Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Early Dismissal

Well Sean has early dismissal for the next 3 days so nap time is all messed up. I was hoping Connor would fall asleep in the car but no such luck. I can tell he's tired but at this point I hate to try and get him to sleep as it will be 2 by the time I do so. Tomorrow I have my conference so I'm going to try and get an early nap in so he won't be fussy at KidSpace. On top of that Sean has Karate that evening so I don't want a difficult child at 6 PM. I think I'm going to try and get both boys up early and, finally, walk Sean to school. Besides the exercise for me it might calm Sean down a little for class. It should be an interesting conference as he's had some issues lately. I tried switching back to his old med's but he got a bad report today so...

This week I've got to get the boys, an Mike's, Halloween costumes together. I may have to order Connor's--Curious George. Mike is going to be The man in the Yellow Hat (of course) but I think I may try and find something at Goodwill because the costume is $40 and it's not like he's going to wear it again! Sean wants to be a character from one of his Playstation games. I'm guessing no one will know what he is--a raccoon "good" thief from the SLY game?!?!--but I guess it's better than being Luke Skywalker for the 3rd time. This one I'll definitely have to make up myself but I need to take the game box to get the right stuff. I'm going to read a story at Sean's school and try and dress in character but the teacher is picking the story. Hopefully she will have done so and I can figure something out for myself as well. Connor get to wear his costume to MDO so I'm glad I saw one that looks lightweight. I want to check the costume store this week in case I have to order it!

I took some photos of the boys but I still have to download the software on the computer. I wish Mike had done it but he's gone for the week now. He did get us hot water but had to turn off the water softener to do so. So my hair looks lousy but I can get a hot bath. Okay gotta go, I think I'm skipping the nap and heading to the gym to give the boys something to do. I took Connor to Breckenridge park to ride the train this morning but he wasn't enthralled like Sean at that age. I don't get it as he loves trains--more so than Sean. Maybe it's just the noise.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Negative Posts

Well I said I would try and be less negative but reading my last post I see I failed. Today I'm just sleepy and out of sorts. I've been sleepy and just feeling yucky for a few weeks now. I wish I knew what the problem was. I keep thinking it's allergies due to being S. Tx and all but I always see magazine articles about other type allergies. The last one I read was about milk allergies but not intolerance. I've always wondered as milk upset my stomach when I was a child and I've never been particularly fond of it--poor bones of mine! Anyway, maybe I can try to go a few days w/out milk products and see how I feel. Guess that means I'll be eating meat, fruit and veggies for awhile. I always seem to plan on that and can't avoid processed foods!

I did go carb free for 3 weeks before I went out to CO for the wedding and I did lose about 7 pounds then so obviously it would be a good choice for me! I'll try but my willpower tends to fail when I'm sleepy. I also worry about all the Diet Cokes I drink--about 2 a day, yikes. I'm sure that helps my bones especially considering the no milk issue. It is kind of a cycle I guess. I'm sleepy so I drink caffeine then I have trouble sleeping so... Except this weekend I've slept well--I think, Mike's snoring might also be affecting my sleep.

On the snoring front, Mike will be gone all week so we'll see if that helps. Except I don't sleep as well when he's gone because he's gone, LOL!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Busy Busy Sunday at Fiesta TX and IL's

What a long, long day. Fiesta TX was inexplicably closed yesterday so we skipped church to meet a friend there today instead. It was a nice outing but Connor still isn't quite ready for most of the rides. We finally left at 2 and headed over to my in-laws. Mike insisted we should see them today because it is their anniversary this week. I told him I didn't even know when my parents anniversary was and I didn't think his parents knew when ours was but... Okay maybe I'm the bad one and most kids celebrate their parents anniversary but I don't think so--excluding big one's like 50 of course.

My pet-peeve today is School Fundraisers. I would so much rather write a big check to the school than do this. Since I practically have no family to hit up and I don't work that doesn't leave much. Mike barely knows the people at his new job so won't take it there so that leaves the IL's. So I had Sean give it to them today and true to form they ordered 1 package of candy. Yes that's 1. I'm over here ordering every small item in the stupid catalogue so Sean can get more prizes probably worth a buck and they order a measly bad of peanuts. Okay, yes I know I sound whiny but come on. I really want the canvas portrait made from the photo but its over $30 and I could order 3 things or more for that so I'll go with the junky stuff to make Sean happy. I wish he'd just let me take him to the dollar store--we'd both end up with more stuff that way!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sleepy again

I don't know why I am so tired today. I slept well last night. I have been sneezing some so maybe it's just allergies. I wanted to try and meet a friend tonight after she got off work but I'm feeling to tired to go. Fortunately, I never set plans because I wasn't sure Mike would be able to be home. I need to call her anyway to touch base.

