I've decided to pull up the roots of my blog here and move them over to Blogger.  It's nothing personal against homeschoolblogger!  I still have my homeschooling blog here.  I just felt that maybe this blog belonged somewhere else, for my own personal reasons. 

So please hop over to the new place for a visit!  Here's the address: http://www.pufferfishdiaries.blogspot.com/.  Be sure to bookmark it so you can always find me! 

See ya soon!

~Bev~

Monday, November 18, 1996, was a beautiful day.  Sunny, clear, not too cold, not too warm.  Perfect.  And it was the day that my life changed completely.....

Rewind one year to November 1995.  Dh and I had been living in a small, two-bedroom apartment for a year and a half, since our wedding.  Tired of being cramped, dealing with difficult neighbors, and doing without things like a washer and dryer - we decided to look for a home to purchase.  Our price range was very limited, so it took awhile to find something we could afford that was also worth the investment of what little money we had. 

~

That November, we found a suitable place and bought it.  It was a small, three-bedroom, one bath, ranch-style house.  It had a very dated kitchen, dark paneling throughout, and really old carpet... but, it had a laundry room, which was a huge plus for me.  And, it had other quaint features that made it appealing to us.  We were eager to make it "home".  People teased us that we would soon fill up those extra bedrooms, and we laughed.  We intended to wait at least 5 years before we had children, so we could finish college and all that kind of stuff. 

~

In March of '96, I got sick.  Like, really sick.  I thought I had a miserable case of the flu that just wasn't going away.  Then I started having other weird symptoms.  When I talked to my mom, she said, "Well, are you pregnant?"  No.... I certainly did not think that was the case.  That wasn't our plan, after all.  I wasn't even 21 yet, and still considered dh and I to be newlyweds.  Children would come later, I thought.  Yet, the symptoms would only get worse, and eventually, curiousity got the better of me. 

~

I nearly croaked when I went to buy a pregnancy test at Walmart that day.  I was so embarrassed!  (ha!)  And I was a basket case when I came home and attempted to actually do the test.  I was just a nervous wreck. 

~

Both lines immediately turned dark.  My jaw hit the floor. 

~

Panic.

~

I was so scared.  I spent the rest of the day bawling my eyes out and trying to figure out how in the world I was going to tell dh.  I had not even told him that it was a possibility before then.  I don't know why, and it seems so foolish now, but for some reason I was afraid he was going to be upset with me.  Finally, I made a 2nd trip to Walmart that day, this time to buy two little baby outfits.  One was blue and it said "Daddy's Little Prince" across the front.  The other was pink and said "Daddy's Little Princess".  I wrapped them in a little gift bag, and tied a "Welcome Baby" balloon to it.  When dh came home from work, I nervously presented him with the gift. 

~

Then we both sat there and bawled.  Tears of joy, in utter amazement, that God was blessing us with our own little surprise miracle. 

~

Lots of preparations had to be made in the following months.  Our little fixer-upper of a house suddenly had urgent changes that had to be made.  Dh and his brother and another friend hung sheetrock in the room we planned to use as a nursery.  Then they replaced the old, storm windows with new insulated ones.  I spent weeks painting and wallpapering.  I sewed curtains, a pad for the rocking chair, and refinished an old changing table.  My father-in-law made a beautiful cradle.  Friends from church, as well as family showered us with everything else we could possibly need for the baby.  For a couple of young kids with no clue about how to be parents, we were pretty well set as far as necessities went. 

~

The pregnancy was uneventful, aside from the 24-hour-a-day sickness.  We were attending childbirth classes, but I pretty much slept through the whole part about c-sections, since I didn't think it applied to me.  On October 24th, I found out that my baby was in a breech position.  And if he didn't turn, I'd have to have a c-section.  He never turned around.  My due date was November 21st, however my doctor agreed to deliver the baby a few days early.  See, dh's dad's bday is November 18th, and what better bday gift could he possibly give than a new grandchild? 

~

Having never been in the hospital before, and certainly never having had surgery before, I was extremely nervous when I checked into the hospital that morning.  I won't get into all the details, but let's just say that it didn't help me to feel any better to have a student nurse attempting to start an IV.  After the 3rd or 4th try, the other nurse took over.  Fun.  It did get better after that.  Especially when I heard those sweet cries for the first time, and the doctor announced, "It's a BOY!" 

