Happy 6th Birthday, Zeke (a little early)!!

Dinosaur Cake with Strawberry Volcano!

I'm a day early, but I wanted to go ahead and get this out there.  Six years ago today, I was told by my doctor that my blood pressure was high, and I needed to go ahead and get admitted to the hospital.  My question to her: "Can I do that after I get off work?"  Her response: "No.  Go now."  Way to mess up my schedule for sure, right?



Zeke didn't make his appearance until 4:32 p.m. on the 22nd of September, but let me tell you, I was in for a long night!  Anyway, fast forward 6 wonderful years, and here we are!

We had a party last weekend for Zeke and some of his buddies at the Discovery Center.  It's a museum geared toward children, covering all things science and nature-related.  After some fun and a little dance off (which for some reason the girls weren't too enthused about), we had cake and presents followed by a SUPER SCIENCE session.  The kids got to make some kinda gooey, messy substance that you'd have to be 6 or 7 years old to fully appreciate, and they also made bottle rockets, which they set off outside.  It was pretty awesome!  After that, they had an hour to explore the museum at your own pace.  Nice!

I think everyone had a blast.  Even the parents who attended seemed to enjoy themselves!  Or at least that's what they told me.  LOL!



More birthday dinners to follow, of course, since Hubby's coming home today and will get to spend Zeke's actual birthday with us, which will be nice.  A few days off, and then he's back on the road.  C'est la vie, I'm afraid, at least until he knocks off for the season in a few more weeks.

Another thing we did this past weekend was the Boy Scouts popcorn sale!  This is apparently their big fundraiser for the year, and scouts who reach their target in sales get to attend summer camp for free.  We've been plugging away at this for a while, but hopefully sales will pick up a bit in the coming weeks.  If you're reading this and would like an opportunity to help send Zeke to summer camp, please click on this link and buy some delicious popcorn, or if you're watching your figure, donate to the troops overseas so that they can enjoy some popcorn while fighting for our freedom!

Click here to help send Zeke to summer camp!

The boys had a lot of fun selling popcorn.  Zeke and his buddy Sam were real troopers and asked a bunch of people to buy from them.  Sometimes people made donations just because they thought they were both adorable in their little uniforms!  lol

I was pleasantly surprised that only a few individuals were coldhearted enough to completely ignore these little boys.  One woman was looking at the coke machine and pretended that the 50-pound little person standing next to them and asking if they'd like to buy popcorn was merely a figment of her imagination.  It did hurt their feelings a little, but they got over it.

We have another sale coming up.  I hope the folks over at Lowes are just as nice as they were at Kroger!

Anti-Social Social Games

I've had an epiphany.  The "social" games I've been playing for well over the past year have somehow sucked the time right out the window, and I've about reached the point that this behavior is going to have to stop.  What's social about these games anyway?  The fact that you have to keep requesting X, Y, and Z umpteen times just to move on to the next part of the game?  Who are these people I'm sending requests to anyway??

The age of social gaming is here, but according to the folks I've been talking to, it's on its way back out.

I have way too much stuff to do than to come home from work and feel obligated at night to sit and stare at the computer screen.  I do enough of that at work on a daily basis.  When I'm at home, I want to spend my time visiting with my kids for the couple of hours I get to see them before bed time, and if I do, that means I stay up that much longer after they go to bed just to tend my crops, feed the animals, or collect rent from my houses and buildings.

What do you mean it's 11 p.m. already??  I still have to check in with my mafia and whack that no-good S.O.B. who put a hit out on me earlier today!

I think I'm ready to do it.  I'm ready to hang up my apron, turn over my weapons, and let the crops rot in heck.  I just don't have the time anymore...or rather I really didn't have the time to start with!

So this week, I shall begin the process of giving away my collection items and other do-dads that my fellow gamers may wish to procure once I'm gone.  Call it an early inheritance, folks.  I'm checking out of this insanity!

And now, back to real life...

When now is not the time...

The Android app, ReadItLater, has been recommended for you

I just wanted to take a quick minute to share an absolute TREASURE of an app that I came across last week. Read It Later lets me save online articles to read later (and offline) when I've got a few minutes to spare. It works on my phone and desktop, so I can always have access to it. It also presents the article in a clean, streamlined format with NO ads! Definitely 5-star worthy.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Milestones

This past week saw a few memorable milestones in our household.  The first of which was Zeke's first day in 1st grade.  He'd been ready for this day for weeks, asking me over and over when he was going to be OFFICIALLY a first-grader.  The irony is that on the morning of said first day of school, it was all I could do to drag his butt out of bed!  "I don't wanna go to school, Momma!" he whined.  "Oh no," I said, "You're going!"  This went on for almost 10 minutes, at which point I threatened to tickle him until he peed his pants.  That seemed to work...the threat, I mean.