Bible Study is good. They split our group into 2 groups and I'm kind of sad as most of the people I know went into the other group. Hopefully I'll make some friends where I am. I also have until Sunday to convince Mike we need to go and join a Life Group. I really want that small group relationship with other families. I can't believe we've been at the church 4 years and haven't joined one yet. There have been 2 he was interested in but they met when Sean has Karate so that never happened. Maybe this time I can convince him.

Still no photos. I am going to try and download some tomorrow while Connor is at MDO. On that note I need to go and run a few errands so I don't have to do them tomorrow and can get some things done around the house.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Finally back

Not back from anywhere though of course just finally decided to post. The boys are playing downstairs so it may be quick or not depending on how it goes. Sean has been so sweet to Connor lately and after several bad reports from school has had a few good days. In fact he was so good at church Sunday Mike asked him if he was a different child. Probably not a good idea but...

Friday night Mike and I went to see Santana. Not somewhere I would normally go but I'm trying to be more spontaneous. We were lucky enough to get invited by Terry and Sheila who had free tickets--one of the perks of being manager of Mad Dogs I guess--AND get a great babysitter at the last minute. Sean's friend Nik's grandmother not only came on short notice she got both boys to sleep. That is huge for me as no one but Mike or I, mostly "I", have ever done that other than MDO naps. I'm trying to let go some. We now all (all being the 3 couples that went Friday) want to try a night out at PollyEsters for dancing. It's been 4 years since I've been there--for Mike's 20th Reunion--so I guess it's time. Not sure what I have to wear out though and I'm wondering if I can lose 20 pounds in a few weeks, LOL!

Things have been somewhat calmer despite the illness of everyone in the family over the last few weeks. It's making me realize that I do need to stay on my Effexor instead of trying to do it myself. If I can get through all the cleaning and mess of Sean throwing up all over the house without getting too stressed there is surely something in the meds I need!

Well, I got the digital camera so now I need to figure out how to download photos to add to this. I took a few of the boys watching the circus Saturday--it was a big weekend for us! I haven't had any photos of Connor, other than professional, since Christmas as Mike's camera was stolen in February while he was in Europe. Sad that it took us until now to replace it.

I met the nicest lady today. She bought the stroller I posted on Craigslist and I'm glad she did. She just moved here before her 3 month old was born and doesn't know anyone. To make matters worse her husband was deployed to Iraq despite the fact he is retiring in a year. I guess her neighborhood isn't too friendly and her older children are having trouble in school. Unfortunately alot of it has to do with where they bought but I'm trying not to say too much. They needed better guidance from the realtor but then her husband is at Lackland and they are fairly close to it. I'm hoping to find some middle ground where we can meet so I can prove Texans are in fact friendly. Plus I think we have alot in common, YAY!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Happy Morning

Everyone had a great night last night and got some good sleep. This morning it is a little rainy and still cool but they said we are coming to the end of our cool front. As much as I love living in Texas, and I really do, I don't like the hot weather. I don't want blizzards either but 4 distinct seasons would be nice. Logistically, I would be better off in another part of TX but this is where I think God wants us right now. Plus, as Mike pointed out during the Waco fiasco, at least I am familiar with the town and have our church should we ever have another emergency situation.

Speaking of church, I am so happy that they are collecting clothes for the Ike evacuees. I have so many things from the boys that I was planning to take to the Salvation Army but now I know where they will be going and that's better. I also pulled things out for Noah but haven't taken them over to Don yet. Since I haven't seen Noah lately I'm not sure what size he wears. Since he's a year younger than Connor you would think things would fit him but last time I saw him he was almost the same size. Don said he's not growing as fast as before. That makes sense as he is almost 1 1/2 and probably not taking as many bottles. Connor sure slowed down at that point as well. Both my boys are such light eaters--too bad their Mommy doesn't have that problem!

I'm still trying to get the house cleaned up from the aftermath of the family illness, lol! I did about 6 loads of laundry that day and I've still got some extra sheets and a comforter in the corner of the loft. I want to wash everything anyone touched even if it doesn't look dirty. It's probably not helping to have it out where Connor can lay on it though! Still, I really need to wash some clothes as I haven't done that since Sunday so I'm very behind. I'm actually limited to what color tops I can wear (because my white bra needs washing!) so something needs to get done.