~

We had no insurance, so we had not had an ultrasound.  We had no idea whether the baby was a boy or girl, until then.  What joy!!!  We were absolutely elated!!  He was beautiful and healthy and strong.  Dh went up to the nursery with the nurses and our new son while I stayed in the O.R. to get sewn back together.  *smirk*  After some time in recovery, I was able to see my baby boy up close, face to face.  How can I describe such love?  Those cheeks were so sweet.  Those eyes - mesmerizing.  Everything about him was perfect, from his head to his toes. 

~

At that point, dh and I couldn't imagine having it any other way.  We were young and we had a LOT to learn, but we were ready and willing to learn it.  I've always said that our first baby taught me how to be a mom.  And he really did.  And he also showed me what it's like to have a little piece of my heart walking around outside of my body, because that's exactly what it feels like to have a child.  In hindsight, we see God's hand in all of this.  We needed that baby, right then.  It was perfect timing, and God knew that. 

~

We're so blessed to have this child, now an eleven year old young man.  And I am still smitten with him, even though I complain sometimes about silly things that bug me.  I could never ask for a better son.  I thank God for him every day!!!  I pray that God will give us many, many more years together.

~

Happy Birthday, Son!

I'm feeling a bit guilty tonight,

as I do most every night.

I'd just like to know, where is the line between being a good mom and just being human and needing time to myself?  I love my kids.  I love being with them, which is obvious, since we homeschool and are together all the time.  But at the same time, at the end of the day - I'm ready for some time to myself. 

I feel guilty when I put my children to bed because they each want to have some one-on-one time with mom.  I love going in and saying prayers with them and tucking each one into bed.  However, when I try to say "goodnight" and leave the room, it's usually met with pleads for me to stay and talk, snuggle, tell a story, sing a song, etc.  I know that they really want to have that time, but in my mind, I'm thinking about all the stuff I still need to do before bed, or that I just want to do before bed.

I try to give them lots of lovin' during the day, and one-on-one time as much as possible.  I guess it's just something about snuggling up in their beds for the night that makes them want their mama.  (Which is likely my fault, since I was the one that rocked them to sleep for the first several years of their lives.)

It's hard to know where to draw the line.

I guess I have to decide which is worse:

feeling guilty for cutting short the cuddle time so I can have some time to myself, or feeling guilty for not taking any time for myself?

Hopefully I'll find a happy medium sometime before they're grown and out of the house.

"Focal bilateral areas of increased signal greater in the
left cerebral hemisphere than the right and while this
may represent small vessel ischemic changes, focal
lacunar infarcts secondary to hypertension in this age group of
other consideration would be non-active multiple
sclerotic plaques."

~

These were the words of the radiologist who examined my MRI.

~

Clear as mud?

~

Yeah, I thought so, too.

~

I received this information last week, but wasn't able to get in to see Dr. N until today, which is why I haven't updated until now.  Sorry.    See, I had the radiology report in my hands, but I had no clue what it meant, so there was no use trying to write about it.  And I'm still not sure exactly...

~

We are looking at anything from Multiple Sclerosis (no shock there.. I've heard that for the past 5 years) to mini-strokes to maybe my brain is just weird like that, all on its own for no real reason.  See, I've got these little white "blips", if you will, scattered around on my brain.  The docs think that these are little dead spots where the myelin has been destroyed and has left little plaques in its place.  Now we just have to dig deeper to try and figure it out.  Yep - I'm a mystery.  An enigma.  A walking anomaly.  That's me.

~

And, frustrated.  That's me, too. 

My eldest child is 10, at least for a few more weeks.  But already he's acting sort've teenager-y, and it's really starting to bug me.  And I've told him this - it's no big secret.  Lately he seems convinced that my head must not be functioning properly, that instead of a brain, I've really got some sort of unintelligent mush up there.  (Come to think of it, he may be on to something....)  Seriously, though - is this how I treated my mother?  If so, I'm sorry Mom! 

~

I know that the fun has only just begun, and I don't mean to be unappreciative of the wonderful child God has given me.  I knew that the teen years could be difficult, but I just didn't expect it to start this early!  He just seems to be questioning everything I do - from the way I have the cabinets arranged in the kitchen to how I have things arranged in the refrigerator to the whole layout of our house's floor plan.  Then there's my driving, my choice of music, the things I tell him he can't have (and he lets me know why he should have them).  I understand that it's healthy to question things, but I guess I am just not prepared for it yet! 

