Late but Thankful

I should have done this yesterday but didn't. After stalking around blogworld I realize again how very much I have been blessed with so

I am thankful I have to relatively healthy kids. Sure Sean's ADHD is challenging and Connor is constantly picking up little bugs--last time literally!--but in all I am blessed I don't have to watch them suffer with a chronic or terminal illness.

I am thankful that my husband for some unknown reason still loves me. I am so often not very lovable especially in the last 3 years. Okay who are we kidding, it's more like 7!

I am thankful my husband still has a job and even more so that the job allows me to be home with the kids. In this day and age that is truly a rare blessing for all of us.

I am thankful that once I get out of this fog I am blessed with health. I have had scares but never faced a real illness that limited me.

I am thankful that I had 2 loving parents who loved me, each other, and most of all the Lord and raised me to know His love and the sacrifice of my Savior. As bad as things have ever been if I didn't have that HOPE I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning.

I am thankful that I only ate one pecan pie, by myself, because I realize that is why I feel lousy today. With the vanilla, butter, and Crisco I put into the homemade pie and crust it is way to rich for my tummy. I leave the second pie to the men of the house which my hips will thank me for in the long run.

I am thankful that I live in a country of abundance even at a time when people are down financially. I know our poor still live better than most of the world and God has blessed us with a chance at a better tomorrow that many countries don't have. I hope I will remember to take my thankfulness and focus it toward helping others and not being so self-centered.

I am thankful to live in a nation where I can still worship my God as I see fit. I am also thankful for the community I live in within SA that has grown so much spiritually. I am truly blessed to be able to raise my children and live in this environment when so much of the world is living without so much Grace.

I am thankful for finding blogs. It is a great outlet for my "down time" (read: time to avoid cleaning the toilets, etc) as I am an avid reader. This way I am connecting with real people at least through comments and prayers.

There is so much more I am thankful for but it's late and I need to get Connor in bed. We both napped late today (did I mention I was up at 5 AM to get a $99 DS for Sean--got the LAST one they had at 5:15!) so bedtime is late. Someday I will be thankful for a scheduled household but I think I'll save that for my New Years Resolutions.

So for now, happy rest of the Thanksgiving Weekend to everyone out there!

Thanksgiving Eve

So far I've baked 3 Pecan Pies tonight. Tomorrow all I have to do is make the cranberry sauce which is for me as no one else likes it. Oh the joy of not having to make dressing and turkey. Yes I said dressing first, I like it more. However, that means I am stuck with other people's dressing and honestly I like my mother's recipe best. Maybe I'll make some for Christmas.

Today I have also worked out hard with my friend Sheila. Changed my blog background. Officially become a MckFriend. AND lo and behold found out I have followers! I never added the device because I couldn't imagine I would have any but I have 2. Bless you oh lovely people for making me feel loved tonight.

Today after reading that people from my neighborhood and even more shocking, The Dominion!(by way of explanation, George Strait lives in The Dominion)are hitting up the local food banks I really realize how thankful I should be. Yes, I can't keep my budget but if I would, we do have the means to pay off our evil CC debt. I am so blessed to be home with my kids and DH still has a good job to go to every week. It's a new job but since the promoted him after a few months to Regional Manager I'm hoping that is a good sign he won't be let go anytime soon! I can imagine how hard it is to go from affluence to bankruptcy. I have to assume that's the only choice for many in this real estate market. Even here in TX where the economy is better, homes aren't moving!

There is so much sadness and so much strength here in blogworld. As usual today I was blown away by the beautiful Christian women out there and the things they do in this world. At the same time I was heartbroken to read of children suffering through illness, poverty or in abusive situations. My mother used to read such accounts and say she just wanted it to end and for us to be with God. I never got it completely until I had my boys. For anyone to hurt them or for me to have to see them suffer is beyond what I hope to ever have to endure. Almost as much I feel a physical ache in my soul that any child in this land of plenty would lack for anything. Especially love.

I hope in the year to come I will stop focusing so much on my issues and reach out more to the world around me. God has blessed me with more than so many receive, I hope I can continue to see that and give of my time, my money, and myself more.

Not Me Monday--Is is really Monday again?

I did not spend the last several weeks in a fog because Connor kept me up so much. Not me!

I did not finally feel better this morning and finally work out with my friend again. Not me, I'm much to lazy. (okay, really, yay me! I actually feel thinner, yeah right!)