So we finally got ready, and he was more than happy to pose for a picture in the hallway.  He's so darn stinking cute with his backpack on, but sometimes you just wanna smack 'em!

Then yesterday morning, Zeke was standing in our master bathroom chatting away, when all of a sudden his tooth fell out.  Just dropped right out of his head!  It wasn't a total surprise, mind you, since the thing had been flopping around for a few days now, only he wouldn't let me anywhere near it for fear that I might try and yank it out.  (Moi??)

At least now he can show up to school minus two toofies.  *grin*  I remember those days though.  Losing teeth at that age was like a rite of passage, the gateway into Tweendom (which of course didn't exist back in those days, at least not according to Webster's Dictionary).  I know he was starting to get a little worried there for a while, when he was finishing up kindergarten and still had all his baby teeth in place.  (Oh, the things kids worry about these days!)

Anyway, last but not least, little Gabe posed for a shot just moments after he came running into the kitchen to proclaim he had put his socks AND his shoes on by himself!  On the right feet even!  (Note to Reader: The tongue-sticking-out-at-any-given-photo-op trait is something he picked up from his dad, not me.  I just felt the need to clarify.)  I was pleasantly surprised, as this marks the beginning of that long road to independence that all babies strive toward, while us mothers shamefully try to hang onto our precious little tykes and preserve those days when we were absolutely EVERYTHING in their eyes.  That was back when they couldn't do a darn thing for themselves and needed us for everything vital to life except breathing, sleeping, and filling a diaper.  *sniffle*

I do jest.  I'm thrilled that our baby's learning to do these things for himself.  I was thrilled when his big brother learned to do them, too, because now life's just a tad bit easier when it comes to getting ready to leave the house in the morning.  I'm not packing a diaper bag and prepping bottles of milk or formula, carrying snacks and bibs and burp cloths and wet wipes and toys and changing pads and powder and hand sanitizer and plastic bags for God only knows what and AT LEAST three changes of clothes for him...and me!

But I do have some fond MEMORIES of those days.  :)

Time marches on, and kiddos grow up.  It's life at its finest, and what else is there for Hubby and I to do but stand back and watch them do what God and the world intended for them to do?  In the mean time, while we're standing by watching, we'll always be there to give them everything they'll need, to lend a hand when they need it or a shoulder to cry on, a good kick in the pants when warranted (though hopefully not often), and a word of advice during those times they'll need a little guidance.

Yep, I like my job.  I'm in it for life, but it's probably the most rewarding thing I've got to show thus far.  :)

Rest In Peace, Lucy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Lucy"  Aug 2003-July 2011

I went to the vet's office to pick Lucy up today.  I learned that her blood sugar was not yet regulated, and I was going to have to bring her back on Monday to continue insulin dosing and glucose checks.  The vet said her heart worm test came back positive, but she's currently too frail from her diabetes to even think about beginning treatment.  On top of that, the vet strongly recommended getting her spayed in order to prevent uterine or ovarian cancer, something older dogs are prone to.

Bottom line, we were looking at a whole lot more expense than we'd originally planned on.  It was time to seriously evaluate the situation.

After some soul searching, we felt it was best to let her be put to sleep.  Lucy's already considered a senior dog, and with the diabetes, cataracts, heart worm, and the need for surgery, it was just going to be too much for her to go through.  I didn't realize I'd be tearing up at the vet's office.  I was just thankful our neighbor was watching the kids for me instead of having them be there with me, when that call had to be made.  I don't think I could handle the kids being upset at the same time as me.

So, I decided it would be best not to bring her back home.  They will euthanize and bury her.  I know it's in her best interest, but at the same time, it leaves a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Lucy was, after all, my first dog.

And so it goes.  Lucy had a good life, and she was a mild-tempered, lovable, and affectionate dog.  I sure am going to miss her and the games she and I used to play.

Rest in peace, little lady.  We love you.  xoxoxox

Lucy Goes to the Vet

Our dog Lucy had an appointment at the vet's office today.  She's been having trouble seeing lately and losing weight over the past few months, so I decided we needed to get things checked out.

It's a good thing we did, too--turns out Lucy is diabetic!  The vet said that's what caused the weight loss, the sores on her ears that just wouldn't heal, and the rapid onset of cataracts in both of her eyes.  Poor girl!

