The Fox Family

I bet

2012-02-01T21:06:00.002-05:00

these words are never spoken in YOUR home...

"Guess who's the most irresponsible? SHE is. SHE lost the prayer chicken."

Hoollava: industrious or hard-working

2012-01-09T21:21:00.003-05:00

Katharine to her friend, during carpool:
"My mom gave me her old ipod. It has this black case on it, but if you take it off, there's engraving on the back that has her name and the words 'a helluva engineer'. Its what type of engineer she is in Swedish."

Zimtsterne

2011-12-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa Claus,

If you do not like these cookies, I do not want to hear about it. They were incredibly hard to make because the recipes I found were incredibly terrible recipes. I am in the process of writing my own so I never ever have to go through this pain again. Aren't they pretty though?

Love,
The Fox Family

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

Our Chef

2011-11-22T18:24:00.000-05:00

Katharine made a wonderful dinner for us tonight. She has a DS game (America's Test Kitchen) and she picked two recipes and made them (with a SMALL amount of help from me, mostly in picking recipes that did not require a knife). I am very proud of her, it tasted GREAT. We enjoyed molasses spice cookies, tomato cream soup and turkey bacon club sandwiches. The soup was fantastic - made from scratch (cause it took forever) but worth the wait.

Now daddy is doing the dishes :)

Your Birthday Suit

2011-11-22T09:09:00.001-05:00

Girl, Aged 8: Just think, when I'm in high school, I bet people will be wearing their birthday suits to school!
Dad: You've been mentioning your birthday suit a lot lately. Do you even know what that is?
G: Yeah... it's an extra nice set of clothes you wear on your birthday. I keep reading it in different books. Like that old book I'm reading, the dad said, all we have is the birthday suit God gave us.
Mom: Umm. No. not exactly
D: What were you wearing on your first birthday?
G: I don't know, I wasn't there.
M: When you were first born...
G: But I was naked!
D: Exactly. THAT is your birthday suit.
G: Oh. huh. Well I can't wear that to school.
M: Yeah, so we'd appreciate it if you'd stop referencing your birthday suit all of the time.

My 1/2500 is Lily

2011-10-17T14:15:00.004-04:00

Turner Syndrome Society Crush Ignorance of TS - View the Faces of TS

Zahnfee

2011-10-14T21:14:00.003-04:00

Dear Tooth Fairy,
Could you ask the German Tooth Fairy to leave some German money under my dads pilloy in Munich. He is staying at Art hotel.
From Katharine.
Thank You.
___________________________
Signature
your real fairy name. not "tooth fairy"

(no alterations have been made to this - You're just missing the fact that it was written on two post-its and a triangular scrap of paper for the last part)

In De Nile

2011-09-18T20:14:00.004-04:00

Ugh. Whatever happened to "I want to be a princess?" I just made a ridiculous promise to my 8 year old. I promised her I would seriously consider (I did say consider) whether or not she could be Cleo De Nile from Monster High for Halloween. What I really meant to say was, I now have to go away and formulate my argument to fit your maturity level.

I don't dislike monsters. I most likely read Frankenstein when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade myself. I watch horror movies, and I know that she can decide for herself that all of that stuff isn't real - my goodness, she already made some decisions about the big man in the red coat without my help... It's my typical issues with what I call this "commercialized over-sexed garbage they feed to girls". Not boys. Girls. So I did some research and found a mom who summed it up better. Now I can tell her in someone else's words, so if you need this, here it is:

Deciding if a product is right for you - Deconstructing Monster High

Cake Boss

2011-08-01T15:37:00.000-04:00

My first students. They did well - even Lily :D

Sheared...

2011-07-27T22:43:00.003-04:00

or is it shorn? Either way, MUCH better!

Aladdin

2011-07-23T21:27:00.007-04:00

Drama camp was fun, exciting, beautiful... both of my darling daughters did a fantastic job. I still cannot believe that was Kat singing and dancing up there! More pictures HERE. Enjoy because Princess Jasmine... OFF WITH THAT HAIR! (We're cutting it all off again for locks of love asap!)

P

2011-06-29T16:49:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot my favorite part of the day.
We were sitting at the dr's, coloring a parrot.

M: What does Parrot start with?
L: P!
M: Okay, draw me a P on the page. What color do you want to draw the P with?
L: Yellow!
M: How about Pink? Pink starts with P...
L: P is Yellow mommy (LOUDLY)
M: No, Yellow starts with Y.
C: No, mommy, she said PEE is yellow.

Doctor-Palooza is over!

2011-06-29T16:24:00.002-04:00

Eh, close enough anyway. I'm moving the last one. She's done, I'm done... Lily has her 90,000 mile checkup at age 5 (that is what I'm calling it) and it was too much for us. Its been going on for 2 weeks now! The 3 today ended in her getting pizza, coke AND chocolate mousse because it was 2 different hospitals on opposite sides of town and she hates hospitals. Wait. I'm not sure I can afford that pizza. The end result of ALL of it is we're losing the tonsils. My mother wanted to know why they didn't take them last year with the adenoids, and well, they weren't ripe yet. I don't know. All I know is, I can't sleep in the same room with her and this had better make it better or God help whoever she marries. Looks like early August so she can go to drama camp and sing her heart out first!

Her birthday party ROCKED and I finally put up pictures from that and the piano and dance recitals. Both are on the other site HERE and HERE. AND we changed our home page picture to one from Monticello (our fantastic Washington D.C. and Presidential vacation, thanks to grandma!). More pictures from that once I figure out where Craig loaded them.

Camp Winshape!

2011-06-26T18:13:00.003-04:00

We did it! One camper, delivered to camp. One camper sister, returned home with minimal fuss. I can't wait to see pictures and hear how her week has been. I am so proud of Katharine for going away on her own. This camp seems like it will be a lot of fun for her and if we're lucky, she will come home knowing how to sew (since I obviously can't!). She is supposed to find out her tracks this evening and she signed up for Cake Boss, Sewing and Crafts. A woman after my own heart - everything in an air conditioned building! The best part? We saw a CHORE CHART on the door of her room! LOL! There will be some moppin' and sweepin' in her future. I hope they make her clean the toilet at least once...

Pray for your enemies

2011-04-12T10:44:00.002-04:00

The first time I have a memory of being bullied at school is in the 2nd grade. Some wise administrator thought it a good idea to create a blended class of 2nd and 3rd graders as an experiment. Yes, let's tell a group of 3rd graders that they are only as intelligent as this group of 2nd graders over here and now you have to be in class with them. That will work out SO well. There was a specific pack of girls - about 5 of them - who particularly despised ME. They liked to corner me in the bathroom and say all kinds of ugly things while towering - yes, one of the girls was I swear 7 feet tall - over me. Three of them went to church with me and their parents were friends with my parents so that made it extra fun. One day, I decided to fight back. I picked out the youngest, weakest of the pack and using water from the sink, I cupped my hands and threw a handful of it right on her pants. Of course they all told on me. I had to stand in the hall, but at least that ended the bathroom beatdowns. I don't even think my mom knows this story. Why would I tell her? It was embarrassing.

Katharine and I talk a lot about a group of girls in her class, led by a not-so-nice ring leader. Recently, she and her friends have been (what I would call) bullied at lunch time. If this little girl and her friends do not have room to all sit together, they demand that Kat or one of her friends move. Immediately. "You need to move. We need your seat." I asked her what they do. She said that sometimes, one of them will move. Sometimes they say, why. Sometimes they say, no. We were here first. We're already eating, why should we move? But they always insist, and quite often a teacher will "help" by bringing up extra chairs. I asked her... isn't one of these girls your friend? You have ballet with her every week and she seems to like you. Well, she asks by saying, "Please Katharine, we really need you to move. So at least she says it nicely." Huh. What do you think about that, I ask. Well, she says, Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies and to love them, we learned that in chapel this week. I know _____ is my friend, she just happens to be friends with someone who isn't nice, so I pray for them. And sometimes I move, and other times I don't. But I'm always nice. I think maybe one day they might decide to be too.

I need to have a talk with this principal. If they could do a chapel lesson on cleanliness being next to Godliness, my work is done.

Survey says...Endure

2011-04-10T15:39:00.001-04:00

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Fight, Flight or Endure?

2011-04-06T13:38:00.002-04:00

An open debate, using the words of others:

Very few people see their own actions as truly evil.... It is left to their victims to decide what is evil and what is not.
- LAURELL K. HAMILTON

"For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, seek till you find it;
If there be none, never mind it."
— Mother Goose

A resolution to avoid an evil is seldom framed till the evil is so far advanced as to make avoidance impossible.
- THOMAS HARDY

Evils which we think ended are often displaced by worse ones.
- EDWARD COUNSEL

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
- FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

A man that does nothing but watch evil, never will overcome it.
- HENRY WARD BEECHER

It is the business of a man, either to prevent an evil that threatens him, or, when it is come, to qualify and alleviate its malignity; or put on a masculine brave spirit, and to resolve to endure it.
- WELLINS CALCOTT

Fight, Flight or Endure?

TMJD

2011-03-14T22:31:00.001-04:00

Effects of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder on Fibromyalgia
TMJD can negatively affect the course of your fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, studies show that people who face both fibromyalgia and TMJD tend to have increased pain and suffering. In particular, TMJD tends to make trigger points in the body more sensitive to pain.

Yes. Yes it does.

This me. Resting.

2011-02-10T08:52:00.002-05:00

I hate this. Me resting is now me having posted 4 times in one day on facebook, I've played 4 rounds of Angry Birds, and now I'm blogging with my index finger. Lily has the flu and I have a busted ankle that for some reason hurts WAY worse today than when I hurt it 10 days ago. I don't like resting. But man I'm tired.

Short, but not too big around

2010-12-23T11:22:00.003-05:00

The other night, while watching the History channel at my mom's, I became aware that the Statue of Liberty is Lucifer. Something I had made it 36 years with absolutely NO knowledge of. Huh. These "code breakers", seemingly intelligent individuals, proved with math and a little bit of crazy dust, that the lady herself is a symbol of the illuminati and therefore a statue of satan. I had a computer handy, so I googled it and found out that many many people drink the same crazy dust and have "known" this for quite a while. However, during my search, I stumbled upon my new favorite website, The Skeptic's Dictionary. In their article on this theory, I found the name David Icke. So of course I googled him.

Let me introduce to you David Icke. He started out as a "well-known BBC television sports presenter and spokesman for the Green Party, when he had an encounter in 1990 with a psychic who told him he was a healer who had been placed on Earth for a purpose. In April 1991 he announced on the BBC's Terry Wogan show that he was the son of God, and predicted that the world would soon be devastated by tidal waves and earthquakes."

