Junky Beans For Breakfast

One of the things that surprises me most about being a parent is the way I'll (occasionally) compromise with my kids for a little peace and quiet, a little cooperation, or a little temper free moment. You know, the prebaby days where you see a frantic mom shove a sucker in her toddler's mouth before the ear piercing scream blasts out and you think to yourself, "tsk, tsk, I will never do that when I have kids." And now I'm the frantic mom.

Take this morning for instance. Given that this is the 21st century, there must be a better way to carry on a phone conversation but since my cordless will not keep a charge, I am resigned to being attached to my corded phone in the hall. I can only reach about 5 feet when on the phone and I think my kids take full advantage of this knowledge. Austin was just finishing a breathing treatment and I had the Tylenol out to give him yet another dose. Lexi grabbed the closed bottle off the coffee table and wouldn't give it up for anything. Just as I got it out of her little clenched hands and she was going into full meltdown, Leslie called. She wanted to borrow some ink for her stamps (and since I'm so thrilled that she's finally scrapping I happily obliged.)

And so to enjoy my 10 minute phone conversation, I compromised and handed the bottle of Tylenol back to my whining baby. I thought, "what the heck, the bottle is child proof and closed and I'm sitting in full view of her." She toddled away happily chewing on the rubber topper and I turned my attention back to Leslie.

Several minutes later, I was still on the phone with Leslie when the girls got into the front closet (which was left open because I was in the process of getting stuff out of my purse before the breathing treatment/med session, and the phone call, and the...). Now, usually the front closet is closed because I can store both my purse and the diaper bag in there and Lexi cannot get the door open to get into them. It is a given... if my purse/diaper bag is out, she WILL get into it. This must be a girl thing as Audrey (but not Austin) went through the same stage. And usually I'll take my purse away and put it out of reach if I see one of the girls going through it. Today, however, I just wanted to finish my phone conversation so I made no attempt at stopping the girls.

Then I really won the "mother-of-the-year" award when I realized the girls had found a little container of Jelly Bellys that I had in the diaper bag for potty treats on the go. Realizing this would get me another 10 minutes of peaceful phone conversation, I relented again. Audrey doled out the "junky beans" (as she calls them) and I was able to not only finish talking with Leslie, but also make Austin a doctor's appointment and jump in the shower and get ready while the girls pigged down. Audrey confessed to daddy at dinner tonite that, "one time (she always starts her stories with "one time...") she ate a whole package of junky beans."

So did I mention that I *love* my pediatrician? Austin's asthma flared up out of the blue around midnite Saturday. It's always worse at nite and I'm always thankful when morning comes, but when he woke up this morning tired, hot, and crying I knew I had to get him to the dr's. I finally got through (the line was busy for about 10 minutes) and they told me to bring him right over. I, of course, was still in my pj's and the girls were running around half naked. Tom, of course, drove our van to work today because I thought we were just going to hang low at home all day. I managed to get ready and get the girls dressed so that we could leave by the time he got home with the van. We walked into the doctor's office and got the red carpet treatment. The receptionist told me to go right back to the exam rooms. The nurses were ready and waiting with an exam room set up with a breathing treatment for Austin. We got in and out of the office within 20 minutes. Austin's back on prelone for 3 days. He HATES this steroid and it always takes him forever to get down one measly teaspoon of the nasty stuff but I always notice a big difference within the first day. He has to go back Thursday for a recheck, but I think the worst is behind us and he'll be able to make it to school tomorrow.

So to summarize, I get the "Outstanding Mother of the Year" award today because I:

1. For the sake of peace, allowed my toddler to play with/teethe on a bottle of medication.
2. Looked the other way when my girls discovered my purse and diaper bag.
3. Allowed my children to dine on a breakfast of junky beans.
4. Rewarded Austin with a spoonful of brown sugar after he gagged down his medicine- hey, it was out for the healthy oatmeal I was cooking for their second breakfast.

Please don't report me to the CPA.

Drumroll, Please...

...as I introduce you to the newest team member of the Meijer produce department. Moi. That's right, ladies and gents, my BA in elementary ed has landed me the most prestigious and sought after position of banana stocker and lettuce crisper at the "friendly acres". FYI- bananas are the number one selling grocery item in the store. Period. So my new job is verrrry important. Gotta keep those banana customers happy.

If you're from the Jackson area look for me in my blue cap and apron as you stock up on fresh fruits and veggies, just don't ask me where to find the jimaca, turnips and avocados.