I have to take Connor to KidSpace again as I have a doctors appointment. Actually, it's just a follow-up so no big deal but it's been rescheduled twice already. He seemed to enjoy the gym the other day and bible study yesterday so maybe he won't mind for an hour or two. I think maybe it's starting to get more fun then just hanging out with Mommy. We'll see tomorrow when I take him to MDO. So far that's been an issue when I leave and he's not napping. I can't wait to get to cleaning the garage tomorrow. I'm not sure what we have piled back there. I'm hoping to use that camera I get today, for Mike of course (ha, ha), to take some photos and get some stuff on Craigslist so I can get it out of here. I don't like to deal with it unless Mike is here so the weekend is the best time for people to pick stuff up. Okay, off to check my son. Not a bad post. Not exciting but I'm not pissed off so hey, I'm making progress!

Birthday Present

Hopefully Mike won't read this before tomorrow. I'm so excited because I thought of a gift for him--one we can all use! He never wants anything and truthfully he does have alot but we need another digital camera because his was stolen in Europe and I can't find the memory cards to the old one. I found one with good reviews and for under $200 so I'm going to Target to get it tomorrow. I've already bought the things for his birthday dinner and he will be in town since he just got over the stomach flu. He was scheduled to be in McAllen Tuesday through late Thursday but now he will be home. I'm sorry he suffered but glad I can do something special for him actually on his birthday. Another bonus is that I can start adding photos to this blog AND I can sell off alot of stuff on Craigslist and maybe pay for the camera, Yea!

The boys are okay but Sean had another bad day at school. Maybe the new med's aren't working. He's eating so much better than on the last one but he can't keep getting in trouble everyday after lunch. We've increased the dose but maybe it's not enough to last more than 4-5 hours. It's so frustrating to be medicating your son for ADHD and not even be getting good results. I just wish I knew of another way but I don't know what to try.

Well it's bedtime now so I should stop typing. Had a good day and actually got to go to Bible Study. Connor and I even walked down to the park while Sean and Mike were at Karate so I got a little workout in as well. Now if tonight will just go smooth!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hot Water Mystery

My poor sick boys are stuck taking a lukewarm bath again. The same thing happened when I was sick. We can't figure it out. We've never had enough hot water upstairs--yes after almost 4 years in this house we've never found out why! Now, however, it's gotten so bad that we often can't get hot water at all. Last week when I was sick it was not even lukewarm. I don't recommend cold baths and showers when your having stomach issues. We also have no water pressure upstairs. We know this is a Bexar Met issue but when they added tanks last year it should have gotten better not worse. We are very careful not to have anything running when we run the bath but it's gotten so bad even that doesn't help. There seems to be a correlation between the pressure and the temperature level upstairs. Downstairs we can get hot but, alas, no tub or shower down there. To add insult to injury Bexar Met is charging almost $50 a month for improvements. The improvement rate is based on our water bill which went up recently even though we never water. Now we have a bill around $100 for lousy water service!

If any plumbers are out there and know what we should do let me know---I know this is a longshot since only a few people know about this blog but we don't even know where to start.

Sick, sick, sick...

Okay so last week Connor was sick and then I had it all weekend. Yesterday Mike called to tell me he was sick. Poor baby he had to make the drive all the way across town and actually stopped at our gym for a pit-stop before he got home. About 30 minutes after he got home Sean started throwing up. Unfortunately, poor Sean had been eating everything in sight since he got out of school. Unfortunately for him, my carpet, my bed and Mike that is since Sean threw up on him as well. Sean is never sick. I think this is maybe his 3rd or 4th stomach bug ever which is pretty good for 7+ years. He's not very good at being sick though and cried alot last night.

Mike and Sean ended up in our bedroom since they were both up alot and I slept in Sean's room. Actually, I started in our room with Sean but at 1 AM I switched with Mike so I could get a little sleep. Sean was only up once after that and it was just before I went in to check at 3:30. We all slept in until 8 AM since it was obvious Sean wasn't going to school. He's been sick all day and at the moment is asleep on our bathroom floor--the carpeted part.

I'm wondering if he will be sick again tomorrow and selfishly hoping not since I would then have to again miss Bible Study--Connor threw up as we were leaving for the first session last Wed. I don't even know who all is in my group and I was really looking forward to the fellowship, especially with Angie gone. I really need someone more people to hang out with.

I did talk to Dawn today--college friend--and we're going to try and get together again in the next few weeks. I really enjoyed lunch with her on Connor's first MOPS Friday. I know I need more "girl time" in my life! I'm not the most girly girl but I'm suffering a little from the lack of pampering and pretty things.

As for MOPS I'm worried about Connor. He hasn't seemed happy either week but I'm hoping he will adjust. I really need that day to catch up at home and declutter this house. I saw an article about organizing your life and losing weight and I can see a correlation between the two. I need to get it together and organize all areas including my health. I know the boys would benefit from it as well.

