by Sarah | Feb 13, 2009 | Crap
Yesterday was a horrible, very bad, no good kind of day.
I was feeling hurt/disappointed/angry out of an argument over homeschooling w/ the hubs.Â
Angel and Riley were obnoxious despite recovering from colds.Â
Brandon had been graciously left alone during our appointment on Wednesday – and promptly lied to me upon my return home about what he’d been doing.
My house was a mess and I did absolutely nothing to help the cause.
The day culminated in me going into girls bedroom after nap time to find EVERYTHING painted…with POOP. The bed was COVERED. The curtains, the walls…Angel – from head to toe – and it was thickly coating the hand she had in her mouth. No, I did not get pictures I was too thoroughly disgusted (and you should be glad).
I lost it. I think I may have had a small aneurysm. The girls literally spent the rest of the night in time out (after a thorough scream-filled bath because I used the shower head instead of being nice w/ my rinsing).Â
I don’t know how to get my girls to stay in bed. Their clothes are piled in my bedroom because they get out of bed and empty the drawers (and closet).
Do you think I’d get in trouble if I duct taped them to the bed every night?
by Sarah | Feb 11, 2009 | All About Kennedy, Crap
Sometimes it’s all about the timing. Monday I received a phone call from the children’s hospital. It was the pulmonologist confirming Angel’s appointment for Wednesday. It was not on my calendar, but I confirmed it and added it to my calendar. Monday night, Riley started sneezing. By yesterday it was a full blown cold and Angel woke up coughing (mildly – nothing panic inducing).
Last night Angel fell out of bed, and the end result was a big, barky coughing fit. I looked at Archie and in relief said, “Thank goodness her CF clinic is tomorrow. Now I don’t have to call.”
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Today we all woke up miserable. My throat was sore and it was tough to swallow. Riley is still snotty and miserable. Angel’s cough is getting worse, and when she talks it sounds like she has gravel in her throat.
I am ever so grateful that we’re going to the hospital today. OTherwise I would have had to make an annoying Mom phone call because she’s starting to make me worried!
On a good note…her mood is still pretty good – if a little tired. Hopefully it stays that way!
by Sarah | Feb 10, 2009 | All About Family, Crap
Since my last post five days ago (*gasp* FIVE days?!)…here is a snippet of where we’ve been…
*Archie’s been A-OK with homeschooling…
*Archie’s been not-so A-OK with homeschooling (for Brandon)
*I posted a review over at TwoBroomsUp – get your romance on 😉
*I started making chocolate-covered cherries 3 days ago – and I’m still working on it (almost done – must finish today or they won’t be ready for Friday)
*I’ve given away our old crib (Just need to deliver it now) – and the girls are crib free…
*Which has led to a permanent time-out of sorts where they are both under strict observation
*Which has also led to near-potty-trained-ness for Angel – with Riley having no choice but to follow behind now.
*I’ve been attempting to make plans to finally get my BFF Jess out here for a visit…which should happen in the next couple of months (I hope)
*I’ve hinted at Archie that we need to go to where Jess is for a family vacay this year – after all then we could go to Williamsburg! The really long car ride is giving him pause, though (and me)
*I’ve researched membership fees to museums around here
*I gave the blog a facelift finally (you like? It’s been done for weeks – just haven’t bothered to switch it 😉 )
*I barely touched my computer over the weekend
*And yet have managed to (maybe-possibly, hopefully) convinced hubs to let me use a wee-bit of the tax refund to get a MacBook. (Hey, if we’re homeschooling we’ll need more than one comp, right?)
*We’ve had a slew of discussions w/ Brandon about homsechooling. Archie is still on the fence.
*We went out to eat as a fam, then picked up a new keyboard and mouse (wireless) for the computer. You can once again see all the letters on the keyboard!
*I spent hours researching doggies on Saturday. Archie was curious. No dog in this house yet, though.
*What the HECK is THIS? Seriously? Yes, teaching my child to grab their crotch in public is GREAT FUN!
*Because I got called out by Holly about my bias AGAINST the Twilight books – and I HATE being called out like that…I started reading Twilight last night. I’ll let you (and her) know what I think when I’m done. No opinions yet, I just started (Opinions about the PMS book, though…predictable much?)
*I’ve (re)written another chapter in my novel. Things are progessing differently, and hopefully better. I still feel like I’m lagging a bit, but the first three days are important. Hopefully it will all move much faster from here. We’ll see what happens.
*I’ve reopened my writing blog, though I haven’t posted yet. I’m working on it slowly. Real life has been so hectic.
And that’s the big slew of randomness for today. I know I’ve forgotten the past week has been so crazy-hectic. Everything is going well…just hectic!!
Time for me to go visit the blogs on my neglected list. I seriously haven’t even visited…much less commented! So off I go!!
by Sarah | Feb 4, 2009 | Crap
This was floating around a few blogs a couple of weeks ago. I responded to a couple…these are my questions from Daisy over at Compost Happens – along with my answers!! You want a turn?? Just respond to this post with an “Interview Me!” and I’ll send you questions.Â
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1. You’re busy with three kids, all high-maintenance in their own ways (as if there are any other kind!). How do you take care of yourself?
Take care of myself? I’m not very good at that, to be honest. But when I get tense I usually find some way. I enjoy a nice relaxing bath with a good book…I like to window shop and can spend hours away from home just wandering the stores (how I usually de-stress). Lately the biggest thing I do that is actually taking care of myself – and a destresser – is Yoga. I try to do 30 minutes at least every other day.
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2. Gardening is a common theme. Do you have a plan for starting a garden next summer, and if so, how will it improve on last year’s?