I Can't Believe It Either....

...but, yeah, he's 28 today. Happy Birthday, TJ!!!!

Spots, Dots, and Chicken Pox?

Audrey woke up Friday morning with a bad case of spots all over her tummy, back, and in her hair. The one that concerned me the most was between two fingers because it looked kinda pimply. I called my doctor's office and they fit Audrey into the afternoon appointments. I love our pediatrician! Between Austin's asthma and all of my hypochondriac worries the staff at the office is practically a second family. I feel like we should be on a first name basis, although they politely refer to me as Mrs. Hosmer which makes me feel way too old.

Although she was a bit worried about getting a shot, Audrey couldn't wait to show Dr. Rao her pretty nails (we had painted them the day before) and her "dots". We were headed out the door when the phone started ringing. Austin answered and informed the caller (who happened to be Leslie) that we were taking Audrey to the doctor because "she has 14 spots".

At the office, Dr. Rao ruled out the chicken pox because a: she hadn't been exposed (as far as we knew), b: she had received the chicken pox vaccine, and c: her spots weren't blistery. He said it was a viral infection and to treat her with Benadryl and calamine lotion. Audrey was thrilled because a: she didn't get a shot, b: she got gum and a sticker from the nurse, and c: she got to take purple medicine all weekend.

Blah!!!

I think I've got a bad case of blahness. I haven't ran for a week, the laundry's piling up, I have a to-do-list a mile long and I am sooooo unmotivated. All I want to do after I put the kids to bed is sit and read the paper, a magazine, blogs, a book, anything. I tell myself I'll go to bed early and get up and catch up on life before the kids get up. Then my alarm goes off and I hit the snooze for 2 hours. I cannot get my butt out of bed in the morning for anything! As much as I want to be, I am SO NOT a morning person.

I'm hoping this weekend will pull me out of my slump. I'm doing a The Body Shop pampering session for a women's sleepover at my MIL's church on Friday nite, I have a special girls' nite out planned for Saturday nite with my bestest friends from high school (nothing like a good dessert to cheer me up=), and I think I might possibly get to slip away for the whole afternoon on Sunday and scrapbook with some moms from my play group- yay!!!

Don't get me wrong, I've had a really good week with the kids and the house is relatively clean and in order. Heck, we even decorated for Valentines on Monday. But still just feeling blah. Can someone slip me some pep in a bottle, please?

A Whole Lot Of Nothing

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my week. Ever since we've gotten thru with Christmas we've just been chillin', enjoying the downtime.

• I FINALLY got all of our Christmas decorations packed and back downstairs.
• Austin announced that he's going to marry Lexi because she's the only girl that he loves that isn't already married. There is way too much that could be said about that statement, but we'll leave it at that.
• Audrey farted at the table this afternoon and informed me that there was a barking squirrel in the room.
• Don't hold your breath, but it is slightly possible that my 16 1/2 month old has FINALLY decided to start walking. We have known for awhile that if she really wanted to, she could, she just much rather prefers us to cart her royal hiney around everywhere- to which she crawls over to us and demands, "UP!"
• Eddy has had an itchy ear for a couple of weeks. We finally bit the bullet and took him in. He has a yeast infection in the ear, so 2 prescriptions, a follow-up appointment scheduled, and $90 later (that we didn't have to begin with) he's on the fast path to recovery.
• Austin started back to school this week. Although he's only had 2 weeks off, the whole routine seems strangely new again.
• My mom watched the girls when I dropped Austin off on Tuesday. I had a merchandise credit and a gift card to Kohl's and 2 whole hours to burn. all. by. myself. I was able to get picture frames (BOGO free), a SoHo Yankee candle, a set of couch pillows, a long sleeved tee, and a fall dress for Lexi and I still have money left on my gift card. Then, still having about an hour I headed up to Target and wandered. I found a cute pair of tennis shoes on clearance for Lexi when she grows into size 5 this summer.
• I am headed out for a much anticipated The Body Shop girls' nite out tonite. I haven't soaked my feet since I got out of the business last August so I'm definitely looking forward to a little pamper time. Psst... I even shaved my legs.
• We're looking forward to having some friends over for dinner on Saturday. I'm trying to think of something fun and exciting (as opposed to the same old, same old) to serve. Something that even the kids won't be able to complain about.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I should get started on dinner. Tonite I'm making pancakes and I know there won't be any complaints about this classic meal.