Yeah. It gets better. "At the heart of his theories lies the idea that a secret group of reptilian humanoids called the Babylonian Brotherhood controls humanity, and that many prominent figures are reptilian, including George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, Kris Kristofferson, and Boxcar Willie." WHAT?!?!?!? Let's bypass the obvious and go straight to my issue here. What did Boxcar Willie do to wind up on this guy's crazy train? The GNP of George Bush's presidency was conspiracy theory baby seedlings, and Kris Kristofferson is strange, but Boxcar Willie? The man was a veteran who sang catchy hobo songs. We're talking "King of the Road", "Wabash Canonball"...

Let's explore this theory more. These reptilian shape shifters who feed off of anger and chaos and live in our inner core, are divided into three types of humans. The highest level of the Brotherhood are the "Red Dresses." These are "software people," elsewhere called "reptilian software," or "constructs of mind," without consciousness, without free will. The second group are "sheeple" who they do whatever they are told and are the main source of energy for the Brotherhood. (Repeaters like doctors, teachers, etc). The third group, by far the smallest, are those who see through the illusion; they are people like Neo from the film, The Matrix. They are usually dubbed dangerous or mad.

I tell you all of this, because you need a basis to understand the picture below. The most awesome wonderful terrific piece of artwork ever created. They have TAILS PEOPLE!!!

This picture was created by one of Icke's followers. Because other people believe him and follow him. I am so grateful that I found this. The History Channel has never been so funny.

But, to apologize to Boxcar Willie, let's all give him a listen: King of the Road

My Favorite Things

2010-12-21T16:18:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas - you can have everyone of these except number #3 and #7 as a gift from me for the holidays. It's just a list of things I love that are new for me this year and I'm glad for!

1. Google Sites - It has single handedly convinced my friends that they too can create a website. Makes me happy that now, for a low $10 a year for a domain name, anyone can be a web developer. Teach a man to fish...

2. Dropbox - for those of us who constantly lose thumb drives. Never again!

3. Places to eat - Sublime Donuts: I can't say I have ever enjoyed a better donut. Varasano's Pizzeria: Yummy yummy pizza. ($)

4. Scout Mob - We had dinner with a friend and the guy across the table showed me this app. If you live in San Fran, New York, or Atlanta, this free app will help you save TONS on dinner. Just download and show the coupon!

5. Georgia Overdrive - if you have a pines library card, you can download and borrow audio books for FREE. They expire like a normal library book but - and here it is - NO OVERDUE FINES. Thanks Blake! I love this.

6. iTunesU - you can learn from the comfort of your home, for free, with no tests. Just the way I like it.

7. AppleTV - Yes, I am beginning to sound like an apple convert, but trust me, I'm not. Yet. No more commercials. get rid of your cable and buy only the stuff you watch.

8. Thunderbird - a free alternative to MS Outlook and this one actually points out to you if you type the word attachment in your email but haven't attached anything. Revolutionary and yet, what the heck took so long? It integrates with google calendar so Craig and I can both see when the other one is busy without having to make a call.

Oh Crap!

2010-12-01T18:48:00.002-05:00

Those are the words I heard Lily say 5 minutes ago as she was sitting on the floor, reading a book. I turn around and she's standing up, holding the book with a shocked look on her face. "Oh, Crap!" she says again. Lily, that is NOT a nice word. Really? Where do you think she heard it? Oh, I know it was me. This is definitely my fault. What the heck? And she just keeps saying it.

Then she walks up to me, hands me the book and says, look, crab.

Yes. It is a crab. And she was very surprised and shocked to see one in the book. So she yelled, Oh, Crab! Over and over again.

I'm an idiot. I can't quit laughing and now she's upset because I'm laughing at her. Oh crap.

Conversation Kills

2010-10-14T22:36:00.003-04:00

If only I had known. The world changed for all of us today. Lily had her adenoids. That is what she is calling it. "I can't talk. I had my adenoids." "I don't want my shot today. I had my adenoids." Well, whatever you call it, she can hear like a bat now. Kid came home, slept like a rock for an hour then watched 2 hours straight of a movie. Turns out, she enjoys TV now that she can hear it. Then, she heard Craig eat a cookie so she wanted that, too. Bedtime was a joy. What was that noise? Why is Katharine laughing? Did daddy just cough? Holy MOSES! She's normally pretty average with her talking. I think today, she talked from 5-7 pm straight, replying to every stream of conversation in the room. Okay, so the drugs probably had a little to do with it.

This is going to take some getting used to. I have one child who selectively hears "nothing" and one who suddenly can hear everything and wants to know what it is. Lily is going to drive her sister INSANE over the next few days. HAH!

The Glad Day

2010-10-02T23:06:00.004-04:00

I had fun - I loved it. It was my favorite.

Just to quote lil, to describe my day. We had a wonderful breakfast at the Flying Biscuit, then the fam took me to the Botanical Gardens for Chocolate Fest for my birthday. The new canopy walk is pretty cool and they had Halloween decorations out, so it was nice. Kat took pictures of literally EVERY flower in the gardens and we learned about how a cacao bean becomes a candy bar. Then Lily asked for M&Ms every 5 minutes... very amusing. And it was such nice weather! I am glad that I have these kids and this husband and I'm glad that they love me. I'm even glad that I'm another year older.

Kat just finished reading Pollyanna, so tonight we watched the movie. In the book, she is run down by a motorcycle. What is that all about? I asked Kat if she was at the part where she falls out of the tree yet, and she said, what tree? She can't walk anymore, she was hit by a motorcycle. Finish the book, the movie is better. And that is the last time you'll hear me say that.

In two weeks, Lily gets her adenoids removed. Surgery for her - again - is not something I anticipated so soon. I guess I forgot about the routine, run-of-the-mill kiddo stuff that could happen. It doesn't scare me, it reminds me and saddens me. If you've been there, you understand, if you haven't, you never will understand. Even when things turn out okay, you can still be sad for the person who was so incredibly scared long ago. I don't like admitting her to a hospital. It's not my favorite. I don't like it at all. And if you think I don't like it, wait until I tell you afterwards what she had to say about it...

Clean Music

2010-09-14T12:48:00.002-04:00

Good news. Sending your headphones through the washing machine with your gym clothes doesn't always end in disaster. They still work!

Gumball!

2010-08-29T23:57:00.003-04:00

When attempting to instill culture in your children, make sure your husband is on the same page. I (stress the I) spent hours watching "Into the Woods" and teaching them about Elvis.

HE watched Gumball Rally with them. Yeah. Now they yell GUMBALL and race him down the hallway to bed. Never heard of it? It has Gary Bussey in it - as the star. Yeah.

Shot through the Heart, and You're to Blame

2010-08-18T13:45:00.004-04:00

This was an easy one :)

We have recently learned that Lil cannot hear. It's hard to tell with little kids, but when she started saying, "Speak LOUDER, I can't hear you!" we had a clue. It is understandable that she would mess some things up, not hear some words correctly, right? Que story.

Monday was a long day for us. From 8:30 am until 8:00 pm we were at Egleston and then Northside for 2 dr. appointments. She grew an inch since our last appointment! I was excited. I have had no change, just more blood work. Don't get me started on my late late late late arrival back home. At her appointment, we were told to start giving her shot in the tooshie. Lil has ZERO body fat. When we give the shot in her legs, sometimes it shoots back out at a super high velocity because there is nothing there to absorb it. So, Monday PM, Craig throws her over his legs, and attempts the "booty" shot, and Lily yells, "Don't shoot me in my boobies!"

You're welcome.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

2010-08-13T13:48:00.002-04:00

I just received a message from my Doctor's office:

"Please call us back to confirm your 3:15 appointment with Dr. [blank] on [day]. We ask that you please arrive at 4:15 to minimize your wait."

Now THAT is yet another reason I love this particular physician. Not only is he honest about the fact that the office is going to run late (they had already verbally warned me that it was a possibility), but he has authorized his scheduling people to TELL me so over the phone and inform me that it's okay for me to be late, and just how late I can be to not have to sit around in the waiting room, bored out of my mind.

I fought the law ...And I WON!!!

2010-07-12T19:58:00.003-04:00

Well, kinda. After much debate with myself and several conversations with my court savvy friends (not because they're criminals, she's a court reporter people) I decided to battle my ticket in front of a judge. As my hubbie said, I knew I was in the right, and a judge would certainly see it my way. I decided to roll the dice and go for it. I went for my court date. Except, its not really a court date. What? You show up and they give you a number, put you in a line, and then you tell them what you want to do. Pay your fine, jury trial or bench trial. Fine. Bench trial. Would you rather talk to the solicitor first? The who? What? Yeah. So there's a guy called the Solicitor General and you can talk to him and he can cut you a deal. You can take the deal OR decide to go with your original choice. I stuck around for 3 HOURS to talk to this guy who, turns out, HATES speeders and gave the group waiting to see him a LONG LONG speech on how stupid you are if you speed, there is no excuse, etc, etc. But I wasn't a speeder. So when he got to me, I gave my explanation and he changed it to a warning. And I left. I would like to say there were no nerves, no moments where I wanted to leave, or back out, or just pay the stupid $117 and pray the insurance people didn't pull my record anytime soon. But I stuck it out, WITH MY 7 YEAR OLD (can you believe it?) for the long haul and it paid off. Mercy.

On to a happier tidbit:
Craig is the anti-facebook man. I can't say I cared about it one way or the other until recently. After I came back from Chrysalis, it was the easiest way for me to keep up with how the girls were doing and feel like I'm as cool as I convinced myself I was for a few days. Hey, I even did a rap and everything. But back to Craig. Since he won't create an account, I jokingly said to him that I was going to add one of the 455 Craig Fox's on facebook as "him" and see how many of our friends catch on. Then he offered to help me pick the fake Craig - and it was just too funny. He was actually insulted that some of those weirdos were walking around with his name. Buff guy in the speedo, handle-bar mustache old man, dorky kid in a blue suit for prom... and then there he was. The Stig in front of a monster tractor. I think Craig is actually on facebook and just not telling anybody.

My Little Ballerinas

2010-06-24T00:10:00.003-04:00

I am so incredibly proud of my little ballerinas. For their recital this year, Lily was a flower and Kat was (jazz) a rock star and (ballet) a dove in the wedding scene of Coppelia. First, the eldest. The hair was the easiest it has EVER BEEN. I teased the heck out of it for event #1 and then stuck it all back down with a giant headband for event #2 and no one cried or yelled, and she smiled SO big during both performances and it was magnificent. I think her costume made her happy just looking like that. And you know which one I'm talking about.

And, for my baby. I sobbed like a baby. I really didn't think she'd go out there. I had visions of her seeing the audience and freezing up, or running away behind the curtain. NONE of that. Lil was a professional. She marched out, did her routine with sass and a smile and kicked as high as she could. I almost couldn't stand how much I felt. WOW.

What a day.