I was not secretly happy that the 2 families I invited for Thanksgiving had to decline. Not me, I've been cooking frantically in my sick and sleepy stupor plus I would NEVER put off getting ready for that type of a meal until the week of...

I did not actually make enchiladas and chalupas from scratch for my family. Not me, I'm much to tired for that and I hate to cook (yay me again!)

I was not secretly thrilled when my picky eater Connor had 2 Little Debbie's for a snack, because a good mother would prefer quality to quantity even if it means her child eats no more than 2 bites a day.

I did not really write that ridiculously long sentence above that obviously lacks proper punctuation because I love grammar.

I am not listening to Christmas music in my car because it makes me happy. Good gosh it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

I did not make my children listen to country radio instead of their movie today because I felt the need to educate them on different genres of music. It absolutely was not because I couldn't stand the thought of listening to Tad put words together AGAIN during our drive.

I am not beyond thrilled that my MIL bought the boys a Wii and thus we will be able to afford to purchase them other Christmas presents without breaking our budget.

I did not just lie in that previous statement because I can't follow or set a budget to save my life. AND it is not because I can't keep myself out of Target that I can't stay within budget either.

I did not put off once again making business calls because it's a holiday week and a bad time for that, right?

I do not have pretty lame Not Me's this week because I live the exciting life of a SAHM and nothing has happened lately except the whole Pinworm saga.

Speaking of, I did not seriously consider sending flowers to the doctor that prescribed the medicine because Connor has slept through every night since Tuesday when he got the med's!

I'm not done now because I can no longer put off folding the 2 loads of laundry thrown on my bed because Mike is going to call me on it soon since he can hear the typing from where he is!

Also, I'm not still too tired to give a flip about grammar!

No sleep for Connor or Mommy

Connor has been waking up most nights for at least 3 weeks now. The first night, okay it was 5 AM, he complained his tushy hurt (although that's not the word he used--I just can't get into teaching my boys the correct terms, my mother did that and I felt weird saying them!) I took him in and they said he was probably constipated, not a surprise considering the few foods he will eat, and that he had a little tear. I should put Dr. Smith's on it and some Lotrimen in case it was fungal plus treat the constipation. He seemed a little better and less constipated then we had some more bad nights but no complaints about that area so I had his ears checked. They were fine but some molars were about to break through. Fast forward to last week. Monday and Thursday I got all of 2 hours sleep each night. The rest of the time he was awake or sleeping on me and waking up as soon as he went down. Friday he slept 6 hours then Saturday, Sunday and Monday night it was only an hour or 2 then up. I saw a different doctor yesterday and by then he was scratching and crying and it was bleeding again. She immediately told me it really sounded like Pinworms as they come out a few hours after the child goes to sleep and make it itchy. It's really all too disgusting to talk about but I'm so desperate I'm praying that is what it is.

I got the prescription but was told to check first by going in while he was asleep and checking with a flashlight for worms--and yes that is NOT the most disgusting part! It was inconclusive but I thought I saw some wormy things in his dirty diaper. Believe it or not he slept through the inspection. I thought I was home free until 12:45 when he woke up. At 2 I got him back down, he almost rose as 2:30 and was coughing but went back to sleep until 3:52. When I went in he told me he threw up, apparently that was the coughing I'd heard (!), so I stripped the bed and remade it, stripped him and "remade" him and sat down. Then I gave up and hauled him into my bed and finally he slept. Me, not so much as he slept on my arm the rolled and jammed his elbow into me and I was too afraid to move. During the prior wake-up he moaned and wiggled around trying to keep his bottom from touching anything. I called the doctor this morning and waited. Then we had another dirty diaper and I thoroughly checked it--thank goodness I never use the gloves when I color my hair, boy they came in handy--and saw some more things that MIGHT be pinworms. Just as I threw clothes on, forget hair and makeup at this point, the nurse called and said the med's wouldn't hurt him even if there was no worms. Gee, had I known that I would have given them to him yesterday in case they do the trick. So now we've had our pill and I'm praying like crazy that is the deal. If I don't get a night's sleep tonight I don't think I can function tomorrow.

Of course Mike is out of town and there is no one else to help. Honestly, he wants me anyway. I did get a nap of 1 hour today but it's not making up for the weeks of sleep I'm missing. Anyone reading this please pray my little one will be healed by this medicine. Not only is he suffering but Mommy can't take it anymore!