Sleeping With The Owls

Today was a lazy Sunday. After church we returned home for lunch and some much needed down time. Audrey fell asleep on my lap while reading books in the living room and Tom carried her to our bed. Getting sleepy myself, I left Tom with Austin and Lexi and headed back for a quick snooze. I was awakened several hours later when Austin snapped on the light. "Get up, Mommy," he said, "I don't want you to be nocturnal tonite."

Looking Back Again

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? took the wrong bus and missed the train out of Chicago
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't usually make resolutions so then I don't have to admit to breaking them 2 days into the new year. But this year I'm trying to get my butt out of bed earlier, drink more water, and use my treadmill for more than a clothes drying rack.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Jennifer had Joy and Leslie had Reyna... lots of babies coming this year=)
4. Did anyone close to you die? my grandma Moss and Tom's great uncle Bob
5. What states/countries did you visit? Illinois
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? simple joy
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? February 14th- my mom's 50th birthday and the whole Chicago escapade, August 22nd- Lexi's 1st birthday celebration
8. What was your biggest achievement? Taming the overgrown landscaping in front of our house and power washing and restaining our back deck- yeah, I'm a dork.
9. What was your biggest failure? Losing my patience with my kids. Allowing too many little things to upset me.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had 2 false positives for lupus and a hypothyroidism diagnosis
11. What was the best thing you bought? Our van. No more squishing the kids into the Equinox & worrying about going over our mileage on the lease. The in-van DVD player was an extra bonus!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Audrey deciding for herself that she wanted to be potty trained; Austin being able to ride his bike ALL THE WAY AROUND our neighborhood (even going fast downhill), Lexi for all of her "first" accomplishments, and Tom for getting through another semester of skool.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? outrageous celebrities
14. Where did most of your money go? the house and the kids
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Chicago, coaching track, Christmas, my kids' accomplishments
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Dan Zanes "Catch That Train"- the kids and I played it non-stop in anticipation of our train ride to Chicago
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? I should be happier, but definitely more anxious right now. b) thinner or fatter? Thinner- I was still losing Lexi's pregnancy weight c) richer or poorer? Technically richer because we paid off some debt last year, but now poorer because I lost my job
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Scrapbooking. Living in the moment and simply enjoying life
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing over the "imperfections" in my life. Had I known I would be jobless again, a little less splurging- the Chicago trips, the kids pictures, our family pictures, my new dining room buffet. Then again, the splurges were totally worth the extra money.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With our families. My mom, bro, and BIL with Tom, the kids and me Christmas morning. Christmas nite with Tom's family.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Every day more deeply with my kids.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Little People, Big World, John and Kate plus 8 (makes me feel better about my life)=), House Hunters, Flip That House, Property Ladder
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? nope.
24. What was the best book you read? Three Weeks With My Brother- a memoir by Nicholas and Micah Sparks, My Dog Marley by John Grogan
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Lexi starting to "sing" the ABC's and Happy Birthday
26. What did you want and get? too much to even list- I have been blessed!
27. What did you want and not get? The credit cards paid off.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Illusionist. I am a hopeless romantic when it comes to watching movies and this one left me thinking for weeks.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 27. I honestly cannot remember- it must not have been anything special. This kinda sucks because growing up birthdays were always such important special milestones for me.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not being so stressed about money.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Can someone tell me what "fashion" is? I splurged on a new outfit for a January wedding- black pinstripe pants and a black top that I now wear all of the time if I need something dressy. I bought 2 new swimsuits with my birthday $- a cute little bikini and a "mommy" tankini. I also got 3 comfortable shirts, 2 pairs of jeans and *gasp* I actually spent $25 on a sweater from Old Navy. Other than that my wardrobe consisted of pieces from my high school/college/pre-baby days and hand-me-downs from my mom. Wow, I think I need Stacey and Clinton's help.
32. What kept you sane? Having the time I was working as a time of quiet reflection, my mom, play dates with the cousins, and girls' nites out
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Lindsey Lohan
34. What political issue stirred you the most? The economy and gas prices
35. Who did you miss? No one- everyone is close by
36. Who was the best new person you met? She's not actually "new" but I have really enjoyed having Leslie as a "cousin" and a friend
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. Nothing makes my kids' jaws drop faster than when mommy puts herself in a "time out". I emerge refreshed and calm and the kids' behavior is impeccable- for awhile, at least
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. ?????