Serenity Now

2010-06-07T15:47:00.004-04:00

Mommy 49, Lily 1. That is what I keep telling myself. That, and that I am handicapped today, so its not entirely my fault. I just spent 4 wonderful, amazing, life-changing days on a youth retreat where I slept very little and today I am exhausted both mentally and physically. I had no business making a cardiology appointment for today. None. whatsoever.

Lily has always hated the EKG machine. I think its the wires coming out of it. I have had one and they do not hurt. You don't feel a thing. Complete and total screaming kicking punching hairpulling meltdown today. I lasted three rounds before the TKO. Even the nurses let it go. I felt like a failure so I worked on making sure the ECHO happened. Me, reclined at a 45 degree angle, both arms around Lily with her dress pulled up for 30 minutes so it seemed as if she was lying flat because she kept yelling, mommy don't let me go, mommy don't leave me, mommy don't ever let me go. My stomach muscles have never seen such action. I still feel like I'm going to vomit and at times, I thought I wasn't going to make it. As we all walked out the door, we high-fived - Me, Lil and Kat. We turned toward the car and Lily said, "I sure am sorry I had to go to the doctor today." and I cried all the way to the car. Silently, to myself.

Did I mention she is fine for another year? No enlarged right atrium, regular heart rhythms. When she's 5 I can ground her for this behavior. No. Next year, her daddy is bringing her.

Lovely Noise

2010-06-03T08:28:00.002-04:00

K: Take this to my bathroom and put it away.
L: It's my bathroom too.
K: But it's closer to my room, so its mostly my bathroom.
L: Oh, okay.

At least they're cleaning up. Well one of them is, the other one is learning how to be a manager. Or a DOT employee.

...but I didn't shoot no deputy.

2010-05-23T13:25:00.004-04:00

You know that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach you get when you know something bad is going to be true when you've had the feeling in the past and it always turns out to be true?

When you're me and its that your library books are most likely past due, then they are and you should have returned them days ago when you thought you should have.

I'm up to $5.75 now. 25 more cents and I have to pay or switch back to the PTC library for a while. Thus is my life. And this batch of books wasn't even that great... Somewhere my mom is laughing and my husband is swearing. This blog is how I'm choosing to tell him, cause I still have to pay that ludicrous traffic ticket from Friday. And yes, it was BEYOND ridiculous. JUST BEYOND.

My Wish For You

2010-05-21T19:45:00.004-04:00

That one is a nod to Ms. Josie and the long hours spent this week listening to Rascal Flats - I'm not putting it on my playlist, but I can appreciate the sentiment. Craig had the honor of delivering the Kindergarten video for me this year while I prepared the park for the birthday party of one Ms. Lily Fox. Her only wish was for a Birthday Party. A grand affair. SO. I invited 26 of her closest classmates and decided we would have a great day at the park. Why on earth would it rain?

I got up this morning praying, God, Pleasepleaseplease don't let it rain. By 9:20 I knew it wouldn't because I had already been pulled over and issued a moving violation and why oh why would he give me that AND rain? And he didn't. It was a nice, overcast cool day for a beautiful party. She had the best time. The biggest grin. All she wanted was for everyone to sing Happy Birthday to her. And they did. Happy Birthday Lily. My wish for you is that you are always as happy with the simple things in life and that you have so many friends, lots and lots of chocolate, for the rain to hold when you pray your hardest, guardian angels to show up to carry your heavy burdens when you just can't carry anything else, and for you to be surrounded by love. I LOVE YOU. (if you want the rest of the pictures, go to www.foxfamily4.com)

I won't ever slack up, punk you better back up

2010-05-07T19:00:00.002-04:00

LOL. Still makes me giggle. I'm not trying to confuse anyone, but if you follow my post titles, its not hard to figure out what's recently been added to my playlist.

So. To the point. I joined a gym. And not just a regular gym, an old-people gym. Its the wellness center, part of the hospital, and they are used to having to help people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc. learn how to exercise without hurting themselves.

Flash back to Tuesday. I WALKED for 30 minutes. By 3 pm, I was dead. Couldn't get off of the couch. Seriously? I can't walk for 30 minutes? Wednesday morning I drag my weary self out of bed to head to a BFFs house for breakfast. This is an important part of the story - we laughed, we cried, we hugged. I felt like garbage. 4 hours later, Kat and I realize we have strep. And I laughed and cried all over 6 of my close friends. Oopsy.

Turns out I can exercise - just not when sick. Strep stinks. I hurt. Its Friday and I still feel like garbage. Interestingly enough, the body pains are just like Fibro in some ways, its the headache and sore throat that are doing me in.

What's Next? House of Pain. Get it? Jump Around. Google it.

Way Way Behind

2010-04-14T16:17:00.004-04:00

We've been to the zoo for a field trip, out and about for Easter and to the mountains for Spring break. Here are the pictures Craig took because HE actually downloads pictures! (Check out Kat's latest sneaker acquisition - man that kid can pick out some shoes.)

Tambourines and Elephants

2010-03-27T20:05:00.002-04:00

So after my last post, I felt I needed to explain. I apparently need that medication that I stopped taking. Back on the savella, and now my brain is back. Well, it was back. I exhausted all migraine "tester" medications and now I'm on an everyday one. This one brings back the fog and some weird sensations. Hey, I'm in a good mood, what more could you ask for? No brain pauses, just memory lapses.

I start my own personal mini-vacation tomorrow. I'll be down to 2 jobs and one extra-curricular activity. For me, that is HUGE. The break lasts until mid-May so I may just clean the baseboards...

A Candle of Thought

2010-03-11T11:54:00.002-05:00

Movies have always left a huge impression on me. I am afraid of bugs crawling into my mouth when I sleep all thanks to a terrible movie called "Once Bitten". I would sit at my desk in my room and let the fan blow on my Drew Barrymore like hair and pretend I could set my sister on fire with just an angry look. You get the idea. My biggest obsession has always been with the end of Ghostbusters. How can you watch that movie, then try to think of NOTHING, and NOT think of the Stay Puff marshmallow man? The task of blanking out your mind if an evil being was threatening you has been something I weirdly feel the desire to perfect.

Mission accomplished. This fibro-fog thing is the biggest part of my stress these days. I feel like I need people to understand. Every time I get upset because I lose my train of thought, someone will say - oh don't get so upset. That happens to all of us with age. Not exactly. We're not talking, I walked into the room and forgot why I came in, or I blanked on someone's name. When that happens to you, your mind is racing - why did I come in here? where was I before, let me retrace my steps OR who is this person, maybe I can fake my way through this, get someone to tell me their name...

Fibro fog is different. I can be talking one minute and then the next minute, God hits pause. Pause on my brain. No thoughts come in, no thoughts go out. You can't open your mouth and speak if you have ZERO thought process (no matter what other people try desperately to prove). That is un-natural. Try not to have a thought. You actually have to think about something to not think. Now imagine if you were frozen. No matter how hard you try, you can't even have an inner conversation with yourself. It's just ... nothing. My natural instinct takes over and I breath through it because eventually it resumes. Until then, I just stare and wait. And yes, it FREAKS ME OUT. So there's stress, then pain, then tired, and down we go.

I don't know of anything more frustrating then looking perfectly fine on the outside and being a mess on the inside. So on to my last example of a movie fascination - The Serpent and the Rainbow. This was my "never want to die this way" fear. Another "did you know he was in that?" Bill Pullman movie. Being frozen inside yourself and everyone thinks you're dead and all you can do is think while they bury you alive. People look at me and think its all fine and I'm screaming to get home where I can sit with my kids, who most likely wouldn't notice either way, as long as I hand them a snack.

TENS

2010-03-09T13:10:00.002-05:00

I completed treatment number 3 yesterday, so I can tell you for sure what I'm in for now. They are using a TENS Unit on me - click the link to get the wiki for it.

I'll start at the beginning. Every week when I go in, I fill in a pain sheet. I number how affected different things are (sleep, mood, etc.) then I color in a human outline where I hurt the most. Oh and I have to list how many ounces of non-carbonated, non-caffeinated liquids I drink in a day. Ugh.

When I'm called back, they take my blood pressure. Then I lie face-down on a massage type table (you know, where you put your face in the donut) and then comes the bad part. The doc comes in and gives me 4 injections that hurt only slightly less than a cortisone shot. One in each shoulder near the top of the blade and one in each lower back area, depending upon where my pain is the worst in that area.

Finally, they hook me up to this machine - one "sucker" on each inner ankle, inner wrist, and one at each injection spot. Then, for 25 minutes, this thing runs. 8 minutes in is some awful awful pain because it pulses pretty intensely, but its only for about 1 minute then doesn't come back into cycle for another 8-10 minutes or so. Otherwise, it feels like those massage chairs that rotate through different rhythms. No - I do not go to sleep.

I have noticed one major difference. I am in a much better mood. Doing something to actively help myself has cheered me up. I am giving it the entire 4 weeks before I even think about whether or not its helping otherwise. I don't want to anticipate, I just want to make it through the process. Last night I stopped my muscle relaxers - my sleep aide and best friend - and made it most of the night without waking up. I was definitely exhausted this morning, so it wasn't a very restful sleep, but I also wasn't pacing the house and ripping my hair out.

That's it for now.

Pain Pain go away

2010-02-27T23:27:00.002-05:00

I have had quite the interesting week. I could go into all of the health related issues but I'd rather stick to the highlight reel this time. I am going to try a pain clinic next week. This month has definitely been one of my worse in a while and now I have a few new issues, like migraines that make me puke for days on end, blah blah blah...

I did an initial appointment on Friday that *SUCKED* for various shocking/needle/kill-you reasons and now I have 8 "treatments" setup for the next 4 weeks. Stay tuned for what treatment means, because I didn't ask. That is how bad I feel - the woman who googles everything and then diagnosis herself did not even ask what they were going to do to her.

This should be fun for all of us.

Awww man

2010-02-27T23:09:00.001-05:00

Good news - Kool Korners went uptown by getting a website

Bad News - they moved to Birmingham.

We drove by the demolished building and finally remembered to google to find out what the heck happened. Road trip anyone?

Bacon

2010-02-25T22:43:00.001-05:00

Today, Lily brought home a piece of artwork with the caption "Foods that keep my teeth healthy". The idea was for her to cut pictures out of a magazine and paste them onto the paper. Here is a list of what Lily had on her sheet:

Cooked Bacon
A package of bacon
A frozen pizza, topped with... bacon
Tacos

This child belongs to Craig.

Spy Pen

2010-02-21T14:56:00.003-05:00

Spy Pen

"The pen is the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen, which has an on-off switch and 4 gigabytes of memory. It translates some words into Mandarin or Arabic, records audio and costs $199. It also writes."

Because otherwise, its NOT A PEN.

The World is a Better Place

2010-02-12T12:50:00.002-05:00

Computer Engineer Barbie

I no longer care that they do not make an engineer Christmas ornament.