I have plans to attempt a garden this year again. This time I’m going to have my husband take a cue from my neighbor (or ask my neighbor to do it) and put a raised bed in the backyard. I’ve been researching gardening and hope to actually get some yield this year.    Â
3. How did you come to start blogging, and how long have you been at it?
I started blogging about a year and a half ago when we were at the height of learning about our children’s special needs. We had just learned of Angel’s CF a few months before, and were edging toward Riley’s autism diagnosis – along with her RSS. I wanted a place to express what our life was like, and Redefining Perfect seemed the best way.
4. You’re south of my neck of the woods, but you’ve still been socked with some odd weather this winter. How do you cope, and how do your kids cope with winter?
I grew up in Buffalo, New York. This weather is nothing to me *lol* That’s how I cope. No, seriously. Lots of layers. My kids are almost as blase about the cold as I am. The only time the cold gets tough is when I’m inside. I expect it to be warm there…and in a house with no insulation we don’t get that…so many blankets :D And a nice hot cup of coffee all usually do it!
5. You’ve mentioned your dance background. What kind of dance did you study: ballet, jazz, tap, or some other form?
I studied it all. I started with tap when I was young and jealous of my brother for getting so much attention for his hockey. My mom stuck me in dance to shut me up and discovered a real talent.  I moved onto jazz and then, with much grumbling ballet – which I later learned to love. I also did some modern dance in college, and I’ve performed in local theatre shows – being dance captain in all of them. I still love dance and am trying to get back into it.
That’s it! Thanks so much, Daisy! I had a great time!!!!
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The RULES of the interview game:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
by Sarah | Jan 21, 2009 | All About Kennedy, All About Me, Crap, Hypotonia
Which is really hypocritical of me because I constantly give Archie grief for blaming himself. It isn’t his fault…and it isn’t my fault…and our brains know this…but our hearts bleed.Â
His heart bleeds because Brandon was the ‘perfect’ child. He was never really sick (a minor bowel issue until 3yo, but otherwise) – Brandon is neurotypical. ARchie is not biologically his father. Our two special needs children are his biological children. He draws the line of coincidence and though his head tells him that it isn’t his fault…his heart aches and bleeds thinking it was somehow his fault – his genes that did it.
For me, it’s an old vice. One that still haunts me…and one that I abused when I was pregnant…not with Brandon, and not with Riley…but with Angel…
I smoked until I was five and a half months pregnant with her. In my (very weak) defense I hadn’t the foggiest idea I WAS pregnant (seriously I REALLY had no idea…both me and my OB were shocked)…but I was, and I did.Â
I had my first cigarette at 11. At 16 I really started smoking – and started hard with reds. I smoked off an on for years. I’ve always had a knack of just deciding one day that I’d quit and that would be it – for months and years at a time. When I started drinking (at 18), I’d almost always have at least one cigarette when I drank – which worked since it was only once every few months. But I was a horrible social smoker…when others smoked, I joined. Working in food service – a LOT of food service workers smoke…so when I started waitressing after Riley was born, I started smoking – like a frickin’ chimney.Â
Truth be told, with all three of my kids I smoked right up until the day I found out I was pregnant. Brandon I stopped as soon as I saw the test – and never looked back, in fact they made me sick. With Riley, I quit before I knew I was pregnant…they just made me nuts, so did alcohol (not that I was ever addicted to that).Â
But when I got pregnant with Angel, I had no idea I was pregnant. I was using three forms of birth control (four if you count the new-parent exhaustion-created near-abstinence). I was working at Bob Evans (yum) and smoking like a chimney with my friends and coworkers.Â
I’ve always felt guilt about it – but pushed it aside as best as I could.Â
But when I hear the doctors say “Something happened neurologically while she was in utero. Something minor, but enough to cause this…” As they have since we first started looking for reasons for her left-sided weakness. Every time I hear “neurological event” and “in utero” – I blame myself.Â
And my heart bleeds.Â
And bleeds…
And tonight…my heart bleeds…and again I blame myself…
by Sarah | Jan 20, 2009 | Crap
Win a FREE YEAR subscription to Family Fun Magazine!
*****
I haven’t done a random post in a while…so you get a treat today…a post full of randomness.
- Still don’t know if the toe was actually broken – I never went to the doctor…but it was starting to improve…
- Then today Angel stepped on it during her nutrition appointment. Now it’s throbbing again.
- Angel and Riley are both sick and miserable.
- Tomorrow Brandon’s class is having the puberty lecture and video. Should be interesting.
- Saturday is Brandon’s 11th birthday! ELEVEN! How did that happen?! Oy…I feel so old…and he’s got zits and is growing pit hair. Help.
- I have begun making a lot of our bread…
- Like a LOT. English muffins, wheat bread, dinner rolls, focaccia…I’ve gone nuts…
- But I’ve learned that homemade really IS better…
- And to top it off I made my own chicken stock yesterday.
- But I’ve been a total loser about family dinners this week..
- But tomorrow I make soup – yum…
- I’ve also been a loser about working out…
- BUT I have the reasoning of my toe. Hard to do yoga with a seriously busted and swollen toe.
- Did I mention that my sneaker doesn’t fit?
- Right now I feel like my kitchen is never going to get clean…and I’m behind on my bread baking so every step forward – I end up taking two steps back when I try to finish up my bread baking.
- This ridiculous post of randomness took me all day long because despite doing five million things on the WWW – I couldn’t find five minutes to string a bunch of random thoughts together.
That’s all for today. Hopefully tomorrow is a real post.