But I'm glad to have a diagnosis.  At least we know what the problem is and how to fix it.  Lucy's spending a couple of nights at the animal hospital for glucose checks and an insulin workup.  It looks like I'm going to be giving her insulin shots from now on in addition to giving her some special food designed specifically for diabetic dogs like Lucy.  It's been a long time since I gave shots to a dog, but I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty good at it before too long!

Lucy's an awesome little girl though.  We got her about 2 months after we got married, so she'll be turning 8 years old next month.  (I guess that would make her roughly 56 years old in people years, right?)  We got her from my sister-in-law out in east Tennessee.  She was hiding under the front steps with her brother and a couple of other puppies.

She was so tiny, we bought her the smallest cat collar we could find and still had to make a couple of holes of our own because it was still too big!  Here's a picture of her at our old apartment shortly after we got her.  We're not really sure what kind of a mix she has in her, but we're pretty sure she has some chow in her blood.  She's got that classic purple tongue.

Lucy was followed a few months later by Ricky (yes, once upon a time, I used to be a big "I Love Lucy" fan).  Ricky, also from east Tennessee but from a different family member, is a boxer-beagle mix of some kind.  Even though they've lived together ever since, they seldom get along. 

Ricky and Lucy shortly after Ricky joined the family

Ricky came in thinking he was the alpha dog, but Lucy promptly knocked that out of his little head.  LOL!  Needless to say, he didn't like that one bit!  But they seem to tolerate each other now, kind of like an old married couple who just can't be bothered to get divorced.

With Lucy having trouble with her sight lately though, Ricky's been taking advantage of her handicap, and he thinks he's the top dog now.

Peek-a-boo!

Even though Lucy's going to be on these meds for the rest of her life though, I'm glad it wasn't to the point where we couldn't do much more than have her put down.  Hubby and I talked about that, and we were in agreement that it wasn't fair to make her suffer, if there wasn't going to be any way to improve her quality of life.  I'm just thankful it didn't come to that, and she's going to be ok.  It's also a good thing that I didn't have to have that difficult conversation with the kids to explain why we had to have one of their dogs put to sleep.

With any lucky, our little Lucy is going to be around for a number of years to come.  :)

GO...TO...BED!!!!!!!

I gotta vent.  It's after 9 p.m.  I've been trying to get these two precious little children of mine to go to sleep since 8 p.m. and I'm about worn out.  Neither one of them has any interest in calling it a night, but I, on the other hand, have a gazillion things that need to be done.  The two things I've been putting off all week that I need to do is fold laundry and wash dishes, neither of which looks like they're going to get done tonight.

This is the third night in a row that Gabe's done this to me (Zeke spent the last 2 nights at my parents' house), and because he's only 2 and doesn't necessarily know any better (although sometimes I think the "pee potty" excuse is just that--an excuse), it's bloody frustrating having to listen to these two go on and on.

"Night, night!  Bed time!  No more talking, whispering, or making noises of any kind," I say.

Ten seconds later, I can hear whispering as Zeke's talking to himself, telling some kind of story or whatnot.

"Really?  Do you REALLY think I can't hear that?  I'm sitting in this rocker right next to your bed, and you REALLY think I can't the words coming out of your mouth??"

I feel insulted.

Get this...I'm sitting in the living room typing this, and I can hear Gabe from the bedroom telling Zeke, "No talking!"  And what does Zeke do?  He imitates Gabe, which only exacerbates the situation and makes Gabe mad.  Yes, this is happening at this very moment while I type all this.

Hold on...it's gone quiet in there.  I'm not sure if they've finally worn their little selves out or what.  Nope, now Zeke's calling and telling me, "Momma, I really don't think I can go to sleep!"  And Gabe's yelling, "Momma, Zekie bump-a on-a head!"  (That means, "Zeke bumped me on the head" in Gabe-speak.)  "I did not!" yells Zeke.

Ok, I freakin' give up.  No wonder I don't feel like doing housework at night!

Ah wait...quiet again.  You know, I really think this time they might be down for the count.  It's been about a whole minute, and not a peep.  *happy dance*  And it's only 9:30 p.m. now.  I'm really tempted just to say screw it all and go to bed myself.  If I do that right now, I'd actually get 7 full hours of sleep.  BLISS!!