C: Yeah, but still no Mechanical Engineer Ken doll in sight.
W: That's because he has a girlfriend. Duh.

Google - How to Impress Wendy

2010-02-09T20:28:00.003-05:00

Who is the stig? LOVE IT! Best superbowl commercial I never saw.

BTW - the answer is... Craig Fox wishes it were him :)

Gladiators

2010-02-07T18:51:00.003-05:00

Last night we took the kids to their first hockey game. I had forgotten just how much I love the sport. I am so glad that they enjoyed it so now we can go again. Here are some of my favorite conversations from the evening (between Katharine and mommy):

K: Why is everyone cheering? Did we score?
M: No. That guy just slammed another guy into the wall.
K: That's not nice.
M: Nope. That's hockey.
-----------------------
K: So, they let the best skater be the mascot and everyone else just has to hit the puck around?
M: Something like that.
-----------------------
K: Why is everybody laughing now?
M: That guy just fell down.
K: It's not nice to laugh at people when they fall.
-----------------------
K: Why is that guy taking his gloves off?
M: So he can beat up that other guy.
K: That's not...
M: I know. Its not nice. Do you want some popcorn? I'll have daddy get you popcorn if you just watch the game.

We growed!

2010-01-25T21:27:00.002-05:00

Lily had an endo. appt today and I'm proud to say - she is in the 3% on the normal growth chart!!! That's 75% of the Turners chart. She grew almost an entire inch. So, if you're keeping track, she now weighs 27 lbs and is 35.8 inches tall. Craig took her for me (I somehow caught a stomach virus over the weekend) and he said that she handled it very well this time. She even helped the nurse put on the blood pressure cuff. My little one is growing up!

Kate is 7!

2010-01-23T18:50:00.006-05:00

My beautiful daughter Katharine has turned 7. She had a slumber party last night with 5 friends over and it was actually a good experience. They are all sweet girls and had a great time. We made scarves and watched Annie - all while eating a massive amount of pizza, popcorn, candy and cupcakes. This morning, Hope and I painted everyone's fingernails and toenails and then they were gone. It went by so quickly and I had a full night's sleep. Oh, yeah, did I mention that Hope slept with them and I was two floors away? May God bless you with someone just like her :) Her mom did a great job and I can only hope (no pun intended) that my kids grow up to be like her someday.

January

2010-01-08T12:08:00.001-05:00

January has gotten off to a wonderful start. Lily is potty trained, she started ballet, and today it snowed! Grammy brought a sled to the kids and they managed to make it work in the front yard on our 1/8" of snow :)

Click here for Pictures

...Just like Lela

2009-12-21T21:40:00.006-05:00

For some time now I have begged Kat to cut her hair. I have given just about every reason there is...no more tangles, you can wash it yourself, it would look healthier... A while ago, I brought up Locks of Love and, while she was conflicted, she still said no. UNTIL.

Yesterday, Lela came to church minus several inches of hair. Katharine was in our car for 4 minutes before I said, how about we get your hair cut like Lela's? And she said YES. Of course she said yes.

When I was a teenager, I would babysit my cousin's little girl (who, btw, is in college now) and I am infamous for teaching her the first full sentence she ever said, "I'm smart and I'm beautiful and I'm just like Wendy." I thought it was funny. On one hand, my daughter is only as brave as her friend Lela. On the other hand, she's smart and she's beautiful and she's just like Lela. And that makes me smile.

Enjoy our pictures from today - the Snow Angel is at Stone Mountain. We donated 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-14T17:30:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to my sister - this one is for you :)

Santa Claus is Watchin You

Love,
Wendy

Nutcracker

2009-12-12T17:21:00.001-05:00

Katharine is going to be in The Nutcracker tomorrow. She is a white sheep and she's incredibly cute. (the one in the middle).

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-08T19:19:00.002-05:00

Someone has taught my daughter to sing "Feliz Navidad". While I admire her Christmas spirit... this is my least favorite holiday song. Now, Kat attaches to a song like white on rice. She sang it through dinner, up the stairs, and is now howling it from the bath tub, complete with maraca sounds at the end of each phrase and her sister's "navidad, navidad" echo. At least its not Roger Whitaker. But that's a whole 'nother story for another time.

Laptop Love

2009-12-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

No, this isn't about to get hinky. I have a new laptop and I LOVE IT already. All 2.7 pounds of it! I really struggled over this purchase. Its my first new laptop (no more hand-me-downs from Craig or Todd) but its not exactly a step forward. The little netbooks, while cute, aren't exactly screamin' machines. The tech-geek in me was dying at the idea of buying a new computer that was an actual step-back in cpu. Why would anyone do that?!?!? Because it hurts my shoulders. And I carry it everywhere.

Did I say it was brown? Its very pretty.

Now for the painful part. Documents, email, virus software, logins, ftp setups, my 15 email accounts and all of the rules that go with each one... Man, Craig is going to be pretty busy...You didn't think I really had time to do all of that and update my blog did you?

First Haircut

2009-11-23T11:13:00.004-05:00

For posterity's sake, I am recording that Lily got her first hair cut this morning. Mommy did it because she (lily) was too afraid to go to a salon. And no, Lily, it doesn't hurt you to get your hair cut. Mommy, however, accidentally cut her palm with the scissors and is currently in an immense amount of pain. Holy cow this hurts. Somewhere between the pain when I sliced my knuckle on the mandolin and the time I burned my hand with hot oil frying eggplant. I say all this to let you know that it was inevitable.

Disney

2009-11-03T10:39:00.002-05:00

Pictures

Six days at Disney World can kill a person.

Lessons Learned (one for each day):
1. Go for Halloween. 95% of the time, we were the only people in line for a ride.
2. Don't worry about your kids and the characters. Lily hated only the ones with big noses (Eeyore, Pluto, Goofy) but rode Pirates of the Caribbean (twice) and Haunted Mansion and said, "Yea! Let's do that again."
3. By day 5, food is more important than anyone in a costume who might be coming by the table. To quote my niece, "Hey Aurora. Next!"
4. Watching the fireworks and Illuminations from the boat was the best.
5. Epcot's Food and Wine Festival is well worth it.
6. The Dragon ride in Dino Land (Animal Kingdom) is actually as scary as they warn you and is not appropriate for children, even though they are tall enough. Or for people named Craig.

We had a great time and the pictures to prove it!

How bout yes?

2009-10-17T21:18:00.002-04:00

Lily has added yet another phrase to our vocabulary: If you tell her no, she says, How bout yes? It is hysterical and now all of us say it. Can I have a cracker? How bout yes?

Oh, and I wish I had a picture. Apparently I always say "look at me" before I get onto her about something. Now, when I say it, she scrunches up her face and refuses to open her eyes. We are talking FULL ON concentration to NOT look at mommy. If her curiosity gets the better of her, she puts both hands over her eyes so she can peak and still NOT look. I would love to capture this on film because it is the funniest face on a 3 year old you will ever see (and it does NOTHING for my hard work to not laugh) but there is no way. You'll have to use your imagination.

Hike Inn

2009-10-05T16:41:00.004-04:00

Well. I have certainly exercised now. This weekend I went with four friends to the Hike Inn. Five miles in, five miles out and food in between. First, I can't believe I made it (the last time I went was in 1999, right after they opened). Second, I can't believe our time. 2.5 hours to get there, and 2 hours (in the rain and wind) to get back out. I'm not sure I would have even bet money on my making it to the lodge in the first place. It was quite the chilly trip, but it is my 35th birthday (yesterday) and I think I wanted to achieve something. It didn't hurt that my friends are great cheerleaders and verbally pushed me up the mountain. I am not sure that I want to repeat it anytime soon, but I am very glad for the experience. Oh, and the food was great and the company even better. I don't know how much any of us slept during the night (not because of the accommodations - we have no idea why we couldn't sleep) and only one of us took a shower (it was cold), but we did all buy matching purple shirts. As soon as someone emails me a picture, I'll post it for you... or you can read Julie's blog in my list. I'm sure she'll get it up soon! Let's hope my doctor will be pleased with me when I go back tomorrow.
(thanks Julie!)

Best. Scam. Ever

2009-09-24T19:21:00.006-04:00

Last week, Katharine brought home a few graded papers for me to sign. In the stack was an evaluation of her reading. She is actually doing very well, but she got a "fair" on her intonation (or something like that). She reads like a robot. You can't teach a child to NOT read like a robot just by example. She thinks she sounds just like I do. SO. I went to the School Box store and bought a fun little Reading Comprehension workbook. $3.99. Super cheap. She LOVES it. It has tests after each reading assignment, so I encourage her to read the page multiple times so she can answer the questions and get 100. Her reading now sounds beautiful and she begs me to do the "fun book". Seriously, its like extra homework and she treats it like its dessert. "If I eat all of my dinner, can I do 2 pages of the fun book tonight?"

Don't ask me why, when the fun book has harder words in it, that she reads that like she's talking to you, but her school book (much easier) sounds so wooden. I guess its the difference between "homework" and the "fun book". I'm going to get more fun books :)

Things People Don't Say

2009-09-21T12:55:00.004-04:00

Something odd happened the other day and I felt I needed to comment on it. Rewind about 3 months, Craig and I are in Olive Garden and a family walks in. He nods at me and says, look. Look at the daughter. She was in her late teens, early 20's, very short, slanted (downward) eyes, low-set ears. She looked just like Lily. We have learned that TS babies look a lot alike. They all have similar features that make them look like sisters. I wanted so badly to ask her - are you like my daughter? But how do you do that? If you have a perfectly "normal" child, as a parent, wouldn't you be offended if someone assumed your child was not? I am on the wrong side of the fence to answer that question. At the time, I thought I knew I wouldn't be offended, but I didn't know, and I would certainly never have the guts to ask. It made me wish I could.

Okay, back to my odd moment. Last week, we're getting ice cream with the kids. Lily is playing around the fountain, having a great time. A lady at the next table walks up to me and says, excuse me, is that your daughter? Does she have Treacher Collins syndrome? I happen to know what that is (too much T.V., thank you) and I said no, but I can see where you'd think that. She actually has Turner Syndrome, but they share some facial features. She started apologizing to me like she might have offended me and explained why she had asked (a friend's child has it and they have recently found some helpful aids for issues with the condition). I remembered MY experience and told her, don't worry about it. I understand, but thank you for sharing.

So now I know how I would react. But my child has a condition. Before Lily, what would I have done? If I hadn't known what the other condition was, what would I have done? It bothers me to think about it because it takes away a freedom I have to try and help my child. Find people like her and show her what her future will be like. No library near us has books on her condition. There are so few research materials period that we are mostly blind as to what she has to look forward to. So if you read this and someday someone asks you if your child is like their child and their child is not mainstream, please don't be offended. We are just looking for someone to talk to.

Best Mom Ever

2009-09-20T17:39:00.002-04:00

"Mommy, if I had two moms, you'd be the best mom ever."

