking," dishes are done, my counters are clean.  The last load of laundry is in the dryer.  Well, the last load until I look in the garage to see what dh piled up for me from the boxes we are still unpacking.  ;-\  I even managed to eat dinner.  It figures, though, that the moment my pork chop and my baked potato were on my plate, Squeaky woke up for a snack.  That's ok, though.  He's back to snoozy land.  I'm going to put this stuff on my carpet to see if it gets the yucky up, then I am off to bed.  It should be raining steadily tomorrow.  I am tickled pink.

I will be MIA for a bit, now.  This weekend will be very busy.  Jacob came home with a new stamp on his calendar today.  It said "You Goofed Off."  Well, hmm.  Jacob says he listened to his teacher and followed directions, but then he said he wanted to play with his friends.  So I am guessing he isn't clear on what "Goofing off" means.  I will be buckling down with him on practice sheets, making playdough, decorating for Halloween, and going to visit Grandma this weekend.  Have a great one!

A Mommy's day

It's 8:15 P.M.  I just read three stories and sang one song four times over.  I just tucked three little jammied angels into three little snug beds.  The fourth jammied angel is in my arms.  I'm hen pecking the keys, so this will be brief.  ;-)

While they all drift into the land where sugarplums dance in their heads, Mommy gears up and gathers energy after a long, tiring day.  Once the fourth is snug in his bed, Mommy must sweep, mop, pick-up, dust, do a couple cleaning projects, and prepare an art project for tomorrow.  I have known for a week that tomorrow is Alexia's teachers day to come for a home visit.  Well, after Alan made some phone calls today, I now have two separate workmen coming for two separate jobs.  All of these people are coming within that shady time frame of  "In the morning." 

It should be a fun day.  At least I get to stay home tomorrow.  I haven't even eaten dinner tonight.

A cut apart

I did it.  I took the boys for a haircut today.  This was Aidan's first "real" haircut.  The lady gave me his curls in a baggy.  They look so grown up.  I'm tearing up.  I can't say anymore about it.  If you want a comparison picture, you can see the "before" in this entry:

Some recent pictures

It's Monday again...

Started out pretty normally.  Rushing around to get Alexia on the bus.  The biggest challenge is keeping the boys in while I try to take Alexia out.  It's been more than once that my bus parade has put their stop signs out and remained stopped while I ran after kids.  Pretty normal stuff.  So I get all of that worked out and head up to shower so we could go grocery shopping with dh.  The shopping went fairly well, also.  I even brought everything home by myself and managed to get it into the house without incident. 

Once it was all inside the house is when things starting going astray.  The Electric Meter Reader guy came to the door informing me that he needed to read the meter.  So I had to go do dog duty while he walked through the dogs yard.  The poor guy almost peed himself when Sydney jumped up on her hind legs and got in front of him.  I tackled her down and the man literally ran the rest of the length of the yard, slamming the gate behind him.  I think he was still shaking.

While I was playing dog keeper, the boys had decided to go through the grocery bags and get out yogurt drinks.  We have a rule that we don't eat or drink in the living room.  This is established because my kids spill EVERYTHING.  Literally.  I went into the living room to find blue carpet.  I made Jacob clean it up, and while he was doing that, Aidan was spilling his yogurt drink.  I had confetti carpet.  Pink and blue.  Yay.  I wasn't that upset about the carpet, I was upset that they broke the rule. 

I managed to get through all that and get it cleaned up.  Alexia came home and Jacob went off to school.  We ran a quick errand, and when I got home, Aidan and Robby had just fallen asleep so I didn't want to move them.  I entertained Alexia for a little while and we talked, sang, etc.  She eventually decided she had had enough and started shrieking.  High pitched awful sounds.  The boys woke up, so I started getting the boys out and Alexia started throwing things at me for unknown reasons.  She rarely does anything like that.  I took her next intended projectile from her and that started more shrieking.  She got out of the vehicle and stood in the middle of the yard shrieking.  I am sure that sounded and looked wonderful.  I still had no clue what had pushed her buttons.  I was guessing she was tired.  Even after we got into the house, she shrieked.  Eventually she stopped, we snuggled, and she went on like nothing happened.  I guess she just had to let off some steam.  We all need to do that every now and then.

The rest of the day went ok.  I am STILL trying to get Jacob to go to sleep though.  Yo-yo, yo-yo, yo-yo.  I brought them upstairs at 7:30 to start quiet play time.  I wanted to take the trash out first, so I said "Stay in the house, I will be back in 5 seconds."  I got four steps down the walkway when Jacob and Alexia came bursting out the front door doing Indian whoops.  Both in their pajamas.  Neither of them came back to the house when I called to them.  Aidan, bless his heart, remained in the doorway going "Naughty, naughty!" to them.  ::chuckles::    Anyway, I tucked Alexia and Jacob in and sang them their songs and told them it was time to sleep.  (It was almost 8 p.m. by then, anyway).  Hopefully Jacob has finally given up and gone to sleep.  He has an extreme aversion to sleep these days.  Just like Squeaky, who was up at 1:30 A.M., 3:00 A.M., 5:30 A.M., and 6:30 A.M. to finally wake up for the day at 7:30 A.M.  Or something like that.  ::yawns::  I'm off to do the things Mommies do.