Well off to check on Sean. I have to admit I'm getting a little worried but hopefully he's just sleeping off the illness and we'll all be better tomorrow!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Driver Issues

I don't understand why people seem to have such a hard time understanding how to drive, how to take turns in the car pick-up land at school, and what laws are. It's so easy at school if you take turns but for the second time in 2 days the people in the lane across from me decided to jump not only in front of me but also the person to the left of me who I was waiting on. Even after all that the person behind them also tried to jump in front of me and I was the one turning right so it was only because of my good nature that ANY of them were getting to go in the first place. The person in front of me went then the idiot turning left blocked traffic by pulling behind her when there was no room to pull out of the street, obviously there was no doubt in my mind what the correct order was. I tried to let the person on the side street go because according to courtesy it was her turn, when the SUV turning left pulled into the lane then acted like she didn't understand why I indicated that it was the other cars turn (by pointing, not any obscene gestures). Seriously, one of these days I'm getting out of my car and give them a piece of my mind.

As far as the rest of the laws, we seems to have many people who can't read speed limit signs nor do they know any of the basic laws taught in Driver's Ed. People in our neighborhood constantly go 30 or less on the main road which is 40 mph but I've seen the same people speed up to 40 in the residential section which is 30 because people are walking or running OR kids are around. I've also noticed the slow driver's rarely use their blinkers so I know they aren't going slow because they are cautious drivers! I also don't get why people don't know that blinkers are not only an indication that you are going to turn but also that you are going to slow down. The people that actually do use blinkers all seem to hit the brakes first then turn their blinker on. AND if one more idiot jerks into my lane causing me to slam on my brakes while my kids are in the car I may seriously start carrying a gun again. I swear if my children are hurt in that type of situation I can't imagine a jury in the world that would convict me!

Actually, the real problem is that everyone thinks they are the most important person in the world. I don't get it, it's so easy to be considerate and it feels so good to do a simple thing for another person like open a door or let them go first if they are holding a screaming toddler. Goodness knows I would love someone to do that for me but it seems rare these days.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Connor's sick

I almost made it out the door but while I was getting Connor's shoes he suddenly threw up. On the couch of course. Poor baby, he's been clingy all morning and not eating but then he never eats. I thought he might have a headache from the high humidity and pressure--the hurricane is definitely on it's way! He just wants to lay around in his diaper and have me in the room with him. Of course he seems much better now that it's too late for us to go to Bible Study. Not that I could go anyway since I don't know what made him sick.

Okay, now he's here by me whining for me so I guess all my posts will be this short unless Mike gets the laptop working again. Drat, it's going to be a long day!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Sleepy

Another big political fight on the Babycenter board. I just get tired of people making blanket accusations. I understand if they have struggled but who hasn't. Maybe I get to live in a great neighborhood and stay home with the boys but how much of it would I give up for a family to rely on. I'm so jealous of people with sisters they get together with and laugh. I miss my mother so bad and I feel weak because it's been over 3 years. I'm jealous most of all for my boys who are missing out on that love they would have gotten from my parents. Also, for not having cousins to play with or aunts and uncles who are really a part of their lives. I want to give them so much more but I can't give them family no matter how much I want to, how much money I have or don't have, nor how much I try.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Hypocrites

I can't believe the media, or actually I expected it in truth, being all worried about Gov. Palin's young children at home. Okay, I'm a SAHM so yes I feel it is good for mother's to stay home with their children. However, it is amazingly hypocritical coming from the left-wing media to suddenly change their stance on this. I love that I heard 2 liberal women who were soooo concerned about those young children. What happened to Women's Empowerment? I guarantee if this was said about a non-conservative woman these would be the first to scream sexism.

I can't help but like Sarah. When I saw her name scroll across the screen (I was at the gym) I literally started laughing. I can't believe Sen. McCain from the intolerant, sexist, racist, backward-thinking GOP had the audacity to pick a female running mate. And yes, that is sarcastic and yes I am a Republican. I haven't had a chance to listen in but how is Europe taking this? I mean Sen. Obama didn't pick Hillary but McCain picked a woman.

Okay, off my high-horse. The children are calling (read screaming repeatedly) for me to come down. I can't believe I wrote I political blog but then no one is reading it so I guess it's really like a journal for now!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

First Blog for an Old Mommy

Okay, at least I feel old since this is my first time blogging and I'm pretty technologically challenged. Not sure anyone will ever read anything but maybe what little family we have can check out photos of the boys sometimes. That's probably enough for now since Connor is downstairs watching TV and the house is a disaster as usual. I probably don't need anything else to keep me from doing chores but it looks like fun. Now if I can just watch what I say when I get into one of my moods!