Thanks, Katharine.

Pfaff Alert

2009-08-28T15:31:00.002-04:00

Hey mom and dad! We're having fun and Ms. Wendy is feeding us everything in the house :) N. was picked up fine and J took a LONG nap in Lil's bed. No worries!

1st Day of School

2009-08-22T21:07:00.003-04:00

Kat started school on Friday. It was a great day and I love her school. She knows 4 of the kids in her class. Our first full day is Monday and I am more nervous about carpool than she is about school! Congratulations Kat! You're a first grader.

Why Not?

2009-08-20T09:34:00.000-04:00

Most kids learn the word "why" just as soon as they learn how to plunder. Don't touch that. Why? Don't open that. Why? Eat your peas. Why?

Not my kid. She never said Why. She went straight to Why not? It doesn't even make sense most of the time. Eat your peas. Why not? Come here. Why not? It probably comes from when she learned to say No and I would say, why not back to her. I was trying to teach her to try new things.

It's funny, but why not sounds so much better than why. It almost has a puzzled sound instead of a "what you gonna do about it" sound to it. Like she just might do what I'm saying, if I make a good case of it.

Hasn't stopped her from pee-ing on the floor, but then what would.

New Mission

2009-08-18T15:42:00.003-04:00

I'm on a mission. To perfect comfort foods at home that, while easy to make, are hard to make well. I was encouraged the other day. I made a great homemade pizza margherita. The crust was almost perfect, something I thought you couldn't do unless you were near the ocean or in Italy. I have an almost perfect mac&Cheese recipe but I found one I think will hit the mark, finally. We're having it tomorrow night and I'll let you know.

Sunday, I made a GREAT chocolate cake. While making it, it occurred to me that the problem almost always lies in quality of your ingredients and the way in which you mix them, not necessarily the "directions". Most recipes assume you know a lot about method, when you can be a complete idiot about it. The cake was nothing special, but I found some excellent chocolate and cocoa, and voila, great cake. A key part of this is, it has to be easy. If I have to spend 3 hours making cinnamon rolls for Saturday breakfast, FORGET IT.

Done so far: Chicken Fingers (Craig), potato soup, pizza, chocolate cake, waffles, potato chips and soon mac & cheese.

My to do list: Focaccia bread, chicken noodle soup, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, french toast, philli cheesesteak (Craig has improved it over time, but I think it can get even better).

I'll take suggestions if you have them!

Potty Training

2009-08-13T15:58:00.002-04:00

If there were ONE thing I could pay for someone to do for me, it would be potty training. No one seriously enjoys this process and people who say it was easy for them can kiss my rear-end.

Lily is supposed to start PreK 3 on September 1 and they say she has to be potty trained. Yeah, good luck with that. She started out okay, but it has gone down-hill at the same rate she has tired of candy. Now she's just pee-ing where she stands and then pointing and saying, Mommy, look.

If you are laughing, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Vote for Taylor!

2009-08-10T12:21:00.000-04:00

Visit www.showusthecow.com, browse for Taylor (Sutton) and vote for my neice!

Venomous

2009-08-03T13:57:00.003-04:00

Have you ever woken up just feeling venomous? That's the best way I can describe it. I confined myself to my home, alone with the kids, just so I wouldn't poison anyone.

Then one of my closest friends in the world came home from a one month vacation. And now its gone. I have spoken to her twice today, and I may need a third time before this day is over...

Disney Time Again

2009-08-01T20:26:00.002-04:00

Ahhh. A house full of well people. FINALLY.

Its time to plan our trip to Disney. Lily is 3 and Taylor is turning 2 next month. Grandma is making plans and I'm making reservations for us. This year, we are getting a house so pathetic Aunt Wendy can take naps everyday, whether the kids want to or not. We have a pool for them to play in, so I won't get yelled at while I rest and my husband, sister and brother-in-law can go wherever their heart leads them.

I have a thing about the Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast. It would be a minor obsession if it were just that you see all of the princesses. Add to it that the food is the absolute best breakfast at Disney, and I have to eat there when we go. If you aren't aware, its the toughest kid meal to get a reservation for and up until last month, it was painful as well. In June, Disney released an online reservation system. Cue hallelujah chorus. It opens a 6 am instead of 7 like the phone line and you don't have to speak to ANYONE. Which leads me to my story...

Last night, as I was getting ready to go to bed, I told Craig - I'm going to get that reservation in the morning. I just asked God and he'll handle it. Smarty pants Craig says, great, the one night God's thinking, maybe I'll take away the Lupus and fibromyalgia and you go and ask for this. So I kicked him, told him he wasn't funny, and went to sleep. Woke up at 5:45 am and was ready at 6:00 on the dot to hit submit. I GOT IT. 9 people, 8:05 am on October 30th. I'm rejoicing and emailing my mom when I open up the Upper Room email for the day. The bible verse is "Ask and it shall be given to you." I laughed myself silly. God has the craziest sense of humor. Either that or he's in cahoots with Craig to drive me insane.

We can Ride!

2009-08-01T20:22:00.001-04:00

Lily on her bike...

And Katharine on hers!! We're riding without training wheels now!

Oh, and the shoes that mommy bribed her with.

Growing, Growing, Grown!

2009-07-30T23:34:00.004-04:00

In all of the excitement of sickness around here, I neglected to mention our big news. Lily has grown! She is now 1.5 inches bigger than she was 4 months ago. That is HUGE! She is 34.5 inches tall and weights 25.5 pounds. We might get to buy her new clothes this winter - say goodbye to 12-18 months, clothes you served us well :)

We saw Dr. Hansen last Friday for our "routine" appointment. Routine turned into, Oh, we need blood work and x-rays today. By the time we left, Lily had 3 stickers, a CHOA balloon, a bag of goldfish crackers, and a juice box. Apparently you can bribe a 3-year old into giving blood. Interestingly enough, because of her shots everyday, the blood part went fairly well. It was the x-ray that freaked her out. I can imagine that is scary if you don't understand what is going on. Dr. H called today and all of the tests were perfect, so we keep her growth hormone at the current levels.

Katharine, meanwhile, is on day 3 of 103+ temperatures. She's my healthy kid and I'm kinda concerned. Dr. J is on vacation in North Carolina so I'm winging it. Tyson and grandma left to go back home to Tifton with the hopes that his house is flu-free. I think he has forgotten he's supposed to have a mohawk :)

School Supplies

2009-07-28T22:09:00.002-04:00

I started yesterday. I was out, at Walmart, and attempted to get Kat's school supplies. I didn't have the list, so I wasn't sure what exactly I needed, but I remembered a few things. After finding NONE of them, I gave up and started anew today. I found everything, kinda.

Crayola twistable crayons in 8 and 24 packs. Except Walmart only had packs of 12 and 30. 2 Packs Pink Pearl erasers. Well, they are pink, but they don't say Pearl - what difference does it make? Scissors, check, glue, check, dry erase markers with eraser, check. White board with writing lines - Walmart lady says they don't stock it anymore and my sheet says that Walmart is the only place that has it. Great. Cap erasers, check. Wait. Two kinds of erasers, but no pencils? That makes no sense, but whatever. 3 notebooks, check.

Its now 10:00 pm. I have just noticed that I bought twistable colored pencils, NOT crayons. The Pink erasers have to be Pearl brand, so take those back. CRAP. The dry erase markers were supposed to be fine point and NOT wide point. Sigh. And my scissors are sharp point and they were supposed to be round point.

But I have glue sticks and I have notebooks. And I have to go back to Walmart. I hate school.

Tyson

2009-07-24T15:30:00.003-04:00

Today, we decided to get Tyson a well-needed haircut. He was not big on the idea. He asked if he could have a mohawk. Hmmm. I am fun Aunt Wendy. Why not? Its only hair, and if his mom doesn't like it, she can change it later. That is her battle to fight. She just wanted him to have a haircut, so a haircut he got :)

And if you believe that, well then you don't know my sister. The only way he would go is if we "tricked" his mom into thinking he got a mohawk. Guess what? She just laughed. I think dad would have been less amused! Here's the real cut...

Taekwondo

2009-07-18T19:22:00.003-04:00

Today, we went to Marietta to see Tyson compete in a Taekwondo Tournament. He did SO well: 2nd in sparring, 3rd in form. We were very proud of him. Afterwards, we celebrated at Dave & Buster's. He came home with us tonight and Lily has been running around the house practicing her moves. It is hilarious! She yells "hi-ya!" and chops the air and kicks. Too, too funny.

Wow. Time Flies

2009-07-16T18:55:00.006-04:00

After my last post of the giant catfish, I decided to post her picture from camp last year, with her fish for comparison. She's gotten better. Ha!

Nature

2009-07-16T18:23:00.007-04:00

Last weekend, we did something that, in normal circumstances, would make me run for cover. We went for a hike. I am not the outdoorsy type, in fact, I'm a strict indoorsy type. It was my idea, which I'm proud of, for us to go to Line Creek Nature area for hiking, a picnic, and playing in the creek. It was a nice day, we had ice cream at Rita's and no one was cooped up in the house on a Saturday. I'm calling it a success!

Also, for the past 2 weeks Kat has been at nature camp. Fishing, hiking, canoeing... the themes were Mammals and Endangered Species. Scroll down and take a look at the catfish she caught!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T18:16:00.003-04:00

I have decided today to cut down on my blog workload and refer you to Julie's blog whenever we hang out together - LOL. See The Daniells on the side if you want to know about our celebration yesterday.

Tonight we made homemade pizza and potato soup for dinner. I don't know why, I just wanted potato soup. I had grand plans of pasting the link to the recipe here and then I realized it was one of my subscription sites and, well, I have never followed more than 2 recipes to the letter anyway. Here's my synopsis:

Melt 3 tbsp of butter
When it almost starts to brown, saute 3 minced garlic cloves (I forgot the butter was melting while I chopped the potatoes)
After about 20 seconds of stirring the garlic, throw in a quart of chicken broth.
Cut 4 russet potatoes (1.5 lbs) into small pieces and boil in the broth with 2 bay leaves for 15-20 minutes until soft. Remove bay leaves.
Add in 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
Use an emersion blender to blend 2/3 of the potatoes so the soup will thicken.
Add salt and fresh ground pepper.

It is very, very good. The actual recipe called for a leek, thyme and another whole head of garlic, tops removed, cooked in before the cream is added. You remove the garlic head with the bay leaves and take out the pulp to stir back into the soup. I decided not to kill my kids with garlic and just gradually make it stronger over several batches. I'll let you know if there is a limit to how much they can handle! They even toasted these garlic chips to go on top - thats alot. Also, I didn't have any thyme and Craig hates onions. Feel free to add in, you just saute the onions in the butter before you add the garlic.