I was trying to explain to Zeke how they're going to have a hard time getting up in the morning, if they don't go to bed on time.  Bless him, but he has no earthly idea why 8-1/2 hours of sleep just isn't enough for youngsters like them, although for you and I, that would be extremely refreshing.  Right now, I have to make do on the 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours I get on a nightly basis.  Some of that's my own fault...I need my "winding down" time in the evenings before I turn in for the night, and that can be anything from vegging in front of the TV to something I've recorded on my wonderful DVR, to vegging at my laptop with one or more mind-numbing games that I play on Facebook.  Or both!

Well, it's been a full 5 minutes now that things have been quiet, so I'm going to give it a couple more minutes and go in there to check on them.  Now that Gabe's in a toddler bed as opposed to a crib, it's that much harder getting him to stay put, when all he wants to do is head over to Zeke's bed because he can bounce higher while he's jumping.  Go figure.

I think I'm done venting now.  'Night, all!

Happy 4th!! (And 5th!!)

Happy birthday, America!  And while I'm still a citizen of the old country (i.e. Britain), I've almost spent half my life here and can safely say I do appreciate the holiday for what it is and what it represents.

That being said, let me give a quick shout out to our men and women in uniform who serve this nation, and to their family members who have to sacrifice so much for everyone who lives here.  (And if you can truly say you have no appreciation for the military, then why don't you exercise your constitutional right and up and leave, alright?!)

Well, this particular holiday is near and dear to my heart because Hubby and I have our wedding anniversary on the 5th, so the two usually go hand-in-hand for us.  This year we kept things fairly low key and had a cookout with my folks, followed by fireworks.  We had originally thought about going to Crocker Park in Brentwood for their fireworks display, which is where my parents sometimes go, but since it was going to be so late at night for the kids by the time we'd make it back home, we thought against it.

We did have one little surprise in the evening, however.  Since the boys were playing with some of the kids in the neighborhood, Gabe decided he was big enough to join in.  That was fine until he took a little tumble...

...and came face-to-face with the pavement.  Guess who won?  No, his eye's not swollen shut.  He's just grinning at the camera here, but it is a bit swollen from the bump and scrape.  He's a real trooper though, cried for a minute or two and was pitiful for a while there.  But then he was back up and running around again in no time.

The child knows no fear.  I'm starting to wonder if that's such a good thing.  :-\

Anyway, today was our anniversary, and when I talked to the Hubs on the phone tonight, I learned two rather irritating things.  Firstly, it turns out his supervisor wasn't even expecting him on the job site today, so there was no need to be up and out on the road at 3:30 a.m.  Secondly, while on his way to the job site where he wasn't needed, the Hubs scored a speeding ticket with Indiana's finest boys in blue.  UGH!  Really?  A speeding ticket??  TODAY?!?!  It'll be 2 weeks before he knows anything about a court date or even how much his fine would be.  And the sad part is he didn't even need to be there.

*Sigh!*  So, happy anniversary, huh?  Oh well.  I guess it could have been worse, right?

The First Tooth Is Gone!

Well, it finally happened!  Zeke's tooth has been loose for a number of days, and this morning, while biting into a croissant, it fell out.

He's so happy though.  He was so exciting about getting a loose tooth, I guess because some of his friends at school have already lost teeth.  "This means I'm going to be 6 soon!" he was telling me on the way in to ESP this morning.

Ah, to be 6 again!

I remember losing my first tooth.  I was 5 and waiting in line at school to go to morning assembly.  Standing in Ms. Thompson's classroom that morning, I was so excited and proud to sport my new snaggle-toothed grin.  :-D

Life was simpler back then, huh?

Unfortunately, Zeke misplaced his tooth somewhere on the living room carpet tonight (not long after I told him to be careful not to lose it), so I'm going to have to try and find it before I vacuum.  I told him he was going to have to wait until tomorrow night to put it under his pillow, and while somewhat disappointed, he took the news pretty well.

So after 27 years of inflation, what's the going rate for a tooth these days anyway?

Oh well.  Better go look for that tooth so that I--I mean the Tooth Fairy--can do her job!  ;-)

Gabe's TWO!!!

I posted pictures of Gabe's birthday get-together on Facebook, but I wanted to include a few snapshots here, too, just for the record.




Gabe ADORES Scooby Doo, so it wasn't hard to decide what the theme was going to be for the cake! :)



I love this one. I still think he's going to be left-handed, though Hubby still thinks it's too early to tell. We'll see. I don't know of any lefties in either family, so Gabe will be the first (if he is a lefty, that is). He seems to want to draw with his left hand, and he always holds his fork in his left hand, though admittedly he'll still eat with his right. I don't know.