~

Lord Help Me!  I've got a pre-teen! 

My MRI was scheduled for 8 this morning. This was not a new thing to me. I've had 3, maybe 4 MRI's in the past 5 years. And it's never been a fun thing, per se, but I’ve been able to tolerate them quite easily in the past. This time, however, was different.

The day started off well. My mother graciously offered to keep my kids overnight last night so that I could take it easy getting ready this morning, plus not have to drag them out so early. That was so nice! It was hard getting out of bed, as usual, but once I got up it was easy going. I got to the hospital early, took my time getting registered, and still had time to sit in the waiting room and watch “Good Morning America”. At about 8:15, the tech came to get me, showed me where to put my stuff, and got me situated on the MRI bed. This was when things started to go downhill.

I think my first mistake was wearing my long hair down, because when I laid down, I couldn’t get it situated to where it was comfortable and out of the way. Then, the tech put the headphones on my head, and they were a little crooked. That was uncomfortable, too, but I didn’t get to fix it before she snapped the brace down to hold my head still. Then the tech placed a sheet over me and handed me the “panic button”, which is a long cord with a ball-like thing on the end that you squeeze to get the tech’s attention. As I said, I’ve done this before, but never had to use the panic button. Until today.

The tech sent me backwards into the big tube, walked out of the room, and within 15 seconds, I freaked out. I don’t know what happened, if it was because I was uncomfortable or what, but I completely spazzed. It was a feeling of complete and total panic, like I HAD to get out of there or I was going to die. I have never felt like that before, and I hope I never do again! I pushed the button and the tech came in. I told her I had to get up, so she let me out and unhooked the brace so I could sit up. I sat there and just absolutely bawled like a baby. How embarrassing! Thankfully, the tech was very understanding and patient. She assured me that this was very common, and then spent several minutes reassuring me and explaining to me how the machine works to maybe put my mind at ease. After I settled down and dried my face with a washcloth, she fastened me back in for another ride.

This time, I had pulled my hair back in a ponytail and left the sheet off so I would stay cool. When the tech pushed me back in the tube, she took my hand and let me feel the outside of the tube from where I was laying, so I could get oriented to where I was and feel that the edge of the thing was just “right there”. That helped a LOT. It was still difficult, but I felt like I could go through with it. I forced myself to NOT think about being stuck in a seemingly tiny little tube with my head pinned to the table. Instead, I started reciting things in my head, like the multiplication tables I’ve been working on with my kids lately and words to favorite church songs. Then I went through several piano pieces that I memorized for recitals long ago, and imagined that I was playing them again, note by note. I thought about my kids and tried to picture each of their faces and to hear their laughter in my mind. I thought about my sweet hubby, and imagined that he was standing right outside the tube, holding my hand. This was all pretty good, considering the music that was playing through my headphones. Today there was a combination of Madonna, Cher, and Simon and Garfunkel playing. Ay yi yi….

Halfway through, the tech lady pulled me out and gave me a shot in the arm of the contrast dye that they use to make things show up better in the pictures. As she pushed me back in, she assured me that there would be only three more big noises and then it would be over. (If you’ve never had or been around an MRI machine - that’s what they do: make noise. Lots of noise. Sounds like a jackhammer.)

And sure enough, three big noises later and she was pulling me back out. Whew! I was a little disoriented at first when I got up, after lying very still for about 30 minutes. But after walking around for a few minutes I started feeling better. It occurred to me just how fortunate I am to be healthy and to not have to go through that and WORSE more often. I have a newfound respect for people with chronic illnesses who are constantly subjected to things that are just downright hard to do, whether it be MRI’s, spinal taps, physical therapy, chemo, radiation, whatever the case may be. I hope and pray that I never have to go through that again. If I do, they may have to sedate me for it.

Oh, and another fun little tidbit for ya - I had the most horrible itch on the end of my nose during that whole thing! And there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it, either.

Remember on the movie Kindergarten Cop?  You know, the one where Arnold Schwarzennager is an undercover cop posing as a teacher?  That little kid keeps telling him that he (ah-nuld) must have a brain tumor, and Ah-nuld tells him that no, 'iss-nod-a-tooma', (or 'it's not a tumor').  Anyways, that's what keeps playing back in my mind this week as I've been dealing with health issues of my own. 