It was so easy and it used up the last of my potatoes. I have been making homemade potato chips lately to the delight of all family members (they make them whatever flavor they want), but my potato buying has gotten out of hand! We went from eating maybe one potato a month to eating a sack every two weeks. My next vegetable to overeat is artichoke. We started tonight with pizza and by mid-week we are having artichoke soup.

Around the World

2009-06-23T20:04:00.007-04:00

It's that time of year again. My little girl dresses up, I allow makeup to be applied to her, and then I cry. I was so proud of Katharine. Her class did a tap routine to a traditional Scottish Highland song. Her class was an advanced tap class, so that had a pretty tricky routine and it showed. They all did SO well and I was proud of her hard work. Kat practices a lot and takes this dance thing seriously. The little girl with her is our friend Leah and she was Greece.

After the recital, we took a week to go to St. Augustine and then to Sea World. Lily LOVED Shamu. Everyone had a great time, despite the heat, and I'm glad we went. Grandma tagged along, so I'm going to post pictures of her, even if the rest of us aren't that lovely in them. This first one is priceless (snicker).

California, Part 3

2009-06-23T19:38:00.003-04:00

And we're at the end. On our anniversary, we left the parks and headed for the shore - the Pacific Coast Highway. Our plan was to get to Cambria, by way of Morro Bay, where we were staying at the Fog Catcher Inn. Our restaurant for the day was by default. I had read on Trip Advisor that In n' Out Burger was supposed to be all that, so since it was that or McDonalds, we ate there. It was pretty good, I have to say, and extremely cheap.

In Morro Bay, we stopped for a bit, took a picture of a big rock and some seals fighting over a tugboat in the water. Yeah, well, I also bought some chocolate, so it wasn't a bust. We arrived at Cambria in time to tour the town, eat dinner at a restaurant called Robin's (Thai-ish) and then drive up the coast to look at some Elephant Seals. They were molting and it looked like a beach full of dead anchovies. I have to say, they were so ugly that it was quite funny.

We scheduled the night time tour of Hearst Castle. I HIGHLY recommend the night tour. It was long and there were characters dressed up wondering around the place for atmosphere. The only downfall was the treacherous drive up and back on the windy road, in the dark, in a massive bus driven by a lunatic. Our tour guide was an older lady who was hysterical and extremely knowledgeable about every crack on every rock in the place. I hope they pay her well - she wasn't allowed to take tips.

BREAKFAST: Hotel
LUNCH: In n' Out Burger
DINNER: Robin's
HOTEL: Fog Catcher Inn

Next morning, off to Half Moon Bay and the Ritz. If you've never seen pictures of it, you should. It is the entire reason for our trip, period. We headed up the coast and visited Pfeiffer Beach (awesome), Carmel-by-the-Sea (creepy - full of old rich people with little dogs), the Carmel Mission (beautiful) and 17-mile drive at Pebble Beach. If you take that drive, you can easily forget we're having problems with our economy. Some people have WAY too much money.

BREAKFAST: Hotel
LUNCH: The Cottage, Carmel
DINNER: Club Level all the way baby
HOTEL: Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay

And that is where we ended our trip. Our room was on the 5th floor overlooking the cliffs, the ocean, and the 18th hole. It was huge and beautiful and comfortable and awesome. Plus they feed you 5 times a day in that club level room. on Sunday Craig got a massage, I did not (I hate them) and then we spent the day trying out the sauna's, jacuzzi's, and all of the other free stuff. There was even a bagpipe player that played as the sun set.

(We took an unadventurous side trip to the town itself, but it was boring. Except of course for the Portuguese Parade we happened upon. Just to explain the girls dressed up as princesses in Craig's pictures.)

To cap off our 1515 mile road trip through northern California, here is a picture of one of my highlights. The candy/chocolate cabinet at the Ritz. Open 24/7 :)

Lily's Party

2009-06-13T22:19:00.002-04:00

Bob and Larry, plus 2 French Peas

Lily blowing out her candles.

Lily eating cake

And Lily after mean Aunt Becky threw her down the water slide.

Lily is 3!

2009-06-13T01:13:00.002-04:00

My beautiful Lily turned 3 today (yesterday). We spent lunch today talking about the day she was born and it was so sweet. Saturday morning is her birthday party - veggie tales - and I can't wait. I think she is going to have so much fun. To ease the burden on me, I just invited my friends and their kids. Lily only really has a couple of "friends" at her age and this included them. Its always easier to throw a party when you know everyone knows each other, prefers to be around the people around them anyway, and don't care if I cleaned my house first.

My thought for the night is... insomnia sucks when you have a house full of people. I am prowling around and having to tiptoe because my sister and her husband and daughter are in the basement. I know it sounds like a herd of elephants when someone is walking on the first floor, and Julian had surgery last week so he needs to sleep. I have been trying to fall asleep since 10:30 and after all I did today, you'd think it would be easy. I think the rain that just came through is what is getting me.

Okay - last item. A few nights ago, Lily's friend Abby was over. Katharine played with her like it was her best friend. I say to Katharine, you know, Lily and Abby are the same age. Why don't you play this well with Lily? Her answer, "I am more fond of other people." I had no rebuttal.

California Vacation, Part 2

2009-06-05T12:22:00.009-04:00

Day 3 in sunny California was SUNNY. It was very nice to be slowing driving through the country side. At breakfast, we met the neatest guy. He was an artist and he had a sketch book with him that he shared. He was sketching his vacation. It was very cool - he even had sketches of people they had met and food they had eaten. It made me wish I could either draw, or afford to bring him with me. We left our beautiful hotel for our last day of wining. We hit an old winery (Grgich), one while waiting on our tour to start (Whitehall Lane) and our tour (Del Dotto). I picked the tour one because there were caves, meat, cheese and barrels. I figured it would make Craig happy and it did. We parked at Beringer to take pictures, I know how I feel about their wine, so we did not go in.

After Del Dotto, it was into the car to head to our next hotel. We stopped by Sacramento's old town area so I could get some ice cream, but it was SO hot that we ate and left. I'm sure it would have been enjoyable on another day. We arrived at our hotel, The Foxes Inn to stay in our room, the Fox Den in Sutter Creek. I know, I picked it because of the name. It was a cute town so we walked around and ate locally...at the only restaurant still open. This happens to us alot.

Total Bottles purchased: 3, +1 bottle of olive oil
Best Bottle: Del Dotto

BREAKFAST: Hotel, fabulous
LUNCH: Barrel Tasting, good
DINNER: The Twisted Fork, good
HOTEL: The Foxes Inn

Picture of Beringer:

Woke up the next morning, had a beautiful breakfast prepared by the inn manager, Wendy. I swear, I can't make this stuff up. Wendy manages the Foxes Inn. Ha! She was about my age too. Anyway. We were headed for Yosemite and passed through the Gold Rush area on highwa 49. Saw Columbia, Sonora and Jamestown and it reminded me of every other historical downtown I had visited. Lots of stuff for sale and tons of school kids visiting. We moved on quickly. Much to our GREAT delight, that day was the first day of the Tioga Pass opening. It closes all winter to open in June but it opened early. We were so excited. We drove all the way to Mono Lake and back and still made check-in at the hotel. Craig got some great pictures and it was a terrific drive. Our lodge was on the south side of the park and it was lodge-y.

We purchased breakfast and lunch for the next day from the lodge cafe on the go and headed for the hot tub. We met a weird couple and almost left, then they left and another older man joined us. Fantastic story - his daughter was this awesome dr and missionary to China but died from cancer. Click here if you're interested. It was interesting to us. She has a bacteria named after her.

BREAKFAST: Inn, fabulous
LUNCH: made from what I found at the Tioga Pass gas station
DINNER: Tenaya Lodge dining room, good
HOTEL: Tenaya Lodge

Yosemite is incredible and definitely should not be viewed in one day. But we tried. Bridal Veil falls was an "easy" hike, so that was the one we did. Very pretty. We stopped by Yosemite village and noted all of the things we would do with the kids when we come back someday, but the idea was to get rest for me, not take 8 million hikes or horseback ride through the park. Craig took lots of pictures and I watched him and everyone was happy.

We left Yosemite for Sequoia and the big trees. This park was WORTH the convertible. Wow, the trees. We just rode around and looked up. Our hotel was the best surprise ever, though. It reminded me of the camp in Parent Trap (the old movie). We check in and everyone working there is under 30. The lodge is one big room where they serve all of the meals (all inclusive) and have all of their camp activities. If you get one thing from this post, its TAKE YOUR KIDS HERE. Here is their site and they have family camp all year long (skiing in winter) and its not very expensive - includes all of your meals and activities like canoeing, horseback riding, water skiing, you name it. Okay, enough of a commercial. My family will be here one day and here's a picture - please don't be put off by it, this place ROCKS:

HOTEL: Montecito Sequoia Lodge
BREAKFAST/LUNCH: packed picnic
DINNER: Lodge serves buffet - fantastic

Okay - enough! I've been working on this one too long. My last installment will come soon :) This middle part was my favorite.

California Vacation Part 1

2009-06-03T23:31:00.004-04:00

First - full catalog of pictures here: Craigs Photos.

It all started with a very early flight to California - SFO. Our first day we arrived, it was windy, cold and a holiday weekend in San Fran. Our first fun moment of the day was when they didn't have the car we requested. What? A rental car agency that actually uses the reservations they take is SO easy to find these days. If you believe that, you don't rent cars. Even though our paperwork said it was specific to a car and we had called ahead, there was no convertible mini cooper to be had. Craig put on the mad face and we were given the option of a convertible red mustang or a mini S-class with a roof at half the price. That was hard for him, but we intended all along to go topless, so the mustang it was. An 8-day, unlimited mileage rental for $350. Beat that Budget Travel.

We had planned to cruise through, see a few sites, take some pictures, and head to our hotel. Not so much. Memorial Day weekend is apparently a big one there and we hate traffic. Lunch was thanks to a locals website at a place called Rosamunde Sausage Grill that ROCKED. For the rest, we did the best we could, even getting a front row parking place so I could have my hot chocolate from Ghirardelli, but we finally had enough and left. Thanks to our friend Shawn, the drive to our hotel in Muir Woods was beyond belief. He told us the back road to the best view of the Bridge for pictures and a fantastic ride beyond and through Sausalito. That is a CUTE but ritzy town. I am so glad it was how we spent our afternoon. Our hotel was in walking distance to the beach and we drove down. LOL, hey, it was cold and windy and we weren't sure how far it was.