Wow, freaky test results!

Okay, short and sweet because Connor was up at 5 again and Mike's out of town.

I just found this random test on blog I read off another blog I was checking out. I was caught by the word Texas in this blog title so I hopped over. Yes, we Texans really are that obsessed with our state, LOL!

Anyway, I was floored by how accurate the description was of me especially since there was only a few questions. So here goes, if there is anybody out there you are about to know more about me than I probably want you to know. But hey, it's just blogworld right...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Not me Monday

I did not send DH and both boys to Krisy Kreme Saturday to watch them make donuts so I could have a quiet morning.

I certainly DID NOT then eat 3 donuts every day since then because that would be horrible when I'm trying to lose weight.

I did not skip church Sunday because Connor woke up at 5:30 and I knew he would need to nap about the time the service started. Of course it also wasn't because he would then take a very late nap pushing bedtime back and Sean has school on Monday requiring we wake up early.

When I did actually get Connor to sleep while renovation was taking place right outside his door I certainly DID NOT go into my room and go to sleep as well. That would be lazy especially since I need to catch up on housecleaning and laundry.

I did not hang out in my room watching not one but 3 soap operas (if you include One Tree Hill as a soap opera) at the same time during his nap today because I'm still behind on the housework and again, that would be lazy.

On that note I certainly have NOT become addicted to a teen soap opera even though I am as old or older than the parents on the show--and YES I do have a 2 1/2 year old at my age!

If I am addicted, I am certainly not so addicted that I finally learned to program my TIVO so I can record Monday nights during the boys bedtime.

I did not wake up with Connor 4 nights and 3 early mornings in the last 2 weeks then spend hours rocking him back to sleep. I could not have because I am not one of those mothers that is still rocking her toddler to sleep. No, not me, since he was 6months old I've been laying him down awake and he always goes to sleep quietly.

I also do not give in to his request for bedtime snacks (including the last of the Halloween candy) nor do I allow him to have juice when he wakes in the middle of the night while I lay on the couch half asleep. That goes against all the parenting books and I am too perfect a parent to do such a thing.

Finally, I did not just tell my DH that I was coming upstairs to vacuum up the renovation mess and instead sit here and do my NOT ME MONDAY post!

Survival

Yay, I did fine yesterday at my appointment. Except for the fact I entered the time wrong in my calendar and I was 2 hours late that is! Fortunately, the doctor saw me anyway and I was out of there in 30 minutes total. I noticed there was no Mirena paraphernalia in the office this time and he was quick to say let's take it out. After the fact I discussed some of my fatigue and other issues and noted that it reminded me of when I was pregnant. He agreed it could be from the hormones in the IUD and it was possible I would feel better now. I think this has been an issue with other patients. I sincerely hope this will help my energy level.

Our ceiling how has a nice hole in it where we will have to replace the insulation and drywall. Our shower has had the tile ripped out and we're letting it dry out. We are starting on walling in the loft to make an office this weekend. Fortunately, a friend of Mike's brother is doing the work for us so it will be cheaper than hiring a company (this is what he does at his normal job and does weekend jobs on the side). I'm really thinking about trying to rearrange the bathroom so we have some closet space. If I can do that, get a screen door, and the office done I think I could find some happiness in this house. With our market I'm probably stuck for awhile so I'd like to be happy!

What next!?!

First I should note I have not downloaded photos yet but I took this with my phone a week before Halloween and sent it to myself. I'm quite proud of the outfit from the Sly 3 Playstation game because I had to create it myself. Now onto more annoying issues...

I can't believe how absolutely awful today is. Last night Connor was up yet again making it night number 4 in the last 7 nights. Except this time he absolutely would not go back to sleep. I will admit he did have a little gas but not enough to warrant his being awake from 3:30 until 5:45! I was so exhausted I just could not get up at 7 to take Sean to school plus I hated to wake Connor so I did something I never could have imagined doing. I slept until 8:30 and finally got Sean to school a little before 10. I feel like such a horrible Mommy and believe me things haven't improved much since then.

To start, I'm in a bad mood about the election. I'm sure Mr. Obama is a lovely man, but unfortunately for me he has has probably voted against most of the moral issues I find most important.