So, I went to see the doctor on Wednesday.   Pain in my arm, from the shoulder down to the pinky, was the initial complaint.  In the past week, I've been having severe headaches and the pain in my arm has spread to my leg as well - all of this on the right side.  I had an MRI of my cervical spine for this very same thing two years ago, but the doctor then (different doctor) never bothered to share the results with me.  (He was looking for one specific thing, and when the MRI didn't show what he was looking for, he didn't bother to tell me what it DID show...but that's a different doctor, and a different story... I'll bore you with it another time.) 

As I was saying before I interrupted myself... I went to see my family doctor.  I told him about the symptoms I'd been experiencing.  He said that they "concerned" him.  Not what I was hoping for.  I mean, not that I want my doctor to laugh at me, but a good-humored "you came to see me just for that?" and then he'd point out something simple, like that my "foundation garments" were just too tight and were cutting off  feeling in my arm or something.... I'd be mortifiied, but at least it wouldn't be a big deal.  But no, he had to say that my symptoms concerned him.  Great.  Cause he, like, went to medical school to learn all this stuff about what and what not to be concerned about.  Dandy. 

We talked about all the possible problems and then he sent me for the usual bloodwork and xrays.  The blood tests came back normal (sugar, potassium, sodium, and something else I can't remember..)  The xrays were taken of my neck, and they showed some funky stuff going on, which Doctor N. said looked like osteoarthritis.  He said that it could be responsible for the problems in my arm as well as my leg, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was what was causing the headaches and some other "neurological" symptoms.  So he wants me to have my brain checked out again.  I have an MRI scheduled for Tuesday morning, but I doubt they'll find anything.  (--insert joke here.)  They never find anything substantial, so I just keep on keeping on, until I have another flare up of some sort and the fun will start all over again.  Can you tell that I'm not feeling so optimistic? 

One thing that Dr. N said that I found interesting is that it could be sinus-related.  That's something I never would have suspected.  He told me to take Mucinex  twice a day and see if that helped with the headaches.  However, I have taken it at night the past two nights and it completely wipes me out, so there's no way I'm taking it during the day!  But, my headaches have calmed down so maybe the Mucinex is helping? 

I guess that's it for the update.  I'll update again when I get the results from the MRI, or should I say IF I get the results? 

I'm going to the doctor on Wednesday about that funky arm thing that I mentioned a few posts ago.  It's gotten even weirder - now my right leg has joined the fun.  My leg has been spontaneously erupting into "goosebumps", for no apparant reason.  The goosebumps aren't visible, but it just feels like the feeling of getting goosebumps.  Does that make sense?  Probably not.  The doctor will probably think I'm a loon.  But that's okay....we all know better, don't we? 

DON'T WE?!?

I'll let ya know how it goes.  I'm sure you're hanging on the edge of your seat....

I couldn't sleep last night.  At first I couldn't get to sleep because I couldn't get my mind off of a big bill that was due.  I couldn't remember the exact due date, but I knew it was coming up pretty quickly.  After tossing and turning for half an hour, I finally decided to just get up and take care of it.  The bill is due 10/23, but I went ahead and paid it (online)... ya know, cuz I like to be early with my payments.  LOL. 

So I went back to bed, but still couldn't get to sleep.  I had stupid songs running through my head and thoughts about this and that and the other.  I propped up on my pillow and played Scrabble on my phone for awhile, and finally was able to fall asleep around 1 or so.  So when the alarm went off at 6, I was NOT ready to get up.  Plus, it was SO DARK outside!  I got up and made bfast for dh, and in the process, I heard the pitter-patter of little feet.  *sigh*  Thankfully I was able to convince that little twerp to lay back down for awhile.  And ya know what?  I joined him!  LOL.

I did have to get back up again not long after that, but the extra rest was awfully nice.  We had our co-op "Monday School" today, so that kept us hopping all afternoon.  Then dd had bball practice afterwards.  We finally made it back to town around 5:30PM, just in time to meet dh at Dixie Cafe for dinner.  He had to rush off to a fire meeting, so I brought the kids home and got them bathed and put to bed.  Now I'm sitting here droning on about my boring, busy day.... about to fall over.... 

Aren't you glad I shared? 

So my little sister tells me I need to update my blog.  What?  It hasn't been a month yet!  

I'm sorry.  I know I am truly one of the world's worst bloggers, but it's just hard to find the time... ya know, with my glamorous life and all.     