LUNCH: Rosamunde Sausage Grill (fantastic)
HOTEL: Pelican Inn, Muir Woods (great atmosphere)
DINNER: At hotel, just average

Day 2: Drive through Tiburon and then head to Glen Ellen to check into our next hotel. This one was unbelievable. I cannot think of a more beautiful place to stay and I almost didn't. They required a check in full to make the reservation. It freaked me out. I would do it a million times over again. Its called the Beltane Ranch and the picture from my last post was taken there. I just smile every time I look at those shots. We traveled north to Healdsburg and on the way stopped in downtown Sonoma to grab picnic supplies for lunch. That place was so cute and perfect to stop in on the way. We started our winery tour at Ferrari-Carano and continued on to St. Helena to see Mumm, Villa Sattui and Frank Family Vineyards. FC was fancy, pretty to photograph. Mumm was sparkling wine and had an Ansel Adams museum, Villa Sattui was one I had been to before and was a quick in and out after our order was placed (very cattle-in-the-marketplace feel), Frank was a farm, very warm and inviting, free tasting and full of college kids. Mostly girls flirting with the guy pouring and man did he pour.

Total Bottles Purchased: 10
Best Wine Tasted all day: Frank Family by FAR
Most Expensive Wine: See above :)

Hotel: Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen (most beautiful)
Lunch: Picnic, perfect
Dinner: Calistoga Inn, just ok

Have I mentioned how much fun Craig had driving this car? The roads were incredible. I didn't get sick. All was good.

Okay - this is now too long of a blog. More wine to come...

Home Sweet Home

2009-06-01T23:26:00.004-04:00

We're home! Over 1500 Miles by car and that was AFTER we landed at SFO. I have pictures, Craig has pictures, and we both have busy days tomorrow... so I'll get back to you. I have plans to tell our trip in Wendy detail: where we stayed, what we ate, and, if you're lucky, I'll get around to other things :)

AbCoaster cracks me up

2009-05-22T21:47:00.005-04:00

I have a strange sense of humor, I know that. The thing that has me giggling at the moment would be the AbCoaster commercial. Have you seen it? Well, tivo it and run it in fast motion. They look like rabbits in a cage - it is hysterical. I sometimes rewind just for another laugh.

Katharine's graduation today was SO AWESOME! We have a great kid. Below is our picture of the girls, minus Lily who walked off. She lasted longer than I expected, so its okay. We LOVE YOU Katharine!

Schools out for summer. Craig and I are taking a West Coast vacation for our 10 year anniversary. I will tell you all about it when we get back.

I'm choppy tonight - forgive me. My brain is getting foggier and foggier and I am pretty sure, after much research, that its the Lyrica. I have gained 8 lbs in 3 days (since my dosage ramped up) and I've had to ask people what they are talking to me about constantly during conversations. It has been 3 weeks + and NO help with the pain, so I'm ramping it back down until I see the dr. again. I cannot continue without my brain and I cannot dislike my body anymore than I already do. SO. Out with the Lyrica, in with my peace of mind.

California here I come.

I hate Ronnie Milsap

2009-05-21T15:23:00.002-04:00

I haven't always hated him. In fact, I used to like him. But I am moments away from a fabulous vacation and I am not in the mood to carry him with me.

Today, I'm creating a video for Katharine's graduation ceremony tomorrow. I have 233 pictures taken by teachers and moms and a list of 5 songs that her teacher wants them displayed with. Song number 1 - "I wouldn't have missed it for the world", RM.

Guess how many times I've heard that song? I am now searching for a player that will play this hi-def, 1.2 gig movie on my computer that pegs out if I move the mouse. I have heard it choppy, I have heard it clean, and I have heard it while watching melting faces.

I am now creating an 800X600 version and doing laundry - while constantly singing or humming "I wouldn't have missed it for the world, wouldn't have missed loving you girl..." Oh, and Katharine is upstairs singing it as well. I am hoping the school director's relatively new laptop will run the good version for us tomorrow in the chapel through the projector - but I have to wait and see. The parents will appreciate getting the lower resolution version. I can't imagine everyone has a computer that will play the big one well, either.

Next topic:
Happy Kindergarten Graduation Katharine! She's getting so big and so grown up. Let me not miss any of it. Let this day tomorrow be free from stress so I can be free from pain and fatigue. Let me remember to iron her dress tonight...

Oh, the many many many things I have to say...

2009-05-19T20:50:00.003-04:00

You all know me - never at a loss for words. But all of the things I have to vent about today are better left unsaid. I am starting to think Julie's idea of journalling is a great idea (did I spell that right?). Although, I would feel safer if it had a lock on it. However, to help me vent on something, I have the following to say.

All sporting events should be one hour long. And I'm not talking any of this start/stop the clock business. I mean, start at 7, over at 8. I can watch one hour of baseball, but add another five minutes and there had better be food involved. GOOD food. Not miscellaneous meat hotdogs and stale popcorn. We went to our church men's softball game tonight with the kids. It was a lot of fun, with the exception of the jinx we put on Julie's husband. Our presence seemed to bode ill for him (LOL). They limit it to one hour, you're in, you're out. Now, bear with me here. Think about it. If all games were an hour, wives would not be ignored for a season or two or three, weddings would not have to be planned AROUND oversized, steroid filled morons who only know how to chase a leather ball because some nerd takes all of their tests. Yeah, I said it. Nerd. A geek has more pride. I am not sure I've found a con to this idea yet... nope, still good.

Hey - I solved the economy problem the other day, too. Nationalized childcare. We have a large amount of single moms out there who are unemployed. They could either (a) work at the new childcare or (b) use the childcare so they could work. Think of all of the jobs it would create. Builders to build the buildings, architects to design the fabulous play areas, people to take care of the children, lawyers to file all of the bogus lawsuits because Bobby fell off of the swing while attempting to do a double back flip off of it mid-aire and kicked Susie in the forehead (Bobby's dad is a doctor and Susie's parents don't particularly care to work but with the new childcare system they have no excuse. This money would come in real handy.)

See, anger gone. All aimed at overpaid super jocks, sleezy lawyers and leeches on society. Wait... I think that was the same thing twice...

Tip for the Day

2009-05-14T16:36:00.002-04:00

1. Fold a paper towel into thirds, saturate it with water, and then fit it inside the bottom of a storage container.
2. Put the container in the freezer
3. When it's time to pack a lunch, place the food in a zipper-lock bag, set the bag into the frozen container, and put on the lid.

That's why I love Cook's Illustrated. I could have thought of that (6 months ago), but I didn't.

Today, I went to Target briefly to buy Magnesium and Fish Oil. Something has to give me my memory back. While there, my 6 year old reminded me of everything we needed to buy. And I thought she never listened to me :)

My shaking has been awful. I had a stressful work thingy and now I'm a mess. At least I get paid to be in pain. The good news was how well Lily scored on her assessment for therapy this morning. Speech is our big lacking area, along with potty training related questions, but everything else mapped 32-36 months! How fantastic. She is great at imaginative play and gross/fine motor skills. Her height is her only limiting factor for stairs, doors, etc. but she's catching up! She is at least able to say some complete sentences and that is very, very wonderful.

Okay - I'm off to freeze a paper towel...

Two Funny Stories

2009-05-12T20:00:00.003-04:00

Two funny stories for you today. Well, one of them is just sad.

I have been the most forgetful person ever lately. You know that book I mentioned in the last post? I ordered it from 3 different places. Luckily, I only paid for it once. I had my memory triggered and was able to get my friend Julie to buy the one at the local bookstore for me. Amazon will ship the one I paid for and Barnes and Noble can shelve it.

Story #2
Katharine decided to play restaurant. She made the cutest menus for me and Craig. Unfortunately, it led to some issues. I plated up dinner, but had to leave it on the island. She wanted to set the table, take our order, bring the drinks, and then bring dinner. All to the tune of Lil yelling, "Dinner Time!" :) As we sat there looking over our menus, Lil just looked confused. "Dinner time?", she asked. Yes, but we're waiting. "Dinner Time!", she yelled. Kat brought our drinks. With a napkin over her arm, and Lil now SOBBING the words "Dinner Time", we all ordered the same thing and asked Kat to get a move on. Actually, what Craig said was, please serve our child first. Lily got her plate and DUG IN. When we got ours, Kat asked, "Who ordered the half sandwich?" and then returned for the next plate. After everyone was served, she returned to the island and sat down. We were informed that the help ate in the kitchen. So, as we said our blessing at the table, I heard her whispering hers behind us. She refilled our drinks and served extra watermelon. When daddy was done, she cleared his plate. Same for mommy.

Next came dessert. I didn't actually HAVE any of the items on the list (I think - most of the list was in German) but we did manage to scrape some ice-cream and cookies up. Kat then presented her father with the bill and a line that said where to sign his name. She charged us $2. Daddy, the cook, asked how she expected to make money when the cook (him) charged $3. She said that there was a sign on the door of her restaurant that said that they were a cheap place to eat. That kid thinks of everything.

I could get used to this game. Lily, on the other hand, could do without it.

2 Weeks to Go

2009-05-11T12:42:00.002-04:00

I wanted to title this "California here I come" but mentally, I'm not quite there yet. In 2 weeks, we leave for San Fran and parts around. I used to fear the trip, but now I fear the plane. I'm not sure I can sit that long. One hour at church is about torture for me.

I have ordered a book to read - Believing God, by Beth Moore. I'm allowed to read on the plane there and back :) I kinda ignore the world when I read, not entirely conducive for a 10 year anniversary trip. I have my ipod packed with Andy's latest (I have not listened for a month, so I should have some good stuff for the trip).

And now I'm done. Sorry - I have to cut this short. Stress sidelines me and my daughter just came home with her card pulled. Yeah, tell me about it.

I want my discount

2009-05-09T20:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Saturday! I just wanted to share what my husband did for me. He bought me a toilet paper holder for our bathroom (5 years after we moved in), a multi-compartment pill box to keep my 30+ daily pills in (it hangs on the wall and separates by day) and he did some yard work that I usually do.

Seriously, it was a great day. I actually WANTED all of those things. Yes - I am now a senior citizen. If only local establishments would give me the discount...

My Mom

2009-05-08T09:28:00.002-04:00

My Mom, by Katharine

Her Age: 34
Where was she born: (*****), GA
Her Favorite thing to eat: veggies
Her Favorite Movie: Any Katharine Hepburn movie
What is your mom's favorite thing to do: Spend time with us
What does your mom say alot: I love you
Why do you love her: because she is fun

This was the best mother's day present! We had muffins with mom at school yesterday and I received that note, a doll that looks like me wrapped in a pretty handkerchief, and a pencil with a paper flower on the end, made by her in science class using chromatography. I have felt so guilty lately about all the time I'm NOT giving my kids. I am so glad that she doesn't see it.

Happy Mother's Weekend! (here, at my house, a holiday lasts the whole weekend)

I'm on a Blog Roll

2009-05-06T23:42:00.002-04:00

I have lost it. My mind and one small other item that I depend upon. I can no longer remember anything, and where I lost this most important thing? Uh, forget it. We searched the car from top to bottom and retraced my last week based on where I told Craig I was during the day. It's gone. And it is going to be a pain in the rear end to make up for it. I don't know what to say. I honestly have no idea what I did earlier today, much less last Wednesday when it went missing. I look at him and in my mind I'm begging him not to make me feel bad about this. I almost took the same medication twice in 2 minutes today, thinking I had just imagined the first time. The mental confusion I had 2 months ago is nothing compared to what it has become in the last week or so. Let's hope this is as bad as it gets.