Okay, back to my day. Bad mood going to sleep, woken up at 3:30 so only about 3 hours of sleep. Mike's still gone (since Monday morning early) so I am the only one here to take care of the boys. Sean goes to school late and I know Connor isn't going to nap nor do I have the patience to get him to sleep anyway. It's Wednesday so I have to take Sean to Karate and entertain Connor for an hour... I might as well go to the gym even though my new "workout buddy" can't go because her daughter is sick. Stay tuned for my workout issues as I've agreed to work out with a friend from church 3 days a week. A friend who happens to run 7 miles daily but needs some crosstraining. I sucked it up today, worked really hard in my delirious state and ran 1.3 miles indoors, on a treadmill, while I watched soap operas. Obviously I'm giong to find it a breeze to keep up with Sheila, LOL!

Alright, home and more fun awaits. I'm letting Connor play in the backyard with Charlotte. Yes, I let my 2 1/2 year old play in the backyard with the dog we got a month ago. Yes, I'm insane but I do stay by the window and watch and she is from a home with 5 kids and is very submissive. And yes, if he gets bit I will have to slit my wrists as I will then be the most neglectful mother ever born. Anyway, I lure him inside somehow. I'm not sure how but I need to remember because he seems to want to move in with Charlotte permanently and we haven't even gotten her a doghouse yet. He ran in our front room. The useless one separated from our tiny living room by french doors someone thought was a good idea instead of say having space for living in the living room. When I go in to get him to pick up Sean the couch is wet. Connor has a tendency to pour juice on things and actually killed one of our TV's so I automatically blame him. In fact I pick him up and softly swat his diapered tush. I'm not a spanker but I'm tired and he is out of control lately. I'm trying to dry it up when I discover the blinds are wet too and for whatever reason glance up. The ceiling is leaking! The shower handle has been leaking and Mike worked on it this weekend but apparently it didn't stop. I never take showers so I didn't notice. I ran upstairs and managed to get it to stop but the ceiling is now soggy and I'm afraid it will fall in. I finally heard back from Mike about 30 seconds before I used the shop vac on the drain. He explained the water in the drain was not the culprit (hey I'm a girl, how should I know, I think I get points for even trying to address the problem). He walked me through taking the handle apart and suggested I poke a hole in the ceiling to determine if water was still sitting or if the drywall was just saturated.

I instructed Sean to call 911 if he heard a crash and I didn't answer, locked the boys upstairs and scaled the ladder with a bucket and screwdriver (flathead--see I'm not totally inept). Fortunately, only heavier drips came out so I've sealed off the room until he returns and can fix it. If I can survive tomorrow it will be a miracle but I WILL take a few hours off for myself this weekend.

Oh, did I mention I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow to remove the Mirena. Well, at least I've been so busy and sleepy today I haven't had time to worry about it. Of course I'm not sure where the info with the appointment time is and now it's after 5. Hopefully, I can either find it or get ahold of them early enough to get Connor to Kidspace before I have to be there. Oh, joy what a fun life I live. I guess the president-elect is the least of my worries today. But boy, I sure miss my mother right now!

Not Me Monday

I did not mess up the rules and accidentally link before posting. No, Not Me!

I did not find MckMama's blog only a few weeks ago but become a total addict checking it daily and every few hours the day MckMuffin was born. Not Me!

I did not sob and thank God when he was born not only alive but as perfect as it gets. Not Me!

I did not neglect to yet again download Halloween photos so you can see how cute my 3 boys looked (yes I made Mike a costume too). Not Me!

I did not work until the last minute taking on way to much and literally piecing Mike's costume together as we drove to the Trick-or-Treat party. Not Me!

I did not let both boys watch way to much TV today because I was up yet again with Connor last night (3rd night in a week!) Not Me!

I did not "kick" Sean outside to play with Connor so I could read the mail, oops, I mean empty the dishwasher and make dinner. Not Me!

I did not "shamelessly" post this Not Me! post so I could post my link and maybe someone would actually read my blog. (Actually that's not totally true because I really needed to post today anyway!) Not Me!

I did not fall to my knees in the kitchen a few minutes ago crying out to God to protect our nation in tomorrow's election. AND this is not totally out of character for me. Not Me!

I also did not get to the early voting site too late to wait because I had to pick Connor up from MDO (on Friday) thus didn't even vote! Not Me!

I am not counting the minutes until I can finally get both boys in bed because Connor was up last night, took a late nap thus denying me one, and Mike is yet again out of town. No, Not Me!