~

So, what's been going on in my life?  

Of course there's been school.

(That's always a whole 'nother story, so that is why I keep it in a whole 'nother blog.)

And then, family life has kept us hoppin' this week, too.  Dh's parents made it back home this past Sunday, after being gone for a whole month.  So, the reunion with the grandkids was glorious, and they took every opportunity this week to visit and get reacquainted, which was great.  We had dinner w/them Sunday night.  Tuesday they babysat two of my twerps while I took the 3rd one to the orthodontist.  (Thankfully the Dr. said we can put off braces for at least another six months!  Whew!  *cuz I don't have the fundage for that at the moment!*)

~

Wednesday it rained and rained and rained s'more.  I wanted to stay home and hibernate through church services, but the whole parent-guilt thing gets me every time.  So we bundled up and trudged off to church... where my youngest, age 4, ran inside and started down the hall to his classroom.  Of course, his feet were wet and the floor was slippery, and he bounced his noggin off the floor a few times when he slid down.  The screaming followed immediately.  And I was wondering, "Why?  Why did I bring them?"  

~

Thursday... hmmm... I don't remember much about Thursday.  Oh wait!  Now I do.  DD had bball practice Thursday night.  It was her first one with this new team, and I think she's really going to like it.  If, we decide to let her play.  She's 8.  And this is a "traveling team".  It's going to be a lot of work.  We'll see.

~

After bball practice, dh and his dad brought a new-to-us bedroom set home for our oldest.  It seems that his old bed was making him sick, possibly - which is again, another story.  Anyway, so we get this set home and put together in our house, only to discover that the previous owners were obviously heavy smokers.  Again,  

So I've spent the past few days trying to fumigate it and get rid of the STENCH that comes from cigarette smoke.  (I have never understand WHY anyone in their right mind would smoke one of those nasty things.  Ick.  They STINK. SO. BAD!  I can't stand to smell it, much less taste it.  Ugh!)  I think he'll finally be able to sleep on his new bed tonight.  It's much better, though still not completely smell-free.

~

Last night we went to BIL's place for a big cookout.  A lot of people camped out there overnight, but not me.  I'm not a camper.  My idea of "roughing it" is to take the batteries out of the TV remote.  KWIM?  I'm not a nature-gal, never have been, probably never will be.  I did enjoy the weenie-roast and sitting around a big campfire with family and friends.   We sang songs, roasted marshmallows, swapped stories.  Then, the best part of all, Gma and Gpa took the kids home with THEM, and dh and I had the rest of our night to ourselves.  Sounds dangerous, doesn't it?  Hehehe....

~

No, it's not what you're thinking.  We came home and watched "Stargate Atlantis" (which just gets cheesier and cheesier every season...), ate popcorn, he played his computer game, I read blogs on the laptop, then we went to bed and went to SLEEP.  Neither of us even knew the world existed until almost eleven o'clock this morning.  YIKES!  I haven't slept that late in AGES.  But it felt great.  We got up and cleaned house a little bit.  Then we went and ate Chinese food.  Yum.  Without kids.  Even better. 

~

Then, this afternoon - the kids returned.  The little one had a bday party to go to next door, so off we went.  Have you ever experienced the horror joy that is a 4 year old's birthday party?  If not, you really must try it sometime!  Nothing like a good game of musical chairs to send every little child into fits of hysteria because "somebody took MY chair!"  Yes.  Oh, and my child did it, too - he's not perfect, believe it or not.  The main attraction, a pony to ride, bucked the birthday girl right off.  Scared the peejeebers out of the rest of us, too.  Thank goodness she was not hurt.  And after awhile, we managed to sneak back home and chill out for awhile.  Until it was time to go again.  We went out to eat tonight for my older sister's birthday.  Now we're home again, and the children are bathed and I'm about to go put them to bed.  Whew.  What a week!  (I'm sitting here yawning as I type this...)

~

Here's to a peaceful night tonight, and another wonderful week starting tomorrow!

and I don't know why.  Dh thinks I have a pinched nerve.  The top of my hand and my pinky finger are all tingly, and my whole arm throbs and burns.  It just started this past weekend and it's been keeping me up the past few nights.  I've actually been dealing with this off and on for years now, and I'd really like to know what the cause of it is!  No doctor has been able to give me any definite answers. 

It's frustrating.