We had a good time, ate lots of Indian food at my parents' house, followed by the Scooby Doo cake. Gabe got lots of birthday money in lieu of gifts (being the younger boy, he inherited a lot of Zeke's toys and clothes), so we're getting his college savings put away for 16 years from now!

College savings...oh, joy! That should be a whole separate blog entry, I think. LOL!

Anyway, just wanted to share a few pictures. Working on potty training now, and with him moving up to the 2's class at the daycare, that should pick up the pace pretty quickly. I'm so looking forward to being done with diapers! I've changed a lot of diapers over the past 5-6 years, and I'm ready to retire. Besides, according to one of the displays at the Discovery Center, it takes 500 years for a baby's diaper to completely decompose. That's a scary thought! I guess my boys have left their mark on the world, and not necessarily in a good way, I'm afraid. :-\

Oops! My break's over. Better get back to work! :)

Mommy Day!

"Mommy day, Mommy day, hey-ho Mommy day!"

That's something Gabe likes to sing, which I think he picked up at daycare. Sometimes, he sings, "Daddy day" or "Zekie day," depending on whoever's in the room or in his little head. But today, it's the theme of my day, specifically, Mommy Day.

The boys had dentist appointments this morning, and after taking them to school/daycare, I took the day off to just do "Mommy Day" things...clothes shopping, getting my hair done, and trying out a new place for lunch. I haven't had a day off without kids with me in I don't know how long, so this really was a treat!

I've decided perhaps I need to do this more often. Call it a mental health day or whatever, but taking a day to do things just for me really is a refreshing change. I even told myself I wasn't allowed to do laundry or dishes or pick up the toys that always seem to be strewn across the living room floor. The only thing I'm going to do today is cook a couple of dishes for the week (which was something I was supposed to do yesterday, but I took the boys out to the Discovery Center instead).

So after a day around town, I'm kicking back in the recliner with my feet up and a enjoying an episode of "All In The Family" that I recorded on my beloved new DVR...minus the commercials. Ahhhh!!

I have to say, I was a little disappointed with lunch though. I decided to stop by the local Five Guys restaurant in town, since someone had highly recommended the place some time ago. Since I was in the area, I figured I'd give it a shot.

I got the little cheeseburger all the way, fries, and a drink. Since it cost me $10, I figured this better be good. The burger wasn't bad, but the bun left a lot to be desired. It practically fell apart on account of the toppings, disintegrating right before my eyes, and left me eating the thing in pieces. The fries were good though--fresh cut, homemade, and cooked well. Their sweet tea was strong and not overly sweet, just the way I like it. They even had bottles of malt vinegar with the condiments, which reminded me a little of home. :) The place itself was clean and well lit, and the service was pretty good as far as wait time was concerned.

All in all, it wasn't horrible. But let's just say it didn't exactly wow me. If I'm going to pay $10 for a hamburger meal, I think I'll stick with Red Robin and their Royal Burger. Yeah baby!

Well, I guess I'd better get up and get those dishes cooked for this week. Last night, I made a cheese and onion quiche (with fontina cheese that I shredded myself...very fancy, I know!) to go with a strawberry and spinach salad and homemade balsamic dressing, and I made taco meat for a taco salad. Today I'm fixing shrimp fried rice and baked ziti for the week's menu.

I've only got an hour of "Mommy Day" left, and I'm gonna ENJOY IT!! Luckily, I find cooking enjoyable.

Here's to a new tradition! Like I said, I think I'll be doing this more often!

Wow! Where've I Been??

Yeah, to say the least, things have gotten busy in our household. This is my first official post of 2011! *hangs head in shame* Not that I haven't THOUGHT about blogging. With Hubby back on the road, and the boys and me running the household together, that's just a recipe for craziness, and boy, is it crazy!

I need to post about Gabe's recent birthday, but I'll have to do that when I have access to my pictures. HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, LIL' MAN!!! We are so very proud.

But yeah, I've recently upgraded the RAM on my laptop (hello blazing light speed as opposed to running through molasses), and now I'm working on getting ALL my digital pictures touched up and organized in folders, then transferred to my new flash drives.

A little behind the times, me thinks.

So when I do finally get my act together, I'll be able to post some wonderful cake-in-the-face pictures from earlier this month. Woo hoo!

I do have one little snippet to share. I found a recipe on another blog, wickedgooddinner.com, for some amazing-looking watermelon pops! Check it out right here! I might not be able to keep these in stock at home, so the kids better move fast if they want some of this. Hehehe...

And now, back to work...