I think I have to buy a notebook tomorrow. Just to keep track of what I'm doing to keep me safe.

On a better note, I found the $31 Laura gave me last year from the Sunday School Treasury to pay me back for a book for class. She will get a big laugh out of that one.

Super Wendy

2009-05-05T19:21:00.003-04:00

I tried an experiment on myself. I decided self, today you are not going to stay home on the couch and complain about how bad you feel. You are going to stay busy all day long and at the end of the day we will know. What will we know? Whether or not fibromyalgia prefers couch potatoes or action heroes. I'll leave you in suspense.

I started out knowing I had to take my child to a Baby's Can't Wait evaluation. It went relatively well and didn't take too much action on my part. They agreed she will need speech therapy so as she graduates out of the program and into the next, she will get it. That was good news. This kid did SO well and she was so happy. After yesterday's dr. visit I was thinking it would effect her, but NOPE. She was a trouper. As we left with her skipping down the hall, she yelled, "I go see Roslyn!" and off we went to school. Time stamp, 10:30.

I deliver her to Roslyn and she throws a tantrum to have me leave. That's okay - it happens every time I take her into school instead of doing carpool. No worries. Next on the agenda, a dress for mother's day. I will look good. I arrive at the store at 10:45. I look over every item in the store, make my choices and head for the dressing room. Now starts the marathon. Marathon because it hurts to (a) carry the items (b) undress myself, and (c) put on the new clothes. Thats okay, all for a good cause. I am halfway through my pile and taking a break to stop my arms from cramping when, at 11:48, my phone rings. Its the school. Lily is too sick to stay, I have to come and get her. Really? I ask, in what is a very disbelieving voice. I know my kid. I am 90% sure she's conning someone into holding her all morning. Ok. Give me 15 minutes. I have to crawl up off of the floor, hang back up 30 things, redress myself, and walk to my car. It winds up taking 30 (thanks to our wonderful traffic lights) and I'm running in. Time stamp, 12:20.

I come into the office to Lily almost asleep in someone's arms and feeling warm. I apologize for not believing her on the phone to what is a very hard stare. Whatever - I birthed her and sat through 2 years of hospitalizations and 6 specialists worth of appointments. Don't start judging me for wanting to prolong my first day out in 5 months. I hold her while she goes to get Kat and Megan (we are supposed to meet Megan's mom at the park next door for lunch). I have to admit, I started to cry. Yeah, poor me. I can't even manage to complete a shopping trip and I'm done for the day. Send your cards. I put them into the car, drive one block and get out of the car. Lily runs for the swings and slide, laughing, skipping and jumping. I feel her forehead. Cool as a cucumber. Of course it is. She spends the next hour and a half eating her lunch and playing like no tomorrow. Yeah, someone got had. We eventually head home. Time, 1:50.

For the rest of the day, the 4 girls play together while Melinda and I type up the end of year party note for the little one's class. We get them snack and the big girls dressed for ballet and head out again. Time, 4:10.

We get to ballet and Lily... well, she wanted to watch at the door. Which she can't because she distracts the girls. She can't see into the window without standing on something so she chose my neck. Bent sideways. Then my head. Then timeout 4 times for hitting mommy and yelling because I can't hold her up. Then Dr. J steps in and airlifts her for the last 10 minutes of class. He gives us medicine AND he provides his shoulders for a ballet viewing? He's a superhero. Class over, I wrestle the girls to the car. Time, 5:35.

We get home and daddy has dinner ready. Thank goodness. Lily is NOT wanting to eat. Doesn't want her clothes removed (dinner is spaghetti and clothes cost money), and does not want to sit at the farthest point from daddy. I eat quickly and crawl to the couch. It missed me. Time, 6:00.

Daddy now has Lily and Kat in bed and he's unloading the dishwasher. I have met 3 superheroes today (Melinda, Dr. J, Daddy) and none of them were me. Four if you count Lily's superhero like ability to sap me of all energy. I'm ordering clothes online. Time, 7:45.

Don't Mess With Me Today

2009-05-04T15:17:00.002-04:00

Today, I'm on a rampage. I want to take to task the idea that TV is the worst thing we can do to our kids. I posit that its Candy Vending Machines. What? Oh, yeah. I'm totally serious. I would imagine 99% of the parents out there would say, hey, its just harmless fun. Whatever.

Have you noticed that not only are they everywhere, but they have gone up to $1.00 an item in most cases? Now, we don't eat out alot. Most meals are here at home; Wednesday night is at church, and one other night of the week is eat out time. This isn't a battle I go through often. Its just so terribly painful, that it feels like I hear it in my sleep.

Today was the last straw. I took Katharine to a Mexican lunch with her class. She saw them when we went in the door, and my No had her spiraling into a deep depression. She showed me her sadness in many ways with the most effective being the wallow all over mommy for an hour - mommy hurts all over today. I had to beg God to deliver a sitter for Lily (thank you Erica) after I sat for an hour in a dr. office because Lily has a sinus infection. I wasn't well. It hit a climax on the way out the door when several friends were able to get items out.

I have just about hit a wall with what to do. I had a talk with her about stewardship and what God expects from the money he has blessed us with. She could buy an entire pack of gum for the money that thing wants for one stale piece that has been in there for a year. With the economy the way it is, I have a responsibility to teach her that you don't just throw small amounts of money away just for 2 seconds of fun. I hear everyday of people living just like we are, asking for small amounts of money to make it by everyday. I see them out to eat, I see them buying new things, but they need $50 to pay the light bill.

We have a pantry with Easter candy falling out of it. She has so many toys that I'm hiding them to give away later. My children do not do without fun, treats, or small pleasures in life. But they ARE going to do without the Vending Machines. Just test me.

I refuse to go out this way...

2009-04-30T23:09:00.002-04:00

I can't let that last bit be my final word for the day. I'm more than how crappy I feel. SO -

My new favorite toy: http://www.befunky.com/

This is more fun than I thought it would be. This free little app turns your pictures into cartoons. Here's my first bit of fun with it. I have to work on making that possum cuter, but you get the idea :)

I'm a budding connective tissue disorder

2009-04-30T12:54:00.004-04:00

Yup, that's right. I'm a flower that wants to grow into a CTD and bloom either Lupus, RA, etc. but its too early to tell which. Therefore, I'm being treated ahead of time with something called Plaquenil. If I had to guess, I'd say lupus - my hair started falling out, yuck. I have also moved on from the commercial with the stretching people to the one with the grandma serving people at a family picnic. - Lyrica. The one that all the user groups say will make me fat. Hah!

I am scheduling myself for acupuncture and getting a pedicure.

All because my dr. said so. Even the pedicure part. He pointed out my fancy purse and then indicated that it was very un-pc of me to be wearing flip-flops with unpainted toe-nails. I absolutely kid you not. He's his own 30 minute sitcom. I love that man :) I go back in 8 weeks to see if I feel better. Pray me up.

Good Times, Ye Merry Lads and Ladies

2009-04-25T17:11:00.003-04:00

I have had a great weekend! Yesterday was a good day; I rode my bike! It was a short ride, but a good one. It did hurt in a few odd places, but the overall effect on my body was a good one.

Craig and I actually watched a movie last night and today we all went to the Renaissance Festival. I have mixed emotions about that event. Its fun with the kids and I enjoy the shows. However, if you sit there long enough and people you KNOW are not official employees of the festival keep asking if Ma-lady is having a good day, well... that's just wierd. I saw entire families (grandparents down to babies) dressed in matching outfits and greeting fellow attendees with shant, thous and thees. I'm not mocking the desire to be a part of this, I'm just saying its not my cup of tea to play along for hours on end. It starts to make me testy. As in, "yes I'm having a good day, but would you be asking me this if you didn't have a costume on and just came up on me in a mall? No, you'd keep walking. You just want to say the words and hear your own fake English accent out loud." See what I mean? Really, I did have a good time.

Tonight we're having dinner with our good friends, the Pfaff's. Its Shawn's birthday and so I made the cookies again. I love those cookies. Happy Birthday, Shawn! Oh, wait... I meant - Have Thee a Merry Day of Birth!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever

2009-04-16T20:01:00.004-04:00

I am shocked at how quickly I forget the good days when the bad come back. I had 4-5 fantastic days last week and for that I am grateful. This week... not so much. I hit a 10 on my pain scale after coming off of my medication so I decided I actually DID need it. My dr. put me on a lower dose, so I think this will work. I just have to wait it out, but MY HEAVENS has this week STUNK. Today the pain and fatigue worked in tandem, but I have found an outlet to help me through it - BAKING.

My MIL got me a subscription to a magazine called Cooks Illustrated. If you like to cook and you don't already get this, order it immediately. I have cooked 3 things out them now, all three have looked exactly like the picture, been fantastically healthy AND delicious and very easy to make. The one I used today was called the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Some guy named Charles spent hours baking 700 cookies to find the best recipe and the best chocolate chips. I made it twice today and my favorite food critic (Noah) walked all the way over, rung the doorbell, and gave me a hug after eating the one I saved for him. It is indeed the best of its kind (I can't rave too much, I'm a pecan cookie gal) but you have to strictly follow the directions to get the best out of the recipe. Now this one wasn't healthy per se, but it was easy and yummy.

The roasted red pepper and bacon pasta from last night was ridiculous it was so good. We licked the bowl clean. I needed a few wins. Kinda down the past few days and to have this turn out good was good for my soul. Craig is taking batch number 2 to the company picnic tomorrow. He knows how to push my buttons.

C: What can I bring to the picnic?
W: How about I bake some brownies? I am really worn out.
C: Well, I kinda wanted to take something where everyone would rave about how good it was.
W: Okay, I'll make more cookies.

Its funny to me that you can tell me I do a good job (work), you can tell me I have a clean house, but if you tell me you like my food... well, you're a friend for life. Luckily for Lily (perpetually looking for a way to get into trouble), she constantly makes yummy food noises while eating. She knows where her bread is buttered.

On a side note, I have to have a neck MRI and EMG done on Monday morning according to my new doctor, the neurologist. Here is what I have found about this EMG thing:

"Electromyography (EMG) measures muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve’s stimulation of the muscle. The test is used to help detect neuromuscular abnormalities.

During the test, one or more small needles (also called electrodes) are inserted through the skin into the muscle. The electrical activity picked up by the electrodes is then displayed on an oscilloscope (a monitor that displays electrical activity in the form of waves). An audio-amplifier is used so the activity can be heard."

So. Really. Huh... Adding to list of things I never should have googled but now can't take back.