Occasionally my family enjoys going to a local Chinese buffet.  Typically, at the end of the meal each person receives a fortune cookie.  Of course we all know that it's just for fun, and that there is no legitimacy in each given "fortune".  Just for kicks, my younger sister taught my kids to add the phrase "in the bathtub" to the end of the fortune.  This has become a tradition in our family, and sometimes it brings a whole eruption of laughter around the table.   Tonight was one of those times.  So, I thought it would be fun to share our little "fortunes" with whoever happens by the blog! 

~

Here they are... and be sure to add "in the bathtub" to the end.....

• Seize from every moment its uniqueness, especially this week... (...in the bathtub.)
• Seek friendship and you will find someone special....(...in the bathtub.)
• Now is the time to set your sights high and go for it...(..in the bathtub.)

I would have had two more to add, but my two older children got a little too rowdy with them and tore them up before I had a chance to read them.  Oh well... 

Hope this made you grin!

The life of a homeschool mom can be very draining sometimes.  Okay, ALL the time.  I love my children, and I love being home with them and taking full responsibility for their education.  But sometimes, a mom has just got to get away from it all. 

~

Now, let me tell you about my new best friend.  My friend is really, really sweet.  This friend is the type who always offers comfort when I need it the most.  This friend is always there, any time of the night or day.  And this friend is never too busy to take me and give me a big, soapy hug!  All I have to do is lock the bathroom door, run a tub full of warm water, and pour! 

~

My friend's name?  You may have already guessed it - it's Calgon.  Or, "Cal", for short.  Cal and I have gotten really close lately.  We've been meeting up nearly every day, or every other day at least.  Cal doesn't like bright lights, so I always supply the candles.  Sometimes we even listen to the radio, or read a book together.  Once we even took a little nap.  *wink*

~

The other day, after dh got home from work, I told him I was leaving.  He said, "huh?!"  I said, "Yep.  I'm going.  Calgon is taking me away!"  Of course, I added a sweet, "Could you keep an eye on the kids?  I'll be back in 15 minutes, I promise!" 

~

Here's a sneak peek at our secret hideout:

Notice that spot in the middle?  Cal saved it just for me!  What a great friend!  :)

We debated for a long time about whether our family NEEDED a second computer or not.  Up until recently, we could not say that we truly NEEDED one.  And maybe we still can't say that honestly, but nonetheless, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a laptop.  I really think this will simplify things for us in a number of ways. 

~

For one, both of the older children do a lot of their school work on the computer every day.  Having one child have to wait on the other to get done with their assignment before he/she can work on his own, well - in short, that spells C-H-A-O-S.  Too much of the time, the time slips away from us before all the work gets done, and that just leads to a big mess of unfinished lessons and lazy attitudes towards school.  So in that aspect, a 2nd computer is a necessity. 

~

Secondly, dh is really into all this fantasy sports stuff.  Oh my.  I never knew a pretend game could be so time consuming!  Just think -what if he were actually PLAYING the game?  I'd never see him!  Ay yi yi....

Anyways, between the fantasy football and fantasy NASCAR racing, plus this other game on CD that he really likes, dh occupies the computer quite a bit in the evenings.  And I'm not complaining.  (not at the moment, anyways...  LOL)  He needs to be able to unwind after a day at work.  But, there are things that I need the computer for in the evenings as well, like getting lesson plans ready for the next day at school.... chatting with my sister on MSN.... playing Scrabble.... blogging....  You know, IMPORTANT STUFF!

~

Then you throw in the added usefulness of being able to pick up the computer and take it with you, and that just seals the deal.  No more worries about missing too much school when we have to be gone for this or that - we can just take "school" with us! 

~

Not to mention we got an AWESOME deal from DELL.  I am really loving the new Dell Inspiron 1521.  I wasn't sure I would like Windows Vista, but so far it's just fine.  It's just a little different than what I'm used to with XP, but I'll adjust.

Here's a pic of the new TOY  TOOL....

I suppose it looks like any other laptop on the market... but this one is different.  It's special.  Know why???

Cuz it's mine!  :)

Nothing lasts forever, as we've all been told.  But in my house, we're lucky to even make things last a few days.  During "back to school" time, I had been buying those 24 packs of individual Doritos and Cheetos packages.  I figured that since my kids were constantly asking for a snack, that would be one way to streamline and simplify my life.  Well those little bags lasted NO time.  And for some reason, my children could not figure out how to make those little empty bags get from their cheese-covered hands to the trash can.  I got tired of picking them up, and the children didn't seem interested in doing it, so I stopped buying them. 

~

Now it's not like I just let them have free reign over the snacks, either, don't get me wrong.  I let them have a morning snack and an afternoon snack, both of which had to be approved by me.  But still, with three kids and a 24-pack...which sometimes gets invaded by Daddy, too, the snack box never stays stocked for long. 

~

Yesterday I offered them a plate of carrots, cheese cubes, and crackers to nibble on during morning schoolwork.  Ha!  Guess what was the only thing left?  The carrots!

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Another thing that never lasts long - chewing gum.  I should buy stock in the Orbit company, because at the rate we're going through those packages, somebody is gettin' rich!  And what is it with kids chewing gum for all of 62 seconds and then either spitting it out or swallowing it?  Ay yi yi...

This morning my father-in-law called to say that he and Grandma would be by around 10AM to pick up the kids for a day at the park.  We have a fantastic state park with hiking trails and fishing, swimming and pedal boats, a playground, and beautiful picnic areas.  My kids LOVE to go, but it's not something we do just real often.  They were more than thrilled when I told them the news. 

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After breakfast, I put them to work on their assignments to see how much they could get done before Gma and Gpa arrived.  They both managed to get a little bit done.  But honestly, spending the day hiking and fishing and enjoying nature is pretty educational, too, if you ask me! 

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As they were loading up in Gma's van, Gpa said he was sorry that there wasn't room for me to join them.  (They were taking my niece and nephew, too.)  I jokingly lamented that I didn't know what I would do, here in the house ALONE... in the PEACE and QUIET.  Hmmmmmmmm........?  Maybe I'll be able to keep myself occupied until they get back here in a few hours......

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One thing I'm going to do is meet dh for lunch!  Woohoo!  :)

In my head.  I’ve had such a massive headache for the past several days.  You know, the kind that resembles the feeling of an ice pick being jabbed through your skull and makes the simplest tasks seem monumental.  Forget about looking at the computer screen, too, because that brings a whole ‘nother dimension to the pain.  Thus, my absence from the blogosphere. 

My dear, sweet hubby went on a quest for something to put my mind at ease, and returned with a hefty bottle of Excedrin.  He’s my hero.   My knight in a gold mini-van.  And the Excedrin:  it’s my new best friend.   

I felt a little like Ty Pennington when I finally finished (for the most part) the work on our school closet Saturday night.  Finally, a place for everything, and everything in its place!   Okay, so not everything is in its place yet.... but we're gettin' there!   

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Here are some updated pictures. 

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(the right side)

(and the left side)

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The rest of the house is still a wreck, so no chance of me posting any more pics of that right now!  But, it's coming together slowly but surely.  :)

Wow, it's been a little while since I posted anything.  I guess I haven't had anything really to fuss about.  LOL.  Today, about the only thing I have to fuss about is that I've got a really stupid song stuck in my head.  My kids love to watch "High School Musical", so I've been hearing those same songs over and over and over and over.  So now, I've got one of them STUCK in my head.  Permanently, I think. 

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We're trying to get ready to start school on Monday, which has been a big undertaking.  As far as materials go, we're all set.  It's getting my house together and my school space organized that has been the problem!  You should SEE my HOUSE.  It's horrendous.  I am not kidding.  There is stuff on every flat surface throughout the house.  Part of it is because of our school closet makeover that is taking place.  See, last year, we started out with an empty closet and sort've half-heartedly threw some shelves in there.  Some were made from leftover MDF board that wasn't cut to the right size and some of them were even made from some leftover laminate wood flooring.  Well, throughout our school year last year, I discovered just how important a good "launch pad" is for school books and supplies.  So this year, we're doing it the right way before school gets started. 

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Here are some shots of just how trashy my house is right now.  Can I pull it all together by MONDAY???

(photo below: most of the contents of the school closet that got piled onto the dining room table.)

(photo below: more contents from the closet, stacked on ever flat surface available.)

(photo below: My poor kitchen that has suffered because I've been busy w/the closet project.)

I know it will be soooo worth it in the end, when I finally get my closet back together!  It will be nice to be able to actually walk in there and find what I'm looking for without having to sort through piles of stuff that fell off the shelves because the shelves were too short.  LOL. 

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I'll post some "after" pictures when I get it all finished.  How 'bout that?